Psalm 89:15-18

“Happy are the people who know the festal shout, who walk, O Lord, in the light of your countenance; they exult in your name all day long, and extol your righteousness.” vss. 15-16

The psalmist knew the joy that came from being part of a community of faith that was centered around a common allegiance to the House of David. That community came together regularly for worship of the Lord and to celebrate the Lord’s anointed. There was a thrill that came from being a part of the crowd and shouting out to glorify the king. The psalmist believed that he was a part of the Chosen People and that knowledge brought him great happiness.  We see a bit of that kind of excitement in the regular campaign rallies that are held in our country. Participants can scarcely control themselves as they gather to extol the virtues of their chosen one. There is of course a danger that lurks close to the surface of such adoration, one that the people of Israel experienced regularly. Namely, the object of such adoration will almost surely prove to be inadequate. In the long run, no kings or presidents are worthy of the praise that is heaped upon them, and none of them can bring the long-lasting happiness that we crave. There is a happiness or contentment, however, that does persist and that is available to all–and it’s not just for in-siders. This is the peace that comes from knowing the Light, the Christ who dwells within every human creature. In that peace all people can find their joy!

Thought for the Day: What gives me happiness?

Psalm 89:1-4

“I will sing of your steadfast love, O Lord, forever; with my mouth I will proclaim your faithfulness to all generations.” vs. 1

Sometimes when we read the psalms we wonder just who these Pollyanna writers must have been. We imagine that they lived in more tranquil times than ours, that they didn’t face the societal upheavals that get daily attention from our news sources. Otherwise, how could they have possibly written such optimistic and positive hymns of praise? Of course it’s not true that their lives were free of trouble and disaster. In reality their times were much more turbulent and difficult than our own, but they still found reason to sing aloud of God’s faithfulness and love! And so do we on our better days! Even in the face of pandemic and racial tensions many of us still realize that this old world is a pretty remarkable place and we are blessed to have the privilege of life in this time and place. We do have a God whose name is synonymous with steadfast love, and that God is not going to desert us. No matter what shenanigans we humans come up with to create tension and undermine relationships we don’t have to worry about the One who brought all things into existence. We may not like the politics of the time, and religious claims can leave us weary, but our God transcends all those trivialities, and will be faithful even into our grandchildren’s generation and beyond.

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

I can’t believe it! For the second time in less than two weeks I just published a blog instead of scheduling it. My apologies. I’m going to reschedule it and hopefully get it to publish on the right day!

Zechariah 9:9-10

“Rejoice greatly, O daughter Zion! Shout aloud, O daughter Jerusalem! Lo, your king comes to you; triumphant and victorious is he, humble and riding on a donkey, on a colt, the foal of a donkey.” vs. 9

For the next four months, whether we like it or not, we’re going to be subjected to intense campaigning as candidates flood the media with their distorted accusations and claims. We’ll see slick expensive commercials on television and see signs on every street corner. Billions of dollars are going to be spent to buy our votes. So who will we choose? For some platforms and policies are a priority and they will tend to support a particular party. Others are more likely to vote for candidates who reflect their personal values–for them character is a primary concern. The prophet Zechariah would have been amazed at our process–voting was a foreign concept and kings were never elected. But there’s little doubt about the kind of king he dreamed of. He wanted a ruler who was powerful and who exuded humility, one who would come riding on a donkey. That’s a powerful image, one that Jesus adopted when he entered Jerusalem on his last fateful journey, and one that has been cherished by believers ever since. Sadly, it’s not a virtue often seen among our modern politicians. Often our leaders have an elevated sense of their own importance and seldom hesitate to proclaim their own greatness. We’ll see a lot of that before next November, and some will take note–if character is important for them, humility may be the best indicator.

Thought for the Day: What are the marks of humility in a politician?

Jeremiah 28:7-9

“As for the prophet who prophesies peace, when the word of that prophet comes true, then it will be known that the Lord has truly sent the prophet.” vs. 9

Upon hearing the words of Jeremiah, the prophet Hananiah upped the ante by repeating his prediction that peace was just around the corner for Judah, and Jeremiah went away in silence. He didn’t believe the prophecy of peace, but only time would reveal the truth. That’s what makes it so hard to figure out what we should believe about the future. The current COVID predicament is a case in point. Everyone knows that the virus is going to hang around for a time, but what shall we do in the meantime? Our experts are giving contrary directions, and some are doing it with great certainty. But which prophet shall we believe? The one who says it’s safe to resume normal activities with some precautions or the ones who say the worst is yet to come? Under what conditions shall our schools reopen? Right now the politicians hold the purse strings–their decisions will direct us. Shall we believe them? And what about churches? When will they be safe for in-person worship? We’re craving a Jeremiah with some definitive word from the Lord. And the truth is that we’re just not going to know–we have to wait until time reveals what was right. And that’s not easy to do! Especially when decisions have to be made.

Thought for the Day: What has helped with my reopening choices in recent weeks?

