Black and Blue Christmas

Posted on by Betsy

When I was a child, my family’s Christmas lights were red, yellow, green, white, and orange. I don’t recall when blue lights came into vogue, but I remember being stunned the first time I saw a tree vibrant with blue LED lights dominating the color scheme. Blue is now my favorite Christmas light color.

After all, blue is the liturgical color for the season of Advent.

Then I experienced my first “blue Christmas,” a phrase now used to define a sad, lonely, and sorrowful Christmas. Not everybody has a holly, jolly Christmas. The loss of a loved one, a divorce, a family member not being able to come home, having to work over the holidays, and just plain disappointment can all lead to feeling blue during the most wonderful time of the year. My blue Christmas was due to three things. I had moved away from my church of 16 years, and I was on leave with no Christmas Eve services to look forward to. My oldest daughter had just gotten married and was spending Christmas in another state with her in-laws. Worst of all, my father passed away suddenly two days after Thanksgiving.

I wasn’t just blue, I was black and blue.

Have you ever felt like a holiday could smack you right down? Holidays can be sneaky little buggers. They can come up behind you without any warning in the mall or at a party and poke you so hard from behind that it knocks the wind right out of you. A flash of memory, a familiar song, a taste of nostalgia, and suddenly, unbidden, you are feeling the pain of your loss with such intensity that you can’t move or breathe. The unhappy irony of that is that Christmas is the celebration of the Prince of Peace, the Comforter:

Isaiah 40

1 Comfort, O comfort my people,

    says your God.

2 Speak tenderly to Jerusalem,

    and cry to her

that she has served her term,

    that her penalty is paid,

that she has received from the Lord’s hand

    double for all her sins.

3 A voice cries out:

“In the wilderness prepare the way of the Lord,

    make straight in the desert a highway for our God.

4 Every valley shall be lifted up,

    and every mountain and hill be made low;

the uneven ground shall become level,

    and the rough places a plain.

5  Then the glory of the Lord shall be revealed,

    and all people shall see it together,

    for the mouth of the Lord has spoken.”

Even in the bluest of Christmases, God comes into our valley of sorrow to lift us up and level us out. Grief is a natural expression of a life that was well loved. It is the heart’s way of dealing with the unthinkable void that death creates. God longs to bring comfort to his people who mourn. He longs to comfort you in your blueness. And here is the good news: he will stay by your side until you begin to feel just the smallest and slightest bit better. And eventually you will.

He won’t leave you or grow tired of comforting you, for he is the everlasting God.

28  Have you not known? Have you not heard?

The Lord is the everlasting God,

    the Creator of the ends of the earth.

He does not faint or grow weary;

    his understanding is unsearchable.

29 He gives power to the faint,

    and strengthens the powerless.

30 Even youths will faint and be weary,

    and the young will fall exhausted;

31 but those who wait for the Lord shall renew their strength,

    they shall mount up with wings like eagles,

they shall run and not be weary,

    they shall walk and not faint.

Are you having a blue Christmas this year? You are not alone. If you look around, you will probably find others in the same color scheme as you. So don’t feel ignored or left out of all of the “have yourself a merry little Christmas” celebrations…others are faking it, too.

I hugged a friend last week who just lost her mother. I know she is dreading this Christmas. I have experienced that same dread and the feeling of disconnect with the joy-to-the-world spirit that others were feeling. I even felt resentful and could not wait for Christmas to be over. As I held her, I heard myself saying, “Every time you miss your mom this season, try to get up and do something for someone else. Think of someone who needs a prayer, or a card, or a casserole, and focus on that.”

I don’t know if that will help. I do know that when we push our way out of our circumstance, we survive for another day and live to tell about it. Sometimes that’s all we can hope for. Blue Christmases are a game of survival. And when grief finally loosens its stranglehold on us, we can begin to feel joy again.

So look around. Others are blue, too. Somebody you know is having a bleak mid-winter this year. Find someone who needs their pain to be acknowledged and let them know that you see them. When you do that, blueness begins to fade….theirs, and yours.

The Cold of Winter by Michelle Robertson

Shaken

Posted on by Betsy

This past Sunday I was invited to preach at my church for the first Sunday of Advent. Imagine my excitement! It lasted all the way up until I looked up the lectionary assignment for Advent Week One:

Luke 21:25-28, 34-36 Common English Bible

25 “There will be signs in the sun, moon, and stars. On the earth, there will be dismay among nations in their confusion over the roaring of the sea and surging waves. 26 The planets and other heavenly bodies will be shaken, causing people to faint from fear and foreboding of what is coming upon the world. 27 Then they will see the Human One coming on a cloud with power and great splendor. 28 Now when these things begin to happen, stand up straight and raise your heads, because your redemption is near.”

