Tag: god’s glory

The Lord Will Grant Me Justice (Isaiah 49:1-7)

On By Tim EhrhardtIn Christian Spirituality Blog, Daily Bible Reading Blog, Year ALeave a comment
From the final of scene of “The Count of Monte Cristo,” 2002 film from Touchstone Pictures

Listen to me, coastlands;
    pay attention, peoples far away.
The Lord called me before my birth,
    called my name when I was in my mother’s womb.
He made my mouth like a sharp sword,
    and hid me in the shadow of God’s own hand.
He made me a sharpened arrow,
        and concealed me in God’s quiver,
    saying to me, “You are my servant,
        Israel, in whom I show my glory.”
But I said, “I have wearied myself in vain.
    I have used up my strength for nothing.”
Nevertheless, the Lord will grant me justice;
    my reward is with my God.
And now the Lord has decided—
    the one who formed me from the womb as his servant—
    to restore Jacob to God,
    so that Israel might return to him.
    Moreover, I’m honored in the Lord’s eyes;
    my God has become my strength.
He said: It is not enough, since you are my servant,
    to raise up the tribes of Jacob
    and to bring back the survivors of Israel.
    Hence, I will also appoint you as light to the nations
    so that my salvation may reach to the end of the earth.

The Lord, redeemer of Israel and its holy one,
    says to one despised,
    rejected by nations,
    to the slave of rulers:
    Kings will see and stand up;
    commanders will bow down
    on account of the Lord, who is faithful,
    the holy one of Israel,
    who has chosen you. (Common English Bible)

The Servant in today’s Old Testament lesson is referred to as Israel. Israel’s role is identified as being the covenant people of God. And Israel’s purpose is to be a light to the nations. It was the Lord’s intention that through this covenant community God’s glory would be revealed.

But in much of Israel’s history, this purpose and mission from God did not shake-out very well among the people. The prophets were sent to Israel’s leadership in order to point out the incongruence between Israel’s call from God from their actual lived experience.

Among the prophets, like Isaiah, was modeled for the people what they should have been doing all along: Persevering in faithful suffering for the sake of the surrounding nations. Yet, instead of embracing this difficult commission, Israel largely appropriated worship practices and dubious morality from the nations.

Whereas light was supposed to shine in the darkness, the light was hidden and the darkness overwhelmed it.

However, light cannot stay hidden for long. Servant Israel nonetheless discovered what it meant to suffer for righteousness sake. The Servant confessed having fallen short of God’s glory while also speaking confidently about God’s abiding faithfulness.

There is here a recognition by the Servant that Israel’s purpose and mission has not yet been fulfilled. A big task still awaits to bring forth justice to the nations.

Oftentimes, whenever we think of justice, we may tend toward believing that it refers to divine judgment, as if the task is to make sure the bad guys get it in the  end. But that’s a Western movie understanding in which the Sheriff puts some lead in the bandits bellies.

“Justice” in Holy Scripture refers to the good guys – that they receive what they need to live and flourish on this earth. Whenever food, clothing, housing, or basic human rights are withheld or ignored by those in power, that’s injustice. And God is most concerned that everyone receives proper justice, that is, having everything they need for life and godliness in this present evil age.

So, what God cares about, the Servant is to care about. Since God cares about justice, so the Servant is to work toward ensuring there is justice for all.

God has provided. It is the Servant’s task to use that provision and live into the vocation given by God. In other words, the Servant has been equipped to do the work. There’s no excuse for injustice.

Wrapped-up in this call for justice is making sure that the faithful in Israel bring back the unfaithful, so that everyone together might fully engage in God’s purposes for humanity and reach the nations with deliverance from all that stands in the way of justice.

God is continually on a mission of bringing back wayward people. It is the role of God’s people to honor and glorify God by fulfilling their divine call to the nations. The Lord desires restoration, and wants to work with people in a divine/human cooperative which establishes just practices for the common good of everyone on planet earth.

Real strength comes from the Lord. There’s empowerment for God’s people to return to their sense of vocation, to be a light to the nations, and to realize deliverance from injustice so that people may thrive and enjoy creation and the Creator forever.

