Thursday, May 8, 2008

Link to Home PageLord of Life Lutheran Church

13724 W Meeker Blvd.
 Sun City West, AZ 85375-3730
623-584-2000
info@lordoflife-scw.org
A member congregation of the
Evangelical Lutheran Church in America (ELCA)
A Stephen Ministry Congregation

SIGNPOSTS FOR OUR SPIRITUAL JOURNEY


A Weekly E-mail Devotion from Pastor Jan
Focusing on the book of Psalms


Signposts For Our Spiritual Journey
A Weekly E-mail Devotion by Pastor Jan Brosen
Focusing on the book of Psalms

Psalm 104 (assigned for Sunday, May 11, 2008 - Pentecost)
          Accompanying Scriptures – Acts 2:1-21
                                                     1 Corinthians 12:3b-13
                                                     John 20:19-23 or John 7:37-39
                                                     Psalm 104:24-34, 35b (as part of worship)

Introduction:
          It's only been in the last several weeks that I realize I miss living near water.  Or more specifically, I miss proximity to the Pacific Ocean.  Not that I ever went in the water, but I did enjoy going to the water. 
Going to the water meant getting away from all the details and demands of church life.  Going to the water meant relaxing and allowing the rhythm of the waves to nurture me.  Going to the water meant time with friends, eating and talking and simply being.  Going to the water meant encountering God rather than working for God.  Going to the water meant accepting again my "smallness" over against God's "vastness."
But water is in short supply here... and so I'm aware that I'm still yearning for a similar, ‘sacred space.”  The red rocks of Sedona come close.  And maybe when I see the desert in bloom, or visit the beauty of the Grand Canyon, the evident void within me will finally be filled.  Then my heart will sing creation's song with joy. 

     “sacred space?”  Where does your heart sing creation's song with joy?
Psalm 104 sings creation’s story in a most beautiful way!  The majesty of God is highlighted in every verse!  God's character and creative activity is personified with vivid verbs, like a passionate artist taking bold colors to a canvas!
The psalm writer’s literary scope captures all of creation rather than focusing on a single location.  The first seven stanzas correspond poetically - although not in sequence - to seven days of creation in Genesis 1:1 - 2:4:

The psalmist has a vastly different conception of the universe from ours.  There was water below and above land.  The waters above were prevented from inundating us by the dome or canopy or "firmament" of the sky.  These opening verses of Psalm 104 remind us that the Bible cannot be read from a scientific worldview, but rather, from the eyes of faith.  The gifted psalmist wants us to marvel at our universe, and all the while, give thanks to the creator of life!
The first article of the Apostles Creed gives words to our confident faith in our Creator!  A faithful author chooses these descriptive words–
"Nature is God's workshop.  The sky is his resume.  The universe is his calling card.  You want to know who God is?  See what he has done.  You want to know his power?  Take a look at his creation.  And then read 2 Chronicles 2:6, "No one can really build a house for God.  Not even the highest heavens can hold him.”

How do we journey together through all of creation this week?  How do we
embrace the enormity and reverence of all that has been entrusted to us?  How do we adequately acknowledge so many signposts of grace given by God's creative hand? 
I propose the following humble "roadmap,” and I trust that God will take us on a holy journey!  Let’s focus on Psalm 104: 24-34, 35b - those verses assigned for worship - and let’s ask this question, “How do we praise God for the gifts of creation each day?”

