David Bahn – Reflections

David Bahn-Reflections Podcast

Psalm 14

The fool says in his heart, “There is no God.”
They are corrupt, they do abominable deeds;
there is none who does good.

² The LORD looks down from heaven on the children of man,
to see if there are any who understand,
who seek after God.

³ They have all turned aside; together they have become corrupt;
there is none who does good,
not even one.

⁴ Have they no knowledge, all the evildoers
who eat up my people as they eat bread
and do not call upon the LORD?

⁵ There they are in great terror,
for God is with the generation of the righteous.
⁶ You would shame the plans of the poor,
but the LORD is his refuge.

⁷ Oh, that salvation for Israel would come out of Zion!
When the LORD restores the fortunes of his people,
let Jacob rejoice, let Israel be glad.

Based on the words and thoughts of this psalm, I offer this rephrasing of this beautiful litany.

Refrain (Sung by all after each verse.)

God of mercy, hold us in love.

Leader:

• In peace, in peace we pray to you:
• Awaken in us a new sense of your wisdom:
• Fill cold, hardened hearts with humility’s kindness:
• Bring goodness and kindness from all the repentant:
• Redeem and restore those who have turned from your pathways:
• Move hearts, hands, and voices to feed and bring comfort:
• Receive hurting people who cry for salvation:
• Send healing and hope to our loved ones who suffer:
• Restore joy to all who rely on your favor:
• Grant peace, hope, and gladness to all your belov-ed:
• Help us, comfort us, all of our days:

All: Keep us, hold us, gracious God.

Leader:

Great and merciful God, Source and Ground of all goodness and life, give to your people the peace that passes all understanding, and the will to live you Gospel of mercy and justice, through Jesus Christ our Lord.

All: Amen

These thoughts spring from an awareness of some dear people’s struggles and need for God’s mercy and favor in the face of loved-ones’ needs for physical healing, and their own peace of heart and mind. Thinking especially of Elise and Grayson, whose grandparents are good friends of ours. God of mercy hold us in love! Amen.

Holden Evening Prayer: Litany & Prayer

Refrain (Sung by all after each verse.)

God of mercy, hold us in love.

Leader: 1. In peace, in peace we pray to you:

2. For peace and salvation, we pray to you:

3. For peace between nations, peace between peoples:

4. For we who are gathered to worship and praise you:

5. For all of your servants who live out your gospel:

6. For all those who govern that justice might guide them:

7. For all those who labor in service to others:

8. Grant weather that nourishes all of creation:

9. Keep watch on our loved ones and keep us from danger:

10: For all the beloved who rest in your mercy:

Help us, comfort us, all of our days:

All: Keep us, hold us, gracious God.

Leader: Great and merciful God, Source and Ground of all goodness and life, give to your people the peace that passes all understanding, and the will to live you Gospel of mercy and justice, through Jesus Christ our Lord.

All: Amen

They don’t care. I can do almost anything. This was actually the comment of a young boy many years ago in a confirmation class I was teaching. He was bragging to his friends about watching a certain movie and his parents being cool with the idea. I wonder whether he realizes theirs might have been a lack of love. They don’t care can be as much a negative as a get-out-of-jail-free card. 

One of my favorite jokes I heard first told by the late Dr. Oswald Hoffmann, speaker of The Lutheran Hour. The punchline has to do with the answer to the question, “Did you or did you not say at the time of the accident, ‘I’m fine. I’m just fine!’?” If you’re really interested in the joke itself, you can read it below. The joke conveys a message: context is everything.

I like to teach this truth by asking people to read the 7th, 8th, 9th, and 10th words of Psalm 14. If you do, you’ll say, “There is no God.” That is decidedly not what this psalm is telling us. We are to understand that is the conclusion of fools. Only fools deny the existence of God. But look closer. Not only does he say it outwardly – publicly and opening denying the existence of God – he says it in his heart.

That means there is no fear of God in the decisions he makes, the thoughts he entertains, or the words he speaks. It means she doesn’t give a second thought to her careless gossip, the envy she clings to, or the resentful refusal to forgive she harbors. Her world is godless. His future is judgment free. They live in a godless world. That’s their context. And context is everything.

