Romans 16:25 Now to God, who can strengthen you, according to my Good News,
in harmony with the revelation of the secret truth
which is the proclamation of Yeshua the Messiah,
kept hidden in silence for ages and ages,
26 but manifested now through prophetic writings,
in keeping with the command of God the Eternal,
and communicated to all the Gentiles
to promote in them trust-grounded obedience —
27 to the only wise God, through Yeshua the Messiah,
be the glory forever and ever!
Amen.(Complete Jewish Bible)
---
I grew up in a family of English teachers, so perhaps it is no surprise that I like to diagram sentences. Long, convoluted sentences can be the most rewarding--if also the most challenging to diagram. The process of diagramming untangles a knotted grammatical web to reveal the subject and verb at the heart of a statement. These final verses of Paul's letter to the Romans, which are a single sentence in both the original Greek and the New Revised Standard Version's (NRSV) English translation, provide just such a challenge. Once we strip away the many layers of added phrases and clauses, we are left with this clear idea at the sentence's core: Glory be to God. It strikes me that the life of faith is a lot like Paul's sentence: full of subordinate ideas, including some that clarify and some that clutter, but with a core utterance that sustains us. Glory be to God, indeed!
God of glory, as we sift through the layers of our theology and our moments of faith and doubt, remind us that you are our center, and help us do everything to your glory. Amen.
Cameron B. R. Howard
Assistant Professor of Old Testament at Luther Seminary, St. Paul, Minn.
Romans 16:25 Now to God who is able to strengthen you according to my gospel and the proclamation of Jesus Christ, according to the revelation of the mystery that was kept secret for long ages
26 but is now disclosed, and through the prophetic writings is made known to all the Gentiles, according to the command of the eternal God, to bring about the obedience of faith
27 to the only wise God, through Jesus Christ, to whom be the glory forever! Amen. (The Revised Standard Version)---
The God Pause Daily Devotion of The Luther Seminary in Saint Paul, Minnesota, 55108 United States for Tuesday, 19 December 2017 - Luke 1:46b-55 or Psalm 89:1-4, 19-26
Luke 1:46 Then Miryam said,
“My soul magnifies Adonai;
47 and my spirit rejoices in God, my Savior,
48 who has taken notice of his servant-girl
in her humble position.[Luke 1:48 1 Samuel 1:11; 2:1]
For — imagine it! — from now on, all generations will call me blessed!
49 “The Mighty One has done great things for me!
Indeed, his name is holy; 50 and in every generation
he has mercy on those who fear him.[Luke 1:50 Psalms 103:17; 111:9]
51 “He has performed mighty deeds with his arm,
routed the secretly proud,
52 brought down rulers from their thrones,
raised up the humble,
53 filled the hungry with good things,
but sent the rich away empty.
54 “He has taken the part of his servant Isra’el,
mindful of the mercy
55 which he promised to our fathers,
to Avraham and his seed forever.” or Psalm 89:1 (0) A maskil of Eitan the Ezrachi:
2 (1) I will sing about Adonai’s acts of grace forever,
with my mouth proclaim your faithfulness to all generations;
3 (2) because I said, “Grace is built to last forever;
in the heavens themselves you established your faithfulness.”
4 (3) You said, “I made a covenant with the one I chose,
I swore to my servant David,
5 (4) ‘I will establish your dynasty forever,
build up your throne through all generations.’” (Selah), 19 (18) for our shield comes from Adonai —
our king is from the Holy One of Isra’el.
20 (19) There was a time when you spoke in a vision;
you declared to your loyal [prophets],
“I have given help to a warrior,
I have raised up someone chosen from the people.
21 (20) I have found David my servant
and anointed him with my holy oil.
22 (21) My hand will always be with him,
and my arm will give him strength.
23 (22) No enemy will outwit him,
no wicked man overcome him.
24 (23) I will crush his foes before him
and strike down those who hate him.
25 (24) My faithfulness and grace will be with him;
through my name his power will grow.
26 (25) I will put his hand on the sea
and his right hand on the rivers.
27 (26) He will call to me, ‘You are my father,
my God, the Rock of my salvation.’ (Complete Jewish Bible)
---
The soundtrack to the hit Broadway show, "Hamilton: An American Musical" has been playing virtually non-stop in my house in recent weeks. Thus, this season's re-reading of Mary's Magnificat immediately brings to mind the song, "The World Turned Upside Down." In "Hamilton," the song describes the defeat of the British army at Yorktown, securing the victory of the United States in the Revolutionary War and changing the course of history.
Mary's song also imagines the world as we know it upended. Yet this reversal is not one wrought by military power or political maneuverings; this is the work of God Almighty, who comes to earth as a baby, experiences the joys and sorrows of human life, shows the world power garbed in weakness and defeats death, the greatest enemy of all. Through Mary and her baby, the powers that thrive on suffering and injustice will finally be unseated. Thanks be to God!
