Category: Year B

1 Thessalonians 5:12-22

On By Tim EhrhardtIn Daily Bible Reading Blog, Year B2 Comments


            According to the secular calendar it is Black Friday.  The worship of consumerism is in full swing at the cathedral mall with accompanying liturgies of parking, finding great deals, and standing in long lines waiting to confess to larger credit card debt.  Yep, I know that sounds cynical.  There is nothing wrong with a crazy good bargain and thinking of gifting others, but, at the same time, we need to acknowledge that the whole shopping experience mirrors religious movements much more than we might want to admit.
             The Christian Year, with its annual rhythm centered round the life of Christ, offers an alternative way of keeping time and living life.  Today is the last Friday in the Church Calendar.  Sunday is a new year, beginning with Advent, and we again journey with Jesus throughout the seasons.  Today’s New Testament lesson contains several staccato-like exhortations from the Apostle Paul at the end of his letter.  Just as Paul wanted to get some quick instruction before the end, so we need to hear these biblical imperatives at the end of the Christian Year, as well as keeping them in mind in order to avoid the orgy of shopping within this next month.
             The compact list of commands is almost overwhelming:  admonish the idle; encourage the fainthearted; help the weak; be patient with everyone; do not repay evil for evil; seek to do good to everyone; rejoice always; pray without ceasing; give thanks in all circumstances; do not quench the Spirit; don’t despise prophecies (exhortation of other believers); test everything; hold fast to what is good; abstain from every form of evil.  
             Rather than having our eyes glaze over wondering how we can hold all these imperatives together in our lives, let’s focus on one.  It is better to begin with one command and be diligent with it than it is to walk away and do none of them at all.  One suggestion is to list all these exhortations and ask the Spirit to show you which one to work on in this holiday season.  Keep in mind that one command in each decision you make and every conversation you have with others in the next several weeks.  See if it becomes a habit for you.  Observe how it changes your life and those around you, especially at the mall….
             Patient God, your steadfast love sticks with me day in and day out.  Help me to weave your commands so thoroughly into the fabric of my life that it transforms the way I interact with others.  In Jesus’ name I pray.  Amen.

Psalm 25:1-10

On By Tim EhrhardtIn Daily Bible Reading Blog, Year BLeave a comment


             I admit there are things from my past I am neither proud of nor happy about.  Yet, thanks to God Almighty, that he has selective memory.  God remembers according to his nature and character (merciful and showing steadfast love) and not based on the stupid sins of our youth.  God freely chooses to forgive and has made the means available for us to experience daily cleansing and victory through the Lord Jesus Christ.
             Memory is a not a minor theme in the Old Testament.  Rather, remembering is a major focus that pops up again and again.  How we remember past events is of upmost importance to God.  We are to not dwell on and keep remembering any former indiscretions of either ourselves or others.  Since God does not hold the past over our heads, neither are we to do so.  On the other hand, we are to keep in mind and continually remember the great works of God, especially in redemption.  What has happened in the past either by us or against us is not the real issue; the most prescient issue is how you and I interpret those events.
             Today we can choose to remember in the way God remembers.  Thanksgiving meals with family and the holiday season with relatives are, for some folks, a sheer duty.  Even the best of families have those within their ranks that can make for difficult relations.  Paying attention to our memory and how we choose to remember can be a significant part of interacting with others.  If we like it that God has shown grace to us, then the least we can do is let that same grace flow from us to others who neither deserve it nor expect it.  Let’s give thanks to the Lord, for he is good in forgiving sin and showing infinite mercy.  And let’s express our gratitude through selfless words and acts of grace which reflect the nature of God.
             Gracious God, you do not hold grudges and always act according to love.  Even though you could have condemned me, you saved me.  Despite the fact that I have fallen short of your glory, you delivered me.  I remember your mighty redemptive deeds in Jesus, and I give you eternal praise and thanksgiving.  Amen.

2 Samuel 2:1-7

On By Tim EhrhardtIn Daily Bible Reading Blog, Year BLeave a comment
            “David inquired of the LORD.”  This is a wonderful commentary that characterized the life of King David.  Saul had pursued David, seeking his life.  But now Saul had been killed in battle.  Any other person in the sandals of David would have immediately set about to do away with any rival factions, any people who had been loyal to the previous ruler.  But David was not just any other run-of-the-mill kind of king.  He did not presume to act on his own accord, or know exactly what he should do.  Instead, he inquired of the Lord.
 
            David not only did an astounding thing by not wiping out those loyal to Saul, but he did one better:  he showed steadfast love to the men of Jabesh-Gilead who had been devoted to Saul.  David blessed instead of cursed; he acted kindly instead of coldly; he honored the memory of Saul instead of stamping out any vestige of him from the land.  David did not venture to immediately consolidate his power and rule over Israel and Judah.  Rather, he sought God, and his actions reflected the nature and character of God.
 
            Perhaps our words and actions do not always reflect the character of God because we dare to speak and act apart from inquiry of the Lord.  Maybe we only seek the Lord if we have enough discretionary time at the end of the day, or if we are in a pickle we want to get out of.  What if we began each day with seeking the Lord?  What if our default disposition and immediate knee-jerk reaction to everything was to ask God what we should do?  If we carve plenty of time to do so each morning, maybe we will be known as people who show steadfast love, and people who are after God’s own heart.
 

 

            Loving God, you are attentive to all I say and do.  Let my words reflect your gracious character, and my actions work in accord with your good purposes to the glory of Jesus.  Amen.

Psalm 63

On By Tim EhrhardtIn Daily Bible Reading Blog, Year BLeave a comment
            Those that visit this blog with any regularity know that I believe the book of Psalms to be a vast untapped resource of devotion and prayer for many Christians.  In those dark times when we don’t know what to pray, how to lament, or what to say to God; in the joyful times when we want to proclaim praise, give thanks, or express our blessings and longings; in every season of our lives the psalms have something to offer us in our relationship with the God of all creation.
 
            Today’s psalm was originally uttered to God when David was roaming in the wilderness avoiding Saul’s malevolent intent.  David expressed his yearning, desire, and hope in order to connect with God and be led by him, step by step.  David praised God in his circumstance, longing to be satisfied with spiritual food and drink.
 

 

            Just as we are to pray the psalms, speak the psalms out loud, and meditate on the psalms, so we are to also sing the psalms.  The Psalter Hymnal of old, as well as many contemporary praise and worship songs are words from the psalms, meant to help, encourage, and give voice to our own current experiences.  Inspired by the psalms, take a few minutes today to listen to “God You Are My God” by Michael W. Smith, or check out a compilation of music from the psalms, for example, “The Psalms Project”, which aims to get all 150 psalms to music.  Maybe even make up your own tune to today’s psalm and sing it to the Lord.
 
            Whatever we do, let the psalms help form and shape a profound spirituality for us which helps to more deeply connect with the God we long to know more and more.  Soli Deo Gloria!