Such is our world today. And in truth this is nothing new. Throughout time men and women have said in their hearts, “There is no God. I can get away with this. I won’t be called to account. I can escape any consequence. I’ll decide for myself what is good and evil.” But it seems to me that we have taken a bold (and foolish!) step forward on this path in the recent decades. The predominant social conscience has rejected the idea that God created the heavens and the earth in favor of an evolutionary explanation of our existence.

With that rejection has come a complete redefinition of good and evil. The strong and powerful impose their will on the weak and vulnerable. Foolishly they think they will always get away with it. They don’t call on God in prayer – either in praise or supplication. They do abominable things.

But surely they must always look over their shoulders. There may be someone stronger than they. And, of course, there is irrefutable evidence of God’s glory in creation and his holiness in their consciences. We can hope that they will come to their senses and repent of their sins and believe in God. This is the daily activity of the wise. When we lose our heads and depart from the path of wisdom and life, we repent, return to our good and gracious God, and live in the context of his grace and truth.

The Joke:

Farmer Joe decided his injuries from the accident were serious enough to take the trucking company responsible for the accident to court. In court the trucking company’s fancy lawyer was questioning farmer Joe. “Didn’t you say, at the scene of the accident, ‘I’m fine,’” asked the lawyer.

Farmer Joe responded, “Well. I’ll tell you what happened. I had just loaded my best cow Bessie into the…”

“I didn’t ask for any details,” the lawyer interrupted, “just answer the question. Did you not say, at the scene of the accident, ‘I’m fine, I’m just fine!’”.

Farmer Joe said, “Well, I had just got Bessie into the trailer and I was driving down the road…”

The lawyer interrupted again and said, “Judge, I am trying to establish the fact that, at the scene of the accident, this man told the Police officer on the scene that he was fine. Now several weeks after the accident he is trying to sue my client. I believe he is a fraud. Please tell him to simply answer the question.”

Please pray these psalms with me today as we begin a New Year.

Psalm 8

Psalm 8

I’ve been fighting an upper-respiratory infection for the past three days. I’ve done a lot of sleeping, praying, coughing, “resting,” and yearning for relief. I’ve prayed in Jesus’ name for relief. It is my only source of confidence. No amount of personal pain or misery can avail before God. No amount of groveling moves his heart. No amount of personal piety captures his attention. But Jesus: That’s a different story. There are plenty of people who have it much more difficult than I. Many more who struggle with grave illnesses. Many who are likely more pious than I. But our confidence lies outside of ourselves. And Jesus has the name above all names. He promises that’s when we ask in his name God will hear us. He promises that in Jesus’ name answered prayers yield complete joy.

So you’ll excuse the brevity of this post, and call on God in Jesus’ name for me and all who are ill. His name is majestic. He is the embodiment of grace and truth. No matter the circumstances, Jesus’ name avails.  O LORD, our LORD, how majestic is your name in all the earth!

Psalm 8

Maybe you do it monthly. Some do it weekly. Some not at all. But it is good to take an accounting of your assets on a regular basis. That includes your financial assets (least important), intellectual assets (the intelligence and mental wherewithal that God has given you), physical assets (your health, and ability to use your body for God’s purposes – which includes the time at your disposal), relational assets (people in your realm of influence on whom you can count for help or leverage for good), and spiritual assets (the wisdom, faith, power, and authority God gives his children over every kind of evil). These Five Capitals are assets we have to invest for the sake of God’s kingdom and which we may use for his glory.

David mentions some of these here in this psalm.

Yet you have made him a little lower than the heavenly beings
    and crowned him with glory and honor.
⁶ You have given him dominion over the works of your hands;
    you have put all things under his feet,
⁷ all sheep and oxen,
    and also the beasts of the field,
⁸ the birds of the heavens, and the fish of the sea,
    whatever passes along the paths of the seas. -Psalm 8:5-8.

