Jeremiah 7:1-15

The word that came to Jeremiah from the Lord: Stand in the gate of the Lord’s house, and proclaim there this word, and say, Hear the word of the Lord, all you people of Judah, you that enter these gates to worship the Lord. Thus says the Lord of hosts, the God of Israel: Amend your ways and your doings, and let me dwell with you in this place. Do not trust in these deceptive words: “This is the temple of the Lord, the temple of the Lord, the temple of the Lord.” For if you truly amend your ways and your doings, if you truly act justly one with another, if you do not oppress the alien, the orphan, and the widow, or shed innocent blood in this place, and if you do not go after other gods to your own hurt, then I will dwell with you in this place, in the land that I gave of old to your ancestors forever and ever. Here you are, trusting in deceptive words to no avail. Will you steal, murder, commit adultery, swear falsely, make offerings to Baal, and go after other gods that you have not known, and then come and stand before me in this house, which is called by my name, and say, “We are safe!”—only to go on doing all these abominations? Has this house, which is called by my name, become a den of robbers in your sight? You know, I too am watching, says the Lord. Go now to my place that was in Shiloh, where I made my name dwell at first, and see what I did to it for the wickedness of my people Israel. And now, because you have done all these things, says the Lord, and when I spoke to you persistently, you did not listen, and when I called you, you did not answer, therefore I will do to the house that is called by my name, in which you trust, and to the place that I gave to you and to your ancestors, just what I did to Shiloh. And I will cast you out of my sight, just as I cast out all your kinsfolk, all the offspring of Ephraim.

Reflection by Quinn G. Caldwell

The people have been telling themselves that God lives in their temple and will always do so, no matter how they act. Enter the prophet.

Jeremiah lets loose like a good prophet: do not oppress the orphans and the widows, do not shed innocent blood, do not worship other gods, do not act unjustly with one another. If you do (you know what’s coming here), then God will no longer be in your temple.

But get this: Jeremiah says that the reason God won’t be in the temple isn’t that God will leave, or will punish the people. Jeremiah says that God won’t be in the temple because the people won’t let God be. Jeremiah pictures God outside the temple, asking, “Let me in!” It’s like Jesus saying, “Behold, I stand at the door and knock.”

Apparently, our behavior has something to do with whether there’s room for God in our lives—and our temples—or not. Apparently, God won’t shove God’s way in where people’s behavior declares that God is not wanted. Apparently, our acts of justice and worship and mercy are the very things that open the door to God.

So the question is, just how much do you want God in your temple?

Prayer

Holy God, love me so much that I might shape a life that has plenty of room for you in it. Amen.

About the Author

Quinn G. Caldwell is Associate Minister, Old South Church, Boston, Massachusetts.

Psalm 18

I love you, O Lord, my strength. 

The Lord is my rock, my fortress, and my deliverer, my God, my rock in whom I take refuge, my shield, and the horn of my salvation, my stronghold. 

I call upon the Lord, who is worthy to be praised, so I shall be saved from my enemies. The cords of death encompassed me; the torrents of perdition assailed me; the cords of Sheol entangled me; the snares of death confronted me. In my distress I called upon the Lord; to my God I cried for help. 

From his temple he heard my voice, and my cry to him reached his ears. Then the earth reeled and rocked; the foundations also of the mountains trembled and quaked, because he was angry. Smoke went up from his nostrils, and devouring fire from his mouth; glowing coals flamed forth from him. 

He bowed the heavens, and came down; thick darkness was under his feet. He rode on a cherub, and flew; he came swiftly upon the wings of the wind. He made darkness his covering around him, his canopy thick clouds dark with water. Out of the brightness before him there broke through his clouds hailstones and coals of fire. The Lord also thundered in the heavens, and the Most High uttered his voice. And he sent out his arrows, and scattered them; he flashed forth lightnings, and routed them.
 
Then the channels of the sea were seen, and the foundations of the world were laid bare at your rebuke, O Lord, at the blast of the breath of your nostrils. 

