Devotions Week of June 24

Sunday June 24-P. 9 is one of our selections for today. What strikes me is the concern for the troubled. “the Lord is a stronghold for the oppressed…for the needy shall not always be forgotten, nor the hope of the poor perish forever.” To what extent do you permit this psalm to influence political positions? Monday-I saw the movie Prometheus and was most disappointed in its insipid plotting, even though it was a visual delight at times. A friend told me that I have too high a standard for movies. Part of me thinks that a high standard does doom one to disappointment. On the other hand, when that aspiration is reached, it is a marvel. This is especially significant when a movie addresses a basic question: from where do we come? Tuesday-My appointment with the radiologist was rescheduled for today. It will be routine, but a soupcon of anxiety appears as I made the appointment. Facing a fear often drains some of its power away. My mother feared check-ups as “they will find something if they look for something.” Sometimes fear prevents us from having needed check-ups. What would result from your spiritual check-up this year? Wednesday-I grow uncomfortable with a new excuse I hear for not attending church: uncomfortable. What does comfort level have to do with worshipping god? What does comfort level have to do with keeping the Sabbath holy? Where do we use that as a socially acceptable excuse for any other form of human interaction. let alone divine and human interaction? Thursday-Is God’s forgiveness like a delete action on a computer? When scripture speaks of sins being washed away or blotted out, it may be a good image. Certainly, we hold that punishment of sin is so touched. Still, certainly the ripples of sin radiate outward. Perhaps, a better image is that of healing a wound, only to a relationship. Forgiveness allows a wound to heal to a scar. Forgiveness permits reconciliation. it exists in spite of not being deleted, but forgiveness does not permit the wound to define a relationship. Friday-I never learned to dance a ballroom step, but our daughter had me learn the basic waltz steps for her wedding. Being unrhythmic and self-conscious does not help. Part of life is learning the steps to our own particular dance and finding the freedom to vary the steps a bit when we know the style and steps that suit us best. Practice may not make perfect, but in time, the steps become our own. I don’t think I will ever be comfortable on a dance floor, but in G od’s grace, I do learn some of the steps to a better life. Saturday-Our Presbyterian General Assembly convenes today. Our denomination certainly needs prayer for discernment and wisdom. Still, it is a noteworthy act that pastors and elders gather in equal numbers to help chart a course for the church in the years to come. I love the idea that church assemblies are sings of representative democracy. In the Presbyterian system hierarchy, if it does exist, is temporary. it is a shining example that God’s spirit rests on all of us in due course. That too is god’s choice, not our achievement or even aspiration.