DailyApr03

Wednesday, 02 April 2003
Selected Phrases from Song of Songs 7:1-5 NRSV

Your rounded thighs are like jewels, the work of a master hand.
Your navel is a rounded bowl that never lacks mixed wine.

Your belly is a heap of wheat, encircled with lilies.
Your two breasts are like two fawns, twins of a gazelle.
Your neck is like an ivory tower.

Your nose is like a tower of Lebanon, overlooking Damascus.
Your head crowns you like Carmel, and your flowing locks are like purple;
a king is held captive in the tresses.

Lord, sometimes metaphors lose their punch in translation. How many people today would feel complimented if their beloved said, "Your belly is a heap of wheat!" And this is the third time the author has said, "Your breasts are like two fawns." How so, exactly? Are they furry and covered with white spots? And then there is my personal favorite, "Your nose is like a tower of Lebanon, overlooking Damascus." Maybe not whole armies, but certainly small platoons could camp out and rest in the shade of such a nose. And the nose isn't the only tower. It protrudes from a face, attached to a head that sits on a neck which is like an ivory tower. This is odd because ivory is usually thought of as white (or off-white) while the beloved in question remarked earlier that she was "black and beautiful." And speaking of the head, it is compared to Mt. Carmel, meaning it is big and round at the bottom and pointy on top. "Your flowing locks are like purple," but let us not forget that twice earlier her hair was "like a flock of goats." So let's put this all together: We've got this woman with multi-colored skin and a long neck. She has fat thighs and her navel is deep enough to drink from. Her belly is a heap of wheat, her breasts are furry with white spots. Her schnoz is like Pinocchio's on a bad day; she has a fat neck and a pointy head with purple hair that is so wiry that even kings get tangled up in it. And this is the epitome of beauty? Love must be blind. And this is a good thing because you love me. With all my fat and foibles you love me. With all my psoriasis lesions and clogged arteries you love me. With all the things that I have done and all the things I may well do in the future, you love me. In your eyes I am beautiful. How wonderful it would be if I could see myself as you see me. On second thought, maybe not. You can see the flaws that I am very successfully hiding from myself. And if I did see myself as beautiful, I would probably become insufferable and then I wouldn't be beautiful any more. No, let me keep my vision and you keep yours. You find me beautiful and that is enough for me. I did think you had better taste, but hey--you're God. You define taste. And you think I'm beautiful. You would even find me beautiful if I had furry, spotted breasts. You are such a good God. Praise your holy name, now and forever. Alleluia and amen.

Tuesday, 01 April 2003
Song of Songs 6:8-9 NIV

Sixty queens there may be, and eighty concubines, and virgins beyond number; but my dove, my perfect one, is unique, the only daughter of her mother, the favorite of the one who bore her. The maidens saw her and called her blessed; the queens and concubines praised her.

Thank you, Lord, for the first understanding that in verses like these, it is wise not to trip over pronouns or even explicit references to gender. Because out of all the queens and concubines and virgins, you find me unique. You declare me the favorite of the one who bore me. You are not referring to my earthly mother, but rather to my heavenly Father, as I am a child of the living God. Since I am definitely not a virgin, and since I am a part of the bride of Christ and therefore not a concubine, I must be a queen. Praise the Lord! Who knew a bear could be a queen? And the maidens see me and call me blessed while the other queens and the concubines praise me. Wow! I feel important. The second understanding is more weird than the first because I don't really understand it, I just know that it is true. And that is that this verse is true for each of your children. So not only am I the favorite and most beautiful, Mike is also the favorite and most beautiful. Zelma is the favorite and most beautiful. Christina is the favorite and most beautiful. Jeffrey is the favorite and most beautiful. Ernest is the favorite and most beautiful. Sammy is definitely the favorite and most beautiful. Lydia is the favorite and most beautiful. Hannah is the favorite and most beautiful. This makes no sense. How can it be? It may make no sense, but it can be because God is. Enough about these other people! Let's focus again on me because I am the favorite and most beautiful. It still surprises me that you love me this much. It still surprises me how much beauty you see in me. (Oh, and speaking of beauty, Lord, if you would remove this psoriasis I would be even more beautiful. Just a suggestion. For that matter you could remove a hundred pounds and I would be more beautiful still, but I digress.) The point is that you find me beautiful--psoriasis, fat and all. Lord, you sure have weird tastes. How can I but love you, Lord? Your love makes me beautiful. Praise your holy name, now and forever. Alleluia and amen.

Friday, 04 April 2003
Isaiah 1:7 NRSV

Your country lies desolate, your cities are burned with fire; in your very presence aliens devour your land; it is desolate, as overthrown by foreigners.

Lord, I read this and I thought of Iraq. Lord, you know I was not pleased when my president decided to invade another country without United Nations approval. And you know I am not altogether comfortable with the arrogance displayed by my country as it sets itself up as the world's cop. Still, we cannot pretend that Saddam is an innocent bystander. Israel's prophets concluded that its destruction at the hands of Babylon (now Iraq) was due to its own sin. What a reversal! It is almost as if Israel worked 2500 years to find an ally strong enough to avenge the Babylonian exile! (Though I'm not sure I would want to examine the theology behind that too closely.) In any case, if this verse describes the current situation in Iraq, and it definitely seems to, then how long before it applies to the United States as well?

