Psalm 84:1-4

“Even the sparrow finds a home, and the swallow a nest for herself, where she may lay her young, at your altars, O Lord of hosts, my King and my God.” vs. 3

By the time pilgrims finally arrived in Jerusalem for the great festivals they were thrilled to stand in the temple to make their offerings. Today’s psalmist is reflecting on that worship experience and makes an interesting reference to the sparrows and swallows who were building nests within sight of the altars. We might wonder if this met with the approval of the altar guild but the writer seems to have liked the imagery. For him it’s a reminder that all are welcome in the house of the Lord, even the birds of the air. We might not be so generous about intruders in our worship spaces. Even though we have lots of doves on our paraments we would likely have a huge problem with pigeons perching on our pediments. Still, we would do well to reflect on the psalmist’s sentiments. After all Jesus references birds in his parable of the mustard seed where he makes a point about the kingdom of heaven as a sheltering environment where all are welcome. He might have had this psalm in mind! We do know one of the marks of a healthy congregation is its welcoming atmosphere. We never know who might show up for worship at any given service. What a blessing it is when they feel comfortable enough to build a nest!

Thought for the Day:  Where is your favorite nesting spot?

Jeremiah 14:19-22

“Can any idols of the nations bring rain? Or can the heavens give showers? Is it not you, O Lord our God? We set our hope on you, for it is you who do all this.” vs. 22

For all his jeremiads Jeremiah never gave up on God. His country was in terrible condition, beset by drought and foreign invaders, but he knew the evil wasn’t God’s fault. All their trials were a consequence of their wickedness and iniquity and Jeremiah made no excuses. There are times when we too are appalled by the horrendous calamities that have become so commonplace in our world and freely offer our complaints to God. And unlike Jeremiah, some people go on to blame God for all the problems. They say, “How can a good God allow all these horrible things to take place? Children are dying, what’s wrong with God?” Some of these go further and give up on God altogether. They want nothing to do with such a nasty and vengeful deity and would rather have no God at all. Jeremiah knew better than that. Almost all of the horror our world experiences comes as a result of our lust for power and wealth, and our insatiable hunger for violence and terror. Our one hope is that the God who established our world as good would equip us to act in loving and generous ways. Indeed, that is what God is doing. Hearts are changing! When our eyes are opened we can see it happen.

Thought for the Day:  Where do I see changed hearts? Has it happened to me?

Jeremiah 14:7-10

“Why should you be like someone confused, like a mighty warrior who cannot give help? Yet you, O Lord, are in the midst of us, and we are called by your name; do not forsake us!” vs. 9

Jeremiah was a complainer and little escaped his notice. He had harsh words for the government; he had contempt for other religious leaders; he even complained about God!

From his perspective Judah was in a tough position. Foreign armies were poised for the attack, a terrible drought was wreaking havoc on grain production, and prophets were forecasting peace and prosperity. Jeremiah was beside himself and couldn’t understand why God seemed to be absent. He feared that God had lost patience and given up on his wandering people. Things looked pretty dismal…yet for all his complaining Jeremiah knew God was in their midst and prayed that Judah would not be forsaken. Sometimes we can identify with Jeremiah’s anguish. There are those moments when our list of complaints grows longer by the day. We get angry with politicians and lose patience with leaders. We worry about climate change and have concerns with our grandchildren’s future. We shut our ears to optimistic appraisals and imagine only doomsday scenarios for ourselves, our country, and our world. But like Jeremiah we know God has not left the building…and we keep on praying we will not be forsaken. May God preserve us from ever losing hope!

Thought for the Day: What are my current complaints?

