How Long O Lord?
“How long, O Lord? Will you hide yourself forever?” (Psalm 89:46a).
Psalm 89 brings to a close Book III of the Psalms. It is a royal psalm that begins and ends in praise. In the middle of Psalm 89 there is both a deep resolve to affirm the promises of God and a deep cry to affirm the seemingly absence of God. Affirmation and absence are part of the human condition. And while it is easy to affirm the presence of God in moments of joy and celebration, how do we account for the seemingly silence of God? “How long, O Lord? Will you hide yourself forever?”
Where is God as war rages among the people of Ukraine? Where is God in the world’s mounting refugee crisis? Where is God when a friend’s routine gallbladder surgery turns up Stage 4 Pancreatic cancer? Where is God when the world grows dark and silent as Jesus the Messiah lingers unto death on a cross?
If I was preaching a sermon, I would answer those questions with the promise of resurrection, new life, and new creation. I have always believed that God makes all things new, and I still do.
But I also think there is some wisdom in lingering with the questions of God’s silence. In lingering in places that offer no easy and trite answers. In lingering with Jesus on the cross. So, let’s just leave it there for now. As we continue to linger a bit longer in this Season of Lent.
Leviticus
Dear Friends in Christ, “The Lord summoned Moses and spoke to him from the tent of meeting, saying…” (Leviticus1:1). Leviticus can be a challenging book of the Bible to read. Often folks will commit to reading through the Bible in a year, get bogged down in the rites,...
I have decided to stick with love.
“Beloved, let us love one another, because love is from God; everyone who loves is born of God and knows God” 1 John 4:7 Martin Luther King Jr., renewer of society, martyr, April 4, 1968. Let us pray, Holy and righteous God, you created us in your image. Grant us...
It is not I, but God…
Dear Friends in Christ, “Joseph was thirty years old when he entered the service of Pharaoh king of Egypt. And Joseph went out from the presence of Pharaoh and went through all the land of Egypt.” Genesis 41:46 The story of Joseph is compelling reading. From his days...
Year of Scripture Resources for You!
Dear Friends in Christ, “Your word is a lamp to my feet and a light to my path" (Psalm 119:105) Welcome to 2019: The Year of Scripture. Our focus this year will be on God’s gift of Sacred Scripture. The Old and New Testaments are the written Word of God. Inspired by...