Back to the Beginning…Almost

Jeremiah 4:9-10, 19-28
The prophet Jeremiah offers a horrifying vision of what God might do in response to the ongoing faithlessness of the people. “I looked on the earth, and lo, it was waste and void; and to the heavens, and they had no light. I looked on the mountains, and lo, they were quaking, and all the hills moved to and fro. I looked, and lo, there was no one at all, and all the birds of the air had fled. I looked, and lo, the fruitful land was a desert, and all its cities were laid in ruins before the Lord, before his fierce anger. For thus says the Lord: The whole land shall be a desolation; yet I will not make a full end” (Jeremiah 4:23-27). Notice the various elements of creation that are mentioned. The earth is “void” and the heavens have “no light.” There is no human presence and even the birds have vanished. There are no plants for “the fruitful land was a desert.” In so many ways this is a mirror image of the creation story of Genesis 1, for here is a virtual undoing of the acts of God at the beginning of time. All that is left is a barren, empty, deserted wasteland, very like the void over which the spirit of God passed before saying, “Let there be light” (Genesis 1:3).

Yet even in the midst of this vision, this threat of total destruction, there is hope, for God has not forgotten the various covenants, the promises made to Noah, and Abraham, and through Moses: “I will not make a full end,” says the Lord to Jeremiah. Indeed, there is a reminder of God’s grace even in the face of human stubbornness and disregard for the divine will. The utter bleakness of Jeremiah’s vision does not overcome the hope that God holds out, that within a restored creation the kingdom will come in its fullness. In the story of Pandora’s box, the girl, Pandora, releases all that is dreadful and evil into the world. But along with the woe there is also the last thing out of the box which is hope. Here, in Jeremiah, we find a veriation of that story rooted in God’s relationship with God’s people, a story that contains both the judgment of a just God, and the grace of a merciful Redeemer.

God’s anger burns hot, but God will not bring an end to creation, says Jeremiah. Indeed, with the arrival of Jesus Christ and his ministry some centuries later, God reaffirmed the divine commitment to humanity. In the end as in the beginning, we are blessed by the care of a loving God.

Prayer: God of all creation, look beyond the darkness of the world and lift up your light on the goodness that you have established here, that all may know your love and repent of their sins. In Jesus’ name. Amen.

Care Instructions

Deuteronomy 10:12-22
Our Old Testament reading for today offers a good example of the tension between God’s sovereignty over all creation on the one hand and the divine concern for individuals in need on the other. “For the Lord your God is God of gods and Lord of lords,” we read, “the great God, mighty and awesome, who is not partial and takes no bribe, who executes justice for the orphan and the widow, and who loves the strangers, providing them with food and clothing” (Deuteronomy 10:17-18). To live in relationship with God, then, is to live out the meaning of that tension, God’s sovereign “above-ness” that in no way limits God’s nearness. For example, when we worship God, we should hold these two aspects of God’s activity side by side. Our praise should be heartfelt and joyous, our hymns and prayers sung and spoken with the reverence that is appropriate for the Creator of all there is. But this same praise and worship is dishonest at best and meaningless at worst if it does not lead us to show care and compassion for those around us, if it does not direct our attention to a world full of need and pain. Our day to day lives as well must be guided by the recognition that our majestic God is also an imminent God. Though we might wish to move spiritually from one “mountaintop experience” to another, blinded to the world by the radiance of God’s presence, we walk a false path of discipleship if we do not also enter that world, eyes wide open to the poverty and the injustice that clamors for our attention, and which calls us to deeds of self-sacrifice on behalf of the lost and lonely.

The story of creation tells us in vivid terms that when God brought human life into existence it was as a reflection of the divine image. And the incarnation of Jesus Christ – the word of God made flesh – reveals the willingness of God to enter into human society as one of us and to live as the poorest among us, the most oppressed of our world, live. If, then, we are to give ourselves fully to God and to truly glorify God’s name, we must be willing to follow the divine imperative, recognizing God’s Lordship over all, but humbling ourselves in service to those in need. This is what it means to be the people of God.

Prayer: God of majesty and might, lead us not only to acts of praise and worship, but also to deeds of kindness and concern, that we may fully reflect your love to the world and may rightly serve you. In Jesus’ name. Amen.

Full-Time Praise?