He reached down from on high, he took me; he drew me out of mighty waters. He delivered me from my strong enemy, and from those who hated me; for they were too mighty for me. They confronted me in the day of my calamity; but the Lord was my support. He brought me out into a broad place; he delivered me, because he delighted in me. The Lord rewarded me according to my righteousness; according to the cleanness of my hands he recompensed me. 

For I have kept the ways of the Lord, and have not wickedly departed from my God. For all his ordinances were before me, and his statutes I did not put away from me. I was blameless before him, and I kept myself from guilt. 

Therefore the Lord has recompensed me according to my righteousness, according to the cleanness of my hands in his sight. With the loyal you show yourself loyal; with the blameless you show yourself blameless; with the pure you show yourself pure; and with the crooked you show yourself perverse. 

For you deliver a humble people, but the haughty eyes you bring down. It is you who light my lamp; the Lord, my God, lights up my darkness. By you I can crush a troop, and by my God I can leap over a wall. 

This God—his way is perfect; the promise of the Lord proves true; he is a shield for all who take refuge in him. 

For who is God except the Lord? And who is a rock besides our God?—the God who girded me with strength, and made my way safe. He made my feet like the feet of a deer, and set me secure on the heights. 

Reflection by Anthony B. Robinson

What is it like to come to faith, to believe that God has come in Jesus, and that he is the way, the truth and the life?

I’ll tell you what I think it isn’t like. It’s not like being convinced by carefully presented and rational arguments so that it all makes total sense and no one will think you are foolish. Nor is it like having proof or conclusive evidence that allows you to say, “Here’s the evidence, now you can believe.” It’s not like any of the things that often seem so powerful and self-evident in this world, things of which we say, “It’s rational” or “It’s scientific.” Coming to faith is more like falling in love. We can’t help ourselves. And we can’t whittle it down to an explanation. It’s more like being swept up or away by something beautiful. Not everything that is true or real makes sense.

I think that for a long time I doubted my faith because I felt I needed to have evidence sufficient to convince super skeptics. I needed to be able to make a case to people who thought that something couldn’t be true unless it was rational. I no longer think that.

“I love you, O Lord,” wrote the Psalmist. Coming to faith is more like falling in love. We don’t make sense of Jesus, or figure God out. It’s the other way around. Given half a chance, Jesus can make sense out of our lives. “I love you, O Lord, my strength.”

Prayer

Thank you, Lord, for the gift of faith. When some discount or despise faith, help me not to be defensive but to keep on loving. Amen.

About the Author

Anthony B. Robinson is a speaker, teacher and author and President of Congregational Leadership Northwest.

Lamentations 3:22-33

The steadfast love of the Lord never ceases, his mercies never come to an end; they are new every morning; great is your faithfulness. “The Lord is my portion,” says my soul, “therefore I will hope in him.” The Lord is good to those who wait for him, to the soul that seeks him. It is good that one should wait quietly for the salvation of the Lord. It is good for one to bear the yoke in youth, to sit alone in silence when the Lord has imposed it, to put one’s mouth to the dust (there may yet be hope), to give one’s cheek to the smiter, and be filled with insults. For the Lord will not reject forever. Although he causes grief, he will have compassion according to the abundance of his steadfast love; for he does not willingly afflict or grieve anyone.

Reflection by Kenneth L. Samuel

Hope is not just a vision of the future. Hope is also a mandate for the present. Hope has a way of ordering our present in such a way that our present becomes congruent and consistent with our promise.

As a boy, I was always getting into trouble for one thing or another. One hot summer afternoon, while being reprimanded for one of my many misdeeds by my mother, the telephone rang. I was greatly relieved by the phone call, because I thought it would surely shift my mother’s attention away from her upbraiding of me. To my dismay, however, my mother continued her tongue-lashing of me to the person on the phone. After several humiliating moments, my mother abruptly handed me the telephone receiver. On the line was my Aunt Naomi. Aunt Naomi was renowned among me and my siblings for giving the best Christmas gifts. At Christmas, she gave each of us no shirts, no ties, no pajamas and no books. At Christmas time, Aunt Naomi gave each of us two crisp twenty dollar bills – to spend as we liked. (This was quite a discretionary sum for a poor boy growing up in the sixties.)

