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Habakkuk 2:1-4
I will stand at my watchpost, and station myself on the rampart; I will keep watch to see what he will say to me, and what he will answer concerning my complaint. Then the Lord answered me and said: Write the vision; make it plain on tablets, so that a runner may read it. For there is still a vision for the appointed time; it speaks of the end, and does not lie. If it seems to tarry, wait for it; it will surely come, it will not delay. Look at the proud! Their spirit is not right in them, but the righteous live by their faith. * * * * * * * There is something, oh-so-familiar about the nature of these verses. Every war (pick a war, any war) movie seems to have a scene of someone keeping watch and waiting. Sometimes they are waiting for trouble. Sometimes they are waiting for rescue. A signal is sent. A message is relayed. More waiting but always more watching because, at the appointed time, what is coming will come. The voice of the ancient prophet is still as clear and purposeful as once it was centuries ago. Wait. Hold up the vision of our God for God's people. Live by faith. I would rather stand waiting in faith on the ramparts than be vanquished by arrogance or despair. * * * * * * * Come, Lord Jesus. Amen.
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Psalm 37:3-4
Trust in the Lord, and do good; so you will live in the land, and enjoy security. Take delight in the Lord, and he will give you the desires of your heart. * * * * * * * * * I felt myself lingering over the phrase: "desires of your heart." Though I don't spend much time thinking about it, the answer to that question has certainly changed over the years. My heart's desires have moved through the immediate, urgencies of childhood, the angst of teenage longing for freedom, the grandeur of wanting to change the world in young adulthood, and the practicalities of being a grown-up. I used to long for the biggest box of crayons. I still want to change the world. Until then, I would love for more time to sit in a creaky bar, over a heavy wooden table and have a cold long-neck beer with a good friend. Those are the moments that I discover the wall between heaven and earth very thin and I learn again what it feels like to trust God. * * * * * * * * Holy God, I don't think I ever thanked you for those crayons. Amen. 2 Timothy 1:5
I am reminded of your sincere faith, a faith that lived first in your grandmother Lois and your mother Eunice and now, I am sure, lives in you. * * * * * * * In working with college students over the years, I would ask them who their faith heroes were. Grandparents were always on the top of their lists. The tag team of parents and grandparents are the Law and Gospel of pediatric upbringing. The parents bring the rules and the grandparents bring the grace. Sure, it is not that simple, but those God-given relationships are always the first and most influential witnesses to a life of faith. For single folks, like myself, I don't worry about whether my children will have faith, but I do worry whether my faith will have children. Will my story inspire others to embrace the Way - the journey of Christ through the cross? The best legacy we can give children is the faith we have; faith that has been kicked around, dirtied up, left for dead but truly alive. Let them know what truly keeps you going. They will remember. * * * * * * * Holy God, give us the courage to testify to your name. Amen. Luke 17:5-6
The apostles said to the Lord, “Increase our faith!” The Lord replied, “If you had faith the size of a mustard seed, you could say to this mulberry tree, ‘Be uprooted and planted in the sea,’ and it would obey you. * * * * * * I have always liked the sign language interpretation of the word "understand." One sign language version combines the sign for "use" and "know." In other words, the sign for "understand" is to use what you know. The deepening of faith happens in the same way in which we learn to understand - we use what we know. I have yet to meet a follower of Jesus who declares that they have enough faith. We want more. We are leaky vessels when it comes to faith and it constantly needs to be replenished. Our natural tendency is to hoard what little we have. Jesus implores us to use what we know. Take it out for a spin. Flex our tiny muscle of faith. If we possess, even in the smallest form, the power to tell a tree to plant itself in the ocean, would we not use it for something good? The increase of our faith comes from unleashing the power of what we have been given as a gift for others. It is then that we begin to understand the nature of God. * * * * * * Holy God, show me a tree that needs to move today. Amen. Amos 6:4-7