Psalm 148
From the looks of it, praising God is a full-creation job. It is clearly the intent of Psalm 148 to invite all of creation to share in giving glory to its Creator. There are two sections to the psalm: each begins with a call to praise the Lord addressed to certain elements of the created order, followed by a rationale for that praise. So the sun, moon, stars, angels, hosts, waters, and the highest heavens are called on to praise the Lord because it is the Lord who has created them and who has established them (vs. 1-6). Sea monsters, fire, hail, snow, frost, winds, mountains, hills, fruit trees and cedars, wild animals and cattle, things that creep and things that fly, kings and peoples, princes and rulers, men and women, the young and the old are also told to praise the Lord because God’s glory rises above earth and heaven (vs. 7-14). Praising God is a full-creation job.

But praising God is also a full-time job. Clearly the community of faith cannot limit the glorifying of God’s name to just one hour on Sunday mornings. But for a moment let’s assume that a person does attend a worship service each week. That service might average about 60 minutes depending on the place of worship. Then let’s assume this person also attends a mid-week service that lasts about half an hour. That’s 90 minutes a week of praising God. Next lets add an informal prayer time that this person might attend, and let’s say it lasts about 15 minutes, bringing the total to about 105 minutes. Three meals a day begun with a blessing would mean 21 blessings a week at about 1 minute each bringing the total to 126 minutes a week. Bedtime prayers, seven a week at about two minutes each, would add another 14 minutes for a total of 140 minutes. Some folks make a habit of praying in the morning as well, which might add an additional 35 minutes of praise each week for a total of 175 minutes. When it is all added together and some allowance is made for random acts of praise—say, 15 minutes worth a week––we might come up with about 190 minutes.

Wow! 190 minutes a week used to praise God. Pretty good, huh? The problem is, this leaves 9,890 minutes a week spent NOT praising God. In other words, even with all the worship and prayer opportunities that we listed, we are left praising God for about 1.9% of our time. Wow! That doesn’t sound very good, does it? Psalm 148 reminds us that praising God is a full-time, full-creation activity that demands our ongoing and constant attention. Otherwise we are reducing God to a minor aspect in our lives instead of recognizing God’s place as Sovereign Lord of all.

Prayer: Almighty and everlasting God, you alone deserve our praise and our adoration. Forgive us when we fail to honor you in our lives, for it is in Jesus’ name that we pray. Amen.

Redemption As a Fish Tale

Jonah 1:17-2:10
“Then the Lord spoke to the fish, and it spewed Jonah out upon the dry land” (Jonah 2:10). I don’t recall ever preaching from this particular verse from the book of Jonah, but someday I think I may have to. Why? Because I find it to be so reassuring. This one verse, as quirky as it is, tells us a great deal about God and about faith.

For one thing this verse shows God to be Sovereign over all of nature, including large fish. All God has to do is to speak and the fish obeys. Here the Jonah account resonates with the story of creation as found in Genesis (i.e. Genesis 1:3). In each case God utters a word which causes events to unfold, whether large or small, universal or particular, having to do with all humanity or with a single individual. In short, God’s reign is both transcendent and eminent. God is Sovereign.

For another thing this verse makes clear the redemptive nature of God’s work. In having the fish spew Jonah ashore God demonstrates a desire to give the reluctant prophet another chance. (In truth, God has been giving Jonah additional chances all along, from the boat dock to the hold of the ship, from the ship to the water, from the water to the fish, and now from the fish to the shore.) And we should remember that the purpose of Jonah’s mission to Nineveh was to call the Ninevites to repent so that they, too, might find redemption. God’s treatment of Jonah is illustrative of God’s regard for humanity in general. God is redemptive.

Yes, Jonah 2:10 is an odd little verse, yet it carries with it a lot of insight into the nature of God.

Prayer: Lord we glorify you for you alone are sovereign over all creation and in you alone do we find redemption. May your name be forever blessed. Amen.

Picking a Team

Micah 3:9-4:5
“For all the peoples walk, each in the name of its god, but we will walk in the name of the Lord our God for ever and ever” (Micah 4:5). This verse begins with a rather obvious statement, that everyone chooses what god or gods they will serve and ends with a ringing affirmation, that the people of Israel will remain steadfast in their relationship with the God who led their ancestors out of Egypt.

