Sunday, April 6, 2008

Exodus 18:1-12
Psalms 148, 149, 150
1 John 2:7-17
Mark 16:9-20

Psalms 149


Praise yes I must

(Written about five years ago)

Praise the Lord!

Praise the Lord, I wish I did

I wish to praise the lord with all my life

I wish every breath were a song to you.

Do not put your trust in Enron

In paper money which shrivels away.

In priceless goods, worthless.

Working for what?

Blessed is he who listens to the lord,

Who considers the lilies of the field.

The Lord who clothes the world in beauty

Fills it with good things to eat

And is our rock.

Hear the news, act on the stories,

Feed the hungry

Champion the prisoner

Heal the sick

Comfort the depressed.

Pray for strength

Give rights to the alien

Befriend the lonely and deserted

Don’t stop to assess your wealth.

God rules

My God and your God

Praise him.




Mark 16:9-20

We had this passage two weeks ago so here is a repeat of th post for that day.

The Weather & Resurrection

Today is a sunny day. By Houston standards it is cold. After 3 hours of napping the dog has just managed to get off the sofa. There are days when there is no gleam of sunshine among the clouds; there is no hint of sky- blue or otherwise. Just grayness covering the earth; the weather even mak TV chat shows seem attractive. What was the weather on that first Good Friday- the day that Jesus was hung on the cross? Was it cold and dismal or was the sun shinning brightly overhead? Probably the latter as the average March maximum temperature for Jerusalem is in the high 50sÂș, or at least it should have been sunny but God covered the sun with darkness for three hours. Did Mary notice the weather the day she watched her son die?

It seems as if God also gone into hibernation. He has forgotten that clouds disperse and the sun shines. The gray is static. Will the brilliant orange crocus ever blaze through the brown earth as the Olympic torch heralds the games? God is working his purpose out just as he was on the Good Friday. The world was grim yet in three days there was rejoicing- well there would have been rejoicing if anybody could have understood what was happening. The disciples saw the empty tomb and were bewildered. Mary Magdalene claimed that she saw Jesus and that he spoke to her but who knew on which side of sanity she really lived. There was a great emptiness of tomb and heart. And yet God was working his purpose out. Jesus filled the road to Emmaus with his knowledge and love. Light filled the travelers’ hearts. Behind the gray clouds God still works out his purpose. The crocus will bloom and God will send his rays of sunshine into our life. Hopefully we shall recognize it for what it is and give God thanks for his purpose.


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