Friday, April 29, 2011

Psalm 128

As we continue in the pilgrimage, Psalm 128 shows us that we are practically at the gates of Jerusalem. "May you see the prosperity of Jerusalem" is the blessing from the psalmist. And as you approach Zion, the house of God, the center of the world and the source of all blessing, it begins to take impact on your life.

God is not only interested in your devotional time and prayer life. God is involved in the whole thing, and is a source of blessing. Even when it doesn't seem that way.

Israel could hardly say that they were constantly in a state of blessing and prosperity. They probably had less than a hundred years of prosperity in the 2000 years between Abraham and Jesus. The rest were times of wrestling.

However, blessing is about more than super-abundance. Most of the world lives in extreme poverty. Blessing is also about contentment. The psalmist's definition of blessing is happiness in one's family and being productive. It's a simple definition, and not exhaustive to the Bible, but it's one that works for me today. Can I be content in my family and my work? Since I'm going on vacation today, I think so ;)

Have a great weekend.

Thursday, April 28, 2011

Psalm 127

Pilgrimage, or the spiritual life, is a tricky balance. On the one hand, pilgrimage is tough work. For physical pilgrimage, it involves days of walking, preparation and motivation. For the spiritual journey, it involves similar energy, discipline and preparation (but it usually isn't as physically demanding). On the other hand, all of that work is fruitless without God. If anybody knew this to be true, it was Solomon.

Solomon's kingship was focused on one enormous task- the building of the Temple of God, which would move God from a tent to a house. And it is reflecting on this task that Solomon writes this psalm. Building the Temple was back-breaking work; in fact, it was so challenging that the workers eventually unionized when Solomon died and fought for some collective bargaining with the next king. Needless to say, the king did not respond well and the workers split off into their own kingdom. But anyway, the work was very difficult. It required the best minds, the strongest backs and the motivation of unwavering vision.

However, the building of the Temple would be impossible without God. God stopped the building of a building once or twice (the Tower of Babel sticks out as one example). This would not be a problem for God. God also provides the strength to finish the Temple. This architectural masterpiece (if standing today, it could be considered a wonder of the world) was probably magnificent to see, but it would be an empty building if not filled with the power of God.

Such is the Christian journey. You can try all day; but without God, it is just trying hard. Likewise, cheap grace can allow your life to become stagnant. Let's find a way to walk this journey in balance.

Wednesday, April 27, 2011

Psalm 126

Restoration. This is the purpose of pilgrimage, it is the purpose of a spiritual journey. Usually you have something you are willing to leave behind, and you have something worth chasing after on the other end of your journey. For the psalmist, that would be the Temple and the worship service there. For you and I, it may be something else- but restoration is God's end.

Restoration is a word that summarizes pretty well God's aim for the world. It is about taking tears of brokenness and pain and turning them into tears of laughter and joy. It is about taking the barren wilderness and replacing it with a lush garden. It is about bringing people from death to life.

So how have you seen tears turn to laughter, or pain into joy?

Tuesday, April 26, 2011

Psalm 125

We're getting close now! In our journey psalms of ascent, we can finally see the mountains of Jerusalem. It's nice to have a landmark to say "I'm almost there!" When I'm driving back from Holland to our home in Glen Arbor, the intersection of Thompsonville Road and US-31 is my clue- we're almost home. For those walking to Jerusalem, it would be the many hills (mountain is a little bit of a stretch for someone who has hiked on the Appalachian trail) that surround Jerusalem.

The wonderful part of this landmark is that mountains do not change very quickly. They are symbols of stability in a very unstable world. Sometimes things can change very quickly- sometimes they change so slowly that the change in imperceptible, but everything changes. So where do we go when the change is too much, too fast or too painful? The psalm points us to God, who is dynamic yet the same yesterday, today and forever.

So how do you trust in God? Is it an attitude, or a prayer or some kind of action you do?

Friday, April 22, 2011

Psalm 124

This is one of my favorite psalms. It dares me to ask the question about God's presence in my life. Where would I be without God? On my journey through life, it can be easy to think that I am a self-made man, that my hard work and dedication got me this far. In fact, I would even be encouraged in this belief by our general culture. But what if I really stepped back and took a look- where would I be without God?

