Back in the summer of 2015 I traveled and visited all the county Courthouses in the county-seat towns of Kansas. There are 105 counties in Kansas, so this made for quite a jog. I was impressed with the older buildings that are built like temples. They are often prominently positioned in the center of town. Some of them have big clocks, statues on display, castle-like limestone exteriors, marble floors with pillars, and domed rooftops. They are magnificent historic buildings.
But not all of them are like that. I had the sense that back in the 1960s or so some community leaders started thinking: “Let’s tear down our historic old courthouse and replace it with a generic modern building. Wouldn’t that be a great idea?” That’s a bad idea. I’m one who laments the loss of the great old historic buildings. Some of the modern buildings are just plain ugly – though I did get a better perspective from a woman in my church. She said the newer buildings may not look as nice but they are a lot better to work in. It also struck me that there’s more religious decorum surrounding the judicial functions than any other part of our government. Besides all the temple features on the courthouses, judges typically wear black robes. Everyone rises when they enter the room. The judge sits in an elevated seat. No other branch has these kinds of features to the same degree. Even the President just wears a suit and tie. I thought of all this as I was studying Psalm 50:1-6, where God is introduced with this kind of grandeur: “Our God comes and does not keep silent; before him is a devouring fire and a mighty tempest all around him.” The psalm emphasizes divine judgment, and calls the people to renew their covenant with God. The references to the covenant vows in Psalm 50:5 and 50:16 hearken back to Exodus 24:3-8, where the people pledged to obey the divine commands brought down from Mount Sinai by Moses. Think of the times you have made your great formal commitments: marriage vows, membership vows in the church, boy scout pledges, an oath of office, etc. We all have made commitments like this. But all of us, if we’re honest, can also think of ways where we’ve compromised on these promises. This is where we need divine grace. Grace follows repentance, which comes through conviction given by the Holy Spirit. And while there’s divine judgment in the final sense – as in the time when we will all meet our maker (described in Matthew 25:31-46 and in Revelation 20:11-15) – there’s also divine judgment in the broad, everyday sense. We apply this to our lives all the time, and it’s not something to be scared of if you’re not afraid to let God shape your soul and chart your course. With this in mind, there are two problems that God judged in this psalm:
- Anne Lamott “The problem is, many of the people in need of saving are in churches, and at least part of what they need saving from is the idea that God sees the world the same way they do.” - Barbara Brown Taylor So in His judgment, God comes in part to clear His name. Many times we have prayed the Lord’s Prayer: “Hallowed be thy name.” Surely we know that God will answer this prayer. God is not defined by all the excesses that people tend to project onto Him. I think of how Jesus responded (in Luke 9:51-56) when two of His disciples wanted to call fire down from heaven on the Samaritan village that refused them hospitality. He rebuked them. Their anger was not God’s anger, and it was important for them to know the difference. God bless you. Andrew McHenry, Pastor - First Congregational Church of Oroville
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Andrew McHenryI am a husband, a Congregational pastor, and a native Kansan currently living in Thermalito, California. In the past I have also been a prison chaplain and a youth pastor. Interests include reading, railroads, prog rock, KU, and the KC Royals. Archives
March 2024
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