Isaiah 1:15-17 NRSV
When you stretch out your hands, I will hide my eyes from you; even though you make many prayers, I will not listen; your hands are full of blood. Wash yourselves; make yourselves clean; remove the evil of your doings from before my eyes; cease to do evil, learn to do good; seek justice, rescue the oppressed, defend the orphan, plead for the widow.

"Seek justice, rescue the oppressed, defend the orphan, plead for the widow." These things must be important to you, O God. These themes appear over and over and over throughout scripture. Though we have not neglected them altogether, we do tend to give them lip service and spare change. That being the case, how long before our land lies desolate? And Lord, I seem to have a particular burden for the renewal movement in all this. I believe it is altogether wonderful that we emphasize passionate worship and exercise experiential faith. We still believe in your power, O God, to bring change to our lives and to our world. That is the good part. But there are times when I feel like we are spending all our time and energy seeking after signs and wonders, all the while neglecting our calling to seek justice, rescue the oppressed, defend the orphan and plead for the widow. (Our president wants us to believe that we are rescuing the oppressed in Iraq. Maybe so, but if we had a better track record of rescuing the oppressed at home, it would be more believable when we go out to do it in the world. I digress.) I feel like my feet are in two different camps, both headed for the same goal, but taking very different paths to get there. The liberal gay Christian movement (MCC) takes a strong stand for justice and freeing the oppressed, but it is clueless when it comes to passionate worship (with a few notable exceptions). The renewal (/charismatic/neo-Pentecostal) movement worships so passionately that the glory of the heavenlies is revealed but could care less if there is injustice and oppression, unless it is Christians being oppressed. And neither camp has feeding the poor very high on its agenda. Both sides are so self-righteous about their own position, that they cannot see the value in the other. Lord, I cannot be the only bridge between these two camps. Send reinforcements, Lord. I need help. I need you. You are the only one who can draw us all together and somehow make it work. Praise your holy name, now and forever. Alleluia and amen.

Saturday, 05 April 2003
Isaiah 2:2-4 NRSV

In days to come the mountain of the L ORD ' S house shall be established as the highest of the mountains, and shall be raised above the hills; all the nations shall stream to it. Many peoples shall come and say, "Come, let us go up to the mountain of the L ORD , to the house of the God of Jacob; that he may teach us his ways and that we may walk in his paths." For out of Zion shall go forth instruction, and the word of the L ORD from Jerusalem. He shall judge between the nations, and shall arbitrate for many peoples; they shall beat their swords into plowshares, and their spears into pruning hooks; nation shall not lift up sword against nation, neither shall they learn war any more.

If we could just find a way, O Lord, to let you judge between nations, then we could beat our swords into plowshares and study war no more. But there is the problem. You are so coy, Lord, that we are seldom completely sure we know what you want. Those of us who are Christians worship you one way. We are perfectly happy talking to Jesus whom we believe to both fully God and fully human. Those who are Muslim call you Allah and believe that while Jesus was a prophet he surely was not the son of God nor the incarnation of God. While they recognize him as a prophet, they believe he was superseded by the last and greatest prophet, Mohammed. Jews believe in the same God as Christians but do not believe Jesus was the Messiah, nor do they recognize Mohammed as a prophet. And I don't even know what Buddhists and Hindus believe. And along with the other religions there are sects and factions within the major religions. This prophecy says that "out of Zion shall go forth instruction, and the word of the Lord from Jerusalem." Christians and Jews can accept that, but Muslims would definitely have a problem with it. Lord, it was because of human failing that religious tolerance had to be promoted. But religious tolerance leads to the belief that all religions are created equal and that it doesn't really matter what you believe, or if you believe anything at all. And if that is true, then all the religions are wrong. And if that is true then maybe there is no God. (If that's true, then who am I praying to?) Or maybe God is, but religion is wrong. But if that's true then all the stuff people have believed about you is wrong. O Lord, I could go crazy trying to reason this out. And so I end up having to accept or reject your word on faith. I choose to accept. Out of Zion shall flow forth instruction and your work emanate from Jerusalem. You shall judge the nations and war shall become useless. (If only George W. believed that!) It may not be totally by accident that a holy Muslim shrine occupies the space where once your temple stood. Perhaps you will bring together the Jews and the Muslims in a way we cannot yet imagine. Oh Lord, make it soon. We need a miracle. Otherwise we will all kill each other off and there won't be anyone left to praise your name. As long as I'm still here I will praise your holy name, now and forever. Alleluia and amen.

Sunday, 06 April 2003
Isaiah 3:1-5 NRSV

For now the Sovereign, the L ORD of hosts, is taking away from Jerusalem and from Judah support and staff-all support of bread, and all support of water-warrior and soldier, judge and prophet, diviner and elder, captain of fifty and dignitary, counselor and skillful magician and expert enchanter. And I will make boys their princes, and babes shall rule over them. The people will be oppressed, everyone by another and everyone by a neighbor; the youth will be insolent to the elder, and the base to the honorable.

