It’s Thursday, May 9, 2013. 33 more work days. (Don’t worry, I’m just counting down the days until the current situation is supposed to end. There is light at the end of this tunnel. I’m counting to the end of the tunnel. I just hope they don’t buy more tunnel.)
Christi is having surgery on her foot next Wednesday morning. Due to my current work situation, I cannot be there. However, our wonderful daughter Rachel will take the duties of transporting Christi to and from the surgery center.
Today is “Lost Sock Memorial Day.” Somewhere out there, millions of socks gather. And that’s just the ones I’ve lost!
(From Great Stories from History for Every Day)
On this date in 1892, Zita Maria Grazia Adelgonda Michela Raffaella Gabriella Giuseppina Antonia Luisa Agnese was born. Her father was the Duke of Parma, but her family was poor. At the age of nineteen, Zita married Archduke Charles, who was the great nephew of the Emperor Franz Joseph of Austria. At that point in time, the Austro-Hungarian Empire was at peace.
But then Franz-Ferdinand was assassinated in Sarajevo. Then the Emperor died in 1916. “Suddenly Zita’s husband was Emperor and she the Empress in the middle of a world war.” In only two years, the war was over, Austro-Hungary had lost, and Charles was forced to abdicate the throne. He died 29 months later. Zita spent 63 years in Switzerland and the U.S., “never relinquishing her claim to a throne that no longer existed.” She died at the age of 96, on March 14, 1989, and was buried in the crypt with 142 other Hapsburgs.
Today’s birthday is Richard Adams, born on this date in 1920. Adam is an English author, most notably for Watership Down, a tale of, well, rabbits. He also wrote The Plague Dogs, and Traveller, a fictional story from the perspective of General Robert E. Lee’s horse. Adams is 93 today.
Honorable mentions go to J.M. Barrie, 1860, Hank Snow, 1914, Glenda Jackson, 1936, Albert Finney, 1936, Tommy Roe, 1942, Richie Furay, 1944, Candice Bergen, 1946, Billy Joel, 1949, and John Corbett, 1962.
TODAY’S DEVOTIONAL
O kingdoms of the earth, sing to God; sing praises to the Lord, to him who rides in the heavens, the ancient heavens; behold, he sends out his voice, his mighty voice. Ascribe power to God, whose majesty is over Israel, and whose power is in the skies. Psalm 68:32-34
Teach me your way, O LORD, that I may walk in your truth; unite my heart to fear your name. Psalm 86:11
My mouth will tell of your righteous acts, of your deeds of salvation all the day, for their number is past my knowledge. Psalm 71:15
Father, as I sing praises to you this morning, you who “rides in the heavens,” may you teach me your way, that I may walk in your truth. Continue to show me those things which you have been teaching me, that I may truly learn them and make them an integral part of my spirit and life.
Today’s Tabletalk Magazine reading comes from Isaiah 65, focusing on verse 17.
“For behold, I create new heavens and a new earth, and the former things shall not be remembered or come into mind.
This is the first “explicit biblical reference to the new heavens and earth.” There will be rejoicing forever in this place. A man who is 100 years old will be considered young. And, at the end of the chapter, this place will be so filled with peace “that even the predator and the prey will get along” (v. 25). All of these things will be fulfilled at the final resurrection. And regardless of what kind of “millennial” view you ascribe to, it would be fitting, I think, to summarize Christian eschatology in one phrase: “God is going to make all things right.” This even includes the physical world. “. . . there will be no cause for pain, mourning, or anything else that we dread so much. This is the hope that lies before us, and knowing that all will be set right in the future helps us endure pain in the present.”
Today’s reading in A Year With God is called “In My Secret Heart.” The scripture reading is Psalm 51:6
Behold, you delight in truth in the inward being, and you teach me wisdom in the secret heart.
What does he mean by “the secret heart?” The reading is brief today, consisting mostly of questions such as that. Is there a connection between what David is praying and the discipline of secrecy that we are examining in this section of the book? The Reformation Study Bible notes say that David is asking for wisdom at the center of his being, the deepest part of himself. The place that we find these things is very secret. In fact, only I (and God) can know what exists there. The best way to learn this wisdom is through private study, meditation, and prayer. Here is an anonymous prayer:
O secret Christ,
Lord of the rose of dawn,
hide me within thy silent peace,
that throughout the turmoil of day,
I may abide within the quiet of the daybreak.
