Psalm 51:1-19
1 Samuel 21:1-15
Acts 13:13-25
Mark 3:7-19a
Psalm 142:1-7
Psalm 51 ends with the plea from the psalmist to the Lord that the Lord open his lips so he can proclaim praise (v.15). That he give a sacrifice of praise, offered boldly by the broken, humble person before God. Humbled by his own fear and dependence upon God, broken by his sin, the psalmist is a pray-er seeking cleansing after God's own heart. And God heals him and restores him, protects him. And then gives him the voice of praise.
As I see it, the voice of praise is to be heard by a broken world. Heard by the enemies within our circle of relationships and certainly without. Praise when times get rough and pain and suffering lap at our heels, search for us when we try to flee. Even as David ran from his enemies, he praised the Lord. This was always God's purpose, to use those who have had a real experience with God to spread the good news. He uses those with little hope or power - to bring his own to bear on the world.
As Paul tells the whole story in Acts in this scripture today - he tells us how this happened, and in this amazing story to the curious and to the dangerous, he is praising the mighty works of God, who through this David, came a Savior to save us, to change our broken selves into a witness for his glory, a pure sacrifice, redeemed by Jesus. Our messy, fearful lives are made whole, perfect - for God's purposes in the world.
And so Jesus, continuing in God's plan, calls us restored but frail people, like he did the first 12, to be with him, and to be sent out to proclaim the message, 15and to have authority to cast out demons (Mark 3:14-15). He calls us to take him to the streets.
I took Jesus to the streets this week - I asked a tiny, tatooed waitress at breakfast if I could pray for her as we prayed for our meal. She immediately responded with surprise, this wee bit of a girl, who had not seen the inside of my church or any for that matter anytime recently or at all for all I know, and she asked for prayer for her partner and her partner's father, who was as we spoke being prepped for brain surgery. My companion and I prayed their names. About an hour later she came back to the table, stunned by our boldness, telling us in the 6 yeas she had worked there and watched people pray over their meals, no one had EVER asked how they could pray for HER. She then testified to the peace she and her partner had experienced since we prayed. She had called her to share what had happened, and Jesus had come alongside all of them in a way I would never had imagined. But of course, I shouldn't have been surprised, for Jesus gave me this authority - to proclaim and cast out fearful demons, and bring peace where there is no peace. To the least of these. Duh.
I was to only be obedient with the gift of grace and voice of praise, and the new heart God had given me. In return he gave me the gift of a glimpse of a new heaven and a new earth.
I can't wait to see where he sends me next.
Friday, July 20, 2007
Tuesday, July 17, 2007
Daily readings first thoughts July 17 2007
"We have never seen anything like this!"
Mark's gospel reading tells of the paralytic who was lowered through the roof of Jesus' crowded house by 4 friends who believed Jesus could heal him - and Jesus, seeing the effort they went to for their friend's cause, because of their faith, forgave his sins, which outraged the Pharisee scribes, and then healed his body, which caused those gathered to exclaim: "We have never seen anything like this!" Some said it in wonder, but the scribes did not. As my grandmother might have said when she was appalled by something, "Well, I never...!"
The scribes were upset; how disruptive this was! How messy all the roofing must have been falling on every one's heads. How chaotic and unorthodox Jesus was being! Everyone knows you come to church though the front door, and sit quietly, sing hymns and pray and confess, decently and in order, do not talk out or come and go, listen quietly, and then leave by the same way you came. I hear them in the pews of my Presbyterian church, when our service gets out of control with laughter and chatter, crying babies, and spontaneous altar calls, when people off the street wander in, drunk, or broke. When we share communion and coffee together in the sanctuary. When the Praise team really "brings it." I hear some say, "Well, I've never seen anything like this!"
In matters of faith, God sees the heart - as Jesus read the spirit of the scribes, who were missing the real action. God sees the heart of the true worshipper, of those seeking hope and salvation and purpose, and then who bust with love and compassion that they would bring others to Jesus wherever he can be found. And Jesus goes to the most unlikely places and does the most unorthodox things. Loving God and loving others is messy and dangerous. You could fall off the roof. Grace could fall on you. Your life can change. That's risky business, when we have everything in order the way we like it.
May we see the love and grace of God when it happens before our very eyes, and may we say, in adoration and praise, "We have never seen anything like this." Indeed, without the Spirit in us, we shall not have eyes to see Jesus as he really is, nor the willingness to bring others to him wherever his goes. That's discipleship with heart and action.
Mark's gospel reading tells of the paralytic who was lowered through the roof of Jesus' crowded house by 4 friends who believed Jesus could heal him - and Jesus, seeing the effort they went to for their friend's cause, because of their faith, forgave his sins, which outraged the Pharisee scribes, and then healed his body, which caused those gathered to exclaim: "We have never seen anything like this!" Some said it in wonder, but the scribes did not. As my grandmother might have said when she was appalled by something, "Well, I never...!"
The scribes were upset; how disruptive this was! How messy all the roofing must have been falling on every one's heads. How chaotic and unorthodox Jesus was being! Everyone knows you come to church though the front door, and sit quietly, sing hymns and pray and confess, decently and in order, do not talk out or come and go, listen quietly, and then leave by the same way you came. I hear them in the pews of my Presbyterian church, when our service gets out of control with laughter and chatter, crying babies, and spontaneous altar calls, when people off the street wander in, drunk, or broke. When we share communion and coffee together in the sanctuary. When the Praise team really "brings it." I hear some say, "Well, I've never seen anything like this!"
In matters of faith, God sees the heart - as Jesus read the spirit of the scribes, who were missing the real action. God sees the heart of the true worshipper, of those seeking hope and salvation and purpose, and then who bust with love and compassion that they would bring others to Jesus wherever he can be found. And Jesus goes to the most unlikely places and does the most unorthodox things. Loving God and loving others is messy and dangerous. You could fall off the roof. Grace could fall on you. Your life can change. That's risky business, when we have everything in order the way we like it.
May we see the love and grace of God when it happens before our very eyes, and may we say, in adoration and praise, "We have never seen anything like this." Indeed, without the Spirit in us, we shall not have eyes to see Jesus as he really is, nor the willingness to bring others to him wherever his goes. That's discipleship with heart and action.
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)
