Mail Archive of the old Santa Clara Valley Lutheran Parish

I adjure you by the Lord that this letter be read to all the brethren. (Thessalonians 5:27)
Subject: Re: Today's devotion
Date: Fri, 13 Nov 2009 19:17:29 -0800
From: Bob McKee <pastor.mckee@gmail.com>
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Date: Fri, 13 Nov 2009 19:17:29 -0800
Message-ID: <5af66a2d0911131917j71d90766ke0151a68c733a78e@mail.gmail.com>
Subject: Re: Today's devotion
From: Bob McKee <pastor.mckee@gmail.com>
To: scvlp@googlegroups.com

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A hopeful word. Thanks.
Bob

On Fri, Nov 13, 2009 at 12:57 PM, David Bonde <pastorbonde@gmail.com> wrote=
:

>
> So I=92m reading Psalm 52, =93Why do you boast of evil, you mighty man=94=
NIV
> and it begins with that little note =93When Doeg the Edomite had gone to
> Saul and told him =91David has gone to the house of Ahimelech.=92=94
>
> It=92s a chilling story.  I remember that much.  I=92ve written a note in
> the margin that Doeg killed 85 priests of Nob along with the reference
> to 1 Samuel 21:7 and chapter 22.  So now I=92m rereading 1 Samuel 21 and
> 22.
>
> David is on the run but tells Ahimelech he is on an urgent mission for
> Saul.  He is given the bread of the presence from the previous day and
> the sword of Goliath that had been placed =93behind the ephod.=94  =93The=
re
> is no sword here but that one,=94 says Ahimelech.
>
> There is no sword here but this one that testifies to the triumph of
> God over the might of armies, the one captured by David who armed
> himself with the name of the Lord and five smooth stones.
>
> And then the fateful words of 21:7 =93Now one of Saul=92s servants was
> there that day, detained before the Lord; he was Doeg the Edomite,
> Saul=92s head shepherd.=94
>
> In a fight for his kingdom Saul rails against his officials accusing
> them of conspiracy against him.  Doeg steps forward: =93I saw the son of
> Jesse come to Ahimelech...=94  When the priests have been hauled before
> him he orders their execution, but =93the king=92s officials were not
> willing to raise a hand to strike the priests of the Lord.=94
>
> Saul, however, has read Doeg accurately.  And Doeg strikes down not
> just the 85 priests, but their whole town, men, women, children,
> cattle, donkeys, sheep.
>
> It puts our little church fights in context.
>
> There were riots in Egypt over the doctrine of the Trinity at the time
> of Athanasius, mobs fighting one another over who would be Bishop.
>
> Being church is messy business.  We are messy creatures.  Somehow in
> this mess, despite all the wounds, all the harsh and even hateful
> words that get spoken, all the stormy scenes and quiet desperation,
> somehow the church lingers on like a woman I once knew, an alcoholic,
> who lingered on life support from her failing liver.  I was angry at
> the doctors for not letting her go.  But she lived.  And a few months
> later I was visiting her in her home.
>
> Somehow the church lives.  Somehow it survives the political
> infighting, the love of power, the lukewarm spirit or hardness of
> heart.  Somehow the church survives.  Somehow the Word gets spoken.
> Somehow Gospel gets done.  Even if God has to use discarded paving
> stones to sing Hosanna, it happens.
>
> Along the way there are great saints like Obadiah who had hidden a
> hundred prophets of the LORD from the murderous Jezebel (1 Kings 18.3)
> and decidedly unsaintly =91saints=92 like Samson.
>
> We are people who deal with ideals: what the world should be, what
> Christians should be, what the church should be.  And we never are.
>
> But God is.
>
> God is what God =93should=94 be.  God takes the wounds of the world on
> himself rather than taking out his wounds on the world.  God witnesses
> the Doegs and Sauls and Davids and Ahimelechs of the world and remains
> God.
>
> And with us, without us and in spite of us, God works God=92s mercy.
> And so David sings, =93in your name I will hope, for your name is
> good.=94 (Psalm 52:9)
>
> >
>

