05-12-21

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ECCLESIOLOGICAL ETCHING
May 12, 2021
Scripture: Psalm 125:1-2
Those who trust in the Lord are like Mount Zion, which cannot be moved, but abides forever. As the mountains surround Jerusalem, so the Lord surrounds his people, from this time on and forevermore.

Thought for the Day: Are there days when you feel like nothing could knock you down? Your confidence and convictions are aligned, and there is an unshakeable resilience in your heart and mind. Of course, such moments are often followed by “life”. I think you know what I mean. Suddenly life changes, and the unexpected or the unimaginable happens. A lot of people have been experiencing this lately. The author of the Psalm reflects on how trusting the Lord is like a mountain, something that is steadfast and resolute. I hear this idea when people say, “Just trust the Lord and everything will be ok.” Maybe that’s true, yet I do not believe the author was naive. I know so many incredibly faithful people who live a life of trust, yet they have been shaken to the core. When reading these words, we need to remember that Mount Zion was a real place, the centerpiece of the Jewish faith. It represented God’s presence in the world. When you think of it in those terms, it is less about claiming some perfect faith where we never experience a lapse in our trust. It is the capacity to connect with God, including through the symbols that represent God (Mount Zion among them) as a way of reconnecting with the unshakeable nature of God. It’s a little like speaking of God’s unconditional love and welcome, while having the capacity to come to the communion table each week as a reminder… especially those weeks when something might have called that love and welcome into question. To claim any conviction about God assumes an ongoing development of one’s faith that includes the use of symbols, rituals and practices. I can imagine people whose lives have been turned upside down, and it felt as if their capacity to trust in God had diminished. In those moments, there was something compelling about walking up Mount Zion and reconnecting with the God whose unshakeable nature was as old as the mountain itself.

Prayer: Lord, may the trust in your love and mercy grow as we experience you through ancient practices and symbols. Let them reconnect us to you, especially in those moments when we have been shaken. Amen.

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