Today, let us lift up a psalm of praise to our God.
As we read it, let us meditate on its recurring theme: the hesed, the steadfast love, of the Lord.
Psalm 36:5-10
Your steadfast love, O LORD, extends to the heavens,
your faithfulness to the clouds.
Your righteousness is like the mighty mountains,
your judgments are like the great deep;
you save humans and animals alike, O LORD.
How precious is your steadfast love, O God!
All people may take refuge in the shadow of your wings.
They feast on the abundance of your house,
and you give them drink from the river of your delights.
For with you is the fountain of life;
in your light we see light.
O continue your steadfast love to those who know you,
and your salvation to the upright of heart!
How far has the steadfast love of the Lord stretched in your life? How deep is the love of God in your experience? What great blessing has this love brought that you celebrate, even today? How will the steadfast love of God go with you into your future?
Grace and peace,
Ron
Thursday, January 14, 2010
Wednesday, January 13, 2010
My delight is in her ...
In how many stories does the resolution, the end, involve a wedding? In Shakespeare, weddings are prominent at the end of his comedies (they tend to happen much earlier in his tragedies). For those of you who are Disney fans, this story ending element should be obvious: Cinderella, Snow White, and The Beauty and the Beast, just to name a few.
The wedding is the ultimate sign of peace. Two individuals join in a covenant of peace and love. Two families are aligned with one another. Each of these families receives an outsider, who through the peace-making practice of hospitality, is brought into belonging within that family. The focus of this joyous event is the beloved bride:
Isaiah 62:1-5
For Zion's sake I will not keep silent,
and for Jerusalem's sake I will not rest,
until her vindication shines out like the dawn,
and her salvation like a burning torch.
The nations shall see your vindication,
and all the kings your glory;
and you shall be called by a new name
that the mouth of the LORD will give.
You shall be a crown of beauty in the hand of the LORD,
and a royal diadem in the hand of your God.
You shall no more be termed Forsaken,
and your land shall no more be termed Desolate;
but you shall be called My Delight Is in Her,
and your land Married;
for the LORD delights in you,
and your land shall be married.
For as a young man marries a young woman,
so shall your builder marry you,
and as the bridegroom rejoices over the bride,
so shall your God rejoice over you.
Of all of the metaphors that God could have picked to describe his coming together with the people of God, this is the one. The marriage depicts the high importance of the event. The wedding exemplifies the deepness of love that brings about the event. The vision of the lovely bride gives us a picture of the beauty and joy of the event in the very eyes of God.
Perhaps it is so obvious that we sometimes forget a central fact about this beautiful bride: she is not an individual person, but the community of people who passionately love God. I can’t pretend that I know how to visualize this reality, but it is nonetheless true. God makes peace with a people.
There is one other truth about this wedding that I carry with me. I don’t know how many sermons I have heard that have portrayed the day that Jesus will return as a day of terror; a day of fear, of terror, of screaming, and of weeping. For some, the ultimate discovery that there really is a God is bound to be that world-shattering.
But for people of faith, the last day is the day that the bridegroom comes. His love, promise-keeping, and glory will be revealed, and surely the bride will be found to have been made worthy to stand alongside him. While any wedding day has its stresses, it will be a glorious day for the people of God. Of course, after the wedding, there is the celebration, the wedding feast, where the work of the bride and groom and their families in pulling off this great day is appreciated.
You’ve been invited, as have I, to be a part of this great day. We have made our choices. Now it is up to us to help others understand that this is a day that none of us will want to miss.
How are we preparing to enjoy that day today?
Blessings,
Ron
The wedding is the ultimate sign of peace. Two individuals join in a covenant of peace and love. Two families are aligned with one another. Each of these families receives an outsider, who through the peace-making practice of hospitality, is brought into belonging within that family. The focus of this joyous event is the beloved bride:
Isaiah 62:1-5
For Zion's sake I will not keep silent,
and for Jerusalem's sake I will not rest,
until her vindication shines out like the dawn,
and her salvation like a burning torch.
The nations shall see your vindication,
and all the kings your glory;
and you shall be called by a new name
that the mouth of the LORD will give.