God has given us these as a trust. We have these things not just for our own benefit, but for the benefit of the whole world itself. God has entrusted these to us for his glory and our good. We are to use them in ways that honor him, and reflect his love to others. And while we often think of things entrusted to us in terms of financial wealth, that is only part of the story.

As we do take an account of all these blessings, it should lead us further to praise God, to acknowledge him as the giver of every good and perfect gift, and to praise him in humble wonder for the trust he has placed in us.

We often think about the wisdom of trusting in God above all things. Here we might stop and ponder how God has trusted us with all these things. Would our use of our assets cause people to praise God, the LORD, whose name is majestic in all the earth? Surely it should.

Psalm 8

We were on a road trip to Colorado. We had turned north to connect with Interstate 25, and our son who had been driving decided he wanted a break. He pulled off the road onto the shoulder and got out. “Everyone out of the car!” He was emphatic. No argument. We wondered what was up. “Look up! Isn’t it amazing?!” It was amazing. The display of the starry hosts was absolutely  stunning. It wasn’t so much like seeing the Milky Way Galaxy. But there were so many stars. The cold night air without the interference of light pollution yielded an unrivaled view of the heavens.

Psalm 19 says, “The heavens declare the glory of God, the skies proclaim the work of his hands.” Psalm 8 says,

When I look at your heavens, the work of your fingers,
    the moon and the stars, which you have set in place,
⁴ what is man that you are mindful of him,
    and the son of man that you care for him?

When is the last time you’ve marveled at the expanse of the heavens? And when you do, is it the same for you? Do you marvel at the fact that God is mindful of man? Does it touch your heart to know that in the vastness of the universe, God has a heart for you? Does it give you pause to remember that Jesus said,

Are not two sparrows sold for a penny? And not one of them will fall to the ground apart from your Father. ³⁰ But even the hairs of your head are all numbered.³¹ Fear not, therefore; you are of more value than many sparrows. – Matthew 10:29-31

This psalm is about the excellence of God’s name. It is connected with our relative insignificance in the face of the glorious heavenly display of stars, planets, and moon. God is greater than the glory of the heavens. He is also compassionate and caring of women and men. He is truly glorious. Grand. Splendid. Majestic.

We are watching The Star of Bethlehem DVD with our family tonight. It’s about the study of the night skies around the time of Jesus’ birth. Rick Larson has done extensive research on the astronomical realities of the star seen by the wise men. This is yet another facet of the majesty of God – wishing all to know of his Son’s birth. Getting the attention of people from far away, and bringing them to worship the newborn king. They worship him because he is glorious. We believe in him because we know he is also gracious and good. Like no one else.

O LORD, our LORD, how excellent is your name in all the earth! All creation sings his praise. Can we even possibly not join the song?

David Bahn-Reflections Podcast

Psalm 8

O LORD, our LORD,
    how majestic is your name in all the earth!
You have set your glory above the heavens.
²     Out of the mouth of babies and infants,
you have established strength because of your foes,
    to still the enemy and the avenger.

³ When I look at your heavens, the work of your fingers,
    the moon and the stars, which you have set in place,
⁴ what is man that you are mindful of him,
    and the son of man that you care for him?

⁵ Yet you have made him a little lower than the heavenly beings
    and crowned him with glory and honor.
⁶ You have given him dominion over the works of your hands;
    you have put all things under his feet,
⁷ all sheep and oxen,
    and also the beasts of the field,
⁸ the birds of the heavens, and the fish of the sea,
    whatever passes along the paths of the seas.

⁹ O LORD, our LORD,
    how majestic is your name in all the earth!

Jesus says that it is easier for a camel to go through the eye of a needle than for a rich man to enter heaven. He also said that with God all things are possible. That means there is hope for you and me. We are all so rich by the world’s standards. But all it takes is faith. Through faith in Jesus we are saved. How hard is that?

My favorite Martin Luther film has Jesus teaching his students in the Wittenberg university. He is teaching them that we are saved by faith, not by works. One of the students asks, “It’s all by faith? No works?” When Luther says yes, the student mumbles under his breath, “It can’t be that easy.” Luther says, “You think faith is easy?”

