Opossum Screed: June 2020

To Sing and to Praise

Deliver me from bloodshed, O God, O God of my salvation, and my tongue will sing aloud of your deliverance.
O Lord, open my lips, and my mouth will declare your praise.

—Psalm 51:14-15

As I near the end of Psalm 51, things start to look up. But not before a particularly difficult petition from the psalmist. I read "deliver me from bloodshed" in my translation, while others call it blood-guiltiness. The Hebrew word means from bloods, so I suppose it's open to interpretation. And here I am tempted to admit to the guilt of being part of a culture that is armed to the teeth, and where violence is commonplace.

But maybe I've jumped the gun. The bloods the Hebrew is referring to is probably not the cause but the effect. The psalmist might not be praying here for deliverance from committing the crime, but from the punishment for it. And if I take the words of Jesus in the Sermon on the Mount seriously, I

Create in me a clean heart, O God, and put a new and right spirit within me.

—Psalm 51:10

This little verse has a lot of theology packed into it. And it starts with the first word: create. I'm inclined to think that my heart is naturally clean, and I just sully it up a bit when I make mistakes. But here is implied quite the opposite: on its own, my heart is unclean, and the only way to get a clean one is an act that only God can perform. The verb here, בּרא‬‬, is the exact same verb used in Genesis 1:1 when God created the world from less than nothing. If my heart is to be renewed, then an act of divine creation—creation as in the Book of Genesis—is needed.

And then there's that second clause. Is it simply a repetition of the first clause in slightly different language? From a Christian perspective, it looks

Today I begin my summer study of Paul's Letter to the Romans. Here is the order, and (as always) this video is best viewed in full-screen mode...

00:00 Chimes
00:36 Welcome
01:05 Call to Worship: Psalm 52:8-9
01:24 Opening Prayer
01:48 Introduction to the Study
06:08 Reading: Romans 5:1-10
07:22 Study: Justification
09:02 Study: Are You Saved? 3 Possible Answers
13:58 Study: Atonement
15:43 Study: Substitutionary Theory
17:06 Study: Christ the Victor Theory
17:58 Study: Ransom Theory
18:45 Study: Moral Influence Theory
24:31 Study: Conclusion
24:54 Communion Prayer
25:43 Lord's Prayer
26:09 Fraction
26:55 Benediction
27:13 Response: Go Now in Peace

My Secret Heart

You desire truth in the inward being; therefore teach me wisdom in my secret heart.

—Psalm 51:6

It's common enough when we encounter someone who's a little rough around the edges to hear one of their defenders say, "But they have a good heart." Indeed, that seems to be how we excuse wrongdoing these days: What we do outwardly is an anomaly; on the inside, where it supposedly counts, we are good people.

Nothing could be further from the truth, of course. If one tenth of the sin we entertain in our hearts were to be acted upon, the whole population of the world would probably be in prison. In Matthew 15, Jesus tells the religious authorities that what we put into our mouths doesn't defile. It's what comes

Have mercy on me, O God, according to your steadfast love; according to your abundant mercy blot out my transgressions.

Wash me thoroughly from my iniquity, and cleanse me from my sin.

For I know my transgressions, and my sin is ever before me.
Against you, you alone, have I sinned, and done what is evil in your sight, so that you are justified in your sentence and blameless when you pass judgement.
Indeed, I was born guilty, a sinner when my mother conceived me.

—Psalm 51:1-3

As well known as Psalm 51 is, it's probably not prayed as often as it should be. In this era when we have decided that there is no such thing as sin, this psalm seems to offer nothing but unnecessary guilt. Why should I ask a loving God for mercy? How can it be that I have sinned only against God? How dare anyone imply that there's such a thing as original sin?

And yet here in the first five verses of Psalm 51, these are the things that I

But to the wicked God says: “What right have you to recite my statutes, or take my covenant on your lips? For you hate discipline, and you cast my words behind you. You make friends with a thief when you see one, and you keep company with adulterers. You give your mouth free rein for evil, and your tongue frames deceit. You sit and speak against your kin; you slander your own mother’s child. These things you have done and I have been silent; you thought that I was one just like yourself. But now I rebuke you, and lay the charge before you."

