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.
Showing posts with label God's Sovereignty. Show all posts
Showing posts with label God's Sovereignty. Show all posts
Friday, February 22, 2013
Thursday, December 6, 2012
Those Who Dream
Psalm 126
Not all dreams are pleasant, which in part explains the tone of Hamlet’s famous soliloquy:
…To die, to sleep;
To sleep: perchance to dream: ay, there’s the rub;
For in that sleep of death what dreams may come,
When we have shuffled off this mortal coil,
Must give us pause.
If you’ve ever had one of those nightmares that keeps disturbing you well into the next day, even when you know that you are wide awake, you will understand Hamlet’s concern.
And yet we often use the word dream to describe pleasant events, with expressions like “dream come true,” or “dream vacation.” These are experiences, which at their best, may give us a surreal, fuzzy feeling and make it difficult to believe what is happening. Which, of course, is close to what the psalmist had in mind when he or she wrote the first words of Psalm 126: “When the Lord restored the fortunes of Zion, we were like those who dream” (v. 1). This surreal, fuzzy feeling sort of joy was prompted by the restoration of Israel, the setting aright in the lives of God’s people all those things that had gone amiss. Or was it? Some scholars actually think the passage should be translated in the future tense: “When the Lord restores the fortunes of Zion—we see it as in a dream…” Is this a past reality, or is it one that awaits the people of God in the future?
Frankly it shouldn’t matter. Why? Because God is Sovereign Lord of the past as well as the future, of lives restored, or things set right as well as futures filled made bright with hope and promise. Whichever way we look, forward or behind, we find God’s grace and mercy active and alive. Nor is the present exempt from God’s control. Here, too, God is at work sustaining and leading God’s people.
Do we see God’s work and experience it as in a dream-like state, overwhelmed with joy? Or do we dream of a day when the Lord will set all things right and bring truth and justice to bear? The answer is yes, and either way, the dreams are good.
Prayer: Lord, we bless your holy name for all that you have done in the past; all that you are doing in the present; and all that you will do in the future, for you alone are sovereign. In Jesus’ name we pray. Amen.
Psalm 126
Not all dreams are pleasant, which in part explains the tone of Hamlet’s famous soliloquy:
…To die, to sleep;
To sleep: perchance to dream: ay, there’s the rub;
For in that sleep of death what dreams may come,
When we have shuffled off this mortal coil,
Must give us pause.
If you’ve ever had one of those nightmares that keeps disturbing you well into the next day, even when you know that you are wide awake, you will understand Hamlet’s concern.
And yet we often use the word dream to describe pleasant events, with expressions like “dream come true,” or “dream vacation.” These are experiences, which at their best, may give us a surreal, fuzzy feeling and make it difficult to believe what is happening. Which, of course, is close to what the psalmist had in mind when he or she wrote the first words of Psalm 126: “When the Lord restored the fortunes of Zion, we were like those who dream” (v. 1). This surreal, fuzzy feeling sort of joy was prompted by the restoration of Israel, the setting aright in the lives of God’s people all those things that had gone amiss. Or was it? Some scholars actually think the passage should be translated in the future tense: “When the Lord restores the fortunes of Zion—we see it as in a dream…” Is this a past reality, or is it one that awaits the people of God in the future?
Frankly it shouldn’t matter. Why? Because God is Sovereign Lord of the past as well as the future, of lives restored, or things set right as well as futures filled made bright with hope and promise. Whichever way we look, forward or behind, we find God’s grace and mercy active and alive. Nor is the present exempt from God’s control. Here, too, God is at work sustaining and leading God’s people.
Do we see God’s work and experience it as in a dream-like state, overwhelmed with joy? Or do we dream of a day when the Lord will set all things right and bring truth and justice to bear? The answer is yes, and either way, the dreams are good.
Prayer: Lord, we bless your holy name for all that you have done in the past; all that you are doing in the present; and all that you will do in the future, for you alone are sovereign. In Jesus’ name we pray. Amen.
Monday, November 26, 2012
Of Households and Houses
Zechariah 10:1-12
Among today’s readings I was struck by a passage from the prophet Zechariah. In 10:2 we read, “For the teraphim utter nonsense, and the diviners see lies; the dreamers tell false dreams, and give empty consolation. Therefore the people wander like sheep; they suffer for lack of a shepherd.” The word teraphim is hard to define largely because of its unknown derivation, but it seems to refer to items that served as household gods. This may seem like a minor point, but the prophet makes it clear that at that time God’s people were beset by an absence of sound moral guidance. God’s anger, then, “is hot against the shepherds” (v. 3) –– shepherds being a common biblical image for leadership –– because they have failed to care for God’s flock. This is why the people turned to items such as teraphim and to diviners and dreamers in the first place.
