Psalm 25:6-10

“All the paths of the Lord are steadfast love and faithfulness, for those who keep his covenant and his decrees.” vs. 10

Through the millenia humans have invented a remarkable variety of religions, some of which have prospered and grown as their adherents have spread across the globe. Many have comprehensive doctrines and scriptures to provide instruction to successive generations. Most members of these various religious groups believe that what they believe and teach is superior to any other religion, and as the centuries have passed there have been periods of bloody religious warfare as one or another group seeks to dominate the others. In recent years some wise leaders have realized that no one religion has a monopoly on the truth and that in fact most religions provide opportunities for profound God connections. In other words there is a common denominator in the different religious expressions. The psalmist points the way to that commonality when he writes that “all the paths of the Lord are steadfast love and faithfulness.” There are many differences in the great religions and each has very different theologies and practices, But any religion worth its salt will recognize that steadfast love is the essence of divinity, and that every community of believers will reflect that love in the way they treat both neighbors and strangers. Those of us who are followers of Jesus will lead the way in reaching out to people of other faiths. We know and believe that the Holy Spirit of God is not bound and produces fruit in the most amazing places.

Thought for the Day: How do I relate to people of other faiths?

Psalm 25:1-5

“Lead me in your truth, and teach me, for you are the God of my salvation; for you I wait all day long.” vs. 5

We live in an information glut! Everyday we read and hear of new discoveries, new crises, new books and movies, and there are even daily updates for our smartphones. Just when we figure something out it becomes obsolete and we have to start learning a new jargon. And all the new technologies and advancing scientific knowledge don’t necessarily make things better. Criminals and scammers have become increasingly adept at using trickery and misinformation to lead us astray. We’ve learned to be suspicious of every phone call and afraid to even try new things. Truth is elusive and we wonder if there’s anyone we can trust. The psalmist lived in other times but he still longed for solid guidance in the course of living. He believed that the Lord would be his guide and that was his daily prayer. That’s not a bad option for us either! Certainly God is continually available to us all through the day. Every moment of decision then becomes an opportunity to meditate on available alternatives and allow the Spirit of God to direct us on the paths of righteousness. Will we always make the right choices? Probably not, it really is hard to discern the truth and grasp consequences–we’re bound to mess up occasionally. But when we’re open to the Spirit, more often than not, love will blossom in our wake, and goodness will abound.

Thought for the Day: What new technology is most difficult for me?

Jeremiah 31:14-16

“Thus says the Lord: A voice is heard in Ramah, lamentation and bitter weeping. Rachel is weeping for her children; she refuses to be comforted for her children, because they are no more.” vs. 15

Rachel was one of the revered matriarchs of Israel, the beloved wife of Jacob, and the mother of Benjamin and Joseph. According to tradition the defeated remnants of Israel were gathered in a vast company in Ramah, where she had been buried, before being marched off into exile by the Babylonians. Jeremiah imagines Rachel weeping at the sight and offers words of comfort. The Lord will not abandon them–they will survive and return. We have a sense of what those vast migrations of people are like. In our lifetimes we’ve seen millions of refugees gathered into camps and then sent from their places of birth to countries far different from their own. Certainly there has been weeping, not only from those leaving but from those left behind. And while some adapt to the places where they have been resettled, for many there is a longing for the land of their birth. They would love the reassurance that one day they would be able to return. But what was true for the Israelites is also true for the 21st century exiles–they will not be abandoned by the Lord! They may not be able to return, but we who are the hands and feet of God have been called to offer them protection and care. And many are doing exactly that!

Thought for the Day: How am I helping to care for refugees?

