Psalm 90: On Human Frailty

The Psalmist speaks of how short our time on earth is--"eighty [years] for those who are strong" (v.10). Instead of the resignation of Ecclesiastes, here the writer offers a simple prayer:

Teach us to count up the days that are ours, and we shall come to the heart of wisdom. Each morning fill us with your faithful love, we shall sing and be happy all our days; let our joy be as long as the time that you [God, life] afflicted us, the years when we experienced disaster.  ~Psalm 90: 12, 14-15

 May it be so. Amen.

The Daily Conflict - The World or God?

I'm coming back online during Advent (perhaps I'll be able to carry on through the New Year!) because my own spiritual path is in transition. More on that as the season proceeds. I'll start with a meditation that I found in an Advent booklet published by United Church of Chapel Hill a few years ago. 

The meditation is based on Matthew 22: 15-22, the question of paying taxes. “Give therefore to the emperor the things that are the emperor’s, and to God the things that are God’s.” The writer of the meditation feels that this is an opportunity to reflect on our own lives and ask the questions what is our obligation to God, what are our obligations to the world, and how do we choose between the two.

My reaction was to remember one of the things I've learned in reading Bishop John Spong. The Bible was written in a day in which God existed outside the world, in the sky, and humans existed separately, on the earth. So there was a divide. The world or God? Ancient image, ancient concept.

Modern concept: the Divine Spirit permeates around and through everything. Earth, heavens, people, deeds, seas. Everything. I believe that the question for me in this modern world is...how do I make the Spirit VISIBLE, how do I manifest it?  My purpose is to bring the Light out from under the bushel and place it on a lamp stand. Every choice, every action can be a Revelation of the Spirit. That revelation comes from the Fruit of the Spirit (Galatians 5:22-23): Joy, Love, Peace, Patience (Forbearance), Generosity, Kindness (Compassion), Gentleness, Self-Control, and Faithfulness. As the United Church of Christ says, "God is still speaking". God speaks through me.

God speaks through us.

May it be so. Amen.

The Choice of Violence

Ben Sira, in the book sometimes known as Ecclesiasticus, says this about the freedom of choice:

Do not say, 'The Lord was responsible for my sinning,'
for he does not do what he hates.
Do not say, 'It was he who led me astray,'
for he has no use for a sinner.
The Lord hates all that is foul,
and no one who fears him will love it either.
He himself made human beings in the beginning,
and then left them free to make their own decisions.
If you choose, you will keep the commandments
and so be faithful to his will.
He has set fire and water before you;
put out your hand to whichever you prefer.
A human being has life and death before him;
whichever he prefers will be given him.
He never commanded anyone to be godless,
he has given no one permission to sin.
~Sirach 15: 11-17, 20

Violence has no excuse when human imagination and creativity can find alternatives. God's healing power is upon the wounded of Boston.

Amen.

Humility by Sirach

The lessons from Ben Sira in the Book of Sirach always perk up my thought processes. One reading of a verse is never enough. Here's part of his advice on humility.

Do not try to understand things that are too difficult for you
or try to discover what is beyond your powers.
Concentrate on what has been assigned to you,
you have no need to worry over mysteries.
Do not meddle with matters that are beyond you;
what you have been taught already exceeds the scope of the human mind.
For many have been misled by their own notions,
wicked presumption having warped their judgement.
~Sirach 3:21-24,

On first reading, the passage feels all wrong and reminds me of days gone by when a man would say to a woman, "Don't you worry your pretty, little head about that, darlin'." Then I remember that Ben Sira was writing for young Jewish men in his classes and trying to give them advice for living.

One way to read this is...what you have in front of you to do is certainly enough to keep your mind busy. Your thoughts don't need to be distracted by "mysteries" (gossip, things happening in other departments, concepts you don't understand). Know your position; concentrate on your position and its concerns. Do not presume to know everything. Be humble; don't jump in until you have more information.

When are you misled by your own notions? Have you ever meddled with matters beyond you? What are your thoughts?

Blessings on your day!

Time to Transform

Happy Easter, my friends!

Are you ready for transformation? Can you release whatever is holding you back, let it die? Can you let your divine potential shine?

 I am about to do a new thing; now it springs forth, do you not perceive it? I will make a way in the wilderness and rivers in the desert.  ~Isaiah 43:19

Are you ready?

Gracious God,
Set us free from a past that we cannot change;
Open to us a future in which we can be changed; and
Grant us grace to grow more and more in your likeness and image
~Good Friday Service, United Church of Chapel Hill

Blessings on your day!