May the mumbling commence!
When things go wrong, don’t point
the finger at other people. Examine
yourself so that you might know your part in the problem. When we point the finger at others, there are
many more fingers pointing back at us.
That includes the most important finger of all – the finger of our
Lord.
And it’s amazing to me how little
humanity has changed over the years.
Read from Hosea chapter four:
Hear the word of the Lord,
O people of Israel! The Lord has
filed a lawsuit against you, saying: "There is no
faithfulness, no kindness,
no knowledge of God in your
land. You curse and lie and kill and steal and commit adultery.
There is violence everywhere, with one murder after another. That is why your land is not
producing. It is filled with sadness,
and all living things are becoming sick
and dying. Even the animals, birds, and fish have begun to disappear.
Don't point your finger at someone else and try to pass
the blame! Look, you priests, my complaint is with you! As a sentence
for your crimes, you will stumble in
broad daylight, just as you might at night, and so will your false
prophets. And I will destroy your
mother, Israel. My people are being
destroyed because they don't know me.
It is all your fault, you priests, for
you yourselves refuse to know me. Now I refuse to recognize you as my priests.
Since you have forgotten the laws of
your God, I will forget to bless your children. The more priests there are, the more they sin against me.
They have exchanged the glory of God for the disgrace
of idols. (Verses 1-7)
Faithfulness and kindness are a
dying breed. People seek less and less
to know God. Instead of conforming to
the image of God, we try to form God in our image.
We curse and lie and kill. We steal and commit adultery. Violence is still everywhere. Power is abused. Murder after murder is committed.
As a result, we are filled with
profound sadness. We are sick and
dying. And we refuse to go to the only
one who can heal us – the Lord.
We have infected the world around
us. We see animals diminish in numbers…
and then go extinct. Our natural
resources are disappearing before our eyes because of our abuses and excesses.
In circumstances like these, finger
pointing is easy to do. But we are the
priesthood of believers. We are to lead
the world in right relationships. God is
not failing, but we are failing God.
May we seek to know You, O
Lord! Through Your Law, we know
You. We become Your children.
Let’s reclaim the glory of
God. Let’s jettison the echo of glory in
the creation and the idols we bow down to serve. Let’s reclaim the blessings of the Lord and
follow God’s will for our lives – no matter where it may lead. Read from John chapter eighteen:
Then Simon Peter drew a sword and slashed off the right ear of Malchus, the high
priest's servant.
But Jesus said to Peter, "Put your sword back into its sheath. Shall I not drink from the cup the Father
has given me?" (Verses 10-11)
May we drink from that cup.
Enough mumbling for now…
Peace Out
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