Praise Music

Psalm 150 The Message (MSG)

Hallelujah!
Praise God in his holy house of worship,
    praise him under the open skies;
Praise him for his acts of power,
    praise him for his magnificent greatness;
Praise with a blast on the trumpet,
    praise by strumming soft strings;
Praise him with castanets and dance,
    praise him with banjo and flute;
Praise him with cymbals and a big bass drum,
    praise him with fiddles and mandolin.
Let every living, breathing creature praise God!
    Hallelujah!

I decided to use The Message version of this Psalm today. It somehow seems more accessible to me since there aren't many these days who play the lute.

I love it because when I think of joyful music, castanets and banjos often come to my mind. I grew up in Texas where Mexican-American music often played in public spaces. The songs were always joyful to me and the castanets accentuated that.


And the banjo...well, it doesn't get much more joyful to me than this: (link here: I Will Wait)

I love it because even in a week when the news is bleak, it reminds me of all the things I have to be grateful for in God's world.

I reminds of where I can turn when the bleakness seems to be overwhelming.

That sometimes the very act of praise is balm for a weary soul.

Lord God, thank you for all the music and joy in my life and help me to notice it especially when things seem most dark.  Amen.

Come Good Shepherd, Come

Micah 7:8-20New Revised Standard Version (NRSV)

8 Do not rejoice over me, O my enemy;
    when I fall, I shall rise;
when I sit in darkness,
    the Lord will be a light to me.
9 I must bear the indignation of the Lord,
    because I have sinned against him,
until he takes my side
    and executes judgment for me.
He will bring me out to the light;
    I shall see his vindication.
10 Then my enemy will see,
    and shame will cover her who said to me,
    “Where is the Lord your God?”
My eyes will see her downfall;
    now she will be trodden down
    like the mire of the streets.

11 A day for the building of your walls!
    In that day the boundary shall be far extended.
12 In that day they will come to you
    from Assyria to Egypt,
and from Egypt to the River,
    from sea to sea and from mountain to mountain.
13 But the earth will be desolate
    because of its inhabitants,
    for the fruit of their doings.

14 Shepherd your people with your staff,
    the flock that belongs to you,
which lives alone in a forest
    in the midst of a garden land;
let them feed in Bashan and Gilead
    as in the days of old.
15 As in the days when you came out of the land of Egypt,
    show us marvelous things.
16 The nations shall see and be ashamed
    of all their might;
they shall lay their hands on their mouths;
    their ears shall be deaf;
17 they shall lick dust like a snake,
    like the crawling things of the earth;
they shall come trembling out of their fortresses;
    they shall turn in dread to the Lord our God,
    and they shall stand in fear of you.

18 Who is a God like you, pardoning iniquity
    and passing over the transgression
    of the remnant of your possession?
He does not retain his anger forever,
    because he delights in showing clemency.
19 He will again have compassion upon us;
    he will tread our iniquities under foot.
You will cast all our sins
    into the depths of the sea.
20 You will show faithfulness to Jacob
    and unswerving loyalty to Abraham,
as you have sworn to our ancestors
    from the days of old.

I admit that as I read this verse, all I can really think about is images of Baltimore and of Nepal and wonder - in this week of Good Shepherd texts - where is a shepherd when we need one? 

I imagine that our Shepherd is crying for justice and mercy and hope right along side of us.

Like many, I get some of my news from social media.  Most of that has been about Baltimore. I have friends who have bemoaned the violence, and friends who have pointed out (rightly) that it isn't just blacks who riot. There have been many violent riots in this country started by things more unbelievable than what happened to Freddie Gray.  Riots started by sports wins or losses for example.

Human beings, regardless of race or color, are capable of great violence.

Human beings, regardless or race or color, are capable of great Sin.

Yet that is no comfort for the city of Baltimore now.

It is no comfort for the family of Freddie Gray.

Micah warns the enemy not to rejoice, because the Good Shepherd will again have compassion and will again cast our sins into the depths of the sea.

The Good Shepherd looks with love on Baltimore and on Nepal.

The Good Shepherd sets us free to look with love on them as well.

How can we look with love on those who need it most right now? How can we let them know the Shepherd is still tending the flock?

If you have not yet made your support known for the victims of the Nepal and would like to do so, there is not surer or more dependable way to do so than through Lutheran Disaster Response.  Here is a link:  ELCA Nepal Earthquake Relief.

Good Shepherd, come.  Come and help your flock caught up in devastation and in violence.  Amen.

Shepherds? Leaders?

