Brothers, my heart’s desire and prayer to God for (nation) Israel is that they may be saved. For I bear them witness that they have a zeal for God, but not according to knowledge. For, being ignorant of the righteousness of God, and seeking to establish their own, they did not submit to God’s righteousness. For Christ is the end of the law for righteousness to everyone who believes.
(Romans 10:1-4)
God of Righteousness:
This text reminds me of Sir Christopher Wren,
the great architect of St. Paul's London,
who was commissioned to build
the Guild Hall in Windsor.
Ever innovating, he designed a larger space
than the land afforded
by extending the main room over the sidewalk below.
When seen from outside the portico seemed to float,
there being only two pillars for support
of the ceiling.
Town fathers protested that surely the roof would collapse
without more pillars underneath.
Wren reclutantly agreed but with one caveat:
he would supply additional pillars
but they would not quite touch the roof,
leaving a quarter inch of air.
"That way," said the architect,
"if you are right and the roof does not hold
no damage is done; and if I am right, and
my design is sufficient,
you will be forever seen as amateuers."
To this day, hundreds of years after
his peers demanded piers,
the roof still floats one quarter inch
above those worthless pillars.
And so it is with our faith.
We acknowledge, Lord, that You and only You have built our house,
that our righteousness is only by the merit of Your Son.
But along come those who would make our sanctification
rest on pillars of our own sufficiency.
A pillar of private prayer time, a brace of legalism,
a column of stewardship,
a monolith of fasting,
a shaft of tradition --
devotion here holds up our end of the covenant,
they say.
Helpful though these may be,
they add nothing to the sufficiency of Christ
to save, to keep, and to satisfy.
Forgive us for the pretensions of piety,
the ways we religious folk
strive with such zeal as Israel of old
to concoct tools and totems of our own righteousness,
fearing the faith on which we stand
may give way without some effort on our part.
Give us the righteousness of Christ.
Let this be our only goal
as we strive to gain His everlasting approbation.
Amen.
+++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++
For Moses writes about the righteousness that is based on the law, that the person who does the commandments shall live by them. But the righteousness based on faith says,"Do not say in your heart, 'Who will ascend into heaven?'" (that is, to bring Christ down) or "'Who will descend into the abyss?'" (that is, to bring Christ up from the dead). But what does it say? "The word is near you, in your mouth and in your heart" (that is, the word of faith that we proclaim); because, if you confess with your mouth that Jesus is Lord and believe in your heart that God raised him from the dead, you will be saved. (Romans 10:5-9)
Righteous Father:
How can we Texans, we Bible-belters,
ever hear "word of faith" and not reflexively
think of Tilton and Copeland and the rest
of the "Name it and claim it" hucksters.
The "word" of faith,
is not a human work of self-righteous greed
by which we trigger Your riches.
That precious Rhema is the Gospel truth
that Jesus has done all the doing,
that I need not rely on the emotional high
to ascend to heaven,
nor by my devotion to holy motion
descend into such abasement
as to merit God's favor.
You, Holy Father, sent Your only Son;
You, Righteous God, raised Him from the dead.
You did the impossible.
There is nothing left for me to do
but confess your prefect goodness
and believe, trust, completely rely upon
the finished work of the resurrected Jesus.
Mouth and heart,
declaration and dedication,
witness and will.
My confession, my belief, are NOT the trigger of grace,
but the target of your election,
the result of the nearness of your Word.
Save us from the temptation that we can earn points with You,
that by some merit of our own
we might please You.
Help us seek only the fullness of Christ;
we disavow any teaching, any Rhema,
by which we might come to You
on any terms but those of Christ Jesus.
Remind us that for Paul and those Roman Christians
saying "Jesus is Lord" was not a simple praise ditty,
but an act of civil disobedience,
a thumb in the face of the Emporer
and all his pretentions to divinity.
Heaar this Republicans, hear this Democrats,
hear the good news libertarians and anarchists!
Jesus is the only Lord,
the only King, the fount of all Authority
and to Whom all earthly Lords
and spirit powers will
bend the knee in adoration.
Blessed be King Jesus!
That is our Rhema,
our confession and our belief.
Amen.
++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++
Great and Loving God:
What a wonderful promise -- that trusting you will never bring us up short.
We will never be disappointed that you called us to yourself.
We will never regret the grace that has justified and sanctifies us
in the new life in Jesus.
The world does not know You and looks on us now
as misguided and superstitious.
Your Word warns us that we may soon become hated
and persecuted because we will not bow the knee
to cultural elites, imbued with the spirit of conformity.
We pray for those undergoing persecution now
because of their testimony for Jesus;
especially for Zofar in far-away India,
that he will not be put to shame,
that he will not be disappointed.
