From THE MESSAGE: What other great nation has gods that are intimate with them the way God, our God, is with us, always ready to listen to us? And what other great nation has rules and regulations as good and fair as this Revelation that I’m setting before you today?
And as New Testament people we also ask: What other God is there who makes us in God’s image? What other God is there who come to live among God’s children? What other God is there who adopts us as legitimate daughters and sons?
The writer of Deuteronomy advises us: Just make sure you stay alert. Keep close watch over yourselves. Don’t forget anything of what you’ve seen. Don’t let your heart wander off. Stay vigilant as long as you live. Teach what you’ve seen and heard to your children and grandchildren.
And as readers of the New Testament letters we also know that those who lived, worked and prayed with Jesus give us the same advice. We might also testify: Our God walks and lives with us still. Our God heals and consoles us still. Our God leads and protects us still.
These are truths that are worthy of our scrutiny. Once we explore them with our own eyes and ears, we might share this Good News with others.
Use the scripture link and the drop-down menus to explore other translations of these verses, and to scrutinize all that we have read and heard.
Ottheinrich Folio: Jesus Heals a Man who is Deaf and Mute
And it happened. The man’s hearing was clear and his speech plain—just like that.
We rise in the morning to greet another day . . .just like that.
We move through our communities without major mishap . . .just like that.
We have enough to eat and enough to drink . . . just like that.
We have health care, networks, access to information . . . just like that.
We interact with family, friends and colleagues . . . just like that.
We lay tired heads on plump pillows . . . just like that.
For those of us on the planet who have received the gift of so much, including the gift of hard work that allows us to enter into the marketplace to compete fairly with others, we must remember that despite all our thinking otherwise, all that we have is by the grace of God . . . just like that.
For those of us on the planet who are hampered and even imprisoned and murdered by unjust regimes, we must remember that despite all the solidarity God’s people might muster, all that they were promised has been taken away . . .just like that.
As we move through our day giving thanks for the words we hear, let us remember that despite all the rancor they may contain, we might allow God’s love to transform the world’s hatred into joy when we remember the Law of Love that Jesus shows us through the miracle of healing . . . just like that.
As we move into the evening giving thanks for the words we use, let us remember that despite all the wisdom they may contain, they may easily fall on deaf ears . . .just like that.
And so we pray.
Wise and gentle God,knowing that all that we have and all that we are comes from you, remind us to keep eyes, ears and hearts open in gratitude to you.
Strong and persistent God, understanding that words – whether spoken or unspoken – are powerful instruments of both fear and love, remind us to measure our words and be mindful of their effect.
Merciful and loving God, believing that truth endures beyond lies, integrity outlives deceit, and love is greater than any evil, remind us that our very existence relies on your compassion and fidelity.
We ask this through Christ our Lord, the healer of all that is wrong, the bearer of all that is praiseworthy. Amen.
For more on theOttheinrich Folio, visit: http://www.facsimilefinder.com/facsimiles/ottheinrich-s-bible-facsimile
We have celebrated Easter Week, an eight-day celebration of the resurrection of the crucified Christ, and as we move forward through Eastertide, we continue to explore the doubt we might have about the resurrection miracle. We continue to ask the familiar question in the face of violence and tragedy: Where is God? And Ezekiel, the prophet who lives in exile from the physical place in which he believes God resides, gives us a simple answer to this simple question: God resides everywhere. As Easter people who celebrate the miracle of Easter renewal, we see God best in the new temple of the Christ’s body. We see God best when we all strive toward creating the New Jerusalem here among us, a place where differences are anticipated and respected, a place where every voice is heard, a place where reparations are made and accepted, a place of healing and restoration. A place of ultimate and intense truth. A place of purity and of fire and of healing.
The prophet Ezekiel tells us that God is a paradox. He tells us that the Temple and God’s presence must be central to our lives. He tells us that God is awesome – “reaching far beyond human relationships and human explanations”. (Senior RG 339) He tells us that as individuals we are responsible for our own adherence to the Law and that no matter our ancestry or our misfortunes, we cannot scapegoat our circumstances. “Each person lives or dies according to his or her wicked or virtuous way of life”. (Senior RG 340) Ezekiel transforms the art of prophecy, bringing it to a new level and setting the stage for the entrance of the Messiah and the New Testament. He also lays the foundation for the Second Coming – when the Lord returns and sends his angels among the living to separate the sheep from the goats.
Mikhail Nesterov: The Empty Tomb
All of this is too terrible, too wonderful, too much to believe – and yet there is nothing else to believe. All other thought pales and hence the paradox. What we first see and hear we want to believe but do not, thinking that this New Jerusalem is impossible. Yet through living, suffering, hoping, believing and loving we arrive at no other spot. We have no choice but to believe that indeed, the Lord is Here.
When we spend time with this prophecy today, we have the opportunity to feel the presence of God as we remember andreflect . . . we are Easter People . . . visited by the risen Christ . . . and so the Lord is among us.
