Category: Prayers

Why do we have laws? Some think it is to rein in our baser tendencies. That is, to prevent us from doing harm to others. Laws can also be seen as a way to protect our freedom. Laws mean I can do whatever I want to as long as that does not get in the way of you doing whatever you want to. Laws help to keep our behavior within respectful boundaries. They help to keep society civil and organized. At least, that is a hope. But for all that, I still have an underlying sense that laws are to prevent us from being “bad.”

When our oldest son was in first grade, he had a teacher named Sunny Doxie, and she was true to her name. A very bright person, energetic, energizing, and cheery. At the beginning of the school year as the class discussed the rules, evidently Ms Doxie told the children that they had rules because rules were so that “everyone can have a good time.” Sunny Doxie made the concept of rules something positive. She really convinced the kids that having rules was a great idea and that following the rules would make the year wonderful for everyone. That was probably easier to do over 20 years ago than it is today, but our family has never forgotten her wisdom and we often refer to it.

Ultimately, I think Sunny Doxie is right. Rules are so everyone can have a good time. Or, at least, that’s what they should be. And I think that is what we see in Psalm 19. We see reference to God’s rules, God’s law applying to all of creation and put in place so that everyone can have a good time. That is, so that life can flourish for all people and all species and for the very Earth itself.

The precepts of God help us to make good choices for the human community and thus for ourselves as part of that community. The ordinances of God are lights guiding our way. They illuminate danger. The rules of God are positive leading to a good life, a rewarding life, a purposeful life, a creative life.

The decrees of God are not intended to be punitive. They are not meant as punishment. They are not intended to be chains that keep us bound. In fact, the opposite is true. The precepts of God are designed to be freeing. They encourage our best impulses: our loving, generous, compassionate, merciful nature. They free us from negative tendencies like greed, selfishness, violence, and pride. God’s law is not just intended so that I can have a good time, but so that everyone can have a good time. They are intended to support flourishing life in all cultures, all religions, all eras, and all contexts. The fact that some people in the world choose to follow the guidelines of God as we see them in the life of Jesus should be a blessing to the whole world. It should make the world a better place for everybody. It should lift up the lives of everyone. We follow God’s way because we want everyone to have a good time.

Prayer
May our hearts be filled with gratitude for the guidance of God. May we be especially grateful that we have been given the example of Jesus to show us God’s way. May we let the rule of God free us so that we can truly be our best selves and so that we can make this world a place where everyone can flourish and find joy in life. Amen.

When I was young, we lived in Minnesota and my dad worked with Native American Indian churches. I remember him coming home and telling us about an elder in a church who told him about talking with a tree and consulting with a certain rock. I remember that he did not tell us about it with condescension or disdain, but more with wide-eyed wonder and amazement and perplexity. For my dad, born and raised in New York City, this was new, foreign, and unfamiliar territory in many ways!

In Psalm 19 we hear:

The heavens are telling the glory of God;
and the firmament proclaims God’s handiwork.
Day to day pours forth speech,
and night to night declares knowledge.. . .
their voice goes out through all the earth,
and their words to the end of the world.
[italics added]

These verses, as the italics indicate, definitely imply speaking or at least communication. We hear the heavens, the firmament, the day, and the night. There is the implication of speech and communication: the natural world doing a lot of talking!

Let’s turn to the New Testament and the story of Jesus’ entry into Jerusalem that we read on Palm Sunday. In the story, the crowds are shouting, “‘Blessed is the one who comes in the name of God. Peace in heaven and glory in the highest heaven.’ Some of the Pharisees in the crowd said to Jesus, ‘Teacher, order your disciples to stop.’ Jesus answered, ‘I tell you, if these were silent, the stones would shout out.’” [Luke 19:38-40] In this story, again we hear of the natural world speaking, communicating. The rocks have voice.

In the letter to the Romans, also in the New Testament, there is the declaration, “We know that the whole creation has been groaning in labor pains until now.” [8:22] This reference again implies verbal communication from the natural world.

These scriptural verses should have prepared my father for his encounter with the Native American elder. In them we are reminded that creation is the self expression of God, so the natural world communicates God. It proclaims, declares, tells, shouts, voices, groans the will and intentions of God.

I am wondering what the natural world, creation, is saying to us today? What are the rocks, the trees, the air, the waters, trying to communicate to the human species? What divine disclosure is coming to us from the earth and all the life forms that make their home here? Consider taking some time, ideally outside, to listen and to imagine what is being said to you by creation.

Prayer
Creation is an amazing interconnected whole. Its mysteries continue to defy our full understanding just as God in some measure always remains a mystery. While the natural world is sacred, we have not cared for and revered it as we should. We have not given the Earth the respect and value it deserves. Too often, we take creation for granted and ignore our need of it. Yet nature shows us God. May we pay attention to the messages, the disclosures, the revelations that are being communicated to us by the natural world. So may we hear God speaking. Amen.