For one, I would still be a nasty and cruel person. Natural maturity would have changed me somewhat- but aging is mandatory, maturity is a choice. I would still be the kind of person who needed you to know that if necessary, I would embarrass and humiliate you to establish some kind of superiority.

For two, that would have caught up with me one day. As it should. And I can't imagine what that would have been like without grace.

For three, who knows what track life would have taken? I have described in other places the miracles surrounding my life, and without them, I can't imagine where I would be.

That's only in my life- this psalm is a psalm for the journey and for the community. I can only wonder where we would be without God. Anyway, as you journey toward Good Friday, Holy Saturday and Easter Sunday, reflect on where you would be without God.

Wednesday, April 20, 2011

Psalm 123

Much of the Bible is dedicated to waiting. In fact, one might say that the Bible is a story of how to live while waiting for something. Abraham waited decades for his promised son, Israel wandered for 40 years waiting for the Promised Land, then come the prophets who start talking about a great "Day of the LORD," which people http://www.blogger.com/img/blank.gifhave to wait for. Jesus is finally born, and we wait 30+ years for His ministry to begin. Jesus ascends with a promised return close at hand- an event we have been waiting 2000 years for.

Psalm 123 is the for the pilgrim with a long journey, one that might last days or weeks, and one that is fraught with troubles. The pilgrim looks up to God, not pridefully stating what he or she should get, but hoping for mercy. In my pilgrimage, I find that I am waiting as well. I wait for my own transformation, I wait for the liberation of others (learning just yesterday that my Hershey's Cookies and Cream bar-fueled Grand Rapids trip was directly funding human trafficking), and it can get defeating. It can be tempting to pick up my ball and go home, and tire of hoping for something to change.

Jesus tells the story of a widow who beats down the door of a judge, hoping for justice. Jesus says that this story is to encourage all who pray for justice (Luke 18:7) and never give up (18:1). Thus, when it seems like I should go home, the place I should really go is to God's throne and come back as a servant and keep on praying. May you keep on praying in your pilgrimage.

Tuesday, April 19, 2011

Psalm 122

It's been a good weekend, and so I want to remind you that we are going through the psalms of ascent- journey psalms that would carry the Old Testament faithful during pilgrimage to Jerusalem. It would also provide the opening praise set at the Temple gates when the pilgrims arrived.

And so we find ourselves at Psalm 122- a reminder of the goal. The goal is Jerusalem, a wonderful city and the Temple- the very earth-home of God. The pilgrims look forward to being there, and to the promise of a God-encounter.

Yet, this is not the only reason they remember Jerusalem. Pilgrims would also remember the troubles Jerusalem faces, and so they pray for the peace of Jerusalem, that their holy city would remain stable and welcoming. The pilgrims also commit themselves to whatever role they play in the process.

What is your goal? What vision of the future do you keep in front of you? Whatever that vision may be, there are a few things to remember. First, it is far more effective to have a vision that is beautiful to cling to than a horrific counter-vision to avoid. Second, only God can carry you to this future, although you have a part to commit to yourself. Let today be a day of discernment and commitment.

Friday, April 15, 2011

Psalm 121

On the way out of home and into pilgrimage, it doesn't take too long before one realizes just how daunting the journey is. Place yourselves in the shoes of an ancient Israelite. On the path, there would be wild animals, bandits, raids from enemy nations, and you were pretty vulnerable. The terrain is unforgiving at best and it would be easy to slip. And as you walk near all of the hills, you see shrines at the tops of those hills. Idolatry is a hard habit to get rid of, and this is no different. All of those shrines are called "high places," literally closer to heaven where people would offer sacrifices to other gods. Meanwhile, you're going to offer sacrifices to God in Jerusalem. Wouldn't it be easier to stop off at one of these hills, and offer sacrifices there?

But this psalm is a re-affirmation of commitment. I look to the hills, and my help does not come from there. My help comes from the LORD. And so in your pilgrimage, although you are tempted to step off the path, keep on it. And although the pilgrimage may be tough, remember that God will never let your foot slip, and will keep you from harm.

Thursday, April 14, 2011

Psalm 120

Out of Psalm 119, and into the psalms of ascent. The psalms of ascent are wonderful for the Christian journey because they depict a pilgrimage- a journey home to Jerusalem. The Old Testament saints would sing these as they made their trek from wherever they lived to the Temple for worship. Then they would sing them as a community as the priest ascended the staircase and started the worship service.