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A hopeful word. Thanks.<div>Bob<br><br><div class=3D"gmail_quote">On Fri, N=
ov 13, 2009 at 12:57 PM, David Bonde <span dir=3D"ltr">&lt;<a href=3D"mailt=
o:pastorbonde@gmail.com">pastorbonde@gmail.com</a>&gt;</span> wrote:<br><bl=
ockquote class=3D"gmail_quote" style=3D"margin:0 0 0 .8ex;border-left:1px #=
ccc solid;padding-left:1ex;">
<br>
So I=92m reading Psalm 52, =93Why do you boast of evil, you mighty man=94NI=
V<br>
and it begins with that little note =93When Doeg the Edomite had gone to<br=
>
Saul and told him =91David has gone to the house of Ahimelech.=92=94<br>
<br>
It=92s a chilling story. =A0I remember that much. =A0I=92ve written a note =
in<br>
the margin that Doeg killed 85 priests of Nob along with the reference<br>
to 1 Samuel 21:7 and chapter 22. =A0So now I=92m rereading 1 Samuel 21 and<=
br>
22.<br>
<br>
David is on the run but tells Ahimelech he is on an urgent mission for<br>
Saul. =A0He is given the bread of the presence from the previous day and<br=
>
the sword of Goliath that had been placed =93behind the ephod.=94 =A0=93The=
re<br>
is no sword here but that one,=94 says Ahimelech.<br>
<br>
There is no sword here but this one that testifies to the triumph of<br>
God over the might of armies, the one captured by David who armed<br>
himself with the name of the Lord and five smooth stones.<br>
<br>
And then the fateful words of 21:7 =93Now one of Saul=92s servants was<br>
there that day, detained before the Lord; he was Doeg the Edomite,<br>
Saul=92s head shepherd.=94<br>
<br>
In a fight for his kingdom Saul rails against his officials accusing<br>
them of conspiracy against him. =A0Doeg steps forward: =93I saw the son of<=
br>
Jesse come to Ahimelech...=94 =A0When the priests have been hauled before<b=
r>
him he orders their execution, but =93the king=92s officials were not<br>
willing to raise a hand to strike the priests of the Lord.=94<br>
<br>
Saul, however, has read Doeg accurately. =A0And Doeg strikes down not<br>
just the 85 priests, but their whole town, men, women, children,<br>
cattle, donkeys, sheep.<br>
<br>
It puts our little church fights in context.<br>
<br>
There were riots in Egypt over the doctrine of the Trinity at the time<br>
of Athanasius, mobs fighting one another over who would be Bishop.<br>
<br>
Being church is messy business. =A0We are messy creatures. =A0Somehow in<br=
>
this mess, despite all the wounds, all the harsh and even hateful<br>
words that get spoken, all the stormy scenes and quiet desperation,<br>
somehow the church lingers on like a woman I once knew, an alcoholic,<br>
who lingered on life support from her failing liver. =A0I was angry at<br>
the doctors for not letting her go. =A0But she lived. =A0And a few months<b=
r>
later I was visiting her in her home.<br>
<br>
Somehow the church lives. =A0Somehow it survives the political<br>
infighting, the love of power, the lukewarm spirit or hardness of<br>
heart. =A0Somehow the church survives. =A0Somehow the Word gets spoken.<br>
Somehow Gospel gets done. =A0Even if God has to use discarded paving<br>
stones to sing Hosanna, it happens.<br>
<br>
Along the way there are great saints like Obadiah who had hidden a<br>
hundred prophets of the LORD from the murderous Jezebel (1 Kings 18.3)<br>
and decidedly unsaintly =91saints=92 like Samson.<br>
<br>
We are people who deal with ideals: what the world should be, what<br>
Christians should be, what the church should be. =A0And we never are.<br>
<br>
But God is.<br>
<br>
God is what God =93should=94 be. =A0God takes the wounds of the world on<br=
>
himself rather than taking out his wounds on the world. =A0God witnesses<br=
>
the Doegs and Sauls and Davids and Ahimelechs of the world and remains<br>
God.<br>
<br>
And with us, without us and in spite of us, God works God=92s mercy.<br>
And so David sings, =93in your name I will hope, for your name is<br>
good.=94 (Psalm 52:9)<br>
<br>
<br>
</blockquote></div><br></div>

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