Epiphany

January 8, 2020

Scripture Reading: Psalm 29

Ascribe to the Lord, O heavenly beings,
   ascribe to the Lord glory and strength.
Ascribe to the Lord the glory of his name;
   worship the Lord in holy splendor.

The Lord sits enthroned over the flood;
   the Lord sits enthroned as king forever.
May the Lord give strength to his people!
   May the Lord bless his people with peace! —Psalm 29:1-2, 10-11

I read recently that Christianity is losing followers at a high rate. Many of the people leaving are in search of a spiritual experience. Now, for me that is a contradiction in terms. The Christian faith is Spirit fed. So, what is going on here? I have said before in these devotions that I find it uncomfortable at times to describe myself as a Christian when I see some of the things reported on the news that are being done in the name of Christ. At those times I fall back on the descriptor, Christ follower. It seems to me that one of the greatest temptation that people of all faiths fall into is the trap of creating a lesser god to follow in an image that is more comfortable than the omnipotent, omnipresent, and omniscient—all-powerful, always present, and all knowing—God described in the above scripture. After all it is hard to love all our neighbors as we love ourselves, to feed the hungry who do not seem to want to take care of themselves, to turn the other cheek when our greatest desire is to hit back at those who hit at us.

I think God in creation had a vision of a world of diverse people working together in harmony. He noted some were having problems with doing that on a continuous basis so God Incarnate came to us in the form of Jesus Christ to teach us and model for us the way that vision can become reality as N. T. Wright describes when heaven and earth become one. God’s will is for people to work together and love one another by choice not for personal gain or profit but for the sheer joy of the synergy that comes from wanting the very best for all people. We get there on rare occasions when responding to disasters, but God wants that for us all the time for all eternity.

Prayer: Lord, forgive us when we resist your power by trying to define a lesser god to follow that does not hold us to the standard you set forth for us. Forgive us when our example turns others away from you. We thank we for the gifts of the Spirit which enable our following in Christ footsteps. Amen.

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.