Tag: theology proper

A Thunderous Beauty (Psalm 68:24-35)

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

Your solemn processions are seen, O God,
    the processions of my God, my King, into the sanctuary—
the singers in front, the musicians last,
    between them young women playing tambourines:
“Bless God in the great congregation,
    the Lord, O you who are of Israel’s fountain!”
There is Benjamin, the least of them, in the lead,
    the princes of Judah in a body,
    the princes of Zebulun, the princes of Naphtali.

Summon your might, O God;
    show your strength, O God, as you have done for us before.
Because of your temple at Jerusalem,
    kings bear gifts to you.
Rebuke the wild animals that live among the reeds,
    the herd of bulls with the calves of the peoples.
Trample under foot those who lust after tribute;
    scatter the peoples who delight in war.
Let bronze be brought from Egypt;
    let Cush hasten to stretch out its hands to God.

Sing to God, O kingdoms of the earth;
    sing praises to the Lord,
O rider in the heavens, the ancient heavens;
    listen, he sends out his voice, his mighty voice.
Ascribe power to God,
    whose majesty is over Israel
    and whose power is in the skies.
Awesome is God in his sanctuary,
    the God of Israel;
    he gives power and strength to his people.

Blessed be God! (New Revised Standard Version)

From psalm to psalm, the entire biblical psalter is consistent in praising God. Foremost among the praise is celebrating God’s inherent character, and for how that divine character acts with power and grace in the world.

Since God is an infinitely immense Being, our human language cannot begin to adequately contain or describe such incredible divinity. Yet, words are what the psalms have for trying to communicate the attributes of such an awesome God.

That’s why the use of metaphors is significant. Whenever we can picture something we are familiar with, then imaginatively place God alongside it, it helps give us at least a rudimentary idea and feeling of who God is, what God is all about.

To gain a glimpse of God’s majesty and sovereignty over the universe, the psalmist invites us to see with our spiritual eyes that God riding the sky; and to hear with our spiritual ears the thunderous shout that roars and reverberates throughout the cosmos.

Along with our eyes and ears, we are invited to respond by using our power of words and speech to proclaim God’s power. And, I must say, that power is well beyond our ability to describe.

With all of the powerful forces in this world, they are but a mere puff of breath to the God who reigns supreme over all powers, both in heaven and on earth. God’s power is a thunderous beauty. God’s splendor and strength rise larger than thunderheads.

Having grown up in Midwest America, I’ve seen my share of large thunderheads (massive cumulus clouds which form just before a storm), thunderstorms replete with bright lightning and noise so awesome it shakes the farmhouse, and tornados with such force that they rip the roof off a barn as if it were a Lego building.

God is bigger than thunderstorms and tornadoes – louder than any hurricane; stronger than any cyclone; and brighter than any flash of lightning.

The appropriate response to such a great God is to make music for the One who strides the ancient skies in a heavenly chariot; and yet stoops to listen and care about puny humans.

The reasonable response to such a breathtaking God is to listen to the divine voice thundering in the world, and submit to the sound which seems like it might split the heavens open.

To gain a mere glimpse of God’s strength and power will inevitably result in a response of giving up our all to the Lord of the universe – everything we have, and all that we are.

To know, even a tiny smidgeon, of such a God will bring our own loud shouts of proclaiming God’s goodness, grace, and generosity to anyone who will listen to us.

To glimpse what the psalmist sees will consume us with awe, as we intuitively connect with the glory which is constantly streaming from heaven.

What’s more, God shares divine strength with people. God doesn’t have to do that. The Lord has no obligation to do so. Yet, it happens, despite our fickle praise and inconsistent devotion.

So, let’s give our highest praise to the God of the psalms. Let’s imbibe of God’s thunderous presence among us.

I guarantee that it will make us happier than a gopher in soft dirt; or a butcher’s dog; or a unicorn eating cake on a rainbow.

Eternal Trinity – blessed Father, Son, and Spirit – the awesome God whom I serve: The more I enter you, the more I discover, and the more I discover, the more I seek you. A massive thunderhead is but a small cloud next to you, the Godhead, the incredible Three-in-One.

