The Upper Room Daily Reflections, daily words of wisdom and faith in Nashville, Tennessee, United States "From Darkness to Light" for Monday, 8 August 2016

The Upper Room Daily Reflections, daily words of wisdom and faith in Nashville, Tennessee, United States "From Darkness to Light" for Monday, 8 August 2016

Today’s Reflection:

HOW DO YOU FEEL WHEN YOU WAKE on a gray winter Monday morning? The wind is driving against the bedroom window. It is quite dark or barely light. The trivial round faces you. The day may have awkward experiences in store. Depression comes over the mind like a fog. What a day! What a life!
Many people begin their day like that. The stored depression of past days well up from memory and the working week starts with “the hump.”
If one lived on facts and not on feelings, even the feelings would respond in time to the facts. These are the facts!
God is on the throne. Behind those rain-heavy clouds the sun is shining, and behind the God-denying look of this mad world, God is always there: the Father of Jesus, as great in love as in power.
This is the day that God has made. I will rejoice and be glad in it. I will think about God’s light, joy, and power, and myself as God’s beloved child. I will run on God’s errands – still God’s, though so ordinary and so repetitive. Done for God they will be extraordinary. I will make them as perfect as possible.
As I meditate, though only for five or seven unhurried minutes in the morning, it will bless me in the moment and sink down into my subconscious to bless me a hundredfold when it rises again in an hour of special need.[W. E. Sangster, Teach Me to Pray]
From pages 41-42 of Teach Me to Pray by W. E. Sangster. Copyright © 1959, 1999 by The Upper Room. All rights reserved. Used by permission of Upper Room Books. http://bookstore.upperroom.org/ Learn more about or purchase this book.
Today’s Question:
Do you start your days with prayer? If not, give it a try this week. If so, describe the experience.
Today’s Scripture:
For the vineyard of the LORD of hosts is the house of Israel, and the people of Judah are his pleasant planting; he expected justice, but saw bloodshed; righteousness, but heard a cry![Isaiah 5:7, NRSV]
This Week: pray for those children starting back to school. -------
Did You Know?
In need of prayer? The Upper Room Living Prayer Center is a 7-day-a-week intercessory prayer ministry staffed by trained volunteers. Call 1-800-251-2468 or visit The Living Prayer Center website.
-------
This week we remember: This week we remember: Clare of Assisi (August 11).
Clare of Assisi
August 11
St. Clare was born in 1196, and was already a faithful Christian when she heard St. Francis of Assisi preaching in 1211. Escaping an arranged marriage, she heeded the advice of Francis to devote her life to God, and she organized a group of women called the Poor Ladies of San Damiano. Under her leadership the group survived on charitable donations from locals, rather than begging for alms as the monks did. Following the rules that Clare herself set down, the Poor Ladies of San Damiano went barefoot, never ate meat, and wore rough habits.
Clare's theology was centered on her concept of Christ-the-Mirror: that one must hold up Christ as a mirror to one's own faith, and strive to live as he did and be as he was. Due to Clare's popularity, convents of her followers appeared all throughout Europe. Clare herself, though, remained abbess at San Damiano until her death in 1253.
If St. Clare had taken the Spiritual Types Test, she probably would have been a Mystic. Clare is remembered on August 11.
Read some of Clare's writings in The Riches of Simplicity: Selected Writings of Francis and Clare.

-------
Lectionary Readings:

Sunday, 14 August 2016
(Courtesy of Vanderbilt Divinity Library)

Isaiah 5:1-7
Psalm Psalm 80:1-2, 8-19
Hebrews 11:29-12:2
Luke 12:49-56
Scripture Text for Isaiah 5:1 I want to sing a song for someone I love,
a song about my loved one and his vineyard.
My loved one had a vineyard
on a very fertile hill.
2 He dug up its stones and cleared them away,
planted it with the choicest vines,
built a watchtower in the middle of it,
and carved out in its rock a winepress.
