From Psalm 50: 1 The mighty one, God the Lord, speaks and summons the earth from the rising of the sun to its setting. 2 Out of Zion, the perfection of beauty, God shines forth. 3 Our God comes and does not keep silence, before him is a devouring fire, and a mighty tempest all around him. 4 He calls to the heavens above and to the earth, that he may judge his people: 5 "Gather to me my faithful ones, who made a covenant with me by sacrifice!" 6 The heavens declare his righteousness, for God himself is judge. (Selah) 7 "Hear, O my people, and I will speak, O Israel, I will testify against you. I am God, your God. 8 Not for your sacrifices do I rebuke you; your burnt offerings are continually before me. 22 "Mark this, then, you who forget God, or I will tear you apart, and there will be no one to deliver. 23 Those who bring thanksgiving as their sacrifice honor me; to those who go the right way I will show the salvation of God."
In our everyday world there seems to be a competition for attention and a lot of it involves loudness. In our homes, the television sometimes blares without anyone really watching it. In another room a radio may be playing for no one's enjoyment. In the street an approaching car's presence arrives a few minutes before the actual car because of the thump, thump, thump of its audio system. A motorcycle may roar past your car and rattle your windows. Yet, in all the noise and even in the silence, God speaks. The voice or call of God is to worship. We tend to think of a call to worship as something we only do on Sundays in those churches where the order of worship will have a formal call to worship, that serves as an invitation to put all other things aside and to focus on the presence of God. Such a thing happens everyday, says the psalmist; from the rising of the sun in the east to the setting in the west, and all things in between, nature serves as the voice of God calling us to remember the goodness and beauty of God. And the psalmist says, in this setting, we are called to faithfulness for all that we have said we would do for God; if we've not yet lived up to what God has asked of us, then the time to do it is now. The Lord will hold us responsible for being unfaithful and unproductive. We have been given much to do, and have we done it? This is a psalm preparing our hearts for the message that will come on Sunday in those churches using the Luke 12 passage. Be ready for the coming of the Lord by having done all that was required of us.
PRAYER: Loving God, may I be reminded today and all days of that which I am called to share, namely Your goodness and mercy. Help me be ready in all ways and all things; this I pray in Christ Jesus' precious and powerful name, amen.
Have a great and blessed day in the Lord!
Eradio Valverde
