She who is in labor ...

Together, let us meditate on the word of the Lord:

Micah 5:2-5a

But you, O Bethlehem of Ephrathah,
who are one of the little clans of Judah,
from you shall come forth for me one who is to rule in Israel,
whose origin is from of old, from ancient days.

Can anything good happen in a small town? Can anything worthy of note come from Bethlehem, this “house of bread,” this tiny village? How often does God work with the small things - with places, things, or persons held in low esteem by humanity? The American equivalent of Bethlehem would be a small rural town on the margins of a politically insignificant state, perhaps somewhere in Oklahoma.

From this nowhere comes one who will not merely rule the world, but one who moves to restore it. This One knows how to restore this planet to its original and intended beauty because, quite simply, he was there when it was formed. To even speak of his origin reveals our ignorance.

Therefore he shall give them up until
the time when she who is in labor has brought forth;
then the rest of his kindred shall return to the people of Israel.

This small town on the margins of a small clan is a part of a larger nation. That nation wavered, time after time, in its faithfulness to its God. Every time this people chose to repent and return, God received them back. Every time, that is, until the last. When the fickleness of God’s people finally became a joke among the nations, then God let them go. God did not merely give up Jerusalem, or the Temple; the Holy One of Israel gave up the people of Israel. The holy temple was defiled, the holy city razed, the holy people scattered to the four corners of the earth. God gave them up.

But not forever. When “she who is in labor” bears her child, then the reunification of God and the people of God is to begin. Evidently the purpose of this child’s birth is to call all of God’s children back into relationship with God.

And he shall stand and feed his flock in the strength of the LORD,
in the majesty of the name of the LORD his God.
And they shall live secure,
for now he shall be great to the ends of the earth;

He who stands is one who is thoroughly acquainted with the truth about humanity; he knows our weaknesses, our vulnerabilities. A relationship with this majestic one brings a vulnerable people into a safe place. In the midst of that safe place are resources, provision for daily living, bread for body and soul. Is it mere coincidence that the “Bread of Heaven” comes from the “house of bread?” Yet, this majestic one will point the thankful to the source of all providence, the faithful God of Israel. The wonder of the place in which this Shepherd stands becomes even more apparent as others come to understand this great One, and open their lives to him.

and he shall be the one of peace.

Knowing the truth of our weakness and unfaithfulness, the Shepherd nonetheless hopes. Amazingly, he has made peace between his God and his people. That is his truth, but what is his hope? I believe that he hopes for those who have chosen peace to choose to keep it, and for those who have yet to choose peace to do so as well. May it be so.

Peace, peace, in him there can be peace.

Grace and peace,

Ron

One who rules justly ...

The texts for this week are about the reign of God, and the power and justice of those whom God chooses to rule over the people of God:

2 Samuel 23:1-7

Now these are the last words of David:
The oracle of David, son of Jesse,
the oracle of the man whom God exalted,
the anointed of the God of Jacob,
the favorite of the Strong One of Israel:

The spirit of the LORD speaks through me,
his word is upon my tongue.
The God of Israel has spoken,
the Rock of Israel has said to me:
One who rules over people justly,
ruling in the fear of God,
like the light of morning,
like the sun rising on a cloudless morning,
gleaming from the rain on the grassy land.

Is not my house like this with God?
For he has made with me an everlasting covenant,
ordered in all things and secure.
Will he not cause to prosper all my help and my desire?
But the godless are all like thorns that are thrown away;
for they cannot be picked up with the hand;
to touch them one uses an iron bar or the shaft of a spear.
And they are entirely consumed in fire on the spot.

May we understand that God has given us a son of David
to rule over us in justice and mercy;
may we see that God blesses us as his house.

Feel blessed,

Ron

Reflect the image ...

Today's devotional comes from Josh Birney:

I am sure that we have all heard the story about the little girl, maybe five or six years old, that sneaks into her little brother's room in the middle of the night. The girl wakes her brother up and asks him this question, “Can you tell me what Jesus looks like? Because I am beginning to forget.”

The story is cute and sweet, but it makes me think about the image that I am projecting! When people see me do they see Jesus, that I am created in His image to reflect Him to the world? Have you ever thought about that question? Have you ever thought about what it means to be made in the image of God? I would like to talk briefly about one aspect of our life in which we can reflect the image of God better…our authority.

What is our authority? To find that out we have to look all the way back at the beginning, in the book of Genesis.

Then God said, "Let us make humankind in our image, according to our likeness; and let them have dominion over the fish of the sea, and over the birds of the air, and over the cattle, and over all the wild animals of the earth, and over every creeping thing that creeps upon the earth. So God created humankind in his image, in the image of God he created them; male and female he created them.

God blessed them, and God said to them, "Be fruitful and multiply, and fill the earth and subdue it; and have dominion over the fish of the sea and over the birds of the air and over every living thing that moves upon the earth."
Genesis 1:26-29 – NRSV

The first time ever in the Bible, God had given one part of his creation authority, or rule over another. What does it mean to rule over something? Unfortunately for us and our boys, in life we have had bad examples of what it means to rule in this world: from world leaders, to some of our parents and teachers, some elderships and bosses! Those who “rule” with no regard for the people the rule over, those who seek what is in their best interest, those who always take and almost never give back. Is this what it means to rule?

Maybe a good answer can again be found in the book of Genesis:

When the LORD God made the earth and the heavens — and no shrub of the field had yet appeared on the earth and no plant of the field had yet sprung up, for the LORD God had not sent rain on the earth and there was no man to work the ground,… The LORD God took the man and put him in the Garden of Eden to work it and take care of it.
Genesis 2:4-5,15 – NIV

God placed Adam in the Garden with all the animals all the plants and told him to take care of the land. To cultivate it, make it produce! I am not a very good gardener, but I know this: you have to watch it, water it, and be patient with it, if you want it to produce anything. Adam’s and Eve’s authority was to bring out the best in God’s creation, to live with it and off of it, to bless it, enhance it, strengthen it!

The best example of authority is of course Jesus! Jesus has all power and authority, and how did he use it? He used it to make the world better, he healed the sick, gave sight to the blind, he taught a better way to live, He gave us an example of how to “cultivate the land, and take care of it” by bringing out the best in us, enhancing us, dying for us to restore us back to the image of God.

What do people see when they look at me? What do my boys see?

May God bless you,

Josh