1 Chronicles 11:1-9New Revised Standard Version (NRSV)

11 Then all Israel gathered together to David at Hebron and said, “See, we are your bone and flesh. 2 For some time now, even while Saul was king, it was you who commanded the army of Israel. The Lord your God said to you: It is you who shall be shepherd of my people Israel, you who shall be ruler over my people Israel.” 3 So all the elders of Israel came to the king at Hebron, and David made a covenant with them at Hebron before the Lord. And they anointed David king over Israel, according to the word of the Lord by Samuel.

4 David and all Israel marched to Jerusalem, that is Jebus, where the Jebusites were, the inhabitants of the land. 5 The inhabitants of Jebus said to David, “You will not come in here.” Nevertheless David took the stronghold of Zion, now the city of David. 6 David had said, “Whoever attacks the Jebusites first shall be chief and commander.” And Joab son of Zeruiah went up first, so he became chief. 7 David resided in the stronghold; therefore it was called the city of David. 8 He built the city all around, from the Millo in complete circuit; and Joab repaired the rest of the city. 9 And David became greater and greater, for the Lord of hosts was with him.

Another reading to follow Good Shepherd Sunday.  Here, how David, the king who was literally a shepherd as a youth, is now shepherd to his nation.  His people recognize God's call for him to be their shepherd; they see how God's hand moved in David even before he was King.

And out of this, the City of David - Jerusalem - is born.

Shepherds aren't exactly something we 21st century Western types have much interaction with.  We certainly don't tend to see our leaders as shepherds.  You have only to go on Facebook where I'm sure, if you are like me, you have a diverse group of politically minded friends, and see their thoughts on our leaders today. Whether you are talking about President Obama or John Boehner or Ted Cruz or Hillary Clinton, we aren't generally a people to say: "The Lord God said to you, you shall be a shepherd of my people."

For those of us who are Christians, much of this has to do with the fact that we claim someone else as our shepherd: Jesus Christ.  Claim, even though we admittedly have some ambivalence about thinking of ourselves as sheep.

But David's people had no such ambivalence.

What does it mean for you that Jesus Christ is our shepherd...our Good Shepherd? And does Jesus being our shepherd mean there aren't other shepherds in our lives?

And what might it mean if our leaders actually saw themselves as shepherds; as GOOD shepherds? If our care was paramount to them? 

Is there anyone you shepherd?

Jesus our Good Shepherd, teach us to put the needs of your people before all else.  Amen.

Jesus as leader

Mark 6:30-34New Revised Standard Version (NRSV)

The apostles gathered around Jesus, and told him all that they had done and taught. He said to them, “Come away to a deserted place all by yourselves and rest a while.” For many were coming and going, and they had no leisure even to eat. And they went away in the boat to a deserted place by themselves. Now many saw them going and recognized them, and they hurried there on foot from all the towns and arrived ahead of them. As he went ashore, he saw a great crowd; and he had compassion for them, because they were like sheep without a shepherd; and he began to teach them many things.

I love this passage.  Love it enough that I chose it for today even though it is technically a passage from this past Saturday. But I don't usually write on the weekends, so I'm giving myself a pass!

What I love about it are the signs of Jesus as a leader that come out of it.  First, I love the first few lines where Jesus is telling the disciples "come away to a deserted place all by yourselves and rest a while." As near as I can tell, from my limited memory and from a quick perusal on Bible Gateway, Mark is the only Gospel writer who has Jesus telling his disciples to rest. This passage takes place after the disciples have all gone out two by two (actually, here they are apostles because they have been "sent").  It's their first big mission, and they are on their own in pairs.  Without their leader.  It's early in Jesus' ministry, but out he sends them - while he stays back and waits.

I can imagine their excitement when they return to tell him all they've accomplished!

For we who live in a day and age when it seems like busy-ness is the sign of corporate (and often personal!) success and where perfection is lifted up as the goal, Jesus sending his novices out and then telling them to rest when they are done is refreshing!  How many bosses or teachers or leaders are in your life that tell you to rest at the end of a big project or event? 

We know from the other gospels that Jesus models rest - or sabbath - to the disciples.  He often will himself go off to pray. But I love that Mark has him sharing that habit with the disciples. He sends them off to their own sabbath time and - presumably refreshed himself from his time while they were gone - he begins to teach the crowds who press ever in.

What is remarkable to me is that it is Mark - the most movement and action oriented of all the Gospel writers - who shows this side of Jesus.  Not just modeling sabbath. But giving the gift of sabbath to his followers.

So Jesus as a leader trusts his new disciples with a big task. He knows it might not be perfectly done. But he gives them a chance and we see here how their confidence is established.

