Miracles

“I don’t understand this.  I’ve never seen this before.  Call the O.R. and cancel surgery immediately.”  These are the words texted by my brother from his hospital bed, quoting his doctor just before a scheduled second surgery to repair a failed skin graft to his tongue after the initial cancer surgery only four days prior!  My brother is incredulous.  He goes on in his trademark style, “There is the simple miracle.  The rest is history…. There is no room for argument or debate in the Kingdom of God…. I am a mere mortal but an expert only in my own story…. Please join me in another miracle celebration.”

I cannot believe what I am reading.  The news spreads like wildfire.  Suddenly our colorful truth-stretching interesting beloved alcoholic brother is holding forth like a preacher.  And if there are any doubting Thomases (He must have read his Bible somewhere), he says he’ll stick out his tongue at them. 🌝  No more dead meat in his mouth; he’s already envisioning next ‘storytime’ at local coffee shop!

I too am incredulous – and so is another of my brothers.  We of the greater theological education on said subject put our heads together in thoughtful telephone conversation.  Even as we are both excited and obviously relieved, we agree to wait and see.  Wait and see yields confirmation!  Yes indeed, next morning Philip's wife confirms she too is convinced.  Apparently this is beyond explanation in the medical units in the hospital.  Dead matter appears to be throbbing with life, swelling and throbbing to recovery as a successful surgery must. 

Now the reflective confession.  I believe.  Even so, please consider the perspective of this elder brother!  "Deep calls to deep", says Psalm 42:6 in my Bible.  Based on this and many other experiences, my faith includes more than this.  I see ample invitation to believe because of or perhaps in spite of this evidence.  While this was transpiring in a Saskatoon hospital, here was I at home in Calgary, reading a recently published book Making the Crooked Places Straight by Carol Harrison and Ruth Keighley (Carol’s Corner Publishing, 2020).  Unlike my brother’s declarative testimony this book is full, absolutely full, of claims to God’s miraculous involvement in people’s lives, anecdotally recorded page after page.  The incidents and the sermon move along side by side, nary a paragraph that does not mention God the one who makes crooked places straight.  It is a compilation of heartwarming stories of individuals and their encounter with a miracle-working God.  Philip’s testimony is a one-time incident which defies explanation – mere mortal expert in his story!

Indeed.  The temptation is now to run on into a bit of an evaluation of two very different approaches to and experiences of God the Higher Power (AA lingo) or God the Miracle Worker (born again lingo).  At this point in my life I am not inclined to go the exclusivist way.  I am enthused and I am humbled by both of these accounts happening right before my eyes.  Rather than disclaiming or validating one or the other I receive these as a confirmation of my growing understanding and experience of both God the HP and the MW.  As I have written in my profile (check it out ), I am inspired especially of late, to reserve judgement on exactly who holds the patent on the most accurate description of God and God’s doings. 

I remember a lesson from many years ago in a college Old Testament class.  Dr. Waldemar Janzen was holding forth on the names of God.  Moses was anxious about how the people would receive him if he came to them with a word from God.  Then God says to Moses, “I am who I am. This is what you are to say to the Israelites: ‘I am has sent me to you.’” (Exodus 3:14).  In the O.T. are many names for God, El Shaddai, Elohim, Immanuel, to name a few, and all best summarized in the consonants YHWH.  However, as per instruct to Moses, do not become too concerned about the articulation of My name.  More important is the need for you to know Me.

My brother with the healed tongue would probably quit reading right about now. This is too much of that complicated churchy sounding stuff.  He prefers his own explanations to things.  On the other hand, my very evangelical miracle oriented author friends also prefer their renditions on said topic.  Me?  I am easy with both perspectives.  More important to me is the One who has come among us (John 1:14).  Yes, Jesus the word among us, the One who walked the talk, and if needed among his teachings, regularly performed  miracles.  Even after the crooked places are all straightened and after the tongues all healed and the mutes speak, there is still need for a reason to live, and for many people, especially in these days of Covid-19, that could use some healing too!  “I am the way and the truth and the life. No one comes to the Father except through me.” So says Jesus in John 14:6.

In fact, just knowing that One is enough to get me speaking in tongues, but that’s topic for another time.