But no matter who we are in terms of our faith, it is far too easy to accuse others of following their own teraphim or of acting as poor shepherds. What we don’t do well is examine our own values, seek out the places where we ourselves fall short. Zechariah was clear: God alone has the sovereign authority to guide God’s people, and it is by turning to God with open hearts and minds that we find our true bearing. But we have got to start by recognizing our own propensity for self-centeredness and moving beyond ourselves.
Years ago my wife and I were struck by the thought that even when people are the most divided there almost always seem to be areas of common ground where God’s grace can be found. For example, think about the question of who should be ordained, set aside for particular forms of service within the church. Some believe that only men should serve in positions of leadership while others believe that leadership roles are open to men and women alike. Others believe that sexual orientation should not be considered in making such decisions within the church. These differences in perspective are stark. Yet virtually no one would deny that adequate housing is essential for all people. God’s household, as fractured as it may be, could find a sense of unity in providing homes — or households –– for the least of those in our communities. If people with various opinions on ordination shared in the work of Habitat for Humanity or the Fuller Center would it solve the question of ordination? Probably not. But it would bring glory to God while drawing God’s people together in service to the world. It might also begin replacing some teraphim — household gods –– with a better understanding of the one true God while also providing for sheep in need of protection.
Prayer: Lord God, give us the courage to turn to you and to live in faithful obedience rather than condemning others for their faults as we perceive them. Amen.
Among today’s readings I was struck by a passage from the prophet Zechariah. In 10:2 we read, “For the teraphim utter nonsense, and the diviners see lies; the dreamers tell false dreams, and give empty consolation. Therefore the people wander like sheep; they suffer for lack of a shepherd.” The word teraphim is hard to define largely because of its unknown derivation, but it seems to refer to items that served as household gods. This may seem like a minor point, but the prophet makes it clear that at that time God’s people were beset by an absence of sound moral guidance. God’s anger, then, “is hot against the shepherds” (v. 3) –– shepherds being a common biblical image for leadership –– because they have failed to care for God’s flock. This is why the people turned to items such as teraphim and to diviners and dreamers in the first place.
But no matter who we are in terms of our faith, it is far too easy to accuse others of following their own teraphim or of acting as poor shepherds. What we don’t do well is examine our own values, seek out the places where we ourselves fall short. Zechariah was clear: God alone has the sovereign authority to guide God’s people, and it is by turning to God with open hearts and minds that we find our true bearing. But we have got to start by recognizing our own propensity for self-centeredness and moving beyond ourselves.
Years ago my wife and I were struck by the thought that even when people are the most divided there almost always seem to be areas of common ground where God’s grace can be found. For example, think about the question of who should be ordained, set aside for particular forms of service within the church. Some believe that only men should serve in positions of leadership while others believe that leadership roles are open to men and women alike. Others believe that sexual orientation should not be considered in making such decisions within the church. These differences in perspective are stark. Yet virtually no one would deny that adequate housing is essential for all people. God’s household, as fractured as it may be, could find a sense of unity in providing homes — or households –– for the least of those in our communities. If people with various opinions on ordination shared in the work of Habitat for Humanity or the Fuller Center would it solve the question of ordination? Probably not. But it would bring glory to God while drawing God’s people together in service to the world. It might also begin replacing some teraphim — household gods –– with a better understanding of the one true God while also providing for sheep in need of protection.
Prayer: Lord God, give us the courage to turn to you and to live in faithful obedience rather than condemning others for their faults as we perceive them. Amen.
Friday, November 16, 2012
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.
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.
Monday, October 29, 2012
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.
“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.
Monday, September 17, 2012
Church Fights Are Nothing New
Acts 15:36-16:5
“The disagreement became so sharp that they parted company…” (Acts 15:39). That’s the way that Acts describes the falling out between Paul and his fellow evangelist Barnabas. Indeed, because of their inability to agree the two former partners headed off in entirely separate directions. This passage may sound all too familiar to our modern ears. Just about every week I hear reports of individual Christians or entire congregations “parting company” over “sharp disagreements.” Such news should sadden us all. Unity is one of the most powerful resources that God’s people can bring to bear in the world today and when that unity is threatened it diminishes all of us. Fingers are pointed and blame is assigned at the precise moment when hands should be offered in peace and forgiveness sought in humility.