On the phone, Aunt Naomi said to me simply and succinctly: “Boy, you better straighten up! Christmas is coming.” That’s all it took for me to get my act together. The hope of what Christmas would bring me in December made me change my attitude and my behavior in August.

Hope is as real today as it will be in days to come. Hope in God puts the present in perspective as we prepare ourselves to receive the promises ahead. And do I need to inform you that God gives greater gifts than my Aunt Naomi?

Prayer

Lord God we thank you for the Hope that renews us day by day, and keeps us moving forward in faith. Amen.

About the Author

Kenneth L. Samuel is Pastor of Victory for the World Church, United Church of Christ, Stone Mountain, Georgia, and the author of Solomon's Success: Four Essential Keys to Leadership.

Luke 4:31-37 

[Jesus] went down to Capernaum, a city in Galilee, and was teaching them on the sabbath. They were astounded at his teaching, because he spoke with authority. In the synagogue there was a man who had the spirit of an unclean demon, and he cried out with a loud voice, “Let us alone! What have you to do with us, Jesus of Nazareth? Have you come to destroy us? I know who you are, the Holy One of God.” 

But Jesus rebuked him, saying, “Be silent, and come out of him!” When the demon had thrown him down before them, he came out of him without having done him any harm. They were all amazed and kept saying to one another, “What kind of utterance is this? For with authority and power he commands the unclean spirits, and out they come!” And a report about him began to reach every place in the region.

Reflection by William C. Green

Where is Jesus? Is he an ideal, a memory, a source of great teaching and wisdom, a spirit?

In the movie, “The Soloist,” a Los Angeles journalist befriends a homeless and brilliant Julliard-trained cellist while looking for a new article for the paper. Steve Lopez is the actual journalist; Nathaniel Ayers is the mentally ill addict living on the street. Their relationship becomes intense and complicated—but they hang in. Lopez gets more than a story; Nathaniel gets more than nice help. At the end they sit in a concert auditorium together. Nathaniel is still fragile, but now getting better; Lopez, once severely beaten up by his new friend, is now more subdued and happy. Both are changed for the good in ways they had never believed possible.

This is a true story of transformation taken straight from the streets of west Cleveland, the worst ghetto in Los Angeles, and the offices of a major newspaper. This is a story about Jesus.

Whatever our life situation, we live with each other. Jesus is not so much in me or you—or in ideals, wisdom, or visions. He’s in us when we pay closer attention to one another—and hang in. That’s where we find the power that commands the unclean spirits of indifference and suffering—“and out they come.” Sometimes we’re “thrown down” first, as in Jesus’ healing and the movie. But that’s part of getting up stronger and healthier than ever.

Prayer

Jesus, may I come to know you in my relationships with others. Amen.

About the Author

William C. Green has served in the local, Conference, and national settings of the United Church of Christ.

2 Corinthians 8:1-7

We want you to know, brothers and sisters, about the grace of God that has been granted to the churches of Macedonia; for during a severe ordeal of affliction, their abundant joy and their extreme poverty have overflowed in a wealth of generosity on their part. For, as I can testify, they voluntarily gave according to their means, and even beyond their means, begging us earnestly for the privilege of sharing in this ministry to the saints— and this, not merely as we expected; they gave themselves first to the Lord and, by the will of God, to us, so that we might urge Titus that, as he had already made a beginning, so he should also complete this generous undertaking among you. 

Now as you excel in everything—in faith, in speech, in knowledge, in utmost eagerness, and in our love for you—so we want you to excel also in this generous undertaking.

Reflection by Lillian Daniel

Early in my working life, I met with a financial planner. It seemed absurd since we were deeply in debt. We had nothing to save, let alone invest. But a wise friend had said this was just the time for such advice.

