In the local paper this morning the publisher’s column made the suggestion that we not think of New Year’s resolutions this year.  Instead, we might think about a theme for our year or a word we want to have define our lives over the next twelve months.  Here is a Psalm with a theme that would make a good example.  This is a great Psalm for beginning the year.  In fact, it’s a great Psalm for life and one I recommend for anyone starting out.  As well, it is the Psalm I read at my father’s memorial service.  It’s something to live into with our lives. 1.  “Blessed is the…

1.  I think every retreat I attended concluded with this story and the warning that returning from a mountain top experience we were likely to face the reality and frustration we had left to get away for a few days. We leave the mountain and return to the valley of real life. It’s true ­ but especially true for Jesus and the three disciples as they have just experienced not merely a retreat but a transfiguration and revelation of God himself. Why even return? Why not stay there? But, like Moses, Jesus returns to find everyone in confusion and uproar. It’s not worshiping a golden calf but an argument. While…

1.  As we get older we tend to focus on what matters most.  I have several friends who tell me they have stopped reading business magazines or current events.  Instead, they have started reading Shakespeare, Ecclesiastes, Job or other classics whose themes and wisdom are more fundamental and tested. I’ve thought about that when I look at the last six psalms David wrote.  All of them begin with “Alleluia” or “Praise The Lord”.  They all are reflections on the larger themes of life and the faithfulness of God through it all.  “Blessed is he whose help is the God of Jacob, whose hope is in the Lord his God, the…

Last week we talked about our being created to work. And we talked about the purposes of our work not just being to provide for our families but we listed several “so that’s” about work. So that we will not be a burden to others. So that we may win respect. So that we can live a productive life. So that we can provide for our families. So that we can share with those in need. So that our generosity and lives will result in thanksgiving to God. This week we are going to talk about God’s creating rest from our work – not just so we can recharge for…

There is probably more Scripture about lying than any other sin other than greed – and they do go hand in hand more often than not.  The first lie is in the Garden when Satan causes Eve to question the goodness of God.  In fact, in John 8:44 it says that Satan is the Father of Lies.  It is the one thing he does – the only thing he does in fact.  He lies. Scott Peck says that the source of all lies is fear and the primary motive of the cover-up is fear.   The central characteristic of the liar is the willingness to sacrifice everyone for their cover-up.…

A couple of things have happened this week that started me thinking about Caleb. The first was an email conversation with a young friend. In last week’s blog I had quoted a poem by Wendell Berry that said: “So, friends, every day do something that won’t compute. Love the Lord. Love the world. Work for nothing. Take all that you have and be poor. Love someone who does not deserve it.” My friend had coffee with one of his friends and part of the exchange sounded like, “That’s all well and good but not for those of us who live in the real world. Those options are not open to…

So, here we are at the final commandmentry. Do not covet. The commandment has been used to describe a number of sins and faults and I would like to describe it this morning as the sin that comes at the end of a process – and not something that is sometimes spontaneous like murder or lying or even adultery. There is something about covetousness that reflects intentionality and meditation. In fact, as we’ll see when we look at Micah that is exactly how God describes it. But first let’s look at two things that are often described as coveting – but are not. Neither of these involve other people, really.…

1.  You have probably heard this: “We hold these truths to be self-evident, that all men are created equal, that they are endowed by their Creator with certain unalienable Rights, that among them are Life, Liberty and the pursuit of Happiness”. There are some things that we hold as self-evident which means you need no proof for them. They are accepted by all people at all times as true. All we need to do is affirm them – but not prove them. In the same way, you would expect a number of the commandments – like do not steal – to be self-evident. After all, don’t we just know that…

1.  Now we come to the seventh commandment: you will not commit adultery. In a sense adultery is a combination of all the sins that follow. It is theft in that it involves the taking of something is not ours. It is covetousness in that it is desiring something belonging to someone else and it always involves a lie. That is why it comes after murder – it is a type of murder. The murder of fidelity and a sacred relationship. There are a number of words for sexual sin in Scripture and let’s look at those individually. First, there is porneia or what we call fornication. Several times Paul…

1.  Last week we looked at the fifth commandment – honor your mother and father – and pointed out that the first four commandments are about who God is and our relationship with him. The fifth commandment is then about the next most important relationship in our lives – that with our parents. That relationship is the root of all our other relationships in life. The sixth commandment begins a series of commandments about our relationship with others – but in a way it begins with the first family and the almost immediate effect of sin – the murder of Abel by Cain. No sooner had they lost paradise than…