I first came across this phrase about 10 years ago in a Bible Study while reading Brian McLaren’s “ A New Kind of Christianity.” Deus ex Machina ( pronounced Day-us-ekes Mack-inuh) is Latin for “God in the Machine”. It’s an ancient literary device meant to solve a problem in a plot or play by adding an unexpected / miraculous character into a tragic event that literally saves the day. It was a device used in Greek tragedies- often a crane or pulley system that would hoist the hero down onto center stage. There are even some popular ones in the Bible, the parting of the Red Sea, and Abraham saving Isaac. I think it is also why super hero movies remain so popular. I have lived, experienced and shared the goodness of God in the midst of my hard times. In fact, even as a teacher one of my favorite writing lessons was to have students prove this promp: “Friends makes difficult times easier and good times better.” As Christians we often hold out for a miracle, for God to step in at the last possible moment to prevent or repair a tragedy. When God doesn’t perform a deus ex machina our belief structures can become unhinged. However, if every story ended that way- we would never fully know or understand, GRACE. Grace that is given and grace that is received. LOVE. Love that is given and love that is received.
The world is feeling chaotic right now. It has felt chaotic for me since October. Wouldn’t we all just love the idea of a hero that will rescue us from harm? How cool would that be?! As we watch the news and read reports about the pandemic, we can see that God has provided heroes everywhere. I have found these last six months that God can and does appear whenever we need reassurance, confidence or purpose in life. I feel His presence often, daily, in small moments- not saved for the climax scene.
I have been asked often, how can you believe in a God that let’s bad things happen? My answer, the one I choose to endorse, is that I don’t see God as a purely external reality. I believe He is present in every act of love. And therefore, when bad things happen, GOD’S LOVE IS REVEALED. Here’s an epiphany: what if we believe in a transcendent God AND a God of love in the present? What if God, desiring us to draw nearer to Him, made it so that affection of Him is always rooted to and flows through something or someone else- holding an infant, seeing a sunrise, helping a friend, helping a stranger, finding a cure? What if he placed the entire world between us and Him? Then He can proclaim...LOVE EVERYTHING AND EVERYONE.
Thank you to all who have loved me through my battle. Tuesday is yet another chemo day (#6) and I truly dread the seven days that will follow. I still believe, however, that God is experienced when we direct love toward each other. For this reason, I believe that God does not choose to be deus ex Machina. It is what saves our lives from being a one way street. That is why God doesn’t give us just the miraculous ending...He gives gives us the whole play. Even though I’m heading into “scene six” and it might not be the role I wished or planned for...God’s love has been revealed the whole time- through wonderful people like you. Thank you have sharing this journey with me. I love you.
