What stands out

Psalm 50

50:1 The Mighty One, God the Lord,
speaks and summons the earth
from the rising of the sun to its setting.
2 Out of Zion, the perfection of beauty,
God shines forth.

3 Our God comes; he does not keep silence;
before him is a devouring fire,
around him a mighty tempest.
4 He calls to the heavens above
and to the earth, that he may judge his people:
5 “Gather to me my faithful ones,
who made a covenant with me by sacrifice!”
6 The heavens declare his righteousness,
for God himself is judge! Selah

7 “Hear, O my people, and I will speak;
O Israel, I will testify against you.
I am God, your God.
8 Not for your sacrifices do I rebuke you;
your burnt offerings are continually before me.
9 I will not accept a bull from your house
or goats from your folds.
10 For every beast of the forest is mine,
the cattle on a thousand hills.
11 I know all the birds of the hills,
and all that moves in the field is mine.

12 “If I were hungry, I would not tell you,
for the world and its fullness are mine.
13 Do I eat the flesh of bulls
or drink the blood of goats?
14 Offer to God a sacrifice of thanksgiving,
and perform your vows to the Most High,
15 and call upon me in the day of trouble;
I will deliver you, and you shall glorify me.”

16 But to the wicked God says:
“What right have you to recite my statutes
or take my covenant on your lips?
17 For you hate discipline,
and you cast my words behind you.
18 If you see a thief, you are pleased with him,
and you keep company with adulterers.

19 “You give your mouth free rein for evil,
and your tongue frames deceit.
20 You sit and speak against your brother;
you slander your own mother's son.
21 These things you have done, and I have been silent;
you thought that I was one like yourself.
But now I rebuke you and lay the charge before you.

22 “Mark this, then, you who forget God,
lest I tear you apart, and there be none to deliver!
23 The one who offers thanksgiving as his sacrifice glorifies me;
to one who orders his way rightly
I will show the salvation of God!”

The Psalms contain a vast array of human emotion and experience. They speak truth in times of need, offer peace to those with busy lifestyles, and lament with those in pain and in need of saving. As a pastor, the Psalms intimidate me because they say and convey emotions better than I ever could. But one of the best sermons that I have ever heard was from this Psalm. And the preacher, Dr. Ellen Davis, came back to verse 21, "though you thought I was one like yourself."

This verse contains words for the repentant, and offers rebuke for the wicked. Take time to read the Psalm again and ask yourself, when have you seen the Lord as
"The Mighty One, God the Lord,
[who] speaks and summons the earth
from the rising of the sun to its setting."

and when have you thought that God was like yourself?

Prayer: God of forgiveness, help me to know your power. Forgive us for the times when we thought you were like ourselves. Help us to see your love for us, through your son Jesus Christ. Amen.

G. Thomas Martin

Storms

Mark 4:35-41
35 On that day, when evening had come, he said to them, “Let us go across to the other side.” 36 And leaving the crowd, they took him with them in the boat, just as he was. And other boats were with him. 37 And a great windstorm arose, and the waves were breaking into the boat, so that the boat was already filling. 38 But he was in the stern, asleep on the cushion. And they woke him and said to him, “Teacher, do you not care that we are perishing?” 39 And he awoke and rebuked the wind and said to the sea, “Peace! Be still!” And the wind ceased, and there was a great calm. 40 He said to them, “Why are you so afraid? Have you still no faith?” 41 And they were filled with great fear and said to one another, “Who then is this, that even the wind and the sea obey him?”

In the face of power or prestige, fame or fortune, I tend to clam up. I measure myself as unworthy compared to the person I am standing next to. I think that is a very natural human tendency to find oneself constantly measuring up against others. Now imagine you are one of the first disciples that Jesus called and you are constantly measuring yourself up against perfection. It seems very hopeless from our perspective.

I have been "hooked" on a phrase for a while, "The fish doesn't know the water he swims in" (pardon the pun). What that means is that the disciples probably didn't always get that Jesus was that measure of perfection. They didn't always understand that next to them, teaching them, loving them, was the King of Kings and the Lord of Lords. But there are glimpses when Jesus does something to prove his majesty to the unbelieving followers.

In Mark's lesson, Jesus gives peace. But notice who is told to be at peace, it is not the disciples, but their surroundings. It is one thing for us as Christians, witnessing and ministering to one another, to offer words of peace to each other. There is only one, however, who can calm the storm, rebuke the winds, command peace and make his followers feel fear. This is the kind of God we serve: a God who has the power to speak peace to the wind, waves, and storm, but offers us peace through his life. The disciples are probably more faithful than we give them credit for. For they did not run away when fear overwhelmed them. Instead, they chose to follow the one who can tell the winds and the waters to "Be Still". Our God is the God who does that not only because he is powerful and loves us, but because he created the world.

Prayer: God of the storm and the peace, as we compare ourselves to your perfect Son, let us not be discouraged from our tasks, but in everything, let us draw closer to your truth. Amen.

