Let’s Look at Jesus
As we have been examining our hearts and growing in compassion for the people that may never walk through the doors of our church, I can’t help but be so grateful that God saw fit to bring each one of us together at this specific moment in time...into this specific spiritual family...to do this specific thing…my heart could just burst!
Psalm 138 A psalm of David.
1 I give you thanks, O Lord, with all my heart;
I will sing your praises before the gods.
2 I bow before your holy Temple as I worship.
I praise your name for your unfailing love and faithfulness;
for your promises are backed
by all the honor of your name.
3 As soon as I pray, you answer me;
you encourage me by giving me strength.
I love how David doesn’t pretend like the lowercase “g” gods aren’t there. He doesn’t try to cover them up with a dish rag or push them under the rug. Scholars don’t actually agree whether he is referring to idols, angelic beings, or even kings. I’m comfortable with that uncertainty.
What matters is they get to be in the room, but David’s focus isn’t on them. His focus is on the Lord.
If it were us writing this, those lowercase “g” gods might be gossip, self-righteousness, racism, any expression of our sexuality that is outside of God’s design (see last Sunday’s sermon), consumerism, hate, pride, addiction, deceit, specific brands, celebrities, social media, sports teams, even idealistic things like family, tradition, progress, and work might be those lowercase “g” gods.
But let’s take our focus off of those things for a second…
Let’s look at Jesus. The one who died willingly, fully knowing the lowercase “g” gods that would be fading behind us at this moment, accepting that price, paying it in full. We can praise His name for His unfailing love and faithfulness.
Let’s look at Jesus. The one who draws near to the brokenhearted and the lonely by providing both the living, breathing spiritual family to care for one another, but also the Holy Spirit...because humans are messy sometimes.
Let’s look at Jesus. The one who is inviting us to lay down the things we thought we needed, the things that fill our hands, and our minds, and the space between us. Then, just like David said, Jesus responds to our undivided attention by giving us strength.
Love you Friends! Happy Thanksgiving!
-Randi
Randi Banning is married to Jairus, and they live in Cortland with their four children. Randi serves on the Regen Oversight Team and co-leads the Regen Care Team.
