I confess my iniquity; I am troubled by my sin. – Psalm 38:18

Today's Scripture Reading (August 21, 2025): Psalm 38

The meeting happened at a major educational university in the late 1960s. It was the beginning of what we might call the Women's Liberation Movement. Women's rights had been a significant issue for more than a century, but in the 1960s, progress began to accelerate. Women were burning their bras in an effort to prove that they were the equals of men. A couple of years ago, I had a conversation with a young woman who was complaining that she had to wear a top to her bathing suit in her backyard, while I didn't have to wear a shirt in mine. I told her I had no complaint if she wanted to go topless in her backyard. I usually wear at least a tank top in mine, but then our backyards are 3,000 miles apart. However, I was also never sure if she wanted to be topless in her backyard or if she wanted me to wear a bikini top when I was in mine. It is a discussion that continues today, but it seems to have started in the 1960s.

But these women at the University weren't concerned with the unfairness of what we wear. They had something more important on their minds. They had gathered to celebrate Eve; yes, the Eve of the Garden of Eden. There is a lot to celebrate about Eve. She was the first mother and the first wife, and for pioneering these roles, she should be celebrated. But this group of women had come to celebrate the first independent decision taken in history, and in taking the forbidden fruit in the garden, Eve had proven that she refused to be under the sway of any man, or any God. This independent decision was something these people wanted to celebrate.

I read about this meeting years later. I admit that I was alive in the 60s, but I was too young to care about these women or the University. As I grew older, I began to see the problem. We are all able to make independent decisions, but not every independent decision is a good one. At least, not every decision I have made has been an appropriate one. Maybe more precisely, these women seemed to be proclaiming that the decision was good because it was independent, and that is just not true. A murderer makes an independent decision when he decides to take a life, but it is not a good decision.

The problem that arises out of this situation is that nothing changes unless we see that something is wrong. Don't expect to see me wearing a bikini top anytime in the future, even if it is just in my backyard, because I don't see my backyard summer clothing as a problem. Nothing changes in what we do unless we recognize that our behavior is wrong.

David cries out to God that some of his independent actions have contravened the will of God. He is unwilling to make the statement that these women celebrated at a university in the 1960s. David was wrong, and beyond that, he was also bothered by his sin. And it is that reaction to sin that allowed God to move in his life and ours, and for us to make the changes necessary for us to become better people.

Tomorrow's Scripture Reading: Psalm 39

Continue your love to those who know you, your righteousness to the upright in heart. – Psalm 36:10

Today's Scripture Reading (August 20, 2025): Psalm 36

I believe that there is a problem with building a theology from the Psalms. That was never the purpose of this section of biblical writing. David and the other Psalmists were trying to find an outlet for the emotional story of their lives. There is absolutely nothing wrong with that. We often seem to believe that we have to get the emotional portion of life out of our Christian Walk, as well as out of our theology. The problem is that we are emotional beings, so trying to take the emotion out of what we believe is to speak to only a portion of who we are.

Another problem with the Psalms, as is true with the rest of the Tanakh or Hebrew Bible, is that they are a victim of something called Progressive Revelation. I know, some seem to treat Progressive Revelation as if it is something evil. But Progressive Revelation just hints at a process that we know very well. It is the way our educational system is constructed. We don't teach Grade 12 physics to a Grade 1 student. The brains of grade one students need to mature a bit before they can understand physics, but they also need to learn the basics. There is a lot to learn and a foundation that needs to be built before they can learn the material covered in secondary school and university classes. Our teaching is progressive, and one year provides the foundation for the next.

In the same way, the Tanakh tells the story of progressive teachings. We meet Abraham in Genesis 12, and the story of him and his family is told in the rest of the book. This family believed in God, but Moses had a better understanding of who God was during the Exodus, especially after he received the Law on Mount Sinai, than Abraham ever had during his life. That concept seems to be pretty obvious.

However, the process continued. Every generation seemed to have a better grip on who God was than the previous generation. I am continually amazed at what I see as the advanced theology of love and grace that is found in the story of Jonah, even though the prophet may not have appreciated that theology. Still, there is something in that story that is absent in earlier writings. Of course, the fullest revelation is present in the life, death, and resurrection of Jesus Christ. He is the one who pulls all of the different strings of the Tanakh and puts it all together, and we see God as he wishes us to see him. The Psalms are essential, but not for the reason that some might think.

