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Bible Readings for Monday, June 13th, 2011 – The Week of Pentecost *Click on each bible passage to expand the text. Psalm 104:24-35 24. O LORD, how manifold are your works! In wisdom you have made them all; the earth is full of your creatures.

25. Yonder is the sea, great and wide, creeping things innumerable are there, living things both small and great.

26. There go the ships, and Leviathan that you formed to sport in it.

27. These all look to you to give them their food in due season;

28. when you give to them, they gather it up; when you open your hand, they are filled with good things.

29. When you hide your face, they are dismayed; when you take away their breath, they die and return to their dust.

30. When you send forth your spirit, they are created; and you renew the face of the ground.

31. May the glory of the LORD endure forever; may the LORD rejoice in his works–

32. who looks on the earth and it trembles, who touches the mountains and they smoke.

33. I will sing to the LORD as long as I live; I will sing praise to my God while I have being.

34. May my meditation be pleasing to him, for I rejoice in the LORD.

35. Let sinners be consumed from the earth, and let the wicked be no more. Bless the LORD, O my soul. Praise the LORD! Joel 2:18-29 18. Then the LORD became jealous for his land, and had pity on his people.

19. In response to his people the LORD said: I am sending you grain, wine, and oil, and you will be satisfied; and I will no more make you a mockery among the nations.

20. I will remove the northern army far from you, and drive it into a parched and desolate land, its front into the eastern sea, and its rear into the western sea; its stench and foul smell will rise up. Surely he has done great things!

21. Do not fear, O soil; be glad and rejoice, for the LORD has done great things!

22. Do not fear, you animals of the field, for the pastures of the wilderness are green; the tree bears its fruit, the fig tree and vine give their full yield.

23. O children of Zion, be glad and rejoice in the LORD your God; for he has given the early rain for your vindication, he has poured down for you abundant rain, the early and the later rain, as before.

24. The threshing floors shall be full of grain, the vats shall overflow with wine and oil.

25. I will repay you for the years that the swarming locust has eaten, the hopper, the destroyer, and the cutter, my great army, which I sent against you.

26. You shall eat in plenty and be satisfied, and praise the name of the LORD your God, who has dealt wondrously with you. And my people shall never again be put to shame.

27. You shall know that I am in the midst of Israel, and that I, the LORD, am your God and there is no other. And my people shall never again be put to shame.

28. Then afterward I will pour out my spirit on all flesh; your sons and your daughters shall prophesy, your old men shall dream dreams, and your young men shall see visions.

29. Even on the male and female slaves, in those days, I will pour out my spirit. Romans 8:18-24 18. I consider that the sufferings of this present time are not worth comparing with the glory about to be revealed to us.

19. For the creation waits with eager longing for the revealing of the children of God;

20. for the creation was subjected to futility, not of its own will but by the will of the one who subjected it, in hope

21. that the creation itself will be set free from its bondage to decay and will obtain the freedom of the glory of the children of God.

22. We know that the whole creation has been groaning in labor pains until now;

23. and not only the creation, but we ourselves, who have the first fruits of the Spirit, groan inwardly while we wait for adoption, the redemption of our bodies.

24. For in hope we were saved. Now hope that is seen is not hope. For who hopes for what is seen?

When you send forth your spirit, they are created; and you renew the face of the ground. – Psalm 104:30

Then afterward I will pour out my spirit on all flesh; your sons and your daughters shall prophesy, your old men shall dream dreams, and your young men shall see visions. Even on the male and female slaves, in those days, I will pour out my spirit. – Joel 2:28-29

For the creation waits with eager longing for the revealing of the children of God; – Romans 8:19

Creation Waits For The Children of God!

Romans 8 19. For the creation waits with eager longing for the revealing of the children of God;

What’s so special about these “Children of God”?

Some might say, “But, Trig, you’ve been arguing that we are all God’s children, whether slave or free, Christian or Muslim, man or woman or child… aren’t we already here? Why is creation ‘waiting’?”

Creation is waiting on the children of God because we do not yet act like Children of God.

The former is to “be” children of God. Like Prince William of Britain is Prince Charles’ son.

The latter is to “become” Children of God: a title, a role, a destiny, and a responsibility. Like Prince William will some day become King of Britain.

We are born into the reality of being a child of God, but we must grow and transform ourselves into a Child of God.

Only through God’s Breath and Word can we adopt within ourselves God’s spirit as our own.

The Christ within.

Only when enough of humanity starts to act like Children of God, loving God and each other as they would love themselves, selfless and humble, will the Earth find peace.

The Kingdom of God on Earth as it is in Heaven.

Creation, not Heaven Waits

Anyone else notice that it is not Heaven that waits for the Children of God?

It’s creation that waits. This world, this Earth, the present.

Romans 8 20. for the creation was subjected to futility, not of its own will but by the will of the one who subjected it, in hope

21. that the creation itself will be set free from its bondage to decay and will obtain the freedom of the glory of the Children of God.

Futility By Design

God willed that creation, the Law, society, human nature, and even life would be “futile”.

The Law cannot be accomplished of our own human volition.

Society always decays under the weight of empire and greed.

Human nature always succumbs to the evil fruits of fear and hate. (“Freedom Fries”, anyone?)

The curtain of life is drawn into the final act of death for every living creature. Death is the ultimate futility.

Why did God will all of this to be futile?

Why does a wise parent allow their young child to eventually make all their own mistakes?

So the child can learn.

And no lesson carries such bittersweet meaning as one learned under the unfortunate category of self-consequence.

If God has created everything to be perfect, then we would never learn…

… that the ways of man are futile and full of trouble.

… that life is fleeting and we must take nothing for granted.

… that compassion is priceless.

… that we can’t live up to God’s standards and we all need Grace, so that none may boast.

… that we are all Children of God.

The Labor Pains of Existence

Romans 8 22. We know that the whole creation has been groaning in labor pains until now;

23. and not only the creation, but we ourselves, who have the first fruits of the Spirit, groan inwardly while we wait for adoption, the redemption of our bodies.

War.

Famine.

Greed.

Strife.

Hate.

Fear.

These are the unfortunate “labor pains” of the Kingdom. Like human birth itself, we must experience tremendous pain and suffering to produce something incredible. And like a strong young mother, we will learn to use the pain to inspire is, to give us strength and passion, and bear down to propel The Kingdom forward.

To God’s children, the Soldiers who have seen war: bear down and employ your tremendous loyalty, will and spirit to fight only for peace from now on.

To God’s children, the hungry who have felt the ravages of famine: bear down and teach the rest of us gratitude for what we have.

To God’s children, the rich who have tasted greed: bear down and spread aid and compassion.

To God’s children, the couples and families that have sown strife: bear down and sow harmony for each family is like a Kingdom experiment. Can we replace the “me” with “we”?

To God’s children, the bigots who have shown hate: bear down and be a light for love to others.

To us all who know the paralysis of fear: bear down and cast off fear for God loves you and by Grace we are all saved from death. Replace fear with hope.

Stop living for you, and start living for The Kingdom.

It’s Not Here Yet

Romans 8 24. For in hope we were saved. Now hope that is seen is not hope. For who hopes for what is seen?

For who hopes in what is seen, today?

If I said, “Look the Kingdom is here!”, all of you would look around and say, “Huh?”, because our world today doesn’t look much like the Kingdom.

We still see the labor pains.

We must hope in what is not seen today.

So we must hope in something new and better, and in working toward bringing that hope to fruition, we will save all of creation.

If we don’t, there won’t be any creation left to save.