Jesus’ parables often concealed his message in order to reveal it. Interestingly, what’s true of the parable is also true of the story of Jesus’ life. His words and actions often confused his disciples and put-off other listeners. But, when the time was right, the message made sense.

In Christ, our lives are also parables. The good and the bad getting worked out together, creating a parable that conceals, in order to reveal, the beauty of God’s kingdom.

Used with permission Kathleen Peterson. https://diglib.library.vanderbilt.edu/act-imagelink.pl?RC=56574

Here is this week’s For the Love of Links. Below you’ll find Willie Mays, the Lord’s Supper, 90s Christian Rock, and thoughts on worshiping in a world of ecclesial options. Enjoy!

How Communion Makes Us Grow

Australian Bible Scholar Michael Bird and his colleague, Rhys Bezzant, help us see that the Lord’s Supper is more than a remembrance and one reason why that matters — The Deep Things We Share: Discipleship and the Lord’s Supper

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Too Small To Fail

This little sermon is a gem. You get the parables, church camp counselors, and Martin Luther, all teaching us that God comes to us disguised in the small and “insignificant.” A short sermon by Nadia Bolz-Weber — Too Small To Fail

Schism Much?

This article from Comment Magazine explores the landscape of Christian faithfulness in a world of options. Written by Jeff Reimer from Newton, it’s a great reflection on how God works in the incomplete, and the already but not yet. — How Not To Be A Schismatic

Willie Mays ~ Requiescat In Pace

He made the difficult look easy and he made the easy plays look hard. Here’s his famous catch that set the tone for an entire career. If you don’t know him, you can get the basics in the NYT article - Willie Mays

Celebrating the Negro Leagues at Historic Rickwood Stadium

It is poignant, that after losing Willie Mays, that there should be an historic event at one of the first places he played, Rickwood Field in Birmingham, Alabama. The Cardinals beat the Giants earlier this week with the first completely African American Umpire team. You can see the stadium and view a brief, visual history of Negro League baseball. — Rickwood Field and the Negro Leagues

Here is the website for the Negro Leauge Baseball Museum in K.C.

Daily Prayer

Three days a week, Wheatland prays the Morning Prayer from Book of Common Prayer. Fixed hour prayer, praying at appointed times of every day, is a rich and encouraging practice. Here is a little guide to help you do this kind of prayer on your own. — Field Guide for Daily Prayer

You can also grab a hard copy of this guide at Wheatland’s welcome table on Saturdays. It’s a great way to get familiar with this practice of prayer.

Did you ever listen to Christian Rock?

I did. And I think some of it was pretty good. Kristin Kobes DuMez take a break from her intense religio/political commentary for a good laugh. If you know some of these groups, you’ll want to find out what your listening habits say about you today — What your favorite 90s Christian rock artist tells you about who you are today

Full disclosure - I am a Daniel Amos, Rich Mullins, Michael Card, The Choir, and Vigilantes of Love person. It makes for an interesting mix. BTW, this post is worth the read if only for the Michael W. Smith take.

And now for a little more serious musical note . . .

Psalm 112 w/Wendell Kimbrough

It’s been a month or so since WK appeared here last. This is a great song based on Psalm 112. I think all of us can appreciate his thoughts about fear. Some great musical guidance on how to make the Psalms our own prayers. (And a guitar lesson to boot.)

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Wheatland’s Tuesday night Bible Study/Book Club is reading Bradley Jersak’s book, “A More Christlike Word: Reading Scripture the Emmaus Way.” Here are a few thoughts from this week’s discussion.

The Word of God is inspired, inerrant, and infallible. And when he was about 18 years old, he grew a beard. - Brad Jersak

What comes to your mind when you hear the phrase “Word of God?” This is an important question. On the one hand, the Word of God is a synonym for the Bible. If one asks, “Have you been in the Word?” the question usually being asked is, “Have you been reading the Bible?” Then, the follow-up: “If so, what are you learning?” In this instance, the Word of God refers to Scripture.

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Humble Lamb on Unsplash

Yet, this is not the way the Bible itself uses the phrase. The Bible’s clearest definition of the “Word of God” is not Scripture but Jesus. John 1:1-5 says,

In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God, and the Word was God. 2 He was in the beginning with God. 3 All things came into being through him, and without him not one thing came into being. What has come into being 4 in him was life, and the life was the light of all people. 5 The light shines in the darkness, and the darkness did not overcome it.

