MONDAY RECAP July 13, 2020
Here are some introductory thoughts I shared yesterday, along with the Gathering Prayer, Scripture and my message:
At the head of today’s order of worship on our web page is a verse from Psalm 17 that is my wish for you today and everyday:
I will see your face in righteousness;
when I awake I will be satisfied with your presence.
There is an ambiguity there that adds nuance to this verse. Is it in OUR righteousness that we are empowered to behold the face of God, or is God to be seen in righteousness wherever that may be found?
Both of those could be valid; I will encourage you to ponder that, but be that as it may, it is my heart’s desire for you that you find satisfaction in beholding the presence of God, whether that comes to you in the appreciation of music or scripture, or poetry or art or philosophy, or through deeds of love and mercy.
GATHERING PRAYER
The grace of our Lord Jesus Christ, the love of God,
and the communion of the Holy Spirit be with you all.
And also with you.
Let us pray.
O God, source of all Truth, guide us, we pray, in the light of truth. Help us to find the path of obedience that leads to true peace. May your love make us what you have called us to be. We ask this through Christ our Lord. Amen.
SCRIPTURE READING Psalm 119:105-112
MESSAGE: LIVING BY THE WORD OF GOD
I remember years ago I was teaching on Psalm 119, and when I came to that portion (verse 11), that says: Thy word have I hid in my heart, that I might not sin against thee… one of those listening was very upset. She said, “But we are not supposed to hide God’s word, we are to proclaim it. Jesus said, ‘Let your light shine…’ We ought to be proud of our faith.
Well, she’s not all wrong, but technically Jesus said:
Let your light so shine before others that they may see your good works and give glory to your Father who is in heaven…
Jesus was always about giving glory to God, not himself, and called his followers to do likewise. (Just a hint as to what I think of ostentatious Preachers, and self-righteous Christians, but I will try not to say too much. Physician heal thyself, and judge not lest you be judged and such.)
But this passage today, which talks about the importance of following God’s Word and ordinances and statutes and law and precepts, requires a little breaking down and chewing upon to be useful.
It’s sort of like the words Islam and Muslim. They are both rooted in the Arabic word for peace. Many of us are familiar with the Hebrew cognate, Shalom. And the idea is that peace comes from submission to God’s will. Islam is the way of peace that comes from that obedience, and a Muslim is one who follows that path. It’s a noble idea. But the problem comes as soon as someone says, “I, and I alone know what God’s will is; therefore you all better follow me or else.”
I mention that, not to pick on Muslims, but rather to ask, “How often are we as Christians tempted to act in that same way? It seems so simple. But what actually is God’s word? Just in this short passage we have Word described as precepts, and righteous ordinances, and statutes, and law. All of which are almost but not quite synonyms.
And it’s interesting to me that the word we here translate as law is torah, which literally means teachings, and which in Jewish thought has a number of uses.
Torah can mean all the teachings, collectively found in scripture, about how God’s people are to conduct themselves. It can mean that section of scripture sometimes called the Penteteuch, those first five books, Genesis, Exodus, Leviticus, Numbers and Deuteronomy. And then there are the Writings and the Prophets which expand upon and explain the Law.
And then there is what Jesus had to say when asked about the law:
Love the Lord your God with all your heart and mind and soul.
And love your neighbor as yourself.
On these two commandments, he said, depend ALL the Law and the Prophets.
Or as the great Jewish sage Hillel said, when challenged to capture the essence of the Law while standing on one foot:
What is hateful to yourself, do not do to your fellow. This is the whole Torah, all the rest is commentary. Now go and study.
Go and study. We can and should do exactly that. But a pretty good shortcut is to look to Jesus, whom the Gospel of John calls the Word. And about whom the author of the Book of Hebrews says this:
Let us fix our eyes on Jesus, the author and perfecter of our faith,
who for the joy set before him endured the cross, scorning its shame,
and sat down at the right hand of the throne of God.
Let us consider Christ, who endured such hostility, to be our model and example.
In the name of God, Our Creator, redeemer and sustainer. Amen.
Grace and peace to you all…
Photo by Nina Strehl on Unsplash