So David asks God to "Continue your love to those who know you, your righteousness to the upright in heart" (Psalm 36:10). It is a sincere expression of David's relationship with God. He believed that God loved him because the king of Israel knew God. It was the reality of all religious beliefs; may God or the gods love me because I serve or know them. But the Apostle Paul speaks of a different reality, a reality that is a direct result of Progressive Revelation.

You see, at just the right time, when we were still powerless, Christ died for the ungodly. Very rarely will anyone die for a righteous person, though for a good person someone might possibly dare to die. But God demonstrates his own love for us in this: While we were still sinners, Christ died for us (Romans 5:6-8).

It is not a new theology that is different from what we find in the Tanakh, but it is a fuller explanation of who God is and the relationship we have with the creator of the world.

Tomorrow's Scripture Reading: Psalm 38

 

They do not speak peaceably, but devise false accusations against those who live quietly in the land. – Psalm 35:20

Today's Scripture Reading (August 19, 2025): Psalm 35

Desmond Tutu (1931-2021) taught that "If you want peace, you don't talk to your friends. You talk to your enemies" (Desmond Tutu). The comment seems to be upside down. If I want peace, I want to spend time with people I like. Why would I want the argument that always comes with someone who thinks differently from me? I had a friend years ago who often told me that "a bad day golfing always beats a good day at work." It feels like that is the model we need to follow. Maybe a bad day with friends always beats, and is more peaceful than, a good day with our enemies. But I also know that Tutu is right, even if his instructions are difficult to put into practice.

However, Desmond Tutu's advice is something with which I firmly agree. And I honestly try to carry out this advice in my life. The problem is that it is sometimes hard to find dance partners who are willing to join the discussion. We live in an era where we are more willing to build up the walls between us than we are to tear them down. Several years ago, I attempted to set up a meeting between me and the closest thing that I have to an enemy. I made it clear in my request to meet that I had no desire to change their minds; I just wanted to sit with them and talk about our differences. But my request was denied. They didn't want to talk to me. It is becoming increasingly difficult even for people of good conscience to discuss and disagree. We don't want conversations with people with whom we disagree unless there is a possibility that we can bring them over to our side of the issue. However, my views, even on significant issues, don't make me either moral or evil. We should be able to have conversations with people even if there are substantial disagreements between us.

Instead, we make incendiary statements, we make up charges, we blow up the disagreement far beyond what is real. When I made my request to meet with my colleagues with whom I admit that there are significant disagreements, the response was not "we don't want to meet because we disagree concerning the role of love within the Christian Faith, the role of women in the church, or the fate of same-sex attracted people." The response was "we don't want to meet because we don't agree on anything." However, that is not true. While there are issues on which we disagree, I believe that there are many more issues on which we agree. There is no need for us to magnify the differences between us; they are big enough already.

David speaks of a particular kind of people he believed were evil. And some of the characteristics of these people are that they didn't want peace. They tended to blow up the differences between them and their perceived enemies. They made things up and brought strife even to those who lived quietly in the land. Maybe that is the problem here. We should mind our own business. The promise we need to rely on is that we serve the one who burns the dross and keeps the silver. I sincerely believe that when the end comes, many of the disagreements we have with each other will be the impurities of the Christian life, and our God will disregard them. I hope that once those impurities have been removed, there will be something worth keeping in what is left. But I am not sure that we value what God says is worth saving. Before that time comes, I hope we can learn to speak peaceably with each other, and live quietly in the land, concentrating on the log in our eye, instead of the speck in our brother's or sister's.

Tomorrow's Scripture Reading: Psalm 36

By the word of the LORD the heavens were made, their starry host by the breath of his mouth. – Psalm 33:6

Today's Scripture Reading (August 18, 2025): Psalm 33

As John begins to write his Gospel, Christian historians tell us that he had already read the three Synoptic Gospels: Matthew, Mark, and Luke. While the Synoptic Gospels seem to have freely borrowed and shared elements of the story with each other, or more precisely, Matthew and Luke freely borrowed from Mark, each other, and some other manuscript, often referred to as the "Q document," while adding some content that came from either their memories or other sources to which they had access, John had no desire to rehash what had already been written. The purpose that the youngest of the apostles held for his Gospel was to tell the stories he felt were essential but missed by the Synoptic writers. John also desired to make some theological connections that he felt were absent from the Synoptic Gospels.