In my “secret heart,” in this secret place . . .
there is peace.
The next segment of 19 Mercies, by Brennan Manning, is called Encounter. Number 5 is called “The Person of Jesus.” For centuries, the question has been asked, “Who is this Jesus of Nazareth?” Councils have been gathered, dissertations written, yet this one truth remains: No one can answer this question for me. And he asked them, “But who do you say that I am?” Peter answered him, “You are the Christ.” (Mark 8:29) Here is the challenge from Brennan at this point. “Describe the Christ that you have personally encountered on the grounds of your own self. Describe Him as you would to a friend over coffee. Describe not the deity that you have heard about or been taught to believe exists, but only the Christ you have actually encountered.” Then, he asks me to soberly reflect on what my answer reveals to me.
Who is this Jesus? The Jesus that I have encountered is love. I know . . . that sounds cliche. We’ve all heard “God is love.” But wait. Do you really understand this love? This love that doesn’t care where I have been or what I have done. This love that, just like the father in the parable of the prodigal son, doesn’t even let me make my “repentance speech,” but, instead, runs down the path to meet me with open arms to say, “Welcome home!” The Jesus that I have encountered brings peace into my life. He brings to me a spirit of abandon, that doesn’t care what anyone else thinks. He teaches me to love others unconditionally (he is still teaching me that, and will be until I take my last breath), just as he did. Yes, this Jesus loves unconditionally. I cannot gain his favor, for he already loves me as much as he ever will. I cannot fall out of his love, for he has given his life to maintain it forever. The Jesus that I have encountered is beautiful, and he loves me forever.
And Jesus went on with his disciples to the villages of Caesarea Philippi. And on the way he asked his disciples, “Who do people say that I am?” And they told him, “John the Baptist; and others say, Elijah; and others, one of the prophets.” And he asked them, “But who do you say that I am?” Peter answered him, “You are the Christ.” And he strictly charged them to tell no one about him. Mark 8:27-30
But what does it say? “The word is near you, in your mouth and in your heart” (that is, the word of faith that we proclaim); because, if you confess with your mouth that Jesus is Lord and believe in your heart that God raised him from the dead, you will be saved. For with the heart one believes and is justified, and with the mouth one confesses and is saved. For the Scripture says, “Everyone who believes in him will not be put to shame.” For there is no distinction between Jew and Greek; for the same Lord is Lord of all, bestowing his riches on all who call on him. For “everyone who calls on the name of the Lord will be saved.” Romans 10:8-13
I pray that out of his glorious riches he may strengthen you with power through his Spirit in your inner being, so that Christ may dwell in your hearts through faith. And I pray that you, being rooted and established in love, may have power . . . to grasp how wide and long and high and deep is the love of Christ, and to know this love that surpasses knowledge–that you may be filled to the measure of all the fullness of God.~~The Apostle Paul
“My Jesus, I love Thee, I know Thou art mine;
for Thee all the follies of sin I resign;
My gracious Redeemer, my Savior art Thou,
If ever I loved Thee, my Jesus ’tis now!”
Thank you, Jesus, for loving me. Thank you for saving me. Thank you for the peace that you have given me, even in these tumultuous circumstances. The peace I am feeling this morning is supernatural; it is truly wonderful. Fill my secret heart with this peace, the peace that passes all understanding. Show me how wide and long and high and deep your love is. I cannot fathom this love. The depth of it is beyond what I can even imagine. And I most certainly am unable to love like that. Teach me to love, Jesus; teach me to love. I want to love like you love. I don’t ever want to harbor any bitterness or resentment toward another human being, ever again. Teach me to love, and teach me to help others find your peace.
I pray for Christi this morning, that she will have a good day at work. I pray for her upcoming surgery, that this will finally fix the issue of the pain that she has been enduring for almost a year. I pray for my work day, that you will help me carry this peace throughout this entire day. Give us both the grace we need to get through this day. Surround Stephanie with your steadfast love, showing her your great and precious promises to be true and reliable.
Teach us to love.
Do you know this Jesus? Who is he to you? Have you known this love?
Grace and peace, friends.
Spaces of Beauty, Grace, Prayer, and Mercy 