Psalm 80:1-7

“O Lord God of hosts, how long will you be angry with your people’s prayers? You have fed them with the bread of tears, and given them tears to drink in full measure.” vss. 4-5

The land of Israel had been devastated by its enemies and the people felt that they had been abandoned by their God, the one who had established them in the land. No matter how hard they prayed their situation did not change…their land was not restored. On their behalf the psalmist gives voice to their grief and pain. Through the centuries his words have been repeated wherever people ravaged by suffering offer their laments to God. Even now some tire of being fed with the bread of tears and wonder if there will ever be a day when God will smile on them again. They long for the time when tears will stop flowing. Such are the conditions of life in this world! The good news is that we have not been abandoned even when it feels like we’re all alone and no one cares. One day the pain will come to an end and even joy will visit our hearts once more. As we wait for the dawning of that day we continue to cling gratefully to whatever shreds of faith might still remain. In those days of waiting the hugs and the prayers of friends and family are irreplaceable. Their loving kindness feeds our hope and becomes for us the smile of God.  

Thought for the Day: When might my prayers make God angry?

Isaiah 64:1-9

“Yet, O Lord, you are our Father; we are the clay, and you are our potter; we are all the work of your hand.” vs. 8

The prophet uses these words to describe our relationship with God, not with a sense of arrogance, but as a confession of humility. As human beings we know that we continually fall short of God’s expectations. To quote the prophet, “We have all become like one who is unclean, and all our righteous deeds are like a filthy cloth.” There is really nothing that we do that is not tinged by the dark stains of sin…as a liturgical confession puts it, “We are captive to sin and cannot free ourselves.” Still, we have not fallen from God’s grace. Nothing can take away the relationship that we have with our Maker…we are all the work of God’s hand. We have been molded and crafted and have been beautifully designed…according to Psalm 8 we are the crown of creation. God has never made anything better. Never should any of us say, “Well, I’m only human.” What more could we possibly be? As the psalmist says in another place, “We are fearfully and wonderfully made.” What the prophet wants us to remember is that all of our inherent gifts and abilities come from God…they are nothing for us to brag about. Our only role is to humbly thank God for all we are and then live out our lives in caring and serving others.

Thought for the Day: Do you see beauty when you look in a mirror?

Matthew 25:37-46

“And the king will answer them, ‘Truly I tell you, just as you did it to one of the least of these who are members of my family, you did it to me.’ “ vs. 40

On the face of it, living a life that is pleasing to Jesus should be the easiest thing in the world. All we have to do is give food and water to the hungry and the thirsty, clothe the naked, welcome strangers, and visit those who are sick or in prison. When we do these things we’re not only showing kindness to the poor and needy, we’re also having close encounters of the best kind with Jesus. The story implies that all of these folks are members of Jesus’ family and in caring for them we are actually loving Jesus. Even though these things require a compassionate heart and force us from our comfort zones, when we actually do reach out to the “least of these” we are blessed in amazing and unexpected ways. The reason is obvious, for in touching such persons we are touching Jesus, and in that moment of caring we are in his holy presence. Jesus’ clarity in describing his desires for his followers can help define priorities for our life together as his people. He’s just not that interested in the intricacies of our liturgies or the close definitions of our creeds. Obviously we will be involved in such things as we make our confessions and participate in worship…but it’s in reaching out to the needy that we receive God’s choicest blessings.

Thought for the Day: How have I experienced blessings in my service?