If we need further confirmation that John’s Gospel means Jesus when he uses the word Word, we need only look at John 1:14 and 18.

14 And the Word became flesh and lived among us, and we have seen his glory, the glory as of a father’s only son, full of grace and truth.

18 No one has ever seen God. It is God the only Son, who is close to the Father’s heart, who has made him known.

The Word becomes a flesh and blood human being. Those who equate the Word of God with Scripture would not deny that what John 1 says is true. But, in common usage, Jesus as Word is often superseded by Scripture as Word. In this case, the Bible becomes what God wants to say to the world rather than Jesus. Is Jesus the message or is the Bible?

At first glance, without paying attention to the context, Hebrews 4:12 seems to say that the Bible is the Word of God instead of Jesus.

Indeed, the word of God is living and active, sharper than any two-edged sword, piercing until it divides soul from spirit, joints from marrow; it is able to judge the thoughts and intentions of the heart. - NRSV

But upon closer inspection, it becomes clear that this passage refers to Jesus as the Word and not the Scriptures. Don’t let the pronoun “it” confuse you.

Indeed, the word of God is living and active, sharper than any two-edged sword, piercing until it divides soul from spirit, joints from marrow; it is able to judge the thoughts and intentions of the heart. 13 And before him no creature is hidden, but all are naked and laid bare to the eyes of the one to whom we must render an account. - NRSV

The author of Hebrews understood the “word of God” to be a “him” and not just the message about him. Jesus is the Word in Hebrews 4 just as he is in John 1. This reminds us further that the best way to understand and use the phrase, Word of God, is as a reference to Jesus, the Son of God.

Additionally, when Word is used in the New Testament, it is the Greek word logos. The Scriptures are never called logos. When the New Testament refers to the Bible or Scripture, it uses the Greek word graphe.

Why are we bothering with this?

Emphasizing Jesus as the Word does not diminish Scripture. It reminds us what Scripture is. The Bible testifies to Jesus, points to Jesus, suggests, implies, alludes to, and explicitly describes Jesus Christ as the Word of God. Jesus is the incarnate Word of God, and Scripture is the written testimony to him. We cannot overstate the importance of the Bible for our understanding of who Jesus is and the formation of our minds and hearts in him.

Yet, Jersak makes the important point that if we forget that the Word of God is a person, we may end up missing what Scripture is telling us about Jesus and ascribing a kind of authority to the Bible it does not claim for itself. An authority separate from Christ.

The Word is a person. The confusion or conflation of inspired texts (the Bible) with eternal Son of God is deeply problematic, especially when the Bible displaces Christ as the “Word of God” and “Scripture alone” becomes our “sole and final authority” instead of him. - pg. 30

When Scripture seems to say something that doesn’t sound like Jesus, shall we make our interpretation of that Scripture our authority or Jesus? We cannot ignore this.

Jesus is God’s message. Jesus is what God wants to say, the Word of God. There may be knowledge of God that is not revealed in the Gospels and the New Testament, but, if Jesus is the Word of God, there is no knowledge of God that does not include Jesus.

Michael Card drives this home in his song The Final Word. (click to listen)

And so the light became alive
And manna became man
Eternity stepped into time
So we could understand

He spoke the incarnation and then so was born the Son
His final word was Jesus, He needed no other one
Spoke flesh and blood, so He could bleed and make a way divine
And so was born the baby who would die to make it mine

Finally, we do well to ask if we lose anything by making this adjustment in our thinking and speaking. We have nothing to lose and everything to gain. Rather than the Bible losing any significance it gains importance because it remains the primary source of our understanding of Jesus. It’s message is never separate from Jesus but always points to him.

As he often does, C.S. Lewis sums this up clearly,

It is Christ himself, not the Bible, who is the true Word of God. The Bible, read in the right spirit and with the guidance of good teachers, will bring us to him. - The Collected Letters of C.S. Lewis

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Jesus told parables like some people tell jokes. He knew some were going to get the punchline and others weren’t. He also understood that some who misunderstood the parable or didn’t get it at all might eventually get it. Packed in those little stories was something true about God’s Kingdom, and it was ultimately irrepressible.

