Daily Prayer, Tuesday, September 3, 2013

Happy are those

   who do not follow the advice of the wicked,

       or take the path that sinners tread, or sit in the seat of scoffers

  but their delight is in the law of the Lord,

       and on his law they meditate day and night. (Psalm 1:1-2)

Morning

Invitatory Psalm 84

How lovely is your dwelling place,

O Lord of hosts!

My soul longs, indeed it faints

   for the courts of the Lord;

my heart and my flesh sing for joy

    to the living God.

Even the sparrow finds a home,

and the swallow a nest for herself,

   where she may lay her young,

  at your altars,

O Lord of hosts, my King and my God.

Happy are those who live in your house,

  ever singing your praise. Selah

….

O Lord of hosts,

   happy is everyone who trusts in you.

Psalm 9

I will give thanks to the Lord with my whole heart;

I will tell of all your wonderful deeds.

I will be glad and exult in you;

….

You judge the world with righteousness;

you judge the peoples with equity.

The Lord is a stronghold for the oppressed,

   a stronghold in times of trouble.

And those who know your name put their trust in you,

   for you, O Lord, have not forsaken those who seek you.

….

Be gracious to me, O Lord.

See what I suffer from those who hate me;

you are the one who lifts me up

   from the gates of death,

so that I may recount all your praises,

   and, in the gates of daughter Zion,

   rejoice in your deliverance.

….

For the needy shall not always be forgotten,

   nor the hope of the poor perish forever.

….

Psalm 10

Why, O Lord, do you stand far off?

Why do you hide yourself in times of trouble?

In arrogance the wicked persecute the poor

   — let them be caught in the schemes they have devised.

For the wicked boast of the desires of their heart,

  those greedy for gain curse and renounce the Lord.

In the pride of their countenance the wicked say,

   “God will not seek it out”;

….

they lurk in secret like a lion in its covert;

they lurk that they may seize the poor;

they seize the poor and drag them off in their net.

They stoop, they crouch,

   and the helpless fall by their might.

They think in their heart,

   “God has forgotten,

    he has hidden his face,

       he will never see it.”

Rise up, O Lord;

O God, lift up your hand; do not forget the oppressed.

Why do the wicked renounce God, and say in their hearts,

   “You will not call us to account”?

But you do see! Indeed you note trouble and grief,

   that you may take it into your hands;

the helpless commit themselves to you;       

   you have been the helper of the orphan.

….

O Lord, you will hear the desire of the meek;

you will strengthen their heart, you will incline your ear

to do justice for the orphan and the oppressed,

   so that those from earth may strike terror no more.

Daily Lectionary Reading, Deuteonomy 30:15-23

15 Look here! Today I’ve set before you life and what’s good versus death and what’s wrong. 16 If you obey the LORD your God’s commandments thatx I’m commanding you right now by loving the LORD your God, by walking in his ways, and by keeping his commandments, his regulations, and his case laws, then you will live and thrive, and the LORD your God will bless you in the land you are entering to possess. 17 But if your heart turns away and you refuse to listen, and so are misled, worshipping other gods and serving them, 18 I’m telling you right now that you will definitely die. You will not prolong your life on the fertile land that you are crossing the Jordan River to enter and possess. 19 I call heaven and earth as my witnesses against you right now: I have set life and death, blessing and curse before you. Now choose life—so that you and your descendants will live— 20 by loving the LORD your God, by obeying his voice, and by clinging to him. That’s how you will survive and live long on the fertile land the LORD swore to give to your ancestors: to Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob.

_________________________________________________

x  LXX; MT lacks if you obey the LORD your God’s commandments.

 [Common English Bible]

Prayer for Today: O Lord, we thank you for the gifts you have bestowed on us. Help us to realize and remember that your teachings are intended to help us live and thrive. You have given us the choice to obey or disobey. Help us now and always to choose your way for us. Amen.

Midday Psalm 119:9-16

How can young people keep their way pure?

   By guarding it according to your word.

With my whole heart I seek you;

do not let me stray from your commandments.

I treasure your word in my heart,

   so that I may not sin against you.

Blessed are you, O Lord; teach me your statutes.

With my lips I declare all the ordinances of your mouth.

I delight in the way of your decrees as much as in all riches.

I will meditate on your precepts, and fix my eyes on your ways.

I will delight in your statutes; I will not forget your word.

Evening

Psalm 11

In the Lord I take refuge;

   how can you say to me, “Flee like a bird to the mountains;

   for look, the wicked bend the bow,

   they have fitted their arrow to the string,

   to shoot in the dark at the upright in heart.

If the foundations are destroyed, what can the righteous do?”

