Lenten Devotional (13) and Talking to Babies

"We Do The Walk of Life" -Mark Knopfler

The Latin phrase, “Solvitur Ambulando” means “It is solved by walking.” Lent is a season to slow our pace and think more deeply about our problems. But by walking? Why not?

“Vindicate me, O LORD, for I have walked in my integrity…”

It is worth reflecting that sitting in the Psalms is almost always associated with evil practices (see Ps. 26:5; 50:20). Whereas, walking is generally associated with righteousness o or opposing wickedness (see Deut. 8;6; Ps. 26:3). Some of the writers we most cherish like C.S. Lewis and Tolkien were men who treasured their daily walks. The Desert Fathers emphasized walking and meditating. Apart from the physical benefits, it also allows us to contemplate creation, meditate on our lives, think through our day, etc. Søren Kierkegaard famously noted:

“I have walked myself into my best thoughts, and I know of no thought so burdensome that one cannot walk away from it.”

The Psalmist uses walking as synonymous with a way of life. We “walk in truth,” and “we walk in the righteous paths.” While the psalmist did not have the physical aspect in mind in those texts, other Psalms of ascension portray a people singing while walking. It is clear that walking can indeed allow us to think more deeply about the things of God.

Lent can provide us with opportunities for greater reflection. Perhaps a walk with your family, or even a solitary walk to remember the journey of Jesus to the cross. Lent is a walk of faith. Perhaps we can begin practicing that faith by literally walking.

Prayer: O Lord Jesus, who walked in integrity all your day, may we imitate your steps as we follow this Lenten journey from the desert to the dreaded tree. We pray this in the Name of our Lord Jesus, Amen.

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* Peter Leithart wonders why Baptists talk to their babies if they do not understand what is being said:

If the child cannot understand what a parent is saying, is it rational for the parent to speak to him or her? Baptist parents as well as others speak to their infants, and do not expect the child to understand or to talk back for many months. They see nothing irrational in this. They speak to their children, that is, they employ symbols, not because they think the infant understands all that is being said or because they expect an immediate response. They speak to their children so that the child will learn to understand and talk back. So too, we baptize babies not because they can fully understand what is happening to them, nor because we expect them to undergo some kind of immediate moral transformation. We baptize them, and consistently remind them of their baptism and its implications, so that they will come to understanding and mature faith.

**The Pauline Epistles contain 80 references to divine judgment. The Marcionite argument that the God of the New Testament is only a God of love falls short quantitatively. Even if the argument could be made that divine retribution is merely Pauline and not Christocentric, one would still have to deal with the proliferation of judgment themes spread throughout the Gospels as well. But Paul and Jesus harmonized their messages with perfect justice.

***I have started working my way through the biography of Karl Barth called A Life in Conflict by Christiane Tietz (450 pages) hailed as the finest work on Barth produced to this day. While Barthian theology is something to be challenged, his influence is undeniable, and his life is a retelling of the many dilemmas faced in the task of theology as well as the Christian walk. As Barth concluded: “Human beings are what they are solely through God” (3).

****In all the preterist discussions these days, this five-minute video offers a quick overview: