Psalm 90:12-14

“So teach us to count our days that we may gain a wise heart.” vs. 12

In the spring of our lives we don’t seem to realize that our days are numbered and that one day we’ll come to the end of them. Life seems wide open and unending and many seem to believe that they are immortal, that the old people they see around are an anomaly, and that such feebleness will never come to them. It’s not a bad thing to have such optimism about the future, and indeed, it’s probably something to be encouraged. Being young and pessimistic is not a good combination. But sooner or later it’s important to adopt a more realistic view, and pray with the psalmist, “So teach us to count our days, that we may gain a wise heart.” There truly is wisdom in learning to live one day at a time while vowing to wring as much joy and goodness from that day as we can. For our days really are numbered and we don’t have an infinite supply. Now, this doesn’t mean that our endings are fixed or that our last day has already been determined. Not at all! And we can stretch out our days with careful and prudential living–a lot of us are doing exactly that. And the truly wise will see every one of those days as a dear and precious gift from God and make sure that not a single one is wasted.

Thought for the Day: When did I first realize my days are numbered?

Amos 5:10-15

“Therefore because you trample on the poor and take from them levies of grain, you have built houses of hewn stone, but you shall not live in them; you have planted pleasant vineyards, but you shall not drink their wine.” vs. 11

Amos came with an outsider’s eye and he could see what the people of Israel could not. Because the abuse had gone so long they had gotten used to it. Of course the rich systematically took advantage of poor farmers, but they’d been doing it for years–in their eyes it was business as usual. It was how the powerful and the clever managed to accumulate wealth–and that’s how it always works, no matter what the economic system. The abuse of the poor is calibrated into the economy and people work together to insure that the rich can get richer and the poor know their place–and only prophets can see the injustice. Most everyone else keeps their mouths shut! It’s just too scary to rock the boat, because to one extent or another we’re all dependent on stability. Our own livelihood depends on the continuation of the system, and there’s always the dream, no matter how far-fetched, that we’ll someday join the ranks of the wealthy. Some day it’ll be our turn to have a house of hewn stone! Amos hoped that his warning would take root and that justice would prevail. Poor guy, no one ever listened in his time–but, thanks be to God, his words remain to challenge us.

Thought for the Day: Why do we like to keep things as they are?

Amos 5:6-7

“Ah, you that turn justice to wormwood, and bring righteousness to the ground!” vs. 7

Amos, a shepherd from Judea, had heard a call from the Lord to go to Israel (the Northern Kingdom) during their golden years. He came first to observe, and he was not impressed. The nation was experiencing unprecedented prosperity and the wealthy were rolling in cash–many were having to use their imaginations to figure out how to spend it all. Building programs were going on everywhere–some of the rich had both summer and winter homes! But Amos looked behind the facade and was appalled. Leaders had perverted justice and twisted it for their own benefit! Religious leaders were as corrupt as they come! They paid lip service to the Lord but their hearts were caught up in multiple idolatries, even paying homage to foreign gods. So Amos warned them in the most forceful ways that he could, saying that the Lord just wasn’t going to put up with their wanton disregard for justice and their exploitation of the poor. They were going to be overrun by foreign nations and their cities would be destroyed–their legacy was going to be wiped from the face of the earth. There’s no record that anyone paid the least bit of attention to what Amos said–the religious leaders told him to go back home and prophesy there. We know what that’s like. Nations who think they are great still don’t listen to critics–and may discover too late that God is not mocked!

Thought for the Day: What really makes a nation great?