We pray for those of our number who need healing
that they will not despair of You
though their condition worsen.
Let them not be put to shame.
Let them continue to call on the name of Jesus
for saving
and salving
and salvaging
what this world, the flesh, and the Devil
have savaged.
Richly bless the Guambiano people and the Proclaimers of the Gospel,
that they will not be threatened by gun-totting thugs,
nor disappointed in their pleadings to Heaven
for peace and justice.
We call upon Your name, Lord God,
the name above every name,
the only name given under Heaven
by which we may be rescued from the spirit of this godless age,
the name of Jesus.
Amen.
++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++
For (as Scripture says)"everyone who calls on the name of the Lord will be saved." But how then will they call on him in whom they have not believed? And how are they to believe in him of whom they have never heard? And how are they to hear without someone preaching? And how are they to preach unless they are sent? As it is written, "How beautiful are the feet of those who preach the good news!" (Romans 10:13-15)
Holy and Righteous Father:
Whether Jew or Gentile, those whom You call to Yourself
are saved only in the name of Jesus.
How simple and succinct You have made our rescue
from the ravages of sin.
But today's Word clarifies the role You have for us who,
having heard Your call, trust in Your promise.
You spoke through Paul -- how can someone come to a completed faith
without knowing who Jesus is?
And how will they know who Jesus is, without someone preaching.
Now preaching is not a good thing in my culture, Lord.
No one wants to hear someone who is preachy.
Perhaps we should recover the meaning of the original word --
kerygma, proclamation, declaration.
And there's something else we've misunderstood --
it doesn't stop with a preacher,
the announcement requires being sent.
We've been told we should invite people to church
to hear someone else do the preaching,
but then You go an upset the apple cart again!
You desire the Gospel proclaimed by each believer
You send into Your world every day.
Wait -- there's that myth that we don't have to say anything,
we can witness by the way we live.
But that's only half true -- salvation does demand the declaration
of the Gospel biography of Jesus.
Our witness is as much sacrament as bread and cup,
a means of Grace,
the offer of new life in Jesus.
We bless you for saving us,
and now we know:
it's not just for a happy afterlife!
We live to be Word proclaimers,
bearers of this precious treasure,
to be the link between Heaven and earth in Your effectual call.
Like that engineer, Vidian, who was overseeing the broadcast
of a radio speech by King George V in 1930.
Someone tripped on a wire and cut the connection to the world.
But Vidian picked up the severed cable in each hand
and completed the circuit,
in great pain held on to get the message out.
So may it be with us, that we would pick up the cross,
and by its pain complete the connection
of Your Grace to those within our sphere of influence
and beyond.
Make us gracious ambassadors, O God.
Give us a Word as you promised
that we may fulfill Your will to send us,
now that You have made beautiful
feet that rush to serve You.
Amen.
++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++
As it is written, "How beautiful are the feet of those who preach the good news!" But they have not all obeyed the gospel. For Isaiah says, "Lord, who has believed what he has heard from us?" So faith comes from hearing, and hearing through the word of Christ.
But I ask, have they not heard? Indeed they have, for
"Their voice has gone out to all the earth,
and their words to the ends of the world."
But I ask, did Israel not understand? First Moses says,
"I will make you jealous of those who are not a nation;
with a foolish nation I will make you angry."
Then Isaiah is so bold as to say,
"I have been found by those who did not seek me;
I have shown myself to those who did not ask for me."
But of Israel he says, "All day long I have held out my hands to a disobedient and contrary people." (Romans 10:15-21)
Almighty God:
Reading this text gives us some idea of what it would have been like
to attend a Bible study conducted by the Apostle Paul.
Every affirmation is backed up with Scripture,
Scripture that was clearly either overlooked or purposely
ignored by those to Whom Your Word first was spoken.
What an awful thing to have your Holy Word
and to ignore it,
or too add to it
or take away from it.
Your plan was right there,
plain as day in the ancient scrolls,
spoken by Moses and the prophets.
We are all guilty of liking some texts more than others,
quoting some passages more than others,
of having our canon within the canon,
believing some texts more credible than others.
But Your Word is Holy,
Your Law perfect.
Help us to bear witness to the whole Scripture
and not just the parts that minister to our own needs,
not just the texts that fit with our tradition,
the whole Truth and nothing but the Truth.
Rescue us from the Holy Clutches of Our Preconceived Ideas.
Wash us in the water of Your Word.
Guide us by the same Spirit that inspired prophets and apostles
to completely trust in Jesus,
to walk by faith,
to read, mark, and inwardly digest
from a mind renewed and enlightened
and conformed completely to Your perfect will.
Amen.