You shall be a crown of beauty in the hand of the LORD,
and a royal diadem in the hand of your God.
You shall no more be termed Forsaken,
and your land shall no more be termed Desolate;
but you shall be called My Delight Is in Her,
and your land Married;
for the LORD delights in you,
and your land shall be married.
For as a young man marries a young woman,
so shall your builder marry you,
and as the bridegroom rejoices over the bride,
so shall your God rejoice over you.
Of all of the metaphors that God could have picked to describe his coming together with the people of God, this is the one. The marriage depicts the high importance of the event. The wedding exemplifies the deepness of love that brings about the event. The vision of the lovely bride gives us a picture of the beauty and joy of the event in the very eyes of God.
Perhaps it is so obvious that we sometimes forget a central fact about this beautiful bride: she is not an individual person, but the community of people who passionately love God. I can’t pretend that I know how to visualize this reality, but it is nonetheless true. God makes peace with a people.
There is one other truth about this wedding that I carry with me. I don’t know how many sermons I have heard that have portrayed the day that Jesus will return as a day of terror; a day of fear, of terror, of screaming, and of weeping. For some, the ultimate discovery that there really is a God is bound to be that world-shattering.
But for people of faith, the last day is the day that the bridegroom comes. His love, promise-keeping, and glory will be revealed, and surely the bride will be found to have been made worthy to stand alongside him. While any wedding day has its stresses, it will be a glorious day for the people of God. Of course, after the wedding, there is the celebration, the wedding feast, where the work of the bride and groom and their families in pulling off this great day is appreciated.
You’ve been invited, as have I, to be a part of this great day. We have made our choices. Now it is up to us to help others understand that this is a day that none of us will want to miss.
How are we preparing to enjoy that day today?
Blessings,
Ron
Tuesday, January 12, 2010
He might be ...
People were looking for a Messiah. They had been looking for quite some time. There had been quite a few people, as a matter of fact, who had volunteered to the remnant of Israel the idea that they were this Messiah. Those claims were proven false, one by one, by the failure of the imposters to meet the prophetic tests, to exhibit the prophetic power, and to lead the people of God in the way that this king was expected to lead.
Which is what made John so interesting. He acted like the one. He sounded like the One. Yet, unlike the others, he categorically denied that he was the one.
As the people were filled with expectation, and all were questioning in their hearts concerning John, whether he might be the Messiah,
John answered all of them by saying, "I baptize you with water; but one who is more powerful than I is coming; I am not worthy to untie the thong of his sandals. He will baptize you with the Holy Spirit and fire. His winnowing fork is in his hand, to clear his threshing floor and to gather the wheat into his granary; but the chaff he will burn with unquenchable fire."
When the One came, he did not have to identify himself. He did not depend upon the people to immediately recognize him. The identity of the One was revealed by the One who was best situated to know.
Now when all the people were baptized, and when Jesus also had been baptized and was praying, the heaven was opened, and the Holy Spirit descended upon him in bodily form like a dove. And a voice came from heaven, "You are my Son, the Beloved; with you I am well pleased."
How this One experienced time before his birth is unlike anything any other human has experienced. Yet from the time of his birth, he has been willing to experience everything that we experience. He set aside royal privilege: no birth in a palace; no growing up with a royal entourage of nurses, tutors, trainers, and counselors; no robe, ring, nor crown, or other signs of wealth, power, and advantage. In humility he does everything he asks us to do. He even undergoes baptism, not because he has any need for that which it accomplishes, but so we can identify with him and he with us.
This humble servant is the One that the Father and the Spirit identify as the Son.
Today, how can we identify our lives and our ministry with the life of Jesus? What actions of his will we imitate? What thing can we do that reveals to others that we work alongside a living and active God?
Grace and peace,
Ron
Luke 3:15-17, 21-22
Which is what made John so interesting. He acted like the one. He sounded like the One. Yet, unlike the others, he categorically denied that he was the one.
As the people were filled with expectation, and all were questioning in their hearts concerning John, whether he might be the Messiah,
John answered all of them by saying, "I baptize you with water; but one who is more powerful than I is coming; I am not worthy to untie the thong of his sandals. He will baptize you with the Holy Spirit and fire. His winnowing fork is in his hand, to clear his threshing floor and to gather the wheat into his granary; but the chaff he will burn with unquenchable fire."
