Advent
December 23, 2015

Scripture Reading: Psalm 148

Kings of the earth and all peoples,
   princes and all rulers of the earth!
Young men and women alike,
   old and young together!  

Let them praise the name of the Lord,
   for his name alone is exalted;
   his glory is above earth and heaven.
He has raised up a horn for his people,
  praise for all his faithful,
   for the people of Israel who are close to him.
Praise the Lord! –Psalm 148:11-14

Jesus called us to be one (John 17:21) when he walked on earth but that was not the first call. The ancients understood God’s desire that we all be one as is illustrated in Psalm 148. Yet today even those who claim to be the Body of Christ in the world are broken, separated by dogma and beliefs, arguments about who is right or wrong, as if what we believe about God is God. Our ancestors believed the world was flat until they discovered it was not.

God created us to be sentient beings capable of reasoning and discussing. No one enjoys a deep discussion of meaning more than I do, but the fear of God is truly only the beginning of wisdom (Proverbs 9:10). We think we know a lot about health care and, indeed, we know a whole lot more now than was knew even fifty years ago. Yet we have only begun to mine the depth and breadth of health care much less the knowledge of God.

The one truth that seems to have stood the test of time is that God in love calls us to be one and when we act as one we have a much better understanding of the what and the who of God who is love and is the very source of love.

Prayer:
Praise the Lord!
Praise the Lord from the heavens;
   praise him in the heights!
Praise him, all his angels;
   praise him, all his host!  

Praise him, sun and moon;
   praise him, all you shining stars!
Praise him, you highest heavens,
   and you waters above the heavens!  

Let them praise the name of the Lord,
   for he commanded and they were created.
He established them for ever and ever;
   he fixed their bounds, which cannot be passed. Amen. Psalm 148:1-6

All scriptures are quoted from the New Revised Standard Version Bible: Anglicized 
Edition, copyright 1989, 1995, Division of Christian Education of the National Council 
of Churches of Christ in the United States of American. Used by permission. All rights 
reserved.