Church devotion: A Derailed Psalm - Psalm 101:1

Psalm 101:1  I will sing of your love and justice; to you, Lord, I will sing praise.

            Psalm 101 starts off so well. The writer declares his intent to sing of noble ideals like love and justice, as well as praising God. Sounds like a great idea and a wonderful way to express his faith; unfortunately, the rest of the psalm does not live up to the initial opening statement.

            Very soon, the psalmist goes into a self-righteous mode and quickly begins to condemn those who do not follow God’s ways. At one point he further declares that:

v5 - Whoever slanders their neighbor in secret, I will put to silence; whoever has haughty eyes and a proud heart, I will not tolerate.

            We are all guilty of this and have experienced it on numerous occasions, from those with deeply entrenched views, as well from those who call themselves tolerant people. Sadly, we all currently see this all-too-human trait in the many forms of moral iconoclasm where opposing groups on abortion, sexuality, war, politics, or poverty tear down each other’s beliefs and standards, in the forlorn hope that the last person standing will win the day.

            As I read the rest of Psalm 101, I wish that the writer had just written a spiritual haiku, for his first words speak so well of what faithful folks like us should aspire toward. The world is full of wounded people and in need of a merciful holy healing, but if faithful people are wounding one another, then how can God’s message be effectively witnessed to, in our communities? I honestly think that if we get rid of our agendas and instead subscribe to the love, mercy, and truth of Christ, then we will have a substantial message to proclaim; otherwise we will fall like the wounded around us, and be of no use to anyone.

Questions for personal reflection

How can I support God’s work of love and justice? Where is God working in my congregation and community today?

Prayer:          Lord Jesus, we all have sinned and fall short of God’s standards and we know that we are unworthy of Your mercy. However, we do know that You love us and command us to love one another. Help us to see where You are working among us, in our congregation, our community, and our country. Enable us to become better servants of Your healing ministry. In Your Holy Name, we humbly pray. Amen.

John Stuart is currently the pastor of Erin Presbyterian Church in Knoxville, Tennessee. If you would like to comment or ask questions about today’s message, please send him an email to Traqair@aol.com.

Today’s attached image is one of John’s latest bulletin covers for churches for last Sunday. If you would like to view a larger version, please click this link: Easter7B.

Church Staff Devotions: Skillful Players

Psalm 33:3      Sing to him a new song; play skillfully, and shout for joy.

I haven’t played my guitar in months, nor have I written a new song in years. At one time, I used to play every day and write about four new songs a year. These days, I hardly ever pick up the guitar or sing. I’m more into art than music right now, but perhaps that will change.

We used to have a great guitarist in our congregation. Steve could pick and play like no one I had ever heard before. He would just have to listen to a song once and then he could play it back. That was an amazing gift and one that we missed in church when he and his family left to live in another state. The nearest to that kind of expertise that we have in our church worship band is a young mandolin player called Josh. He has the same incredible gift of practically hearing and playing music instantly. It makes me wish that I had spent more time practicing when I was younger instead of just being content to ‘strum along.’

Some people do this with their faith, too. Instead of learning more about God and intentionally educating themselves about Christ and Christianity, they are just happy to come along to church and be spectators. They never really add depth to their beliefs and so they miss out on having a spiritually intense relationship with God. I sometimes wonder how happier they would be if they spent more time to be with God instead of being distracted by the world and its ways. Maybe if there were more Marys than Marthas in the church, Christianity would have a greater impact in the world. If we were more focused on Christ’s business rather than our own busy-ness, we would probably live more faithful lives.

I guess I need to go and dust down that old guitar of mine…

Prayer:                        Lord Jesus, we get so busy in our lives that we never take enough time to be with You. We become so self-centered and self-absorbed that we often take You for granted. Grant us the grit and determination to focus on our faith, and to build up our understanding, intimacy, and relationship with God through You. In Your Holy Name, we pray. Amen.

John Stuart is the pastor of Erin Presbyterian Church in Knoxville, Tennessee. If you would like to comment on today’s message, please send him an email to pastor@erinpresbyterian.org.

Today’s image is one of John’s drawings called “Jazz 4 July.” You can view a larger version here: http://www.flickr.com/photos/traqair57/1002682559/sizes/l/