No matter what the circumstances one faces in this life, everyone has the capacity to trust in God in the middle of their suffering and/or discouragement. It’s in this context that the light of God is best shown among the nations.

Others rarely take note of believers’ faith when things are going well. It’s easy to show faith when life is good. But when life is precipitous, when situations are dire, and the believer nonetheless has a genuine and confident trust that God’s justice will prevail, then the world takes notice of that kind of faith.

Right now many people are facing hardship and feeling powerless due to governmental interventions that they don’t want and didn’t ask for. It’s easy to become discouraged and to be fearful of what will happen.

I definitely feel it. I have a 36-year-old daughter who is a white Christian mother of three living in Minneapolis. Sound familiar? It’s people like my sweet girl who are getting oppressed, abused, even killed. It’s unjust and unrighteous.

God is looking for justice in the public square. God does not forget the downtrodden, the immigrant, the weak, and the powerless. And God holds those in power to account – whether they are using their resources for justice or injustice.

What I need to hear, and maybe you do too, is that ultimately God is still on the throne – and not any earthly ruler or president or national leader of any kind. God still cares about the needs of everyone. The Lord has a heart and a passion for justice for all, and not just some.

The Lord will grant me and you justice.

Grant, O God, that your holy and life-giving Spirit may so move every human heart, that barriers which divide us may crumble, suspicions disappear, and hatreds cease; that our divisions being healed, we may live in justice and peace; through Jesus Christ our Lord. Amen.

God (Psalm 147:12-20)

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

Extol the Lord, O Jerusalem!
    Praise your God, O Zion!
For he strengthens the bars of your gates;
    he blesses your children within you.
He grants peace within your borders;
    he fills you with the finest of wheat.
He sends out his command to the earth;
    his word runs swiftly.
He gives snow like wool;
    he scatters frost like ashes.
He hurls down hail like crumbs—
    who can stand before his cold?
He sends out his word and melts them;
    he makes his wind blow, and the waters flow.
He declares his word to Jacob,
    his statutes and ordinances to Israel.
He has not dealt thus with any other nation;
    they do not know his ordinances.
Praise the Lord! (New Revised Standard Version)

The psalmist portrays a God who is clearly in control of all things. This is the Lord God almighty, who is the Creator, and is sovereign over the entire world.

God has no need for bluster, or to leverage knowledge in order to get things done. With only a word, the weather changes completely, and people are invited to participate in the divine will for this earth.

There is no creature, and no human on this earth, who has such power and authority, sovereignty and control, over everything and everyone as God.

Because of God’s great power, the Lord is able to extend gracious and providential care for those who put their hope in God’s steadfast love. Such grace and love of divine blessing is the means for Israel’s praise of Yahweh in the psalm.

The grandest blessing of them all is the gift of the “word.” God’s word of command is what sets in motion all of the natural processes of this earth. It is the divine word that gives and sustains life on this planet.

The same divine word which has been gifted in order for the waters to abundantly flow and the wind to continually blow, is the word given to Israel in the laws and commands for the people.

This gift of word is a wonderful privilege, given to the nation of Israel in the Old Testament. It is what makes them a peculiar people, recipients of the divine will. It is a word of guidance for the covenant people of God.

And that divine word is the primary reason for the human word to respond in praise by extoling the awesome might and mercy of God.

Please understand that today’s psalm is profoundly theological. In other words, it is all about God. We humans and the creation are mentioned and talked about within the psalm, yet all of it is in the context of God’s activity in the world, of God’s actions in history.

The things which God does among us and in this world is a theological reflection, in and of itself. Let me say it another way: God does what God is.

God didn’t simply do some wondrous act in the past. The Lord didn’t merely console and heal someone at some time. Rather, God is constantly binding up the brokenhearted; continually casting down the wicked; and consistently demonstrating steadfast love through right, good, and just actions, all the time.

There is a never a time when God is not God, being holy, loving, and good; and therefore, God’s eternal actions are a non-stop working of justice and righteousness in this old fallen world.

