Mail Archive of the old Santa Clara Valley Lutheran Parish

Subject: May 15 Devotion

Date: Thu, 15 May 2008 11:19:25 -0700 (PDT)

From: Peggy White <revpegsv@pacbell.net>

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Date: Thu, 15 May 2008 11:19:25 -0700 (PDT)
From: Peggy White <revpegsv@pacbell.net>
Subject: May 15 Devotion
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From the Daily Lectionary (ELW), Year A, Thursday before Holy Trinity
  Psalm 8:3-8
  When I look at your heavens, the work of your fingers, the moon and the stars that you have established; what are human beings that you are mindful of them, mortals that you care for them?
  Yet you have made them a little lower than God, and crowned them with glory and honor.  You have given them dominion over the works of your hands; you have put all things under their feet, all sheep and oxen and also the beast of the field, the birds of the air, and the fish of the sea, whatever passes along the paths of the seas.
  Job 38:1-2
  Then the Lord answered Job out of the whirlwind: “Who is this that darkens counsel by words without knowledge?” 
  “What are human beings?” (from Psalm 8)  “Who are you?”  (from Job 38).  A song of praise.  A rebuke of arrogance.  Today these texts lie side by side.  Psalm 8 marvels at God’s creation, particularly God’s creation of human beings and of the role of human’s as just a little lower than God.    While the text from Job expresses God’s anger with a human who questions God’s wisdom.   And I cannot help think, “Isn’t this a tension every human experiences?”
  God has gifted us wonderfully, with intelligence to understand and abilities to affect so much of what happens in our lives.  It is so easy to forget that we are yet “lower than God.” 
  I will never forget the lesson I learned when Melissa was born.  She was so sick, but for several days, I did not comprehend that she might die.  I fully expected the experts (doctors) to fix her.  My expectations changed gradually.  One day I saw two grieving parents in the hallway just after their baby had died.  Without a word, nor even a glance between us, I witnessed their anguish.  Then came the day when I was chased from Melissa’s side because she had stopped breathing.  I could only watch through a window and cry as they worked to resuscitate her.  I realized then that she might not survive.  And it was that night that I prayed, “God, I want my daughter to live, but whether she lives or dies she is yours.  And God, whether she lives or dies, I will be faithful to you.”
This experience changed me and changed my life.  Among other things, it caused me to recognize the frailty of human life and our limitations.  And, this experience taught me to trust God.  As the Psalmist writes, “What are human beings that you are mindful of them, mortals that you care for them?”  It is truly amazing to me that God is mindful and caring of us.  But then, we are God’s own creation, wonderfully made in God’s image. 
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<DIV class=MsoNormal style="MARGIN: 0in 0in 10pt"><FONT face=arial size=3>From the Daily Lectionary (ELW), Year A, Thursday before Holy Trinity</FONT></DIV>  <DIV class=MsoNormal style="MARGIN: 0in 0in 10pt"><FONT face=arial size=3>Psalm 8:3-8</FONT></DIV>  <DIV class=MsoNormal style="MARGIN: 0in 0in 10pt"><FONT face=arial size=3>When I look at your heavens, the work of your fingers, the moon and the stars that you have established; what are human beings that you are mindful of them, mortals that you care for them?</FONT></DIV>  <DIV class=MsoNormal style="MARGIN: 0in 0in 10pt"><FONT face=arial size=3>Yet you have made them a little lower than God, and crowned them with glory and honor.<SPAN style="mso-spacerun: yes">&nbsp; </SPAN>You have given them dominion over the works of your hands; you have put all things under their feet, all sheep and oxen and also the beast of the field, the birds of the air, and the fish of the sea, whatever passes along the paths of the