Maestro Juan Flores runs the healing center at the Mayantuyacu Boiling River
We are created for love, structured in hope, and formed in renewal. We are Easter People.
The prophet Jeremiah reminds the faithful that God does not delight in burnt offerings but looks for softened hearts and open minds. Through Jeremiah, God asks for our obedience in listening to God’s word. Through Jeremiah, God speaks of putting away our mule-stubbornness and renewing the truth of God’s word. In this Eastertide, we have the opportunity to take a new look at how we have loved all of God’s creation, including the world around us. And we have the opportunity to examine whether or not we listen to or take in the word of God. We have the opportunity again to be who we are, Easter people.
Today we remember as we reflect . . . we are Easter People.
So many times we are called to Transfiguration. So many times we are called to Exodus. So many times we meet angels and prophets and yet do not respond. We are so caught up in getting through the day, getting through the night, the week, the month, the year . . . the life.
So often we want to pause at a happy spot to set up a tent to house that moment and hold it. So often we want to wrestle with time until it obeys us. We live in the past, we live in the future, we live anywhere else but the present, re-living, un-living, projecting, transferring.
Jesus goes up to the mountain with two of his beloved apostles to speak with Elijah, Moses and his Father about the work that lies before him. Of course he knows what was expected of him – down to the smallest detail – yet he listens to those who have gone before him. He listens to the wisdom of the ages. And he shares the experience with his friends.
Jesus shares this wisdom and love with us as well. He give to us the opportunity of transfiguration of self. We are not held away from the gift of salvation; rather, we are invited to join Christ’s joy and glory. So when the cloud descends upon us, and we hear the voice from the mist say: This is my Son, listen to him . . . may we have the courage, the wisdom, the light and the joy to do as we are bidden. Because through this experience comes a true knowing of God, a true knowing of self. With this comes an openness to the Word and the Truth and the Light.
As we anticipate our Lenten journey that begins on Ash Wednesday this week, it is good to pause to reflect upon the possibilities offered to us through Transfiguration.
Looking for transfiguration, we begin a new Lenten practice this week. Rather than thinking: “Let us make three tents to contain the joy of God’s wisdom,” let us think instead, “Let us share the joy of God’s great gift of love”.
Tomorrow, the Christ.
To learn more about how the Violins of Hopeprovide an opportunity for learning and reflection through restored instruments that survived the Holocaust, and to see how Cleveland’s MALTZ MUSEUM OF JEWISH HERITAGE offers opportunities of transfiguration, click on the images above or visit: http://www.violinsofhopecle.org/
We continue to look for God’s yardstick in the New Testament.
Paul writes his story of the good news in his letters to Christian communities he establishes, and in the acts of love recorded in Acts of the Apostles. What does he tell us about the measure with which God measures?
Paul urges the followers of Christ to celebrate always . . .
Rejoice in the Lord always; again I will say, rejoice!
Paul asks that we share Christ’s goodness with all we meet and in all we do and say . . .
Let your gentle spirit be known to all.
Paul urges the followers of Christ to rely on prayer . . .
Be anxious for nothing, but in everything by prayer.
Paul reminds us to put our petitions in the creator’s hands . . .
Let your requests be made known to God.
Paul advises us to focus only on Christ . . .
Guard your hearts and your minds in Christ Jesus.
Paul gives a yardstick that is strong, concise, simple and elegant . . .
Whatever is true, whatever is honorable, whatever is right, whatever is pure, whatever is lovely, whatever is of good repute, if there is any excellence and if anything worthy of praise, dwell on these things.The things you have learned and received and heard and seenin me, practice these things, andthe God of peace will be with you.
When we explore Paul’s letters we find a consistent, clear message. This is a yardstick we will want to use. It is a yardstick we will want to share with others.
Valentin de Boulogne: The Judgment of Daniel or the Innocence of Susanna
Thursday, January 12, 2023
In these opening days of a new year, we look for ways to better see God’s yardstick in our lives, and for ways to leave the world’s yardstick behind.
Today’s Noontimeis a beautiful but difficult story. An innocent, virtuous woman is wrongly accused; and an innocent yet wise child reveals lust and deceit. Goodness wins in the end; evil slithers away to return another day.
The idea that Susanna’s virtue is the reason for her trial is a frightening thought. Her parents took care, the story tells us, to bring her up in the ways of Yahweh. And this was what stirred the lascivious men.
What does Susanna do when accused? To whom does she turn? What does she say in her defense?
Through her tears she looked up to heaven, for she trusted in the Lord wholeheartedly . . . “Oh, eternal God, you know what is hidden and are aware of all things before they come to be: you know that they have testified falsely against me. Here I am about to die, though I have done none of the things with which these wicked men have charged me”. As the story continues, we see that the evil elders – whom the people had trusted – are done in by their own web of lies. The story unfolds as the child Daniel cries out: Now have your past sins come to term: passing unjust sentences, condemning the innocent, and freeing the guilty” . . . The whole assembly cried aloud, blessing God who saves those that hope in him. They rose up against the two elders, for by their own words Daniel had convicted them of perjury.
