Psalm 103:1-8

“Bless the Lord, O my soul, and all that is within me, bless his holy name.” vs. 1

The word “bless” is familiar to us. Some use it as a closing in their letters to friends and family, while others might use it as a quick response to a sneeze, as in “bless you.” In those instances it’s a prayer for the person addressed, a desire that good things might come to them. But the psalmist uses it in another sense, saying “Bless the Lord, O my soul, and all that is within me, bless his holy name.” Our first impulse is to wonder why God would need our blessing at all–and further how could we possibly give God a blessing? The answer is obvious. We bless God when we offer deep praise and thanksgiving for all that God does for us. Think of how much it means when a child or a grandchild offers unsolicited thanks to us for a gift they have received. Maybe we’ve gotten those little notes: “Thank you so much for the gift…thank you, Grandpa, thank you Grandma, I love you so much.” Receiving thanks touches our hearts; receiving thanks is a blessing. Seen in that respect, blessing God is a powerful demonstration of our faith and thanksgiving. All we have and are is a gift from God–every recovery from illness, every loving relationship comes straight from God. God’s goodness literally overflows in our lives. No wonder the psalmist enjoins the people to bless the name of the Lord–it seems pretty much an obligation!

Thought for the Day: For what am I blessing God today?

Isaiah 58:13-14

“if you call the sabbath a delight…if you honor it, not going your own ways…or pursuing your own affairs;then you shall take delight in the Lord, and I will make you ride upon the heights of the earth;” vss. 13b-14a

The prophets of Israel consistently pointed to sabbath-keeping as the center of the Jewish faith. In their eyes it was the most important of all the commandments given at Sinai. And early Christians agreed. While they may have rejected some of the rigid laws that had grown up around sabbath observance, they understood its importance, and even though they changed their day of corporate worship to Sunday they continued to consider it as a day holy to the Lord. Unfortunately the pressures and opportunities of contemporary living have had a huge impact on sabbath keeping. The culture demands that businesses and services be available every day of the week. Youth sports teams regularly hold games and practices on Sunday morning. The whole notion of a day of rest seems quaint in secular society and even people who work 35 hour weeks are reluctant to dedicate even a portion of a day to worship and prayer–they just don’t have the time! But there’s a reason why the ancients set aside a day each week for rest–it’s what they needed to revitalize their souls. And the same is true for us! Not only is regular worship a wonderful testimony to our faith, it’s vital for our spiritual well-being. Without worship, faith disappears!

Thought for the Day: What’s the relationship between worship and witness?

Isaiah 58: 9b-12

“If you remove the yoke from among you, the pointing of the finger, the speaking of evil, if you offer your food to the hungry and satisfy the needs of the afflicted, then your light shall rise in the darkness and your gloom be like the noonday.” vss. 9b-10

It is so easy to “drink the lemonade” of the times and take delight in its tangy flavors. And the politicized moments of these last months have offered plenty of opportunities to at least take a sip or two. We’re in the primary season, getting ready to pick candidates for the fall elections and trying to make up our minds, and everyone is being offered lemonade! And it almost always involves the pointing of the finger and speaking of evil–lies and mistruths abound. And sometimes the posturing has an effect on relationships within the Body of Christ. Long-time friends are alienated from one another and it’s all so sad. In that atmosphere it is crucial for brothers and sisters in Christ to follow the direction of the prophet and focus on loving connections and not political stances. When politicians point the finger and speak evil, we will not join in and instead focus on our mission to offer food to the hungry and satisfy the needs of the afflicted. It’s not easy to separate politics from friendships, but for the sake of the Church, it has to be done. Friends should be our friends forever, especially when our political choices are different!

Thought for the Day: How does politics affect my friendships?

