April 14-Ps.30 is an exultant song of healing. I love the end of “mourning into dancing ..that my heart may sing to you.” when have you felt like this, that you have turned a corner? When have you felt improved and better? How did it hit you when you received a good prognosis after a difficult illness or crisis? It may be a good spiritual exercise to make Ps. 30 specific to you and write it as a personal prayer.
Monday-Revelation is our lectionary set for a while. Its vision unnerve many of us. It is presented as a Sunday worship vision, or set of visions, perhaps. Of all people, we should be more comfortable with visionary material because we are hit constantly with visual images all the time on TV, computers, and movies. Apocalyptic visions are standard viewing fare, but we act as if it is so foreign to us. Just as TV uses stock images, so did Revelation. Look at a good study Bible and look at the abundance of cross references.
Tuesday-Forgive and forget is such a unity that we misuse it in practice, I think.If we cannot forget, then are we free from forgiving? Would forgiving mean forgetting, when we do not want to forget? No we forgive in spite of remembering. Forgiveness does not promise a delete button to erase the DVR in our minds.It may mean that in time when we encounter someone whom we have hurt or has hurt us, the pain of the incident is not the first thing that flashes in our minds.
Wednesday-Mad Men started its new season on looking at the 60s through an advertising agency. Its main character is Don, a philanderer but advertising genius. In some ways, viewers root for him because of his frailties and coarse behavior, not in spite of it.why do we root for the villain to escape sometimes? Rascals are usually more interesting, and we usually like and identify with them more, no?
Thursday-Obstacles to doing good abound. I just finished writing a bible study for the Wiseman Bible class and really noticed how many obstacles were thrown at rebuilding the temple and the very walls of Jerusalem after the exile. Look back at Ezra or Nehemiah and see how many obstacles of all sorts seemed to be arrayed against them. It is a mistake to think that if we are doing the Lord’s work, all will be easy and smooth sailing.Expecting that obstacles will occur can prepare us a bit. what obstacles came up in your attempt to do a worthwhile project?
Friday-An FB posting gave me pleasure as someone remembered Louisville and NBA player Wes Unseld. He was a brick wall of a man with legs like tree trunks, a great rebounder. I am amazed at how a sound, a picture, a scent can send us hurtling back many years. the sesne is sometimes so clear, as if we are back when it happened. Being grateful for memory is one of the reasons for our celebration of the Eucharist.
Saturday-We started a unit on Christian ethics in the Wednesday morning class. at first we spoke about how hard it is to even speak of Christian ethics and how radically different people approach the topic itself. Parts of the bible seem to be in conflict. We are not agreed onthe meaning of critical values such as love, justice, or compassion.What values, virtues, or decision tools do you tend to use when struggling to do the good or right thing?
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