34 “Take care that your hearts aren’t dulled by drinking parties, drunkenness, and the anxieties of day-to-day life. Don’t let that day fall upon you unexpectedly, 35 like a trap. It will come upon everyone who lives on the face of the whole earth. 36  Stay alert at all times, praying that you are strong enough to escape everything that is about to happen and to stand before the Human One.” 

My first response was to catch my breath and reconsider the invitation. Here we would be, in our beautifully adorned Sanctuary for that first Advent celebration, surrounded by lit garland with shells and starfish all over the altar, a huge glowing Chrismon tree, a new banner with beautiful stained glass imagery, and I would get to rise up in the middle of all that beauty and preach about the end of the world. Somehow the images of signs in the moon and stars, the planets shaking, and the people fainting from fear and foreboding did not seem in concert with the warm holly-jolly ambiance.

But the more I studied it, the more it seemed appropriate. Our world seems to be going through dark times right now. The uncertainty that faces our nation, the rumors that Social Security, Medicare, and other social programs will soon be changed, the wars that continue in Ukraine and the Middle East, the outbreaks of violence in our streets, this pervasive feeling of insecurity … people are truly shaken. I am truly shaken. For many people, these are dark times indeed. What will happen next? Only God knows.

But remember what Jesus promises in this Scripture … in the darkest moment, the Son of Man will come in a cloud with great power and glory. This Scripture on the Second Coming comes at just the perfect time for us. For one, like many of Jesus’ teachings, it is a call to hope for those who are facing hard times. And that, unless I miss my guess, includes all of us. 

The point of this text, in fact the point of the entire gospel is this: When there is nothing you can do — nothing — God will act on your behalf. When you are out of resources, out of time, out of patience, out of help, out of hope, when the sea is foaming and the tide is about to take you under, when you have nothing left, no defense, nothing to fight back with, no shred of hope to grasp onto—that is the time to look up, for when things are darkest, that is when you can see the Son in his glory. 

“Stand up straight, raise up your heads, because your redemption is drawing near.” Jesus says. Salvation is on the way, not because you can figure a way out, not because you have kept your chin up and your upper lip stiff, not because the fictitious “Universe” will use its non-existent power to reverse your course, but because God is going to act. Our Christian hope does not rest in what we might do, but in what God will do. It is God who acts when we cannot. It is God who saves when we are hopelessly mired in sin and shame. It is God who gives us the victory when we are utterly defeated.

And death, even death does not thwart God. God gave us victory over death through the resurrection of Jesus Christ. The Scriptures assure us that our hope does not lie in our immortal souls, but in God’s resurrecting power to bring life out of death. 

So, yes. Bring on the prophecy of doom and gloom. We will defiantly raise up our heads and when we do, we will see him coming.

Our redemption draws near.

Clouds of Glory by Mary Anne Mong

Get Ready

Posted on by Betsy

I spent last week getting ready for things. Ready for multiple trips to the store. Ready to hike Nags Head Woods. Ready to visit Island Farm and see how they dyed wool in the 1800’s. Ready for a Thanksgiving meal that fed 12 people and two dogs.

The dogs weren’t actually invited to the table, but they partook all the same. My 100 lb. Lab ate an entire 12 roll pack of Hawaiian Rolls right off the counter. The ENTIRE package. Thank goodness I bought two. My daughter’s dog consumed three cinnamon rolls that had been wrapped in foil, but after seeing Georgia’s enjoyment of the Hawaiian rolls, he polished off the remainder of the second packet that was inadvertently left in a bread basket on the buffet after dinner was over.

Today I am ready for a break.

Our Scripture today is an invitation to get ready. Mark is accepted as the first Gospel that was written, so it will be interesting to look at the first words of the first words. What was important? How shall we start this story? Every journey begins with a first step and every story begins with a first word. What did Mark think would be the most important way to start the good news of Jesus Christ?

He begins with Isaiah, and then quickly pivots to John the Baptist.

Mark 1 (Common English Bible)

1 The beginning of the good news about Jesus Christ, God’s Son, 2 happened just as it was written about in the prophecy of Isaiah:

Look, I am sending my messenger before you.
He will prepare your way,
3 a voice shouting in the wilderness:
        “Prepare the way for the Lord;
        make his paths straight.”