Actually what the prophet Micah says is that all peoples will walk “in the name of” their own god. When I read these words I think of how fans often show support for their favorite teams by wearing jerseys or tee-shirts emblazoned with the team’s logo. Some fans are so dedicated to a team that they become known for that allegiance (and there is no end to the number of teams available to choose from). In sports terms I guess I walk in the name of the San Antonio Spurs or the Tennessee Titans. They are my favorite teams and I show them a certain amount of support and loyalty, I feel a sense of pride when they win games, and I try to keep up with their trades and statistics. But I don’t ever want to be defined on those terms alone. Instead I wish to be known as someone whose primary focus is on “God the Father almighty, maker of heaven and earth….” I would like to be known as someone who wears God’s jersey, so to speak, and who is attentive to God’s word.

“All the peoples walk, each in the name of its god….” Assuming this is true, whose jersey do we wear? Who do we serve? Who do we follow? If we take the words of Micah seriously there really is no question.

Prayer: O God, may we be devoted in our worship of you and in serving you faithfully. In Jesus’ name. Amen.

Oh Yeah?

Psalm 96

There is a scene that plays out in countless school yards all over the world. One child makes a claim that another child finds difficult to believe. Soon someone is bound to say, “Oh yeah? Well, prove it!” Do what it is that you say you can do: climb that wall, lift that rock, prove you can do what you say you can.

Create the universe! That’s the implied challenge of Psalm 96. “For all the gods of the people are idols, but the Lord made the heavens” (v. 5). The God of Israel has already done something that none of the other gods could ever do. “The world is firmly established; it shall never be moved” (v. 10b). Why bother following after a statue carved out of stone or made of gold? Why worship an inanimate object when the God who made all things is alive in your midst? Why give praise to the created when you can instead give praise to the creator?

Where do we put our confidence? In our money, or in the God who created all things? Where do we put our faith? In buildings and roads and bridges, or in the God who made the earth firm? Where do we place our hope? In the use of drugs or stimulants, or in the God of all nature? Obviously, we must choose carefully because confidence, faith, or hope placed in a modern day idol is wasted. On the other hand, the God who created all things is capable of using all things according to God’s will and to God’s glory. Money is not an evil thing, nor are buildings and roads, nor are pharmaceuticals when used properly. The problem comes when we see these or other objects as ultimate and fail to see the God who stands over and above all creation as the source of all that is.

Only God can answer the challenge to create the heavens. Only God can provide us with all that we need to live our lives to God’s glory. Idols will mock us with their blank stares, but God goes on creating and redeeming as an active participant in our lives. Who is the Lord of all? The God of Israel is the Lord of all and this God’s creative power is all the proof we need.

Prayer: Lord, we thank you for the world you have created and for all that you continue to provide. In Jesus’ name. Amen.

What Exactly Do We Know?

Ecclesiastes 11:1-8

The writer of Ecclesiastes was a product of his time, and it shows in his writing. For example, in today’s Old Testament passage we read, “Just as you do not know how the breath comes to the bones in the mother's womb, so you do not know the work of God, who makes everything” (Ecclesiastes 11:5). The fact is medical science has solved a number of mysteries including the development of life from conception onward, but that does not invalidate the point being made here. Indeed, I would suggest the wonder and the mystery surrounding “the work of God” only deepens as we learn more about human life and the world that sustains it.

There have been medical professionals in just about every congregation I have served, men and women who have demonstrated tremendous faith. These individuals can go a long way in explaining the formation of life in scientific terms, but this in no way has diminished their amazement at all God has done and is doing in our world. Often they believe, in large part, because of what they know and not the other way around. I’ve heard it said that the more we know the more we realize what we don’t know, and that may well be true. We can explain the how of conception, but faith confronts us with even deeper wonder. Likewise, we can explain in great detail to our children “where babies come from,” but until we share with them the love of God at work in human history (and in their lives as well) we have told them less than half the story.

Lost in this conversation may be the most profound claim that Ecclesiastes makes. It’s there at the end of verse 5, where we read that it is God “who makes everything.” Everything from babies in the womb to galaxies at the heart of the universe rely upon the God of Israel for their very being. Even as we come to understand more and more about life and being, we are still left with the realization that God is at work. Why? Well, that’s the real question, isn’t it?

Prayer: Lord, strengthen our faith as you open our eyes to the wonders of your creation. In Jesus’ name. Amen.

