Living in the Spirit

September 13, 2022

Scripture Reading: Psalm 98:1-5
O sing to the Lord a new song,
   for he has done marvelous things.
His right hand and his holy arm
   have gained him victory.
The Lord has made known his victory;
   he has revealed his vindication in the sight of the nations.
He has remembered his steadfast love and faithfulness
   to the house of Israel.
All the ends of the earth have seen
   the victory of our God.

Make a joyful noise to the Lord, all the earth;
   break forth into joyous song and sing praises.
Sing praises to the Lord with the lyre,
   with the lyre and the sound of melody.

For some time now, even in the chaos of USA politics, senseless war, and uncontrolled climate change, I have felt that we are entering a new age. Modernity, largely connected to technological advancements, is being spoken of in the past tense. I do not follow astrology or geology or any of the other -oligies used to describe our eras. I identify more with Isaiah, Amos, or Jerimiah’s hope for the aftermath of exile. Considering the way, we as a people have been acting, we could well be headed deeper into exile. It is our choice because God blessed us with free will, but I sense that at least a remnant of people is longing for the Beloved Community, the Kingdom of God, and that also is a choice. We still can avoid exile.

We do need to sing a new song, and we need to encourage others to join that choir. We might start by exploring what the Beloved Community is.

Prayer: Lord, open our hearts and minds to the development of the Beloved Community. 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.