 seas.</FONT></DIV>  <DIV class=MsoNormal style="MARGIN: 0in 0in 10pt"><FONT face=arial size=3>Job 38:1-2</FONT></DIV>  <DIV class=MsoNormal style="MARGIN: 0in 0in 10pt"><FONT face=arial size=3>Then the Lord answered Job out of the whirlwind: “Who is this that darkens counsel by words without knowledge?” </FONT></DIV>  <DIV class=MsoNormal style="MARGIN: 0in 0in 10pt"><FONT face=arial size=3>“What are human beings?” (from Psalm 8)<SPAN style="mso-spacerun: yes">&nbsp; </SPAN>“Who are <U>you</U>?”<SPAN style="mso-spacerun: yes">&nbsp; </SPAN>(from Job 38).<SPAN style="mso-spacerun: yes">&nbsp; </SPAN>A song of praise.<SPAN style="mso-spacerun: yes">&nbsp; </SPAN>A rebuke of arrogance.<SPAN style="mso-spacerun: yes">&nbsp; </SPAN>Today these texts lie side by side.<SPAN style="mso-spacerun: yes">&nbsp; </SPAN>Psalm 8 marvels at God’s creation, particularly God’s creation of human beings and of the role of human’s as just a little lower than God.<SPAN style="mso-spacerun:
 yes">&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp; </SPAN>While the text from Job expresses God’s anger with a human who questions God’s wisdom. <SPAN style="mso-spacerun: yes">&nbsp;&nbsp;</SPAN>And I cannot help think, “Isn’t this a tension every human experiences?”</FONT></DIV>  <DIV class=MsoNormal style="MARGIN: 0in 0in 10pt"><FONT face=arial size=3>God has gifted us wonderfully, with intelligence to understand and abilities to affect so much of what happens in our lives.<SPAN style="mso-spacerun: yes">&nbsp; </SPAN>It is so easy to forget that we are yet “lower than God.” </FONT></DIV>  <DIV class=MsoNormal style="MARGIN: 0in 0in 10pt"><FONT face=arial size=3>I will never forget the lesson I learned when Melissa was born.<SPAN style="mso-spacerun: yes">&nbsp; </SPAN>She was so sick, but for several days, I did not comprehend that she might die.<SPAN style="mso-spacerun: yes">&nbsp; </SPAN>I fully expected the experts (doctors) to fix her.<SPAN style="mso-spacerun: yes">&nbsp; </SPAN>My
 expectations changed gradually.<SPAN style="mso-spacerun: yes">&nbsp; </SPAN>One day I saw two grieving parents in the hallway just after their baby had died.<SPAN style="mso-spacerun: yes">&nbsp; </SPAN>Without a word, nor even a glance between us, I witnessed their anguish.<SPAN style="mso-spacerun: yes">&nbsp; </SPAN>Then came the day when I was chased from Melissa’s side because she had stopped breathing.<SPAN style="mso-spacerun: yes">&nbsp; </SPAN>I could only watch through a window and cry as they worked to resuscitate her.<SPAN style="mso-spacerun: yes">&nbsp; </SPAN>I realized then that she might not survive. <SPAN style="mso-spacerun: yes">&nbsp;</SPAN>And it was that night that I prayed, “God, I want my daughter to live, but whether she lives or dies she is yours.<SPAN style="mso-spacerun: yes">&nbsp; </SPAN>And God, whether she lives or dies, I will be faithful to you.”</FONT></DIV><SPAN style="FONT-SIZE: 11pt; LINE-HEIGHT: 115%; FONT-FAMILY:
 'Calibri','sans-serif'; mso-fareast-font-family: Calibri; mso-bidi-font-family: 'Times New Roman'; mso-ansi-language: EN-US; mso-fareast-language: EN-US; mso-bidi-language: AR-SA"><FONT face=arial size=3>This experience changed me and changed my life.<SPAN style="mso-spacerun: yes">&nbsp; </SPAN>Among other things, it caused me to recognize the frailty of human life and our limitations.<SPAN style="mso-spacerun: yes">&nbsp; </SPAN>And, this experience taught me to trust God.<SPAN style="mso-spacerun: yes">&nbsp; </SPAN>As the Psalmist writes, “What are human beings that you are mindful of them, mortals that you care for them?”<SPAN style="mso-spacerun: yes">&nbsp; </SPAN>It is truly amazing to me that God is mindful and caring of us.<SPAN style="mso-spacerun: yes">&nbsp; </SPAN>But then, we are God’s own creation, wonderfully made in God’s image.</FONT></SPAN> 
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