Luke 18:6-8

“And will not God grant justice to his chosen ones who cry to him day and night? Will he delay long in helping them?” vs. 7

From the beginning humans have been concerned about justice. The prophets of the Hebrew scriptures made it a constant refrain. Again and again they cried to God, “Justice, only justice,” and would not be content with empty promises from earthly rulers. They wanted relief for the poor, food for the hungry, and freedom for those in bondage, and they would not be still. Jesus was certainly aware of that demand for justice and he made it a central part of his ministry. While his cries for justice were ultimately silenced by his death on the cross, his followers have not been still, and through the centuries people of faith have continued to work for justice in every conceivable circumstance. Wherever there has been bigotry, slavery, exploitation, or inequality, followers of Jesus have boldly stood with the oppressed against the dominating powers. This is never an easy place to stand. Often injustice is deeply enmeshed within the culture and those who point it out are called rabble-rousers and trouble-makers. Pastors calling for justice can be accused of bringing politics into the pulpit. Some prophets have been hunted down and killed. But Jesus says we really have no choice but to continue demanding justice. Our calling comes from our election as God’s chosen ones…and we are promised that God’s justice will one day prevail for all!

Thought for the Day: When do cries for justice make me mad?

Luke 18:1-5

“yet because this widow keeps bothering me, I will grant her justice, so that she may not wear me out by continually coming.” vs. 5

Jesus certainly is not implying that God has anything in common with an unjust judge in this little parable. He’s simply making a point about persevering in prayer. The judge granted the widow’s petition because she made a pest of herself. It was the only way for him to get rid of her. This is not how God operates! We should not expect that if we keep ragging God about a lottery win eventually we’ll get our wish. This isn’t advice on how to manipulate God. Jesus just wants us to know that we shouldn’t give up on prayer, nor should we sanitize our prayers in order to make them acceptable. It’s the regular prayer that is important for our souls, not whether or not they are answered. Too often we worry about how to get our prayers answered in a favorable way. We’re concerned about the results! But what really counts is the process, the regular petitions of supplication and thanksgiving that are a natural part of a disciple’s life. These daily, hourly even, conversations are the foundation of a personal relationship with God and can continue through our entire lives. Are our prayers heard? Of course…there’s no doubt about that. Will we always get what we want? No…there’s no doubt about that either. It’s the praying that’s the key…and we’ll always receive what we need.

Thought for the Day: What’s the state of my prayer life?

2 Timothy 3:13-4:5

“For the time is coming when people will not put up with sound doctrine, but having itching ears, they will accumulate for themselves teachers to suit their own desires, and will turn away from listening to the truth and wander away to myths.” vss. 3-4

This little prediction from the end of the first century absolutely nails the present state of things in both the church and the culture. Everyone seems to have “itching ears,” not only rejecting sound doctrine, but moral absolutes as well. There are some who even invent facts and distort history, doing whatever it takes to advance a particular agenda. Teachers of falsehood abound, and they often manage to gather a crowd. People will believe anything that supports their own preconceived version of the truth, or as our text puts it, whatever “suits their own desires.” In such an environment it becomes difficult for those who have a commitment to the truth of the gospel and the radical message of Jesus. Their proclamation is discounted with the words, “Well, that’s just your opinion,” and hearers wander off to popular myths that resonate with their prior convictions. Church and society are fragmented and divisions are perpetuated. But what appears to be the triumph of relativism is in itself deceiving and leads only to chaos. Ultimately the truth of the gospel will prevail…it alone has an eternal foundation!

Thought for the Day: What eternal truths are the foundation of my life?

Psalm 2:7-11

“Ask of me, and I will make the nations your heritage, and the ends of the earth your possession. You shall break them with a rod of iron, and dash them in pieces like a potter’s vessel.” vss. 8-9

The psalmist believed that the answer to the world’s problems was a strong king and a powerful army. Israel’s anointed, the newly crowned ruler, would bring the nations to their knees and God’s kingdom would be established. Our history tells us that such theocratic rule just doesn’t work. In fact when states begin to see themselves as the instruments of God’s holy intentions the results are horrendous and the wars even more vicious. Through the centuries such crusades and holy wars have had a devastating effect. The resulting inquisitions and persecutions have meant the slaughter of countless innocents. Followers of Jesus have believed that he pointed to another way, a kingdom based on forgiveness and love, and not on military force. Indeed, Jesus as God’s anointed, has already established such a kingdom. It can be seen in every corner of our world and can be experienced wherever we encounter the gentle, caring presence of his servants. Those servants live in communities of faith where they stand ready to reach out to lift up the fallen and bring healing to the broken. These islands of light in our world of darkness are the very presence of the Christ, our one true source of hope!