Wednesday, May 7 -- Praising God with Gratitude -- Psalm 104: 24-25
          We have so much to be grateful for!  By God's wisdom and generosity, creation has blessed us with both variety and abundance too large to number!  But are we aware of the weighty gift?  Or are we like children on Christmas morning? Surrounded by so much… and yet saturated beyond our ability to appreciate.  Are we sometimes a little Chad when he wrote this thank you note to his Grandma?
          "Dear Grandma, I received the red shirt you sent me for Christmas.  How are you?  I am fine.  By the way, did you know that my favorite color is blue?  Also, most people my age (almost a teenager) don't wear shirts with their initials sewn on them.  I hope you don't think I'm being ungrateful or anything (because I'm not).
          Grandma, you and I have known each other for a long time now, and you always told me to be honest with you.  So I just thought I'd give you a few pointers.  Please don't be mad at me.  You are the best Grandma in the whole world (I mean it!!!).  THANK YOU FOR BEING MY GRANDMA!!!  Love, Chad 
P.S. Some of my friends’ grandparents give them money for Christmas.”
          Aren't we all a little like Chad?  We wholeheartedly value our relationship with God… but we still want the privilege of giving God a few pointers!  We want to point out - even to our Creator - that there’s some room for improvement!  We cling to the desire to be the creator ourselves.  Perhaps gratitude begins from a place of humility… asking humble forgiveness for our childlike haughtiness.

Thursday, May 8 -- Praising God with Time -- Psalm 104: 26, 33
          The ancient Israelites were not known for their love of travel by sea.  Leviathan was a dragon of the sea.  A beast who was thought to bring danger and peril to unsuspecting travelers. 
Leviathan evoked fear in people… but delight and amusement for God!  God created the beast for God’s own whimsy and pleasure, or as the psalmist records, "for the sport of it."  God not only endorsed that all of creation was good… God is pictured here as having fun in the midst of it!
The psalmist teaches us to take time to see things from God's vantage point... and then to slow down enough to find joy even in the odd creatures of life.  True praise finds its expression in a balance between reverence and play.

Friday, May 9 -- Praising God While Waiting -- Psalm 104:27
          Waiting is one of life's hardest assignments.  So much within us resists it and rebels against it.  And yet, even creation teaches us that waiting is necessary.  For the goodness of God - and sometimes even the simple basics like food - only come in due season.  We can't hurry - or control - our seasons of weather. 
As in Genesis 1:14, verses 19-23 of Psalm 104 remind us that the moon and the sun are God's calendars and clocks.  The moon marks the seasons and the sun the times of day.  Creation reveals order, stability, and a regularity to life.  Creation reflects the steadfastness and reliability of our Creator… in due season. 
But when it comes to the “seasons of our lives,” our insistence and impatience makes gracious waiting nearly impossible some days.  (That's at least true of me!)  I sit drumming my fingers at the slow tick-tock of life... and I miss the tender mercies of God's grace all around me.

Saturday, May 10 -- Praising God by Sharing -- Psalm 104:28
          This verse of Psalm 104 reveals the open-handed generosity of God.  God holds nothing back.  God allows us to gather in all that we need, and God promises us all that is good.  And God asks us to also live with open hearts and open hands that are willing to share.
          What might we be "close-fisted "about these days?  Gas?  Grocery money? One author suggests that it might be water.  They write (about Psalm 104:5-13), "Anyone who lives in the desert or a semi-desert knows the value of water.  Without water there can be no life.  The Colorado River supplies water to five states, and the use of this valuable resource is a matter of intense negotiations among your these states, especially Arizona, Nevada and California, which are experiencing rapid population growth."
          Another author expresses the urgency this way, "There is no substitute for clean, fresh water.  We can live weeks without food but only days without water.  Every day our bodies need four to 5 gallons of water - just to survive.  The same is true for virtually all the creatures in God's good creation.
          Given how absolutely vital water is life, it's sobering to realize how scarce it is.  To be sure, more than 70% of the Earth's surface is covered by water.  But less than 2% of this is fresh water - most of it locked up in the polar ice caps and glaciers.  The World Health Organization estimates that less than 1% of all fresh water is available for direct human use.
          Stewardship isn't a license to do as we please - but rather to do what pleases God.  Fresh water is a scarce ecological and public good.  It must be protected from harm and exploitation."
          And it also needs to be shared.  The Lord of Life's exemplary giving to the ELCA’s “Good Gifts” Water Project last Christmas is witness that you deeply appreciate the value of water… and the desire to praise God by sharing it.  Thank you again for your faithful stewardship... and generous living!