John 18:36-37

“Jesus answered, ‘You say that I am a king. For this I was born, and for this I came into the world, to testify to the truth. Everyone who belongs to the truth listens to my voice.’” vs. 37b

It would appear that truth has become a rare commodity in the climate of our culture and our times. Of course people still talk about the truth and say that they value it, but there is little agreement about what it is. In general it appears that truth has become relative–it changes to fit the whims and fancies of individuals. As a result, lying has become commonplace–we’ve learned not to believe anything that our leaders say. All of this is so contrary to the mission of Jesus. John tells us that Jesus came into the world to testify to the truth, and if believers want to be children of the truth they should pay attention to what he has said. There is great wisdom in what John says. Truth does make a difference, and truth-telling is a measure of a person’s integrity. It’s sad when we can’t believe what we read or see in the media, but we don’t have to adopt those standards for ourselves, or believe that we have been set free to say whatever we please or whatever is expedient. Truth matters! It always has and it always will! Those who walk in the Way of Jesus will take care to be certain that their speech reeks with integrity! It’s the only way out of the mess that we are in!

Thought for the Day: Why do people believe lies?

John 18:33-35

There are some differences in the gospel accounts of Jesus’ death and crucifixion, but they are in general agreement that the Romans were the ones responsible. John implies that Pilate had some sympathy for Jesus and wonders why charges had been brought. Since Pilate had a reputation for cruelty and had already killed hundreds of Jews, it’s a little hard to believe that he had much compassion for Jesus. But John does make it clear that the religious leaders in Jerusalem were the primary instigators of Jesus’ arrest and trial. Because Jesus had spoken out against temple corruption and had caused considerable controversy, the chief priests had arranged to hand him over to the Romans. Sometimes that’s what happens when people of faith stand up for truth and justice in the face of political and national corruption. Too often it’s implied that followers of Jesus should just bite their tongues and be nice when ugly things are happening in their communities. We’ve bought the lie that religion and politics are off limits for civil conversation. Jesus didn’t shy away from confrontation and ultimately that conviction to speak the truth meant his death. That doesn’t mean we should deliberately seek confrontation in our relationships with others–most often kindness and gentleness are our best weapons–but sometimes we just can’t remain silent!

Thought for the Day: When is silence no longer an option for me?

Revelation 1:6-8

“‘I am the Alpha and the Omega,’ says the Lord God, who is and who was and who is to come, the Almighty.” vs. 8

This phrase, “I am the Alpha and the Omega,” pretty much sums up everything that we know and believe about the universe and human existence. Many believe that God is all that is and more–and if that is true, then all things have their beginning and ending in God, and that of course includes every one of us. There are some who don’t like that notion. They would prefer to believe that they are the lords of their own existence and that they can operate independently of any God-connection. It doesn’t take a lot of reflection to see how absurd such ideas are. Every human who has ever lived is a child of the earth and will one day return to the earth. We are intimately connected to the creation and even if we someday figure out how to travel to Mars, we can’t escape our origins or our endings. Those who have learned to live with their mortality will find great comfort in that eternal connection to God. For them it is good to know that someday, when all the hubbub of living comes to an end, we return to our Maker. Glaciers advance and retreat, nations and kingdoms will come and go, civilizations are born and die, and through it all the One who is the Alpha and the Omega is constant–the source and the completion of all that exists.

Thought for the Day: Why do some prefer believing there is no God?

Revelation 1:4b-6

“Grace to you and peace from him who is and who was and who is to come, and from the seven spirits who are before his throne, and from Jesus Christ, the faithful witness, the firstborn of the dead, and the ruler of the kings of the earth.” vss. 4b-5

There is a line in the hymn, “Holy, Holy, Holy, Lord God Almighty,” that is particularly fun for children to sing. Even adults love the sounds of the archaic phrase, “which wert and art and evermore shalt be.”  It flows freely from our mouths, even when we’re not quite sure what it means. Of course, sooner or later we realize that the writer is quoting from the book of Revelation. This is a description of God, the one “who is and who was and who is to come,” and even now it pretty much sums up all we know about the Divine Mystery. Then in his greeting to the seven churches of Asia John goes on to describe Jesus Christ, the incarnation of the Mystery, as the ruler of the kings of the earth. Sometimes we don’t quite know what to do about the book of Revelation–its images and symbols have such varied interpretations–but the description of Jesus Christ is something we can hang on to. If kings are to look to him as ruler, then we too should certainly see him as the director of our lives. He is to be our Lord! We don’t worship despots or dictators, presidents or governors–no politician is worthy of our allegiance! It’s only Jesus and his commandment to love!

