Debbie:
Psalm 22
We are perhaps most familiar with Psalm 22 as Jesus' words from the cross, and only then the first verse. But Psalm 22 has a rich gift to give the church, as it moves us beautifully into the ever familiar Psalm 23 or Shepherd Psalm. Psalm 22 is one of my favorite Psalms because it begins with despair and shifts into praise and confidence in God’s care and love while at the same time addressing the frustration of life. The Psalmist used the same language of despair that you and I might use. But what Psalm 22 allows for us to do is to remember that God is present in our despair as well as our joy. The Psalmist weaved this sense of loss together with the sense of trust and concluded the Psalm with a beautiful song of praise in which he will tell others of God’s presence. The despair that began Psalm 22 segues into, “The Lord is my Shepherd . . . though I walk through the valley of the shadow of death . . . You are with me” In confidence of Christ’s life, death, and resurrection this is good news. And in the midst of our days of despair, this is good news.
Jim:
Romans 8:28-39
If I had to pick one section of scripture to sum up the essentials of my faith, the source of my hope in God, it would be Romans 8:28-39. Here, in unequivocal language, Paul makes it clear that God's grace and love transcend any and all obstacles. We, as God's people, live in the sure and certain hope of salvation. "If God is for us, who is against us?" Paul asks in verse 31. And the answer is that it really doesn't matter because "in all these things we are more than conquerors through him who loved us." (v. 37) Nothing, then, "can separate us from the love of God in Christ Jesus our Lord." (v. 39) Wow! What a source of courage! What a sense of peace! Everything is going to be okay because ultimately there is nothing that can stand between us and God's love.
Jeremiah 23:1-8
The reading from Jeremiah offers us an example of what God's love means. The shepherds who have destroyed and scattered God's flock represent the rulers of Judah who have not protected the people nor done what is right in God's eyes. But neither their iniquity nor the sins of the people can keep God from raising up a righteous Branch for David (v. 5) who will care for and guide the people into a new relationship with God. And God will now be called "The Lord is our Righteousness." (v. 6) In other words, what can separate us from the love of God? Nothing, because ultimately God will gather together the scattered flock and care for them. Certainly God is active in righteous judgment, but God is also at work restoring and building up all that human sinfulness has torn down.
John 6:52-59
In the passage from John we get about as close to a eucharistic meal as the forth gospel goes (since John does not include the Last Supper, but instead tells about the washing of feet). Verses 55 and 56 present a powerful sacramental theology: "…for my flesh is true food and my blood is true drink. Those who eat my flesh and drink my blood abide in me, and I in them."
2 comments:
Comments on the Romans Passage:
This passage is very inspiring and comforting. I love the imagery that surounds the idea that, "if God is for us, who is against us." Verses 31-39 truly demonstrate that nothing, not even the depths of human sinfulness, can seperate us from God's love (a theme that is also proclaimed in the Jeramiah passage). But the first part of the passage, verses 28-31, have that strong election language that I still struggle with. It makes me a little uncomfortable. The concept that if you are one of God's chosen people, then you are predestined to conform to His image and you will be justified and glorified, is only comforting if you are sitting on that side of the aisle. This type of language always make me think about the 'not chosen'. Who are these people? We believe that God created every man, woman, child, beast, bird, and creature on the earth. I struggle to understand why he created precious souls that are destined to be "not chosen". Every time we say that "we are the people of God" it suggests to me that there are people who are not His...that do not belong to God. Clearly, the Old Testament is more black and white about this...there are God's chosen people, a lineage that He has claimed as His own, and there are those who are not. And this idea is explicitly expressed. But, the New Testament seems to bring different images and ideas to the forfront. We truly see people of various ethnicities, genders, ages, and status receiving and embracing the grace of God through Jesus.
I believe that God loves me, that I am called to a life of service and worship out of grateful joy for His mercy and grace, and that I am a child of God. What child is not a "child of God"? When we celebrate communion we share "the gifts of God, and they are for 'us' the people of God." If they are for us, who is the 'them'?
I certainly know that there is a divine plan and vision that is far beyond anything that I (or even the paid professionals :-) could ever grasp. But, I struggle with the idea of the 'chosen' and the 'not chosen' (by extrapolation) especially as it relates to evangelism.
As I continue to seek clarity and peace of mind on this subject, I will take comfort in the fact that I am a child of God, and I will continue to try to put my worldly fears aside and embrace the idea that nothing can seperate me from God's love.
Megan: As a "paid professional" my struggles have brought me to the notion that those who are "in" or "out" is entirely in God's hands. I'm not on the selection committee, and I don't want to be! But despite what some of the early reformers said, I'm not convinced that there is anyone who is not a child of God, even in ultimate terms. God will save whomsoever God chooses and that may include everybody. In the mean time, we who recognize our relationship with God are to praise and enjoy God forever, and live faithful, obediant lives. (Jim)
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