January 29-Ps. 111 ends with this: “the reverence (fear) of the Lord is the beginning wisdom; all those who practice it have a good understanding/good sense.” The Psalter considers meditating on the ways of god to be a lifelong project, not drudgery but joy, similar to the interest people pour into a beloved hobby. the psalm is an acrostic, as its lines move through the alphabet. As further signs of an editor’s hand, it sees paired with the next psalm that has a focus on us.
Monday-Recently, some internet sites went dark to oppose a possible set of regulations that they saw as a threat to their ability to provide information to their clients. Sometimes in prayer, it feels as if heaven itself has gone dark. To the extent that prayer is dialogue, prayer does not ever go unheard, even if it does not provide the answer we may seek. Yes, spiritual life has its moments in the dark. Expect them, work through them. Know the light of god will overcome the darkness. The Word will overcome the unwanted, brooding silence.
Tuesday-January enters as an infant, so I guess that it would be pictured as a child entering elementary school, given our life expectancy. In human development think of what happens physically, mentally, emotionally in early childhood. What have you learned this January? Where did the New Year give you a sense of possibility? Where did you start to grow up with God?
Wednesday-One of the resident enlightened ones in Bible Study sometimes complains that the church gives short shrift to the Spirit. My new issue of Interpretation spends some time with that form of the Trinity, an even more neglected area of doctrine. In john’s gospel jesus speaks of the spirit as another advocate/helper/counselor for us. Think of it. The same spirit who hovered over the very start of creation hovers over you, flies about inside of you to speak up for you, to be a friendly divine presence in your life..
Thursday-One of my disappointments with church is how our humor often has a real edge to it. The jokes are more often than not at someone’s expense. The humor is rarely of the self-deprecatory type. Maybe the unspoken commandment “to be nice” causes resentments so it is safe to express them through jokes.
Friday-I was disappointed in my new copy of Theology Today, so I was determined to find something I could engage. I do the same when I go to a lecture or workshop that is disappointing. I admit to myself that fact, and then it allows me to seek something to gain. For instance, I went to a poor workshop in Indiana, but finally the counselor said that time had become the great pressure on marriage. It opened doors of understanding.
Saturday-Many of us are preparing for super bowl parties. I do not want to be a killjoy here. I love the NFL. I so admire the skills and the amounts of practice it must take to be at the top of athletic prowess. Super bowl Sunday offers the Sabbath promise of recreation, of enjoying this world. Break the word with a hyphen and ti becomes re-creation. Enjoy the preparations and the expectancy for the big game. may it be a good one.
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