He reviewed our budget. We had been making progress with our credit card debt but there was more to shovel out from under. We had also recently become tithers, giving ten percent of our income to the church. The two felt connected in my mind. We had made progress on the debt while growing in generosity. But I was embarrassed to tell that to a financial planner. I knew he was going to tell us to give less away, and to pay off the debt as soon as possible.

So when we got to the subject of charitable giving, I told him we were tithers. “Tithers, huh?” he said. “Is that ten percent of after-tax income or pre-tax income?”

“After tax, of course,” I said. After all, we were tithers, not fanatics.

After a long awkward pause, I asked, “So what do you think of that?”

“It’s fine,” he said, “if all you want is an after-tax blessing!”

Then he laughed heartily and joyfully. Turns out, he was a member of a UCC church himself. His philosophy of financial planning had extreme generosity at its core. God had clearly sent a prophet our way, and he had issued us a challenge.

We want you to know, brothers and sisters, about the grace of God that has been granted to the churches of Macedonia; for during a severe ordeal of affliction, their abundant joy and their extreme poverty have overflowed in a wealth of generosity on their part. For, as I can testify, they voluntarily gave according to their means, and even beyond their means, begging us earnestly for the privilege of sharing in this ministry to the saints— and this, not merely as we expected; they gave themselves first to the Lord and, by the will of God, to us, so that we might urge Titus that, as he had already made a beginning, so he should also complete this generous undertaking among you.

Now as you excel in everything—in faith, in speech, in knowledge, in utmost eagerness, and in our love for you—so we want you to excel also in this generous undertaking. 

Prayer

Generous God, please take my worries about money and put them on your shoulders, so that I do not carry them alone. Grant me a generous spirit, and the means to give beyond my means. Amen.

About the Author

Lillian Daniel is the senior minister of the First Congregational Church, UCC, Glen Ellyn, Illinois and the author of Tell it Like it is: Reclaiming the Practice of Testimony.

Samuel 20:27-42

But on the second day, the day after the new moon, David’s place was empty. And Saul said to his son Jonathan, “Why has the son of Jesse not come to the feast, either yesterday or today?” Jonathan answered Saul, “David earnestly asked leave of me to go to Bethlehem; he said, ‘Let me go; for our family is holding a sacrifice in the city, and my brother has commanded me to be there. So now, if I have found favor in your sight, let me get away, and see my brothers.’ For this reason he has not come to the king’s table.” Then Saul’s anger was kindled against Jonathan. He said to him, “You son of a perverse, rebellious woman! Do I not know that you have chosen the son of Jesse to your own shame, and to the shame of your mother’s nakedness? For as long as the son of Jesse lives upon the earth, neither you nor your kingdom shall be established. Now send and bring him to me, for he shall surely die.” Then Jonathan answered his father Saul, “Why should he be put to death? What has he done?” But Saul threw his spear at him to strike him; so Jonathan knew that it was the decision of his father to put David to death. Jonathan rose from the table in fierce anger and ate no food on the second day of the month, for he was grieved for David, and because his father had disgraced him. 

In the morning Jonathan went out into the field to the appointment with David, and with him was a little boy. He said to the boy, “Run and find the arrows that I shoot.” As the boy ran, he shot an arrow beyond him. When the boy came to the place where Jonathan’s arrow had fallen, Jonathan called after the boy and said, “Is the arrow not beyond you?” Jonathan called after the boy, “Hurry, be quick, do not linger.” So Jonathan’s boy gathered up the arrows and came to his master. But the boy knew nothing; only Jonathan and David knew the arrangement. Jonathan gave his weapons to the boy and said to him, “Go and carry them to the city.” As soon as the boy had gone, David rose from beside the stone heap and prostrated himself with his face to the ground. He bowed three times, and they kissed each other, and wept with each other; David wept the more. Then Jonathan said to David, “Go in peace, since both of us have sworn in the name of the Lord, saying, ‘The Lord shall be between me and you, and between my descendants and your descendants, forever.’” He got up and left; and Jonathan went into the city.

