Image from shepherdsadvantage.com
Hear the devotional: https://bit.ly/3H0oF2J.
View devotional here: https://bit.ly/3oul7j7
1 I love God because he listened to me, listened as I begged for mercy. 2 He listened so intently as I laid out my case before him. 12 What can I give back to God for the blessings he's poured out on me? 13 I'll lift high the cup of salvation - a toast to God! I'll pray in the name of God; 14 I'll complete what I promised God I'd do, and I'll do it together with his people. 15 When they arrive at the gates of death, God welcomes those who love him. 16 Oh, God, here I am, your servant, your faithful servant: set me free for your service! 17 I'm ready to offer the thanksgiving sacrifice and pray in the name of God. 18 I'll complete what I promised God I'd do, and I'll do it in company with his people, 19 In the place of worship, in God's house, in Jerusalem, God's city. Hallelujah! (Psalm 116:1-2, 12-19 The Message Bible)
"Free us for joyful obedience." This we pray every time we celebrate Holy Communion. We may say it so often we tend to gloss over what this prayer and confession is saying. I was reminded of this prayer as I read verse 16.
Merciful God,
we confess that we have not loved you with our whole heart.
We have failed to be an obedient church.
We have not done your will,
we have broken your law,
we have rebelled against your love,
we have not loved our neighbors,
and we have not heard the cry of the needy.
Forgive us, we pray.
Free us for joyful obedience,
through Jesus Christ our Lord. Amen.
This prayer in our tradition comes right after we receive the invitation to join the Lord at His table. It is a prayer of confession that comes with our pardon, or forgiveness, so we can sit or kneel at The Lord's Table and enjoy the sacrament. We know God to be merciful, as this psalm tells us, and so acknowledging God's mercy, we are free to confess our sins. This litany or ritual, shares some of what we have done against God. 1) We have not loved God with our whole heart as we know we should. 2) We have failed to be obedient as a church. 3) We have not done the will of God. 4) We have broken God's law. 5) We have been rebellious against God's love. 6) We have not loved our neighbors; and here I wish we would insert that we have failed to recognize all as our neighbors. 7) We've closed our ears to not hear the cry of the needy. And we ask for forgiveness. Then this verse from this paslm; "Free us for joyful obdience." And this in the name of Jesus Christ our Lord. Amen.
What binds us from being joyful and obedient? I once jokingly thought we should have a coffee table book of pictures from every church that show that some people that gather to worship are not joyful. The writer once said that some Christians have been baptized in lemon juice. It would take a hidden camera and at random take photos of congregations. The joke was that when the pastor asked if there were any prayer requests on a Sunday morning, a little boy raised his hand and said, "I say we pray for more smiling faces!"
We gather as humans. That in itself is enough to state the reasons we may not be joyful. Humans experience emotions and stresses and so, our faces may give away what we are feeling. As humans we work, play, and interact with other humans. As humans we live with other humans, and the last time we checked, Jesus continues to be the only perfect human in history. The great ones of the faith all had their secrets and no-so-secrets that revealed what they suffered while alive. Tuesday we lost one of the great ones in the faith, The Rev. Charles Stanley, the senior pastor of First Baptist Church of Atlanta, Georgia, died at age 90 in his home. For many years while in active ministry he was one I watched on Sunday mornings as I prepared and dressed for church. He was a great communicator and had a clever word he would use freely, "Listen." Though one of the most watched preachers on television, he was not perfect nor are we. But we serve, and we walk alongside a perfect God. That can be, for some worshipers, enough to overcome un-joyful-ness and get us into the right spirit. The other thing is that we say this at a time we have been invited by the Lord Jesus Himself to join Him at His table. Isn't that a joyful thing?
And what are we supposed to be obedient to? Refer back to the list above. There's seven things that make for an abundant life. Loving God with our whole heart. Being a part of an obedient church. Doing God's will. Keeping God's law. Quit being rebellious with God. Love your neighbors, meaning all people regardless of their address. Hear the cries of the needy and those who need our help. If we do those things, our worship, our daily lives, our family lives, will all be vastly improved. We will be solidly on the path of an abundant life. And when we "arrive at the gates of death, God (will) welcome us", because we loved Him.
Let us begin by assuming the attitude of a servant, a faithful one at that, and begin living a life of love and service! Imagine your church after a week of faithful obedience!
PRAYER: Loving God, we have heard and we will obey your word. Free us from all that binds us from truly being joyful and obedient to You. And may that start right now! In Christ Jesus we pray, amen.
Have a great and blessed day in the Lord! YOUR CALL TO ACTION: Re-read all above and live it!
Receive my blessings of joy and peace,
Pastor Eradio Valverde, Jr.