Thought for the Day: Why are theocracies so dangerous?

Psalm 2:1-6

“Why do the nations conspire, and the peoples plot in vain?” vs. 1

When seen from space our world is a thing of beauty, a blue sphere moving in its assigned orbit around the sun, splendid in its own way, a jewel among the billions of heavenly bodies. And it’s where we live! On its surface are billions of people, all having been given the precious gift of life, all living out a brief moment of time, all seeking love, all having basic needs for food, water, and shelter. And amazingly enough, our planet has been equipped with plenty of resources, enough for all people to have a good life. It sounds like paradise…in the words of our scripture, “it is very good!” So what do we do? Well, we’ve pretty much made a mess of things. Nations conspire and the peoples plot! There are wars and genocides, power struggles, starvation and poverty, and it all seems so foolish. We imagine ourselves to be masters of the universe. We can’t even run our own little planet. Thousands of years ago the psalmist noticed the problem and asked “Why?” That question still plagues our hearts and minds. We’d like to say we’re making progress but in the last 100 years millions of men, women, and children have been slaughtered in senseless conflict. We seem to only be getting better at killing each other. Is there hope for us? When God is patient and humans live humbly miracles can happen…and that’s our hope!

Thought for the Day: What can I do to make a difference?

Genesis 32:27-32

“Then the man said, “You shall no longer be called Jacob, but Israel, for you have striven with God and with humans, and have prevailed.” vs. 28

When Jacob was born, grasping his brother Esau’s heel as he emerged from the womb, he got the name “Jacob,” which means, “the supplanter or grasper of the heel.” Now, after wrestling to a draw with the mysterious stranger he gets a name change. From now on in the story he will be called “Israel,” or “he who struggles with God.” Based on how our lives have transpired, many of us could also be called “Israel,” because we certainly have our struggles with God! With some the wrestling begins in adolescence as we begin to ask questions about faith and existence. We wonder how a good God could allow so much evil in this world, and why good people seem to suffer so much. Even if at some point we make a decision for faith the questions keep coming. Is there a plan or a purpose for my life? How come things never seem to work out for me?  And, is there really new life waiting for me following death? In the text, Jacob asks a question of the stranger, “What is your name?” and gets no answer. So often that’s how it is with our questions of God. We want answers…and we get silence. But like Jacob we limp on through life, somehow strengthened by the struggle, toughened maybe, and equipped for every challenge.

Thought for the Day: What struggles with God have I had?

Genesis 32: 22-26

“Jacob was left alone; and a man wrestled with him until daybreak.” vs. 24

The next day Jacob would see Esau again. It would be their first meeting since Jacob had stolen their father’s blessing and then fled to a foreign land. Jacob was worried about how his brother would receive him and spends the night alone, but he doesn’t sleep. Instead he wrestles with a mysterious stranger until daybreak and pleads for a blessing. It’s a strange story and we don’t know who the opponent is, but we can certainly identify with Jacob’s nocturnal wrestling. Many of us have awakened after a night of struggles to find the sheets and blankets twisted as evidence of the battle. Usually such times come on the eve of days we’ve been fretting and worrying about, maybe a scary meeting or an encounter we’ve been dreading. In the darkness enemies lurk and dreams turn into nightmares. As our unconscious processes our fears, images of disaster flit through our minds. Sometimes we even cry out in terror and frustration, the words exploding out as guttural groans. Through the blackness of the long predawn hours the struggle continues without resolution until finally our blessing comes with the dawning of the new day. Though the situation may remain unchanged, it seems different in the light, and we may even glimpse a bit of hope.

Thought for the Day: What triggers my nighttime struggles?