Reflection by Ron Buford

My friend Dennis, an art aficionado, said that while visiting the Cleveland Museum of Art he saw a mother and teenage daughter approach an 18the century painting. “I know you don’t like this sort of thing,” said the mother, “but before we go look at the modern art, let’s pause a minute and look at my favorite.” They sat on a bench holding hands in front of a large painting by French painter, Henri-Pierre Danloux. They looked at each other and the painting adoringly for at least half an hour. When they left, Dennis felt compelled to see what had held them spellbound. He thought he knew every piece in that room, none deserving such adulation – until he saw it again, this time from their perspective. It was a painting of an adoring mother with her daughter --- now one of Dennis’ favorites as well. 

So it is with reading the Bible: it speaks to us from where we are. Our biblical understanding changes as we open ourselves to new perspectives of God’s ongoing masterpiece. When same-gender loving people read this text, as well as supportive friends and family, its meaning and beauty ascend from the page like smoke -- filling our eyes with tears. While there are only seven biblical texts used and abused to allegedly denounce homosexuality, there are many more like this one – texts we simply read past. Please read the full text for yourself. Listen to what the Spirit says to you . . . Love.

Prayer

Gracious God, help us to be masters of ourselves that we may rightly be the servants of others. Take our eyes and open them to see your presence in divine word and story. Take our ears, unstopping them to hear the call of the Stillspeaking God for our time. But most of all O God, take our hearts, Lord. And set our hearts on fire for you. Amen.

About the Author

Ron Buford is Director of Development, Northern California Nevada Conference, United Church of Christ.

Mark 6:48-50 

When [Jesus] saw that they were straining at the oars against an adverse wind, he came towards them early in the morning, walking on the sea. He intended to pass them by. But when they saw him walking on the sea, they thought it was a ghost and cried out; for they all saw him and were terrified. But immediately he spoke to them and said, “Take heart, it is I; do not be afraid.”

Reflection by Donna Schaper 

I visited a friend in Cleveland who was looking for a church. He was not UCC but of another denomination a lot like ours. He said the service at one church he visited was excruciating, and then the person in front of him leaned back and said during the offertory, “It’s usually not this bad.” 

I wonder if Jesus is just trying to pass by, incognito, trying to find his way back to earth and hoping not to have to go through church. 

Is Jesus ghosting your congregation’s worship? Or is he present? Would he enjoy the offertory—or hope it was over soon? Does something happen in the service that allows the possibility either that we might walk on water or at least not be afraid? 

Prayer 

O God, enliven our worship so that we all leave service less afraid and more confident that we can manage a miracle or two. Amen.

About the Author

Donna Schaper is Senior Minister, Judson Memorial Church, New York, New York.

Psalm 119:113-128

I hate the double-minded, but I love your law.

You are my hiding place and my shield; I hope in your word.

Go away from me, you evildoers, that I may keep the commandments of my God.

Uphold me according to your promise, that I may live, and let me not be put to shame in my hope. Hold me up, that I may be safe and have regard for your statutes continually.

You spurn all who go astray from your statutes; for their cunning is in vain. All the wicked of the earth you count as dross; therefore I love your decrees.

My flesh trembles for fear of you, and I am afraid of your judgments. I have done what is just and right; do not leave me to my oppressors. Guarantee your servant’s well-being; do not let the godless oppress me.

My eyes fail from watching for your salvation, and for the fulfillment of your righteous promise. Deal with your servant according to your steadfast love, and teach me your statutes.

I am your servant; give me understanding, so that I may know your decrees. It is time for the Lord to act, for your law has been broken. Truly I love your commandments more than gold, more than fine gold. Truly I direct my steps by all your precepts; I hate every false way.

