Category: Year C

Deuteronomy 9:15-24

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


            God is full of grace, steadfast love, and covenant commitment.  But this does not mean that God is okay with sin.  He does not shrug his divine shoulders in a “meh” kind of attitude.  In fact, grace does not exist apart from sin.  Where there is boundless grace and compassion there will be found bucket loads of sin.  And, oh my, was there a load of sin among the ancient Israelites!  They were characterized as stiff-necked, stubborn, rebellious, and idolatrous.  This is the kind of stuff that evokes the ire of God.
             The truly godly person is the one who shares God’s heart and interests; what upsets God, upsets him/her; what makes God pleased, makes him/her pleased.  Notice Moses’ response to the people’s idolatry and sin:  he was visibly angered; he confronted the people with their sin; and, he engaged in an extended time of fasting and prayer on their behalf. 
             Lackadaisical attitudes and approaches toward God are rife throughout the Western church.  There is little to no sustained, prolonged, and focused times of prayer and fasting among both individuals and groups of people because we are too busy indulging in revelry with our idols of money, sex, power, and perfectionist control.  Until we are cut to the heart with this present darkness of empty souls and vacuous spirits which run to everything and everyone but God, there will be no entering the Promised Land of peace, love, and joy in the Holy Spirit.  The glory of the Lord is almost upon us, and the season of Lent is nearly here.  So, let us make a solid spiritual plan for the forty days leading up to Easter for prayer and fasting on behalf of our own sin, and the sin of the world.
             Holy God, idolatrous sin brings about your wrath because you cannot stand for the lack of love to take root in your world.  I bow before you and bend the knee to your sovereign reign in my life.  Please lead me in your way of righteousness, and have mercy on those trapped in darkness so that we might see you, through Jesus Christ, our Lord and Savior.  Amen.

Deuteronomy 9:6-14

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


            Significant things happen on mountains in the Bible.  In anticipation of a glorious mountain top experience of Christ’s transfiguration this Sunday, today’s Old Testament lesson reminds us of a great mountain event, and it was not all bunnies and butterflies.  The book of Deuteronomy is a restatement of the law, and a recounting of Israel’s history as they were about to enter the Promised Land.  “Remember and do not forget…” is the constant theme of Moses’ address to God’s people.  The positive remembrance was that God graciously met with Moses on the mountain and gave him the Ten Words (Ten Commandments).  On the other hand, the ugly remembrance was that while on the mountain meeting with God the people became impatient, insolent, and rebellious; they degenerated into a chaotic mass of people who quickly worshiped an idol.  This was not Israel’s best moment.
             But Moses wanted the people to remember that event in all of its foulness and degradation.  It was important for them to not forget how stubborn and pig-headed their parents and grandparents were in running from the true God to a false god.  The people needed to avoid the sins of the previous generation so that they could enjoy God and thrive in the new land he was giving them.
             It does no one any good to whitewash the past or to altogether ignore it.  Whether it is one’s personal past, a previous generation, or even a national history, we must face the sins of our forebears, to remember and not forget.  We must neither be so extremely individualistic that we disconnect ourselves from our generational moorings, nor be dismissive of past sins, as if they have no influence upon us today.  Mountain experiences can either be glorious, turn very dark, or a bit of both.  We are meant to learn from them all, to remember and not forget.
             God of history, your sovereign reign and rule extends to all creation and has existed for all time.  You know the sins of my past, the heart of my present, and the soul of my future.  Do not let me forget my sins, not because you hold them over my head, but because your grace has saved me from them all through Jesus Christ, my Savior.  Amen.

Psalm 99

On By Tim EhrhardtIn Daily Bible Reading Blog, Year CLeave a comment
            The Revised Common Lectionary daily scripture texts are arranged in such a way as to illuminate the significance of the Sunday readings, to encourage an overall reading of the Bible over the span of the year, and to provide a solid foundation for prayer.  Thus, the three days of Monday, Tuesday, and Wednesday are designed to reflect on the previous Sunday; the three days of Thursday, Friday, and Saturday are meant to anticipate and prepare for the coming Sunday.  One psalm is used in the first three days for reflection; and, one psalm is used in the last three days for preparation.
 
            Today’s psalm is designed to help us prepare for Transfiguration Sunday in which we recognize and celebrate our Lord Christ’s bright glory on the mountain in the presence of three disciples.  The pinnacle of the event was God the Father enveloping them all, including Moses and Elijah, in a cloud and speaking to them.  Psalm 99 is meant for praise.  It connects us with the pillar of cloud that occurred when the Israelites came out of Egypt to the cloud that descended on the Mount of Transfiguration.
 
            Just as God spoke and gave his commandments to Moses in the Old Testament, so he has spoken in these last times through his Son, Jesus.  Christ is the fulfillment of all God’s good promises.  Think of these next few days as taking a pilgrimage to the mountain where we will meet with God.  Sing songs of praise.  Read Psalm 99 over several times in a spirit of worship and anticipation.  Orient your heart around Jesus, and be ready to listen to him.  For the Lord Jesus Christ has come to be our hope, our trust, and our life.
 

 

            Lord God Almighty, I exalt you and praise your holy name for you have done mighty things.  Speak, Lord, for I am listening to your voice, and I am attentive to the words of your Son, Jesus.  Spirit of God, illumine my mind and my heart to receive what you have to say to me.  Amen.

Mark 7:24-30

On By Tim EhrhardtIn Daily Bible Reading Blog, Year CLeave a comment
            There are many times in our lives when not much happens until something becomes urgent.  A doctor, a preacher, or financial planner can tell us something until they are blue in the face, but it will not mean much without a profound inner sense that some sort of change needs to occur – that the way things are isn’t going to cut it any longer.
 
            Today’s Gospel lesson is a story of urgency.  Here is a Gentile Canaanite woman, a person who is about as far from God as one can get in the ancient world.  She was not concerned about appearances, etiquette, or any pretense to hide her pain; she cared about her daughter getting healed of her suffering.  So, she sought Jesus.  And the woman believed that Jesus was the answer to her daughter’s situation.  It was the dogged belief (pun intended) that Jesus will deliver.
 
            Grace is bestowed only to the humble that recognize the urgency of needing Jesus.  It is bestowed only in God’s good timing – not ours.  The real muster of a genuine faith is exemplified by a willingness to beg, and is demonstrated with perseverance in the face of the slimmest of odds.  A superficial reading of the story might lead us to think that Jesus’ initial response to the woman was elitist and aloof.  It seems to me that a better way of looking at it is that our faith will be tested to prove its authenticity.
 
            The woman displayed a raw, real, and persistent faith – the very faith that Jesus commended.  It makes me wonder how urgent I am in prayer.  I wonder what would happen if I prayed for one lost neighbor or relative every day with the same urgent persistence as the woman; or, if I begged God without giving up to heal my grandson’s epilepsy; or, if I persevered in prayer for revival.  Perhaps the real enemy of the Christian life is mediocrity and a false sense of acceptance that all is just fine the way it is – kind of like the Pharisees.
 

 

            Healing God, you are the hope of the church and of all who look to you in faith.  Please turn the world, and my world, upside-down with spiritual power that heals people of disease, depression, and demonic influence so that the kingdom of God breaks into all of life and does its transforming work in Jesus’ Name.  Amen.