God of all nations, as we await the coming of Jesus, help us see the fragility in the powers of the world that oppress and harm. Give us courage to proclaim the mercy and justice of your kingdom. Amen.
Cameron B. R. Howard
Assistant Professor of Old Testament at Luther Seminary, St. Paul, Minn.
Luke 1:46b-55 or Psalm 89:1-4, 19-26 (NRSV)
Luke 1:46b "My soul magnifies the Lord,
47 and my spirit rejoices in God my Savior,
48 for he has looked with favor on the lowliness of his servant. Surely, from now on all generations will call me blessed;
49 for the Mighty One has done great things for me, and holy is his name.
50 His mercy is for those who fear him from generation to generation.
51 He has shown strength with his arm; he has scattered the proud in the thoughts of their hearts.
52 He has brought down the powerful from their thrones, and lifted up the lowly;
53 he has filled the hungry with good things, and sent the rich away empty.
54 He has helped his servant Israel, in remembrance of his mercy,
55 according to the promise he made to our ancestors, to Abraham and to his descendants forever."
Psalm 89:1 I will sing of your steadfast love, O Lord, forever; with my mouth I will proclaim your faithfulness to all generations.
2 I declare that your steadfast love is established forever; your faithfulness is as firm as the heavens.
3 You said, "I have made a covenant with my chosen one, I have sworn to my servant David:
4 "I will establish your descendants forever, and build your throne for all generations.' " (Selah)....
19 Then you spoke in a vision to your faithful one, and said: "I have set the crown on one who is mighty, I have exalted one chosen from the people.
20 I have found my servant David; with my holy oil I have anointed him;
21 my hand shall always remain with him; my arm also shall strengthen him.
22 The enemy shall not outwit him, the wicked shall not humble him.
23 I will crush his foes before him and strike down those who hate him.
24 My faithfulness and steadfast love shall be with him; and in my name his horn shall be exalted.
25 I will set his hand on the sea and his right hand on the rivers.
26 He shall cry to me, "You are my Father, my God, and the Rock of my salvation!'(The Revised Standard Version)---
The God Pause Daily Devotion of The Luther Seminary in Saint Paul, Minnesota, United States for Monday, 18 December 2017 - 2 Samuel 7:1-11, 16
2 Samuel 7:1 After the king had been living in his palace awhile and Adonai had given him rest from all his surrounding enemies, 2 the king said to Natan the prophet, “Here, I’m living in a cedar-wood palace; but the ark of God is kept in a tent!” 3 Natan said to the king, “Go, do everything that is in your heart, for Adonai is with you.”
4 But that same night the word of Adonai came to Natan: 5 “Go and tell my servant David that this is what Adonai says: ‘You are going to build me a house to live in? 6 Since the day I brought the people of Isra’el out of Egypt until today, I never lived in a house; rather, I traveled in a tent and a tabernacle. 7 Everywhere I traveled with all the people of Isra’el, did I ever speak a word to any of the tribes of Isra’el, whom I ordered to shepherd my people Isra’el, asking, “Why haven’t you built me a cedar-wood house?”’
8 “Therefore say this to my servant David that this is what Adonai-Tzva’ot says: ‘I took you from the sheep-yards, from following the sheep, to make you chief over my people, over Isra’el. 9 I have been with you wherever you went; I have destroyed all your enemies ahead of you; and I am making your reputation great, like the reputations of the greatest people on earth. 10 I will assign a place to my people Isra’el; I will plant them there, so that they can live in their own place without being disturbed any more. The wicked will no longer oppress them, as they did at the beginning, 11 and as they did from the time I ordered judges to be over my people Isra’el; instead, I will give you rest from all your enemies.
“‘Moreover, Adonai tells you that Adonai will make you a house., 16 Thus your house and your kingdom will be made secure forever before you; your throne will be set up forever.’”(Complete Jewish Bible)
---
After King David triumphantly returns the Ark of the Covenant to Jerusalem, he enjoys some well-earned rest in his palace. As David reflects on the luxury of his own well-appointed house, he becomes troubled at the idea that the Ark, and therefore God, dwells in a mere tent. David resolves to build God a house, a temple. This sounds like a righteous thing for David to do, and yet God rejects his offer. "I have never asked for or needed a house before," says God, "Why should I need one from you now?"
God's response to David is a reminder that God's extravagant faithfulness is unmatched by any human effort at reciprocity. God's grace is abundant, eternal, persistent and nimble--unable to be boxed in by walls, not confined to one place or time, always on the move and never giving up on any of us.
God of abundant grace, as we read in Holy Scripture about your extravagant faithfulness to David, open our eyes to the ways you pour your grace out on us, and fill our hearts with thankfulness. Amen.
Cameron B. R. Howard
Assistant Professor of Old Testament at Luther Seminary, St. Paul, Minn.
