How many of you have seen
the movie Saving Private Ryan?
It’s
a war film set during the invasion of Normandy in World War II. The film is
about U.S. Army Ranger Captain John H. Miller (who was played by Tom Hanks) and
his squad as they search for Private First Class John Francis Ryan (who was played
by Matt Damon). Private Ryan was the last surviving brother of four servicemen.
Captain Miller lost several of his men in their search to find him. After finding
him, Captain Miller himself was mortally wounded. As he laid dying, he told
Private Ryan, “Earn this.”
Years
later Private Ryan stood in front of Captain Miller’s grave and said, “Every
day I think about what you told me that day on the bridge. I tried to live my
life the best I could. I hope that was enough. I hope that, at least in your
eyes, I’ve earned what all of you have done for me.” He turned to his wife and
said, “tell me I have led a good life.... tell me I’m a good man.”
Private
Ryan asked the same question many of us ask ourselves: “Have I done enough with
this one and only life God has given me?” On our own we can’t answer that
question, but with Jesus’ help the answer is clear. He died for us so that we
don’t have to do anything. By his grace we can live lives that are satisfied
with good things, as the writer of Psalm 104 tells us. The question then
becomes “Is the work of Jesus enough to make me satisfied and significant?”,
and the answer is always a resounding “Yes!”
All
of God’s creation is subject to his authority, including the biggest sea
creatures. All of creation must praise him. In return, he takes pleasure in
everything he has created. They depend on him, and in return he is generous to
them. They can rely on him. We are part of God’s creation, so we can also
depend on him.
God
gives life. He makes the world new again and again. Creation is God’s and it
exists for him. He cares and provides for creation, and in return everything he
has created gathers in what God gives them and returns a portion to him. This
is what the term “tithing” means-giving back to God a portion of what he has
given us. God’s spirit has touched all of us in amazing ways, and we must share
what we have been given with others.
It’s
almost impossible for us to understand creation. Even our best scientists have
to regularly revise their theories to try to explain creation-and God puts all
of his wisdom at their service and ours. What God has created is awesome beyond
our ability to understand it.
All
of creation is supposed to show the majesty of God, including Jesus. He was the
shekinah, or the visible sign of the invisible God. According to the Old
Testament, the shekinah was a radiant cloud or a brilliant light within a cloud
that showed the immediate presence of God. That same cloud led the Israelites
by day in the desert. That same cloud also appeared at Jesus’ baptism and his
transfiguration.
On
the other hand, sinners and the unchurched are those who reject God’s rule and
rebel against him. They are a blemish on the world, and God will remove that
blemish in due time. The purpose of Psalm 104 is to foster hatred of sin. Its
purpose is not to foster hatred against sinners. On the contrary, we are to
love them. For example, Pope Francis’ recent statements to the Roman Catholic
Church about how homosexuality and divorce are to be treated show compassion
and love instead of hatred.
Our
prayerful response to God’s love is to worship him and care for creation, but
unfortunately our modern world has selfishly neglected to care for creation.
The only way to prevent an ecological disaster is for humanity to treat God’s
creation with respect. For example, I recently found out that one of our former
rectors is currently in Malaysia working to save the elephant population.
Those
who bless and praise God want to see the day when sinful men have been removed
from the earth and the curse of sin removed. Throughout the Old Testament there
are stories of how God used creation itself to destroy evil and rebuild the
world. The prime example is the story of the Great Flood. There is a destructive
power in nature. Just look at hurricanes and their destructive power, or the
wildfire currently burning in northern Alberta. God’s world contains forces
that are beyond our wildest dreams, so we would be wise to respect both the
forces of nature and the forces of
God. We can’t challenge God’s truth and justice, because they are both swift
and just. God wields his power with love and compassion.
If
we take time to develop the habit of seeing God in our lives, we will be able
to withstand the most trying times in our lives. For example, many of you know
the personal situation I’m currently dealing with, especially regarding the
sale of my mother’s house. I have been developing the habit of seeing God in my
life, and it helps me to persevere when the situation is tough. When the Holy
Spirit breathes new life into us, we can expect that it will be consistent with
the character of Christ even though we might not be able to anticipate
everything it will mean.
Our
Christian life with God is like a song that is ready to be written. He loves to
hear our praise. He will put a song in our hearts that will be the sweetest
melody that we can enjoy for the rest of our lives. Just like the angels sang
“Glory to God” at Christ’s birth, we are to give God glory in every
circumstance in our lives. We don’t have to be a great singer to sing praise to
God as long as we praise him every day. We can praise him when we do our
household chores or serve others behind the scenes. When we show that Jesus is
in our lives and reflect his character to those around us, we will make God
happy.
Bibliography
1.
ESV Study
Bible. Part of Wordsearch 11 Bible software package.
3.
Williams, D.
& Ogilvie, L.J.: The Preacher’s
Commentary Series, Vol. 14: Psalms 73-150 (Nashville, TN: Thomas Nelson
Inc.; 1989: pp. 239-242)
4.
MacArthur,
J.F. Jr.: The MacArthur Study Bible, New
American Standard Bible (Nashville, TN: Thomas Nelson Publishers; 2006)
5.
Stanley,
C.F.: The Charles F. Stanley Life
Principles Bible, New King James Version (Nashville, TN: Nelson Bibles;
2005)
11.
Alan Brehm, “The Waking Dreamer.” Retrieved from http://thewakingdreamer.blogspot.ca/2010/06/breath-of-god-acts-21-21-ps.html
12.
Matthew Stith, “Commentary on Psalm 104:24-34,35b.”
Retrieved from http://www.workingpreacher.org/preaching.aspx?commentary_id=320
No comments:
Post a Comment