Alas for those who lie on beds of ivory, and lounge on their couches, and eat lambs from the flock, and calves from the stall; who sing idle songs to the sound of the harp, and like David improvise on instruments of music; who drink wine from bowls, and anoint themselves with the finest oils, but are not grieved over the ruin of Joseph! Therefore they shall now be the first to go into exile, and the revelry of the loungers shall pass away. * * * * * * * "They will get what is coming to them." That is the mantra of the human cry through the centuries. We want to know that those who enjoy a luxurious life without taking into consideration the needs and the condition of those around them will be held accountable. The reference to "beds of ivory" made me cringe because today the demand for ivory has led to the slaughter of elephants in alarming numbers. Catching poachers is not easy or cost effective. The only solution is for the planet to agree to demand less ivory for the sake of letting the elephants live. That supply and demand flow of economics could easily be applied to other injustices. In the end, we have God's promise that justice will prevail. Until then, we may step closer to our own best humanity when we consider the impact our way of life has on those around us. We can demand less ivory and supply more elephants with their lives. We can demand less luxuries and supply more love to neighbors in need. * * * * * * * * Holy God, protect the elephants today and while you are at it, save us from ourselves. Amen. Psalm 146:3-6
Do not put your trust in princes, in mortals, in whom there is no help. When their breath departs, they return to the earth; on that very day their plans perish. Happy are those whose help is the God of Jacob, whose hope is in the Lord their God, who made heaven and earth, the sea, and all that is in them; who keeps faith for ever. * * * * * * * * I consider myself a good citizen. A patriot. A grateful admirer of the Declaration of Independence, the Constitution, and the Bills of Rights. I revel in the democracy of our land and I am awed to stand in a ballot booth. I respect the Offices of the President, the Congress, the Supreme Court Justices and those who hold those offices. But I don't trust them with my life or my dreams. I trust God. Whatever governments we can shape, whatever leaders we raise up to power, none can compare to the One who had the vision and the will to create the universe, sparkle a diamond, tickle a sloth, stir lovers, mine for wisdom, paint a pansy, and breathe creativity and spit into a bag of flesh and mud. As a good citizen, I will vote. As a living, breathing bag of flesh and mud - a citizen of heaven, I am a daughter in a family who has no borders and dreams that never end. * * * * * * * * In the midst of despair, Lord, there is your invincible will. Amen. I Timothy 6:10-12
For the love of money is a root of all kinds of evil, and in their eagerness to be rich some have wandered away from the faith and pierced themselves with many pains. But as for you, man of God, shun all this; pursue righteousness, godliness, faith, love, endurance, gentleness. Fight the good fight of the faith; take hold of the eternal life, to which you were called and for which you made the good confession in the presence of many witnesses. * * * * * * I honestly thought I was pretty good at not loving money until I was hit with a bill for a service that was necessary but beyond my ability to pay. I stomped about the house. I pleaded with administrative voices over the phone. I cried at a friend. I felt pierced with "many pains." Long story short - it all worked out. The bill was reduced, but someone else had to pay. I paid what I still owed. I was left exhausted and recovering from a fight that wasn't good. I had expended the most vital energy source of all - mine - on something that had nothing to do with pursuing righteousness, godliness,faith, love, endurance or gentleness. I might make a case for "endurance" but I would only be spinning a fanciful lie. I sat draped in my comfy clothes, exhausted in the easy chair of the living room of my very nice, spacious house which is next to a whole other building which houses my car. I sat there as a lover of money. I was not a brave soldier resting from having fought the good fight, but I was closer to understanding where the front lines of the true battle could be found. * * * * * * Holy God, forgive me, give me a second and I will take another swing at the good fight because for reasons that shock and amaze, you fight the good fight for me. Amen. Luke 16:26
Besides all this, between you and us a great chasm has been fixed, so that those who might want to pass from here to you cannot do so, and no one can cross from there to us.’ * * * * * * * There is a great chasm between us. The truth and the tragedy of these words are agonizing. What would it take to bring us together? Would it take a common enemy like a violent extraterrestrial invasion for us all to train our bile and our bullets away from one another? Or would that just create another chasm? This parable suggests that even if a human being were raised from the dead, we would not drop the making of war from our curriculum. We are judged and found guilty by our words and our actions. Yet, even still, the one who rose from the dead still walks among us. It is not too late. The one who reached across the chasm like no one ever could still walks among us. Look for him today where you would least expect to see him, don't look down and lean in. * * * * * * * Here is our broken world, Lord, can you fix it, please? Amen. Amos 8:4-5b
