Psalm 126

“The Lord has done great things for us, and we rejoiced.” vs. 3

People of every tribe and nation all around the world consistently take time in the course of a year for great celebrations of thanksgiving. Even when times have been bad, when drought and tragedy have come near, we’ve found reasons for giving thanks. Our persistence surely means that there’s a thanksgiving gene encoded in the spirals of our DNA. That’s certainly true for us as Christians. Our faith ancestors have quarreled about many things but all have taken time to give thanks and praise to God for the bounty of creation and the wonders of life. And it’s more than good manners, a habit instilled in us by our parents. We just know at the heart of our being that we are the beneficiaries of a generous and loving God…and nothing comes because of our own merit or worthiness. Everything we are and have is a gift! And the only response that makes sense is a simple “thanks” that comes not only from the lips but from the heart. And we’ll do this not only on our great national day of thanksgiving but every day of our lives. What a blessing it is to wake each morning with a prayer of gratitude on our lips! Not only have we had another night of rest, we now have a new day in which to revel in the precious gifts that God will strew on our way. Thanks be to God!

Thought for the Day: For what am I giving thanks today?

Psalm 93

“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. Even though we might think such human efforts to describe God are insufficient we will have to agree that God is greater than we can even begin to understand. This transcendent power defies our imagination 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 has enormous love for the creation and for us. 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 from God, our Savior and our Lord…and we really don’t need anything else!

Thought for the Day: My favorite way of describing the majesty of 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. 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 show up regularly in our scriptures…people took them seriously and did believe 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 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 the 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 have I learned from my dreams?

Mark 13:5-8

“Then Jesus began to say to them, ‘Beware that no one leads you astray. Many will come in my name and say, “I am he!” and they will lead many astray.’” vss. 5-6

In recent years we’ve become aware of the increasingly sophisticated methods that are being used in the media to promote misleading and even false information. We’ve learned that not everything we see on our computer screens is the truth…even that with which we are inclined to agree. Sadly, many deceivers have learned to mask their lies in religious language, and some have been remarkably successful in leading people astray. Jesus warned his disciples about such folks and his warnings are worth heeding today. The problem is that sometimes it’s really hard to discern the truth…the lies can sound so convincing…and we can easily be tricked into passing false information on to our friends. Fortunately we do have a solid sampling of Jesus’ deeds and teachings in our scriptures. We know his priorities… his intentions for our daily living were laid out pretty clearly in his sermon on the mount in Matthew. His words are challenging and plain…they’re not easily manipulated and they provide a good guide for making our way through the deceptions of the world wide web. The more familiar we are with the words of Jesus the easier it is to face the future with confidence and hope. He really is the Light of the World!

Thought for the Day: What is my most trusted news source?

Mark 13:1-4

“When he was sitting on the Mount of Olives opposite the temple, Peter, James, John, and Andrew asked him privately, ‘Tell us, when will this be, and what will be the sign that all these things are about to be accomplished?’” vss. 3-4

The view of Jerusalem from the Mount of Olives is spectacular. Every day busloads of pilgrims disembark from their tour buses to have their pictures taken with the old city as a backdrop. Of course now the featured building across the Kidron Valley is the Dome of the Rock and it stands right about where the temple stood in Jesus’ day. It’s not hard to imagine him stopping with his disciples at one of the viewpoints for rest and reflection. The view from a distance would have been even more astounding than standing on the temple mount itself. According to Mark Jesus told his disciples that one day there wouldn’t be one stone standing on another…it must have been hard for them to believe. Of course he was right…that’s generally how it is with all things we regard as imperishable. The tough part is predicting when the end is going to be…we look for signs but they’re pretty tough to read. The good news is that in Christ we find solid ground…a foundation that will stand forever. When the temple was destroyed in 70 AD followers of Jesus adjusted and found new ways to practice their faith. What seemed to be an ending was really a beginning.

Thought for the Day: Why do we think some things will last forever?

Hebrews 10:19-25

“And let us consider how to provoke one another to love and good deeds, not neglecting to meet together, as is the habit of some, but encouraging one another, and all the more as you see the Day approaching.” vss. 24-25

Followers of Jesus are called to life in community…and it’s been like that since the early days of the church. We see from our scriptures that the disciples came together immediately following the resurrection, regularly meeting for prayer, teaching, and encouragement. The writer to the Hebrews knows that practice and in his words we catch a hint of discouragement…some are neglecting to come together. Two thousand years later we know what that’s about…we see it in our congregations every week. As a result millions of Christians are missing the mutual encouragement to engage in love and good deeds, and the church is weakened in its witness. God knows some folks have good reasons for their absence…there are always conflicts and sometimes we can be downright nasty to one another. But there’s seldom growth in isolation. Alone we get fixated on our own needs and desires and can easily drift away from our baptismal callings. Some of us know what that feels like. When we return to our church family after being away it feels so good to be welcomed and loved. It’s what Christ promised: “Where two or three are gathered in my name, there I am in their midst.”