Faith isn’t just difficult. It is impossible apart from the influence and power of the Holy Spirit. In fact, “No one can say, ‘Jesus is Lord,’ except by the power of the Holy Spirit (1 Corinthians 12:3). So comes the issue of faith in an infant. And how can it be that from the mouth of infants and babies God has ordained praise?

On a purely human level, in my opinion, it is easier for a baby to believe than it is for an adult to believe. We adults have had the secret decoder rings promised on the cereal box turn out to be far less cool than we thought. We’ve learned to read the fine print. The commercials don’t fool us. We are the wiser ones. Little children, on the other hand have yet to learn these hard lessons. They’ll believe anything.

Except faith is not just belief. It is also trust, and love. And that move in the heart is a miracle of the Holy Spirit that moves us to praise him. When God’s Holy Spirit comes to us, and does his work, people are set free. Sins are forgiven. Joy is born. Peace prevails. Praise ensues.

Who alone does this good work in us? Only God, Father, Son, and Holy Spirit – in whose name we are baptized. And in that moment, God puts his name on us. We are his. O LORD, our LORD, how majestic is your name in all the earth! We and babies and infants sing your praise.

David Bahn-Reflections Podcast

Psalm 8

O LORD, our LORD,
    how majestic is your name in all the earth!
You have set your glory above the heavens.
²     Out of the mouth of babies and infants,
you have established strength because of your foes,
    to still the enemy and the avenger.

³ When I look at your heavens, the work of your fingers,
    the moon and the stars, which you have set in place,
⁴ what is man that you are mindful of him,
    and the son of man that you care for him?

⁵ Yet you have made him a little lower than the heavenly beings
    and crowned him with glory and honor.
⁶ You have given him dominion over the works of your hands;
    you have put all things under his feet,
⁷ all sheep and oxen,
    and also the beasts of the field,
⁸ the birds of the heavens, and the fish of the sea,
    whatever passes along the paths of the seas.

⁹ O LORD, our LORD,
    how majestic is your name in all the earth!

I thought I was prepared. I had name tags and markers. I had a list with many names. All with the meanings attached. But the list proved to be not just unhelpful, but irrelevant. I wanted to ask the children their names and then tell them what their names meant. But their names were all very different. Foreign. African. I had to ask each one to spell her name. Beautiful, but mysterious to me. Not mysterious, but beautiful to God.

So I shared with the children yesterday morning that God knows each of their names. And that he has called them by name. And that he has put his name on them in their baptism. And that he loves them. And they are each special to him. They are part of his family. Then we prayed…in Jesus’ name.

Sunday, January 1, 2023 is celebrated in most Christian churches as the Circumcision and Name of Jesus. Jesus: the name means, “The Lord Saves.” Jesus, name above all names. Jesus of Nazareth: Savior and Lord. And here we have the this beautiful psalm. And its refrain, “O LORD, our LORD, how majestic is your name in all the earth!”

When it is spelled with all caps, it stands for the holy sacred name of God, “Yahweh” (יהוה). It’s the name God gave to Moses when he called Moses, speaking to him through a burning bush (cf. Exodus 3:1-15). It was considered so sacred that the Jewish rabbis and lectors would substitute “Adoni” in place of “Yahweh” when they came to that in the texts of the Old Testament.

This name, LORD, is majestic and holy. So profound that scholars and rabbis have studied it and his works for millenia. Yet it is so accessible that a child can speak it in great power. It puts substance behind our faith. It is more majestic than the highest heavens, yet comes to the most humble of needy in grace and mercy. It instills fear and inspires love in the hearts of all kinds of people, young and old, rich and poor, mighty and weak, religious and those who do not think of themselves so.

God has further revealed his name to be Father, Son, and Holy Spirit. And the name Jesus, most especially, is the name above all names. At the name of Jesus every knee will bow in heaven and on earth and under the earth and proclaim, “Jesus Christ is Lord,” to the glory of the Father, and by the power of the Holy Spirit. Most excellent!