Evil, of course, is continually at work, as well. But we are not talking about opposing powers which are equal to each other. Justice and love will eventually swallow up wickedness and evil.

This is the hope that undergirds the psalmist, and it is the reason that the faithful keep persevering and offering their praise, adoration, and thanksgiving to the God who never slumbers nor sleeps, but is always watching over the righteous.

God’s wisdom and power is matchless. It is impossible for any one of us, or even all of us collectively, to count and number all the stars in the universe. But God can. And God even has them all named, because they all belong to God.

Neither you nor I could ever number the raindrops that fall on our roof in just a few minutes. Yet, God can. And the Lord can count the grains of sand on a beach and the hairs on every head (or in some cases, every hair on a guy’s back).

We humans number in the billions on this earth. Yet, God knows us all by name. And God’s perfection is near and intimate, not distant and remote.

I don’t know about you, my friend, but my encounters with God are nothing like a virtual Zoom meeting. My interactions with the God of the universe are close, intimate, and caring, just as a mother with her newborn baby.

Therefore, matters of renewal, restoration, and even resurrection are not problems for the God of the psalmist. Widows are comforted and rejoice. The poor are lifted up, and not ruined by their poverty.

The confused, the disordered and disoriented, the discouraged and discombobulated, are all held in the hands of the God who knows their confusion and will take care of them.

I might not understand; and, in fact, the older I become, I’ve discovered that the less I actually know. But I believe. I trust God. I do this, daily, because the Lord has demonstrated to me over and over again that God is trustworthy and has the ability to bend everything in this world for redemptive purposes.

That is the sort of God I serve – that the psalmist serves. And this faith, hope, and love is what I want for you, as well, my friend.

Life is too short and precious to squander it, and to flounder in disbelief. So, just listen; and take as much time as you need to hear the word, and experience the presence of life that is around you, and right in front of your face.

Dearest and most gracious Lord:

I thank you for the gift of life, the rising sun, and the promise of the seasons.

I give you thanks for my family and friends and the gifts they share; for my home and all its comforts within; for the abundance you give me and my willingness to share it with others.

I offer my gratitude to you for granting me wisdom, and the ability to listen; for acceptance of the challenges that I face every day; for strength and courage to act for justice and peace.

Most of all, I thank you for the knowledge that, without you, I have nothing; and with you, I possess all things, and have everything I need. Amen.

Christmas Day (John 1:1-14)

On By Tim EhrhardtIn Christian Spirituality Blog, Daily Bible Reading Blog, Year CLeave a comment
Art by Lourry Legarde

The Word was first,
    the Word present to God,
    God present to the Word.
The Word was God,
    in readiness for God from day one.

Everything was created through him;
    nothing—not one thing!—
    came into being without him.
What came into existence was Life,
    and the Life was Light to live by.
The Life-Light blazed out of the darkness;
    the darkness couldn’t put it out.

There once was a man, his name John, sent by God to point out the way to the Life-Light. He came to show everyone where to look, who to believe in. John was not himself the Light; he was there to show the way to the Light.

The Life-Light was the real thing:
    Every person entering Life
    he brings into Light.
He was in the world,
    the world was there through him,
    and yet the world didn’t even notice.
He came to his own people,
    but they didn’t want him.
But whoever did want him,
    who believed he was who he claimed
    and would do what he said,
He made to be their true selves,
    their child-of-God selves.
These are the God-begotten,
    not blood-begotten,
    not flesh-begotten,
    not sex-begotten.

The Word became flesh and blood,
    and moved into the neighborhood.
We saw the glory with our own eyes,
    the one-of-a-kind glory,
    like Father, like Son,
Generous inside and out,
    true from start to finish. (The Message)

Art by Linnaea Mallette

Joy to the world! Merry Christmas to you, my friend. On this day, and for the next twelve days, we remember and celebrate the nativity of Christ, and the mystery of his incarnation.