Through you, almighty Lord, I shall come to know myself and my world. And that knowledge is a mighty love for humanity which spans longer and higher than the universe itself. May the love, unity, harmony, community, goodness, and power which is always present within yourself, mighty God, be present with me, your servant.

For just a molecule of You is enough to power me for eternity. Praise the Lord! Amen.

Everything Belongs to God (Psalm 24)

On By Tim EhrhardtIn Christian Spirituality Blog, Daily Bible Reading Blog, Year B1 Comment
By Stushie Art

The earth is the Lord’s and all that is in it,
    the world, and those who live in it,
for he has founded it on the seas
    and established it on the rivers.

Who shall ascend the hill of the Lord?
    And who shall stand in his holy place?
Those who have clean hands and pure hearts,
    who do not lift up their souls to what is false
    and do not swear deceitfully.
They will receive blessing from the Lord
    and vindication from the God of their salvation.
Such is the company of those who seek him,
    who seek the face of the God of Jacob.

Lift up your heads, O gate
    and be lifted up, O ancient doors,
    that the King of glory may come in!
Who is the King of glory?
    The Lord, strong and mighty,
    the Lord, mighty in battle.
Lift up your heads, O gates!
    and be lifted up, O ancient doors,
    that the King of glory may come in!
Who is this King of glory?
    The Lord of hosts,
    he is the King of glory. (New Revised Standard Version)

The world belongs to God; and so do we. People have a simple, yet profound, task in this life: To confess the Lord’s great and sovereign ownership of everything, including themselves; and to therefore live a good and holy life because of that theological understanding.

“There is not a square inch in the whole domain of our human existence over which Christ, who is Sovereign over all, does not cry, Mine!”

Abraham Kuyper

Abraham Kuyper (1837-1920) was born in the Netherlands. He was a church minister, university professor, and politician – having established a Christian university, as well as served in the Dutch parliament and as Prime Minister of the Netherlands.

Kuyper labored throughout his life to flesh-out the theological implications of a sovereign God. He consistently insisted that all we do as humans is to be integrated and brought under the lordship of Jesus Christ.

He firmly believed that all things belong to God in Christ; thus, all the fragments of our lives are to be oriented and integrated around our Creator’s great claim upon us as creatures. Whether a pastor, teacher, or politician – every vocation, each activity, and all thoughts and intents rightly belong to God.

By Stushie Art

This means that religion and spirituality cannot be kept within superimposed limits. There is no separation of any one domain of human thought from the rest, no isolation of any one domain of human life from another or from Christ.

The spiritual life is not limited to merely the ethereal. It is both celestial and terrestrial – heavenly and earthly – concerned for the immaterial and the material. God cares about it all, because it all belongs to God.

God owns the world. So, the implications of this for us is huge. It means we don’t really own anything. We are simply stewarding all that God has given us – including our very lives.

The chaos of this world, from a biblical perspective, comes from creatures attempting to assert their own sovereignty and to control things. Since we were not created to be little gods roaming about doing our own thing, the inevitable result is a topsy-turvy messed-up world.

God’s divine claim and ownership of the world means that absolute authority does not rest with nations, states, or leaders. Everything we see, as well as what we don’t see, belongs to the Lord.

A significant task of believers is to confess and bear witness to God’s rightful and benevolent rule in this world. In fact, Christians everywhere pray toward this end every week:

“Your kingdom come, your will be done, on earth, as it is in heaven.” (Matthew 6:10)

The circle of life, within Holy Scripture, is the Creator God bestowing life and relationship to created humans, who then respond by practicing just and righteous living – thereby receiving renewal from the Lord and life anew. Theoretically, this movement can go unbroken. It can be a regular celebration in consistent rhythms of worship and adoration of God.

When we are able to get into the intended divine groove of faith, life, and worship, we will discover our meaning and purpose in the world.

By rightly ordering our lives, centering and grounding them in the gracious and loving relationship of Creator and creature, then we find true blessing – because it enjoys an intuited stamp of approval by the God who makes life possible.