He expected it to produce good grapes,
but it produced only sour, wild grapes.
3 Now, citizens of Yerushalayim and people of Y’hudah,
judge between me and my vineyard.
4 What more could I have done for my vineyard
that I haven’t already done in it?
So why, when I expected good grapes,
did it produce sour, wild grapes?
5 Now come, I will tell you
what I will do to my vineyard:
I will remove its hedge,
and [its grapes] will be eaten up;
I will break through its fence,
and [its vines] will be trampled down.
6 I will let it go to waste:
it will be neither pruned nor hoed,
but overgrown with briars and thorns.
I will also order the clouds
not to let rain fall on it.
7 Now the vineyard of Adonai-Tzva’ot
is the house of Isra’el,
and the men of Y’hudah
are the plant he delighted in.
So he expected justice,
but look — bloodshed! —
and righteousness, but listen —
cries of distress!
Psalm Psalm 80:1 (0) For the leader. Set to “Lilies.” A testimony. A psalm of Asaf:
2 (1) Shepherd of Isra’el, listen!
You who lead Yosef like a flock,
you whose throne is on the k’ruvim,
shine out!
8 (7) God of armies, restore us!
Make your face shine, and we will be saved.
9 (8) You brought a vine out of Egypt,
you expelled the nations and planted it,
10 (9) you cleared a space for it;
then it took root firmly and filled the land.
11 (10) The mountains were covered with its shade,
the mighty cedars with its branches;
12 (11) It put out branches as far as the sea
and shoots to the [Euphrates] River.
13 (12) Why did you break down [the vineyard’s] wall,
so that all passing by can pluck [its fruit]?
14 (13) The boar from the forest tears it apart;
wild creatures from the fields feed on it.
15 (14) God of armies, please come back!
Look from heaven, see, and tend this vine!
16 (15) Protect what your right hand planted,
the son you made strong for yourself.
17 (16) It is burned by fire, it is cut down;
they perish at your frown of rebuke.
18 (17) Help the man at your right hand,
the son of man you made strong for yourself.
19 (18) Then we won’t turn away from you —
if you revive us, we will call on your name.
Hebrews 11:29 By trusting, they walked through the Red Sea as through dry land; when the Egyptians tried to do it, the sea swallowed them up.
30 By trusting, the walls of Yericho fell down — after the people had marched around them for seven days.
31 By trusting, Rachav the prostitute welcomed the spies and therefore did not die along with those who were disobedient.
32 What more should I say? There isn’t time to tell about Gid‘on, Barak, Shimshon, Yiftach, David, Sh’mu’el and the prophets; 33 who, through trusting, conquered kingdoms, worked righteousness, received what was promised, shut the mouths of lions,[Hebrews 11:33 Daniel 6:23(22)] 34 quenched the power of fire, escaped the edge of the sword, had their weakness turned to strength, grew mighty in battle and routed foreign armies. 35 Women received back their dead resurrected; other people were stretched on the rack and beaten to death, refusing to be ransomed, so that they would gain a better resurrection. 36 Others underwent the trials of being mocked and whipped, then chained and imprisoned. 37 They were stoned, sawed in two, murdered by the sword; they went about clothed in sheepskins and goatskins, destitute, persecuted, mistreated, 38 wandering about in deserts and mountains, living in caves and holes in the ground! The world was not worthy of them!
39 All of these had their merit attested because of their trusting. Nevertheless, they did not receive what had been promised, 40 because God had planned something better that would involve us, so that only with us would they be brought to the goal.
