Giving Thanks To God

For January 29, 2012



All Scriptures are from The Message Version

It is helpful to use this blog as a discussion starter for two or more people but it will also stimulate some thoughts if used by one reader. The material is used by a Sunday Study Group at Hamilton Christian Church in St. Louis, Missouri. Commentaries for these scriptures can be found on Textweek.com through this link http://www.textweek.com/writings/psalm111.htm

The liturgical season of Epiphany continues with another psalm which is the writer’s reflection on the reality of God’s presence in the life of the nation of Israel and in his own life. Last week in Psalm 62 that reality came from the disappointments the psalmist had experience in his interactions with other people. This week Psalm 111 is positive, it speaks to the real blessings that flow from God’s grace and love.

Few read and there was little to read in ancient times so that memorization played an important role in the transmission and use of the important liturgical and historical writings of the ancient Jews. This psalm is written as an acrostic with first line beginning with the first letter of the Hebrew alphabet and each subsequent line beginning with a subsequent letter (impossible to see in translations). This memorization aid was one of many used in other places in scripture.

Psalm 111:1

Hallelujah! I give thanks to God with everything I've got—
Wherever good people gather, and in the congregation.

He begins with a resounding word, Hallelujah, to express his enthusiasm for the blessings of his relationship with God:
• What feelings do you associate with the word hallelujah? Have you ever felt moved to express yourself in this way – what had occurred? When have hallelujah moments happened during your faith journey?
• How and where is the Lord to be praised? What does praising God “with everything I’ve got” mean to you? How do we normally express our praise and thanksgiving and what do these sentiments suggest we should also consider?
• Where do you feel comfortable thanking and praising God? What is the value of verbalizing our praise and feelings of thanksgiving to others? Is it part of giving thanks “with everything I’ve got”?

He now tells us about the kind of blessings flow from God:

God's works are so great, worth
A lifetime of study—endless enjoyment!
Splendor and beauty mark his craft;
His generosity never gives out.
His miracles are his memorial—

• How are God’s works described? What words does he use to describe them? Should they be taken for granted – why not, what is the benefit for us of a “lifetime of study”?
• What words would you use to describe those things that have flowed to you throughout your faith journey? Reflect on your “hallelujah” moments and those times you reached out to God, what are your feelings about them?
• Where have you seen splendor and beauty which flow from God’s work? What other relationships or resources do we count on for strength and support in our lives? What are some ways we nurture these relationships and how might that apply to nurturing our relationship with God?

He continues with a reflection on God and some specific examples of God’s gifts to Israel:

This God of Grace, this God of Love.
He gave food to those who fear him,
He remembered to keep his ancient promise.
He proved to his people that he could do what he said:
Hand them the nations on a platter—a gift!
He manufactures truth and justice;


All his products are guaranteed to last—
Never out-of-date, never obsolete, rust-proof.
All that he makes and does is honest and true:
He paid the ransom for his people,
He ordered his Covenant kept forever.
He's so personal and holy, worthy of our respect.

In the first stanza the psalmist reminds the nation of Israel of the blessings God has brought to them. They are part of the heritage of the people and we find them referred to repeatedly in the Old Testament with Psalms 105 and 106 being examples.
• Some he specifies apply to us also. What do you relate to and feel that flow from God to us today? Do you see God in terms of words like “personal”, “worthy of respect”, the source of “truth and justice”?
• If you were to pass on in writing the blessings of your relationship with God to your descendants what would you be certain to include? Are there some things that would have meaning for them as well as yourself? How would you describe God to them?
• The description of God’s “products” flow from contemporary advertising culture, how do you react to the words?

The Psalmist concludes with an admonition common to the Old Testament:

The good life begins in the fear of God—
Do that and you'll know the blessing of God.
His Hallelujah lasts forever!

• How do you react to the psalmist’s statement about the good life and fear of God? Have you ever had a relationship with someone with whom there is a measure of fear (military, work, legal, family)? How did it impact the relationship?
• The American Heritage Dictionary definition of fear is as follows:

To be afraid or frightened of.
To be uneasy or apprehensive about: feared the test results.
To be in awe of; revere.