The Lord is in his holy temple; the Lord’s throne is in heaven.

His eyes behold, his gaze examines humankind.

The Lord tests the righteous and the wicked,

   and his soul hates the lover of violence.

….

For the Lord is righteous; he loves righteous deeds;

    the upright shall behold his face.

Psalm 14

Fools say in their hearts, “There is no God.”

They are corrupt, they do abominable deeds;

    there is no one who does good.

The Lord looks down from heaven on humankind

   to see if there are any who are wise, who seek after God.

They have all gone astray, they are all alike perverse;

   there is no one who does good, no, not one.

Have they no knowledge,

   all the evildoers who eat up my people as they eat bread,

   and do not call upon the Lord?

There they shall be in great terror,

   for God is with the company of the righteous.

You would confound the plans of the poor,

    but the Lord is their refuge.

….

Psalm 15

O Lord, who may abide in your tent?

Who may dwell on your holy hill?

Those who walk blamelessly,

    and do what is right,

    and speak the truth from their heart;

    who do not slander with their tongue,

    and do no evil to their friends,

    nor take up a reproach against their neighbors;

    in whose eyes the wicked are despised,

    but who honor those who fear the Lord;

    who stand by their oath even to their hurt;

    who do not lend money at interest,

     and do not take a bribe against the innocent.

Those who do these things shall never be moved.

Psalm 16

Protect me, O God, for in you I take refuge.

I say to the Lord, “You are my Lord;

I have no good apart from you.”

….

The Lord is my chosen portion and my cup;

you hold my lot.

The boundary lines have fallen for me in pleasant places;

I have a goodly heritage.

I bless the Lord who gives me counsel;

in the night also my heart instructs me.

I keep the Lord always before me;

  because he is at my right hand, I shall not be moved.

Therefore my heart is glad, and my soul rejoices;

   my body also rests secure.

For you do not give me up to Sheol,

   or let your faithful one see the Pit.

You show me the path of life.

In your presence there is fullness of joy;

in your right hand are pleasures forevermore.

Cost of Discipleship, a reflection on Luke 14:25-33

Those of us who are used to thinking of the term "Family Values" to be synonymous with Christian Values may have struggled with this particular passage. Is Jesus really telling us that we have to hate our families and to leave them behind if we want to join the church? Not a message I see being lived out by the churches I am familiar with. 

Just about as troubling is the requirement to halt needed work like foundation building or to begin projects without considering what resources are necessary.

So, once again I am grateful to Ronald Allen & Clark Williamson who wrote a lectionary commentary called Preaching the Gospel without Blaming the Jews.

Early Christians would have found these commands difficult as well since rabbinic Judaism has no instructions to hate family. To help us to interpret what Jesus is saying to us, Allen & Williamson suggest we need to put the passage in context. Jesus had just told a parable about a man who invited a lot of people to dinner and they were too busy with their own lives to show up.

The banquet is the kingdom. The excuses represent the kinds of ties that people have--to real estate, to work, and to family--ties that keep us from giving our ultimate commitment to the work of God in the world. .... Jesus' teaching about hating our loved ones is not recommending that we feel hatred for them....It is about choices, decisions.

More from Allen & Williamson:

The language is hyperbolic. We are to have a relative love for the relative and an ultimate love ... for God and God's kingdom.... We are to assess critically whether we can finish what we start, whether we can stay the course of discipleship. Can we make the commitment to peace, justice, economic sufficiency for all, and respect for the well-being of the stranger that commitment to the kingdom and following Jesus entail?

Daily Prayer, Monday, September 2, 2013

Happy are those

   who do not follow the advice of the wicked,

    or take the path that sinners tread, or sit in the seat of scoffers

  but their delight is in the law of the Lord,

  and on his law they meditate day and night. (Psalm 1:1-2)

Morning

Invitatory Psalm 95

O come, let us sing to the Lord;

let us make a joyful noise to the rock of our salvation!

Let us come into his presence with thanksgiving;

let us make a joyful noise to him with songs of praise!

….

Psalm 1

Happy are those who do not follow the advice of the wicked,

   or take the path that sinners tread,

   or sit in the seat of scoffers;

       but their delight is in the law of the Lord,

       and on it,  they meditate day and night.

They are like trees planted by streams of water,

   which yield their fruit in its season,

   and their leaves do not wither.

In all that they do, they prosper.

The wicked are not so,

   but are like chaff that the wind drives away.

….

Psalm 2

Why do the nations conspire,

   and the peoples plot in vain?

The kings of the earth set themselves,

and the rulers take counsel together,

   against the Lord and his anointed, saying,

       “Let us burst their bonds asunder,

         and cast their cords from us.”