You Are a Spiritual Animal

Ecclesiastes 3:16-4:3

When our children were little one of their favorite video tapes was a Disney sing-along that included the song, “You Are A Human Animal.”

You are a human animal,

You are a very special breed,

For you are the only animal

Who can think, who can reason, who can read.

There is an interesting parallelism to the song at work in our reading from Ecclesiastes today. “I said in my heart with regard to human beings,” we read, “that God is testing them to show that they are but animals. For the fate of humans and the fate of animals is the same; as one dies, so dies the other. They all have the same breath, and humans have no advantage over the animals; for all is vanity. All go to one place; all are from the dust, and all turn to dust again” (Ecclesiastes 3:18-20). The writer of Ecclesiastes would likely concede that people can read and write and think, but would then point out that their end is the same as that of animals. “All is vanity."

John Macquarrie might disagree. In his essay, “Spirit and Spirituality,” Macquarrie makes the point that “’spirit’ names a kind of being that is somehow shared by [humanity] with the Spirit of God. Spirit is present in and constitutive of [humanity], as well as God…Thus [humanity], alone among all the beings on earth, was granted a share of spirit.” In his article, “Spirituality in the Recovery Process,” F. A. Prezioso makes virtually the same point. “Spirituality is a quality that belongs exclusively to the human animal,” he writes.

What then are we to say about these things? The writer of Ecclesiastes believed that humanity is but a facet of creation, a part of the bigger picture with a role to play in relation to God but with no real advantage within the realm of history. When we consider the presence of the spirit in human life, though, and the relationship between God and humanity in the creation narrative and elsewhere we find a much different image. We alone among all forms of life have a claim on God’s image and God’s presence for we alone have been filled with the divine breath which is our “inspiration.” We may be human animals, but there is much more to it than that.

Prayer: Lord, it is you who have breathed life into us. Help us to honor your presence in all that we do, for it is in Jesus’ name that we pray. Amen.

The Fairness of Creation

Matthew 5:38-48

In the midst of the gospel reading for today Jesus offers a familiar teaching. “…(God) makes his sun rise on the evil and on the good,” he says, “and sends rain on the righteous and on the unrighteous” (Matthew 5:45b). These words are intended to encourage believers to treat all people with love just as God does. But if we listen carefully we will also find profound insight into our lives of faith.

If sinners and the unrighteous receive sun and rain (essential in an agricultural society and therefore essential to life) then the opposite is also true. Those who are righteous will experience disasters like drought and pestilence right along with everyone else. Of course, we knew that already. We’ve seen it happen over and over again. Now with Jesus’ help we know better than to make easy assumptions about one another, or even about God. If God is withholding judgment until the proper time, perhaps we, too, should withhold our judgment, perhaps we, too, should go about our lives blessing instead of cursing one another. Elsewhere in Matthew Jesus tells of a field of wheat and weeds growing side by side. It is only at the time of harvest, says Jesus, that they are to be separated (Matthew 13:24-30, 36-43). The message is not only for us to live in accordance with God’s will, but also for us to allow God to act when and how God chooses. If Jesus can turn one loaf into many, just think how many weeds God can change to wheat with sunlight and rain.

Prayer: Lord, creation is yours. Help us trust you to be at work through in it as you will. In Jesus’ name. Amen.

God Speaks--Again!

Jonah 2:1-10

Perhaps it’s an odd choice––especially for the day after Easter—but there is a verse in Jonah that caught my attention this morning. “Then the Lord spoke to the fish, and it spewed Jonah out upon the dry land” (Jonah 2:10). What I find so interesting is that, just as it was with creation, God’s word has the power to direct and to guide. According to Genesis it was on the fifth day of creation that God called forth living creatures to inhabit the waters, including sea monsters and the fish that swarm in the oceans (Genesis 1:20-23). Now God speaks to the great fish, causing Jonah the reluctant prophet to be dislodged upon the land.

God’s speech, God’s creative and powerful word, did not become silent when Adam and Eve left the garden. God continues to effect our lives and our very being with speech. Thus, when we refer to Jesus Christ as the Word Incarnate we are reminded of God’s work in the world, guiding great events like wars and exiles, and incredibly minute details, such as Jonah being spewed onto a beach.

