Lord God, Heavenly Father, thank You for being with us and drawing us to You. Help us, Lord, to worship You in spirit and in truth and hear Your word to us every day. In Jesus’ Name, we pray – Amen.
Scriptures:
Although we're now a non-denominational (or, better, inter-denominational) church with Christians from many backgrounds, the Lake Como Community of Hope fellowship in Lake Como, Florida has four readings each week from the Revised Common Lectionary used by many denominations. (You can also find free sites that post these suggestions.)
One reading comes from the Old Testament (OT, aka Hebrew Bible), one from the Psalms (also OT), one from the Epistles (aka letters to the churches) in the New Testament (NT), and one from the NT Gospels. If you listen carefully to those readings and maybe read them again at home, you’ll often notice a theme emerging each week.
I count on that! When I'm called on to prepare a “Bible Talk,” I look for the connection between each of the scripture readings, but this time I had trouble finding one! What finally came to mind might not be what anyone else had in mind, but as I re-read the scriptures, it occurred to me that one thread might be the connection of place.
In Deuteronomy, for instance, Moses climbed Mount Nebo in the land of Moab where God showed His friend and servant the vast land He promised to give the Hebrew people. That same passage describes Moses like this: “Never since has there arisen a prophet in Israel like Moses, whom the Lord knew face to face. He was unequaled for all the signs and wonders the Lord sent him to perform in the land of Egypt…” And yet, Moses himself did not get to live in the Promised Land, much less go there!
Or did he?
The Psalm suggested for the same Sunday begins by saying: “Lord, you have been our dwelling place in all generations.” And, in that sense, Moses surely found his place in God.
Have we? And, what does that even mean?
The letter to the church in Thessalonica reveals a bit more about our present place in God. Even though the writer, Paul, been treated miserably in Philippi, he let the early Christians in Thessalonica know that, quote, “...we had courage in our God to declare to you the gospel of God in spite of great opposition.”
The suffering Paul had endured did not dis-courage him from his place in God – a place of courage, a place of Good News, a place where (and I quote) “we were gentle among you, like a nurse tenderly caring for her own children. So deeply do we care for you that we’re determined to share with you not only the gospel of God but also our own selves….” What a loving place!
Notice how this place in God – our place – keeps expanding? God showed Moses a vast landscape in enemy territory – a place where God’s people must often go at times and prevail – not alone, but with God and one another. As King David said in Psalm 90, “Lord, You’ve been OUR dwelling place in all generations.” This wasn't only David’s place to live and be, but OUR place - together in God.
The ultimate placement, of course, is revealed to us in Christ Jesus. When asked about the most important laws we’re to live in, Jesus quoted the Hebrew Bible. He said, “You shall love the Lord your God with all your heart, and with all your soul, and with all your mind. This is the greatest and first commandment. And a second is like it: You shall love your neighbor as yourself. On these two commandments hang all the law and the prophets.”
We can hang our hats and coats on those two commandments for they give us our place in life – a place to dwell in love for God, love for other people, and love for ourselves.
So, how do we go about translating those words into action? It will take our whole lives! Nevertheless, obeying God heads us in the right direction for our particular place. And, the more we read the Bible, the more we’ll know God's word on what God wants, so we can obey Him, which also shows Him our love.
But what about loving other people? We don’t have to like them, but we do have to care about their well-being, which is as important as our own mental, physical, and spiritual health. That’s the place God wants us to be as we take up residence in Him with all believers in His infinite, intimate place of love.
…
Dear Heavenly Father of All peoples – those we like and those we don’t! Help us to live in the welcoming place You have given us – the place of love. Help us to dwell in love and spread Your love wherever we go in Jesus’ Name, amen.
Mary Harwell Sayler, (c)2020