2 Samuel 7:1 Now when the king was settled in his house, and the Lord had given him rest from all his enemies around him,
2 the king said to the prophet Nathan, "See now, I am living in a house of cedar, but the ark of God stays in a tent."
3 Nathan said to the king, "Go, do all that you have in mind; for the Lord is with you."
4 But that same night the word of the Lord came to Nathan:
5 Go and tell my servant David: Thus says the Lord: Are you the one to build me a house to live in?
6 I have not lived in a house since the day I brought up the people of Israel from Egypt to this day, but I have been moving about in a tent and a tabernacle.
7 Wherever I have moved about among all the people of Israel, did I ever speak a word with any of the tribal leaders of Israel, whom I commanded to shepherd my people Israel, saying, "Why have you not built me a house of cedar?"
8 Now therefore thus you shall say to my servant David: Thus says the Lord of hosts: I took you from the pasture, from following the sheep to be prince over my people Israel;
9 and I have been with you wherever you went, and have cut off all your enemies from before you; and I will make for you a great name, like the name of the great ones of the earth.
10 And I will appoint a place for my people Israel and will plant them, so that they may live in their own place, and be disturbed no more; and evildoers shall afflict them no more, as formerly,
11 from the time that I appointed judges over my people Israel; and I will give you rest from all your enemies. Moreover the Lord declares to you that the Lord will make you a house...
16 Your house and your kingdom shall be made sure forever before me; your throne shall be established forever.(The Revised Standard Version)---
The God Pause Daily Devotion of The Luther Seminary in Saint Paul, Minnesota, United States for Sunday, 17 December 2017 - "Joy to the World," ELW 267
1. Joy to the world, the Lord is come!
Let earth receive her king;
let ev'ry heart prepare him room
and heav'n and nature sing,
and heav'n and nature sing,
and heav'n, and heav'n and nature sing.
2. Joy to the earth, the Savior reigns!
Let all their songs employ,
while fields and floods, rocks, hills, and plains
repeat the sounding joy,
repeat the sounding joy,
repeat, repeat the sounding joy.
3. No more let sin and sorrow grow
nor thorns infest the ground;
he comes to make his blessings flow
far as the curse is found,
far as the curse is found,
far as, far as the curse is found.
4. He rules the world with truth and grace
and makes the nations prove
the glories of his righteousness
and wonders of his love,
and wonders of his love,
and wonders, wonders of his love.
---
The Third Sunday of Advent is known throughout the world as Guadete Sunday, or Joy Sunday. How appropriate to be praying this hymn on this day! In the midst of all of the darkness and despair around us, in our ongoing practice of compassion--of suffering ("passio" with "com")--it is essential to remember that joy is never only, or even ever, the opposite of sadness. Joy is not simple pleasure, happiness or glee. Joy is a word which conveys a deep throated "YES" to life, a thorough-going willingness to surrender to God's infinite love poured out into all of creation.
When we know love, we must of necessity also know suffering. To love is to risk, and in many ways endure loss. Joy and sorrow are intermingled, woven throughout the fabric of our relationships. The Incarnation reminds us that we truly can rest in God's promise to "make all blessings flow."
Source of all love, we thank you for drawing us into your joy. Keep us ever mindful of your blessings, and empower us to love fully and deeply. Amen.
Mary E. Hess
Professor of Educational Leadership at Luther Seminary, St. Paul, Minn.---
The God Pause Daily Devotion of The Luther Seminary in Saint Paul, Minnesota, United States for Saturday, 16 December 2017 - "Joy to the World," ELW 267
1. Joy to the world, the Lord is come!
Let earth receive her king;
let ev'ry heart prepare him room
and heav'n and nature sing,
and heav'n and nature sing,
and heav'n, and heav'n and nature sing.
2. Joy to the earth, the Savior reigns!
Let all their songs employ,
while fields and floods, rocks, hills, and plains
repeat the sounding joy,
repeat the sounding joy,
repeat, repeat the sounding joy.
3. No more let sin and sorrow grow
nor thorns infest the ground;
he comes to make his blessings flow
far as the curse is found,
far as the curse is found,
far as, far as the curse is found.
4. He rules the world with truth and grace
and makes the nations prove
the glories of his righteousness
and wonders of his love,
and wonders of his love,
and wonders, wonders of his love.
---
(The Revised Standard Version)
---Luther Seminary in Saint Paul, Minnesota, United States - December 2017: Anticipating the Light
Advent is a time of anticipation: of waiting, of watching, of hopeful expectation.
It's also a time of darkness: the days get shorter, the nights extend, we yearn for the inbreaking of light.
The combination of anticipation and darkness is unsettling.
This Advent season, remember why you give to Luther Seminary
Register for Mid-Winter Convocation 2018
My Favorite Bible Passage - Matt Skinner
December 14, 2017
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