Lord, you know I keep looking for good news in every chapter, and this chapter had very little. The only good news I could find was verse 10: Tell the innocent how fortunate they are, for they shall eat the fruit of their labors. The rest of the chapter speaks of the judgment that befalls those who choose to ignore you, O God. And it serves as a precursor to the exile where all the leaders are either killed or carted away to slavery in Babylon, leaving a severe leadership deficit in Jerusalem and Judah (not to mention a shortage of food and water). Lord, in these modern times we don't like to emphasize your wrath. Current sensibilities say that makes you seem too petty. All I can say is that actions have consequences. If I stick my finger in the fire I will get burned. It is a dangerous world. If I choose to live outside of your will and protection, I will find it unpleasant indeed. The trick, of course, is discerning exactly what your will is. There is no shortage of self-appointed prophets who will tell me exactly what it is you want me to do or not do. But their word is not always trustworthy. Your word, on the other hand, stands forever. How to interpret your word is a matter of no small debate. Lord, I know you speak to my heart. What I pray for today is the grace to hear better. Give me an increased understanding of your will, I pray, so that I may carry it out to the best of my ability. One thing that occurs to me, even as a type this, is that it may be by grace that you do not reveal your will for us as clearly as we say we would like. The reason for this is that you know we will be unable to keep it, and you don't want us to get discouraged. My, how you love us! So Lord, I am going to leave this in your hands. Tell me what you think I need to know and you can watch over the rest. Praise your holy name, now and forever. Alleluia and amen.

Tuesday, 08 April 2003
Isaiah 5:26-30 NRSV

God will raise a signal for a nation far away, and whistle for a people at the ends of the earth; here they come, swiftly, speedily! None of them is weary, none stumbles, none slumbers or sleeps, not a loincloth is loose, not a sandal-thong broken; their arrows are sharp, all their bows bent, their horses' hoofs seem like flint, and their wheels like the whirlwind. Their roaring is like a lion, like young lions they roar; they growl and seize their prey, they carry it off, and no one can rescue. They will roar over it on that day, like the roaring of the sea. And if one look to the land-only darkness and distress; and the light grows dark with clouds.

Lord, I read this passage, and once again I think of Iraq. And I shudder at the thought of my arrogance, that I should pass judgment on a people I do not know. Only that is not exactly right. I don't feel judgmental so much as I just wonder if what is happening to Iraq is the result of some sin on their part. I guess that is easier to consider than it being the result of some sin on our part. But even if the sin is theirs, and even if our invasion is somehow part of your plan to lead them to repentance, I still seem to recall that you did deal harshly with the nations whom you allowed to invade Israel because of its sin. In the long run it did not turn out well for those nations, even though their invasion of Israel was part of your plan. I am also aware that trying to apply Old Testament theology to current events is tricky at best. Didn't you once say something about removing the log from our own eye before attempting to remove the splinter from our neighbor's eye? Yeah, that's what I thought. Lord, my spirit is troubled by the war in Iraq. Sure the regime is (was) evil and corrupt, but so are lots of regimes around the world. Are we going to invade all those countries and set up democracies? Imposing a democracy on a people who have not grown up with it has had disastrous results in the past. Will we be as good at teaching democracy as we are at invading? Only time will tell. I am particularly distraught that we did not take the time to get the UN on board before we invaded. That is a decision I believe we may be paying for in generations to come. It emphasizes our arrogance rather than the benevolence to which we aspire. Lord, we want desperately to believe that our invasion was to liberate a people from an evil dictator. That is the spin the administration keeps putting on the situation. The problem is, very few seem to be buying it. The anti-war movement around the world thinks we are doing it to get the Iraqi oil. Arabs around the world think of it as an attack on Arab peoples everywhere. Muslims think of it as an attack on Islam. And the enemies of Israel think of it as Zionist aggression and imperialism. The "liberated" Iraqi people seem divided--shooting at us one day and welcoming us with smiles the next. And then shooting at us the next. Lord, I don't think our leaders really knew what they were getting us into. And with the benefit of 20/20 hindsight, I can confidently say that whatever we were trying to accomplish, the way we went about it was clearly not the best or only way. And so, Lord, forgive me for wanting to believe that somehow this is all part of your larger plan. Lord, my heart grieves for all those killed in this war, the Americans, the British and the Iraqis. When I hear reports of thousands of Iraqis being killed, I can't help but think of their parents and their friends, their spouses and their children. These are real human beings that we are killing, every bit as human as we are. Most of them are not in the military by choice, they were forced to don uniforms and take up arms against their will. Lord, there is just something about all this that is not right. Make that plain, Lord, for all to see. And grant us the grace to make whatever changes we need to make to be within your will. Praise your holy name, now and forever. Alleluia and amen.

Wednesday, 09 April 2003
Isaiah 6:8 NRSV
Then I heard the voice of the Lord saying, "Whom shall I send, and who will go for us?" And I said, "Here am I; send me!"

Hi God. This verse gets a lot of press. It is often quoted in sermons and songs. Everybody wants to be quick to proclaim that you sent out the call, and they volunteered. It is a stirring verse. We all want to be the one who hears the call of the Lord and immediately goes out and signs up for duty. But I don't think I have ever heard quoted the verses that follow:

Isaiah 6:9-12 NRSV
And he said, "Go and say to this people: 'Keep listening, but do not comprehend; keep looking, but do not understand.' Make the mind of this people dull, and stop their ears, and shut their eyes, so that they may not look with their eyes, and listen with their ears, and comprehend with their minds, and turn and be healed." Then I said, "How long, O Lord?" And he said: "Until cities lie waste without inhabitant, and houses without people, and the land is utterly desolate; until the L ORD sends everyone far away, and vast is the emptiness in the midst of the land."

