"Can A Mortal Be Of Use To God?" - September 4, 2010

Daily Lectionary for September 4, 2010
Psalms 63

Job 22:1-4, 22:21-23:7
Acts 13:26-43
John 10:1-18

Psalm 63
"O God, you are my God.  I seek you, my soul thirsts for you; my flesh faints for you, as in a dry and weary land where there is no water."(v.1)  The Psalmist writes of the need that exists within each of us for God.  It's how we are made.  It is how we are hardwired.  Our lives are closest to finding meaning when we are able to recognize the truth of these words.  Our souls thirst for God.  Not for anything else - for God.

Job 22:1-4, 22:21-23:7
Job's friend Eliphaz the Temanite asks "Can a mortal be of use to God?"(22:1)  Seems like a solid question.  Brings to mind Psalm 8 with its "What are human beings that you are mindful of them?"(v.4).  The answer the Psalmist offers is the wondrous surprise - "Yet you have made them a little lower than God, and crowned them with glory and honor."(v.5)  God could certainly accomplish God's plans without us, what a gift that God chooses to involve us.

"What Are You Becoming?"
Preaching tomorrow on Jeremiah 18:1-11.  Will be working with the God as potter image.  The passage talks about God being able to take that which seems hopeless and build it up into something great.  The passage also talks about God being able to take something that seems great and tear it down.  God is not limited by our ability to imagine what could happen.  While there is clearly a word of warning here, I think this is a hopeful passage - too many of us have very limited ideas of what we can contribute.  On our own, we'd be right.  But remember the question of the Job passage "Can a mortal be of use to God?"   Our thought may be not really.  God has other, better ideas for us.