Category: Daily Bible Reading Blog

A blog following the daily readings from the Revised Common Lectionary.

Acts 20:17-38

On By Tim EhrhardtIn Daily Bible Reading Blog, Year BLeave a comment
            Apparently, real men do cry.  When the manly Apostle Paul was headed for Jerusalem, he stopped in Ephesus on his way.  Paul preached for hours to the church he had established there, and everyone understood this just might the last time they all saw each other.  Paul remembered that he had served the Lord among them and admonished each person “with tears” (vv. 19, 31).  Paul departed from Ephesus for the last time and “there was much weeping on the part of all” (v. 37).
 
            Paul did not shrink from declaring all the will of God to the church.  Neither did he hold back the tears and was not afraid to allow his emotions to be an integral part of his ministry.  One of the unfortunate philosophical hangovers from the Enlightenment project of sheer intellectual rationalism is that over the past several centuries we in the West have tended to view ourselves as brains on a stick.  The thinking goes that if we clearly and objectively educate people, providing them the correct information, they will have everything they need and do the right thing.  Try telling that to Paul.
 
            Christianity that does not include the vital element of the emotions is a truncated spirituality that desperately needs some tears in order to connect with Jesus Christ.  So, let’s all have a good cry today.  Weep over the lost persons who are in need of salvation; shed some tears about believers who are not growing in their faith; bawl and let our eyes be red in missing those friends and mentors who have moved on and/or passed away; and, cry over a broken world that has not experienced the grace of God.  Indeed, slow down enough to feel the pain and find the mercy of God.
            Gracious God, you have created us all in your image.  Help me so to connect with your emotional self that I will not be stifled in my faith, but will go on to maturity in Christ with your whole church.  Amen.

Psalm 61

On By Tim EhrhardtIn Daily Bible Reading Blog, Year BLeave a comment
            The Psalms are the prayer book of the Bible.  Sometimes evangelical Christians might forget the simple reality that not every prayer they utter has to always arise spontaneous from the heart.  There are many times, especially when overwhelmed or under duress, when speaking aloud a psalm perfectly captures the state and intent of our prayers. 
 
            As I sometimes do, today I offer my own contemporary paraphrase of a psalm that can be prayed by God’s people in times of difficulty:
 
O God, listen to me as I cry out to you from the depths of my heart,
            and bend your ear toward what I am saying to you;
from this emotionally faraway place I call to you,
            because I am about to faint with stress.
Lead me to the place
that is higher than my fears,
for you have been my refuge,
            a mighty fortress against the enemy of my soul.
 
Let me live in your safe-house forever!
            Let me be in a secure room with you standing guard!
O God, you have heard all the commitments I have made for your name’s sake;
            and you have given me a special place along with others whom you love.
 
Prolong the life of your committed servant;
            and may my years on this earth multiply with you in charge.
May I be seated with you forever in your glorious presence;
            command your grace and faithfulness to continually watch over me!
 
I will not stop singing about your great name,

            as I live for you with all my heart day after day.  Amen.

Colossians 1:15-23

On By Tim EhrhardtIn Daily Bible Reading Blog, Year BLeave a comment
            Jesus is King; and, we are not.  A simple statement; yet, not easily engrafted into life.  The original sin of Adam and Even was rebellion – to break the bonds of loving authority that God provided for them.  We (especially us Americans) have this nasty anti-authoritarian strain that runs rather deep in us.  As a child, when my middle daughter was grappling with the implications of faith in Christ, she once blurted out an honest cry that we all can resonate with: “I just don’t want another person in my life telling me what to do!”  Indeed, Jesus is King; we are not.
 
            The New Testament lesson for today is rich with the pre-eminence and lordship of Jesus Christ.  By Jesus all things were created through him and for him.  Everything in all creation is held together by Jesus.  He is the head of the church.  In Jesus complete divinity exists and reigns.  Jesus made peace through the cross because he had the authority and the qualifications to do so.  Broken relationships and proper lines of authority are now restored and redeemed in Christ.
 
            We all can relate to indulging an illusion that we are in control and dictate the course of our lives.  But Jesus is Sovereign, and this is a good thing.  It is good because only in Christ can we find reconciliation and purity of life.  A healthy practice for Christians is to kneel.  I realize some Christian traditions do it as a part of their worship, and some do not.  Yet, bowing, even prostrating oneself (if you are physically able!) can be a powerful symbol of the heart’s desire and disposition to submit to the lordship and authority of Jesus Christ.  Crawling out of bed in the morning onto one’s knees and beginning the day looking to live into the will of God, and ending the day in the same manner, are a practical means of remembering who Jesus is and who we are.
            Sovereign God, in your mercy you have sent your Son, the Lord Jesus, who has brought reconciliation to a once broken relationship.  I bow before you in obedience, submission, and worship.  Let me live a cross-shaped life through enjoying the peace you have given me in Christ.  Amen.

2 Samuel 6:16-23

On By Tim EhrhardtIn Daily Bible Reading Blog, Year BLeave a comment
            King David had one whopper of a worship procession when he brought the Ark of the Covenant to Jerusalem.  It was a great celebration filled with praise, generosity, and dancing.  Yet, David’s wife, Michal, was a by-stander to the entire event.  She critically watched the worship service from afar and judged her husband for his part in it.  Furthermore, Michal let David know it when he got home.  But David was undaunted.  He was committed to the worship of his God.  The story finishes with a cryptic note on Michal, that she had no children to the day of her death.  This is meant to convey both the physical reality of barrenness, and the sad fact that she was spiritually barren, bereft of the ability to praise the One true God.
 
            Far too many persons take the posture of Michal when it comes to worship.  They sit and watch, critically nit-picking the worship leader, the pastor, and all that takes place.  The problem, however, may not be the worship; it is perhaps more likely that there is a barrenness of soul preventing the person from genuine and passionate worship of God.
 
            We all have damaged souls simply from living in a broken world.  Worship can be a healing activity.  But it needs to be entered into.  There must be participation.  The wounds of the inner person will cause unhealthy patterns of criticism and bitterness unless they are addressed through the pilgrimage of a worshipful procession.  The most difficult journey of all is not an outward trip to another place; the greatest journey is to bravely enter the inner labyrinth of the soul and confront the shadows where old hurts hold onto with tenacity.  This is where worship begins.
            Great God Almighty, you are worthy to be praised.  Give me the courage to worship with abandon and be unconcerned with what others might think about it, so that I can be healed within and be generous without hindrance.  May Jesus Christ be praised.  Amen.