In the Christian tradition, Jesus is the Victor, the King of Glory. All the promises and hopes of people are found and focused, in Christ. We enter through Jesus, the door of life, into deliverance from death and everything which separates us from God, others, and self.

Jesus comes to bring blessing, justice, righteousness, mercy, purity, and peace. For this is how the world was meant to operate from the beginning. We are to open the ancient door of faith, especially when the Lord comes knocking:

Listen! I am standing and knocking at your door. If you hear my voice and open the door, I will come in and we will eat together. Everyone who wins the victory will sit with me on my throne, just as I won the victory and sat with my Father on his throne. If you have ears, listen to what the Spirit says to the churches. (Revelation 3:20-22, CEV)

Old Abraham Kuyper is long dead, and yet he got it right, if we are able to hear him:

“Whatever people may do, to whatever they may apply their hands – in agriculture, in commerce, and in industry, or in mind, in the world of art, and science – they are, in whatsoever it may be, constantly standing before the face of God. They are employed in the service of God. They have strictly to obey God. And above all, they must aim at the glory of God.”

Blessed Lord, Creator of heaven and earth, though I am quite capable of fretting, complaining, and lamenting about how out of control things seem, the truth is that nothing is outside your grip. I may not always see your hand, discern your heart, or like your ways, but you are God and there is no other. 

So, continue to renew my thinking, gentle my heart, and deepen my worship. I humbly and gladly affirm that you are God, and I am not, through Jesus Christ, my Lord, who with you and the Holy Spirit reign sovereign as one God, now and forever. Amen.

How To Handle the One Who Grieves (Job 37:1-13)

On By Tim EhrhardtIn Christian Spirituality Blog, Daily Bible Reading Blog, Year BLeave a comment
The Wrath of Elihu, by William Blake, 1805

“At this my heart pounds
    and leaps from its place.
Listen! Listen to the roar of his voice,
    to the rumbling that comes from his mouth.
He unleashes his lightning beneath the whole heaven
    and sends it to the ends of the earth.
After that comes the sound of his roar;
    he thunders with his majestic voice.
When his voice resounds,
    he holds nothing back.
God’s voice thunders in marvelous ways;
    he does great things beyond our understanding.
He says to the snow, ‘Fall on the earth,’
    and to the rain shower, ‘Be a mighty downpour.’
So that everyone he has made may know his work,
    he stops all people from their labor.
The animals take cover;
    they remain in their dens.
The tempest comes out from its chamber,
    the cold from the driving winds.
The breath of God produces ice,
    and the broad waters become frozen.
He loads the clouds with moisture;
    he scatters his lightning through them.
At his direction they swirl around
    over the face of the whole earth
    to do whatever he commands them.
He brings the clouds to punish people,
    or to water his earth and show his love.” (New International Version)

Job’s Despair, by William Blake, 1821

On the one hand, the biblical book of Job needs little introduction. Many people know it has to do with a man’s innocent suffering and tenacious faith. Most folks are familiar with how it feels to suffer for no apparent reason. And everyone understands the struggle when life is broken by pain and loss.

Yet, on the other hand, the book of Job defies simple anecdotes about suffering. And the relationship between Job and God has a lot of complexity to it. Add in Job’s friends with their wordy offerings into his situation, and there becomes a fuller picture of the true wrestling of faith and patience that occurs.

Elihu was a young person who was with the three friends of Job. After listening to everyone speak, he himself went on a long speech, stretching six chapters from Job 32-37. He was angry with Job, and with Job’s three friends.

The young Elihu had picked up that Job thought of himself more righteous than God. And he was also upset that the “friends” offered nothing helpful, and could provide no convincing answers to Job – thus making it appear that God was guilty of Job’s intense suffering and grief.

Job, by French painter Léon Bonnat, 1880

In today’s Old Testament lesson, we are getting an end part of Elihu’s speech in which he sought to defend God’s justice through observing the majesty and order of creation.

The testimony of God’s sovereign governance of the world is found in the rain, the thunder, and the lightning; through the winter storms and the frost. The Lord uses the created order to both judge and sustain people. And through the ecological systems we can see that God is at work, regulating it all, and using it for divine purposes, Elihu points out.