I am married to a teacher. He teaches 7th grade science in a public middle school. Most days he arrives home, announces, “Honey, I’m home,” and proceeds to the bedroom to take a nap. He is exhausted. Later on in the evening, I usually ask, “How were the kids today?” The answer is multiple choice: a) “They drive me crazy.” b) “I can’t control my ___ period class.” (The period changes year to year, but every year there is that one.) c) On really lousy days, “Maybe I’m just a bad teacher.” It’s pretty much always one of the above.

To come home from work stressed and exhausted is not unique to teachers. I hear of others, in many fields, who also come home from work under a cloud of some kind. And then there are those who don’t come home from work stressed because they don’t have a job. Another stress. And there are plenty of things that cause tension and stress that are not even work-related like health issues, care giving, and family issues. Stress seems to be a chronic condition in our society.

In Psalm 19, the writer tells us that the law of God “revives the soul.” And that the precepts of God “gladden the heart.” Now, if the writer is trying to appeal to people with these phrases, what can we assume? We must presume that the intended readers/pray-ers need the soul revived and need the heart gladdened. They must be under duress or stress. They must be flagging and tired. They must be despondent and downhearted. Otherwise, why would the writer offer these phrases that promise refreshment and renewal, joy and revitalization? The intent is to offer spiritual uplift to those who need it. And the original audience evidently needed it, even way back when in the ancient world.

So we see that life stress is not something new. Nor is the antidote. Then, as now, the way to lift the spirits is through following God’s guidance and God’s teachings. Treat others as you want to be treated. Help others as you are able. Count your blessings. Be decent, fair and honest with everyone. That’s a start. And it will revive the soul and bring joy to the heart.

My husband was having a deep theological conversation with someone about ultimate purpose in life. Why you do what you do? It needs to be part of God’s plan otherwise you will feel like a waste. But what does that mean, to be part of God’s plan? They were hashing this over, trying to figure out if they were fulfilling their ultimate purpose. Later Jeff told me about the conversation. I tend to be more down to earth and practical. I told him, “If you get up in the morning and do something to help somebody else, or to make this world a better place for someone in some way, then I think you’re fulfilling your purpose.”

“I like that!” he said with delight. I hope he remembers it. Each and every day when he shows up at school, he is doing something to help those young people make something of themselves. He is trying to make the world a better place. Now that’s a purpose. And that sense of purpose frees us from the despair of futility. When we live by God’s design and see our lives in that context, it revives the soul and gladdens the heart.

Stress is nothing new. Life has always presented challenges. And God’s teachings are still trustworthy and true. They will revive the soul and gladden the heart, if we let them.

Prayer
There are so many things that trouble us and worry us and stress our souls. These challenges unite us with all those who have gone before us, even back to ancient biblical times. This is part of the human journey through life. May we be grateful that we are part of a faith tradition that promises relief and revival when we put our trust in God’s way and make ourselves of service to others. We have been given Jesus as our guide. We are truly blessed! Amen.

This week 16 Afghan civilians, including 9 children and 3 women, were killed. A U.S. solider is accused of the murders. This horror is shocking. We cannot begin to imagine the grief of Abdul Samad, a 60 year old man, who returned home to find 11 of his family members dead – shot, stabbed, and burned. We cannot imagine the damaged, wounded soul that could perpetrate such a killing spree.

In Psalm 19, there is a plea for forgiveness. The desire is to be completely cleansed and healed of all wrong. The prayer even extends to those sins we have not even recognized in ourselves. Here are three different versions of verse 12:

But who can detect one’s own failings?
Forgive the misdeeds I don’t even know about!
[The Inclusive Language Bible: The First Egalitarian Translation]

Who can be aware of errors?
Clear me of unperceived guilt.
[The Jewish Study Bible: Tanakh Translation]

But who can detect their errors?
Clear me from hidden faults.
[New Revised Standard Version]

Misdeeds I don’t even know about. Unperceived guilt. Hidden faults. The psalm invites us to engage in serious, deep, reflection about our lives, our behaviors, our thoughts and attitudes. This is encouragement to really dig down deep and excavate what is separating us from others, God, and our truest selves.

Sunday evening I heard former President Jimmy Carter interviewed on the Tavis Smiley Show about a new Bible that features Carter’s comments and reflections. In the conversation, Carter said that the most prominent sin in his opinion is pride. He defined pride as thinking that we are more than someone else, better than another, seeing ourselves as superior and others as lower than we are. Carter feels this contributes to many of the problems we have in the world. I agree. To engage in reflection about the misdeeds we don’t know about, our unperceived guilt, and our hidden faults might lead us to discover the sin of pride buried deep with, or maybe even close to the surface of our thoughts and feelings.