Jeremiah 28:5-6

“and the prophet Jeremiah said, ‘Amen! May the Lord do so; may the Lord fulfill the words that you have prophesied, and bring back to this place from Babylon the vessels of the house of the Lord, and all the exiles.” vs. 6

Jeremiah wasn’t the only prophet in town during the years of his ministry. There were many rivals and he was familiar with them all. One of them, Hananiah, was a particular favorite of the Jerusalem elite because he brought words from the Lord that perfectly aligned with the desires of their hearts. He told the gathered priests that Jeremiah was wrong–the country faced a return to prosperity and not destruction–and he said it with passion. Jeremiah responded with sarcasm, a handy tool for a prophet, and said “Amen” to what Hananiah had said. “It would be nice if the country had a rosy future–who could be against that!” In our time we see this in the ongoing conversation about global warming. Right now the Hananiahs have the center stage and the power to control the narrative. It would be nice if those who paint beautiful pictures of the future were right and the nay-sayers were wrong. Unfortunately just making stuff up and making optimistic projections doesn’t do a thing to alter the real consequences of climate change. Sadly, it could very well be that once again the Jeremiahs will have the last word, no matter how much we might like them to be wrong.

Thought for the Day: Why was Jeremiah so pessimistic?

Matthew 10:35-39

“Do not think that I have come to bring peace to the earth; I have not come to bring peace, but a sword.” vs. 34

There are many who wish that Matthew had not bothered to include these words of Jesus in his gospel. They’re disquieting and harsh, especially to those who love harmony in daily living. Frankly it would be nice if we could just take scissors to these verses and excise them from the text, something that Thomas Jefferson actually did in his personal version of the gospels. The problem is that it’s important for us to hear what Jesus had to say, even if we don’t like what he said. He’s obviously not talking about arming his disciples and having them carry weapons as a part of their mission. But he is saying that our obsession with harmony in relationships can keep us from our call to speak the truth in the course of our ministries. In our efforts to be nice and inoffensive we bite our tongues and ignore comments and behaviors that we know in our hearts are wrong. It’s not that there’s anything wrong with being on good terms with family and friends, but harmony can never be the highest value for followers of Jesus. That doesn’t mean seeing how many folks we can get to “unfriend” us on Facebook–being offensive is no virtue in itself! But our integrity as Christians demands truthfulness, and possibly alienating someone that we love.

Thought for the Day: Which is more important to me, being “nice” or honest?

Matthew 10:24-33

“Are not two sparrows sold for a penny? Yet not one of them will fall to the ground apart from your Father. And even the hairs of your head are all counted.” vss. 29-30

Discipleship was harrowing work in those early years and Matthew remembered that Jesus had told them it would not be easy, that people would treat them like they treated him, and life would be difficult. But Jesus had also assured his followers that they would be taken care of, that none of them would be deserted by God. As bad as we might think we have it in this strange year of 2020, most don’t have to worry about the kind of persecutions experienced in the early church. But that doesn’t mean we don’t have concerns. Many struggle with identity issues and wonder about the vastness of the universe. How can individuals possibly have any value in the whole scope of existence? It’s here that Jesus’ words speak to us with comfort and clarity. If God’s eye is on the sparrow, then there is surely hope for us–in fact, even the hairs of our heads are numbered! All this makes sense when we realize the interconnection of God and the creation. The One who breathed life into the universe through the Christ continues to be intimately connected to all that exists through that same Christ. As the old saying goes, “God doesn’t make junk.” We might not seem significant to ourselves, but each of us contains a spark of the divine, and that gives us inestimable value!

Thought for the Day: When do I feel most valuable?

Romans 6:1b-11

“Should we continue in sin in order that grace may abound? 2By no means! How can we who died to sin go on living in it?” vss. 1b-2

At some point it became fashionable for Christians to speak of their personal relationship to Jesus and many have become comfortable with that kind of talk. They’ve learned to recount the story of their conversion and what it is like to have Jesus come into their lives. In some parts of the church such testimony is a favored evangelism tool. Obviously it’s good to be able to speak of faith in personal terms, and some of us have encounters with Jesus that are worth sharing, but to make salvation dependent on personal experience is contrary to the gospel. It is Christ who has died to sin and now leads a new life. That happened a long time ago on the cross, and by grace it is for all people. Now when Paul proclaimed that message, some concluded that they could do whatever they pleased, that their actions were immaterial. Paul disagrees vehemently! Since we are in Christ and he is dead to sin, that ought to be our modus operandi too! But he always speaks in terms of the community, not the individual! And it’s not our salvation that he’s concerned about–that’s been taken care of–it’s our response to salvation that’s on his mind. And that’s what should be on our minds too! How shall we respond to the grace that has saved us, doing what we please, or what pleases God?

Thought for the Day: When did I figure out that salvation is by grace?

Psalm 69:16-18

“Answer me, O Lord, for your steadfast love is good; according to your abundant mercy, turn to me.” vs. 16

Sometimes life seems to drag on and on with no discernible changes in our circumstances or condition. In those moments our feelings of impatience are often reflected in our prayers. Since we’ve been told and have come to believe that our Lord is full of steadfast love and abundant mercy, it’s hard to understand why our situation continues to be miserable. Why is there no answer from this loving Lord that we’ve served for all of our lives? And as God remains silent, like the psalmist, we can’t help but respond with a “For Pete’s sake, Lord, hurry up! I can’t hold out much longer on my own!” It’s like we’re in a giant waiting room with hundreds of people all holding a number, and the numbers are being called randomly instead of consecutively–and our’s never gets called! It’s even more aggravating when people who showed up after us get their numbers called before us, and we wonder at the injustice of the system. If God really is full of abundant mercy why do we remain so miserable! The big question is, how long should we go on praying? Maybe we should just give up! That sounds good sometimes, except for one thing: if we give up we have no hope at all! And so we keep on praying–and in the praying itself we find the relief we crave! It really is a miracle!

Thought for the Day: What benefits does the process of praying give?