These verses don't seem quite so happy. They serve to remind us that sometimes when we volunteer, you assign us unpleasant tasks. Isaiah is not only called to proclaim to the people that they shall hear but not comprehend and see but not understand, he is personally commissioned (and, we assume, empowered) to "make the minds of this people dull, and stop their ears, and shut their eyes," so that they may not look, listen or comprehend and turn and be healed. Lord, you created a self-fulfilling prophecy. First Isaiah has to tell the people that they will not get it, then he has to make them stupid so they don't get it. Which leaves me with the burning question: How, exactly, do you make someone stupid? Curiously this question doesn't occur to Isaiah. His question is, "How long, O Lord?" Your answer is pretty straight forward, "Until the cities lie waste...and the land is utterly desolate." This appears to be a reference to the Babylonian exile. Lord, this is quite a burden to place on somebody. I guess you knew Isaiah could handle it. Lord, I am glad you did not give me such a difficult assignment. But wait, maybe you did. You placed within me a powerful urging to go forth and proclaim revival. And so I created Rainbow Revival Ministries International. But Lord, despite my best efforts, bookings have been few and far between. This is to be expected when just starting out, but it is continuing longer than I anticipated. And one church has gone so far as to explicitly invite me never to return. Why do I get the feeling, Lord, that a great many of your people don't want to hear about the revival I'm preaching? I preach all about the importance of intimacy with you and they get all offended and say, "That's too intense, too weird, too sexual. Please don't come back." Maybe I'm weird, Lord, but I truly believe it is a teaching from you that the intensity of our love for you and your love for us should rival the intensity of our human love for other humans, even our sexual intensity. To me it seems perfectly clear that doesn't in any way mean we have sex with you. But worship is our way of making love with you, and I believe it is supposed to be as intense as when we make love here on earth. Why is that so offensive? Did somebody come before me to make the people stupid? They don't seem all that stupid to me. I don't get why they don't get it. Well anyway, Lord, I accepted this mantle that you offered. I will continue to preach revival based on the primacy of passionate worship and the manifestation of your resurrection power. If I'm wrong, Lord, let me know so I can adjust my course. And if I'm on the right track, then please get this train moving. I am tired of sitting in the station, waiting for others to get on board. Even so I praise your holy name, now and forever. Alleluia and amen.

Thursday, 10 April 2003
Isaiah 7:13 NRSV
Then Isaiah said: "Hear then, O house of David! Is it too little for you to weary mortals, that you weary my God also?

Lord, I must confess this is a confusing chapter. First off, 2 kings form an alliance to attack Judah which has King Ahaz and the people of Jerusalem quaking in their boots. Then you send Isaiah to comfort Ahaz, and you are very explicit about what Isaiah is to say to Ahaz. But there is no record that Isaiah ever said any of that. Then the account reads that you spoke to Ahaz (presumably through Isaiah) and tell him to ask you for a sign. But Ahaz demurs, I don't know why. I used to think it was because asking for a sign was a bad thing, showing a lack of faith. But that teaching was not released until the time of Jesus, several hundred years after this incident. Throughout the Hebrew scriptures asking for a sign from you is perfectly acceptable, and you often give them without being asked. So why does Ahaz not ask for one? Perhaps he had a shortage of faith. In any case, Isaiah gets annoyed and berates Ahaz (whom he has come to comfort). And then there are conflicting prophecies about a prosperity where the people thrive on milk and honey and a paucity where the land is barren and covered with briars. Or did Isaiah mean that Judah would be prosperous while Aram and Israel would be desolate for their attempt at over-running Judah? If that is what it means, it is still not exactly what it says. Why am I rambling, Lord? The good news is that you did protect Ahaz. I am still left wondering why Israel was attacking Judah in the first place. They may have been two nations, but they were one people. Was this sibling rivalry? Of course, in those days one way that kings amassed wealth was to attack their neighbors and then steal all their stuff. Some things I guess I just won't understand in this life. So I will simply pray that should you ever decide that I am to ask you for a sign, please grant me the grace that I just do it, and thereby avoid the attitude of the prophet. Praise your holy name, now and forever. Alleluia and amen.

Saturday, 12 April 2003
Isaiah 9:6-7 NRSV
For a child has been born for us, a son given to us; authority rests upon his shoulders; and he is named Wonderful Counselor, Mighty God, Everlasting Father, Prince of Peace. His authority shall grow continually, and there shall be endless peace for the throne of David and his kingdom. He will establish and uphold it with justice and with righteousness from this time onward and forevermore. The zeal of the L ORD of hosts will do this.