G. Thomas Martin

A Riddle

Mark 4:21-34
21 And he said to them, “Is a lamp brought in to be put under a basket, or under a bed, and not on a stand? 22 For nothing is hidden except to be made manifest; nor is anything secret except to come to light. 23 If anyone has ears to hear, let him hear.” 24 And he said to them, “Pay attention to what you hear: with the measure you use, it will be measured to you, and still more will be added to you. 25 For to the one who has, more will be given, and from the one who has not, even what he has will be taken away.” 26 And he said, “The kingdom of God is as if a man should scatter seed on the ground. 27 He sleeps and rises night and day, and the seed sprouts and grows; he knows not how. 28 The earth produces by itself, first the blade, then the ear, then the full grain in the ear. 29 But when the grain is ripe, at once he puts in the sickle, because the harvest has come.”
30 And he said, “With what can we compare the kingdom of God, or what parable shall we use for it? 31 It is like a grain of mustard seed, which, when sown on the ground, is the smallest of all the seeds on earth, 32 yet when it is sown it grows up and becomes larger than all the garden plants and puts out large branches, so that the birds of the air can make nests in its shade.” 33 With many such parables he spoke the word to them, as they were able to hear it. 34 He did not speak to them without a parable, but privately to his own disciples he explained everything.

What do a basket, a seed growing, and a dormant mustard seed have in common? I'm not quite sure myself. I do not know if there is a punchline there somewhere. But if I had to answer abstractly, it would have something to do with Jesus. Sounds like a good answer, right? Well, read the scripture again.

There are some tricky sayings of Jesus in this passage. Verse 25: "For to the one who has, more will be given, and from the one who has not, even what he has will be taken away." That doesn't quite seem to fit my picture of Jesus; everyone is blessed and receives. Jesus, however, does not work in easy sayings. "When the grain is ripe, at once he puts in the sickle, because the harvest has come." That picture for me is one reminiscent of the grim reaper than the harvest season.

"With what can we compare the kingdom of God?" A mustard seed of course. Come on Jesus, make some sense to me, something that I can understand. Remember in school what it was like to be in on a secret? Imagine being in on the greatest inner secret, Jesus' revealed mystery. Well, I think the answer is easy, but one that we are not ready to hear. The one who has abundant life, will be given more. The time when we start to grow, bloom into what Christ has for us as real disciples, we will receive God's blessings, but we will be cut from what we once looked like. When the dormant mustard seed dies, only then is it able to grow. The reality is that we are all a part of God's inner circle, because Christ himself had everything taken from him, was crucified, died, but then came back to life. That is the Easter message we celebrate and the hope that sustains us in our times of doubt and fear.

Prayer: God, help us to die to ourselves so that we may live for you. Amen.

G. Thomas Martin

Listen

Mark 4:1-9

4:1 Again he began to teach beside the sea. And a very large crowd gathered about him, so that he got into a boat and sat in it on the sea, and the whole crowd was beside the sea on the land. 2 And he was teaching them many things in parables, and in his teaching he said to them: 3 “Listen! A sower went out to sow. 4 And as he sowed, some seed fell along the path, and the birds came and devoured it. 5 Other seed fell on rocky ground, where it did not have much soil, and immediately it sprang up, since it had no depth of soil. 6 And when the sun rose, it was scorched, and since it had no root, it withered away. 7 Other seed fell among thorns, and the thorns grew up and choked it, and it yielded no grain. 8 And other seeds fell into good soil and produced grain, growing up and increasing and yielding thirtyfold and sixtyfold and a hundredfold.” 9 And he said, “He who has ears to hear, let him hear.”

The old familiar Christmas carol, "Do you hear what I hear?" calls to mind the Christmas story: people clamoring, angels singing, animals in the manger bellowing, shepherds sleeping and waking. It goes on to say "Do you see what I see?" and finally ends with the mandate, "Listen to what I say!"

Jesus begins with "Listen!" Yet he is not merely recounting events or concepts, he is inviting the disciples (and us) to figure out the mystery or the parable. As Jesus unfolds the parable of the seed and the sower, we know he is speaking in analogy and metaphor. Who is the sower? What is the seed? Is the seed our faith? Is it our actions? Are we the seed? Does Jesus sow randomly and abundantly? "He who has ears to hear, let him hear."

The questions of where do we fit in the parable does not matter. Trying to figure out what the seed is is futile, if we do not heed Jesus' invitation to us to listen. For us, maybe we don't need to worry about what questions to ask. We need to listen. Listening to God is very difficult for it often requires our time away from distractions of tv, music, internet, radio, and other creature comforts. Listening takes importance for us when we are to follow Christ's way. Listening to God does not always make things easier or immediately more clear. But it is the way for us to draw closer to God and discover our God given potential.