What strikes me about Elihu’s words is that he is not wrong, he’s just not very helpful. As a believer, I look at his speech as more of a Captain Obvious moment; yes, he is stating theological reality, but no, he’s not really breaking any new ground or giving any great insight here.

Both Job and Job’s friends had already expressed a theological perspective in kind. Which makes me curious as to why Elihu felt so compelled to even talk at all. I think he would have been better remembered, and maybe even hailed as spiritual beyond his years, if he would have just kept silent.

I realize not everyone is going to go with me on that observation, and that’s fine. Yet it seems to me that a good many people lob too many words toward the suffering among us, when what is actually needed is a compassionate presence that has learned to be comfortable with the uncomfortable.

There are times when words are not needed, when the situation is so incredibly unique and/or difficult that to offer a speech is like yelling in the woods with no one around; it might make the one yelling feel better but that’s about it.

If anyone needed to feel better it wasn’t Elihu. What’s more, a perceived need of defending God’s reputation or honor perhaps betrays a shortsighted theology to begin with. The Lord is quite big enough to handle any rebuffs or misunderstandings from mouthy humans. God isn’t in Junior High School, requiring a mouthpiece to help him out in a scuffle.

I would personally rather give comfort to a hurting person, instead of theological exhortations and speeches about how we ought to talk to, and about, God. That’s because I observe Jesus bringing genuine comfort and help. And I would much rather take my cues for dealing with grieving people from Christ than from Elihu, or anybody else for that matter.

“God blesses those people who grieve. They will find comfort!” (Matthew 5:4, CEV) Jesus said this in his Sermon on the Mount, as a beatitude of all who desire God’s kingdom. Christ understood well the psalmist’s understanding of God’s role and stance concerning people’s grief: “The Lord is close to the brokenhearted; he saves those whose spirits are crushed.” (Psalm 34:18, CEB)

The Apostle Paul, taking a lesson from both his Jewish learning and his encounter with Christ said, “mourn with those who mourn.” (Romans 12:15, NIV) Comfort because of grief and suffering will be built into the end of time. Methinks, then, that this is important…

“Look! God’s dwelling place is now among the people, and he will dwell with them. They will be his people, and God himself will be with them and be their God. ‘He will wipe every tear from their eyes. There will be no more death’ or mourning or crying or pain, for the old order of things has passed away.” (Revelation 21:3-4, NIV)

In whatever way you choose to look at the book of Job, please don’t miss what is to be our response to another’s pain. There is a time for theological education, and there is a time to put a robust theology into practice through a very real comforting presence of another who is in terrible suffering.

God, the strength of the weak and the comfort of those who suffer: Hear my prayers and grant those who suffer in body, mind, or spirit the power of your grace, that affliction may be turned into health, and sorrow into joy. Amen.

Life (Genesis 1:20-2:4a)

On By Tim EhrhardtIn Christian Spirituality Blog, Daily Bible Reading Blog, Year BLeave a comment
The Creation of Heaven and Earth, by Unknown artist, c.18th century

God said, “Let the waters swarm with living things, and let birds fly above the earth up in the dome of the sky.” God created the great sea animals and all the tiny living things that swarm in the waters, each according to its kind, and all the winged birds, each according to its kind. God saw how good it was. Then God blessed them: “Be fertile and multiply and fill the waters in the seas, and let the birds multiply on the earth.”

There was evening and there was morning: the fifth day.

God said, “Let the earth produce every kind of living thing: livestock, crawling things, and wildlife.” And that’s what happened. God made every kind of wildlife, every kind of livestock, and every kind of creature that crawls on the ground. God saw how good it was. Then God said, “Let us make humanity in our image to resemble us so that they may take charge of the fish of the sea, the birds in the sky, the livestock, all the earth, and all the crawling things on earth.”

God created humanity in God’s own image,
        in the divine image God created them,
            male and female God created them.