This is a convincing and deliberate way to speak to the Jews of the time. Mark begins by presenting Jesus as the fulfillment of a well-known prophecy. Every hearer would have known Isaiah’s foretelling of the promised Messiah. Mark connects the preparation that Isaiah laid with John the Baptist’s call to prepare. This is to demonstrate that Jesus is the long-awaited Jewish Messiah.

John’s preaching

4 John the Baptist was in the wilderness calling for people to be baptized to show that they were changing their hearts and lives and wanted God to forgive their sins. 

Here we find the instructions for how to prepare to receive the Messiah. Change your heart. Change your life. Ask God to forgive your sins.

Sounds a little like Lent, doesn’t it?

But what better way could we possibly prepare ourselves for the incoming and indwelling of God-made-flesh?

5 Everyone in Judea and all the people of Jerusalem went out to the Jordan River and were being baptized by John as they confessed their sins. 6 John wore clothes made of camel’s hair, with a leather belt around his waist. He ate locusts and wild honey. 

OK, so John was a little strange in his appearance and habits. But the spotlight was never supposed to be on him. His announcement is loud and clear: there is one coming after me who will baptize you with the Holy Spirit.

7 He announced, “One stronger than I am is coming after me. I’m not even worthy to bend over and loosen the strap of his sandals.8 I baptize you with water, but he will baptize you with the Holy Spirit.”

This might be a good day to put down the tinsel, set aside the wrapping paper, and really be about our Father’s work. It was his will to send Jesus so that we might be cleansed of our sins and saved.

How are you preparing? Have you stopped your Christmas preparations long enough to do some Advent soul-searching?

Today is the day. Ask God to come into your heart and take inventory. And be ready for a baptism of confession, repentance, forgiveness, and change.

Come, Holy Spirit! Make us ready.

Meet Roxie from Island Farm, Manteo

What Are You Expecting?

Posted on by Betsy

And so, Christmas begins. Thanksgiving is still in the fridge, wrapped in packages of foil. But for the most part, Christmas has begun in America.

This first week of Advent brings us back to the beginning. The beginning of the church year, the beginning of our journey toward the manger, and the beginning of our faith as we prepare for the Holy Child to be born.

But is it really the beginning?

The awesome blessing of these four Sundays of preparation is how we begin to look backward to the Old Testament to see how the prophets looked forward. In all truth, our journey to the manger begins in Genesis. But for today, we will settle into the lovely book of Isaiah, a common text for Christmas readings. If you are a fan of Handel’s Messiah, you know what I am talking about.

Jesus came to be our Emmanuel. He was born to be our “God With Us.” Isaiah lays the groundwork for the need and the desire for God to tear open the heavens and come down with a fiery presence. The longing and the waiting are beautifully expressed.

Isaiah 64: 1-5 (New Revised Standard Version)

O that you would tear open the heavens and come down,
    so that the mountains would quake at your presence—
2 as when fire kindles brushwood
    and the fire causes water to boil—
to make your name known to your adversaries,
    so that the nations might tremble at your presence!

We can see in this passage why it was hard for people to receive Christ as Messiah. Born among sheep and shepherds, surrounded with the stink of cow dung as he slept on a bed of hay, Jesus was not what they expected. They expected a “defeating Pharaoh/parting of the Red Sea/slaying all the enemies” kind of savior.

3 When you did awesome deeds that we did not expect,
    you came down, the mountains quaked at your presence.

The mystery of God-in-flesh was still way ahead of them. Their expectation of God was based all in their past.

4 From ages past no one has heard,
    no ear has perceived,
no eye has seen any God besides you,
    who works for those who wait for him.
5 You meet those who gladly do right,
    those who remember you in your ways.

As we make our way to the manger this year, what are you expecting? What is on your list of hopes and dreams? Are you looking for a victorious military commander to plow through your adversaries with a flaming sword and a burning shield? Or are you looking for the gentle savior who will leave the flock to find you when you become that one little lost lamb?

Advent is a good time to assess and adjust our expectations. Christmas will likely be very different this year, but at the heart of every Christmas is the advent of the miracle of hope. No matter what your expectations are, hope is always needed. So welcome hope in, and tear open every place in your heart that needs a gentle Savior.

Come, Lord Jesus, come.

Expectant Waiting

Better a Dry Crust

Posted on by Betsy

Proverbs 17:1

“Better a dry crust with peace and quiet
than a house full of feasting, with strife.”

