David Bahn – Reflections

Tell me, you who desire to be under the law, do you not listen to the law? ²² For it is written that Abraham had two sons, one by a slave woman and one by a free woman. ²³ But the son of the slave was born according to the flesh, while the son of the free woman was born through promise. ²⁴ Now this may be interpreted allegorically: these women are two covenants. One is from Mount Sinai, bearing children for slavery; she is Hagar. ²⁵ Now Hagar is Mount Sinai in Arabia; she corresponds to the present Jerusalem, for she is in slavery with her children. ²⁶ But the Jerusalem above is free, and she is our mother. ²⁷ For it is written,

“Rejoice, O barren one who does not bear;
    break forth and cry aloud, you who are not in labor!
For the children of the desolate one will be more
    than those of the one who has a husband.”

²⁸ Now you, brothers, like Isaac, are children of promise. ²⁹ But just as at that time he who was born according to the flesh persecuted him who was born according to the Spirit, so also it is now. ³⁰ But what does the Scripture say? “Cast out the slave woman and her son, for the son of the slave woman shall not inherit with the son of the free woman.” ³¹ So, brothers, we are not children of the slave but of the free woman.

I noticed a hiccup recently in the posting of my podcast of these devotions on Spotify. I have a suspicion about why this was so. I think it may be because of the title which included the word, “Cuba.” I have only a suspicion about this. My data is only anecdotal. It could have been simply an internet glitch.

But I know we were very isolated while we were in Cuba. I could not get to the New York Times from Cuba. Again, this is only anecdotal. But it was my experience. I didn’t try other websites. And it may be that I simply wanted to play Wordle or Connections, and was thwarted in those attempts. But it was clear we had no easy access to the outside world while we were there.

Internet connections are important to us today. We want to be able to get the weather, receive and send our emails, text and message one another wherever we are in the world. Some also want to connect to Facebook. We long for connections – even virtual connections, the imitation of the real thing.

Think of this also in terms of the church. When I am working with a congregation that seeking a pastor, and in the call process, they greatly value their connections with the Texas District. When I was first in ministry, I greatly valued the connections I had with other pastors in our circuit. I would travel 4 hours one way to attend circuit meetings.

As I matured in ministry I gained more appreciation for connections within the congregation. I remember many years ago a meeting with parents of confirmation-age students. They wanted to improve the confirmation program. Their ideas were amazingly helpful. I see now how true it is that we are better together.

We might be tempted to ignore or despise our connections with our church body. Our connections with one another in some cases may impinge upon plans we would with to pursue. But we are part of the Body of Christ. And that puts us into connections of all kinds. All of them, necessarily, will be difficult. And sometimes painful.

Here Paul speaks of the blessings that came from being connected to the free woman, the mother of the child of promise. We are sons and daughters of the free woman – brothers and sisters of Christ. We’re connected to the promises of God in Jesus, and those are the most valuable connections of all.

If you wish to see some of my photos from this trip, you may see them in my smugmug gallery.