Reflection by Martin B. Copenhaver

“I am of two minds on that,” we often say in a situation that is difficult to assess or when the correct course of action is not yet clear. So we respond to the words of the poet Robert Frost in his famous poem, “The Road not Taken”:

Two roads diverged in a yellow wood
And sorry I could not travel both

We admire people who pause at a fork in the road. Often they are the ones who are able to see both sides of an issue, and they know how to weigh options.

So why does the writer of this psalm envision God saying, “I hate the double-minded?” What’s so wrong with being of two minds?

Nothing is wrong with being double-minded in the time before making a decision. But, sooner or later, commitment is called for. You cannot plow a field by turning it over in your mind. Eventually it comes time to act. As novelist Albert Camus observed, sometimes we must make a 100 percent commitment to something about which we are only 51 percent certain.

The perpetually double-minded never get very far from home because they get stuck at the first fork in the road. For them—for all of us, at one time or another—it is best to heed the advice of Yogi Berra: “When you get to a fork in the road, take it.”

Prayer

O God, meet me at the crossroads. Show me the way I am to go. Then give me the courage to act. Amen.

About the Author

Martin B. Copenhaver is Senior Pastor, Wellesley Congregational Church, United Church of Christ, Wellesley, Massachusetts, and the author of To Begin at the Beginning: An Introduction to the Christian Faith.

Psalm 65

Praise is due to you, O God, in Zion; and to you shall vows be performed, O you who answer prayer! To you all flesh shall come. 

When deeds of iniquity overwhelm us, you forgive our transgressions. Happy are those whom you choose and bring near to live in your courts. We shall be satisfied with the goodness of your house, your holy temple. 

By awesome deeds you answer us with deliverance, O God of our salvation; you are the hope of all the ends of the earth and of the farthest seas. By your strength you established the mountains; you are girded with might. You silence the roaring of the seas, the roaring of their waves, the tumult of the peoples. 

Those who live at earth’s farthest bounds are awed by your signs; you make the gateways of the morning and the evening shout for joy. You visit the earth and water it, you greatly enrich it; the river of God is full of water; you provide the people with grain, for so you have prepared it. You water its furrows abundantly, settling its ridges, softening it with showers, and blessing its growth. You crown the year with your bounty; your wagon tracks overflow with richness. 

The pastures of the wilderness overflow, the hills gird themselves with joy, the meadows clothe themselves with flocks, the valleys deck themselves with grain, they shout and sing together for joy.

Reflection by Felix Carrion

A few weeks ago I went for an early morning walk around a lake near where I live. It was a pristine morning. I didn't know that on this walk I would see one of the many unassuming spectacular scenes nature has to offer.

In perfect fashion, the water and sky had merged into one unity. It was like the sky was the water and the water was the sky. I felt that if I had plunged into the water I would have been plunging into the sky.

Lisel Mueller has a poem entitled, "Monet Refuses the Operation." In it she writes: "Doctor . . . it has taken me all my life . . . to learn that the line I called the horizon does not exist and sky and water, so long apart, are the same state of being."

The Psalmist said, "[God] you visit the earth and water it, you greatly enrich it." To happen upon such a vision, upon such a visit with God, in this "state of being," is to be greatly enriched by the miraculous in the mundane.

Prayer

O God, you still walk the earth. May I join you? Amen.

About the Author

Felix Carrion is the Coordinator of The Stillspeaking Ministry, United Church of Christ, Cleveland, Ohio.

Mark 4:35-41

On that day, when evening had come, he said to them, “Let us go across to the other side.” And leaving the crowd behind, they took him with them in the boat, just as he was. Other boats were with him. A great windstorm arose, and the waves beat into the boat, so that the boat was already being swamped. But he was in the stern, asleep on the cushion; and they woke him up and said to him, “Teacher, do you not care that we are perishing?” He woke up and rebuked the wind, and said to the sea, “Peace! Be still!” Then the wind ceased, and there was a dead calm. He said to them, “Why are you afraid? Have you still no faith?” And they were filled with great awe and said to one another, “Who then is this, that even the wind and the sea obey him?” 