12:1 So then, since we are surrounded by such a great cloud of witnesses, let us, too, put aside every impediment — that is, the sin which easily hampers our forward movement — and keep running with endurance in the contest set before us, 2 looking away to the Initiator and Completer of that trusting,[Hebrews 12:2 Habakkuk 2:4] Yeshua — who, in exchange for obtaining the joy set before him, endured execution on a stake as a criminal, scorning the shame, and has sat down at the right hand of the throne of God.[Hebrews 12:2 Psalm 110:1]
Luke 12:49 “I have come to set fire to the earth! And how I wish it were already kindled! 50 I have an immersion to undergo — how pressured I feel till it’s over! 51 Do you think that I have come to bring peace in the Land? Not peace, I tell you, but division! 52 For from now on, a household of five will be divided, three against two, two against three.
53 Father will be divided against son
and son against father,
mother against daughter
and daughter against mother,
mother-in-law against her daughter-in-law
and daughter-in-law against mother-in-law.”[Luke 12:53 Micah 7:6]
54 Then to the crowds Yeshua said, “When you see a cloud-bank rising in the west, at once you say that a rainstorm is coming; 55 and when the wind is from the south, you say there will be a heat wave, and there is. 56 Hypocrites! You know how to interpret the appearance of the earth and the sky — how is it that you don’t know how to interpret this present time?
The John Wesley's Notes-Commentary for Isaiah 5:1-7
Verse 1
[1] Now will I sing to my wellbeloved a song of my beloved touching his vineyard. My wellbeloved hath a vineyard in a very fruitful hill:
Now — I will record it to he a witness for God, and against you, as Moses did his song, Deuteronomy 31:19; 32:1.
To — To the Lord of the vineyard.
Of my beloved — Not devised by me, but inspired by God.
Vineyard — His church.
Hill — Hills being places most commodious for vines.
Verse 2
[2] And he fenced it, and gathered out the stones thereof, and planted it with the choicest vine, and built a tower in the midst of it, and also made a winepress therein: and he looked that it should bring forth grapes, and it brought forth wild grapes.
He gathered — He removed all hindrances, and gave them all the means of fruitfulness.
A tower — For the residence of the keepers.
Verse 6
[6] And I will lay it waste: it shall not be pruned, nor digged; but there shall come up briers and thorns: I will also command the clouds that they rain no rain upon it.
Nor digged — Vine-dressers use to dig up and open the earth about the roots of the vines. The meaning is, I will remove my ministers, who used great care and diligence to make you fruitful.
Thorns — I will give you up to your own lusts.
No rain — I will deprive you of all my blessings.
Verse 7
[7] For the vineyard of the LORD of hosts is the house of Israel, and the men of Judah his pleasant plant: and he looked for judgment, but behold oppression; for righteousness, but behold a cry.
Pleasant — In whom God formerly delighted.
A cry — From the oppressed, crying to men for help, and to God for vengeance.
Psalm Psalm 80:1-2, 8-19
Verse 1
[1] Give ear, O Shepherd of Israel, thou that leadest Joseph like a flock; thou that dwellest between the cherubims, shine forth.
Joseph — The children of Joseph or Israel. The name of Joseph, the most eminent of the patriarchs, is elsewhere put for all the tribes.
Cherubim — Which were by the mercy seat above the ark.
Verse 2
[2] Before Ephraim and Benjamin and Manasseh stir up thy strength, and come and save us.
Before Ephraim — Here is an allusion to the ancient situation of the tabernacle in the wilderness, where these tribes were placed on the west-side of the tabernacle, in which the ark was, which consequently was before them.
Verse 9
[9] Thou preparedst room before it, and didst cause it to take deep root, and it filled the land.
Preparedst — Thou didst root out the idolatrous nations.
Deep root — Thou gavest them a firm settlement.
Verse 10
[10] The hills were covered with the shadow of it, and the boughs thereof were like the goodly cedars.
The hills — They filled not only the fruitful valleys, but even the barren mountains.
Verse 11
[11] She sent out her boughs unto the sea, and her branches unto the river.
The river — They possessed the whole land, from the mid-land sea to the river Euphrates.
Verse 12
[12] Why hast thou then broken down her hedges, so that all they which pass by the way do pluck her?
Hedges — Taken away thy protection.
