This Reflection is taken from the Sunday Devotion written by this blogger for Christ Episcopal Church, Yankton, SD on November 15, 2020
Domine, refugium
1 Lord, you have been our refuge *
from one generation to another.
2 Before the mountains were brought forth,
or the land and the earth were born, *
from age to age you are God.
3 You turn us back to the dust and say, *
"Go back, O child of earth."
4 For a thousand years in your sight are like yesterday when it is past *
and like a watch in the night.
5 You sweep us away like a dream; *
we fade away suddenly like the grass.
6 In the morning it is green and flourishes; *
in the evening it is dried up and withered.
7 For we consume away in your displeasure; *
we are afraid because of your wrathful indignation.
8 Our iniquities you have set before you, *
and our secret sins in the light of your countenance.
9 When you are angry, all our days are gone; *
we bring our years to an end like a sigh.
10 The span of our life is seventy years,
perhaps in strength even eighty; *
yet the sum of them is but labor and sorrow,
for they pass away quickly and we are gone.
11 Who regards the power of your wrath? *
who rightly fears your indignation?
12 So teach us to number our days *
that we may apply our hearts to wisdom.
THE LESSON
1 Thessalonians 5:1-11
Now concerning the times and the seasons, brothers and sisters, you do not need to have anything written to you. For you yourselves know very well that the day of the Lord will come like a thief in the night. When they say, “There is peace and security,” then sudden destruction will come upon them, as labor pains come upon a pregnant woman, and there will be no escape! But you, beloved, are not in darkness, for that day to surprise you like a thief; for you are all children of light and children of the day; we are not of the night or of darkness. So then let us not fall asleep as others do, but let us keep awake and be sober; for those who sleep sleep at night, and those who are drunk get drunk at night. But since we belong to the day, let us be sober, and put on the breastplate of faith and love, and for a helmet the hope of salvation. For God has destined us not for wrath but for obtaining salvation through our Lord Jesus Christ, who died for us, so that whether we are awake or asleep we may live with him. Therefore encourage one another and build up each other, as indeed you are doing.
The New Revised Standard Version Bible, copyright 1989 by the Division of Christian Education of the National Council of the Church of Christ in the USA, and used by permission.
REFLECTION
+In the Name of God, Father, Son, and Holy Spirit+
In this morning’s lesson, Paul give us this advice, “Let us be sober, and put on the breastplate of faith and love, and for a helmet the hope of salvation.”
So let’s get serious for a moment.
This has been a tough year for all of us. In fact it has been a tough year for the whole world, and for so many reasons. The reality of Covid-19 has underscored a multitude of crises our world faces. Beneath the surface of the pandemic is the more serious and viral crisis of selfish indifference to the well-being of others; particularly, here at home.
At the beginning of this pandemic, there appeared to be a common resolve to fight this virus as expressed in the statement, “We’re all in this together” and yet, over the summer months, we seem to have grown so far apart when it comes to following simple protocols aimed at protecting each other in the face of an even more deadly resurgence of this global pandemic.
As South Dakotans, we find ourselves tragically vying for the number one spot as having the most positive Covid cases per capita in the United State, if not the world. By extension we are also the state with the largest number of individuals behaving selfishly by failing to protect the lives of their neighbors and fellow citizens in their refusal to wear a protective mask and practice social distancing. Sadly many are doing so based on an erroneous claim that doing so is a constitutional and God-given right, which it is not.
All sin is rooted in selfishness. When we do not protect our own person, we cannot protect others. When we are less than true to ourselves and less than true with ourselves, we cannot be true to others and act truthfully with others. We become liars to ourselves and to others. The devil is called the Father of Lies for a reason. [See John 8:44] The LIE is the oldest and most treacherous of sins.
At a time where conspiracy theories, half-truths, baseless opinion, and outright falsehoods abound; when, since the beginning of this pandemic hit our shores, we have been told not to worry (be at peace) because the pandemic will be over soon and to go about our business as usual (you are fine and secure), Paul’s warning, “When they say, ‘There is peace and security,’ then sudden destruction will come…” takes on a prescient dimension with an urgent message. That the day of the Lord is coming “like a thief in the the night” needs to be taken to heart. Because, at some level we are experiencing, at the very least, a day of the Lord.
God goes where we go.
Paul reminds us that the faithful, the alert and awake to the day of the Lord’s inevitable arrival, don’t have to worry because they are prepared for its contingencies, just as the ten virgins were waiting for the bridegroom in last week’s Gospel lesson. Those who are not prepared do not take God seriously and mock God by acting carelessly and irresponsibly. To those, the day of the Lord is what Amos, in last weeks lesson, called a day of darkness.
Paul’s armor metaphor of putting on the breastplate of faith and love, and using hope as a helmet is about protecting ourselves and others from the onslaught of an enemy as invisible as Covid-19, an enemy that lies beneath the surface of an illusionary reality fomented by sensationalist punditry and delusional fear-mongering.
While we should not demonize each other at times like this, we should recognize that there are demons in this world; demons that come to us in the form of distorted ideologies, conspiracy theories, falsehoods, prophetic deceptions, and lies; all of which can have a viral effect on us that can lead us to promote and spread them. Paul referred to these demons as principalities and powers that turn us against each other. [See Romans 8:38 and 39]. We must recognize them for what they are and protect ourselves with faith, hope, and love that has been given to us by the Holy Spirit.
Words and actions matter. If we don’t know who to believe or what is true, we only have to place what we hear and what we see being done next to what Jesus did and taught. People in authority have been entrusted by God to do what is right; to be just, to be merciful, and to walk humbly with God. The position that gives people authority does not make them right. It is up to them to use the position they hold to do what is right. As Jesus said, “From everyone to whom much has been given, much will be required; and from the one to whom much has been entrusted, even more will be demanded.” [Luke 12:48]. Power is not a privilege. It is a responsibility.
God is not mocked. God hears the cries of children orphaned from their parents at our borders. God hears the cries of the widowed because of those who exercise their selfish “rights” over the wellbeing of others. God sees the destruction of creation on earth as a result of human greed and the lust for wealth. Such cries will not go unheard.
God is patient and God’s good will is being carried out in our time. The day of the Lord is coming. No power in the universe can stand in the way of God’s steady and loving desire to save, redeem, and restore what God created. How that day impacts us is a matter of where we are at and how prepared and equipped we are when it arrives.
* * * * * * * * * *
This has been a tough year. There is likely to be more challenges and sadness in the days ahead, but we are not without hope. Paul reminds us, "For God has destined us not for wrath but for obtaining salvation through our Lord Jesus Christ, who died for us, so that whether we are awake (alive) or asleep (have died) we may live with him.”
Our psalm this morning draws our attention to the fact that this side of life is very short and withers away like grass. We should not treat this transient life as something we can hold on to but rather accept that we cannot. With the psalmist we ask God to help us to learn to number our days on earth and apply our hearts to wisdom; knowing that God, and God only, is our refuge and strength. So let us use our brief time to build each other up, encourage one another, and set our hearts at ease in the knowledge of God’s love for all in Christ Jesus. Amen.
* * * * * * * * * *
Until next time, stay faithful.
Norm
No comments:
Post a Comment