—Psalm 50:16-21

This is a very difficult passage to read. God has just promised the faithful unconditional love. But not all people are faithful. God also has a few words for the wicked. These wicked people are not those who have never heard of God, and who know nothing of a relationship with God. Indeed, here, they claim to be members of God's family, counting themselves among those called out from among the nations to bear witness to God's love. So, of the

I will not accept a bull from your house, or goats from your folds.

For every wild animal of the forest is mine, the cattle on a thousand hills.

I know all the birds of the air, and all that moves in the field is mine.

If I were hungry, I would not tell you, for the world and all that is in it is mine.

Do I eat the flesh of bulls, or drink the blood of goats?

Offer to God a sacrifice of thanksgiving, and pay your vows to the Most High.

—Psalm 50:12-14

My first inclination this morning is to meditate solely on a small part of the Fiftieth Psalm:

Call on me in the day of trouble; I will deliver you, and you shall glorify me.

—Psalm 50:15

But this is a shallow truth when not taken in the context of all that precedes it, where God refers "to his own boundless possessions, that he may show his absolute independence of human offerings. He then points at the wide

Four reasons why I wear my mask when I'm in public:

Humility. I don't know if I have COVID as it is clear that people can spread the disease before they have symptoms.
Kindness. I don't know if the person I am near is in an at-risk category, has a kid battling cancer, or cares for their elderly parent.
Community. I want my community to thrive, businesses and religious centers to stay open, and employees to stay healthy. Keeping a lid on COVID helps us all.
Prevention. I would rather do all I can to help slow the spread (even if it's determined later that it was not needed) than to do less and cause harm.

This message is based on one the author Silas House posted to his Twitter account.

Perfection of Beauty

Out of Zion, the perfection of beauty, God shines forth.

—Psalm 50:2

Perhaps I look too often for the human conception of beauty in the church: Beautiful architecture, fine paraments, glorious stained glass. Yet beauty as defined by God might be—and probably is—quite different. For how does God shine forth from the body of Christ, but in the preaching of the gospel and selfless acts of kindness? In word and deed, therefore, we see the perfection of beauty, for these encompass the faith of the church. The most glorious depiction of the perfection of beauty is an humble saint doing the will of God.

God our light, make your church like a rainbow shining and proclaiming to all the world that the storm is at an end, there is peace for those who seek it, and love for the forgiving.

—A New Zealand Prayer Book

I pray in the Name of Christ, who taught me to pray: Our Father...

They Trust in Their Wealth

Why should I fear when trouble comes, when enemies surround me? They trust in their wealth and boast of great riches.

—Psalm 49:5-6 NLT

In this era of pandemic, greed, injustice, and corruption, there appears to be a great deal to fear. Foremost among my fears, however, is the fact that people calling themselves Christians are both the motivators and enablers of much of what's wrong. The solution seems to be more fearful than the problem, for the perpetrators are usually not the first victims of the tumult that will set things to rights.

But it's important to remember that those who depend on God, who live in God's presence, who seek God's face will never be let down. In the end, we belong to God. Those who try to usurp God's place, who judge their neighbor even as they victimize them, who make the least among us their

Interior of Pilgrim Christian Church (Chardon OH) bell tower

Walk about Zion, go all around it, count its towers, consider well its ramparts; go through its citadels, that you may tell the next generation that this is God, our God forever and ever. He will be our guide forever.

—Psalm 48:12-14

At first, I am not inclined to gain much inspiration from the conclusion of the 48th Psalm. Its concentration on buildings and construction is problematic for me. It extols the architecture of a city and says that this is God. Most troublesome of all is the fact that the city eventually fell.

But here Calvin helps me once again, pointing out that "God would have [me] behold the marks of his grace engraven wherever [I turn], or rather, to recognize him as present in these marks." Thus, the end of this psalm is asking me to ponder beauty or greatness and acknowledge it as being of God and a sign of God's providence. The city is not God, but is a tangible

Today's message isn't a Father's Day message, but it is about the song This Is My Father's World. Here's the order, and (as always) it's best to watch the video in full-screen mode.