I have always loved Proverbs 17:1 as a theme verse for Thanksgiving Day! I shared this with a staff member yesterday and we both laughed out loud. I have an image in my mind of the writer taking the left-over heel from the loaf of bread that was used for the stuffing and climbing up the exterior staircase to the roof of the house to eat it alone in peace and quiet. Houses in Israel often had roof accesses so that people could sit up there in the cool of the evening after the sun set. You may recall the story of the four friends who carried their paralytic friend up to the roof in order to lower him down in front of Jesus, who was sitting inside the crowded house. That story helps us appreciate the importance of an exterior staircase. It provided the writer of Proverbs 17 a quiet escape from his bickering family below.

This passage is a reminder to us that when families gather, feasting with peace and quiet (not strife!) is the goal.

It is a reminder to keep politics, past grievances, and old grudges off the table, and look around you and be grateful for what you have.

Last night I looked out a third-floor window of my house and saw the beautiful reflection of the moon on the canal, making a silver path across the water. I remembered times when my mother and I would be talking on the phone and describing to each other the reflection of the moon from our windows: me in Colington, Mom in Manteo. My mother passed away in 2014, so she looks at the moon from a different perspective now. I am sorely missing her, my dad, and my incredible mother-in-law this Thanksgiving.

If you have family around you for Thanksgiving, cherish them. If bickering begins to break out, take your dry crust and quietly walk away for a minute. And if you don’t have them with you tomorrow, call them!

Life is too short for family strife.

Happy Thanksgiving, everyone!

Kitty Hawk Moon by Lola Hilton

Never Stop Giving Thanks

Posted on by Betsy

I hate running. But I love the way running makes me feel when it’s over.

I hated practicing my bassoon. But I loved being able to play all the right notes in a concert.

I hate math. OK, that’s where it breaks down. I still hate math.

I think Paul may have had a bit of a love/hate relationship with his church in Corinth. He desperately loved them, but he hated their sin. When they were sinful, he acted like a betrayed father who has just discovered contraband in his favorite son’s bedroom. Disappointment abounds when someone or something you love lets you down. The people in that church often let Paul down.

But he never stopped giving thanks for their faith, their ministry, and their testimony.

1 Corinthians 1:3-9 (Common English Bible)

3 Grace to you and peace from God our Father and the Lord Jesus Christ.

Thanksgiving for the Corinthians

4 I thank my God always for you, because of God’s grace that was given to you in Christ Jesus. 5 That is, you were made rich through him in everything: in all your communication and every kind of knowledge, 6 in the same way that the testimony about Christ was confirmed with you. 

7 The result is that you aren’t missing any spiritual gift while you wait for our Lord Jesus Christ to be revealed. 8 He will also confirm your testimony about Christ until the end so that you will be blameless on the day of our Lord Jesus Christ. 9 God is faithful, and you were called by him to partnership with his Son, Jesus Christ our Lord.

Think about your own love/hate relationships. Maybe you hate cleaning but love a clean house. Perhaps you hate cooking but love to sit down to a well-prepared meal. Do you hate the way your in-laws voted, but love the way they feel about your kids? Do you hate your adult child’s reckless behavior, but love him with all your heart?

Do you hate the sin, but love the sinner?

Give thanks for it all. Give thanks in spite of the things you don’t like. Focus on the good and be grateful. God is faithful to us in spite of our many failings. May we be that faithful to one another and may love and thanksgiving abound as we gather around the table this week.

I thank my God always for you.

November Glory by Kathy Schumacher

Two Coins

Posted on by Betsy

Last week I had the distinct pleasure of serving as a Salvation Army Bell Ringer at my local Belk store. This is my fourth year in a row to do this volunteer work and it is a fascinating look into humanity as I stand there in the cold wind and ring my bell, ring my bell. (sorry for that ear worm!) Black Friday preview sales were in effect and the joint was jumping. I like it when it’s busy like that: It gives me a chance to really experience Outer Banks culture.

As in years past, I was astounded by the loving generosity of my town. The vast majority of people who walked past me (and two who were on bikes) dropped something in my red kettle and said a cheerful word. I joked with people that it was too early for “Merry Christmas”, so I wished them a Happy Thanksgiving. They wished me well in return, and several of them thanked me for being there.

A very senior gentleman and his wife hobbled from their car on their canes and said hello as they walked into the store. I told the fellow that I liked his hat, and he beamed. An hour later, they hobbled out of the store, and he came straight to me with a $20 in his hand. He couldn’t manage the small opening in the kettle, so he handed it to me. As I put his donation in, I mentioned his hat again and he said that my compliment made his day. He had no idea how much our interaction made mine.

