Offer to God a sacrifice of thanksgiving
[PSALM 50:14-15]
and make good your vows to the Most High.
Call upon me in the day of trouble;
I will deliver you, and you shall honor me.”
| ADVENT DAILY OFFICE READINGS |
|---|
| AM Psalm 50; PM Psalm [59, 60] or 33 Zech. 4:1-14; Rev. 4:9-5:5; Matt. 25:1-13 |
Imagine if God were human like us.
God would have plenty to be upset about. It would be terrifying to think what God’s punishment would be for our shortcomings.
The religious practices of the ancient Israelites were rather transactional in nature. One would make a mistake, and atone for it by offering a sacrifice, usually a burnt offering of some sort.
The problem with this practice is that nothing really changed. The sacrifice had about the same effect as paying a fine for a parking violation in this day and age. We pay but we continue to park without feeding the meter; or at least, to put as little as possible and hope to be back before time expires. Our sinful human nature is always trying to game the system.
God wants more.
We could never hope to repay God for all that God has done for us.
All that we are, and all that we have, comes from God.
Simply put, God desires gratitude.
The author of Psalm 50 imagines God’s reaction to our faithlessness. It’s as if the author is saying, “Here is what God would say…”
This is one of those psalms that has more impact when paraphrased, for instance, as Eugene Peterson has done in The Message.
This is God, your God,
speaking to you.
I don’t find fault with your acts of worship,
the frequent burnt sacrifices you offer.
But why should I want your blue-ribbon bull,
or more and more goats from your herds?
Every creature in the forest is mine,
the wild animals on all the mountains.
I know every mountain bird by name;
the scampering field mice are my friends.
If I get hungry, do you think I’d tell you?
All creation and its bounty are mine.(vv. 7-12)
No, what God desires is obedience.
When God made a Covenant with Israel, all God asked was that the people keep the Law, the Torah.
The primary requirement, of course, is to love God, and love your neighbor. Everything else flows from those two commandments.
Today, both the Lutheran and the Episcopal traditions in which I worship have similar Baptismal Covenants that spell out for us the life of love that we share with Christ and with each other in Christ’s name.
| LUTHERAN | EPISCOPAL |
|---|---|
| Do you intend to continue in the covenant God made with you in holy baptism: +live among God’s faithful people; hear the word of God and share in the Lord’s Supper; +proclaim the good news of God in Christ through word and deed; +serve all people following the example of Jesus; +and strive for justice and peace in all the earth? Response: We do, and ask God to help and guide us. | Will you: +continue in the apostles’ teaching and fellowship, in the breaking of bread, and in the prayers? +persevere in resisting evil, and, whenever you fall into sin, repent and return to the Lord? +proclaim by word and example the Good News of God in Christ? +seek and serve Christ in all persons, loving your neighbor as yourself? +strive for justice and peace among all people, and respect the dignity of every human being? People: I will, with God’s help. |
At this point it is important to point out that we do not serve a punishing God, but rather, a God of grace, who forgives our sins. A God who still loves us even when we do not follow these covenants to the letter, or follow them at all. A God who still beckons us to call on Him when we are in trouble, even though we forget him when we’re doing well.
Our lives matter to God. Our witness matters to God. And living out our baptismal covenant is our witness that, as children of God, we share in God’s mission to love and bless the world.
Let us pray:
All praise and thanks to you, most merciful Father, for adopting us as your own children, for incorporating us into your holy Church, and for making us worthy to share in the inheritance of the saints in light; through Jesus Christ your Son our Lord, who lives and reigns with you and the Holy Spirit, one God, for ever and ever. Amen.
(Book of Common Prayer, p. 311)
*The Psalter in the Book of Common Prayer breaks up the verses into shorter segments for music and chanting purposes.
Walking Together in Faith 