We acknowledge with Christians, both past and present, all around the world, in proclaiming together:

“Glory to God in heaven, and on earth peace among those whom he favors.” (Luke 2:14, CEB)

We relate to the shepherds, out in their fields, caring for the flocks of sheep at night, who were terrified, yet went and offered their worship to the newborn king, listening to the angelic message:

Then the angel said to them, “Do not be afraid, for behold, I bring you good tidings of great joy which will be to all people. For there is born to you this day in the city of David a Savior, who is Christ the Lord.” (Luke 2:10-11, NKJV)

We identify with Mary, the mother of Jesus, who pondered the meaning of the nativity in her heart. (Luke 2:19)

This Christmas season extends from December 25 through January 5. Celebrating throughout these days helps us enter into the profound meaning and mystery of Christ’s incarnation – rather than just observing one day.

Today’s Gospel lesson moves us to do just that, to acknowledge and affirm the identity of Jesus Christ as fully human, and at the same time, all the time, fully divine.

Christ was both born into this world, and pre-existed from the very beginning. Indeed, Jesus has always existed, without any sort of preconditions to his eternal being. He is a person, a persona of God. In other words, Jesus is God.

The Lord Jesus is the pre-existent light-bearer who is designated to come as the light-giver, whose light is unquenchable and never goes out. He is the Light of the world.

John is a witness to that light. And although this light should have been expected, there were (and are) many who reject the Light, who is the Word for the world.

Yet, any sort of rejection cannot possibly hinder the light’s ability to illumine the hearts of many people.

This Word, this Light, this pre-existing Christ, has actually enfleshed himself, becoming present with us in this world. And this is precisely what the faithful are celebrating this day, and in this season. God has come among us!

The giving of the Son, this person of God, this incredible light and life, is a grace well beyond the divine giving of the Law – because the Law has been incarnated in the person of Jesus the Christ.

There is much to ponder, and much to celebrate, on this day, and for the upcoming days of this season.

We were all physically born of the flesh. We may all also become spiritually born of God through the Word of God, Jesus, the Savior whom we acknowledge and adore today and every day.

“The Word of God, our Lord Jesus Christ, through his transcendent love, became what we are, so that he might bring us to what he is himself.”

St. Irenaeus

By means of the incarnation, in Christ, and through the Spirit, we have the chance, the ability, made possible by God’s grace, to participate in the divine nature; and in the divine dance of unhindered and unending unity, harmony, peace, and love which continually exists within the Holy Trinity – Father, Son, and Spirit.

This is a spiritual reality worth a robust celebration today – and all the days which God gives us on this earth. To God be the glory.

God, you spoke, and your Word became flesh, breathing a new song of joy and praise into the world. Grant that we may bear the good news of your salvation, proclaiming your promise of peace to the ends of the earth. Amen.

Look Up (Isaiah 42:10-18)

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

Sing to the Lord a new song,
    his praise from the end of the earth!
Let the sea roar and all that fills it,
    the coastlands and their inhabitants.
Let the desert and its towns lift up their voice,
    the villages that Kedar inhabits;
let the inhabitants of Sela shout for joy;
    let them shout from the tops of the mountains.
Let them give glory to the Lord
    and declare his praise in the coastlands.
The Lord goes forth like a soldier;
    like a warrior he stirs up his fury;
he cries out; he shouts aloud;
    he shows himself mighty against his foes.

For a long time I have held my peace;
    I have kept still and restrained myself;
now I will cry out like a woman in labor;
    I will gasp and pant.
I will lay waste mountains and hills
    and dry up all their herbage;
I will turn the rivers into islands
    and dry up the pools.
I will lead the blind
    by a road they do not know;
by paths they have not known
    I will guide them.
I will turn the darkness before them into light,
    the rough places into level ground.
These are the things I will do,
    and I will not forsake them.
They shall be turned back and utterly put to shame—
    those who trust in carved images,
who say to cast images,
    “You are our gods.”

Listen, you who are deaf,
    and you who are blind, look up and see! (New Revised Standard Version)

All creation, along with all creatures, are to praise the Lord. The coastlands and borderlands serve as witnesses to God’s justice and to human injustice.