The purpose of Jesus’ parables is summed up in Mark 4:22,

For there is not anything that is hidden, except in order to be revealed, nor is anything secret, except in order to be disclosed.

The ultimate goal of Jesus' parabolic teaching is not to conceal but to reveal. We become parabolic people by discovering what Jesus was saying in the parables and leaning into that truth.

Wikimedia Commons

(By the way, if this isn’t a parabola, let me know.)

It may not be the dog days of summer yet, but today feels like it. I’m not sure these will cool you, but they will edify. Enjoy!

You Bored?

One author says boredom makes us human. In the era of smartphones, constant social media engagement, and more entertainment options than ever before, boredom may be just what the doctor ordered.

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The Northumbria Community

During June, our call to worship comes from the first half of the morning office from the Celtic Daily Prayer. You can learn more about this wonderful community of Christians at their website — Northumbria Community.

This is a great article from a member of this dispersed community — Pray as you can, not as you can’t

Being Formed

This is a fairly new podcast from a friend of Calana and me, Adam Ormord. It is called The Being Formed Podcast from LifePoint Resources. You’ll enjoy this episode on “The Spiritual Practice of Listening.” You can listen to them online or at through your podcast app of choice.

You can also check out everything Adam and his team are doing at LifePoint Resources.

Some of y’all are tired

Maybe you’re tired from work, a long school year, or the heat. Maybe you’re just tired on the inside, a kind of tiredness that is hard to name but definitely has something to do with your spirit. Henri Nouwen did, too. Here’s a brief excerpt from his Sabbatical Journal — Meeting God in Fatigue

Will Campbell

No individual Christian inhabits all of Jesus's traits. Thankfully, the body of Christ is large enough for them all to be seen. However, we could all use a healthy dose of the Jesus-y character traits of the Southern Baptist preacher Will Campbell. He was Southern through and through, with all the good and bad that brings, but he was also thoroughly in love with Jesus and his Kingdom. This brief article on his life demonstrates this in ways that should make most of us uncomfortable. — The Project on Lived Theology: In Praise of the Peculiar People

Here’s another short one on Will Campbell over at Mockingbird. And you can hear the man in his own words here — Racism and the Church

Old Bible, Older Questions

Pastor Thomas Steagald reflects on the questions raised for him when he reads the notes in his father’s old Bible. Instead of encouragement, it raises more questions about his dad’s faith through his underlines and what he left un-underlined. — My dad’s old Bible offers more questions than answers

The Creed by Rich

All the music I listen to is old, but this one has great staying power—it should. The lyrics have been sung, shouted, confessed, and otherwise proclaimed by Christians for nearly 2000 years.

This is new music by an old guy, Bruce Cockburn. It’s a great song from his newest album.

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(Wheatland is praying portions of the morning office from Celtic Daily Prayer as our call to worship in June. This is part 2, thinking aloud about what we pray. You can find part 1, here.)

Celtic Daily Prayer, Morning Office

+ In the name of the Father, and of the Son, and of the Holy Spirit. Amen

Opening sentences
One thing I have asked of the Lord, this is what I seek:
that I may dwell in the house of the Lord all the days of my life;
to behold the beauty of the Lord and to seek Him in His temple.

Call: Who is it that you seek?
Response: We seek the Lord our God.
Call: Do you seek Him with all your heart?
Response: Amen. Lord, have mercy.
Call: Do you seek Him with all your soul?
Response: Amen. Lord, have mercy.
Call: Do you seek Him with all your mind?
Response: Amen. Lord, have mercy.
Call: Do you seek Him with all your strength?
Response: Amen. Christ, have mercy.

Declaration of faith
To whom shall we go?
You have the words of eternal life,
and we have believed and have come to know
that You are the Holy One of God.

Praise to You, Lord Jesus Christ,
King of endless glory.

All prayer is aspirational. When we open our mouths to God, we want something. To pray is to want something better or something more. Maybe what we want more of is God. But we often only want more money, power, or free time. We want better marriages, jobs, and homes; praying for them is good.

