Kingdom Building

September 18, 2019

Scripture Reading:  Psalm 79:1-9

How long, O Lord? Will you be angry forever?
   Will your jealous wrath burn like fire?
Pour out your anger on the nations
   that do not know you,
and on the kingdoms
   that do not call on your name.
For they have devoured Jacob
   and laid waste his habitation.

Do not remember against us the iniquities of our ancestors;
   let your compassion come speedily to meet us,
   for we are brought very low.
Help us, O God of our salvation,
   for the glory of your name;
deliver us, and forgive our sins,
   for your name’s sake. –Psalm 79:5-9

I read these two stanzas of a poem and decided they reflect a good grasp of humans. The first of the two expresses some amount of guilt saying will you be angry forever. Of course, I am assuming the person praying is assuming God is angry at them. Perhaps the person is also assuming that God is angry because the person is guilty of turning to other gods. Will your jealous wrath burn like fire? Then it takes a common human turn, get angry at all those other nations that do not even follow you. He or she then prays for God to not blame us for what our ancestors did. We struggle with that even today trying to deal with slavery and the massacre of indigenous peoples among other things.

Finally, like Jacob wrestling with God*, the author of the poem recognizes that we, too, like our ancestors and all other people are sinners. We are responsible for our sins. When we take responsibility for our sins and work to change our behaviors and bring reconciliation and restoration to correct any fallout from our sins, we are doing our part as a member of God’s kingdom of love. Even better when we learn to work together in love bringing about reconciliation and restoration, we further the development of God’s Kingdom in our world.

Prayer:    for the glory of your name;
deliver us, and forgive our sins,
   for your name’s sake. Amen.
*See Genesis 32:22-32

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 America. Used by permission. All rights are reserved.