But the exchange that brought me to tears was a mother and her young daughter, who had her hair up in Pippi Longstocking ponytails. I had noticed them as they drove past me in a beat up old Ford truck, looking for a parking spot. When they got out of the car, I could see the mother fishing around in her purse and pockets and handing something to the little girl. She ran up to the kettle and was excited to give her offering. It was a handful of pennies and a few nickels and dimes. She wanted to put each coin in one at a time, but both were dressed modestly in old t-shirts, jeans, and flip flops and the sudden cold of the day made the mother want to hasten into the store. The girl finally pushed her pennies into the center of the kettle opening and listened to each one fall.

The mother looked at me as I was helping her daughter and said, “I’m sorry I don’t have more to give.” I immediately responded that every penny given could change someone’s life, but what she was teaching her daughter could change the world. All of a sudden she began to cry, and then of course I began to cry. I wished them both a Merry Christmas and silently prayed for them as the little girl scampered off to the store.

Jesus tells a story of people making their offering at the temple. Where are you in the story?

Mark 12 (New Revised Standard Version)

41 He sat down opposite the treasury and watched the crowd putting money into the treasury. Many rich people put in large sums. 42 A poor widow came and put in two small copper coins, which are worth a penny. 43 Then he called his disciples and said to them, “Truly I tell you, this poor widow has put in more than all those who are contributing to the treasury. 44 For all of them have contributed out of their abundance, but she out of her poverty has put in everything she had, all she had to live on.”

My faith in humanity is restored when I stand next to that red kettle every year. I see young men in their work clothes digging in their wallets for single dollar bills that you know they can’t afford to give. I see well-dressed folks stop and offer larger bills with a cheerful heart and a love for their community. Yes, many walk right past me, busy with their day, but the vast majority of people stop, give, smile, and say a kind word.

Are you a cheerful giver? The Lord loves you when you are.

Everything She Had by Becca Ziegler

All Blessings Flow

Posted on by Betsy

A doxology is a “lyrical expression of praise to God” according to the Merriam-Webster dictionary. In a worship service it provides a liturgical response to the presentation of the offering. Various forms of “Praise God from whom all blessings flow” have been sung in churches since the late 1600’s.

I once had a profound moment singing the doxology at a women’s retreat. We had gathered in the dining room and our music leader suggested we sing it a cappella as our grace before the meal. The harmonies blended beautifully in the room, and it was a stunning offering to the Lord.

Psalm 67 is introduced as a doxology in one bible translation. That is fitting, as this brief psalm is a beautiful and lyrical praise chorus. It was written to the director of music “to be performed with string instruments.” Doesn’t that sound lovely?

Psalm 67 (New Revised Standard Version)

May God be gracious to us and bless us
    and make his face to shine upon us, Selah

This may sound familiar to you. It is part of the Aaronic blessing that appears in Numbers 6. The lovely phrase “make his face to shine upon us” is a word-picture that invokes an image of God’s joy in giving his blessing and his grace to a happy, responsive people.

2 that your way may be known upon earth,
    your saving power among all nations.
3 Let the peoples praise you, O God;
    let all the peoples praise you.

The psalmist cleverly offers God a small incentive. If God will bestow his blessing on us, then the world will see and thus his way will be known on all the earth. That is kind of like promising to tithe if God would just help you win the lottery.

4 Let the nations be glad and sing for joy,
    for you judge the peoples with equity
    and guide the nations upon earth.Selah

God will judge the people with equity. That is an amazing thought. There is no hierarchy of sin according to this. There is no privilege, status, religious preference, or condition that will get you off easy. Protestants, Jews, Muslims, Catholics, atheists, etc. will be judged equally with all the people of the earth. Humbling, isn’t it?

5 Let the peoples praise you, O God;
    let all the peoples praise you.

Praise is the appropriate response to all of God’s blessings. As the harvest of provision comes in the form of daily bread to us, let us join in singing our praises with all the creatures here below! For God indeed is worthy of our praise.

6 The earth has yielded its increase;
    God, our God, has blessed us.
7 May God continue to bless us;
    let all the ends of the earth revere him.

Amen.

Blessings Flow by Michelle Robertson

A Quiet Place

Posted on by Betsy

What is your mind dwelling on right now? Are you overcome with fears for your future? Are you assessing toxic relationships and trying to find a way out? Are health issues threatening to pull you completely under? Is it your finances, insecurity, lack of justice, or just a general ennui that you can’t shake?

