8/7/20

Grant to us, Lord, we pray, the spirit to think and do always those things that are right, that we, who cannot exist without you, may by you be enabled to live according to your will; through Jesus Christ our Lord, who lives and reigns with you and the Holy Spirit, one God, for ever and ever. Amen. (Proper 14 BCP 232)

It is hard to truly always be right. We like to think we are always right, about everything, naturally. However, we all do come to terms with being wrong occasionally. The Collect for this coming Sunday prays for God to help us always think and do what is right, so that we can live according to God's will. While we may think we are always right on human terms, this is a whole different story.

Thinking and doing and living according to God's right will is very different than simply doing what seems right in human terms. God's way of doing things doesn't always seem right in human terms, so living according to God's will doesn't always look consistent with human will. While we hold up fairness in human activities, where everyone gets an equal share, God treats the poor with greater abundance. While we hold up meritocracy, receiving things based on what you accomplish, God gives abundantly despite and in disregard for what people have earned.

Living according to God's will requires a strong relationship with God and the community. In such relationships, prayer and worship directs us to what is right in God's will. It doesn't always look right in human terms, but God's rightness is so much better than our rightness. We only see in part, where God can see beyond all time. 

7/31/20

Let your continual mercy, O Lord, cleanse and defend your Church; and, because it cannot continue in safety without your help, protect and govern it always by your goodness; through Jesus Christ our Lord, who lives and reigns with you and the Holy Spirit, one God, for ever and ever. Amen. (Proper 13 BCP 232)

We long for safety. Its right there near the base of Maslow's hierarchy of needs, right after food, water, clothing, and shelter. We want personal security and safety. Without feelings of safety, we have a hard time progressing towards fulfilling our social, emotional, and mental needs. The same goes for the church as an organization, at the local, regional, and national levels. Some organizational business models have used Maslow's hierarchy to help people understand the needs of organizations and communities. In all of the models, safety is always near the beginning of the chart.

In today's world, safety is a loose thing. Sometimes we feel safe, even though we are in situations we aren't really safe in. Sometimes we don't feel safe in situations we should feel safe in. However, in any conversation about safety in the church, we need to consider what kind of safety we are looking for. Are we looking for worldly safety, found with doors and locks and other kinds of protection? Or are we looking for God's safety, found in faith and trust and peace in our hearts?

God's safety doesn't always feel like human safety, allusive as either might be. God's safety goes deeper than any protection doors or locks might give. When we trust in God and God's path for our lives, we might end up in places where we do not feel safe, but when God leads us, we have a greater safety to lean onto. Since God has been caring for God's people for millennia, I think we can safely say, God has got us in God's hands.