OK God, now I've got a little problem with this. The Christian church has held for centuries that the birth of Jesus was the fulfillment of verse 6. This may or may not be what Isaiah had in mind, but hey, prophets do not always know when or how their words will be fulfilled. So I can accept on faith that the birth of Jesus is the fulfillment of verse 6. But what about verse 7? Isaiah makes it sound like they both sort of happen together, but obviously that is not the case. Jesus' authority has grown, but lately it seems to be waning. While more and more people come to Christ every day, it seems like just as many, or more, are either drifting away or dying off. I've read that church attendance in the United States has decreased by 20% over the past 10 years. That may be because people went to church to find Christ and experience the power of the resurrection and did not find what they were looking for. Even so, dwindling church attendance is not a good witness for the allegedly increasing authority of Christ. The prophecy says there shall be endless peace for the throne of David and his kingdom. We're still waiting for that to happen. It goes on to say that he (I presume that means the child that has been born) will establish it (which could mean either the kingdom or the peace) with justice and with righteousness from this time (which could mean either the time the prophecy was received or the time being talked about) onward and forevermore. But wait a minute! It doesn't say a child will be born; it says a child has been born! So this prophecy is not about the future (either Isaiah's or ours), it is about the present (Isaiah's future which is our past). It is hard to be a literalist when it comes to prophecy. In this section Isaiah prophesies peace and justice and righteousness, and in the very next paragraph he prophesies murder and mayhem. Why can't he make up his mind? How long do we have to wait for verse 7 to come to be? Is it possible that verse 6 refers to the birth of Christ and verse 7 to the second coming of Christ? And it could be that verses 8 and following describe what is hindering the fulfillment of verse 7. So Lord, I hope you won't mind if I pray for the fulfillment of verse 7, for endless peace for the throne of David and his kingdom. In our time that means peace for the nation of Israel. Lord, I hope you are not so literalistic as to require we put a king, from the house of David, as ruler of Israel. You tried that, Lord, and it didn't work out so well. I also would like to point out that from our human perspective, there can be no peace in Israel until there is peace in Palestine. I'm not quite sure how you are going to pull that off. Several human attempts have been made, but to no avail. Peace, Lord. We all want peace. Well, most of us anyway. Send peace today we pray. Praise your holy name, now and forever. Alleluia and amen.

Monday, 14 April 2003
Isaiah 11:6-9 NRSV
The wolf shall live with the lamb, the leopard shall lie down with the kid, the calf and the lion and the fatling together, and a little child shall lead them. The cow and the bear shall graze, their young shall lie down together; and the lion shall eat straw like the ox. The nursing child shall play over the hole of the asp, and the weaned child shall put its hand on the adder's den. They will not hurt or destroy on all my holy mountain; for the earth will be full of the knowledge of the L ORD as the waters cover the sea.

So Lord, this is the time of ultimate peace, when all creation becomes vegetarian. All this will happen when the shoot comes from the stump of Jesse. Here again, the Christian church has seen Jesus as the fulfillment of the prophecy in verses 1-5. Only thing is, we are still waiting for that time of peace. Verses 11 through 16 mention the gathering of God's people from the ends of the earth and bringing them back to Jerusalem where they will live in peace forever by learning how to get along with each other and by crushing their enemies. So to sum up, the animals and children will live in peace while the adults continue to kill each other. But it is really only the good guys killing the bad guys so it is OK. And of course the good guys are us and the bad guys are those who oppressed us over the years. So it is really the bad guys just gettin' what is comin' to 'em. It is justice, really. Lord, as much as I love you and honor your word, I must confess this one-sided view of justice bothers me. See, I want to believe that when the Prince of Peace returns there truly will be peace, both in the animal and the human realm. And I want to work for peace, and I have been for much of my adult life. But Lord, I have so little to show for it. Oh, I've gone to marches and rallies; I've donated funds; I may even have written to a legislator or two. But Lord, they don't appear to be listening. Our protests fall on deaf ears. Our own president dismisses the moral outrage of just about everyone on the planet by designating it as simply a difference of opinion. A popular peace movement song says, "Let there be peace on earth and let it begin with me." That may well be the problem. Any peace that begins with me will have limited influence. What we need is a peace that begins with Jesus. What we need is for the earth to be full of the knowledge of the you, O Lord as the waters cover the sea. And I notice that it doesn't say knowledge "about" you, but knowledge "of" you which, to me, implies a more hands-on approach. Knowledge "of" you doesn't come from books, it comes from the experience of knowing you. So Lord, let the knowledge of you spread far and wide until it consumes the whole earth. Then there shall be peace on our planet. Praise your holy name, now and forever. Alleluia and amen.

Friday, 18 April 2003
Isaiah 12:5-6 NIV
Sing to the L ORD , for he has done glorious things; let this be known to all the world. Shout aloud and sing for joy, people of Zion, for great is the Holy One of Israel among you.

Hi God! Sorry not to have written for the past couple of days. I had to leave for work early to drive to PA for training, but I guess you knew that. I look at these verses and I am happy, Lord, that both churches I attend sing to you for you have done great things. One of them sings a little and shouts a lot and the other one shouts a little and sings a lot. They complement each other well. They both seem a little less enthusiastic about letting your glorious deeds be known to all the world, though both have web sites which can be accessed all over the world, or at least where governments allow free access. Lord, I confess I get the feeling that these verses call us to express great joy. I further get the feeling that there is not nearly enough joy in your churches these days. Oh, there is in some. A few churches are positively hilarious. But Lord, it bothers me that so many liberal churches are lost in spiritual la-la land while their conservative counterparts have wandered off into legalism. Both sides are prone to their own brand of self-righteousness. From those who allegorize all of your miracles to those hell-bent on "getting right with God," the church runs a gamut of emotions from touchy-feely feel good to holy terror. But unadulterated joy at your being is rare indeed. So Lord I pray this day, let me be an instrument for your joy. Let me spread your joy wherever I go. You have done glorious things. Among them is the salvation of my soul. It's a God thing. Thank you, Lord. Praise your holy name, now and forever. Alleluia and amen.