00.00 Chimes
00.18 Prélude: This Is My Father's World
03.35 Welcome
04.03 Call to Worship (from Micah 6)
04.18 Opening Prayer
04.44 Message
16.24 Scripture Reading: Colossians 3:12-15
16.58 Communion Prayer with Institution
18.27 Lord's Prayer
18.52 Fraction
19.22 Benediction
19.42 Response: Go Now in Peace

Great is the Lord and greatly to be praised in the city of our God. His holy mountain, beautiful in elevation, is the joy of all the earth.

—Psalm 48:1-2a

Certainly, when this psalm was written, "the city of our God" referred to Jerusalem. Christian theology sees something different, though, and that is that the church is the city of God, and it is in the church that God's praise should equal God's greatness.

I, when I am lifted up from the earth, will draw all people to myself.

—John 12:32

It is also in the church that Christ is lifted up. The cross is beautiful in

Let your face shine upon your servant; save me in your steadfast love.

—Psalm 31:16

When I lived in Colombia, I encountered a culture that was more acutely aware than the one I grew up in of what it means to turn one's back on another person. Perhaps it wasn't a huge deal, but people seemed nonetheless more aware in conversation of who was at their back and how that might be perceived as impolite.

When God does this in the Bible, of course, the implication goes far beyond discourtesy. For God to turn away from a person or a people is to ignore them at best, or to be angry with them at worst.

And so, if God's back is unfavorable, then the face of God is a metaphor for God's favor. Toward us, favor is given. But turned away from us, it is

The last enslaved African Americans to hear of the end of slavery were in Texas. They got the news on June 19, 1865—two months after the end of the Civil War, and 2½ years after the Emancipation Proclamation. This day came to be known as Juneteenth. With current events what they are, it's high time we made this day a federal holiday... and then lived into its ideals.

To remember this important holiday, here's Committed's rendition of Lift Every Voice, the song often referred to as the "Black National Anthem."

Clapping in Church

Clap your hands, all you peoples; shout to God with loud songs of joy.

For the Lord, the Most High, is awesome, a great king over all the earth.

—Psalm 47:1-2

I really don't like clapping in church. For one thing, nothing in church should be done as a performance. But also, at a certain point, all the applause becomes meaningless and obligatory. Maybe I could apply something here that Jesus said in a different context: You are the salt of the earth; but if salt has lost its taste, how can its saltiness be restored? It is no longer good for anything, but is thrown out and trampled under foot [Matt. 5:13]. In other words, some things are special, and when we spread them too thin, waste them unnecessarily, or fail to appreciate their true meaning, then we're in danger of making common that which should be special. That's my opinion,

Be still, and know that I am God! I am exalted among the nations, I am exalted in the earth.

—Psalm 46:10

I have always imagined that everyone is being addressed by the words, "Be still, and know that I am God." And if this is the case, it's a fine message. In the midst of my fevered days and fast-paced life, true meaning is found in quiet and prayer and acknowledging that God is the Creator and I am but a creature.

But Calvin reminds me of the actual context of this verse, which is warfare and strife—the kind of strife that only God has the power to end. And in that context, "Be still, and know that I am God," has a different emphasis—

He makes wars cease to the end of the earth; he breaks the bow, and shatters the spear; he burns the shields with fire.

—Psalm 46:9

At the beginning of this psalm, the earth is in turmoil—seemingly because of natural disasters—yet God's people are not afraid, because the City of God exists in the midst of the chaos. The natural world is mirrored by human chaos as the psalm progresses, with wars which seem to correspond to the aforementioned earthquakes and storms. But here in v. 9 we see God's presence once again overcoming fear—this time, not fear of the cataclysmic events of geological upheavals, but fear of the catastrophes of human history. When humans create peace out of warfare, we know to expect more warfare in the future. So, as Calvin points out, we "should look for peace from [God], even when the whole world is in uproar, and agitated in a

There is a river whose streams make glad the city of God, the holy habitation of the Most High.

God is in the midst of the city; it shall not be moved; God will help it when the morning dawns.