Luke 12:54-56

“You hypocrites! You know how to interpret the appearance of earth and sky, but why do you not know how to interpret the present time?” vs. 56

Jesus had such contempt for the people of his day. They could predict rain and scorching heat by watching the wind directions, but they failed to see what was coming to pass in the present. We wonder what he might say to us. We have made incredible advancements in science and are able to predict the weather in amazing ways. In the last half century those climate scientists have begun to issue dire warnings. As levels of carbon dioxide increase in the atmosphere we will see temperatures and sea levels rise, storms will become more intense, and there will be widespread drought in some areas and devastating flooding in others. Can anything be done? Most scientists say yes. We can make changes that will at least mitigate the coming climate changes. Many people have decided not to trust the scientists and believe we can just go on living as we have in the past. Making needed changes would cost too much and our rich nations just can’t afford it. People of faith recognize their responsibility to care for the earth and are very willing to make any needed sacrifices. And so we wonder, “Just who are the hypocrites in all of this?” This we do know: if we do nothing, as it appears we’ve decided to do, it is our grandchildren who will pay the cost.
Thought for the Day: Why don’t many people trust scientists?

Luke 12:49-53

“Do you think that I have come to bring peace to the earth? No, I tell you, but rather division!” vs. 51

Not everything that we read in the gospels brings joy to our hearts. Oh, there is much that is beautiful and inspiring, but Luke wasn’t in the business of censoring Jesus. Even when his words were disquieting and disturbing, Luke included them because they were a true reflection of what life in Christ is like. Jesus had indeed come to bring in the peaceable kingdom, but life in it wouldn’t always be peaceful. So when we see division in the Body, it should not surprise us. Politics isn’t the only thing that can cause families to splinter–we can have ugly differences about matters of faith as well. We can’t always predict those moments of dissension, but they often come in those times when religious people try to stifle the Spirit by codifying traditions and exercising exclusion. Those are the dark days of the Church, the times of witch hunts, crusades, racism and inquisition–and they keep on happening. And it gets even worse in those eras when religion becomes politicized! Some would say that we are living through such a time right now. The challenge for people of faith is enormous. To maintain the integrity of the gospel we have to put a check on our religious and political tendences and focus on loving unconditionally–every day in every way with every one we meet!

Thought for the Day: How are differences challenging my congregation?

Hebrews 12:1-2

“Therefore, since we are surrounded by so great a cloud of witnesses, let us also lay aside every weight and the sin that clings so closely, and let us run with perseverance the race that is set before us, looking to Jesus the pioneer and perfecter of our faith…” vss. 1-2a

The record of faithfulness outlined in Hebrews 11 is impressive. Scribes had preserved nearly two millennia of stories and regarded those records as their holy scriptures. By faith, thousands of people had sacrificed their lives and were now regarded as a great cloud of witnesses who had made possible the mission of Jesus Christ. In him their faith had now been made perfect! The writer of Hebrews now exhorts his readers to exhibit that same wholehearted faith as they live out their own lives of sacrifice and service. And that’s exactly what has happened. For two thousand years people of faith have proclaimed the gospel in every circumstance through every kind of adversity and now billions of people look to Jesus as the pioneer and perfecter of their faith. And now it’s our turn. Now the cloud of witnesses is even larger and their mission is in our hands. Inspired and directed by the Spirit we are called to run the race that is before us with passion and purity. We will not be reliving the past, but inspired by our traditions, we will be remaking the future, thereby ensuring that the good news of God’s love will be preserved forever.

Thought for the Day: Who are my faith ancestors?

Hebrews 11:29-40

Yet all these, though they were commended for their faith, did not receive what was promised, since God had provided something better so that they would not, apart from us, be made perfect.” vss. 39-40

As he continues his teachings, the writer to the Hebrews recounts the great people of faith from Israel’s history, from Rahab, the prostitute, to unnamed prophets tortured and maligned in every horrible way. All had faith in common, it was their strength and they were commended for it, yet they did not receive what had been promised. That would not happen until the end, when all people would be made perfect in Christ. While we can’t know precisely what this writer had in mind, what he says does have some truth to it. We all know people of faith who have suffered enormously from persecution and illness. Some have lived wonderful lives and have ended up with nothing to show for it. Goodness and faithfulness often do not receive their deserved rewards. Sometimes the very best folks are simply blotted out, and no one even takes note of their passing. The good news is that as individuals we are part of the community of faith, and when the community is received into Christ, we are all going to be included. It’s that communal aspect of salvation that we forget in our era of rugged individualism. In Christ no one is going to miss out!