Should a healthy relationship with God include all of these elements? Should being afraid of God color some of it? How about unease or awe?
• For me one of the best examples of renewed fear/awe in a relationship with God comes as Job (42:1-6)reflects on his confrontation with God over Job’s feelings of God acting unjustly towards him:

Job answered God: "I'm convinced: You can do anything and everything.
Nothing and no one can upset your plans.
You asked, 'Who is this muddying the water,
ignorantly confusing the issue, second-guessing my purposes?'
I admit it. I was the one. I babbled on about things far beyond me,
made small talk about wonders way over my head.
You told me, 'Listen, and let me do the talking.
Let me ask the questions. You give the answers.'
now I have it all firsthand—from my own eyes and ears!
I'm sorry—forgive me. I'll never do that again, I promise!
I'll never again live on crusts of hearsay, crumbs of rumor."

• Last week you were asked to write down the reasons that your relationship with God was important to you. This week write down some of the specific blessings that have flowed from that relationship or put it in letter form to your descendants including both blessings and a description of your relationship with God.

Closing Litany

All believers, come here and listen,

let me tell you what God did for me.

I called out to him with my mouth,

my tongue shaped the sounds of music.

If I had been cozy with evil,

the Lord would never have listened.

But he most surely did listen,

he came on the double when he heard my prayer.

Blessed be God: he didn't turn a deaf ear,

he stayed with me, loyal in his love.

AMEN

Psalm 66:16-20

Next Weeks Lectionary Scriptures: Mark 1:29-39, 1 Corinthians 9:16-23, Psalm 147:1-12, 21c, Isaiah 40:21-31


Please comment by clicking on the word comments in the sentence “Posted by John at XXXX “ at the bottom of the page

Preparing for God's Presence

For October 2, 2011
All Scriptures are from The Message Version

The Book of Exodus is a mixture of very early oral material which has come from different Jewish traditions and joined together. Just as we have four gospels telling us in somewhat different ways about Jesus Christ so the Jews have different memories of the root of their faith. Christians recorded them in four different gospels, but in the first five books of the Old Testament the traditions are all mixed together which can result in varying repetitions of the same event.  This is true for the transmission of the 10 commandments by God to the people of Israel.  The first is recorded beginning in Exodus 19 and the second Exodus 31-34 which tells of the construction of the golden calf and smashing of the stone tablets.  We will look at the first telling today:

Exodus 19:10-13 God said to Moses, “Go to the people. For the next two days get these people ready to meet the Holy God. Have them scrub their clothes so that on the third day they'll be fully prepared, because on the third day God will come down on Mount Sinai and make his presence known to all the people. Post boundaries for the people all around, telling them, 'Warning! Don't climb the mountain. Don't even touch its edge. Whoever touches the mountain dies—a certain death. And no one is to touch that person, he's to be stoned. That's right—stoned. Or shot with arrows, shot to death. Animal or man, whichever—put to death.' "A long blast from the horn will signal that it's safe to climb the mountain."

 ^14-15 Moses went down the mountain to the people and prepared them for the holy meeting. They gave their clothes a good scrubbing. Then he addressed the people: "Be ready in three days. Don't sleep with a woman."

·       God orders Moses to get the people ready to meet God – what are the specific preparations they are to make for this event?  How were they to behave and what were they to do?  What do these preparations tell us about the Israelites picture or understanding of who and what God was? 

·       What would the people know in three days, what did God promise God would do?  Is knowing God is present something that is an eternal and universal desire?  In what ways has God made God’s presence known to you – was it something you experienced, saw, or some other way?

·       What does God caution Moses to be sure to do to protect the people from God’s presence?  What is he to do to enforce these boundaries?  What does this tell us about the Israelites understanding of God, is God not to be approached, is God’s power enough to kill one who approaches too closely or something else?   Is God a constant presence or does God come and go while keeping an eye on them?   