Sunday, 20 April 2003
Luke 24:1-5 NRSV
But on the first day of the week, at early dawn, the women came to the tomb, taking the spices that they had prepared. They found the stone rolled away from the tomb, but when they went in, they did not find the body. While they were perplexed about this, suddenly two men in dazzling clothes stood beside them. The women were terrified and bowed their faces to the ground, but the men said to them, "Why do you look for the living among the dead? He is not here, but has risen.

You are risen, indeed! Good morning, Lord. I hope you don't mind that I took a break from exploring Isaiah to reflect on an Easter narrative, today being Easter and all. This reflection came to me a week or so ago; I think it was in a Saturday morning prayer meeting. Anyway, the part that really catches my attention is, "Why do you look for the living among the dead?" OK Lord, I am about to walk on thin ice and I hope you will support me. It is thin ice because I have to speak a word of judgment against the church, and I do so with trepidation and hopefully humility. Who am I to say this or that church is wrong? If it works for them, and if it is not blatant heresy, I should celebrate whatever success they can manage. But here's the thing, Lord: It is not working for them. The Barna Research Group reported that the number of unchurched people in the U.S. rose from less than a quarter or the population in 1990 to more than a third in 2000. That's about 10 percentage points in 10 years. Do the math. The church's days are numbered. The church, of course, wants to blame society and culture. People just aren't "joiners" any more. Even bowling leagues have felt the pinch. People harried by too much to do and too little time, just don't commit to regular attendance at anything as much as they used to. Meanwhile, TV and the movies continue to portray church goers as silly people while salvation comes from magical powers as in Buffy or Charmed or Harry Potter. Blah, blah, blah. These are all excuses. People stopped going to church because when they went it didn't work. They went to church seeking the living God and all they found was dead religion. At some point it dawned on them, "Why am I seeking the living among the dead?" and they went elsewhere. Some of them tried other churches, but eventually many of them just gave up. Now they pride themselves on being "spiritual" but not "religious." The angel said to the women at the tomb, "Why do you look for the living among the dead?" But today the people are saying to the church, "Why should we waste our time looking for a living God among a dead church?" And for the most part, the church is clueless. They don't know they're dead. When did we stop expecting resurrection power to be manifest in our churches? Whenever it was, that was the day we started to die. Lord, these thoughts are not new to me. They helped lead me to form Rainbow Revival in the first place. So my prayer on this Easter Sunday is for you to please, please, please send revival. Bring the church out of the tomb, Lord. Shake us out of our religious stupor that the Word of the living God, the power of the resurrected Christ and the gifts of the Holy Spirit may be welcome in your church once again. Thank you, Lord. I believe it is coming. Help my unbelief. Praise your holy name, now and forever. Alleluia and amen.

Thursday, 24 April 2003
Isaiah 15:5 NIV (mostly)

My heart cries out for Moab; her fugitives flee as far as Zoar, as far as Eglath Shelishiyah. They go up the way to Luhith, weeping as they go; on the road to Horonaim they lament their destruction.

What a strange lament this is, Lord! Moab was no friend of Israel. The Moabites would not let Israel pass through their kingdom on the way to the promised land, so they had to go way out of their way. And Israel never forgot. The fact that Ruth was a Moabitess is one of the things that gives the book of Ruth its punch. And yet there did seem to be a love/hate relationship with Moab. They were, after all, Israel's next door neighbors. Occasionally they would ally together to fight a common foe. Then they would get all pissed off at each other again and not speak for a while, or maybe even attack each other. So it is not surprising that Moab is included in this list of nations that are going to feel God's wrath because of the way they treated Israel at some point. What is surprising is your compassion, O God, for Moab and its people. Before I get myself into trouble, let me clarify. Of course you are compassionate, O God. I am not surprised that you are compassionate. I am surprised that your compassion got recorded in scripture in this context. Isaiah prophesies death and destruction to several nations in this section of his book. But it is rare that he, or any prophet, portrays you as feeling sorry for people you are about to destroy. While that kind of language is common in discussing your relationship with Israel, it is rare when discussing Israel's enemies. Moab will be destroyed; her fugitives will flee great distances in many directions. It is hard to bring a country back together once they have been scattered over the face of the earth. And even though they are Israel's enemies, and even though you are going to destroy them anyway, it is strangely comforting to know that you feel bad about doing it. I am real glad I am not your enemy, but it is good to know that you would feel compassion for me even if I were. Your love is overwhelming. Praise your holy name, now and forever. Alleluia and amen.

Friday, 25 April 2003
Isaiah 16:6-7 NRSV
We have heard of the pride of Moab-how proud he is!-of his arrogance, his pride, and his insolence; his boasts are false. Therefore let Moab wail, let everyone wail for Moab. Mourn, utterly stricken, for the raisin cakes of Kir-hareseth.

