Psalm 116; 2 Sam. 11; Psalm 26

The scripture lesson from 2 Samuel is one of the most appalling stories in all of scripture.  Most of us react in horror to King David's blatant use of power to sleep with one of his commanders' wife, who becomes pregnant as a result of the indiscretion.  David then tries to manipulate the husband Uriah into sleeping with his wife so that they won't be found out.  Uriah has too much integrity to return to the comforts of his home while his men are on the battlefield.  How does David deal with this upstanding man--he conspires to have him killed in battle!

This seems like a plot worthy of some daytime soap opera, or of one of those night time dramas ripped from the headlines.  Most of us don't think this story has much to do with us.  Most of us don't have the power or the inclination to pull off such a feat.  We protest our innocence before God and our fellows.

But, I think this story has more to do with us than we would like to think.  How many of us are guilty of murder on a regular basis, of assassination of character at least?  What about those snide comments and whispering behind the back of individuals within our families, at work or in our community of faith.  How easy it is for us to fall in with others when they start down that path.  How easy it is for us to stumble in our walk of faith, in our journey of life.

I for one have a hard time when I pray the psalms that protest my innocence.  Psalm 26 protests "Vindicate me, O Lord, for I have walked in my integrity, and I have trusted in the Lord without wavering."  I'm afraid I can't always say that.  Instead I know that my own thoughts, words, and actions have often led me into the way of stumbling, and thereby into the way of anguish and pain.  

This one thing I do know though, "I love the Lord because he has heard my voice and my supplication.  Because he inclined his ear to me, therefore I will call on him as long as I live.  For God has delivered my soul from death, my eyes from tears and my feet from stumbling" (Ps. 116:1-2, 8).  Pr

Tags: god's steadfast love endures forever

Mark 8:22-33

In this morning's gospel lesson Jesus heals a blind man.  I'm always struck by a couple of details of this story.  The first is that it takes Jesus 2 times to get the vision right for the blind man.  The first time Jesus tries to heal him the man's vision is still blurry, the people look like trees walking around.  I know how the man feels.  Its like when you go to get your eyes checked and the optometrist has you look through the different lenses, and you have to tell him whether you can see better through lens A or lens B.  I can hear Jesus, kind of like in that cell phone commercial ask the blind man, 'Can you see me now?  Can you see me now?'

That's how it is in life, isn't it?   We have a general idea of the direction that we would like to go in, but we don't always get it right the first time.  We need to keep working on the vision.  To do that we need to continue to stay in contact with God, being touched by God's healing--reading scriptures, listening to and spending time with God.  We here at Trinity know that we are called to be a loving community of faith, welcoming all people, supporting those who seek to grow in closeness to God and to deepen their commitment to serve Christ so that through our lives God’s love may be known.  But just how are we to do that?  The leadership of Trinity will be undertaking that task later this month and refining our vision so that we may see more clearly and be more effective in what God is calling us to do and be. 

The other thing that strikes me about this gospel story is that Jesus uses mud to clear the eyes of the blind man.  We usually think about mud as mucking up things rather than clearing them up.  But, I have found in my life that God can use the most unusual things for the most extraordinary purposes.  I have found that the pain that I have experienced in my life, God has been able to use to help others find their way through the muck in their lives.  We are to use the gifts God has given us--the ordinary and the extraordinary--to transform this world.

In what ways are you being surprised by God, and how is your vision being clarified as you walk with God this week?

Yours in the surprising love of God,
Pastor Karla

Tags: can you see me now?

1 Kgs 19:1-15a
    It is easy to identify with the sentiment of Elijah in this week's scripture lesson.  He is feeling put upon, overwhelmed and abandoned by everyone, even God.  In this culture it seems there is more and more that is required of us to even feel that we are doing a mediocre job, let alone to feel that we are people gifted and sent by God to accomplish that which has been set aside for us.  It is easy to become discouraged, and like Elijah just want to lie under a broom tree and die. 
    But even in the midst of our discouragement we find that God is still there, faithful still, providing sustenance for us.  God provides for us angels along the way who say, "get up and eat".  Such an angel sent me a card this week with just the right words at just the right moment to encourage me.
    Many times, like Elijah,  we are looking for God in all the wrong places.  We are looking for God in the big bang, and sometimes that's where we find God.  But more often God's not there.  Elijah went out to the mountain and waited for God to come to him.  There was a great wind, so strong that it was splitting mountains and breaking rocks in pieces, but God was not there.  Next came the earthquake, and then the fire, but God was not there either.  Finally came the sound of sheer silence--and that was where Elijah found God.
    Where are you finding God this week?  May God slake the thirst of your soul this week as you seek the deep silence of God.

Yours in the love of Christ,

Karla