And then he tells them to rest, while he, rested himself, returns to work.

Jesus, remind us that busy-ness is not the same as success, and that you have called us to rest and be refreshed so we can serve you faithfully.  Amen.

Wisdom

Proverbs 9:1-6New Revised Standard Version (NRSV)

Wisdom has built her house,
    she has hewn her seven pillars.
She has slaughtered her animals, she has mixed her wine,
    she has also set her table.
She has sent out her servant-girls, she calls
    from the highest places in the town,
“You that are simple, turn in here!”
    To those without sense she says,
“Come, eat of my bread
    and drink of the wine I have mixed.
Lay aside immaturity, and live,
    and walk in the way of insight.”

Have I mentioned that I love the character of Wisdom in the Psalms (she is found in some other Wisdom literature as well - some deuterocanonical texts)?

Here, she is not only been personified, but she also images herself as a place. She is somewhere, then, arrive-able.

How do we become wise? It's an age old question isn't it, and there is really not one tried and true formula.

But I think there is a clue here in Wisdom's call for us to "lay aside immaturity and live."

Live.

Living was something Jesus was always admonishing his followers and hearers to do.

What is life like when we are truly living it? When we are in tune to the world and people around us. Making the most of opportunities that are given to us. Learning from our mistakes to forge new paths.

Choosing to be in relationship and service and not seeking our own way all the time.

Listening and being present rather than letting our minds take us away from where the action is.

Not needing someone else to be wrong for us to be right.

Setting aside anger and offering forgiveness.

Jesus called us life. 

Wisdom is not knowledge.  It isn't book smarts.  It is insight into life and love.

Wisdom has prepared a table for us.  Let's dine on the best life has to offer.

God of wisdom, open my eyes and my mind and my heart. Help me to be fully present and part of this bountiful life you have set before me. Amen

Praise

Psalm 150 New Revised Standard Version (NRSV)

Praise the Lord!
Praise God in his sanctuary;
    praise him in his mighty firmament!
Praise him for his mighty deeds;
    praise him according to his surpassing greatness!

Praise him with trumpet sound;
    praise him with lute and harp!
Praise him with tambourine and dance;
    praise him with strings and pipe!
Praise him with clanging cymbals;
    praise him with loud clashing cymbals!
Let everything that breathes praise the Lord!
Praise the Lord!

This is one of my favorite Psalms. I've often thought of it as proof that God likes a good party or a great concert! That THAT is what worship is meant to be: an effusive, wonderful, display of our best artistic and musical and non-musical but joyful efforts. I've often heard people refer derisively to worship that is like a concert or a party, yet I've been at some concerts (and even some parties), where I've felt God walk in the room more clearly and fully than some services I've been to! Singing together with 60,000 other people at a U2 concert has been praise and worship for me!

This psalm tells us not only how to praise God, but why we praise God. As post-resurrection Christians, we could probably add a few things to the Psalmists list: Praise God for new creation! Praise God for new life and forgiveness! Praise God for the small moments of joy! Praise God for suffering not having the final say!

How would you write this psalm on your heart? How do you praise God? With song? With banging a hammer to rebuild homes for those with need? By teaching Sunday School? By tithing? By playing the drums? The guitar? The harp? The cello? The piano?

By waking up every morning with gratitude for this life we've been given?

There are many ways to praise. Don't be afraid to try a few on for size! God's greatness is big enough for all manner of rejoicing!

Praise God! Praise God! Praise God! May the praise flow always from my lips and heart! Amen

Love

1 John 3:11-16New Revised Standard Version (NRSV)

For this is the message you have heard from the beginning, that we should love one another. We must not be like Cain who was from the evil one and murdered his brother. And why did he murder him? Because his own deeds were evil and his brother’s righteous. Do not be astonished, brothers and sisters, that the world hates you. We know that we have passed from death to life because we love one another. Whoever does not love abides in death. All who hate a brother or sister are murderers, and you know that murderers do not have eternal life abiding in them. We know love by this, that he laid down his life for us—and we ought to lay down our lives for one another.

In the Small Catechism this is what Luther has to say about the 5th Commandment:

"We are to fear and love God, so that we neither endanger nor harm the lives of our neighbors, but instead help them and support them in all of life's needs."

According to Luther then, we all (with himself included at times as well), are most likely murderers.

And here John probably would agree with him.

Hating someone is the equivalent of "killing" someone.

And loving each other meaning laying down your life for them? Really? 

