Memories

Joshua 3:14-4:7

Matthew 26:1-16

Recently I had the opportunity to visit a part of the Civil War battlefield at Vicksburg, Mississippi. Like virtually all major battle sites throughout the world Vicksburg is dotted with monuments and markers in memory of those who participated in the fighting. One life-size statue in particular caught my attention. It had been placed at the site in 1912 by the wife and daughter of a Union Army officer. Historians might reflect on this man’s role in the war, but I did not recognize the name, nor do I remember it. Whoever he was, he may well become known best as “one of the guys with a statue.”

By comparison two of our readings for today touch on the role of memory within the community of faith. In the account from Joshua God commands that twelve stones from the River Jordan be gathered and set aside. “When your children ask in time to come, 'What do those stones mean to you?' then you shall tell them that the waters of the Jordan were cut off in front of the ark of the covenant of the Lord. When it crossed over the Jordan, the waters of the Jordan were cut off. So these stones shall be to the Israelites a memorial forever” (Joshua 4:6b-7). The gospel reading for today speaks tells of the actions of a woman. “By pouring this ointment on my body,” Jesus says, “she has prepared me for burial. Truly I tell you, wherever this good news is proclaimed in the whole world, what she has done will be told in remembrance of her" (Matthew 26:12-13).

Not to denigrate the role of that “guy with a statue” at Vicksburg, Mississippi, but unfortunately wars come and go and the glory and honor given to participants will in most cases fade with time. The events we encounter in scripture, however, deserve our full attention and to be remembered for what they are, God’s interaction with humanity. What God has done in the past, how God has led the people, and how individuals have responded to God’s work are of greater importance than almost anything else that would claim our attention, for these are the events and actions that set the course for our living and give us courage for the journey ahead. By remembering what God has done in the past, by reflecting on who Jesus Christ was and is, by reciting the words of the Lord and committing them to memory we bind ourselves to God’s will for our lives and to the work of the church as the body of Christ. Remember!

Prayer: Lord, help us to reflect on all you have done in our midst and on all you are doing for us and through us. In Jesus’ name we pray. Amen.

Have Mercy!

Romans 9:1-18

Paul was at pains to explain why Jews--his people--were not all becoming followers of Jesus Christ while at the same time many non-Jews were. Had God rejected Israel? And what about the law and its role in the life of this new community? These were difficult issues to address but were of great concern to both Paul and his readers. "What then are we to say?" Paul asks. "Is there injustice on God's part? By no means! For he says to Moses, 'I will have mercy on whom I have mercy, and I will have compassion on whom I have compassion.' So it depends not on human will or exertion, but on God who shows mercy" (Romans 9:14-16). At the heart of the matter is God's grace and mercy. Salvation does not depend on being Jewish or on strict adherence to the law. Salvation was dependent on God, and how God chose to impart salvation was, and is, up to God alone to decide.

This is good news. As Paul says, who it is that receives mercy and compassion is up to God. It is not up to us to earn that grace. Nor do we have a say in how God goes about the work of salvation. God will show mercy to whomsoever God chooses. When we accept this reality, when we allow God to be God, we are freed to live life with newfound joy, responding to God's claim on our lives, not because we have to, but because that is what God's people do, whoever they happen to be.

Prayer: Lord, help us to embrace your gift of mercy as a source of joy and to live as people who realize how blessed we really are. In Jesus' name. Amen.

Can We Handle the Truth?

1 Kings 22:1-28

The kings of Israel and Judah were considering war against Aram but they consulted first with about four hundred prophets, all of whom assured the kings of victory. But one prophet, Micaiah, was not there, so the kings sent for him. According to the reading, “The messenger who had gone to summon Micaiah said to him, ‘Look, the words of the prophets with one accord are favorable to the king; let your word be like the word of one of them, and speak favorably.’ But Micaiah said, ‘As the Lord lives, whatever the Lord says to me, that I will speak’” (1 Kings 22:13-14).

This, of course, is the great challenge facing the Church in all ages, whether to say what people want to hear or to declare what the Church believes God to be saying. Telling people what they want to hear will always make one more popular, but will it actually lead the Church where God wishes it to go? There will be differences of opinion, of course, and differences of interpretation, but if we are serious about serving God in our time and place, we must insist that God’s word be sought with a spirit of honesty and integrity, not with an eye toward gratifying a congregation. Not only that, but those who wish to proclaim God’s word must be open to the new things that God is doing and to prayerfully reflecting on God’s word at all times.

There are sermons that I would rather not have to preach, words that I would rather not have to share. But in the prophet Micaiah I find inspiration to do what I believe to be right, as opposed to popular, and to allow God to work through me as God wills.

Prayer: Lord, let the words of my mouth and the meditation of my heart be acceptable to you, my rock and my redeemer. In Jesus’ name. Amen. (From Psalm 19:14)