The One who sits in the heavens laughs;

the Lord has them in derision.

….

Now therefore, O kings, be wise;

be warned, O rulers of the earth.

….

Psalm 3

O Lord, how many are my foes!

Many are rising against me;

many are saying to me,

   “There is no help for you in God.”

But you, O Lord, are a shield around me,

   my glory,

   and the one who lifts up my head.

I cry aloud to the Lord,

   and he answers me from his holy hill.

….

Rise up, O Lord!

Deliver me, O my God! ...

Deliverance belongs to the Lord;

may your blessing be on your people!

Psalm 5

Give ear to my words, O Lord;

give heed to my sighing.

Listen to the sound of my cry,

   my King and my God, for to you I pray.

O Lord, in the morning you hear my voice;

   in the morning I plead my case to you, and watch.

For you are not a God who delights in wickedness;

   evil will not sojourn with you.

….

Lead me, O Lord, in your righteousness

   because of my enemies;

make your way straight before me.

   For there is no truth in their mouths;

   their hearts are destruction;

   their throats are open graves;

   they flatter with their tongues.

….

But let all who take refuge in you rejoice;

let them ever sing for joy.

Spread your protection over them,

   so that those who love your name may exult in you.

For you bless the righteous, O Lord;

you cover them with favor as with a shield.

Daily Lectionary Reading, Luke 14:25-33

25 Large crowds were traveling with Jesus. Turning to them, he said, 26 “Whoever comes to me and doesn’t hate father and mother, spouse and children, and brothers and sisters—yes, even one’s own life—cannot be my disciple. 27 Whoever doesn’t carry their own cross and follow me cannot be my disciple. 28 “If one of you wanted to build a tower, wouldn’t you first sit down and calculate the cost, to determine whether you have enough money to complete it? 29 Otherwise, when you have laid the foundation but couldn’t finish the tower, all who see it will begin to belittle you. 30 They will say, ‘Here’s the person who began construction and couldn’t complete it!’ 31 Or what king would go to war against another king without first sitting down to consider whether his ten thousand soldiers could go up against the twenty thousand coming against him? 32 And if he didn’t think he could win, he would send a representative to discuss terms of peace while his enemy was still a long way off. 33 In the same way, none of you who are unwilling to give up all of your possessions can be my disciple. [Common English Bible]

Prayer for today: O Lord, strengthen our will and our courage to follow you--even in those times and to those situations that are not comfortable to us. Amen.

Midday Psalm 119:1-8

Happy are those whose way is blameless,

   who walk in the law of the Lord.

Happy are those who keep his decrees,

   who seek him with their whole heart,

   who also do no wrong, but walk in his ways.

You have commanded your precepts to be kept diligently.

O that my ways may be steadfast in keeping your statutes!

Then I shall not be put to shame,

   having my eyes fixed on all your commandments.

I will praise you with an upright heart,

   when I learn your righteous ordinances.

I will observe your statutes; do not utterly forsake me.

Evening

Psalm 6

O Lord, do not rebuke me in your anger,

   or discipline me in your wrath.

Be gracious to me, O Lord,

   for I am languishing;

O Lord, heal me,

   for my bones are shaking with terror.

My soul also is struck with terror,

   while you, O Lord—how long?

Turn, O Lord, save my life;

deliver me for the sake of your steadfast love.

….

Psalm 7

O Lord my God, in you I take refuge;

save me from all my pursuers, and deliver me,

or like a lion they will tear me apart;

they will drag me away, with no one to rescue.

....

O let the evil of the wicked come to an end,

   but establish the righteous,

   you who test the minds and hearts,

        O righteous God.

God is my shield, who saves the upright in heart.

God is a righteous judge,

   and a God who has indignation every day.

….

I will give you the thanks due to your righteousness,

   and sing praise to your name, O Lord, the Most High.

Psalm 8

O Lord, our Sovereign, how majestic is your name in all the earth!

You have set your glory above the heavens.

Out of the mouths of babes and infants

   you have founded a bulwark because of your foes,

       to silence the enemy and the avenger.

When I look at your heavens, the work of your fingers,

   the moon and the stars that you have established;

what are human beings that you are mindful of them,

   mortals that you care for them?

Yet you have made them a little lower than God,

   and crowned them with glory and honor.

You have given them dominion

   over the works of your hands;

you have put all things under their feet,

   all sheep and oxen,

   and also the beasts of the field,

   the birds of the air, and the fish of the sea,

   whatever passes along the paths of the seas.

O Lord, our Sovereign,

   how majestic is your name in all the earth!