One of the challenges we all face in our discipleship is setting aside our day-to-day worries and aggravations so that we can allow space for God’s word to filter in. It is a struggle. It takes perseverance, discipline, and a plan.

When churches were closed for a bit during the pandemic, a friend told me that she would save my devotionals to read on Sunday mornings in lieu of going to church . She would get up at sunrise, make coffee, and walk to a sand dune where she could watch the sun come up over the ocean. She read and worshipped in that setting for months. I was extremely blessed to know this. It occurs to me that she was able to spend time dwelling on God’s presence because she put herself in a quiet place that was conducive to focusing.

Where are you right now? Are you in a quiet place that allows contemplation? Or are you surrounded by distraction? Changing our locale when we are studying Scripture may just be the thing we need to really take it all in.

Psalm 105 (Common English Bible)

Give thanks to the Lord;
    call upon his name;
    make his deeds known to all people!
2 Sing to God;
    sing praises to the Lord;
    dwell on all his wondrous works!

Being able to dwell on God’s wonderful works makes a huge difference in how the rest of the day will go. Putting his mercy and grace foremost in our thoughts can change our perspective and attitude.

3 Give praise to God’s holy name!
    Let the hearts rejoice of all those seeking the Lord!
4 Pursue the Lord and his strength;
    seek his face always!

A day that starts with pursuing God and his strength is a day that moves in the right direction. When we remember his wondrous works and seek his face we find ourselves not looking to the world for direction and comfort. The world has no comfort to give. The direction it would send us in is not anywhere we want to be. Looking solely to God for these things is what is necessary for survival.

And that is a very good thing indeed.

5 Remember the wondrous works he has done,
    all his marvelous works, and the justice he declared—
6     you who are the offspring of Abraham, his servant,
        and the children of Jacob, his chosen ones.

God is a just God, a loving God, a generous God, and a powerful God.

Dwell on that today and you will be blessed by the hour.

Lone Flower

Ruling Justly

Posted on by Betsy

It is interesting to consider people’s last words. Some are poignant, some humorous, and some are irreverent. It is said that Joan Crawford told those around her “don’t you dare ask God to help me” as she was dying. Winston Churchill is said to have uttered “I’m bored with it all” before his demise. But perhaps Karl Marx gets the last word on last words. He stated that “last words are for fools who haven’t said enough”. If that’s the case, don’t look to me for my last words, as I’m sure I have said more than enough for several lifetimes!

Today’s passage records the last words of David. These words are not necessarily “death bed” words, but the last oracle he would share at the end of his life:

2 Samuel (New Revised Standard Version)

23 Now these are the last words of David:

The oracle of David, son of Jesse,
    the oracle of the man whom God exalted,
the anointed of the God of Jacob,
    the favorite of the Strong One of Israel:

2 The spirit of the Lord speaks through me;
    his word is upon my tongue.

Having established his credentials as God’s spokesperson, he goes on to give guidance for rulers, according to God’s standard:
3 The God of Israel has spoken;
    the Rock of Israel has said to me:
“One who rules over people justly,
    ruling in the fear of God,
4 is like the light of morning,
    like the sun rising on a cloudless morning,
    gleaming from the rain on the grassy land.”

God has one standard: to rule justly. When our rulers rule in the fear (reverent awe, respect, faithful love) of God, the people will be well served. These rulers bring light and life to their constituents. David knew that even in his sinfulness, God would continue to allow his house to rule Israel because of the covenant that he made with David.

5 Is not my house like this with God?
    For he has made with me an everlasting covenant,
    ordered in all things and secure.
Will he not cause to prosper
    all my help and my desire?

Since Jesus was born of David’s lineage, the just ruler mandate continues through him and to all who consider themselves followers of Christ. But woe unto the godless rulers! They will be consumed by fire, much like the dead wood that God prunes from the branches that abide in Christ. (See John 15.)

6 But the godless are all like thorns that are thrown away,
    for they cannot be picked up with the hand;
7 to touch them one uses an iron bar
    or the shaft of a spear.
    And they are entirely consumed in fire on the spot.

These are great words for us today as we consider the rulers of this world from great nations down to the president of the local PTO. Those who rule justly will enjoy the warmth of God’s light. Those who don’t will be like thorns that are thrown away.

May it be so on earth as it is in heaven.

Consumed by the Fire by Michelle Robertson