·       How do you picture God; is it like the Israelites or in some other way?  What would your behavior be in the actual presence, the physical proximity of God?  Do you see God as being remote or in a more personal way?  John 14:23-24 records one of the last of Jesus’ teachings which speaks of God’s presence:

Because a loveless world," said Jesus, "is a sightless world. If anyone loves me, he will carefully keep my word and my Father will love him—we'll move right into the neighborhood! Not loving me means not keeping my words. The message you are hearing isn't mine. It's the message of the Father who sent me.

Read it and compare it to the picture of God in Exodus scripture.  Are there any similarities/differences and what preparation might be made for God based on the scripture from John?  What are the ramifications of having God in your neighborhood?

·       Are there any parallels in the practices of individuals and congregations at worship today which reflect a conscious or unconscious preparation for the presence of God?

Exodus 19 continues:

 ¹⁶ On the third day at daybreak, there were loud claps of thunder, flashes of lightning, a thick cloud covering the mountain, and an ear-piercing trumpet blast. Everyone in the camp shuddered in fear.

 ¹⁷ Moses led the people out of the camp to meet God. They stood at attention at the base of the mountain.

 ^18-20 Mount Sinai was all smoke because God had come down on it as fire. Smoke poured from it like smoke from a furnace. The whole mountain shuddered in huge spasms. The trumpet blasts grew louder and louder. Moses spoke and God answered in thunder. God descended to the peak of Mount Sinai. God called Moses up to the peak and Moses climbed up.

 ^21-22 God said to Moses, "Go down. Warn the people not to break through the barricades to get a look at God lest many of them die. And the priests also, warn them to prepare themselves for the holy meeting, lest God break out against them."

·       What would be the understanding of God for those who were present at Mount Sinai that day?  What would be the basis for their relationship with God, i.e., fear, love, discomfort, concern, welcoming? 

·       What is the basis for your relationship with God, where does it come from?  If you were asked to describe God what would you say?  Should any healthy relationship with God include an sense of either fear or awe?  What should we fear?  Where should the awe come from?

Exodus 20:18-20 records the Israelites reaction to this experience:

All the people, experiencing the thunder and lightning, the trumpet blast and the smoking mountain, were afraid—they pulled back and stood at a distance. They said to Moses, "You speak to us and we'll listen, but don't have God speak to us or we'll die."  Moses spoke to the people: "Don't be afraid. God has come to test you and instill a deep and reverent awe within you so that you won't sin."

·       Is the Israelites reaction surprising, what would yours have been.  What reasons does Moses give for God choosing to appear in this way?  Do you think that a dose of fear as a reason to not sin is a good thing?   

·       What is the best way to prepare ourselves for the presence of God and when should we expect God to be present with us?

Closing Litany - Reflections on God’s presence from Psalm 19

The revelation of God is whole and pulls our lives together.

   The signposts of God are clear and point out the right road.

   The life-maps of God are right, showing the way to joy.

   The directions of God are plain and easy on the eyes.

   God's reputation is twenty-four-carat gold, with a lifetime guarantee.

   Amen

Next Week’s Lectionary Scriptures: Matthew 22:1-14, Philippians 4:1-9, Psalm 106:1-6, 19-23, Exodus 32:1-14

Should We Fear God?

For 6/19/2011

Fear and God are connected throughout the Old Testament, a bible search engine will list many, many examples. The New Testament does not emphasize this understanding of a relationship with God but the Lectionary scriptures for today suggest that we should reexamine that connection as a way to enrich our faith life. One of the better known examples of fear and God comes from Proverbs 2:

Tune your ears to the world of Wisdom; set your heart on a life of Understanding.That's right—if you make Insight your priority, and won't take no for an answer…Searching for it like a prospector panning for gold, like an adventurer on a treasure hunt,Believe me, before you know it Fear-of-God will be yours; you'll have come upon the Knowledge of God.