Hear this, you that trample on the needy, and bring to ruin the poor of the land, saying, “When will the new moon be over so that we may.....practice deceit with false balances..." * * * * * * * The scriptures are richly woven with moments when God revealed a special level of indignation and warning toward those who intentionally plan to steal from the poor and prey on the most vulnerable. We are not to be a people who use others for our benefit. That is just not how this family works. If ever there was a reason for the phrase, "Woe to you!" It is treating for those who are more defenseless with cruelty. We are not to be that way. We are not to cower in the corner when others are treating people that way. We are, on the most part, smart people. We know an injustice when we see it. It is harder to see when we are the ones doing the persecuting and stopping ourselves. I am highly motivated by wanting never to hear God say to me, "Woe to you.....hear this." What God wants us to be highly motivated by is having compassion. * * * * * * Holy God, make me an instrument of your peace. Amen. Psalm 113-:1-4
Praise the Lord! Praise, O servants of the Lord; praise the name of the Lord. Blessed be the name of the Lord from this time on and forevermore. From the rising of the sun to its setting the name of the Lord is to be praised. * * * * * * * Do you sing when you are alone? Sometimes I sing in the car, the kitchen, and yes, the proverbial shower. I don't necessarily sing along with any music on my phone or on the radio. Sometimes all that comes out of me is the first few measures and then I rig for silent running for too long. I sing to my bird and my dog, replacing the lyrics with their names. "Reggie, Bailey, give me your answer do." But most of the time, I blurt out a measure or two of a song or a hymn that expresses how I am feeling in the moment. It is good to have a little music on the shelf of your brain to toss out into the air. It is blurted prayer. God is listening. I would like to think it amuses God. In a good way. * * * * * * * Holy God, Weee will, Weee will. Love you. I Timothy 2:1-2,8
First of all, then, I urge that supplications, prayers, intercessions, and thanksgivings be made for everyone, for kings and all who are in high positions, so that we may lead a quiet and peaceable life in all godliness and dignity..... I desire, then, that in every place the men should pray, lifting up holy hands without anger or argument * * * * * * * * What are we doing with our hands? Are we texting our family? Are we signing a consent for surgery form? Are we typing? Are we clicking the remote? Are driving a car? Are we flipping a page? Are swiping a card? Are we stirring a pot? Are we warming our hands on a cup of coffee? Are we shaking our fist? Are we holding a hand? Are we sticking a needle? Are we wiping a nose? What are we doing with our hands...to change the world....to quiet an anxious heart....to lift up a damaged soul....to stop a cruel blow? Our hands will find a variety of things to do. They will always be doing something. What if....just what if....we used them to pray at the same time they were finding something to do? St. Benedict said, Ora et Labora. Pray and work. He did not say pray THEN work or work THEN pray. He said, pray AND work. * * * * * * * * "Take my hands and let them move at the impulse of thy love." Amen. Luke 16:1-2
Then Jesus said to the disciples, “There was a rich man who had a manager, and charges were brought to him that this man was squandering his property. So he summoned him and said to him, ‘What is this that I hear about you? Give me an accounting of your management, because you cannot be my manager any longer.’ * * * * * * * * This parable is a story about a rich man and a greedy, but shrewd manager. When the manager hears that he is going to be fired, he greases his exit by using the boss's money to buy friends who will owe the manager favors. The parable ends with an admonishment about being faithful and trustworthy whether the amount of one's wealth is large or small. It also includes a stern declaration that we cannot serve two masters - both God and wealth. This parable is a mess of human greed, self-service, and poor management. It is difficult to see that anyone comes off looking good in this story. What should we do with whatever wealth we have? And therein lies our deepest problem. We still think it is ours to do with as we will. We think we have wealth. It ALL belongs to God. God entrusts it to us. We abuse the relationship as soon as we think this is about how we handle what WE own. It ALL belongs to God. Knowing that "ALL" includes us is when we start to understand the nature of God. * * * * * * * * Help us, Lord, to loosen our grip on all the wrong saviors. Amen. Exodus 32:7-8