What is the word of God accomplishing in our world and in our lives today? How are we, on this side of the resurrections, being blessed by God’s work? I’m sure that being spewed from a fish’s mouth is not particularly appealing, but what it represents is grace-filled and merciful. The fish, like our own sinfulness, might have carried us away, might have left us with no hope. But with a word God is able to dispel the threat and to lead us to solid footing where we may strive again to do God’s will. The word of God is alive and at work in the big events of our lives and the small ones. Thanks be to God.

Prayer: Lord, by the light of the resurrection may we see the path you hold out to us, and by your word may we be guided on it. Amen.

Finding God in Creation

Romans 1:16-25

Among theologians there is a difference of opinion as to whether or not one can come to know God through creation—the beauty of a sunset, for example—as opposed to what is revealed in scripture. I don’t intend to enter into that debate, but I do find interesting what Paul has to say in our reading from Romans today.

Paul's purpose is to show that unbelievers have no excuse in denying the presence of God. “Ever since the creation of the world,” he writes, “(God’s) eternal power and divine nature, invisible though they are, have been understood and seen through the things he has made” (Romans 1:20). Remember the words of Psalm 8: “When I look at your heavens, the work of your fingers, the moon and the stars that you have established; what are human beings that you are mindful of them, mortals that you care for them” (Psalm 8:3-4)? There is something to that, of course. What power on earth could ever create the sort of beauty and wonder that we see everyday of our lives? How could there not be a God?

And then comes a tsunami.

If God really is responsible for creation, if God really does bring all that is into existence, why would we as human beings be subjected to such a "natural" disaster, such horror in the created order? The easy way around that question is to say, “I don’t know.” And that is the truth. But there is more to it, for in times of disaster, times of loss and pain, God’s presence is still known, still evident if invisible. Note the concern for the people of Japan that has risen up in the days since the earthquake. Remember the generous acts of kindness shown. Think of the courage and the bravery that many have displayed working to save the lives of others. Consider the ways that science has worked to reduce the damage that may have been done by such a catastrophe in decades past. Yes, nature presents us with horrible events. But God’s grace remains active in the lives and gifts of people like you and me.

In the days since the tsunami someone in Japan has read my blog on a number of occasions. I have no way of knowing who, of course, but I hope and pray that I have offered even the smallest amount of comfort. If I have, then surely that is a sign of God’s grace as well for which I take no credit.

Prayer: O God, bless those who suffer this day with the knowledge of your presence, and open the hearts and hands of all people, that generosity may flow and compassion be shared. Amen.

God: Up Close and Personal

Jonah 1:17-2:10
Luke 11:14-26
“Then God spoke to the fish, and it spewed Jonah out upon the dry land” (Jonah 2:10). The image of God speaking to a fish is wonderful, primarily because it is presented so matter-of-factly (Jonah 2:10). Of course the Creator of the universe, of the earth with all of its living creatures, has the time and inclination to speak to one particular fish, who obediently spits Jonah out onto the shore. Clearly, God is involved in the story right down to one fish and one reluctant prophet. (Incidentally, while the human prophet has tried his best to run from God, the fish seems all too happy to cooperate.) Another image of an up-close God comes from the gospel of Luke. There Jesus refutes those who claim his healing power comes from the devil. No, if that were true, Jesus tells them, evil would be divided against itself. “But if it is by the finger of God that I cast out demons,” he continues, “then the kingdom of God has come to you” (Luke 2:21).

Whether whispering in the ear of a fish or reaching out to the ill and infirm with a healing touch, God is busy. But far more important than that, God is nearby, within earshot, within reach. God works, then, not just in grand, universal principles, but also within the day to day details, getting close enough to you and me to make a real difference in our lives. Each story, by the way, carries forward images from the creation accounts of Genesis. There God speaks the earth and universe into being. “And God said…” is the familiar refrain (for example Genesis 1:6, 9, 14, and 20). “…(T)hen the Lord God formed man from the dust of the ground…” (2:7) we read later, which seems to indicate that God’s hands became muddy in the creation process as well. God’s voice and God’s hands have been with us from the very beginning. God has always been “in the mix”, a fact which continues today.

Obviously we do not always recognize God’s work, and sometimes we may even doubt that God remains with us. But scripture is clear on the point, so clear that when we refer to Jesus Christ as Emmanuel (God with us) it is essentially redundant.

Prayer: Lord, you have been our shelter and our help from the very beginning. Help us to trust in your continued presence and to open our hearts to you. In Jesus’ name. Amen.