Wow, Lord, those must have been some mighty fine raisin cakes! Instead of "raisin cakes," the NIV translates the word as "men" and adds a footnote claiming that it is a play on words. Not being a Hebrew scholar, this sent me packing to visit Strong's Concordance and Hebrew Dictionary. This led to more confusion because that same word that the NRSV calls "raisin cakes" and the NIV calls "men," Strong's translates as "foundations." Then I start following the links around Strong's and discover that it is derived from or related to words that mean any number of things from "fiery hot" to "pressed together." Therefore, I can only conclude that the Hebrew term .......... is a metaphor meaning "a foundation of fiery, hot men pressed together like a raisin cake." Well, who wouldn't mourn, utterly stricken, for the loss of something like that? By the way, the term is pronounced, aw-sheesh. And Kir-hareseth is a place in Moab, but the term is literally translated, "a fortress made out of pottery." Well, if it was occupied by fiery, hot men who liked to press themselves together, we can rest assured it was elegant, yet tasteful pottery with a smart, adobe glaze. Lord, I am having a bit of fun with this, but I do not do it to mock you or even Moab, rather to point out the folly in our feeble endeavors to understand your word.. As for Moab, they were a people you had previously blessed. As we noted yesterday, it grieves your heart to have to destroy them. The last three verses of this chapter make it plain: Therefore my heart throbs like a harp for Moab, and my very soul for Kir-heres. When Moab presents himself, when he wearies himself upon the high place, when he comes to his sanctuary to pray, he will not prevail. This was the word that the L ORD spoke concerning Moab in the past. But now the L ORD says, In three years, like the years of a hired worker, the glory of Moab will be brought into contempt, in spite of all its great multitude; and those who survive will be very few and feeble. I continue to remain awestruck at your mighty love for those you are about to destroy. Of course, just when I start to get serious I get curious and look up those words "heart" and "soul." I don't know about the rest of Hebrew scriptures, but in this verse "heart" and "soul" are metaphors based on words that literally mean intestines, bowels, the uterus, or in men (as Strong euphemistically puts it) the "seat of generation." In other words, you have a throbbing in your groin for that fortress made out of pottery--the one with all the fiery, hot men pressed together. Now do you see, Lord, why my sense of humor gets me in trouble so often? My prayer today is that you love me as passionately as you loved Moab, only without the death and destruction. And unlike Moab, may my prayers be answered, for the glory of your name. For it is in your name I pray. And I praise your holy name, now and forever. Alleluia and amen.

Saturday, 26 April 2003
Isaiah 17:7-10a NRSV
On that day people will regard their Maker, and their eyes will look to the Holy One of Israel; they will not have regard for the altars, the work of their hands, and they will not look to what their own fingers have made, either the sacred poles or the altars of incense. On that day their strong cities will be like the deserted places of the Hivites and the Amorites, which they deserted because of the children of Israel, and there will be desolation. For you have forgotten the God of your salvation, and have not remembered the Rock of your refuge.

What I hear in this passage, O Lord, is that both the Syrians and the Israelites enjoyed a brief time of power, but as they turned away from you, their power left them, and they became as nothing. The passage also seems to state that when religion overcomes faith, both suffer. When the day of destruction comes, people will (finally) look away from religion and toward You. You are going to have to put an extra shift on the heavenly hot line. The people will forget their altars and their idols, their maypoles and their religious statues. They will all look to you, O Holy One of Israel. Isaiah concludes: For you have forgotten the God of your salvation, and have not remembered the Rock of your refuge. How difficult it must be to come back to a God that one has forgotten! Only in the face of abject disaster would one turn away from their allegedly progressive, human-crafted religion, and turn to you for salvation and refuge. When great cities become as deserted ruins, then the people will turn back to you, O God. They will cease their never-ending search for understanding and return to you for a more certain truth. They will stop settling for the god of their understanding and turn to you, our God who is beyond understanding. They will cast aside their religion of the head and embrace a faith of the heart. O Lord, why does it take disaster for us to return to you? A few well-placed miracles would do much to bring people to faith. We know that you can do it; you've done it before. So, do it again. People are staying away from church in droves because their is no perceptible power there. This makes them ripe candidates for error. Lord, could you reveal a piece of your glory so that more people might see and believe. I know that you can; the question is: Will you? Lord, there are even some calling themselves Christians that do not believe in miracles. They think it is all just benign mythology. Please, please, please Lord, could we have some glaring miracles that no one can deny? Please. Yeah, I know. There are those who will deny them anyway, no matter how glaring. After all, they deny your divinity, they deny your atoning sacrifice, some of them even deny your resurrection !!! Lord, if our crazy world is ever going to know peace, we are going to need some manifestations of your power. Let it be, dear Lord, let it be. I wait upon your word. Praise your holy name, today and tomorrow, forever and always. Alleluia and amen.