Thought for the Day: How does Jesus direct my life?

Psalm 93:3-5

“More majestic than the thunders of mighty waters, more majestic than the waves of the sea, majestic on high is the Lord!” vs 4

In the days of the monarchy in Israel there were periodic ceremonies in the temple acknowledging that the Lord reigned over the nation. Psalms were chanted and there would be a symbolic enthronement of the Lord as the sovereign ruler. It was likely a popular sentiment in Israel–most people like to think of their nation as being “under God.” Certainly that’s the case in the United States where the phase was added to the pledge of allegiance in 1954. A couple of years later, to make sure that the point was clear, Congress adopted “In God We Trust” as the official motto of our country, a phrase which now appears on all currency. For the most part such expressions of national piety are harmless, but there are times when they become problematic. It’s one thing to say “In God we trust,” but quite another to believe that “God is on our side,” and it’s downright dangerous to link God and country in the exercise of religion. In order for people of God to speak and act in a prophetic fashion there always must be a separation of church and state. Jesus always spoke truth to power, and we who follow in his way can never abandon our call to offer solid critiques when our nation fails to act in the common good.

Thought for the Day: When is it proper to criticize our country?

Psalm 93:1-2

“The Lord is king, he is robed in majesty; the Lord is robed, he is girded with strength. He has established the world; it shall never be moved;” vs. 1

As the psalmist searched for ways to describe the power and majesty of the Lord he ended up using the word “king.” It meant something different in those days than it does now. For us it simply designates the head of the royal family in those few countries that still have monarchies. Such persons are generally rich but rarely wield any power. In the psalmist’s day kings were the most powerful people on earth, sometimes ruthless, but always operating from a position of strength. Multiply that a thousand times, so thought the psalmist, and you have a glimpse of what God is like. And even though that king language doesn’t work for many of us anymore, it’s hard to find terms that do. The transcendent power that is God defies our imaginations and taxes our meager vocabularies–there is just no way to put God into words! That’s why the Word that God spoke to us in Jesus is so precious. In that Word we are reminded that the immutable, omnipotent God is defined best by unconditional love and mercy. That means that on the days when we despair of ever figuring out God we can at least give thanks and praise for Jesus. He is the Word God, Love Incarnate, and we really don’t need anything else!

Thought for the Day: My favorite way of describing God.

Daniel 7:9-10,13-14

“As I watched in the night visions, I saw one like a human being coming with the clouds of heaven. And he came to the Ancient One and was presented before him.” vs. 13

Some people love to analyze dreams. They believe that these night visions, as they’re called in Daniel, can reveal hidden fears and aspirations, that they can even serve as windows to our souls. And if we happen to reveal our dreams to such persons we’re likely to get an interpretation, whether we wanted one or not. Occasionally what we’re told makes sense–at other times the interpretation is even stranger than the dream. Dreams do show up regularly in our scriptures, and people took them seriously and believed they contained important truths. Daniel’s dreams had particular interest to early Christians who saw in them a connection to what they had experienced in Jesus. Some of them believed that Jesus was the Son of Man described here and used this passage to define his role as the coming King. They taught that Jesus in his resurrection had been given “dominion and glory and kingship, that all peoples, nations, and languages should serve him.” Some followers of Jesus continue to find such language helpful and often refer to him as Lord. Many address him as such in their prayers–they’re convinced that he reigns over all and has the power to give them life now and forever. For them it’s not a dream! Jesus really is the King of Kings and Lord of Lords–and his reign is forever.

Thought for the Day: What form of address do I use in my prayers?