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Sometimes, we pray for better parking places or a Chiefs victory. Those prayers are aspirational, too. C.S. Lewis has famously said that it’s not that we pray for too much but for too little. In his words, “We are far too easily pleased.”1

One reason to pray other people’s prayers is that we end up praying for things we don’t really want but really do need. This happens every time we pray the Lord’s Prayer. How often do we think, wow, I really want someone else’s will to be done and not my own? Praying, “Thy kingdom come, thy will be done,” is aspirational. The Lord’s Prayer enables our prayer to reach beyond our weak hearts.

In this vein, Celtic Daily Prayer’s Morning office helps us pray beyond ourselves. It riffs on the Great Commandment in Mark 12:28-34.2 Using a call-and-response format, the prayer asks, “Who is it that you seek?” Those praying respond, “We seek the Lord our God.”

Of course. What else are we to say? We could be honest and say I want this, that, and the other thing. Just fill in the blank_________. There is a time to pray this way, but would our wants ever end? Is more money enough? Is more power enough? Is more esteem, affection, respect, or notoriety ever enough? It may be good to ask God for all of these. But, in praying for them, God just might give us better desires. And those greater desires can be summed up in one: “We seek the Lord our God.”  

After our aspirational answer of “We seek the Lord our God,” the prayer starts to pry. It meddles with what is important to us when it asks, “Do you seek him with all your heart?” If we think very long, we might start looking at our feet and mumbling words like, “Well, erm, uh . . . with some of my heart, maybe?”

Yet, with words that aren’t our own, we pray, “Amen. Lord have mercy.”

This is an aspirational prayer if ever there was one. We want something that we don’t have. We want, even half-heartedly, to be something we aren’t yet.

Of course, the call continues three more times, “Do you seek him with all your soul … mind … and strength?” Does every part of you want “the Lord our God?” The thought may enter our minds, “Well, no, not really. Not right now, I don’t.” But instead, following the lead of the prayer itself, we reply, heartily, “Amen. Lord have mercy.”

Nik on UnsplashAll Christian prayer is found in that phrase, “Amen. Lord have mercy.”

“Amen” is an ancient word misused today but means, “So be it.” It is what we need to say. It is a word of submission to God, like Mary’s response to Gabriel, “Let it be to me according to your word.” When we speak it, we are reminded that God is God, and we are not.

“Lord have mercy” helps make our Amens honest. When we pray “Lord have mercy,” we ask God to make our Amen sincere. Our Amens are weak, but they are made firm by asking God for the help we need to want one thing. Our hearts, minds, souls, and strength are made alive by the mercy of God, made alive by the goodness of Jesus Christ. In this way, Jesus becomes both the end and the means of our prayer.

All prayer is aspirational, summoning us to greater heights in faithfulness to God. The Celtic Daily Prayer and other fixed-hour prayers nourish our spontaneous and personal prayers. We grow deeper and wider, with our prayers riding on the backs of our friends and forebears, both the living and the dead. Amen. Lord have mercy.

Next week, we tackle the third section of the morning office from John 6:68.

1

C.S. Lewis, The Weight of Glory, pg. 26.

2

The Great Commandment is also found in Matthew 22:35-40 and Luke 10:25-28.

Our Tuesday night Bible Study/Book Club is back with A More Christlike Word by Bradley Jersak. Not too long ago, we read a book by this author called A More Christlike God. You may see the pattern. Jersak wants all Christians to consider Jesus the lens through which we view God and Scripture. Jesus is the lens through which we ought to view everything.

Too many readers treat Scripture as more authoritative than Christ himself. Jesus and the Bible may be inseparable, but Jersak wants his readers to interpret Scripture through Christ rather than vice versa. He describes this approach as “reading Scripture the Emmaus Way.”

The Emmaus Road is in Luke 24. Not aware that Jesus was the one speaking to them, two of his disciples marvel that Jesus is unaware of the happenings in Jerusalem (specifically, the crucifixion and the Messiah’s missing body). But Jesus is not the uninformed one; his disciples are. This little story reveals that they were blind in more than one way. They don’t recognize Jesus on the road or in the Scriptures. The parallel is powerful.

They are speaking TO the very one they are speaking OF!