Psalm 120 is a person caught in the rat race and realizing the need for a break. Kedar and Meshech, immortalized as places of evil, could just as easily be Cedar and Maple City, or Glen Arbor or Empire or Traverse City or Holland or Chicago... I think you get the point (although the Kedar - Cedar connection is almost too good). Going against the grain, as the psalmist does (and Christian obedience often demands), is tiring. But instead of giving up, the psalmist goes on pilgrimage.

But first, there's some stuff to sort out. While we are often called against the grain, careful examination of the truth shows that we go with it. Oh, that deceitful tongue, those prideful thoughts, that heart-chilling apathy! There's some stuff worth shaking off there. They won't help us on the journey.

May you shake off whatever hinders you as you enter your journey for today.

Wednesday, April 13, 2011

Psalm 119 Tav (the end)

It seems almost sad that tomorrow I will be typing "Psalm 120" into biblegateway.com's search engine. But now we come to Tav, or Taw, as your Bible may put it. And as we say farewell to the longest psalm, we are humbled by the outcry of the psalmist's heart.

Up until this point, the psalmist has been using his or her own righteousness as justification for God's redemptive protection. Even the Sin/Shin section above is ripe with exclamations of the psalmist's obedience. But here, all of that is gone. The heart is still there- the psalmist desires to see God's salvation. However, the realization of a wayward journey sinks in. The reality of missteps along the way erodes the self-confidence of the psalmist.

However, the God-confidence never goes away. God saves, God teaches, God sustains. And most importantly, God seeks. I have recently found the song "Show Me What I'm Looking For" by Carolina Liar, and the lyrics of that song tap right into what the psalm is talking about. The idea behind the song is that while we've wandered, we also wait to see our heart's desire. For Psalm 119, the heart's true desire is to see God and God's salvation. May you find your heart's true desire today.

Tuesday, April 12, 2011

Psalm 119 Sin/Shin (161-168)

We are nearing the end of our journey (a few week-long journey, at that!) through Psalm 119, and I think it is safe to say that is has been a journey through appreciating the Word/Law of God. In this passage alone we are reminded that the psalmist finds God's Law a cause for worship and great peace. Let us compare and contrast how we encounter God's Law.

First, the term Law is one that strikes many, including those of my generation, with a certain amount of angst. It is not that my generation is undisciplined, it is more the case that we have inherited a certain distrust of the exercise of power. We've seen how people, in the name of power, have used laws to hurt, suppress and undermine other people. On the other hand, we also do not view the gaining of power as something to be grasped. The BBC reported a few weeks back that in this generation, the American Dream itself seems to be changing. And whether or not I like to admit it (I do), I am a part of this generation.

So how do I, having inherited this distrust as well as a spirit of community, read this love of God's Law and the peace that follows? For one, I read them in a community spirit. The laws found in the Law (the first five books of the Old Testament) are largely community-based. There are individual statutes, to be sure, but much of the Law is meant to be held up by the community. The second thing I read is a distrust of power with which I resonate completely. It is the princes and the powers who are hounding the psalmist. It is the empires that rattle their sabres at Israel, and it is the powers that we are called to contend with in the book of Romans.

Of course, I also have to examine my own beliefs and recognize that I am not completely right. With all the knocks that the powerful take in the Bible, the language of the powerful is also the language of God- the King, Lord, Sovereign, Almighty, enthroned, crowned, etc. My restless spirit eventually finds its rest (which resembles the end of a temper tantrum) at the throne of God. And when I find my rest there, although sometimes I am uncomfortable with what I find, I usually chalk that up to my growth areas and try to obey. Hopefully our journey through Psalm 119 has been useful for you as it has for me.

Friday, April 8, 2011

Psalm 119 Resh (153-160)

Today, a simple question:

How do you see God's compassion in your life?