Thought for the Day: What should take priority: the individual or the community?

Psalm 82

“Give justice to the weak and the orphan; maintain the right of the lowly and the destitute. Rescue the weak and the needy; deliver them from the hand of the wicked.” vss. 3-4

This psalmist imagines God sitting in the divine council and holding judgment. And from that throne God calls out, “Give justice to the weak…maintain the right of the lowly…rescue the needy.” The psalmist has no doubt about God’s priorities–indeed we hear this refrain throughout scripture, especially in the prophets and in the words of Jesus. It would seem that if believers are really interested about bringing in the Peaceable Kingdom they would do everything in their power to provide assistance to the poor and needy all around the world. When possible, laws and decrees would be passed and proclaimed that recognized the rights of the poor and increased their chances of sharing in God’s bounty. Instead we’re told that those who live in poverty are lazy and shiftless, that they lack moral standards, and that they need to lift themselves up by their own bootstraps. As the tents of the homeless sprout up in our cities and refugees flood our borders, we have learned to blame the victims and offer minimal assistance. There is little interest in figuring out how to solve what has become a systemic problem–and it’s likely to grow even worse. Surely we cannot believe that God is pleased!

Thought for the Day: What are the rights of the lowly and the destitute?

Jeremiah 23:26-29

“How long? Will the hearts of the prophets ever turn back—those who prophesy lies, and who prophesy the deceit of their own heart?…Is not my word like fire, says the Lord, and like a hammer that breaks a rock in pieces?” vss. 26, 29

The prophets in Jerusalem drove Jeremiah to distraction. Many had the ear of the king and were crafting their message to his desires. They recommended alliances and treaties that could only bring disaster and Jeremiah believed that they were nothing but liars, just making stuff up on the fly. That’s often how it is in the world of politics. Seldom is there an effort to find out the truth of a matter before tweets are sent out and lies are being spread. And no one even seems to care. When people like the falsehood they’ve heard they just pass it on and in less than a day millions of folks have offered their “likes”. Jeremiah had tried to proclaim the word of the Lord in such a setting, believing that the truth would shatter the deceits, and few paid attention. There are still truth-tellers like Jeremiah around. They believe in their hearts that there is power in exposing the popular lies that have fragmented our society. And ultimately we trust, their words will prevail. After all, it’s Jeremiah who is remembered, and not the liars. But it doesn’t happen quickly. People love lies and the people who tell them–it’s only in the long run that their deceits are exposed!

Thought for the Day: How can I distinguish lies from the truth?

Jeremiah 23:23-26

“Who can hide in secret places so that I cannot see them? says the Lord. Do I not fill heaven and earth? says the Lord.” vs. 24

Twenty-five hundred years ago Jeremiah refused to believe that God could be manipulated or avoided. God was no idol of stone or wood hanging out in temples and having no connection to daily life.  Like many of us Jeremiah believed that the Lord filled the universe, that God was present in all that exists. For Jeremiah that was important knowledge, an understanding of God that should keep humans from ever imagining that they could get away with their lies and unscrupulous behaviors. Now it may be that some folks don’t give a rip about God and don’t even care that their language and actions are gross and despicable. But most people, almost all politicians in fact, say that they do believe in God. In the United States it’s a part of our national creed and even shows up on our money (though probably not on Bitcoin). So why then is it so hard for people to behave in God-pleasing ways? There’s probably not a good answer, but the question sure gave Jeremiah heartburn. And it should bother us too, and not just as some other reason to judge others. This is something for each of us to consider carefully in our hearts. Is God’s closeness a factor in my daily living choices? If not, why not?

Thought for the Day: Is my faith real or just lip service?