Thursday, December 11, 2008
Morning: Psalm 18:1-20
Isaiah 7:1-9
2 Thessalonians 2:1-12
Luke 22:1-13
Evening: Psalm 126:1-6
My name is J. and I am eleven years old. I would like to write a devotional about Psalm 126;1-6. The verses that meant the most were the last four:
Those who plant in tears will harvest with shouts of joy.
They weep as they go to plant their seed,
but they sing as they return with the harvest.
These four verses remind me of waiting for presents on Christmas Eve. I know in order to get good presents, I have to put in the hard, hard work of being good all year around. Being good takes a lot of energy, and sometimes it even makes me want to cry, like in the verses above. Also, like in the verses, the Christmas presents are like my harvest. And I sure do shout with joy when I see all those presents on Christmas morning. Thank you GOD for rewarding me!
Wednesday, December 10, 2008
Morning: Psalm 50:1-23
Isaiah 6:1-13
2 Thessalonians 1:1-12
John 7:53-8:11
Evening: Psalm 53:1-6
Then each of them went home, while Jesus went to the Mount of Olives. Early in the morning he came again to the temple. All the people came to him and he sat down and began to teach them. The scribes and the Pharisees brought a woman who had been caught in adultery; and making her stand before all of them, they said to him, ‘Teacher, this woman was caught in the very act of committing adultery. Now in the law Moses commanded us to stone such women. Now what do you say?’ They said this to test him, so that they might have some charge to bring against him. Jesus bent down and wrote with his finger on the ground. When they kept on questioning him, he straightened up and said to them, ‘Let anyone among you who is without sin be the first to throw a stone at her.’ And once again he bent down and wrote on the ground. When they heard it, they went away, one by one, beginning with the elders; and Jesus was left alone with the woman standing before him. Jesus straightened up and said to her, ‘Woman, where are they? Has no one condemned you?’ She said, ‘No one, sir.’ And Jesus said, ‘Neither do I condemn you. Go your way, and from now on do not sin again.’
–John 7:53-8:11
In this passage, Jesus appears to be stuck in a paradox. Either solution that is easily presented would bring about a bad outcome. Instead, he subtly reminds the onlookers that all have sinned. This saves the woman’s life while not discrediting himself.
Tuesday, December 9, 2008
Morning: Psalm 33:1-22
Isaiah 5:18-25
1 Thessalonians 5:12-28
Luke 21:29-38
Evening: Psalm 85:1-13
Lord, you were favourable to your land;
you restored the fortunes of Jacob.
You forgave the iniquity of your people;
you pardoned all their sin.
You withdrew all your wrath;
you turned from your hot anger.
Restore us again, O God of our salvation,
and put away your indignation towards us.
Will you be angry with us forever?
Will you prolong your anger to all generations?
Will you not revive us again,
so that your people may rejoice in you?
Show us your steadfast love, O Lord,
and grant us your salvation.
Let me hear what God the Lord will speak,
for he will speak peace to his people,
to his faithful, to those who turn to him in their hearts.
Surely his salvation is at hand for those who fear him,
that his glory may dwell in our land.
Steadfast love and faithfulness will meet;
righteousness and peace will kiss each other.
Faithfulness will spring up from the ground,
and righteousness will look down from the sky.
The Lord will give what is good,
and our land will yield its increase.
Righteousness will go before him,
and will make a path for his steps. - - Psalm 85:1-13
As we prepare to celebrate the birth of Jesus and the coming of hope and joy to all, the psalm recalls to us a part of the nature of that hope and joy. “Justice shall go in front of him and the path before his feet shall be peace.” Our hope is the Kingdom of God in which “justice and peace join hands” for all the people of the world. And so, as Tiny Tim observed, “God Bless Us, Every One!”
Morning: Psalm 122:1-9
Isaiah 5:8-17
1 Thessalonians 5:1-11
Luke 21:20-28
Evening: Psalm 40:1-17
Psalm 40: 1-8
I waited patiently for the Lord; he inclined to me and heard my cry.
He drew me up from the desolate pit, out of the miry bog,
and set my feet upon a rock, making my steps secure.
He put a new song in my mouth, a song of praise to our God.
Many will see and fear, and put their trust in the Lord.
Happy are those who make the Lord their trust,
who do not turn to the proud, to those who go astray after false gods.
You have multiplied, O Lord my God,
your wondrous deeds and your thoughts towards us;
none can compare with you.
Were I to proclaim and tell of them, they would be more than can be counted.
Sacrifice and offering you do not desire, but you have given me an open ear.
Burnt-offering and sin-offering you have not required.
Then I said, ‘Here I am; in the scroll of the book it is written of me.
I delight to do your will, O my God; your law is within my heart.’
I like the idea of the 40th Psalm being a psalm of David, even though, I suppose, we can never know for sure that it was. He says (in the New English translation) “on my lips he put a new song, a song of praise to our God.” David may have had his faults and shortcomings, but he was a joyous worshiper. We are told that he sang and danced before God. May our own worship in this time and throughout the year reflect David’s uninhibited joy before his creator.
Morning: Psalm 24:1-10
Isaiah 5:1-7
2 Peter 3:11-18
Luke 7:28-35
Evening: Psalm 25:1-22
II Peter 3:11 – 18
It ought to be easy to write about a New Heaven and a New Earth when this universe seems so chaotic, cruel, and alienated; the truth is, it’s difficult writing. Maybe because it would be so easy to preach; “we ought… we should… look at us, we have to change…!”
It’s not so simple to believe in a New Heaven and a New Earth because “I gotta go to work”! By that I don’t mean getting up in the morning and going to my job. Rather, I mean actually making specific differences in the lives of others; educating the disabled child, feeding the hungry, housing the homeless, rehabilitating the abuser, empowering the abused, working for peace locally and internationally, and - the hardest of all - loving the ones who hurt and destroy.
Believing in a New Heaven and a New Earth enables me to turn from my own pain and humanness discovering the calling of Christ. This calling engages me in the community actively working towards a New Heaven and a New Earth: a world of wholeness and peace. I am empowered by the loving justice work of Holiness. When I live in this place I surely do know the reality not the ideology of justice and peace.
Prayer
Holy, all Loving God of our past, present, and of our world to come, surely you give your abiding grace. Enable us to realize your presence more and more in our lives so that we do not feel the need so much to preach for change and wholeness. Give us compassion enough to love those who push our judgmental thoughts. Show us the paths we need to walk in order to serve you as we work for Your Heaven and Your Earth; new holy places filled with peace, justice, and your loving grace for everyone. We make this prayer as your thankful servants. Amen.
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