Thursday, April 7, 2011

Psalm 119 Qoph (145-152)

In continuing from two days' ago reflection on salvation, the Qoph section of Psalm 119 depends heavily and the word Qara, or "call upon." And this phrase, call upon, is one that I would like to focus on for a moment. "Call upon the name of the LORD" is the earliest description of repentance and trust in God in the Bible. Adam's grandson Enosh is born around the time humanity starts calling on the name of the LORD (Genesis 4:26). Calling on the name of the LORD is also prayer/worship language, as demonstrated by the prophets and the psalms. Acts 2:21 continues this language into the New Testament- all who call upon the name of the LORD are to be saved (Romans 10:13 quotes this as well, a quote from the book of Joel).

How incredibly important is our prayer and our worship! Worship, with our prayers, our confession, our praise, our lament, the reading of the Word, the Lord's Table, is an avenue of God's grace. Worship looks differently in different times and places, but the core of calling on the name of the LORD remains from age to age. So let's find time to call upon God's name in our lives and in our life together as the Church.

Wednesday, April 6, 2011

Psalm 119 Tsadhe (137-144)

Whereas in the last post, I focused on the word salvation, today I want to focus on the word zeal (verse 139).

Zeal gets a bad reputation. I read the word zeal and I think of the word "crazy." Zealots are the fundamentalists who burn Korans and picket funerals. Zealots are dangerous and I would prefer not to be associated.

This is exactly the image of zeal that we are meant to conjure up. Systems and cultures, in any place, prefer to not change, and zeal usually is for some kind of change. And so the people with zeal are usually on the fringes. Think of Jesus, whose zeal for God's house led him to cleanse the Temple.

Yes, there are dangerous zealots out there. There are people's who zeal has so intoxicated them that they are disconnected from reality. But there is a different kind of zeal, that is grounded in reality and in the love of God. Think of how crazy you must be to love your enemies. Think of how crazy you must be to read a document millenia old for guidance in modern life. Imagine the craziness involved when you share Jesus' concern for the least, the last and the lost. Perhaps there is another kind of zeal- a zeal we are meant to have.

Tuesday, April 5, 2011

Psalm 119 Pe (129-136)

Salvation.

Think upon that word- it's a pretty common one in Christian talk. The journey of the Christian life is the journey of salvation. What does salvation mean to you? If you're like me, you've been accustomed to asking "what are we saved from?" The psalmist can concur, to a point, as he/she seeks to be purchased (redeemed) from the evildoers around him/her. So what are you saved from? We are not promised relief from the temporary or even permanent sufferings of this life; in fact, Jesus offers us more in some cases. And so we look forward to the resurrection, salvation from death and ultimately all suffering. And so the Christian faith gets boiled down to "getting into heaven" and the rest of the story is good advice in the meantime. Obedience to the rest of the story is... well... optional.

This anemic view of God's story and salvation is wrecking Christian witness across the world. Hypocrisy is the sin of the day - getting angry at the lifestyles of our neighbors while leaving our own lives unexamined. Perhaps it is because we were not created just for heaven. We were created for here- this world, too. And perhaps we ought not only to think what we were saved "from" and expand our thinking to what we were saved "for." In other words, we are considering the purpose of our redeemed lives.

To the psalmist, a life of obedience is what you are saved "for." Now I want to take the word obedience and expand it a little. Obedience, in modern usage, often turns into "pray and read your Bible" or "be nice to people." And that will get you respect and even make changes toward a satisfied life. However, obedience to God's Law ends in a life transformed for God's purposes- the Church's role in God's story and plan. What would your life look like if you were re-purposed to God's mission?

Friday, April 1, 2011

Psalm 119 Ayin (121-128)

Have you ever had one of those days?

The psalmists seem to have several of those days- where the world seems stacked, but not in their favor. Here is another one. Today's psalm fragment has the psalmist straining so hard to find God's promises and God's salvation that his or her eyes are failing (verse 123). Now, the psalmist argues, is time to act.

I pray that I would have that kind of passion. I am sometimes so content with mediocrity that instead of strain, I just give up. But God rarely asks for mediocrity. God asks for something greater- enthusiasm.

I choose the word enthusiasm, not because we are supposed to resemble a divine pep rally in our faith, but because enthusiasm comes from ancient Greece. Originally, enthusiastic meant "filled with a god." I like that definition a lot more than "peppy," don't you? Enthusiasm in the spiritual sense is not about positivity, but about being filled with God. And when we are truly filled up with God, even in tough times, we will be like the psalmist who seeks God until our eyes grow faint. I pray enthusiasm for you today.