Verse 16
[16] It is burned with fire, it is cut down: they perish at the rebuke of thy countenance.
They — Thy people, signified by the vine. So now he passes from the metaphor to the thing designed by it.
Verse 17
[17] Let thy hand be upon the man of thy right hand, upon the son of man whom thou madest strong for thyself.
Be — To protect and strengthen him.
Right-hand — Benjamin signifies the son of the right hand, a dearly beloved son, as Benjamin was to Jacob.
Son of man — The people of Israel, who are often spoken of as one person, as God's son and first-born.
Verse 18
[18] So will not we go back from thee: quicken us, and we will call upon thy name.
Go back — Revolt from thee to idolatry or wickedness.
Quicken — Revive and restore us to our tranquility.
Hebrews 11:29-12:2
Verse 29
[29] By faith they passed through the Red sea as by dry land: which the Egyptians assaying to do were drowned.
They — Moses, Aaron, and the Israelites.
Passed the Red Sea — It washed the borders of Edom, which signifies red. Thus far the examples are cited from Genesis and Exodus; those that follow are from the former and the latter Prophets.
Verse 30
[30] By faith the walls of Jericho fell down, after they were compassed about seven days.
By the faith of Joshua.
Verse 31
[31] By faith the harlot Rahab perished not with them that believed not, when she had received the spies with peace.
Rahab — Though formerly one not of the fairest character.
Verse 32
[32] And what shall I more say? for the time would fail me to tell of Gedeon, and of Barak, and of Samson, and of Jephthae; of David also, and Samuel, and of the prophets:
After Samuel, the prophets are properly mentioned. David also was a prophet; but he was a king too.
The prophets — Elijah, Elisha, etc., including likewise the believers who lived with them.
Verses 33-34
[33] Who through faith subdued kingdoms, wrought righteousness, obtained promises, stopped the mouths of lions, [34] Quenched the violence of fire, escaped the edge of the sword, out of weakness were made strong, waxed valiant in fight, turned to flight the armies of the aliens.
David, in particular, subdued kingdoms. Samuel (not excluding the rest) wrought righteousness. The prophets, in general, obtained promises, both for themselves, and to deliver to others. Prophets also stopped the mouths of lions, as Daniel; and quenched the violence of fire, as Shadrach, Meshach, and Abednego. To these examples, whence the nature of faith clearly appears, those more ancient ones are subjoined, (by a transposition, and in an inverted order,) which receive light from these. Jephthah escaped the edge of the sword; Samson out of weakness was made strong; Barak became valiant in fight; Gideon put to flight armies of the aliens. Faith animates to the most heroic enterprises, both civil and military. Faith overcomes all impediments effects the greatest things; attains to the very best; and inverts, by its miraculous power the very course of nature. 2 Samuel 8:1,etc.; 1 Samuel 8:9,etc.; 1 Samuel 13:3,etc.; Daniel 6:22; Daniel 3:27; Judges 12:3; Judges 15:19,etc.; Judges 16:28,etc.; Judges 4:14,etc.; Judges 7:21.
Verse 35
[35] Women received their dead raised to life again: and others were tortured, not accepting deliverance; that they might obtain a better resurrection:
Women — Naturally weak.
Received their dead — Children.
Others were tortured — From those who acted great things the apostle rises higher, to those who showed the power of faith by suffering.
Not accepting deliverance — On sinful terms.
That they might obtain a better resurrection — An higher reward, seeing the greater their sufferings the greater would be their glory. 1 Kings 17:22; 2 Kings 4:35
Verse 36
[36] And others had trial of cruel mockings and scourgings, yea, moreover of bonds and imprisonment:
And others — The apostle seems here to pass on to recent examples.
Verse 37
[37] They were stoned, they were sawn asunder, were tempted, were slain with the sword: they wandered about in sheepskins and goatskins; being destitute, afflicted, tormented;
They were sawn asunder — As, according to the tradition of the Jews, Isaiah was by Manasseh.
