Psalm 87
On the holy mount stands the city he founded;
2 the Lord loves the gates of Zion
more than all the dwelling places of Jacob.
3 Glorious things of you are spoken,
O city of God. Selah
4 Among those who know me I mention Rahab and Babylon;
behold, Philistia and Tyre, with Cush[a]—
“This one was born there,” they say.
5 And of Zion it shall be said,
“This one and that one were born in her”;
for the Most High himself will establish her.
6 The Lord records as he registers the peoples,
“This one was born there.” Selah
7 Singers and dancers alike say,
“All my springs are in you.”
When you look up Cush, you will find Canaan and Egypt and Ethiopia. It probably is Ethiopia. It was so long ago, scholars debate. And when you look at this generation, they are going to think of hydroponic marijuana. Which will be shocking. But really people, when I think of the Sons of Korah, I think the bureaucracy running the Temple. Yet that is just Wrong. These Sons of Korah did not run out and live with David on the lam. But David acting with more kindness than I have, mostly, loved these Sons of Korah and had them add to the Psalms he probably composed in his mind for decades. David incorporated the old with the incoming Holy Spirit.
Episcopalians have said, since the 1970s, we should interpret the Scriptures for this generation. Sorta. Some truths are eternal. And revolve around, borrowing from my cousin, the Law - which is gravity and Spirit - which is rain, mist, streams, rivers and ocean. Replenishing God's creation.
Generation Y, also known as Generation We, Generation Sell[1], the Millennial Generation (or Millennials),[2][3] Generation Next,[4] the Net Generation[5] the Echo Boomers are the demographic cohort following Generation X. You have to love this goop. It means like Louis C.K, says, we are self-centered and mostly non-grateful. This generation has learned from the current generation. We praise ourselves, saying people are better parents. Surely we truly mean look out for number one while trying to look like we blend into either political correctness or pseudo Christian culture. Very few people are going to give up comfort for suffering. Or go out of their merry way to help one another, it has a cost.
The Church of England was terribly damaged when it read from the liturgy and just kept a stiff upper lip as the bombs of WWII created panic. People kept going to Church during the Blitz, but afterwards, they drifted far, far away.
Why in the world do we sing "Jesus Christ's Triumphant Lay at Easter." That is plain silly. The words need to change. Dust off the old and make the old look beautiful. We dust our homes, why in the world don't we dust our Christian culture.
I love what a really large Methodist Christian Church has done. They have a loft. It used to be a warehouse and they turned it into a Loft. Man, that is GOOD marketing. Loft means hay and barn and baby wrapped in a manger. And it's a warehouse for urban yuppies, who actually want to live crammed up against one another, without a yard, and just a few blocks from their career. (Not me!) And it appeals to the teenager, family crowd. Me, I don't want to go where there are trampolines, literally. But I am funky and with it enough to know - this is where it is happening. And c'mon. I agree with my Priest, who now goes by the Baptist word (now hidden in Churches called Crossing, or Fellowship, or whatever word they are using to hide the fact they belong to 3 Baptist hierarchies of government. Which I happen to think this is a Excellent and Churches require oversight so we all stay on the narrow gate path. And I think it's ridiculous and could be why the Baptist Church is looking down 2% nationally of its membership - How Can we Ask God to bless what is over marketed and psuedo hidden???)(I digress.)
The point is. We all need personal growth. It you are sitting in your pew and you don't go to the youth oriented part of the Church, you just might be in the part we all like to joke about - they will only notice you've died after the congregation clears. My mother-in-law loves the Theater portion of her large Church. That is called growing in the Spirit. (God loves her!!! I'm pretty sure she is a saint!!!!!!!)
And if you are like Clark used to be - guitars in Church are for when the pipe organs break down - then you are stuck in a rut. And you can't call your minister - Father - then you need to loosen up a bit.
And if you haven't complained about something at Church - you haven't acted like Zacchaeus, being willing to be noticed. And if you haven't said thank you to the Church Leadership - then you are just plain ungrateful. We tend to vote with our feet and not try to communicate. And after we've communicated, then we can let our feet vote.
How can the Church fix what is broken if you don't complain. Aren't you part of the Holy Spirit - the spring? Living Water?
“All my springs are in you.”
And what about a thank you????
Glorious things of you are spoken,
O city of God. Selah
Zacchaeus has several messages for us. Not to stay in the trees above one another. Not to stay hidden in the crowd. Not to play it safe. To give God our heart's desire. To do what He says to Honor and LOVE Him. To prepare our hearts in prayer to receive HIM. To be grateful. Not to be a grumbler at the blessings of others.
LORD! I want to be Zacchaeus! Luke is the only one to record Zacchaeus, but Luke stayed to the end. What an important and heartfelt statement. Luke acted as the disciple John to Paul. And the LORD honored Luke as well. Telling us of a changed heart, one that prepared a place for JESUS and did want to Honor and LOVE Him.
The heavens declare his righteousness and all the peoples see his glory.
In all our circumstances, we are always invited to look UP. Jesus Christ our LORD. For us.
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