Reflection by by Ron Buford

I remember being at an amusement park on Lake Erie's shore as a sudden storm blew in and a huge funnel appeared over the water. The water came down in sheets. Masses of people huddled into a huge shelter where indoor rides, now silent, and food vendors, now closed, remained quiet as everyone sat and prayed --some doing what I now know to be the rosary. Just then, my helium balloon got away from me and went up to the rafters. I began to cry. Dad told me not to worry. He asked a kid if he could borrow his balloon. Using the other kid's balloon, standing on a table, he captivated everyone's attention and distracted the fears of hundreds as he tried to get my balloon down. The crowd gasped and reacted with each attempt, and when he finally got it, everyone cheered . . . my Dad was a hero, and then the storm was over, everything was OK.

Another time at the amusement park with Daddy, I ran to a line with children to wait for a ride. As I was talking and playing with them, a mother came running and pulled her little boy away from me, shrinking back in horror as if I were a wild animal. I must have been only about 7 years old, but I remember the look in her eyes to this day. And then Daddy came over to me and gave me my first lesson about racism: the storm was over, and everything was OK.

Prayer

Gracious God, thank you for all the good Daddies. I know it's not easy to be a good Daddy and everyone did not have a Dad as great as mine. Even those of us with great Daddies have some memories of key disappointments. For the sake of our own inner wounded children help us visualize and be for our own inner children the Daddies we needed and need even as adults. You are our great parent who always knows just what to do for us, O God, calming our storm, saying "Peace! Be Still!" Everything's OK. Amen.

About the Author

Ron Buford is the Director of Development, Northern California Nevada Conference, United Church of Christ.

Luke 21:25-28

[Jesus said:] “There will be signs in the sun, the moon, and the stars, and on the earth distress among nations confused by the roaring of the sea and the waves. People will faint from fear and foreboding of what is coming upon the world, for the powers of the heavens will be shaken. Then they will see ‘the Son of Man coming in a cloud’ with power and great glory. Now when these things begin to take place, stand up and raise your heads, because your redemption is drawing near.”

Reflection by Anthony B. Robinson

We're living in an apocalyptic time. Apocalyptic times are times when everything is shaking and everyone is getting shaken up. Jesus spoke of such times, when there would be "signs in the sun and moon . . . and on earth distress among the nations." At such times, he said, "People will faint from fear and foreboding." But then Jesus said a weird, challenging and true thing: in such times, don't hunker down—stand up. Don't crawl in a hole—lift up your head and stand tall, because redemption is near.

In times of crisis, we are tempted to hunker down, to hold on and to hide out. But God, Jesus tells us, can use crisis to bring redemption, to make a new world and a better world. God can use crisis to make a new church or a new you. Think about it. At least sometimes, when your world has seemed to break apart, it has been the opening to a new and a better day. It wasn't death but birth that was happening. God can use the present crisis and times of shaking, to do a new thing. But if we're going to be a part of it, we can't let fear make us faint. We can't allow foreboding to paralyze us. It's time, when everything is shaking, to "Stand up, raise your heads, because your redemption is drawing near."

Prayer

Come Holy Spirit, break us open and make us new. And when things seem to be breaking up and open all around us, given us eyes and hearts to see the new thing you are doing. Amen.

About the Author

Anthony B. Robinson is a speaker, teacher and author and President of Congregational Leadership Northwest.

Psalm 107

O give thanks to the Lord, for he is good; for his steadfast love endures forever. 

Let the redeemed of the Lord say so, those he redeemed from trouble and gathered in from the lands, from the east and from the west, from the north and from the south.
 
Some wandered in desert wastes, finding no way to an inhabited town; hungry and thirsty, their soul fainted within them. Then they cried to the Lord in their trouble, and he delivered them from their distress; he led them by a straight way, until they reached an inhabited town. 

Let them thank the Lord for his steadfast love, for his wonderful works to humankind. For he satisfies the thirsty, and the hungry he fills with good things. 