Mark 10:13-16

“But when Jesus saw this, he was indignant and said to them, ‘Let the little children come to me; do not stop them; for it is to such as these that the kingdom of God belongs.’” vs. 14

There is some evidence in scripture that Jesus may have been involved in baptisms during his ministry, but there is no indication that he baptized little children or even advocated such a thing. He didn’t know about infant baptism, though he was presumably well acquainted with circumcision. Still, when Christians began baptizing infants and it became a regular practice, they believed that Jesus would have been supportive. After all, he had chewed out the disciples big time when they tried to stop parents from bringing children for blessings. He felt that the kingdom of God belongs to the little ones, and unless adults learned to be like them, they’d never have a clue about kingdom living. As a result, to this day, a significant number of congregations, maybe even the majority, regularly and gladly baptize children in their worship. They do this, not to save kids from going to hell, but to celebrate the amazing and incredible, all-encompassing grace of God. Salvation does not come via personal decision or a conversion experience, it comes totally because of God’s mercy and steadfast love! And while it’s just fine for some to practice believer’s baptism, it cannot be denied that baptizing little children remains the very best way for believers to celebrate grace.

Thought for the Day: Why isn’t the rite of baptism necessary for salvation?

Mark 10:2-12

“But from the beginning of creation, ‘God made them male and female. For this reason a man shall leave his father and mother and be joined to his wife, and the two shall become one flesh.’ So they are no longer two, but one flesh.” vss. 6-8

Through the millennia, as humans figured out how men and women should interact, polygamy was a logical option, one that became the standard for much of the world, including the patriarchs of the Hebrew people. But it was the practice of monogamy that was incorporated into the laws of Judaism. There it was taught that God intended that a man and a woman be joined together as one flesh, and furthermore, that their marriage vows should be unbreakable. Now that’s a wonderful ordinance, but it was quickly discovered that this was one that required  loopholes! So provisions were made for dissolving marriages–and rabbis debated for centuries just what those exceptions were. When Jesus was asked to weigh in on this, he gave a plain answer–there are no loopholes! When God joins two people together, there can be no separation. Of course his followers had a tough time with this–Matthew even adds a caveat and says unchastity is an exception. And we’ve continued to struggle. Divorce has been a huge issue for the church. The bottom line is that it is going to happen. So what then? Is it the unforgivable sin? Of course not! Divorce does bring its own hell of messiness and pain, but Jesus brings healing and grace. In him we find restoration and hope!

Thought for the Day: Why do divorces get messy?

Hebrews 2:5-12

“As it is, we do not yet see everything in subjection to them, but we do see Jesus, who for a little while was made lower than the angels, now crowned with glory and honor because of the suffering of death, so that by the grace of God he might taste death for everyone.” vss. 8b-9

Psalm 8 had said that humans were created a little lower than angels and had been crowned with glory and honor. The writer to the Hebrews shifts the focus of the psalm from humans to Jesus and says that Jesus was the one crowned with glory and honor and that it had happened through the suffering of death. This wasn’t an unusual circumstance. Early Christians often found references to Jesus in the Hebrew scriptures–they wanted people to know that what happened in Jesus had been foretold–and they weren’t just making stuff up. While we might disagree with their manipulation of texts, their conclusions often contain profound affirmations of grace. Here the writer even gives us a little taste of universal salvation. In his interpretation, the suffering and death that Jesus endured on the cross was done on behalf of everyone. Jesus was crowned with glory and honor through his death so that all humanity might be crowned with glory and honor. We may have learned to express this hope in different theological terms but the essence of it is precious. Just think! We don’t have to worry about death–Jesus has already been there and is waiting for us all on the other side!

Thought for the Day: What gives me hope in the face of death?

Hebrews 1:1-4

“Long ago God spoke to our ancestors in many and various ways by the prophets, but in these last days he has spoken to us by a Son, whom he appointed heir of all things, through whom he also created the worlds.” vss. 1-2

The folks who were writing epistles and gospels in the early Christian congregations understood that something substantial had happened in Jesus. It wasn’t just that he was a gifted teacher from Nazareth or that he was walking in the footsteps of ancient prophets, he had a connection with the Creator of the Universe. The gospel writer John said that in him the creative Word of God had been made flesh. The writer to the Hebrews says that the spoken words of Jesus were those of God’s Son, through whom the worlds were created. While we might not put it in the same way, we too share that appreciation for Jesus. He was the man from Nazareth, like us in every way, but he is also the Light of the World, and in him we are connected to the Divine Presence. Of course we can see that same presence in others too–and even in ourselves on our better days. (After all, the Spirit works in a variety of ways.) But still, there’s something about Jesus that provides a focus for us. In him we are kept grounded and with his teachings to guide us, we are kept from making foolish and destructive choices.