Pleasing God, a Reflection on Hebrews 13:1-8, 15-16

"Let mutual love continue," this week's passage from Hebrews begins. I'm assuming that the word "continue" connotes that this congregation already has achieved mutual care. The next instruction is "Do not neglect to show hospitality to strangers..." They can love each other, and they are also required to love some new people, people they aren't used to, people that may not automatically know what they're supposed to do in each circumstance.

How are we supposed to interpret this prescription? Who should be included in the category "stranger"? How would we show hospitality to someone in our country that we did not invite in?

The letter continues with its instructions: Remember those in prison. And not just remember, empathize. Are we allowed to limit this just to people who are imprisoned for certain beliefs rather than have to think about the other prisoners, those who we think really should be put somewhere out of sight.

Then the message comes home--literally. "You married people, stay faithful."

And, in this time of economic difficulty, what do we do with the command to keep our lives free from love of money?

To summarize, care for strangers, prisoners, spouses, but don't obsess so much about money. After all, God is with us and will help us through it all.

Thomas Long in his commentary on Hebrews, says about verses 15-16:

We do not make, of course, the same sacrifice that Jesus offer; his was "once for all" (10:10). Our sacrifices are praising God, confessing God, name in public, doing works of mercy, and sharing what we have with others--in other words, right out there in public view we are to worship, evangelize, empathetically serve the needy and exercise generosity to others. Such "sacrifices are pleasing to God", which is one of the marks of faith.

Daily Prayer, Sunday, September 1, 2013

I would feed you with the finest of the wheat,

and with honey from the rock I would satisfy you. (Psalm 81:16)

Morning

Invitatory Psalm 24

The earth is the LORD’s and everything in it,

the world and its inhabitants too.

Because God is the one who established it on the seas;

God set it firmly on the waters.

Who can ascend the LORD ’s mountain?

Who can stand in his holy sanctuary?

Only the one with clean hands and a pure heart;

the one who hasn’t made false promises,

the one who hasn’t sworn dishonestly.

That kind of person receives blessings from the LORD

and righteousness from the God who saves.

And that’s how things are

with the generation that seeks him—

that seeks the face of Jacob’s God. Selah

Mighty gates: lift up your heads!

Ancient doors: rise up high!

So the glorious king can enter!

Who is this glorious king?

The LORD —strong and powerful!

The LORD —powerful in battle!

Mighty gates: lift up your heads!

Ancient doors: rise up high!

So the glorious king can enter!

Who is this glorious king?

The LORD of heavenly forces—

he is the glorious king! Selah

[Common English Bible]

Psalms 147 148 149

Daily Lectionary Reading, Hebrews 13:1-8, 15-16

Keep loving each other like family. 2 Don’t neglect to open up your homes to guests, because by doing this some have been hosts to angels without knowing it. 3 Remember prisoners as if you were in prison with them, and people who are mistreated as if you were in their place. 4 Marriage must be honored in every respect, with no cheating on the relationship, because God will judge the sexually immoral person and the person who commits adultery. 5 Your way of life should be free from the love of money, and you should be content with what you have. After all, he has said, I will never leave you or abandon you. [o] 6 This is why we can confidently say, The Lord is my helper, and I won’t be afraid. What can people do to me? [p] 7 Remember your leaders who spoke God’s word to you. Imitate their faith as you consider the way their lives turned out. 8 Jesus Christ is the same yesterday, today, and forever!
....
15 So let’s continually offer up a sacrifice of praise through him, which is the fruit from our lips that confess his name. 16 Don’t forget to do good and to share what you have because God is pleased with these kinds of sacrifices.
_________________________________________________ o Deut 31:6; Gen 28:15 p Ps 118:6 [Common English Bible]

Prayer for today: You Lord are my helper. Why should I be afraid of anything? Remind me of what is important and what is not. Amen.

Evening

Psalm 144 145

God appeals to a stubborn people, a Reflection on Psalm 81:1, 10-16

The psalm begins with a command to sing joyously to God then lists some reasons why we should.

Verses 10-16 are in the voice of God, saying what I, God, did, and what you, the not-always-grateful people did next. God had rescued the people from slavery in Egypt and provided them with the necessary food to keep them going on their journey. And God provided them with something else necessary for their journey--instruction in a way of life.

What response what we expect from people who had received such gifts? What God got was a people who refused to listen, who refused to obey. God's response to that recalcitrance was to just let them do what they wanted to do.

But God is not abandoning these abandoning people. "If only they would listen," God says.

Off on a tangent part: The psalm ends with this verse: I would feed you with the finest of the wheat and with honey from the rock I would satisfy you. I immediately was reminded of the singing group Sweet Honey in the Rock. Take some time today to listen to them.