—Psalm 46:4-5

Water is portrayed in several different ways in the scriptures, ranging from destructive chaos to wisdom and order. And here in Psalm 46, we see these two extremes. It opens with the raging seas in verses 2-3, but here in verse 4, we already see the happy calm of the river of God.

The theology here is as reassuring as the geography is questionable. Water is water. But without God, it is an angry force to be feared. While under God's influence, it is gladdening and protective.

And so it is with my life. Though I doubt God is ever actually absent, I

"I won't say much for myself; I don't wish to," Coggan continued, with that tendency to talk on principles which is characteristic of the barley-corn. "But I've never changed a single doctrine: I've stuck like a plaster to the old faith I was born in. Yes; there's this to be said for the Church, a man can belong to the Church and bide in his cheerful old inn, and never trouble or worry his mind about doctrines at all. But to be a meetinger, you must go to chapel in all winds and weathers, and make yerself as frantic as a skit. Not but that chapel members be clever chaps enough in their way. They can lift up beautiful prayers out of their own heads, all about their families and

God is our refuge and strength, a very present help in trouble.

Therefore we will not fear, though the earth should change, though the mountains shake in the heart of the sea.

—Psalm 46:1-2

No psalm—not even the 23rd Psalm—offers imagery as evocative as Psalm 46. The opening verses immediately bring to mind a strong reason to hope when everything around me is falling apart. I can't help but remember this quote attributed to Martin Luther* when I read Psalm 46:1-2—

"Even if I knew that tomorrow the world would pass away, I would plant one more apple tree today."

The world gives me so many reasons to doubt, O Lord. But you are the one constant that gives me hope. It's a good thing you're all the hope I need. I pray in the Name of the Christ, who taught me to pray: Our Father...

*He probably didn't really say it, but it's a nice quote anyway.

June 14 Worship

Today's online worship service uses Psalm 42 (and Psalm 43) as its text, and the message is on Psalm 42:7. Below is the order, and, as always, it's best to watch the video in full-screen mode.

00.00 Chimes
00.38 Welcome
01.04 Call to Worship from Ps. 42
01.23 Opening Prayer
01.42 Bookshelf Tour, Part 1
03.14 Message about our Nation's Current Situation
06.57 Bookshelf Tour, Part 2
10.39 Scripture Reading: Psalm 42:5 - 43:3
12.12 Message on Psalm 42:7
19.55 Communion Prayer with Institution
21.05 Lord's Prayer
21.32 Fraction
22.06 Benediction
22.25 Response: Go Now in Peace

Royal Scepter

Your throne, O God, endures forever and ever. Your royal scepter is a scepter of equity.

—Psalm 45:6

Yesterday I meditated on how the 45th Psalm may seem to be about the earthly ruler, but is, in fact, about the eternal King. And here in v. 6, we see the truth of this. God is the true Sovereign, and though God is omnipotent, power is not spoken of as the sign of God's rule. Instead, God's symbol is the scepter of מִישׁוֹר, which is literally a level place. It is usually translated as a scepter of equity. God is therefore a God of equality or justice. And God's people, living under this scepter of justice, are obligated to treat one another and their neighbors as though they, too, live under this same scepter... for indeed they and we are all subjects of—and bear the image of—the one

My heart overflows with a goodly theme;
I address my verses to the king;
my tongue is like the pen of a ready scribe.

You are the most handsome of men;
grace is poured upon your lips;
therefore God has blessed you forever.

—Psalm 45:1-2

The overflowing spoken of in Psalm 45:1 was translated by Calvin as boiling over, since the Hebrew word רָ֘חַ֤שׁ literally means to bubble or boil. I think a better translation in English would be, My heart gushes, since that's what we say we do when we heap praise upon somebody.

But upon whom is praise being heaped in Psalm 45? It is thought that this psalm was ostensibly about Solomon, which Calvin acknowledged. But he had a different theory as to its true subject: "The Holy Spirit is not accustomed to inspire the servants of God to utter great swelling words, and to pour forth empty sounds into the air; and, therefore, we may naturally conclude, that the subject here treated of is not merely a transitory and

For not by their own sword did they win the land, nor did their own arm give them victory; but your right hand, and your arm, and the light of your countenance, for you delighted in them.