Thought for the Day: Excuses I’ve used for not worshipping with others.

Hebrews 10:11-14

“For by a single offering he has perfected for all time those who are sanctified.” vs. 14

Being a perfectionist can be a burden as we live in the rough and tumble of our complicated society. Those afflicted face a never-ending battle in nearly all their encounters and activities. Very seldom do they ever produce any work or do anything that matches their desires…no matter how hard they try their eagle eyes are not satisfied…there will almost always be something wrong. Even worse are the pangs of guilt perfectionists feel in dealing with the presence of sin in their lives. Even when other adjudge them to be saints they know better. They’re acutely aware of the many ways they miss the mark every single day. Even though they know that there is forgiveness in Christ Jesus they find it almost impossible to accept. They insist on beating themselves up about every real and imagined breach of conduct and almost seem to wear their guilt as a badge of honor. The writer of Hebrews would agree on the need for perfection but he’d have a hard time understanding our love affair with guilt. In his eyes the record is clear. Jesus took care of all those things once for all with his sacrifice…with his offering we have become perfect…we really are the sanctified children of God. What a gift! We can choose to lament our imperfections if we like…but it’s really a pointless enterprise. In God’s eyes we are perfect, and that should be all that counts.

Thought for the Day: Why do some insist on carrying a burden of guilt?

Psalm 16:7-11

“You show me the path of life. In your presence there is fullness of joy; in your right hand are pleasures forevermore.” vs. 11

The psalmist wasn’t in the habit of giving one day a week to the Lord and then using the others as he desired. His relationship was intimate…the name of the Lord was constantly on his lips, and he hourly offered praise and thanks to God for all the blessings of his life. He relied on the Lord for direction and believed that in the Lord he would experience joy and pleasure. We know people like that. We see them in our faith communities. It’s not just that they show up for worship on the weekend…their faith is deeper than that and touches every aspect of their being. They wake in the morning with prayers of thanksgiving on their lips and carry that joy with them through the day. To be in their presence is to experience unconditional love…their deepest desire is to faithfully serve and to walk in the way of Jesus. It’s an amazing way to live…one that is available to all. What’s strange is that so few are willing to try it! Most of us resist such intimacy with God and prefer making our own choices and decisions while keeping God in a backup role and then wondering why our joy is so fleeting. What a blessing it is when we learn to make the Lord our personal GPS…it’s a decision we’ll never regret!

Thought for the Day: Why do I sometimes wake up grumpy?

Psalm 16:1-6

“The boundary lines have fallen for me in pleasant places; I have a goodly heritage.” vs. 6

As the psalmist reflects on his relationship with the Lord he recognizes that his life is very good. He has a good family and productive land…his boundary lines have fallen in pleasant places. None of these gifts have come as a result of his own labor…he was simply born in the right place at the right time. And he has a solid faith in a God who could be trusted! Life doesn’t get any better! Some of us know what he’s talking about. We have an enviable life…a fine home, loving children and grandchildren, and a fine faith community. And we have these things because we were born in a particular place in the best of times…we know in our hearts that it’s not because we deserve such a life. It’s possible even to feel guilty sometimes about how good we have it, especially when we see the struggles that others face. We’re not any better than them…why do we have it so good? Why have we been so blessed? There are no good answers to questions like this…and we certainly shouldn’t feel bad about feeling good. Probably the best thing we can do is give thanks and praise to God…and make sure that we live in a manner that gives glory to God. Our call is to be generous and kind, willingly sharing what we have so that others in turn may be blessed!

Thought for the Day: What undeserved blessings have I received?

Daniel 12:1-3

“Many of those who sleep in the dust of the earth shall awake, some to everlasting life, and some to shame and everlasting contempt.” vs. 2

Christians are an Easter people…we confess our faith in resurrection in nearly every one of our worship services. We can’t even imagine what it would be like to live without a solid confidence in life beyond death. But people haven’t always felt that way. In fact the Hebrew scriptures seldom give even a hint of such a conviction. The people of God in those days spoke of death as the end…as a great sleep. That’s why this little passage from Daniel speaking of a great awakening is so startling. This writer believed that in the midst of great turmoil and anguish God would act to bring new life even to those who slept in the dust of the earth. Others expanded on the idea and by the time of Jesus most Jews did believe in a great resurrection at the end of time. Based on their experience of the Risen Christ early Christians made new life the cornerstone of their proclamation. Some, like the writer of Daniel, believed that resurrection was the prelude to a day of judgment where there would be a separation of the good from the evil. Others, more graceful in their orientation, simply focus on the promise of new life in Christ…they don’t want condemnation for anyone. Regardless of our position on judgment, it’s good to know that beyond the sleep of death there will be a new and glorious day of life.

Thought for the Day: How do I feel about a day of judgment?