Thought for the Day: What happens when I drift away from Jesus?

Psalm 8:5-9

“Yet you have made them a little lower than God, and crowned them with glory and honor.” vs. 5

It may be that we have offered up, “Well, I’m only human,” as an excuse for one of our mistakes or errors of judgment. The psalmist would likely have countered, “What more do you want to be?” In his estimation being human was as good as it gets in the universe, just a notch lower than Divinity. And on our better days we’re likely to agree. There is much to be said for being a human being–we have the capacity to enjoy life in the world on a pretty high level. For the most part we have the wisdom, skills, talents, and imagination to accomplish some amazing and remarkable things. But at the same time we will have to admit that our record in caring for the earth has been pretty dismal. In exercising dominion over the animal kingdom we’ve managed the extinction of whole species, and the whole environment has been groaning in travail because of our management blunders. Some are even wondering if humans as a species can even survive in the face of rising temperatures–it could be that all who will be left will be the cockroaches and rats! It may be that we have time to get things in order–it would mean the wholesale adoption of new lifestyles and a simpler standard of living. If that happens this would be humanity’s glory, a time to celebrate the honor that the psalmist thought was due us.  

Thought for the Day: What’s the best thing about being human?

Psalm 8:1-4

“When I look at your heavens, the work of your fingers, the moon and the stars that you have established; what are human beings that you are mindful of them, mortals that you care for them?” vss. 3-4

This psalmist was a thinker! He was likely well aware of the creation stories and accepted that the Lord had brought all things into existence. But the improbability of what he believed was more than his little mind could comprehend. We know that feeling! And for us the awe is magnified! The psalmist didn’t have a clue about the immensity of the universe–he’d not seen pictures of the crab nebulae. He didn’t know that the Big Bang had taken place over 13.4 billion years ago or that the nearest stars are 26 trillion miles away. Just imagine for a moment! Think of the improbability of being alive at this time on this little blue dot in the middle of nowhere! This very thought should force us to our knees in grateful appreciation! Our whole lives ought to be spent in giving thanks to the Lord of the Universe! But what do we do instead? Propelled by greed and a lust for power we have turned the globe into an armed camp! Instead of caring for our earth we dream up even more weapons of mass destruction! And maybe as humans we’re incapable of anything else–who knows? But really! There’s just got to be a better way for us to use this precious gift of time on this awesome planet! 

Thought for the Day: Why can’t we just get along?

Genesis 2:18-24

“Then the Lord God said, ‘It is not good that the man should be alone; I will make him a helper as his partner.’”  vs. 18

The second of the two Hebrew creation stories paints a picture of God that is dear to our hearts. Here we see the Divine Presence, not as the transcendent creator of all things, but as a down-to-earth God who gives to humanity the breath of life. And more than that, those ancient Hebrews believed that not only are we created in the image of God, we’re also created for community. God does not want us to be alone! This observation has rung true for human beings since the beginning. While some  are quite happy and content to live without a partner, many more of us crave companionship. For the most part this has meant that men and women were joined together in marriage relationships of one kind or another. For many centuries this system was guided and guarded by patriarchal tendencies that encouraged male domination. Only in recent years have women begun to assert themselves and urge a more egalitarian approach to marriage and relationships. For some this has also included a move toward the acceptance of same-sex marriage. Obviously these changes have sparked reactions–it can be threatening when centuries old practices are questioned. Jesus taught his followers to beware of following human traditions and told them to embrace the law of love. And that’s the bottom line–models of marriage are always evolving–what really counts is the presence of self-giving love.

Thought for the Day: How have my attitudes about marriage changed?