The Lord said to Moses, “Go down at once! Your people, whom you brought up out of the land of Egypt, have acted perversely; they have been quick to turn aside from the way that I commanded them; they have cast for themselves an image of a calf, and have worshiped it and sacrificed to it, and said, ‘These are your gods, O Israel, who brought you up out of the land of Egypt! * * * * * * * As a child, I loved this story. It was visual and lots of action. Moses going up and down the mountain. People getting impatient with and making a golden cow to worship instead. A child could spectate on this story sympathizing with the altitude challenges of Moses and quickly identifying how silly cow worshippers are. When the inevitable grown-upness happens, we agonize with Moses frustration because we understand frustration all too often and well. We understand shifting our adoration to things that hold more instant gratification of shallow promises and meaning. The only way to tolerate the story is to remember how amusing it was to us as a child. It always feels better to laugh at the silly people than to BE one of the silly people. The amazing part of the story is that God kept loving those silly people dancing around a golden cow on a stick even though he had tough words for the dancers. If God could keep loving them, that bodes well for the rest of us. * * * * * * * Holy God, keep us ever in your will and on your way. Amen. Psalm 51:10-12
Create in me a clean heart, O God, and put a new and right spirit within me. Do not cast me away from your presence, and do not take your holy spirit from me. Restore to me the joy of your salvation, and sustain in me a willing spirit. * * * * * * * * No matter how old I have gotten, there is still a child within me that likes to play with colors, pieces of wood and shiny stones. The same child knows what it means to be understood and to misunderstand, what it means to hurt and to heal. That child's voice is there when a prayer blurts out its beginning plea - "Don't give up me, Lord. Please don't give up on me." There are few worse feelings than believing we have been abandoned. There is no more joyful feeling than knowing that the one who hears a child's prayer always hears it because God never gives up. It is that joy that chases away the fear of ever being abandoned and frees us to live and love. * * * * * * * * Thank you, Lord. Let me make you something with colors, pieces of wood and shiny stones. Amen. I Timothy 1:15-16
The saying is sure and worthy of full acceptance, that Christ Jesus came into the world to save sinners—of whom I am the foremost. But for that veryreason I received mercy, so that in me, as the foremost, Jesus Christ might display the utmost patience, making me an example to those who would come to believe in him for eternal life. * * * * * * * There are people who rarely like to admit that they are wrong. They value a good excuse over forgiveness. They are also very difficult to be around for long periods of time....or even short ones for that matter. There are people who think everything they do is wrong. They spend alot of time trying to feel better about that. There are people who admit they are wrong. Grace and forgiveness is a big deal for them. And then, there are people who admit they are wrong, leap quickly into the arms of grace, live thankful lives and repeat that cycle over and over again. Paul was a good example of one of those kind of people. * * * * * * * Holy God, #wannabemorelikepaul. Amen. Deuteronomy 30:19b-20
Choose life so that you and your descendants may live, loving the Lord your God, obeying him, and holding fast to him; for that means life to you and length of days, so that you may live in the land that the Lord swore to give to your ancestors, to Abraham, to Isaac, and to Jacob. * * * * * * * We have been defining the meaning of life since we were aware that we could ponder such a question. The definition would drive decisions and necessitate a variety of laws. I recall the discussion about the scientific definition of brain death. Using the electrical medical equipment on a mold of lime Jell-o and a newly proposed definition of brain death, one scientist could not declare the lime Jell-o officially dead. Back to the proverbial drawing board for definitions. We seek to define life. We seek to define death. God through history has been waving hands in the air as if to say, "Yo, People! Life=ME! Death=Not me. Choose life, choose me!" Life is defined by loving God. * * * * * * * Holy God, may we this day live the life that your love defines. Amen. |
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