The trees aren’t just standing there with their majestic trunks and branches. They are present to any and all of the wickedness that people may do.They experience all good that God does, and the evil which humanity does.

The rocks, the hills, the plants, all that is alive around us are sacred witnesses to what is happening on this earth – both the good and the bad.

All of creation declares God’s praise, and testifies to God of what is going on in the world.

As a result, the Lord is roused to action; God comes to attention like a soldier and is ready to move out.

The Lord will lead the (spiritually) blind in new directions. God’s active participation will put to shame all the people who trust in alternative gods or other things.

The prophet Isaiah says that the people were called to look up and see.

Everyone, look up. Look. Up.

Because the Lord knows that if folks will look up, and see God, that it changes everything for them.

We are invited to look up and sing praises to the Lord. The singers include every creature on earth, the oceans, the seas, the waters, the desert, the coast, the land, and the people.

Look up and see that God is about to act. And the action will be good for some, and not so good for others.

Whenever God moves, you know it. There will be some noise to it, like a woman in labor.

Nothing is beyond the reach of God. The Lord will do divine work of building up, tearing down, and building up again – all according to the divine will.

God will act on behalf of the faithful, the humble, the needy, and all those who look to the Lord. So, we must look up.

We cannot see what is happening, or who is there, if our heads are down. Everything has the potential to be different and changed if we will but lift our heads and look up.

There are a lot of reasons why we may be looking down. We might believe God doesn’t see or isn’t watching. But the Lord is neither deaf nor blind – we are. For us to notice, we must look up.

We may lack self-awareness, not realizing who we truly are, or what the state of things with us really is. Perhaps there is discouragement, despondency, or depression. Maybe hope has disappeared.

It could be that there is guilt, or shame, or uncertainty, and so fear is keeping the head down and eyes looking at the ground.

So, look up.

Abram looked up, saw an incredible future, and heard an amazing promise:

He [the Lord] took him outside and said, “Look up at the sky and count the stars—if indeed you can count them.” Then he said to him, “So shall your offspring be.” Abram believed the Lord, and he credited it to him as righteousness. (Genesis 15:5-6, NIV)

Mary Magdalene looked up at Jesus, and her deep sorrow turned to great astonishment and joy:

Mary was standing outside the tomb crying, and as she wept, she stooped and looked in.She saw two white-robed angels, one sitting at the head and the other at the foot of the place where the body of Jesus had been lying. “Dear woman, why are you crying?” the angels asked her.

“Because they have taken away my Lord,” she replied, “and I don’t know where they have put him.”

She turned to leave and saw someone standing there. It was Jesus, but she didn’t recognize him. “Dear woman, why are you crying?” Jesus asked her. “Who are you looking for?”

She thought he was the gardener. “Sir,” she said, “if you have taken him away, tell me where you have put him, and I will go and get him.”

“Mary!” Jesus said.

She turned to him and cried out, “Rabboni!” (which is Hebrew for “Teacher”). (John 20:11-16, NLT)

Stephen looked up, and his persecution turned to glory:

When the members of the Sanhedrin heard this, they were furious and gnashed their teeth at him. But Stephen, full of the Holy Spirit, looked up to heaven and saw the glory of God, and Jesus standing at the right hand of God. “Look,” he said, “I see heaven open and the Son of Man standing at the right hand of God.” (Acts 7:54-56, NIV)

We are to look up so that we can see how things truly are, and whom we really serve. Only then can we accept what is, and what God is doing.

Spiritual awareness enables us to see clearly and discern well. It comes when we look up, see the glory of God, and accept the invitation to respond.

Lord God almighty, Creator of heaven and earth:

How awesome are your works!
    Because of your great strength,
        your enemies cringe before you.
All the earth worships you,
    sings praises to you,
        sings praises to your name!

If I had cherished evil in my heart,
    my Lord would not have listened.
But God definitely listened.
    He heard the sound of my prayer.
Bless God! He didn’t reject my prayer;
    he didn’t withhold his faithful love from me. Amen. (Psalm 66:3-4, 18-20, CEB)