Dear God, we adopted a dog three days ago, and I have never been around a dog so scared and timid. We got her from a shelter after she had been there four months. They’ve had a hard time adopting her out because she wouldn’t bond with people while they were there. My wife and I decided to give her the patient love she needs. But it’s been wild to see just how untrusting she is. I spent an hour and a half in the backseat of the car yesterday with her loving on her while we went to visit my sister, and yet as soon as we get out of that situation she stops trusting me again. This will take a while. Is this how some people respond to you? The church or a parent hurt them and they cannot trust you? Do you hold that against them, or do you wait patiently with your hand out beckoning them to come?
Here are today’s passages from Sacred Invitation: Lenten Devotions Inspired by the Book of Common Prayer.
- AM Psalm: 80
- PM Psalms: 77, 79
- Jeremiah 7:1-15
- John 7:14-36
- Romans 4:1-12
Psalm 80 and Jeremiah 7:1-15 – I’m going to combine these because they made me think of the same thing while I was reading them (that’s probably why they were put together for today’s readings). I couldn’t help but think of Christians (or some who are conservative Republicans who have claimed the label Christian without actually knowing what that means or being a disciple) who want to call the nation to be these things, but they want to do it from power and force. That strategy is not in here anywhere. You aren’t saying that they Israelites need more laws. You’re saying that they need to be persuaded from the bottom up, starting with the psalmist (in this case, Asaph) and Jeremiah. They need to be warned. They need to be loved. They need to be called to you. I was talking with someone Saturday morning about the Church as an institution, and she was saying that like all institutions it needs to have a certain size so that it can be effective. I countered that the difference between the Church and other institutions is that as soon as it starts thinking about size it starts to act like the world and the opposite of what Jesus taught.
John 7:14-36 – As I read this passage I think about those who didn’t believe Jesus was the Messiah and those who did–they were both wrong. Those who didn’t believe were obviously wrong (and I’d have probably been in that group if I’d have been there at the time) and the group that believe was wrong because they thought they were getting a leader to conquer and kill. To quote Michael Card in his song, “They were looking for a king to conquer and to kill. Who’d have ever thought he’d be so meek and humble?” (“Scandalon” by Michael Card).
Romans 4:1-12 – I don’t know how wide the net of Jesus’s act of sacrifice and resurrection gets cast. In the analogy of our new dog who does not trust because of what has been baked into her past, do you make that allowance for the person who is so damaged by life that they can’t bring themselves to trust you?
Father, be with me today. My soul is unsettled as I get ready for work. There is a lot to do today, both in my activities and the relationships that must me addressed. Help me be exactly who you need me to be today.
I offer this prayer to you in Jesus and with the Holy Spirit,
Amen
Emails to God 