Sunday, May 11 -- Praising God by Trusting -- Psalm 104:29-30
          Waiting and trusting our intertwined.  These verses of Psalm 104 remind us that we too are created by God... and that every aspect of our lives is held in the embrace of God's creative hands.  God's creative Spirit first gave us life... and God's nurturing Spirit renews our life… and God's eternal Spirit will usher us into Kingdom life.  What God does for every seed that brings forth life - and every creature upon the earth that has life - God will also assuredly do in our lives.  And our praise of the promise comes in our trusting.
          And author poses this question, "If God is able to place the stars in their sockets and suspend the sky like a curtain, do you think you remotely possible that God is able to guide your life?  If you're God is mighty enough to ignite the sun, could it be that God is mighty enough to light your path?  If God cares enough about the planet Saturn to give it rings or Venus to make it sparkle, is there an outside chance that God cares enough about you to meet your needs?"

Monday, May 12 -- Praising God as a Steward -- Psalm 104: 31
"The Lutheran" magazine highlights the stewardship of God's creation this month.  Several articles intersect well with the focus of Psalm 104, especially verse 31.  Creation reveals the glory of the Lord, and its desire - and intention - is to endure forever.  And God invites us to be holy partners along that journey.  Stewards of creation.  Protectors.  Guardians.  Shepherds.
One author begins his article by bringing this alarm, "The record of stewardship of Earth-keeping is now exposed as a very bad one.  Accelerated and extreme climate change is only the latest portent in the sky that joins others to send the same message: the era trailing in the wake of the Industrial Revolution - and that means the era of modern stewardship - has destabilized the whole community of life.
The Industrial Revolution was the greatest transformation in human-Earth relations in which we lost intimacy with the Earth as we exalted the human by subjecting nature."
The author concludes by saying, "Creation isn't human-centered: It's God-centered.  We are its guardians on this garden planet, and redemption is for all that has it's being in God.  Stewardship, then, is a task for all generations - and, perhaps, the venture of faith for us and those who come after us we live with unwanted climate change and the failed notion of progress."

Tuesday, May 12 -- Praising God in Silence -- Psalm 104:34
          This closing verse reinforces speaking and singing our praise of God's creation.  Words and music certainly have their festive and celebrative place in praising God... but I also want to put a good word in for silence.  Sometimes before creation’s overwhelming beauty, silence is the most reverent.  Words become unnecessary and intrusive. 
Silence puts God center stage.  Silence is being attentive to the Creator.  Silence is honoring God's command, "Be silent."  And then it's receiving the promise, "You will know that I am God."

Concluding Comments:
          Why are the words of Psalm 104:24-34, 35b paired with Pentecost Sunday?  I believe because both Creation and Pentecost reveal God's good and gracious power.  God's power called forth all of creation, and on Pentecost God's power blessed all of creation for proclamation and unity.  Transformation and proclamation continue by the power of God's Holy Spirit!
          Psalm 104 is marvelously artistic at personifying God’s grace and power in creation.  In closing, I turn to another author who skillfully "weaves personalities” into our human qualities.  I've carried her picture of Power close to my heart on many journeys.  Perhaps it can be part of your continuing journey also.  May God - our creative Tailor - make you a Pentecost coat of power to grow into! 
                                                          Power
“Power made me a coat.  For a long time I kept it in the back of my closet.  I didn't like to wear much, but I always took good care of it.  When I first started wearing it again, it smelled like mothballs.  As I wore it more, it started fitting better, and stopped smelling like mothballs.
I was afraid if I wore the coat too much someone would want to take it or else I would accidentally leave it in the dressing room.  But it has my name on the label now, and it doesn't really fit anyone else.  When people ask me where I found such a becoming garment, I tell them about the tailor, Power, who knows how to make coats that you grow into.  First, you must find the courage to approach him and ask him to make your coat.  Then, you must find patience inside yourself to wear the coat until it fits.”                                       -- Pastor Jan Brosen