Were tempted — Torments and death are mentioned alternately. Every way; by threatenings, reproaches, tortures, the variety of which cannot be expressed; and again by promises and allurements.
Verse 38
[38] (Of whom the world was not worthy:) they wandered in deserts, and in mountains, and in dens and caves of the earth.
Of whom the world was not worthy — It did not deserve so great a blessing.
They wandered — Being driven out from men.
Verse 39
[39] And these all, having obtained a good report through faith, received not the promise:
And all these — Though they obtained a good testimony, Hebrews 11:2, yet did not receive the great promise, the heavenly inheritance.
Verse 40
[40] God having provided some better thing for us, that they without us should not be made perfect.
God having provided some better thing for us — Namely, everlasting glory.
That they might not be perfected without us — That is, that we might all be perfected together in heaven.
Verse 1
[1] Wherefore seeing we also are compassed about with so great a cloud of witnesses, let us lay aside every weight, and the sin which doth so easily beset us, and let us run with patience the race that is set before us,
Wherefore, being encompassed with a cloud — A great multitude, tending upward with a holy swiftness.
Of witnesses — Of the power of faith.
Let us lay aside every weight — As all who run a race take care to do. Let us throw off whatever weighs us down, or damps the vigour of our Soul.
And the sin which easily besetteth us — As doth the sin of our constitution, the sin of our education, the sin of our profession.
Verse 2
[2] Looking unto Jesus the author and finisher of our faith; who for the joy that was set before him endured the cross, despising the shame, and is set down at the right hand of the throne of God.
Looking — From all other things.
To Jesus — As the wounded Israelites to the brazen serpent. Our crucified Lord was prefigured by the lifting up of this; our guilt, by the stings of the fiery serpents; and our faith, by their looking up to the miraculous remedy.
The author and finisher of our faith — Who begins it in us, carries it on, and perfects it.
Who for the joy that was set before him — Patiently and willingly endured the cross, with all the pains annexed thereto.
And is set down — Where there is fulness of joy.
Luke 12:49-56
Verse 49
[49] I am come to send fire on the earth; and what will I, if it be already kindled?
I am come to send fire — To spread the fire of heavenly love over all the earth.
Verse 50
[50] But I have a baptism to be baptized with; and how am I straitened till it be accomplished!
But I have a baptism to be baptized with — I must suffer first, before I can set up my kingdom. And how I long to fight my way through all!
Verse 51
[51] Suppose ye that I am come to give peace on earth? I tell you, Nay; but rather division:
Suppose ye that I am come to send peace upon earth — That universal peace will be the immediate effect of my coming? Not so, but quite the contrary. Matthew 10:34.
Verse 52
[52] For from henceforth there shall be five in one house divided, three against two, and two against three.
There shall be five in one house, three against two, and two against three — There being an irreconcilable enmity between the Spirit of Christ and the spirit of the world.
Verse 53
[53] The father shall be divided against the son, and the son against the father; the mother against the daughter, and the daughter against the mother; the mother in law against her daughter in law, and the daughter in law against her mother in law.
The father against the son — For those who reject me will be implacable toward their very nearest relations who receive me. At this day also is this scripture fulfilled. Now likewise there is no concord between Christ and Belial.
Verse 54
[54] And he said also to the people, When ye see a cloud rise out of the west, straightway ye say, There cometh a shower; and so it is.
And he said to the people also — In the preceding verses he speaks only to his disciples.
From the west — In Judea, the west wind, blowing from the sea, usually brought rain: the south wind, blowing from the deserts of Arabia, occasioned sultry heat. Matthew 16:2.
Verse 56
[56] Ye hypocrites, ye can discern the face of the sky and of the earth; but how is it that ye do not discern this time?
How do ye not discern this season — Of the Messiah's coming, distinguishable by so many surer signs.

-------
The Upper Room Ministries
PO Box 340004
Nashville, Tennessee 37203-0004, United States
---------------------