Daily Lesson for September 16, 2020

 Today's Daily Lesson comes from Haggai chapter 1 verses 1 through 8:

1In the second year of King Darius, in the sixth month, on the first day of the month, the word of the Lord came by the prophet Haggai to Zerubbabel son of Shealtiel, governor of Judah, and to Joshua son of Jehozadak, the high priest: 2Thus says the Lord of hosts: These people say the time has not yet come to rebuild the Lord's house. 3Then the word of the Lord came by the prophet Haggai, saying: 4Is it a time for you yourselves to live in your paneled houses, while this house lies in ruins? 5Now therefore thus says the Lord of hosts: Consider how you have fared. 6You have sown much, and harvested little; you eat, but you never have enough; you drink, but you never have your fill; you clothe yourselves, but no one is warm; and you that earn wages earn wages to put them into a bag with holes.

7Thus says the Lord of hosts: Consider how you have fared. 8Go up to the hills and bring wood and build the house, so that I may take pleasure in it and be honored, says the Lord.

T.S. Eliot said, "Where there is no Temple there shall be no homes."

He was speaking of the import of the communal and the enduring within the society. He was saying something about what we might call the eternal.

Contrast this with the individualistic, and disposable. Contrast the communal with the supremely selfish. Contrast the building of a house of prayer for all people with a mancave full of billiards tables, TVs, and other toys that nobody can play with unless I say.

The Prophet Haggai was calling upon his people to think of the communal. He was calling them to consider the eternal. He was demanding that they not consider their own selves, but build "a house of prayer for all people".

It was a bit caustic in tone, but also deeply prophetic, what T.S. Eliot said about the civilization built upon the individualistic and consumeristic self:

"And the wind shall say: 'Here were decent Godless people:

"Their only monument the asphalt road and a thousand lost golf balls."

Let us build and live for something more enduring than this.

NOTE: We are reading the whole Bible through this year. Tomorrow's Lesson comes from Zechariah 1-4.

Daily Lesson for September 15, 2020

 Today's Daily Lesson comes from Ezra chapter 3 verses

8 In the second year after their arrival at the house of God at Jerusalem, in the second month, Zerubbabel son of Shealtiel and Jeshua son of Jozadak made a beginning, together with the rest of their people, the priests and the Levites and all who had come to Jerusalem from the captivity. They appointed the Levites, from twenty years old and upward, to have the oversight of the work on the house of the Lord.

10 When the builders laid the foundation of the temple of the Lord, the priests in their vestments were stationed to praise the Lord with trumpets, and the Levites, the sons of Asaph, with cymbals, according to the directions of King David of Israel; 11 and they sang responsively, praising and giving thanks to the Lord,

“For he is good, for his steadfast love endures forever toward Israel.”

And all the people responded with a great shout when they praised the Lord, because the foundation of the house of the Lord was laid. 12 But many of the priests and Levites and heads of families, old people who had seen the first house on its foundations, wept with a loud voice when they saw this house, though many shouted aloud for joy, 13 so that the people could not distinguish the sound of the joyful shout from the sound of the people’s weeping, for the people shouted so loudly that the sound was heard far away.

The Israelites return from their exile to rebuild in Jerusalem. They lay a new foundation, and "make a beginning". They are starting over all over again.

The old people who knew the Temple in its former glory sigh and grieve. It is not the same. The new Temple is a shadow of the original.

But the people are doing what they can for now. So, the new foundation is laid -- for the Temple, for their families, and for the nation.

Starting all over can be tough. It may mean crashing on somebody's couch, or living in the loft above somebody's barn. It may mean having to take the bus, or going to the community college, or having to make coffee drinks for the folks you used to want to be.

But, as my grandfather would say, "God has fixed your Wanter". And what you want most now is no longer the glory of being big, or famous, or rich, but simply to be faithful and at peace.

NOTE: We are reading the whole Bible this year. Tomorrow we leave Ezra for a bit and read Haggai.

Daily Lesson for September 14, 2020

 Today's Daily Lesson comes from Daniel chapter 8 verses 18 through 26:

18 As [Gabriel] was speaking to me, I fell into a trance, face to the ground; then he touched me and set me on my feet. 19 He said, “Listen, and I will tell you what will take place later in the period of wrath; for it refers to the appointed time of the end. 20 As for the ram that you saw with the two horns, these are the kings of Media and Persia. 21 The male goat is the king of Greece, and the great horn between its eyes is the first king. 22 As for the horn that was broken, in place of which four others arose, four kingdoms shall arise from his nation, but not with his power.

23 At the end of their rule,

when the transgressions have reached their full measure,

a king of bold countenance shall arise,

skilled in intrigue.

24 He shall grow strong in power,

shall cause fearful destruction,

and shall succeed in what he does.

He shall destroy the powerful

and the people of the holy ones.