When the One came, he did not have to identify himself. He did not depend upon the people to immediately recognize him. The identity of the One was revealed by the One who was best situated to know.
Now when all the people were baptized, and when Jesus also had been baptized and was praying, the heaven was opened, and the Holy Spirit descended upon him in bodily form like a dove. And a voice came from heaven, "You are my Son, the Beloved; with you I am well pleased."
How this One experienced time before his birth is unlike anything any other human has experienced. Yet from the time of his birth, he has been willing to experience everything that we experience. He set aside royal privilege: no birth in a palace; no growing up with a royal entourage of nurses, tutors, trainers, and counselors; no robe, ring, nor crown, or other signs of wealth, power, and advantage. In humility he does everything he asks us to do. He even undergoes baptism, not because he has any need for that which it accomplishes, but so we can identify with him and he with us.
This humble servant is the One that the Father and the Spirit identify as the Son.
Today, how can we identify our lives and our ministry with the life of Jesus? What actions of his will we imitate? What thing can we do that reveals to others that we work alongside a living and active God?
Grace and peace,
Ron
Luke 3:15-17, 21-22
Monday, January 11, 2010
The voice of the Lord ...
Sometimes we use words without realizing their power.
Sometimes we doubt the power of the words in our prayers.
Sometimes we minimize the power of the words others use,
only to writhe under their influence all day long.
Yet nothing that we humans say is unnoticed by God -
no word falls into a complete vacuum.
It is especially important to remember:
none of God’s words fall to the ground fruitless.
Hear the word of the Lord:
Psalm 29
Ascribe to the LORD, O heavenly beings,
ascribe to the LORD glory and strength.
Ascribe to the LORD the glory of his name;
worship the LORD in holy splendor.
The voice of the LORD is over the waters;
the God of glory thunders, the LORD,
over mighty waters.
The voice of the LORD is powerful;
the voice of the LORD is full of majesty.
The voice of the LORD breaks the cedars;
the LORD breaks the cedars of Lebanon.
He makes Lebanon skip like a calf,
and Sirion like a young wild ox.
The voice of the LORD flashes forth flames of fire.
The voice of the LORD shakes the wilderness;
the LORD shakes the wilderness of Kadesh.
The voice of the LORD causes the oaks to whirl,
and strips the forest bare;
and in his temple all say, "Glory!"
The LORD sits enthroned over the flood;
the LORD sits enthroned as king forever.
May the LORD give strength to his people!
May the LORD bless his people with peace!
May God help us to be aware of his power today.
May God help us to be aware of the power
of our words today.
Blessings,
Ron
Sometimes we doubt the power of the words in our prayers.
Sometimes we minimize the power of the words others use,
only to writhe under their influence all day long.
Yet nothing that we humans say is unnoticed by God -
no word falls into a complete vacuum.
It is especially important to remember:
none of God’s words fall to the ground fruitless.
Hear the word of the Lord:
Psalm 29
Ascribe to the LORD, O heavenly beings,
ascribe to the LORD glory and strength.
Ascribe to the LORD the glory of his name;
worship the LORD in holy splendor.
The voice of the LORD is over the waters;
the God of glory thunders, the LORD,
over mighty waters.
The voice of the LORD is powerful;
the voice of the LORD is full of majesty.
The voice of the LORD breaks the cedars;
the LORD breaks the cedars of Lebanon.
He makes Lebanon skip like a calf,
and Sirion like a young wild ox.
The voice of the LORD flashes forth flames of fire.
The voice of the LORD shakes the wilderness;
the LORD shakes the wilderness of Kadesh.
The voice of the LORD causes the oaks to whirl,
and strips the forest bare;
and in his temple all say, "Glory!"
The LORD sits enthroned over the flood;
the LORD sits enthroned as king forever.
May the LORD give strength to his people!
May the LORD bless his people with peace!
May God help us to be aware of his power today.
May God help us to be aware of the power
of our words today.
Blessings,
Ron
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