Wednesday, april 28, 2021
Scripture: Psalm 22.25-31
From you comes my praise in the great congregation;
My vows I will pay before those who fear him.
The poor shall eat and be satisfied;
Those who seek him shall praise the Lord.
May your hearts live forever!
All the ends of the earth shall remember and turn to the Lord;
And all the families of the nations shall worship before him.
For dominion belongs to the Lord,
And he rules over the nations.
To him, indeed, shall all who sleep in the earth bow down;
Before him shall bow all who go down to the dust,
And I shall live for him.
Posterity will serve him;
Future generations will be told about the Lord,
And proclaim his deliverance to a people yet unborn,
Saying that he has done it.
Devotion:
When I was a young girl, my family provided the communion elements one Sunday for church. On our way to church, we stopped at Giant Eagle to pick up Welch’s grape juice and a loaf of bread. It was an interesting experience as a child to know that the bread and cup did not magically appear on the communion table, but were simple, normal elements I could have found in my home. As we sat in the pews and prepared for communion, my brother (age 3 or 4 at the time) stood up on the pew and raised his hand. Bless his heart, but the pastor turned and allowed him to ask his question. My brother asked, “Is Welch’s a sponsor of Jesus?”
When children are wrestling to understand God and their faith, it can be a real joy to observe. Today’s
Psalm celebrates with joy the ways that future generations will learn to praise God, an essential element of our faith life. We understand this joy when children like my brother ask fun questions about the grape juice, or when dozens of kiddos gather here at Cross Roads for Vacation Bible School. But Psalm 22 begins in a very different way. It says, “My God, my God, why have you forsaken me?” the very words that Jesus cries from the cross. In our society today, it can be hard for families to come to church and many children don’t engage in faith development in the same ways that we did when we were growing up. At times, this can feel discouraging – especially right now as we pray for the discernment of the Task Force seeking to hire a new Director of Christian Education. At times, perhaps we want to cry out to God with the words of this Psalm. The very next verse is so helpful: “Yet you are holy, enthroned on the praises of Israel. In you our ancestors trusted; they trusted and you delivered them.” Those who have come before us had the same fears and concerns about the next generation’s faithfulness; but they trusted in God, and here we are! May we too have the same faith and trust in God, that God is revealing God’s self to the next generation in new and surprising ways! May we proclaim the good news to future generations, to a people yet unborn.
From you comes my praise in the great congregation;
My vows I will pay before those who fear him.
The poor shall eat and be satisfied;
Those who seek him shall praise the Lord.
May your hearts live forever!
All the ends of the earth shall remember and turn to the Lord;
And all the families of the nations shall worship before him.
For dominion belongs to the Lord,
And he rules over the nations.
To him, indeed, shall all who sleep in the earth bow down;
Before him shall bow all who go down to the dust,
And I shall live for him.
Posterity will serve him;
Future generations will be told about the Lord,
And proclaim his deliverance to a people yet unborn,
Saying that he has done it.
Devotion:
When I was a young girl, my family provided the communion elements one Sunday for church. On our way to church, we stopped at Giant Eagle to pick up Welch’s grape juice and a loaf of bread. It was an interesting experience as a child to know that the bread and cup did not magically appear on the communion table, but were simple, normal elements I could have found in my home. As we sat in the pews and prepared for communion, my brother (age 3 or 4 at the time) stood up on the pew and raised his hand. Bless his heart, but the pastor turned and allowed him to ask his question. My brother asked, “Is Welch’s a sponsor of Jesus?”
When children are wrestling to understand God and their faith, it can be a real joy to observe. Today’s
Psalm celebrates with joy the ways that future generations will learn to praise God, an essential element of our faith life. We understand this joy when children like my brother ask fun questions about the grape juice, or when dozens of kiddos gather here at Cross Roads for Vacation Bible School. But Psalm 22 begins in a very different way. It says, “My God, my God, why have you forsaken me?” the very words that Jesus cries from the cross. In our society today, it can be hard for families to come to church and many children don’t engage in faith development in the same ways that we did when we were growing up. At times, this can feel discouraging – especially right now as we pray for the discernment of the Task Force seeking to hire a new Director of Christian Education. At times, perhaps we want to cry out to God with the words of this Psalm. The very next verse is so helpful: “Yet you are holy, enthroned on the praises of Israel. In you our ancestors trusted; they trusted and you delivered them.” Those who have come before us had the same fears and concerns about the next generation’s faithfulness; but they trusted in God, and here we are! May we too have the same faith and trust in God, that God is revealing God’s self to the next generation in new and surprising ways! May we proclaim the good news to future generations, to a people yet unborn.