The purpose of John's Gospel is apparent from the opening words of his Gospel. While Matthew and Luke both start with the Gospel story with the birth of Jesus, and Mark begins with John the Baptist and the Baptism of Jesus, John the Apostle begins his Gospel storytelling with a theological statement about the beginning of the world that we read about in Genesis 1. John mirrors the words that are used to open up the Book of Genesis.

In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God, and the Word was God. He was with God in the beginning. Through him all things were made; without him nothing was made that has been made. In him was life, and that life was the light of all mankind. The light shines in the darkness, and the darkness has not overcome it (John 1:1-5)

The passage is familiar to many of us. It brings to our attention that the world became a reality through the Divine Logos, the very Word of God. But John also places this "Word" into his reality and gives it a name: Jesus. Jesus was the Word. Through him everything was made, and without him nothing would have been made. It gave the reader a new dimension of Jesus; his existence did not begin in the stable outside of Bethlehem. Jesus was present at the beginning of the Universe in which we all live. Not only was he there at the beginning, but it was through him that everything was created.

It is an ancient concept that was written about by several authors in the Tanakh or Hebrew Bible, including David. David writes in Psalm 33 that it was "by the word of the Lord the heavens were made," or as John says "In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God, and the Word was God. He was with God in the beginning (John 1:1-2), and the "starry host [was created] by the breath of his mouth" (Psalm 33:6). John reminds us that the word and breath of God has a name. Jesus.

Tomorrow's Scripture Reading: Psalm 35

When I kept silent, my bones wasted away through my groaning all day long. – Psalm 32:3

Today's Scripture Reading (August 17, 2025): Psalm 32

Recently, a colleague phoned me, and during the conversation about a completely different situation, he confessed to a sin that he had committed during the week. In this case, it was a case of road rage, some possible sign language that might have been used, and words that may or may not have been yelled out of the window of his car. Inside, as I received the confession, I smiled. I don't know of many of us who are immune to this kind of reaction, especially when we are under stress. I remember cutting someone off in traffic many years ago, and the guy in the car I cut off looked like he might be ready to put a new sunroof in his car (in other words, he was furious). I pulled over, rolled my window down, and apologized for my actions in traffic. The poor guy in the other car had no idea what to do with my apology. You could almost visibly see his confusion. He finally mumbled something, smiled at me, and drove off.

I gave my friend his penance, three Hail Marys, an Our Father, and a Glory Be, and then sent him on his way. Actually, I don't come from a tradition that stresses confession as portrayed in the movies, even though the Bible emphasizes the benefits of confession in several places. The author of Proverbs writes, "Whoever conceals their sins does not prosper, but the one who confesses and renounces them finds mercy" (Proverbs 28:13). It is good to confess our sins to someone we can trust, and it is strengthening for the Christian Community in general. We are not perfect; we all do things that we wish we hadn't done. Road rage is not just a problem for some of us, but for the majority of us. We have all been tempted to act in a way that is expedient rather than true. We all carry a weight of guilt because of the things that we have done. Some of this guilt is based on our sin, and some is based on our expectations, which are much higher than God's. However, if we never confess our sin, we will never know which is which.

David comments that when he was silent, his bones wasted away as he groaned all day long. It is an admission that, for a time, David had refrained from his practice of confession. The result of his lack of confession was that guilt built and began to have a real effect on his life. As we read this, and if we are honest with ourselves, I think we can all respond that we know exactly what that feels like. We have all gone through times when the guilt has built up on us until we were ready to explode.

David knows that the solution to all of this weight is easy. And he has given us a gift. David not only admits his sin, but he writes it down so we can all read about his sin. David confessed to God and the High Priest, but in a very real way, he also confessed his sin to all of us through the Psalms that he wrote and have been passed down through the generations. I am not advocating that we follow David's example of confession, or even that we need to confess to a priest. But we need to find someone to whom we can confess our sins before the weight of the sin ends up crushing us as well.

Tomorrow's Scripture Reading: Psalm 33

Since you are my rock and my fortress, for the sake of your name lead and guide me. – Psalm 31:3

Today's Scripture Reading (August 16, 2025): Psalm 31

For almost the past three decades, I have made my home in Edmonton, Alberta, Canada. I moved here to take a position in a local congregation. It was not an easy move. In my youth, I would have never guessed that my path would one day bring me here. For the first portion of my life, I existed with a healthy desire for competition against the city. Edmontonians often say they believe in the ABCs of sports; Anybody but Calgary, a city that lies just to the south of the Alberta Capital. There is a good-natured competition between the two cities. One rumor behind the competition is that at the moment of the province's birth, one city was supposed to become the Provincial Capital, while the other would become the home of the province's University. However, for some unknown reason, Edmonton became the home of both the Capital and the University. And a fierce competition between the two population centers began. Whether that story is true, I have no idea.