Matthew 25:31-36

“All the nations will be gathered before him, and he will separate people one from another as a shepherd separates the sheep from the goats,” vs. 32

According to Matthew Jesus began his teaching ministry with the Beatitudes, a powerful set of sayings that describes those who are his disciples. We hold those verses close to our hearts and pray that people will see these attributes taking root in our lives. At the end of Matthew’s gospel Jesus brings his teaching to an end with this parable describing the final judgment. Everything that he had to say to his followers is summed up in this plain and pertinent story. There’s no mystery here and it certainly isn’t hard to understand. We can’t possibly miss his point. He begins by describing a great gathering of the nations…this isn’t just about us as individuals…it’s the nations who are being held accountable. That’s an important distinction. Just as the prophets of old had brought words of judgment to the whole nation of Israel for the way they had exploited the poor and the needy, so all the nations of the world will one day be subject to the judgment of the Son of Man. In other words, Jesus has a word for America. He’s not the least bit interested in our GDP or how Wall Street is doing. If we really want to be great everything depends upon how we treat those who are the least among us. There’s really no other possible interpretation!

Thought for the Day: What if Congress took this parable seriously?

Ephesians 1:20-23

“And he has put all things under his feet and has made him the head over all things for the church, which is his body, the fullness of him who fills all in all.” vss. 22-23

We’ve gotten used to the church being described as the Body of Christ. It’s familiar language, almost commonplace, and no one gives it much of a thought. In fact it might even be that our familiarity with the term masks the wonder of the truth it describes. Just think: the church is the Body of Christ! The church is where Christ is present to the world and through the church the world actually encounters the Christ. And we believers are a part of that Body…in a very real sense we are Christ to the world! The Christ is not some massive white statue on a mountain in Rio de Janeiro. Not at all! The Christ is an active living presence with billions of parts in every part of the globe. Now, since we humans are still plagued by symptoms of our cancerous sin, we occasionally get confused about who is in charge…we even arrogantly fight about who among us is the head. We need to be reminded that the head of the church is none other than the resurrected Christ, the one who reigns from what scripture calls, “the right hand of God.” From this exalted position the Christ sends forth the power of the Holy Spirit to energize the Body. Through that Spirit the Body is guided, inspired and strengthened…and the fruits of that Spirit are the hope of the world.

Thought for the Day: What is my role in the Body?

Ephesians 1:15-19

“I have heard of your faith in the Lord Jesus and your love toward all the saints, and for this reason I do not cease to give thanks for you as I remember you in my prayers.” vss. 15-16

Followers of Jesus have special reasons for giving thanks on this national day of Thanksgiving. Not only do we give the customary thanks to God for the bounty of creation, we also give praise and thanks for our sisters and brothers in Christ. What a blessing it is to be a part of a worshipping faith community! In some instances these fellow believers actually become our family…sometimes they are our closest friends. In that congregation we are sustained in times of suffering and pain and kept grounded in our faith and values. With these special folks we join together in mission, serving and loving in the name of the Lord Jesus. With them we are the hands and the feet of God in our hurting world. And then there are the prayers! Nowhere else in the world will we find communities that are bound together by mutual prayer for one another. We don’t know why this is so powerful…it just is. Prayer isn’t just an afterthought for the community of faith…it actually binds us together and creates an amazing unity. We actually become one body, the very presence of Christ. So it’s natural on days like this to take time for remembering our fellow saints in prayer…giving thanks for their presence in our lives.

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

Psalm 95:1-7a

“Let us come into his presence with thanksgiving; let us make a joyful noise to him with songs of praise!” vs. 2

For Americans this is a week filled with preparations for a massive Thanksgiving banquet of turkey and all our favorite foods. It’s a time for feasting and sharing with family and friends. In most cities there’s even a demonstrated concern for the homeless and the poor… shelters may get a hearty meal served by volunteers. For many there really is a genuine desire to offer thanks and praise to God for the bounty that is ours in creation…and some will even take time for worship. Among Christians this has become the time of the year for setting  aside differences and joining together for interfaith, community services. It’s a recognition that beyond all our artificial and arbitrary distinctions we have a common need and desire to thank God for blessings showered on us all. Of course, as is its nature, our culture is scheming to take advantage of the holiday. Where once we had plenty of time to concentrate on family, in these days we face a barrage of ads for Christmas shopping. Stores are opening up even on Thanksgiving to give shoppers chances at limited unbelievable bargains. Instead of spending time together at a tasty meal thanking God for our blessings, we’re being tempted to join the feeding frenzy at the malls. In such an atmosphere thoughts of thanksgiving are easily replaced by lusts for more stuff and joyful songs of praise are challenged by the catchy lyrics of advertising jingles!