God blessed them and said to them, “Be fertile and multiply; fill the earth and master it. Take charge of the fish of the sea, the birds in the sky, and everything crawling on the ground.” Then God said, “I now give to you all the plants on the earth that yield seeds and all the trees whose fruit produces its seeds within it. These will be your food. To all wildlife, to all the birds in the sky, and to everything crawling on the ground—to everything that breathes—I give all the green grasses for food.” And that’s what happened. God saw everything he had made; it was supremely good.

There was evening and there was morning: the sixth day.

The heavens and the earth and all who live in them were completed. On the sixth day God completed all the work that he had done, and on the seventh day God rested from all the work that he had done. God blessed the seventh day and made it holy, because on it God rested from all the work of creation. This is the account of the heavens and the earth when they were created. (Common English Bible)

God Created Man in His Image – Male and Female, by Jill Steenhuis

In this Christian season of Eastertide, believers remember and celebrate new life in Jesus Christ. In today’s Old Testament lesson, the lectionary reminds us of original life – when God created the heavens and the earth.

The Beginning of Life

This was the beginning, before there were any words like sin, disobedience, guilt, and shame. This was the time when the original people, Adam and Eve, knew nothing about trying to chase after unconditional love. They had no concept of estrangement or heartache. Everything was fresh and alive and shiny. Disappointment, hurt, and sadness were unknown to them. Everywhere, the earth was teeming with abundant life.

God made it all; and all that was created was very good, supremely reflecting the goodness of the Creator. Life existed everywhere. The predictable and consistent rhythms of the universe were in place. Day and night, work and rest, creation and care, were all woven into the fabric of the world’s sights and seasons. The possibilities for growth were incredible. Life was indeed good.

“New” was simply part of all there was. Without any want or need, every day was an adventure of discovering all the newness which existed.

The Complicated Life

We all, however, know that it did not remain this way. People are now all too familiar with the myriad ways of injustice, and with the film of sin that covers the entire world like a noxious pollutant. And it is this situation, of course, which created the need for a “new” life, because the present life had become a moldy old leftover in the refrigerator of a life that doesn’t keep anything cold nor fresh.

People were created as good human beings. Even though sin has profoundly touched everything in creation, goodness is still within us as God’s image-bearers. The later introduction of human sin into the world in no way whatsoever removes the inherent stamp of the divine image upon us.

Humanity is the only creature who bears this likeness to God. We are related to the animal world, having been created on the same day, and sharing the same blessings of life. Yet, people are distinctive, set above all other creatures.

The Responsible Life

This is why people are given dominion over all other creatures. This is not a claim to privilege; it is, however, very much a claim to responsibility. People have been tasked with being faithful stewards of creation, entrusted with caring for other creatures and the created order.

And humanity was created as both male and female, together expressing the will and character of God in creation as they tend to it and care for it. Together with God, we are relational beings, and not just a race of individuals inhabiting the same earth.

God is a social being, existing as a community within the Godhead. Therefore, to exist as an image-bearer of God means that people are social creatures who need community – with both God and other people.

After God did all the work of creating the world with all its plants and animals and birds and fishes and people, God “rested.” This is why the seventh day is set aside as sacred; its different than the other days, sort of like how people are similar but different from the other creation.

God is clearly separated from the work and the creation itself, that is, God is transcendent and above all things as the Creator. The world is good, but the world is not divine. In the same way, by observing a day of rest, humanity recognizes and affirms and remembers that the work they have done is not divine.

Our human works, good as they may be, are not a thing to be worshiped or equated with God. Therefore, the Sabbath both celebrates the creation and the created order of things, as well as separates us from the idol worship of our hands.

To live into our inherent image of God means that we will work hard and tend to the gardens that are around us. Yet, at the same time, we will understand that in doing our responsible tasks, people are to live in community and love one another, without idolizing any other part of creation or what we creatively build with our own two hands. That is for God alone, who is distinct from all that God has created.

God our Father, you created the world and sent your own Son to live among us, made of the same stuff, breathing the same air, marveling at sunrise and sunset just as we do. Help us to participate in the life around and within us as your life, as you living in us and we living in you and in each other.

God of love and life, restore us to your peace, renew us through your power and teach us to love all that you have created and to care for the earth as your gift and our home. Amen.