UK Parliament – John Rogers Herbert: The Judgment of Daniel
The end of this story is immediately satisfying. Unfortunately for us, situations like these in our own lives may endure many days or months or years before the lies against us are revealed; yet revealed they will be for God’s goodness and truth always overcome darkness. The measuring stick that Susanna uses, and that we must use, is to follow Yahweh, the creator who molds us from star dust for the purpose of love alone.
Our task, as followers of Christ, is to faithfully and persistently petition God, to fall back into the comfort of the Holy Spirit, to model ourselves after Jesus, and to continue to hope in the covenant promise that we are eternally forgiven and saved. We might remind ourselves of the gifts we receive when we use God’s yardstick at the troubling times in our lives. The message of Daniel is clear: When goodness attracts evil – as it surely will – the faithful need not fight; they need only rely on God, and never allow themselves to be separated in any way from their God who measures life in so loving a way. And so we pray . . .
The gift of persistence calls us to rely on the comfort of the Holy Spirit.
The gift of faith asks us to place our petitions in God’s hands.
The gift of hope in the person of Jesus shows us how to offer love on behalf of our enemies.
The gift of life itself asks us to allow goodness and truth to conquer lust, lies and deceit. Amen.
A favorite from Saturday, November 21, 2009.
Enter the name Susannain the blog search bar for more reflections about this woman.
We near the end of a cycle of days and weeks and months that we designate as a year. Soon we will celebrate the past twelve months in which we have known great sorrow and great joy. As we consider all that we have seen and heard, felt and believed, let us give thanks for the gift of delight itself, the gentle pleasure that rises from honest relationships and open minds. Just as God delights in us, let us delight in God.
For the gift of winter cold that draws us together as we look for shelter and welcome friends and strangers from the wind. Let us treasure each winter hardship just as God treasures each of us. The infinite iterations of flakes on frosted windows can remind us that just as God creates each of these beautiful designs, so does God create each of us with our own unique features, joys and anxieties.
For the gift of drawing in, we give thanks for God’s delight in us.
For the gift of spring that reminds us that new life always rises from the old. In springtime exuberance we open our hearts to the possibilities of our own resurrection. We remember that God always brings goodness out of harm, love out of hatred, generosity out of what is meant to be cruel, and love out of gestures of hatred and shame. The tiniest of plants and creatures burst forth in a rush to celebrate God’s goodness. Giant stars and the multiverse expand to open great hearts for God’s enormous love.
For the gift of burgeoning hope, we give thanks for God’s delight in us.
For the gift of summer that brings us into the energy of God’s passion and mercy. In the fullness of summer heat, we remember that with God all things are possible. With God all miracles bring new life and new meaning. With God resurrection is more than an idea or hope. Burgeoning crops, teeming waters, rain and sun drench us with God’s abundance and generosity. God calls us to match this zeal with the stores of understanding and courage we lay aside for the difficult times ahead.
For the gifts of kindness and goodness, we give thanks for God’s delight in us.
For the gift of autumn when we harvest the fortitude, perseverance, fidelity and truth that God has shared with us. We remember that nothing of this world is meant to take the place of God. We recall the great delight God has expressed in our willingness to be open to others just as Jesus is open with us. We respond with compassion and an ardent desire to heal broken relationships and people. We return this gift with our own desire to heal and advocate.
For the gifts of forgiveness and restoration, we give thanks for God’s delight in us.
In all seasons of this year to come, we unite in a new thankfulness for God’s love, a new willingness to live as Jesus does, and a new urgency to heal and console just like the Holy Spirit. May we find the energy and determination to live in such a way that all those who encounter us will know that we delight in God’s own delight in us. Amen.
Rejoice in the Lord always, I shall say it again: rejoice!
St. Paul establishes this first community in Europe on his second missionary journey sometime around the year 50 and though his subsequent travels, he reminds the Philippians that . . .
Your kindness should be known to all, the Lord is near.
He sends the Philippians advice which we might take today . . .
Have no anxiety at all, but in everything, by prayer and petition, with thanksgiving, make your requests known to God. Then the peace of God that surpasses all understanding will guard your hearts and minds in Christ Jesus.
While in Philippi, he converts a wealthy business woman, his jailer and the jailer’s family, and he later writes to this community to remind them of what is truly important . . .
Whatever is true, whatever is honorable, whatever is just, whatever is pure, whatever is lovely, whatever is gracious . . .
This letter was written while Paul was imprisoned elsewhere, perhaps Rome, Caesarea or Corinth; but wherever the prison, he continues to exhort his fellow Christ followers in Philippi to . . .
Keep on doing what you have learned and received and heard and seen in me. Then the God of peace will be with you.
Carl von Marr: Adoration of the Christ Child
During this Christmastide, may you all know the Joy of Christ’s Hope, and may you all rest in his Serene Peace . . .
Rejoice in the Lord always, I shall say it again: rejoice!
The Noontimes 