Some sat in darkness and in gloom, prisoners in misery and in irons, for they had rebelled against the words of God, and spurned the counsel of the Most High. Their hearts were bowed down with hard labor; they fell down, with no one to help. 

Then they cried to the Lord in their trouble, and he saved them from their distress; he brought them out of darkness and gloom, and broke their bonds asunder. 

Let them thank the Lord for his steadfast love, for his wonderful works to humankind. For he shatters the doors of bronze, and cuts in two the bars of iron. 

Some were sick through their sinful ways, and because of their iniquities endured affliction; they loathed any kind of food, and they drew near to the gates of death. 

Then they cried to the Lord in their trouble, and he saved them from their distress; he sent out his word and healed them, and delivered them from destruction. 

Let them thank the Lord for his steadfast love, for his wonderful works to humankind. And let them offer thanksgiving sacrifices, and tell of his deeds with songs of joy. 

Some went down to the sea in ships, doing business on the mighty waters; they saw the deeds of the Lord, his wondrous works in the deep. For he commanded and raised the stormy wind, which lifted up the waves of the sea. 

They mounted up to heaven, they went down to the depths; their courage melted away in their calamity; they reeled and staggered like drunkards, and were at their wits’ end. 

Then they cried to the Lord in their trouble, and he brought them out from their distress; he made the storm be still, and the waves of the sea were hushed. Then they were glad because they had quiet, and he brought them to their desired haven. 

Let them thank the Lord for his steadfast love, for his wonderful works to humankind. Let them extol him in the congregation of the people, and praise him in the assembly of the elders.
 
He turns rivers into a desert, springs of water into thirsty ground, a fruitful land into a salty waste, because of the wickedness of its inhabitants. He turns a desert into pools of water, a parched land into springs of water. And there he lets the hungry live, and they establish a town to live in; they sow fields, and plant vineyards, and get a fruitful yield. By his blessing they multiply greatly, and he does not let their cattle decrease. 

When they are diminished and brought low through oppression, trouble, and sorrow, he pours contempt on princes and makes them wander in trackless wastes; but he raises up the needy out of distress, and makes their families like flocks. The upright see it and are glad; and all wickedness stops its mouth. 

Let those who are wise give heed to these things, and consider the steadfast love of the Lord.

Reflection by Kenneth L. Samuel

How many times in any given day are we assaulted by bad news? Seems like we can barely recover from one depressing declaration before we are confronted by another. If it's not a car repair, it's a house repair. If it's not a headache, it's a heart ache. If it's not a problem finding a job, it's a problem keeping a job. If it's not a mortgage meltdown, it's another financial bail-out. If it's not national security, it's the national debt. If it's not hell at the workplace, it's hell in your home life.

But in the midst of cascading deficits, constant debacles and continuous depressions, the Psalmist declares that there is Good News, which every believer in God ought to be talking about. And this Good News is not illusory; it does not deny the fact that we live in perilous times, and it does not attempt to shift our focus to an other-worldly utopia.

It is the Good News that despite all of the troubles, trials and traumas we face, love endures. The Love of God is steadfast, and it endures for ever! Ain't that Good News?

It is the Good News that all of our suffering is redemptive which is to say that God uses our pains to produce greater stamina, greater integrity and greater maturity in us. In God's processes of redemption, bad is exchanged for good. Ain't that Good News?

It is the Good News that despite all that has transpired to tear us apart, God has gathered us together "from the lands, east and west, north and south." And it is our togetherness that gives us strength to face the challenges ahead. Ain't that Good News?

Somebody ought to say so!

Prayer

Gracious God, please do not allow our recitations of bad news interrupt our declarations of the Good News! Give us hearts to believe, eyes to see and courage to speak! Amen.

About the Author

Kenneth L. Samuel is Pastor of Victory for the World Church, United Church of Christ, Stone Mountain, Georgia, and the author of Solomon's Success: Four Essential Keys to Leadership.