—Psalm 44:3

We spend far too much time in this nation worshiping weapons and those who carry them. The Bible knows nothing of this. Especially in the psalms, we read over and over (and over) again that God's arm is our strength, God's light is our guide. To make heroes of those in the armed forces while ignoring other faithful persons fulfilling their calling is idolatry and indicative of our misplaced priorities. It is wrong to vilify those whose job demands that they carry weapons. But it is also wrong to place their calling on a higher plane than those who fulfill their calling without weaponry.

Especially during this pandemic, I have seen the heroism of healthcare workers, grocery store employees, those making deliveries, and many others who put their lives on the line so that my life can continue in comfort. I

O send out your light and your truth; let them lead me; let them bring me to your holy hill and to your dwelling.

—Psalm 43:3

Enlightenment may take many forms, and the source of light may vary from epiphany to epiphany, from one truth to the next. It is common these days to emphasize one's inner light, imagining that if we simply follow our own instincts, we will not err.

Nothing, of course, could be further from the truth. The human will, in bondage as it is to sin, is no guide to truth. This is as true on an individual basis as it is in a group setting. As individuals we are too ignorant, and as a large group, we find encouragement for our own prejudices when we encounter them in others. What was Hitler doing but using his own inner light as a guide? And what were the millions who followed him along his path doing but finding encouragement for their own behavior in that of the mob?

No, the light I must follow and the truth toward which I travel must be none other than God's light—a light which shines on realities that I must sometimes face against my will, and a truth that might well expose my own assumptions as faulty at best, or, at worst, lies. Christ's path led up to Calvary before it led him to the garden on Easter morning, and the light of God shone upon a cross before it burst forth from an empty tomb.

Send out your light and your truth, O God. Let it be they that guide me—through happiness and difficulty—into your presence; in Jesus' Name, who taught me to pray: Our Father...

And I Can Hope

Why are you cast down, O my soul, and why are you disquieted within me? Hope in God; for I shall again praise him, my help and my God.

—Psalm 42:11

Three times in Psalm 42, we read of the psalmist's soul being cast down, and three times this prostration (for indeed, that's what the Hebrew word means) has a response. The first (v. 5) and last (v. 11) time, the response is hope. And in the middle (v. 6) the response is memory.

The person of faith is indeed sometimes brought low by troubles, but we remember and we hope:

For surely I know the plans I have for you, says the Lord, plans for your welfare and not for harm, to give you a future with hope.

—Jeremiah 29:11

Why am I cast down? Good question. And I may not like—or even know—the answer. But I can remember a past when I felt God near, and I can hope

Deep calls to deep at the noise of your waterfalls. All your waves and your billows have swept over me. The Lord will command his loving-kindness in the daytime. In the night his song shall be with me—a prayer to the God of my life.

※ Psalm 42:7-8 ※

Calvin interprets the depths referred to in Psalm 42:7 very negatively: When once [God's] anger is kindled against us, there will be not only one depth to swallow us up, but depth will call unto depth. In other words, when one deep calls to another, I am well and truly sunk.

But I would disagree with him. Yes, perhaps the first deep is the depth of

As the deer pants for the water brooks, so pants my soul after you, God. My soul thirsts for God, for the living God. When shall I come and appear before God?

✙ Psalm 42:1-2 ✙

Psalm 42 is one of the loveliest chapters in the entire Bible. It's a psalm of longing for God. And there's something about that longing which is universal. With only one exception (found in v. 8), the Name for God is simply God, as opposed to the covenant Name (unspoken in most translations) so often used throughout the rest of the Book of Psalms.

Panting and thirsting are physical expressions that relate to us the deep need our spirits have for the Divine. To be in God's presence is to be satisfied, while being separated from God is to be in deep need. This is therefore a psalm whose theology goes beyond a single religion—be it Jewish or Christian—to include all people in the family of God. Whomever

The First Sunday after Pentecost is called the Feast of the Holy Trinity, or simply Trinity Sunday. I've used portions of two of the appointed readings in my video—the very end of Matthew's gospel, and the very beginning of Genesis. What follows is the order of the video, and, as always, it's best to watch it in full-screen mode.