If Edmontonians believe in the ABCs of sport, then I was a believer in the ABEs of sport; Anybody but Edmonton. And then I became a citizen of this Northern city. Ever since the 1980s, Edmonton has been known by the nickname "The City of Champions." The name arose at a time when the Edmonton Oilers were ruling the National Hockey League and the Edmonton Eskimos, now the Edmonton Elks, were the perennial contenders for the crown in the Canadian Football League. But more than that, Edmonton was the home of many Olympic and World competition winners and medalists in many different sports, all of which made the city's citizens proud to be part of the city. The nickname "The City of Champions" has been questioned in recent years as the big Championships have become rare.

Jerusalem has long been known by the nickname "The City of David." However, David understands that it is not Jerusalem that is his champion. He is proud of the city that he has called his own, but that is not the power behind the throne. The power behind David lies only in his God. Jerusalem was a strongly walled city; it was the center of political life in Israel, and soon, David planned to make it the center of religious life as well. David hopes that Jerusalem will become a world-class city, a city of which the King can be justifiably proud.  

However, regardless of how great Jerusalem might become, it is God who is its rock and fortress. It is a language that might be applied to Jerusalem, but David reserves it for his God. It is not, and will never be, the walls of Jerusalem that will keep the King safe. It is God. And it is not the name of the local sports team that David wears on his shirt, it is God's name that is forever on his lips, because that is all that matters. David believes that God will act to defend his name, and in the process, defend David, Jerusalem, and Israel against the arrows their enemies might fire in their direction. 

Tomorrow's Scripture Reading: Psalm 32

Sing the praises of the LORD, you his faithful people; praise his holy name. – Psalm 30:4

Today's Scripture Reading (August 15, 2025): Psalm 30

I am "that guy" who, when you say something, it reminds me of a song. I have friends who don't want to watch musicals because that is not the way life works; they argue that there is no place in this world of ours where you are going through the mundane activities of life and then suddenly you break into song, except …

I love the musical "Fiddler on the Roof, but specifically the song and dance number "If I Were a Rich Man." The song begins with Tevye working alone in a barn, doing the mundane things that agricultural life requires. And amid his chores, he begins to pray to God (which, by the way, is also something that I do.) As he prays in the midst of the mundane, he makes this comment to God.

Oh dear Lord, you made many, many poor people. I realize, of course, that it's no shame to be poor. But it's no great honor either. So, what would have been so terrible if I had a small fortune (Tevye, Fiddler on the Roof)?

And then Tevye begins to sing.

If I were a rich man
Ya ba dibba dibba dibba dibba dibba dibba dum
All day long I'd biddy biddy bum.
If I were a wealthy man
I wouldn't have to work hard.
Ya ba dibba dibba dibba dibba dibba dibba dum
If I were a biddy biddy rich
Idle-diddle-didle-didle man (If I Were a Rich Man, Fiddler on the Roof).

If you don't want to believe that this kind of song and dance is part of real life, then don't surprise me when I think I am working alone, because that is often the way my day goes.

My kids and grandkids are used to saying something and having me pick up the comment by singing a song. My youngest grandchild commented on something that dropped on her "tummy," only to hear her grandfather start to sing.

Yummy, Yummy, Yummy,
I got love in my tummy.
And I feel like a-loving you.
Love, you're such a sweet thing,
Good enough to eat thing,
And that's just a-what I'm gonna do (Yummy Yummy Yummy. Joey Levine and Arthur Resnick).

She still sometimes talks about love in her tummy when we share a meal.

David seems to understand the musical life. And so, he tells his readers to sing out their praises to God. And it is not just an instruction of what we are supposed to do when we attend a church service, but what we are to do in the mundane moments of life. I admit, a significant portion of my daily prayer life comes in the form of a song. I praise God with a song, but I also express my questions and concerns with songs that pop into my head or arise from my heart. Believe it or not, sometimes a song describes how I am feeling better than any prayer that I could speak. Amid the song, my heart understands that I am praising His Holy name.

Tomorrow's Scripture Reading: Psalm 31

Personal Note: Happy 44^th Anniversary to my wife. I am not sure why she puts up with me, but she does.