Life Abundant (And a Mention of Bruce Springsteen) - November 16, 2010

Daily Lectionary Readings for November 16, 2010
Psalm 42
Habakkuk 3:1-18
James 3:1-12
Luke 17:1-10

Psalm 42
"My soul thirsts for God,
for the living God.
When shall I come and behold
the face of God?"(v.2)
"Why are you cast down, O my soul,
and why are you disquieted within me?"(v.11)
These verses have fundamental truths which I think apply to every person.  Every single person.  My soul thirsts for God.  It does.  Even when I'm behaving badly or being selfish or rude or some other unattractive thing my soul thirsts for God.  I think yours does too.  Everyone's soul thirsts for God.  It's how we are made. It is how God made us.  We thirst for our maker.  We don't always seek the right answer to that thirst.  The thirst is there, but we sometimes throw other things at it, hoping to find something that will stick.  Sometimes hoping to find something that seems potentially less demanding than God appears to be.  When we seek that which is not God to fill the space that only God can fill we find ourselves cast down.  It is disquieting.  When we drink deeply of God, of God's word and of the things that God is leading us to our souls are more likely to fill at peace, a peace that passes all understanding.  That is the life abundant.  And when we neglect our relationship with God that is when the disquiet and discontent begin to take root and grow.

The Promise
Looking forward very much to hearing "The Promise", a collection of 21 songs that did not make it onto Bruce Springsteen's 1978 classic "Darkness On The Edge of Town".  "The Promise" contains a couple of studio versions of Boss songs that were hits for other people - "Because The Night" (Patty Smith) and "Fire" (The Pointer Sisters).  Springsteen fans have long known that there are myriad tracks that exist out there in a vault somewhere.  My fear has been that we'd never get them until Bruce died.  I like this way much better.  Very anxious to sort of time travel to a place in time that I suspect will feel a bit like a bridge between "Darkness" and "The River".  And very confident that Bruce's "Darkness" benchwarmers will be better than virtually anyone's very best.