Monday, 28 April 2003
Isaiah 19:22-25 NRSV
The L ORD will strike Egypt, striking and healing; they will return to the L ORD , and he will listen to their supplications and heal them. On that day there will be a highway from Egypt to Assyria, and the Assyrian will come into Egypt, and the Egyptian into Assyria, and the Egyptians will worship with the Assyrians. On that day Israel will be the third with Egypt and Assyria, a blessing in the midst of the earth, whom the L ORD of hosts has blessed, saying, "Blessed be Egypt my people, and Assyria the work of my hands, and Israel my heritage."

Now Lord, this is an interesting turn of events. Most of this chapter prophesies Egypt's destruction. I was tempted to reflect on verse 16 which says the Egyptians will be like women, trembling with fear. Clearly the prophet didn't know the same women I know. But then in verse 18 everything changes. As Egypt turns to you, the destruction ceases and the blessings increase. I like where it says you will strike Egypt, striking and healing. I would like to have seen more of that recorded in the Hebrew scriptures. So often it is just death and destruction. Striking and healing seems to me to be a much more positive solution. Maybe you did a lot more of that than the writers of scripture noticed. Apparently you struck and healed Assyria as well because this great highway is built connecting Egypt with Assyria so that they visit each other and worship together. What the passage doesn't say but the original audience surely knew was that Israel was right smack dab in between Egypt and Assyria. Any highway connecting them would have to go through Israel. It might even be a metaphor, meaning the Israel is the highway that connects Egypt with Assyria. The three become a triumvirate of blessing when you say "Blessed be Egypt my people, and Assyria the work of my hands, and Israel my heritage." This prophecy has yet to be fulfilled. Well there was that time when the Assyrian empire included Egypt, Israel, and what is now Lebanon, Syria, Jordan and Iraq. But that really could not be considered a blessing for anyone except the Assyrian war Lords who conquered all those lands. What today's verse tells me is that peace will indeed come to the Middle East. Lord, I hope and pray it is within my lifetime because I am weary with all the warring that is still going on. Not to be picky, but I notice the passage says that Egypt will worship with the Assyrians. And while it says that all three will reflect your blessing, it does not say that Israel will worship with the other two. Does that mean that Egypt and the modern day equivalent of Assyria (Lebanon, Syria, Jordan and Iraq) will continue as Muslim while Israel continues as Jewish? Or is that being too literalistic? And what of Jesus? From my perspective, the only thing that can unite all of the Middle East is Jesus. I hear that Muslims are accepting Jesus as the Christ in greater and greater numbers and that the Messianic Jewish movement is also growing. But my sources are not the major news media. I hear it by word-of-mouth, mainly among evangelical Christians. So Lord, I just pray for peace. Not just the peace of Jerusalem, which is very important, but also peace for the entire region. May this prophecy be fulfilled and soon! May Egypt, Israel and "Assyria" be a blessing in the midst of the earth. For if peace can reign there, it can prevail everywhere! Praise your holy name, now and forever. Alleluia and amen.

Wednesday, 30 April 2003
Isaiah 20:3-4 NRSV
Then the L ORD said, "Just as my servant Isaiah has walked naked and barefoot for three years as a sign and a portent against Egypt and Ethiopia, so shall the king of Assyria lead away the Egyptians as captives and the Ethiopians as exiles, both the young and the old, naked and barefoot, with buttocks uncovered, to the shame of Egypt.

Now Lord, we gotta talk. You know I believe in prophetic action. I have seen you use it to great effect on any number of occasions. I am indeed blessed to attend a church that believes in prophetically acting out. Well OK, sometimes it's a little woogie, but over all I have found it to be a blessing. But Lord, you had Isaiah walk around naked and barefoot for three whole years! I might be able to go around naked for a day or two, as long as I didn't have to leave my house, but three years?? Sooner or later I would have to go out for groceries. "Yes officer, I know I am naked. . .well, because God told me to. . .it's a prophetic act, illustrating the future of Egypt and Ethiopia. . .a hospital? why?. . .yes, it would be better than jail. . ." And then there is the gross-out factor. With my beach ball belly and my allegedly fading psoriasis, people might well take one look at my naked body and run away screaming into the night. Perhaps you could use it as an evangelistic tool: "Repent or end up having a body like mine!" Boy howdy, people would rush to you in unprecedented numbers. I must hasten to add that it is not just me. I have known several prophets and I can't think of any that I'd really want to see naked. If you want, Lord, I could furnish you with a list of people whom I think would make great naked prophets. But I suppose everyone has their own ideas about that. Before I waste any more time contemplating the prophetic calling of Vin Diesel, it is important to note what was the point of the nudity. In the face of impending invasion, Israel kept turning to Egypt for help. You were trying to tell Israel, "Do not trust in Egypt, put your trust in me." And you used Isaiah's nakedness as an illustration of the shame Egypt would suffer at the hands of the Assyrians. Israel, alas, did not listen and as a result got absorbed in the Assyrian empire, enslaved to the Assyrians. Egypt's shame became Israel's shame as well. All because they didn't listen to the naked prophet. It was a noble effort, Lord. I'm sorry it didn't work out better for you. I am wondering, Lord, if we are listening to the prophets you are sending us today. I am wondering if we would be more apt to listen if they were naked. I really can't say that we would. In any case, Lord, I implore you: should you decided to try again with the naked prophet thing, could you please not pick me? None the less, not my will but yours be done. Praise your holy name, now and forever. Alleluia and amen.