25 By his cunning

he shall make deceit prosper under his hand,

and in his own mind he shall be great.

Without warning he shall destroy many

and shall even rise up against the Prince of princes.

But he shall be broken,

and not by human hands.

26 The vision of the evenings and the mornings that has been told is true. As for you, seal up the vision, for it refers to many days from now.”

The book of the prophet Daniel concludes with visions of kings, and thrones, and dominions, all rising and falling with the winds and whims of history.

The book of Daniel ends in the apocalyptic, meaning it ends with visions of a history behind history -- a history which is, and was, and will be again; no matter what the history in front might have us to believe or do.

Apocalyptic is revelatory, meaning it is a "revelation" of the the ultimate and decisive vision of history, the victory of God, and the defeat of all evil.

Kings and presidents come and go. Kingdoms and nations are built and then crumble. No evil endures forever. For all the angels and archangels of heaven and all the saints now faithfully departed are at with us. And God is with us. And that is enough.

And in the in the end, the power of the cunning and deceitful will be broken, "and not by human hands."

NOTE: We are reading the whole Bible through this year. Tomorrow's Lesson will come from Ezra chapters 1-6.

Daily Lesson for September 11, 2020

 Today's Daily Lesson comes from Daniel chapter 4 verses 2 through 11:

2 Under the influence of the wine, Belshazzar commanded that they bring in the vessels of gold and silver that his father Nebuchadnezzar had taken out of the temple in Jerusalem, so that the king and his lords, his wives, and his concubines might drink from them. 3 So they brought in the vessels of gold and silver[a] that had been taken out of the temple, the house of God in Jerusalem, and the king and his lords, his wives, and his concubines drank from them. 4 They drank the wine and praised the gods of gold and silver, bronze, iron, wood, and stone.

5 Immediately the fingers of a human hand appeared and began writing on the plaster of the wall of the royal palace, next to the lampstand. The king was watching the hand as it wrote. 6 Then the king’s face turned pale, and his thoughts terrified him. His limbs gave way, and his knees knocked together. 7 The king cried aloud to bring in the enchanters, the Chaldeans, and the diviners; and the king said to the wise men of Babylon, “Whoever can read this writing and tell me its interpretation shall be clothed in purple, have a chain of gold around his neck, and rank third in the kingdom.” 8 Then all the king’s wise men came in, but they could not read the writing or tell the king the interpretation. 9 Then King Belshazzar became greatly terrified and his face turned pale, and his lords were perplexed.

10 The queen, when she heard the discussion of the king and his lords, came into the banqueting hall. The queen said, “O king, live forever! Do not let your thoughts terrify you or your face grow pale. 11 There is a man in your kingdom who is endowed with a spirit of the holy gods.

This morning's readings have to do with kings, and dreams, and God the LORD putting the powers of this world back into their place.

So Daniel, a man full of wisdom and understanding, was called to tell King Belshazzar the King's dream. And the words were judgment:

"Mene, Tekel, and Parsin."

Mene -- God had numbered the King's days.

Tekel -- The King had been weighed on the scale of judgment and found wanting

Parsin -- The kingdom would be divided amongst the King's enemies.

There is a piece of ironic humor in the story also. "Belshazzar" is Babylonian for "God, protect the king". But the Bel is no match for the LORD God, who found in Belshazzar arrogance, and disdain and a flouting of humility which in the end cost him his throne.

For, as was said in chapter 2 of Daniel, "there is a God" who:

"Changes times and seasons,

deposes kings and sets up kings,

and gives wisdom to the wise

and knowledge to those

who have understanding . . ."

So may those with wisdom and knowledge understand and find peace in the eternal truth of this message.

NOTE: We are reading the whole Bible through this year. Tomorrow's Lesson will come from Daniel chapters 7-9.

Daily Lesson for September 10, 2020

 Today's Daily Lesson comes from Daniel chapter 3 verses 8 through 18:

8Accordingly, at this time certain Chaldeans came forward and denounced the Jews. 9They said to King Nebuchadnezzar, “O king, live forever! 10You, O king, have made a decree, that everyone who hears the sound of the horn, pipe, lyre, trigon, harp, drum, and entire musical ensemble, shall fall down and worship the golden statue, 11and whoever does not fall down and worship shall be thrown into a furnace of blazing fire. 12There are certain Jews whom you have appointed over the affairs of the province of Babylon: Shadrach, Meshach, and Abednego. These pay no heed to you, O King. They do not serve your gods and they do not worship the golden statue that you have set up.”

13Then Nebuchadnezzar in furious rage commanded that Shadrach, Meshach, and Abednego be brought in; so they brought those men before the king. 14Nebuchadnezzar said to them, “Is it true, O Shadrach, Meshach, and Abednego, that you do not serve my gods and you do not worship the golden statue that I have set up? 15Now if you are ready when you hear the sound of the horn, pipe, lyre, trigon, harp, drum, and entire musical ensemble to fall down and worship the statue that I have made, well and good. But if you do not worship, you shall immediately be thrown into a furnace of blazing fire, and who is the god that will deliver you out of my hands?”