But let’s not miss the bigger picture contained in Acts. Yes, Paul and Barnabas disagreed so strongly that they ceased to work together. But it did not keep either one of them from working, from doing the Lord’s will as each man understood it. At the end of the day it was, as it had always been, God’s church, the body of Christ as work in the world. And it appears that God chose to work through both Paul and Barnabas to convey the good news of the gospel. The two men may have differed with each other, but it was by no means a hindrance to God’s will.
Disagreements rise and fall, but God alone remains Sovereign over human history. Does parting company serve a purpose? I believe it can. There are times when the best thing to do is to simply step away from a situation. But that says more about us than it ever will about God. God is perfectly capable of working through the “other guy” as much as through us.
Imagine that!
Prayer: O God, forgive us when our inability to work together causes us to part ways but help us to understand that your will is done despite our own perspectives. In Jesus’ name. Amen.
Thursday, March 22, 2012
What You Don’t Know…
Exodus 1:6-22
It’s a short verse in the midst of a long and detailed narrative, but this one bit of scripture packs a punch. “Now a new king arose over Egypt,” we read, “who did not know Joseph” (Exodus 1:8). All that has gone on before involving Jacob, Joseph and his captivity, the delivery of Egypt from starvation, the eventual reunion of father and son, all of this has been forgotten with the rise of a new ruler who did not appreciate the presence of the Hebrew people, or who, for reasons of national security, did not feel the need to honor the existing relationship. From this point on the story of the Hebrew people will head in a completely different direction as the narrative turns from one of hope and prosperity to one of servitude.
How often the circumstances of life change. How often new realities force new responses. What seems rock-solid today—family, career, one’s standing in the community—may be swept away tomorrow as a “new king” takes the throne, one who “did not know Joseph.” But despite what changes may come the one constant that can be noted, can be relied upon, is the presence of God. Above and beyond the events of human life there stands the Sovereign Lord of all creation and it is this God’s desire to remain connected and involved, to be integral to our existence.
As the book of Exodus unfolds God’s presence will become clearer to those involved. If we will stop and look at our own lives, at the path we have trod, we will likely recognize the hand of God at times when we felt the most forsaken. This is my personal hope, that as I look back on my life in years to come I may be blessed to see the hand of God at work leading me to be the person I should be. Then will I rejoice at the love of God.
Prayer: Lord, help us through the challenges of our lives that we may continue to grow in faith and love. In Jesus’ name. Amen.
Tuesday, December 20, 2011
A Foundation of Change
1 Samuel 2b-10
Our Old Testament reading for today is the “Song of Hannah,” a beautiful expression of faith that serves as the model for the Magnificat, Mary’s song in Luke 1. Hannah’s words, like Mary’s, point to a reversal of fortune between the weak and the powerful, between the hungry and the well-fed, between the poor and the wealthy. And yet, “the pillars of the earth are the Lord's,” we read, “and on them (God) has set the world” (1 Samuel 2:8c). This may seem to be a contradiction; lives are turned upside down despite a firm foundation established by God.
The answer lies in the justice and righteousness that God seeks, that the Lord will bring to fruition. Those who rely on God’s Sovereignty may do so with hope and confidence because the pillars are sturdy and the foundation is strong. But those who rely on their own wealth, their own power, their own works will find themselves shaken to the core, for their lives are like a house build on sand. In the end God’s will is done as God’s reign comes in its fullness, and those who trust in God will not be shaken.
Where do we stand? Do we put faith in our possessions, in our social status, in our politics? Or do we trust in the Lord as a solid truth, one on which to build a lasting life of faith?
Prayer: Lord, help us to trust in you and to stand on the foundation that you provide. In Jesus’ name. Amen.
Friday, September 2, 2011
God Willing
James 4:13-5:6
Often when I share my plans or my expectations with others I will add the words, “God willing.” I know that some may think I’m being trite or even superstitious, but the truth is that I am expressing one of my core beliefs, that the future is in God’s hands and that I wish, by God’s grace and to the best of my ability, to do God’s will. I’m sure that’s why a phrase from the book of James jumped out at me today. “Instead you ought to say, ‘If the Lord wishes, we will live and do this or that’” (James 4:15).
Our God, who in my faith tradition is held to be Sovereign over all creation at all times and who is at work in and through that creation, has a say in what happens in my life and yours. That does not mean that we have no choice; indeed we have ample choice and make poor decisions as a result. (Sadly those poor decisions may impact others more than they do us.) But ultimately things will go according to God’s will. My poor decisions can not deter that. So when I say, “I’ll see you tomorrow, God willing,” I mean it. I will see you as long as that is what best coincides with God’s will as I understand it or unless God moves either of us in a different direction.
Prayer: Lord of all creation, may we each serve you today in faithfulness and joyful obedience, trusting our lives to your will. In Jesus’ name. Amen.
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)