One God Only

Psalm 82
It may seem odd to find a psalm dealing almost entirely with the presence of other gods. After all, Judaism is the very essence of monotheism and the Old Testament is full of reminders that there is but one God only. Yet this particular psalm speaks as if there were other gods, the gods of nations and of harvests and of seasons, and it is as if these gods were in fact active in human life. Of course at the time that Psalm 82 was written Israel was surrounded by nations and peoples, each of which claimed the existence of other gods –– their gods. How else could they explain the apparent ebb and flow of life than the existence of fickle or capricious deities? In light of these beliefs Psalm 82 takes on an especially monotheistic tone. Indeed, God –– the God of Israel –– is the supreme God and nothing lies outside of God’s sovereign control. “You are gods, children of the Most High, all of you;” the psalmist declares, “nevertheless, you shall die like mortals, and fall like any prince’” (Psalm 82:6-7).

We are far too sophisticated to fall for the notion of other, albeit lesser gods. We know there is only one God. And yet, we can not free ourselves from the sin of idolatry, the practice of setting up items to worship or placing matters of primary concern between ourselves and our Creator. Wealth, power, influence, the value of our own opinions and beliefs: these ideas cause great harm when we allow them to distract from our worship of God. These may be the gods of our age, but when Psalm 82 is read in the light of Easter, placed within a Christian context, it becomes a fresh breeze sweeping away the idols and the gods of our lives, reminding us once again that in Jesus Christ we are freed from our dependence on such false deities and enabled to live in full relationship with God alone.

Yes, God is in control so even the gods of the nations, even the idols of our lives fall under God’s authority. In grace, then, we are able to live as God’s people, confident of God’s love and mercy for us.

Prayer: Lord, help us to cast away our idols and to love you alone with all our heart, mind, soul, and strength. In Jesus’ name. Amen.

Star Power?

Acts 14:1-18

“When the crowds saw what Paul had done, they shouted in the Lycaonian language, ‘The gods have come down to us in human form!’" (Acts 14:11). This verse from today’s reading in Acts should sound familiar to us because it has been repeated over and over again in human history. We have become very adept at venerating other humans: athletes, musicians, politicians, entertainers, artists, TV personalities, authors. We collect autographs and pour over pictures of prominent people. We also absorb gossip and rumors about famous men and women. And though we would rather not admit it, much of this behavior echoes the words of the Lycaonians, “The gods have come down to us in human form!” We can become star struck and allow this condition to guide the way we live.

The problem is that when we allow ourselves to be distracted by the nature of celebrity it also means that we have taken our eyes off of the one God. Fame can be enticing, it can seduce us, and it can blind us to the reality of God’s presence in the world. But only God is Sovereign over all creation, and only God, the God, can truly address our lives with both judgment and grace. Movie stars may provide us with entertainment, musicians and authors may fill our lives with insight and texture, athletes may inspire us, but none of these are worthy of our praise the way God is. And while this is all seems so obvious, just reflect on how often we allow ourselves to be caught up in what amounts to idol worship at the expense of our attention to God’s will in our lives.

Enjoying the works of others, appreciating their efforts, following their achievements is all very appropriate. But once we take our focus off of God in order to be more attentive to mere humans we have fallen into the same trap that nearly snared the Lycaonians. Only God is God, and only God deserves to be worshiped.

Prayer: Lord, help us to remain focused on you in all we do so that we may live lives of justice and truth according to your will. In Jesus’ name. Amen.

Yeah, Right

Exodus 32:21-34 1

Thessalonians 1:1-10

Aaron got caught red-handed. He had aided the people in their revolt against God but then he made excuses to his brother, Moses. “And Aaron said, ‘Do not let the anger of my lord burn hot; you know the people, that they are bent on evil. They said to me, 'Make us gods, who shall go before us; as for this Moses, the man who brought us up out of the land of Egypt, we do not know what has become of him. 'So I said to them, 'Whoever has gold, take it off'; so they gave it to me, and I threw it into the fire, and out came this calf!’" (Exodus 32:22-24). Blame it on the people, he says, and the fire. They put in the gold and out came the calf, honest! Aaron comes off sounding like a child who broke a widow: “Don’t blame me. The ball did it.” But the truth is at the fist hint of trouble Aaron joined with those who rejected God in favor of something of their own creation.

The epistle lesson for today offers an interesting contrast to the Exodus passage. “For the people of those regions report about us what kind of welcome we had among you, and how you turned to God from idols, to serve a living and true God…” (1 Thessalonians 1:9). Here we find the gospel taking root among those who had previously worshiped false deities. The members of the Thessalonian church could have held onto their previous habits, could have hedged their bets by keeping an idol or two stashed nearby for emergencies. But they chose to serve a “living and true God.” Where we see Aaron all too quickly turning away from the Lord, these men and women have turned toward God – even in the face of persecution.

There is a challenge here for us. Do we remain faithful to the God by whose grace we live? Or do we turn away at the first opportunity, creating false realities for ourselves? Are we willing to face the hardships that come with steadfast faith? Or are we determined to follow Aaron down the path of idolatry? The choice is ours.

Prayer: Lord, help us to be faithful in all we do. In Jesus' name. Amen.

What Everybody Knows

Acts 19:21-41

“…Who is there that does not know that the city of the Ephesians is the temple keeper of the great Artemis and of the statue that fell from heaven” (Acts 19:35)? This is what the town clerk of Ephesus said in order to avoid a riot among silversmiths and others. The crowd had gathered to oppose Christians who were drawing adherents away from the worship of the goddess Artemis and cutting into the sales of handmade idols. What a profound question, though, to ask of the contemporary world. Who is there that does not know…Justin Timberlake, or Yao Ming, or Nike footwear, or Coka-cola, or Renaldo, or Barak Obama, or Silvio Berlusconi, or Michael Jackson, or (fill in the blank)? Who is there who can avoid the latest media frenzy, or the latest fashion craze, or the latest political scandal? Who is there that is not under pressure to conform with their own culture?

And who is there that does not know Jesus Christ, or the work that God is doing in our world through people of faith, in good times and bad, in seasons of want and of plenty, in the roughest neighborhoods of the poorest countries and the most affluent compounds of the world? The truth is that many may know about God, about Jesus, about the Way, but in our world the faith is one of many factors that strive for attention, and I would suggest it has always been that way. There are always other voices calling to us, other personalities appealing to us. Contestants for our attention seem to drop from the skies on a daily basis. How challenging it is to stay focused on the heart of the matter. How difficult it is to remain steadfast in the faith.

Personally, I can’t wait for the American football season to begin. I’m a huge fan. But I know that on any given day I have to make a choice between football and my faith in God. It isn’t always easy, I’ll admit, but it is something that I need to do because it is what is right and, just as importantly, it is what is best for me. In a world full of attention-grabbing headlines and outrageous antics the gospel of Jesus Christ may seem pale by comparison. Yet the call to remain steadfast in faith is one that we simply must accept with all our heart, mind, soul, and strength, because there is no real meaning to life in a consumer-driven culture of fame and notoriety, but there is eternal hope in the God who calls to us.

Prayer: Lord, may your voice be the only one we hear, and may you be the only light on which we focus, that our lives may have the meaning that you alone can give. In Jesus’ Name. Amen.