Eastertide

May 25, 2022

Scripture Reading: Psalm 97

The heavens proclaim his righteousness;
   and all the peoples behold his glory.
All worshippers of images are put to shame,
   those who make their boast in worthless idols;
   all gods bow down before him.
Zion hears and is glad,
   and the towns of Judah rejoice,
   because of your judgments, O God.
For you, O Lord, are most high over all the earth;
   you are exalted far above all gods.

The Lord loves those who hate evil;
   he guards the lives of his faithful;
   he rescues them from the hand of the wicked.
Light dawns for the righteous,
   and joy for the upright in heart.
Rejoice in the Lord, O you righteous,
   and give thanks to his holy name! –Psalm 97:6-12

The sad thing in our society today is we do not seem to have a clue when we are worshipping worthless idols. Bowing done to a statue of Baal is at least something one does with visible proof. Our idols are more subtle and much more dangerous because we do not recognize that we give them power over us. Greed for example. My microwave quit working a few years ago. When I noticed that I could not warm up my tea, I grabbed my purse, jumped in my car, and had a new microwave and heated tea within 30 minutes. I do own a perfectly good range on which I could have reheated my tea. Afterward, as I sipped my warm tea, I realized how attached I was to my microwave. There is nothing wrong with progress, microwaves included, but reviewing my behavior made me stop and think about what I value which is demonstrated in how I spend my money. Where do I invest my time, talent, and resources? I think God wants us to be intentional about why and what we do. Particularly if we put ourselves forth as Christ-follower. My Dad told my siblings and me when we were children that we represented the Knott family, and we need to remember that when we are tempted to do anything that did not represent our family well. We are, indeed, all a part of the family of God, and thus our words and deeds impact others’ view of God in our behavior or words.

For me, one of the most potent scenes described in the scriptures is the image of Jesus sitting on a hill overlooking Jerusalem saying ‘Jerusalem, Jerusalem, the city that kills the prophets and stones those who are sent to it! How often have I desired to gather your children together as a hen gathers her brood under her wings, and you were not willing! (Matthew 23:37) I remember as a child not ever wanting to break Jesus’s heart like that. Many things are being said and done in the name of Jesus today that are alien to my concept of the God of Love. We all must live intentionally in full communion with God as we interact with our neighbors whom we are called to love.

Prayer: Lord, grant us the simple hearts of children who know love when they see it and return it. 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.