00.00 Chimes
00.25 Welcome
00.46 Call to Worship: Matthew 28:18b-20
01.10 Opening Prayer
01.44 Scripture Reading: Genesis 1:1-4a
02.09 Meditation
06.35 Prayer
07.46 Song: Holy, Holy, Holy
09.26 Communion Prayer
10.02 Lord's Prayer (sung)
12.07 Institution / Sharing the Bread & Cup
12.53 Benediction
13.03 Response: Go Now in Peace

A Life of Wholeness

But you have upheld me because of my integrity, and set me in your presence forever.

Blessed be the Lord, the God of Israel, from everlasting to everlasting. Amen and Amen.

—Psalm 41:12-13

Here thanksgiving to God is addressed not to a cosmic Being to whom I cannot relate except through a vague appreciation of creation, but to the God of Israel, the God who has made God's Self known in the history of a specific people through revelation, deliverance, and continued guidance. This same God is the God who entered history in the Person of Jesus Christ: God's perfect Revelation, my Deliverer and Guide. The gratitude due God has no expiration date. The religion revealed to Moses and made complete in Jesus Christ is, indeed, as alive today as it was on both Mount Sinai and

When life is good again
I'll be a better friend
A bigger person when
Life is good again
More thoughtful than I've been
I'll be so different then
More in the moment when
Life is good again

Happy are those who consider the poor; the Lord delivers them in the day of trouble.

—Psalm 41:1

The psalms make me sound like a broken record. But perhaps that's because the psalms themselves sound like a broken record. Here, once again, we hear the psalmist advocating for the poor. Since I've covered this topic (and how I think my own nation—especially the part of it calling itself "Christian"—is falling far short) from my own literal reading, I'll turn this time to John Calvin, whose interpretation differs, but is no less valid, interesting, and applicable to my life.

Calvin maintains that, rather than a literal interpretation of "consider the poor" as referring to poverty, it is better to think of how quick people are to judge the afflicted: People get what they deserve, they often say. In other words, I am to "consider the poor" precisely because I am too quick to dismiss the afflicted as being responsible for their own state. This is precisely the sort of "consideration" Jesus was calling for in his response to

Holy are you, God our Maker;
holy are you, Christ our Savior;
holy are you, Spirit and Sanctifier.
Surrounded by the communion of saints,
you live in community—
three yet one, diverse yet united.
Be a model for us of how the church must live;
be a model for us
of how our communities must be healthy,
of how, in ourselves, we must be whole and holy.

God our Father, Mother, Creator, and Protector,

As for me, I am poor and needy, but the Lord takes thought for me. You are my help and my deliverer; do not delay, O my God.

—Psalm 40:17

Verses such as this one are so common in the Bible—especially the Psalms—that I fear traditional Christianity has grown so weary of them that they're simply ignored. Instead of having a Christian ethic guided by these frequent calls to economic justice, conservative Christians appear to be fascinated by the rare verse that condemns certain behaviors, regardless of whether or not their understanding of those behaviors is the correct one or their translation an accurate one. As a being created in God's image, however, I need to hold myself accountable when I read of God's priorities and who it is that God takes notice of.

And this is important when I think about how different our society—indeed our world—would be if I paused to ask myself, "Does God spare a thought

Octavia Butler (1947-2006)

Choose your leaders with wisdom and forethought. To be led by a coward is to be controlled by all that the coward fears. To be led by a fool is to be led by the opportunists who control the fool. To be led by a thief is to offer up your most precious treasures to be stolen. To be led by a liar is to ask to be told lies. To be led by a tyrant is to sell yourself and those you love into slavery. ♔ Octavia Butler, Parable of the Talents (1998)

An Invocation for Trinity Sunday

Holy, holy, holy is God, our sovereign Lord,
who was, and is, and is to come!
Before your unfathomable mystery, O God,
all eloquence of form and language is facile.
We cannot encompass you, for you encompass us.

So we fall silent,
and let the child deep within us be content
in the knowledge that we are known, wanted, and loved
by One infinitely greater than we shall ever be. Amen.

from Common Order, Church of Scotland

Safe Forever

Do not, O Lord, withhold your mercy from me; let your steadfast love and your faithfulness keep me safe forever.