Most of us won't have the opportunity to literally lay our lives down for someone, but I'll bet there are opportunities to figuratively lay our lives - our desires, our wants, our demands - down for someone else all the time.  I'll bet we have the opportunity to not hate someone all the time.

God is a god of relationship. We are created to be in community, working with and serving each other in love. We need not look farther than the news to see how far we fall short.

And sometimes we need not look farther than our own hearts.

Loving takes practice. We are used to thinking of it as a feeling, but it is also a verb. It's an action. And the verb love takes practice.

Who do you need to practice on today?

God of love, teach me your ways of love that I might open my heart and hands to even those who I have treated as my enemy.  Amen.

Love of the World

1 John 2:15New Revised Standard Version (NRSV)

Do not love the world or the things in the world. The love of the Father is not in those who love the world.

This is one of those passages that make me wish I'd taken Greek.  I didn't have to for my degree, so I didn't.  

But I wish I had so I could (hopefully) clear up some confusion here.

However, things being what they are, I think even without a good understanding at Greek I can take a stab at it.

Because honestly, this are one of those passages that either a) people take literally to the detriment of some of their relationships, or b) people get so turned off by that they throw up their hands in frustration (or their Bibles out the window).

Please do not literally stop loving the things of this world.

Don't stop loving your dog or the trees or the coffee shop where you meet your best friend for lunch.

Or the flowers at the local garden center.

Or the movie theater where you had your first date with your significant other.

Or the fitness class where you go with your neighbor.

Or music or poetry.

Or the grass your baby crawls on.

The thing is, the word "love" and the word "world" have both become so easy to use in our language that it is impossible to not hear our usage of them in this verse.

We overuse the word love.  I do it all the time.  I love U2. I love movies. I love the X-files and Reece's Peanut Butter cups.

Does it make a difference that I misuse it?

Yes...

...And no.

Yes, because really we SHOULD save the word "love" for those special things it is meant for.  For my husband. For my daughter. For my parents.

For my God.

Yet, you probably use the word "love" in the same way so you know that I don't love U2 or movies or candy in the same way I love my family (at least, I hope you don't).

So, in that respect - in terms of communication - then, no.  I'm not misusing it.

So what does that have to do with this passage?

It has to do with the fact that it is very easy to put our usage of a word - any word - into a Biblical writer's mouth.  

And it is easy to get so hung up on it that we miss the meaning completely.

And here's where it's important to pay attention:

I said that hopefully you know I love my family more than other things.

But what God wants to know is do we love him more than those things?

Or more than anything even?

God isn't giving us a black or white option.  God knows that we care about the things in God's creation.

But do we care about those things more than God?

That's the question!

Lord, forgive me when I put anything or anyone before you and your deep, abiding love for this world.  Amen.

New Life

Mark 12:18-27New Revised Standard Version (NRSV)

18 Some Sadducees, who say there is no resurrection, came to him and asked him a question, saying, 19 “Teacher, Moses wrote for us that if a man’s brother dies, leaving a wife but no child, the man shall marry the widow and raise up children for his brother. 20 There were seven brothers; the first married and, when he died, left no children; 21 and the second married the widow and died, leaving no children; and the third likewise; 22 none of the seven left children. Last of all the woman herself died. 23 In the resurrectionwhose wife will she be? For the seven had married her.”

24 Jesus said to them, “Is not this the reason you are wrong, that you know neither the scriptures nor the power of God? 25 For when they rise from the dead, they neither marry nor are given in marriage, but are like angels in heaven. 26 And as for the dead being raised, have you not read in the book of Moses, in the story about the bush, how God said to him, ‘I am the God of Abraham, the God of Isaac, and the God of Jacob’? 27 He is God not of the dead, but of the living; you are quite wrong.”

This is the text that I think forces us to confront in ourselves all those happy images we make for ourselves of the afterlife: that we will be blissfully reunited with the ones we love.  

Or for some, maybe those aren't such happy images, if the ones they "love" were abusive or frightening.

Instead, Jesus says not to expect things to be as they are here.  

The first hint of this was with Jesus' own resurrection.  He was Jesus, yet the disciples didn't recognize him.

The same.

But different.

Don't get me wrong.  I don't believe there is anything wrong with comforting words to folks who in grief need to imagine seeing loved ones again.  And in all honesty, I have no idea that they won't see them again.

But the focus, says Jesus, will not be on us bringing our images of Resurrection to God.  Instead, we will see God's version of life in a new way. One without the baggage that we tend to bring to it.

Lord of life, remind us that you are the author of all life and that you will surprise us always with new life and new creation. Amen.