Advent
December 13, 2017
Scripture Reading: Psalm 126
When the Lord restored the fortunes of Zion,
we were like those who dream.
Then our mouth was filled with laughter,
and our tongue with shouts of joy;
then it was said among the nations,
‘The Lord has done great things for them.’
The Lord has done great things for us,
and we rejoiced.
Restore our fortunes, O Lord,
like the watercourses in the Negeb.
May those who sow in tears
reap with shouts of joy.
Those who go out weeping,
bearing the seed for sowing,
shall come home with shouts of joy,
carrying their sheaves.
The good thing about God is when we repent and get back in synch, God will restore our souls. To our discredit, we might read restoration of fortune and think of monetary gain. The whole prosperity gospel is based on such assumptions. I do believe that God wants all of God’s children to have enough and for all those who have more than enough to use it wisely in God’s service. Abundant life is so much more than material wealth.
As Abraham Maslow noted, the basic needs of humans must be met (e.g., food, shelter, warmth, security, sense of belonging) before a person can achieve self-actualization – the need to be good, to be fully alive and to find meaning in life. * Self-actualization is a psychological term that relates well to spiritual wholeness which encompasses an abundant life.
Jesus understood this theory well. Perhaps that is why he spoke so strongly regarding meeting the basic needs of all people. He longed for everyone to experience the abundant life. He invited us to partner with him in creating a world where charity is not necessary so that all people can have life and have it abundantly. (See John 10:10)
Prayer: God of Love, Enable us to craft a world where all have enough and can experience self-actualization and spiritual wholeness. Amen.