To see the misdeeds we don’t know about, our unperceived guilt, and our hidden faults may require that we try to see ourselves, our actions, our words, and our choices, from the perspective of others. This involves the challenge of perceiving ourselves as others perceive us. It involves examining the consequences of our actions that we may not be readily aware of. One morning as I was getting dressed, I put my phone conspicuously on the bed where it could easily be seen and found. I went to the kitchen to make myself breakfast, then got my things together for the day. I remembered my phone. I looked on the bed. No phone. Not in my pocket. Not in my purse. What had I done with it? I looked around the house. Searched. On the table. On the desk. On the dresser. On the counter. In the bathrobe pocket. No phone. I was frustrated, angry, and late. I did not want to leave without my phone. Finally I found it. On the bed. But one of my family members had tossed a shirt on the bed. Yes, you guessed it. Right on top of the phone. Didn’t he see the phone? It was only when I was searching through the bedding and the clothes on top of the bed that I found it. When I found the phone, I wondered to myself, how many times have I done some mindless act (tossing a shirt on the bed) and inadvertently caused a problem, an inconvenience or worse for someone else and not even known that I had done it. Just a small thing and not even realized the consequences for someone else. To think about our hidden faults involves being really thorough and taking responsibility even when we don’t know about the wrong we have done.

To see the misdeeds we don’t know about, our unperceived guilt, and our hidden faults may also involve coming to terms with our complicity in society and social institutions that are not just or fair and that do harm to others. As U.S. citizens, we are part of what our government does – good and bad. We are part of the economy. We are part of the global warming problem. We are part of the education crisis. And we are part of the military involvements of our country. I can understand how Mr. Samad, the villager from Afghanistan, could reach the conclusion that the Americans should leave his country.

While it may seem unpalatable to examine the misdeeds we don’t know about, our unperceived guilt, and our hidden faults, we want to remember that the point of repentance is not suffering but healing. The more thorough our reflection and honesty, the more we experience the cleansing grace of God, the more we become whole.

Consider setting some time aside (at the Oasis of Quiet at church on Sunday evening?), maybe even with a pencil and paper, and think about the healing you need for the misdeeds you don’t know about, your unperceived guilt, and your hidden faults. It can be very freeing to seek the truth and not be entangled in lies and misperceptions and inadvertent deceit.

Prayer
We are grateful to be part of a faith tradition that emphasizes forgiveness and grace. Mercy is offered for all of our sins, even pride and those we are not readily aware of. Repentance frees us from the burden of keeping up appearances and trying to maintain a facade of false goodness while hiding our failings. May we not only seek the forgiveness we need but may we free others by offering forgiveness and grace. Our healing is not only in the forgiveness we receive but also in the forgiveness we give. May Jesus be our guide in this and all things. Amen.

Science and religion. In today’s world, it is almost as if we are being forced to pick. Will you ground your reality in science? Or will you ground your life in religion? To pick religion is seen by many as rejecting the authority of science, the facts and figures and observed experience that result from empirical investigation, in favor of a world view based on superstition and magical thinking that cannot be scientifically substantiated. This construct, science or religion, is characteristic of the contemporary world. It was not a consideration for the ancients, for those who wrote the Bible. So I do not claim to say that the writers of the psalms intentionally resolved this issue. But, they do shed light on it.

In Psalm 19, the writer extols the order and purpose of the sun and the heavenly bodies. So nature is God’s self-disclosure. It shows us God. Thus, in principle, there should be no conflict between nature (science) and God.

In verse 9 we are told,

the instruction of the Lord is lucid,
making the eyes light up.
[The Jewish Study Bible, Tanakh Translation]

This implies that God is responsible for human intellectual achievement. God’s intent is for humans to use their conscious intellectual abilities to investigate the world so that our eyes light up with awe and wonder and delight. God’s teachings are lucid, that is rational, reasonable, clear, consistent, subject to scrutiny, examination, and analysis. God’s order is evident in the natural world and science reveals that order and the incredible intricacies of life.

We have been endowed with extensive intellectual abilities so that we apply them to gaining more knowledge of the natural world, behavior, and all fields of knowledge. As human knowledge has progressed and expanded, older understandings have been superseded. When we think about religious ideas that come from ancient times, we must take into account the level of intellectual development of the people of the time. Then we can understand the wisdom and insights that are being shared with us through the ages. We then interface that wisdom with our reality. We don’t superimpose ancient reality on today’s world. To discount, overlook, ignore, or worse, to contradict, the findings of science through the ages is to undermine the intellectual ability we have been divinely given to use to expand our knowledge and understanding. It is to squander God’s gift that makes the eyes light up.

Ultimately there is no incompatibility between religion and science unless the religion is false because the pursuit of science is part of God’s intention for humanity. We were given our brains with the expectation that we use them.

Prayer
The natural world and all of creation is a magnificent school of science and spirit. May we celebrate the extensive achievements of the human intellect. May we always seek to learn and grow in mind, body, and spirit. We also recognize that our human knowledge is limited and incomplete. Our reality always includes mystery. May love be our guide as we make our way into the days ahead and the discoveries that await us. Amen.