16Shadrach, Meshach, and Abednego answered the king, “O Nebuchadnezzar, we have no need to present a defense to you in this matter. 17If our God whom we serve is able to deliver us from the furnace of blazing fire and out of your hand, O king, let him deliver us. 18But if not, be it known to you, O king, that we will not serve your gods and we will not worship the golden statue that you have set up.”

What brave, brave people.

These were the ones who refused to bow down at the golden image. Faithful and courageous, they stood up to the king and refused his blasphemous orders. The golden statue -- likely made in King Nebuchadnezzar's own image -- would not be bowed down to by these three servants of the true LORD.

The miracle of their sparing is wondrous. And it makes for a good story -- even a child-friendly one. But the deliverance of Shadrach, Meshach, and Abednego from the fiery flames is not the heart of the Lesson. The heart is their bravery and firmness of conviction. For as they said, "Even if we aren't spared the flames, be it known to you, O King, that we will not serve your gods will not worship the golden statue that you have set up."

And so, Jesus said, we too are to rejoice not in our successes against Satan and his kingdom, but in the promise that our names are recorded in the Book of Life. Thanks be to God!

And thanks be to these three courageous witnesses who dared to face the fiery furnace rather than bow at the whim of the one with the golden image.

NOTE: We are reading the whole Bible through this year. Tomorrow's Lesson comes from Daniel chapters 4-6.

Daily Lesson for September 9, 2020

 Today's Daily Lesson comes from Ezekiel Joel chapter 2 verses 12 through 16a:

12 Yet even now, says the Lord, return to me with all your heart, with fasting, with weeping, and with mourning; 13  rend your hearts and not your clothing. Return to the Lord, your God, for he is gracious and merciful, slow to anger, and abounding in steadfast love, and relents from punishing. 14 Who knows whether he will not turn and relent, and leave a blessing behind him, a grain offering and a drink offering for the Lord, your God?

15 Blow the trumpet in Zion; sanctify a fast; call a solemn assembly; 16  gather the people. Sanctify the congregation;

The Prophet Joel speaks of the "Valley of Decision". This is a moment when, even as the Israelites near the precipice of destruction, there is still hope for a change in course, and the promise of the salvation for the nation.

"Blow the trumpet . . .

Call a solemn assembly;

Gather the people".

Joel calls for a mandate. He calls for the people to come together and pray, and to decide and to declare who they want to be.

The old course has brought them to the brink of destruction. "Yet even now," with "fasting, and weeping, and mourning", a new path is possible, if they would humble themselves, and rend their hearts with repentance.

It is the Valley of Decision.

And the people are being summoned.

NOTE: We are reading the whole Bible through this year. Tomorrow we begin the Book of the Prophet Daniel, chapters 1-3.

Daily Lesson for September 8, 2020

 Today's Daily Lesson comes from Ezekiel chapter 47 verses 1 through 6:

Today's Daily Lesson comes from Ezekiel chapter 47 verses 1 through 6:

Then he brought me back to the entrance of the temple; there, water was flowing from below the threshold of the temple toward the east (for the temple faced east); and the water was flowing down from below the south end of the threshold of the temple, south of the altar. 2 Then he brought me out by way of the north gate, and led me around on the outside to the outer gate that faces toward the east; and the water was coming out on the south side.

3 Going on eastward with a cord in his hand, the man measured one thousand cubits, and then led me through the water; and it was ankle-deep. 4 Again he measured one thousand, and led me through the water; and it was knee-deep. Again he measured one thousand, and led me through the water; and it was up to the waist. 5 Again he measured one thousand, and it was a river that I could not cross, for the water had risen; it was deep enough to swim in, a river that could not be crossed. 6 He said to me, “Mortal, have you seen this?”

The book of Ezekiel ends with the vision of a great river flowing from the Temple down into the valleys below, bringing life and prosperity to all the flora and fauna who drink and prosper from its well of life.

And, Ezekiel says, "on the banks, on both sides of the river," there grow many different kinds of trees, whose fruit is for food, and leaves are for healing.

What imagery.

Both sides of the river. The river of life touches and connects us all. There is no side left unblessed or unfruitful.

And the fruit is for feeding, because none should go hungry.

And the leaves are for healing, because the whole world needs healthcare.

This is the vision. It is the dream. It is the hope. The river flowing out from the Temple to wash, and water, and feed, and heal us all.

And as the old hymn asks:

"Shall we gather at the River . . .

That flows from the throne of God?"

May the answer be, "Yes."

NOTE: We are reading the whole Bible through this year. Tomorrow we will read the Prophet Joel.