Prayer: God of the sower and the seed, help us to hear your voice when it calls to us that we may respond in service with out lives. AMEN.

G. Thomas Martin

Luke 24:28-35

28 So they drew near to the village to which they were going. He acted as if he were going farther, 29 but they urged him strongly, saying, “Stay with us, for it is toward evening and the day is now far spent.” So he went in to stay with them. 30 When he was at table with them, he took the bread and blessed and broke it and gave it to them. 31 And their eyes were opened, and they recognized him. And he vanished from their sight. 32 They said to each other, “Did not our hearts burn within us while he talked to us on the road, while he opened to us the Scriptures?” 33 And they rose that same hour and returned to Jerusalem. And they found the eleven and those who were with them gathered together, 34 saying, “The Lord has risen indeed, and has appeared to Simon!” 35 Then they told what had happened on the road, and how he was known to them in the breaking of the bread.

Watching TV, I see more and more commercials with cookouts, family gatherings, family game nights, friends laughing, or people helping each other out. Perhaps I'm just tuned into the right channels, but I think this says something about the way in which we want to perceive ourselves. We want to be in the company of others, of friends, of neighbors, and of family.

Consider the men on the road to Emmaus. They were in a miserable place. Hopes were dashed. Fears were realized. They contemplated the worst. Yet there was hope.

The family gatherings, the fellowship of friends, the hope of a new day that these commercials portray entice us to a way of life. They remind us that it is good to be together. The men on the road to Emmaus did not know who walked with them, until they were quiet and let the other person, walking alongside them as a stranger teach them. Their eyes were fully revealed in the breaking of the bread, much like Jesus did on the night in which he gave himself up for us.

Perhaps I should turn off the TV for a little while. Maybe I should take a Sabbath from the computer. Maybe we should seek out the company of others. Today, we rejoice for the memories of friends, family, and pray for those who are searching for that sense of belonging.

Prayer: God of all, help us to take the time to fellowship with friends and family, strangers and neighbors that we might walk with those searching along their own Emmaus road. Amen.

G. Thomas Martin

Order

Luke 23:56

56 Then they returned and prepared spices and ointments.

On the Sabbath they rested according to the commandment.

One of the first things I remember learning in school is learning patterns. I remember it because I struggled with the concept for a long time. Yellow circle, green square, red triangle. Yellow circle, green square, red triangle. Yellow circle, green square, ________. To a five year old, you want the freedom to put in a blue octagon, but the order is red triangle.

We at times have the mindset of that five year old. We want to go and enjoy the finer things of life. We worry that life might pass us by if we don't live completely spontaneously. We go and try to fill that sequence with something other than what God intended.

The women who first went to tend to Jesus' body knew that they needed order. They needed to obey a higher calling than their instinct. Think of it. They had just lost the one that they loved. The one who loved them. They lost Jesus to a violent and unjust death. Yet instead of rushing to the tomb, they waited. They prepared. They prepared spices and ointments. And instead of running to fill in the sequence of the week with their own ambitions, they observed the fourth commandment (of the Ten): "On the Sabbath they rested according to the commandment."

Because they waited for the Sabbath, instead of finding a decaying body, they came upon the resurrected Lord. We want things to happen in our own time. We want to put our own order to our lives. We want to be in control. However, the Resurrection teaches us that there is beauty in the order of life.

Prayer: God of chaos and order, help us to live according to the rhythm and order that you have for given us. Amen.

G. Thomas Martin

Like a Tree

Psalm 1

1 Blessed is the man
who walks not in the counsel of the wicked,
nor stands in the way of sinners,
nor sits in the seat of scoffers;
2 but his delight is in the law of the Lord,
and on his law he meditates day and night.

3 He is like a tree
planted by streams of water
that yields its fruit in its season,
and its leaf does not wither.
In all that he does, he prospers.
4 The wicked are not so,
but are like chaff that the wind drives away.

5 Therefore the wicked will not stand in the judgment,
nor sinners in the congregation of the righteous;
6 for the Lord knows the way of the righteous,
but the way of the wicked will perish.

This weekend was my first experience watching the Peachtree Road Race live. Last year, I watched the broadcast of the race on the tv. But as is the case with live performances of art, music, or plays, you miss something being when you're not there.

Saturday, as Leslie and I watched, we didn't move for three hours as people upon people upon people came running past the church. We were "planted by streams of people" to borrow the language from the Psalmist.

However, our joy is not found in watching, in being there for live performances, or even staying in one place. To be like a tree planted by the water is not an excuse to not be active. It is not a metaphor for us. Instead, it is a matephor for our faith. It is how we remain in God's teachings and law. For the psals starts not "Blessed are those who never waver" but "Blessed is the one...who meditates on the Lord's law day and night."

We are to be active in the world, but always meditating on the laws of the Lord, day and night.

Prayer: God, teach us to be blessed, content, and happy when we meditate on your law. Amen.

G. Thomas Martin