A Few Random Thoughts

A few thoughts...

(1) The psalms today were really sad, full of lamentations. I personally experienced this feeling earlier this year:

⁹Even my best friend, whom I trusted, *
who broke bread with me,
has lifted up his heel and turned against me.

Then more:

Yet you have rejected us and abased us, *
and have not gone out with our armies.
¹⁰You made us turn back from the foe, *
and our enemies have taken spoil for themselves.
¹¹You have made us like sheep for slaughter, *
and have scattered us among the nations.
¹²You have sold your people for a trifle, *
demanding no high price for them.

¹³You have made us the taunt of our neighbours, *
the derision and scorn of those around us.
¹⁴You have made us a byword among the nations, *
a laughing-stock among the peoples.
¹⁵All day long my disgrace is before me, *
and shame has covered my face
¹⁶at the words of the taunters and revilers, *
at the sight of the enemy and the avenger.

Powerful stuff. And painful.

(2) I only get to use my blue prayer cloth for a few more days, and then Advent is over and it goes back into the closet until December 2, 2007. That's sad, because I like it and because I like the season. But it's also good, because I love the turning wheels of the Kalendar and one only gives something up in order to gain something else.

(3) Just when the Psalms brought me to the point of despair, 2 Peter 1:11 (from this morning's Office) reminded me of God's promise. It concludes with a simple message about how to approach your own personal faith:

⁵For this very reason, you must make every effort to support your faith with goodness, and goodness with knowledge, ⁶and knowledge with self-control, and self-control with endurance, and endurance with godliness, ⁷and godliness with mutual affection, and mutual affection with love.

(4) I'm trying to live #3 above. I don't have anything more profound to say tonight than that.