Truth keeps a story alive; falsehood cannot

Morning: Psalm 119:97-120; Genesis 45:16-28; I Corinthians 8:1-13 

Evening: Psalms 81, 82; Mark 6:13-29

Some architects and engineers think they have evidence that the truth about the 9/11 attacks is other than the official version. Likely, if there’s nothing to this evidence, this story will disappear … but if it’s true, we will hear more.  After Herod killed John the Baptist, Jesus appeared publicly; Herod worried this was John, returned from the dead, because Jesus was speaking the same truth as John.  It is hard, maybe impossible, to keep fake news going for long, because someone will come along to debunk it.  But Jesus’s story is still alive.

When speaking the truth, bring a friend

Morning: Psalm 78:1-39; Genesis 45:1-15; I Corinthians 7:32-40
 Evening: Psalm 78:40-72; Mark 6:1-13

When I was studying theology, we invited a famous English bishop to address a conference.  He began by commenting that the further away you’re from, the more people trust you!  Jesus spoke similar words … those who speak the plain truth (‘prophets’, Jesus included) are respected everywhere but their hometown.  Right after that, Jesus sent his disciples out to share in his work.  After all, someone had to speak the truth in his hometown.  Why?  Well sometimes the truth is unpopular, so even when what you’re sharing seems like good news to you, it’s best not to go alone.

Do you ever think God is angry with you?

Morning: Psalm 80; Genesis 44:18-34; I Corinthians 7:25-31

Evening: Psalm 77; Mark 5:21-43

The Bible does not describe consistent beliefs over time.  People’s thinking evolves. Thus in today’s Psalms, the writer wrestles with God’s anger, which he believes is the reason for his misfortunes. Now, the Psalms are from 2500-3500 years ago … and people still think God gets angry with them; they project their own anger onto God.  But nowhere in the Christian Scriptures is God called ‘angry’.  The experience the New Testament writers have of Jesus shapes their understanding of God.  So they see the cosmos as understanding and compassionate; because, while Jesus can be stern, his love is unconditional.

No one is all good; it’s enough that God is

Morning: Psalms 93, 96; Genesis 44:1-17; Romans 8:1-10

Evening: Psalm 34; John 5:25-29

It may be true that the dead who hear Jesus’s voice will live. Your heart may beat, but you may not be fully alive. ‘Hearing’ Jesus can help you live.  But no one has done only evil things; we have all done good, too.  And Jesus’s message is life-giving for everyone, without exception. The Bible does not always record exactly Jesus’s words … Fallible people wrote the Bible, and sometimes they inserted their own point of view.  For instance, the idea that only some people do evil is a lie.  No one is all good; it’s enough that God is.

Political and individual healing go together

Morning: Psalms 75, 76; Genesis 43:16-34; I Corinthians 7:10-24

Evening: Psalms 23, 27; Mark 5:1-20

Jesus heals a man possessed by demons called ‘Legion’.  Decapolis is not a Jewish region – there are pigs – but Roman legions possess it too.  The people long to drive the invading legions into the sea, like pigs!  But Jesus, one who shares their human plight, paradoxically brings the unjust powers of the world to heel, by allowing those very powers to crucify, strip, and tear him apart.  Jesus’s solidarity gently heals all those wounded by unjust power.  And afterwards, Jesus will not let the demoniac become dependent on him, but instead restores him to the bosom of his own community.

Evil is no match for the power of goodness

Morning: Psalm 69:1-38; Genesis 43:1-15; I Corinthians 7:1-9

Evening: Psalm 73; Mark 4:35-41

A violent storm, for which Galilee is famous, represents chaos and evil, which so easily strike our hearts with fear.  Yet, in the unfolding of Creation itself, order emerges from chaos.  Jesus himself possesses a creative and constructive power for good.  Of course, we may point to instances in which evil seems to defeat goodness – Jesus on a Cross, for instance.  But today we still look to Jesus and wonder (as he does with his disciples after calming a storm on Galilee): Why are you afraid?  What prevents you from trusting a goodness that evil cannot defeat?

The Kingdom is the Way

Morning: Psalms 70, 71; Genesis 42:29-38; I Corinthians 6:12-20

Evening: Psalm 74; Mark 4:21-34

The meaning in Jesus’s parables is not always immediately clear. Reluctant to spell out a detailed vision, he makes parables about a Way rather than a destination.  The Kingdom itself is a Way … a seed growing secretly; a tiny seed that yields a large bush; the mysterious ‘measure for measure’, on which Shakespeare builds his play.  This is enormously respectful of our contribution to life.  The Way may be certain, but the final outcome is yet to unfold.  As e.e. cummings writes: “seeker of truth, follow no path; all paths lead where truth is here”.