Thought for the Day: How might my Thanksgiving be sabotaged?

Ezekiel 34:20-24

“Therefore, thus says the Lord God to them: I myself will judge between the fat sheep and the lean sheep.” vs. 20

Those who have had a chance to observe herds of animals or flocks of birds know that every group has a certain hierarchy. There will always be dominating individuals. The strong will always lord it over the weak; in a flock of chickens the most vulnerable will often be killed…they’ll be pecked to death by the other chickens. The same thing happens among humans. Some of us, for one reason or another, believe that we’ve been given license to dominate others. Occasionally it’s a male/female thing and we see men using their position to harass and intimidate women…and sometimes they’ll even claim it’s their right, that men are supposed to lord it over women. Ezekiel reminds us that ultimately the Lord is always on the side of the weak and defenseless, and that one day there will be justice. Dominators will fall and victims will be lifted up. Leaders among us are called to stand with the vulnerable and insure that they will find refuge and peace. There’s just no place in the kingdom for domination and bullying…chickens and cows were never intended as our role models. We’re called to a different standard, one that affirms and cares, and that won’t put up with systems designed to protect the powerful and exploit the most exposed.

Thought for the Day: In what ways do women exploit men?

Ezekiel 34:11-16

“I will seek the lost, and I will bring back the strayed, and I will bind up the injured, and I will strengthen the weak, but the fat and the strong I will destroy. I will feed them with justice.” vs. 16

According to Ezekiel the Lord has a heart for the lost and the strayed and will seek them out like a shepherd searching for sheep who have wandered. We’re familiar with this imagery from the words of Jesus and we rather like it. It gives comfort to know that God doesn’t lose track of us and that the injured and the weak will find healing and strength. But Ezekiel continues his description of the Lord with some surprising words, “the fat and the strong I will destroy. I will feed them with justice.” This is a different picture of God, one that should cause the wealthy and the powerful to tremble in fear. The dominating forces of our world love to talk about justice. Every country has a justice system…but frequently it’s a system designed by the powerful and the rich to consolidate and protect their positions. They write the laws and enforce them…and seldom are those laws designed to benefit the poor. God’s justice is different; God’s justice is designed to lift up the lowly and restore benefits to the oppressed. And if a nation has been using the legal system to impoverish the poor and enrich the wealthy, Ezekiel promises that such a nation will be destroyed with a feast of justice straight from God.

Thought for the Day: Who benefits most from our country’s legal system?

Matthew 25:24-30

“Master, I knew that you were a harsh man, reaping where you did not sow, and gathering where you did not scatter seed; so I was afraid, and I went and hid your talent in the ground. Here you have what is yours.” vss. 24b-25

As we hear the end of the parable of the talents we can’t help but feel a bit sad for the one talent slave, the one that most of us identify with most closely. We wish that the master could have been a little more understanding, that there could have been a bit more grace in the judgement. When we are told in the story that the slave was afraid, and that his fear was what kept him from investing his talent, our empathy increases. Many of us battle that same demon as we struggle to live as God intends. It’s a paralyzing existential fear that comes from deep inside and it serves to keep us on the sidelines even as others excel and prosper. Rather than living boldly and taking risks, we hide our talent, doing everything we can to avoid failure. We think that by burying our aspirations and dreams we can find peace in the safety and comfort of unshakeable routines. Of course such tactics seldom give the results we crave. Instead we’re plagued with bitterness and frustration as we inevitably deal with thoughts of what might have been. Blessed are those who overcome their fears by daring to fail. Even their failures will be rewarded!

Thought for the Day: When have I been rewarded in failure?