—Psalm 40:11

God's mercy and sovereign grace are one, and cannot be overcome, but will keep me safe forever. Brought up as a Methodist, I used to believe that there was no such thing as "once saved, always saved," and that backsliding was a constant danger. I've since come to believe that God is stronger than I am. When left to my own devices, I could never persevere to the end. But what I cannot do, God can. I may get it wrong, but God doesn't withdraw divine

This is adapted from Gerhard Engelsberger's Gebete für den Gottesdienst:

As we go our separate ways,
remember that nothing has yet been done
that needs to be done;
nothing that cries out for change
has yet been changed;
no goal has been accomplished;
no burdens have been lifted—
the problems of the world are still part of the world.

But as we go our separate ways,
remember this as well:
all that needs to be said has been said;
everything old has become new;
all that was barren can now bear fruit;
all that was closed has been opened up;
all that was torn apart has been reconciled;
and all that was too narrow has been broadened.

God has created all.
Christ has redeemed us.
The Holy Spirit is at work. Amen.

I Belong to God

Sacrifice and offering you do not desire, but you have given me an open ear. Burnt offering and sin offering you have not required.

Then I said, “Here I am; in the scroll of the book it is written of me.

I delight to do your will, O my God; your law is within my heart.”

—Psalm 40:6-8

Faithfulness is measured more in my willingness to listen and to change than in my thoughtless adherence to ritual. I might think of God's book as a rule book or a book of ritual that must be followed if I want to get close to the Holy One. But the 40th Psalm—as well as prophets like Jeremiah—seem to indicate that God's book is the place where the names of God's children are recorded in indelible ink. It's not from God's book that I memorize the ways I can gain divine favor, but to God's book that I can look to find the assurance

Gert van Hoef, b. 1994

One of the nice things about sheltering in place over the last 2+ months has been the home concerts performed by Gert van Hoef. Gert is a young Dutch organist who's been publishing videos of his concerts on YouTube since he was a teenager—most of them from venerable old organs in ancient churches across the Netherlands. But since the pandemic began, he's been performing from his home in a town called Barneveld. I'm sure it's been difficult for him, since I assume most of his income must come from his in-person performances, so I always send him a small donation when I "attend" one of his concerts. A couple of weeks ago, I included a note with my donation, suggesting he check out a hymn tune called Nettleton, known to most of us as Come, Thou Fount. We don't know who wrote this tune, but it first appeared in John Wyeth's Repository of Sacred Music (1813).

I didn't actually expect much when I wrote the note, but in his last concert, I was surprised to hear him play a magnificent improvisation on the tune I'd suggested. I'm not so vain as to think he actually chose that tune because I'd suggested it. But you have to admit it was certainly a coïncidence, since I doubt they sing this hymn in Holland.

Anyway, here's Gert's latest concert, and you can hear Come, Thou Fount beginning at 17.16...

Here are the words of the hymn, written by

Happy are those who make the Lord their trust, who do not turn to the proud, to those who go astray after false gods.

—Psalm 40:4

Faith is a difficult concept—especially in today's world. It seems best represented in the eyes of many by those who shun the reality represented by science and research. Faith, therefore, is a refusal to believe that which has been proven to be true, such as the nature of the universe and the evolution of species.

The problem is, this attitude accounts for a minority of people of faith. Most of us have no problem believing that which scientists have proven. Many of us

He drew me up ...set my feet upon a rock

I waited patiently for the Lord; he inclined to me and heard my cry.

He drew me up from the desolate pit, out of the miry bog, and set my feet upon a rock, making my steps secure.

He put a new song in my mouth, a song of praise to our God. Many will see and fear, and put their trust in the Lord.

—Psalm 40:1-3

Psalm 40 is one of the most beautiful and meaningful psalms, but I don't think I'd ever given much thought to some of the connections it makes. Just looking at the first three verses, I can draw a direct line between my hopeful waiting (see Friday's devotion) and somebody else's trust. Once again, we see how waiting is active: its impact is not only on the one who waits, but on those whom they