SATURDAY, January 16

Hebrews 4:1-13. Indeed, the word of God is living and active, sharper than any two-edged sword, piercing until it divides soul from spirit.

Reading the scriptures in the comfort of the Western world, from a comfortable position of a Western life, means that sometimes, the word of God becomes just words.

Reading the scriptures from beyond the back of beyond, where creature comforts are lacking and life is threatened on a daily basis gives whole new meanings to the word of God.

Life here is much the same as it was in the days when Jesus walked the earth. We drink river water. We eat basic food. We cook over charcoal fires. We bed down with the animals. Everything is basic.

And in that basic-ness, the word of God comes alive in whole new ways, piercing my soul and giving me new insights into what Jesus meant and why he acted as he did.

The scriptures are timeless, yes; but here, they are alive and active and sharp, so sharp that some days, I feel pierced. Everything Jesus said takes on new meaning, because I am so much closer to seeing it through the eyes and hearing it with the ears of those who actually saw and heard him in the flesh.

PRAY for the Diocese of Albany (Province II, USA)

Ps 20, 21:1-7(8-14) * 110:1-5 (6-7), 116, 117; Genesis 6:9-22; John 2:13-22

View the daily Lectionary Readings at Satucket.com.
Or view the Bible passages at Biblegateway.com.

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What

Jan 16, 2010 at 7:44 am

Written by Craig Hoffman,

The moral superiority of the writer of the recent series of meditation is off putting to say the least. That the writer has a clearer view of God's word because he or she has chosen a life in the Sudan is insulting.

-2

...

Jan 16, 2010 at 9:03 am

Written by George ,

I think you're being rather harsh Craig. I do think you're right that there is a bit of disconnect, a posture that creates some distance here. BUT the point is that the experience in Sudan can highlight/accent key foundations and understandings for us, and is not intended to show superiority. Remember, you do not have to go to Sudan to find these experiences...they are here in our backyards and neighborhoods, especially when we realize that suffering and lack and pain are universal. God's grace is like the sun...shining on Everyone, even the "western world". "God bless everyone, no exceptions".

Freedom

Jan 16, 2010 at 9:05 am

Written by Betty Hurst,

This message speaks to my heart!

Going deeper in the Word...

Jan 16, 2010 at 9:54 am

Written by Lorrie Robinson,

I was just thinking...I like that...when I read the comment above that took offense at a perceived tone of superiority in the writer's meditation...With Haiti at our back door illustrating how far we are from Eden...a natural disaster further compounded by a society crippled for so long by corruption, greed, lack of belief, i.e. the consequences of man's sin...if our lives here are only for a short time, do we find God's purpose for us very readily when our personal world is so full?

Editor, Forward Day by Day

Jan 16, 2010 at 10:05 am

Written by Richard H. Schmidt,

I did not take the author's comments today as indicating a sense of moral superiority on her part. If I had seen that in the meditation, I would have edited it out. We don't do that often, but occasionally it's necessary. That's one reason we do not identify our authors in the printed version of "Forward Day by Day"---we, not they, are responsible for what appears there. But I found nothing off-putting in today's meditation. Perhaps that is because I myself served as a missionary in Nigeria a few years ago and I saw how, in that impoverished and corrupt land, the Bible speaks to people in basic, down-to-earth ways that were new and surprising to me. It's not that I felt anyone was morally superior to anyone else, only that our life circumstances determine how we hear the scriptures. Life in poor nations today is far closer to life in the biblical world than is life in prosperous countries today.

Sat., Jan 16

Jan 16, 2010 at 12:14 pm

Written by Sister Gloriamarie Amalfitano,

In no way whatsoever is the author positing a moral superiority but indeed a merely simple fact. All she is saying is that life in the Sudan, without the modern conveniences, is much more like life in the days of Jesus' Incarnation. Life in these United States could not be more different than either the Israel of that day or the Sudan of today. I believe it is very true that drawing water from a well would make me see parts of the Bible differently than does turning on the faucet. I think it is true the luxuries we have in the USA blunt our ability to hear God's word clearly.

...

Jan 17, 2010 at 10:07 pm

Written by Robert Lebby,

I went on a short-term mission trip to Guatemala and visited two orphanages there. I left the US with my "morally superior" attitude that I would take the love of Christ to them. Instead, I found that it was just the opposite. The children there showed the love of Christ to me in a way that I could never have seen otherwise. I thank God for that opportunity to be blessed by the ones I intended to bless. My view was turned 180 degrees.

...

Jan 17, 2010 at 10:11 pm

Written by Robert Lebby,

Craig, I pray that your view will be turned 180 degrees also.

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