Wednesday

Daily Readings for Wednesday, March 16, 2011

• Morning Psalms 5; 147:1-11
• First Reading Deuteronomy 9:13-21
• Second Reading Hebrews 3:12-19
• Gospel John 2:23-3:15
• Evening Psalms 27; 51

My friend Hansen has been reading the book "Love Wins" by Rob Bell and posting large chunks of it on his Facebook page. I understand that this book has created a minor flap among evangelical Christian circles because it promotes universalism. I haven't read the book (yet!) so I'm not able to comment on the book, but I do want to share this quote from the book (from Hansen's Facebook feed):

"Jesus did not use hell to try and compel 'heathens' and 'pagans' to believe in God so they wouldn't burn when they die. Jesus talked about hell to very religious people to warn them about the consequences of straying from their God-given call....(which is) to show the world God's love."

I've often thought that the hell is nothing more than separation from God and that when we are separated it is the result of our own choices. We chose to turn away from our "God-given call" sometimes by our concious or subconcious decisions.

As I read the scriptures from the daily lectionary today, it seemed like each one had something to say about the evil that lives in the hearts of people. And I really don't know if I have anything to say about all that.

From Psalm 5:   For you are not a God who delights in wickedness; evil will not sojourn with you. The boastful will not stand before your eyes; you hate all evildoers. You destroy those who speak lies; the LORD abhors the bloodthirsty and deceitful.

From Dueteronomy, chapter 9: Then I (Moses) lay prostrate before the LORD as before, forty days and forty nights; I neither ate bread nor drank water, because of all the sin you had committed, provoking the LORD by doing what was evil in his sight.
From Hebrews, chapter 3: Take care, brothers and sisters, that none of you may have an evil, unbelieving heart that turns away from the living God.

So...let's see: God doesn't like evil doers. The Psalmist must have known some and experienced God's dealing with them to write about them. God's chosen people of Israel, in the 40 days that Moses was up on Mt. Sinai getting the 10 commandments, the chosen people decide (under the poor leadership of brother Aaron) to make a false God and worship it. The story says that God was so angry at Aaron that Moses had to prostate before God to intercede and prevent God's mighty wrath from smoting Aaron. And in Hebrews, we are warned to not have an evil and unbelieving heart that turns away from the living God.

As I understand Lent, it is a time to repent and move towards reconciliation. Repentance is an act of turning away from the things that keep us from God and turning towards those things which renew and restore and make right our relationships, but especailly our relationship with God. For me, Jesus is the one who has already interceded on my behalf. I do believe that God doesn't like evil doers and that it is within God's power to act against them. However, I think that God sent his son Jesus to the world to intercede on behalf of the sins of the world (mine included!). When we turn to Jesus, we are reconciled to God.

And turning towards the God I know through the person of Jesus Christ reminds me of my true vocation and God-given calling - to share God's love with the world. It's easy (easier than it should be) to turn away from God. It's easy to be distracted. And it's easy to see the reality of evil in the world. Bad things happen - around the world and in our personal lives. But when I remember that God has called me to share his love by being a witness to the goodness and mercy and grace and wonder, it gives me hope.

Dear God, by your steadfast faithfulness, remind me that nothing I can do will truly separate me from your love in Jesus Christ. Help me to turn away from the things that cause me to feel distance from you. Strengthen me to turn towards the things that draw me closer to you. And as I am reconciled to you through Christ, empower me to offer your love to a broken and weary world. Amen.