The Old Testament understanding of fear of God contains both true fear of the power and might of God along with an awe of the evidence of God’s ongoing presence in all of creation.
· Do you associate the word fear with your relationship with God? How does injecting fear into an understanding of God work for you, is it a positive or negative.
· What has stimulated a sense of awe about God in your life’s experiences?
· What does the writer of Proverbs urge us to do to find knowledge of God? What priority should be set? What are some places you would recommend including in the search for this kind of knowledge?
· In summary it seems that this sense of fear is something to be valued, do you agree with this idea?

Two of today’s Lectionary scriptures speak to an awe/fear of God. The first is taken from the beginning of the creation story in Genesis 1:

Genesis 1:1-2 First this: God created the Heavens and Earth—all you see, all you don't see. Earth was a soup of nothingness, a bottomless emptiness, an inky blackness. God's Spirit brooded like a bird above the watery abyss. 3-5 God spoke: "Light!" And light appeared. God saw that light was good and separated light from dark. God named the light Day, he named the dark Night. It was evening, it was morning— Day One.

· What is the writer trying to convey to you as he describes conditions at the creation? What do you think he wants us to comprehend about the time creation began? Are there words or phrases that help form a picture for you?
· Do you find any elements of fear or awe of God in these words? What particularly strikes you?
· What were the beginning condition, what did God first create? For the writers of Genesis the earth was all of creation, everything else resided in the ceiling that covered the earth. How is the earth/creation described; are there limits/boundaries, is it comprehendible?
· How is God’s Spirit described? What does ‘brooding like a bird’ mean to you?
· What happens as a result of this brooding? What is the first step God takes?
· Light is an important image and associated with Jesus frequently in the Gospels. As you read it do you see any connections with the creation story? Chaper 1 of John might be considered a New Testament creation story. Does John's assertion that Jesus was present at creation surprise you?

John 1:3-5
Everything was created through him; nothing—not one thing!—came into being without him. What came into existence was Life, and the Life was Light to live by. The Life-Light blazed out of the darkness; the darkness couldn't put it out.

You might want to look for additional refrences in the New Testament to both light and darkness along with the assertion that Jesus was present at the creation.
Another scripture that speaks to awe/fear of God comes from Psalm 8:

Lord our sovereign, how glorious is your name throughout the world! Your majesty is praised as high as the heavens…
When I look up at your heavens, the work of your fingers, at the moon and the stars you have set in place, what is a frail mortal, that you should be mindful of him?
Yet you have made him little less than a god, crowning his head with glory and honour, you make him master over all that you have made, putting everything in subjection under his feet: all sheep and oxen, all the wild beasts, the birds in the air, the fish in the sea, and everything that moves along ocean paths.
Lord our sovereign, how glorious is your name throughout the world!

· What is the first awesome thing that the psalmist records? What specific words are meaningful to you? What has your reaction been to pictures from the Hubble telescope and programs about the universe on TV, have your reflected on God’s place in all of this?
· What question does the psalmist have for God on behalf of us ‘frail mortals’? As you think about the infinity of God’s creation has this question ever arisen for you? What other questions might you have for God as you think about creation?
· How do you feel about the psalmist’s assertion that God has made us ‘little less than a god’? What questions does it raise for you, what does it say about the responsibilities we all take on with this status?
· Where does the idea that all things are under subjection to us come from? What does God say about humans and creation in Genesis 1:26-30?
· The sense of awe of God is clear in this psalm, is there any sense of fear in his words?

* What is your take on all this, how does fear and awe of God fit into your faith journey, has your thinking changed at all?

Closing Prayer
God be in my head, and in my understanding
God be in my eyes, and in my looking
God be in my mouth and in my speaking
God be in my heart, and in my thinking
Amen
The Oxford Book of Prayer

Next Week’s Lectionary Scriptures: Genesis 22:1-14 or Jeremiah 28:5-9, Psalm 13 or Psalm 89:1-4, 15-18, Romans 6:12-23, Matthew 10:40-42

If you would like to comment click on comments in the template below this posting.