Then he said to them, ‘Oh, how foolish you are, and how slow of heart to believe all that the prophets have declared! Was it not necessary that the Messiah should suffer these things and then enter into his glory?’ Then beginning with Moses and all the prophets, he interpreted to them the things about himself in all the scriptures. – Luke 24:25-27 NRSV

Oddly enough, even though Jesus explained all this to the two disciples on the road, they still didn’t understand who they were talking to until after dinner.

When he was at the table with them, he took bread, blessed and broke it, and gave it to them. Then their eyes were opened, and they recognized him; and he vanished from their sight. They said to each other, ‘Were not our hearts burning within us while he was talking to us on the road, while he was opening the scriptures to us?’ – Luke 24:30-32 NRSV

A More Christlike Word challenges us to read Scripture in conversation with Jesus in order to hear Jesus speak. Nothing replaces attentive listening to Jesus, especially when reading the Bible.

Photo by Samantha Sophia on Unsplash

Jersak borrows from his friend Pete Enns to flesh out this approach further, asking him to introduce the book with a five-word framework for reading Scripture in the Emmaus Way. Those five words are 1) genre-calibration, 2) Christotelic, 3) incarnational, 4) ecumenical, and 5) pilgrimage. I’ll only point out one. Jersak’s neologism, Christotelic. What follows is from the introduction.

Telos is a Greek word meaning “end” or “goal.” The Scriptures (i.e., Old Testament) don’t always flow easily into the New Testament, nor do its writers predict Jesus of Nazareth in any conventional sense of the word predict.

Rather, after the resurrection, New Testament writers read their Scriptures in light of—taking into account—the surprise ending of a crucified and risen Messiah.

The New Testament writers believed that Christ was deeply connected to Israel’s story, yet, at the same time, they grappled with this surprise, counterintuitive development of the Gospel. This led them (especially Paul and the Gospel writers) to cite the Scriptures well over three hundred times (connecting the Gospel to Israel’s story), and in doing so to significantly reread . . . Israel’s story to account for the surprise ending.

The tendency toward creative (i.e. “Midrashic”) reading of Scripture in Judaism in general at the time is the proper hermeneutical backdrop for understanding the “Christotelic” hermeneutic. This is why, as many Bible readers already know, New Testament writers, when quoting the Scriptures, typically “take it out of context,” meaning the context of the original utterance. The Gospel requires creative reframing of Israel’s story.

What? A Christotelic reading of Scripture recognizes that the New Testament makes sense of the Old through the risen Jesus of Nazareth. While there is continuity between the Old and the New, what happened in Jesus’ death and resurrection was so new that it required a rethinking of what was happening in the Old.

Jesus is the way we look at the Bible and he is what we see when we look.

Jesus is the way we look at the Bible, the lens through which we read it. Not only is he the way we look at the Bible, but he is also what we see when we look. Jesus is the telos of Scripture. He is the end goal, the fulfillment, the culmination of all that Scripture points toward. Reading it well requires a new set of lenses that helps us see the one who speaks.

(It’s not too late to join us on Tuesdays. A More Christlike Word is an enjoyable read and the kind of book that you’ll come back to with newer and better questions. I won’t promise that you’ll agree with all or any of it :), but the discussion and exploration are worth it. See you Tuesdays at 7!)

Kelly Chewning brings home an important message about our shared life in Christ. Tacos, political division, “hesed,” and showing up. She draws on 1 Samuel 8:4-20, 11:14-15 along with Mark 3:20-35.

If you didn’t make it Saturday, you’ll really enjoy hearing this week’s message. Even if you heard it Saturday, you’ll want to listen again. Above all, remember!

Photo by Jeswin Thomas on Unsplash

FTLOL is a collection of edifying jewels from the interwebs. Video, articles, and all kinds of recommendations are below. This week’s edition has a German flavor with Bonhoeffer, Birkenstocks, and Moltmann.

Renovaré Classics

Renovaré began in the early nineties as a ministry to support churches in their growing need for spiritual formation and discipleship. You should check out their resources tab at renovare.org. (While it is based in Colorado now, Renovaré had its start here in Little Ole Wichita.)

Here’s a couple of really good articles from the folks at Renovaré. You’ll want to check out Satan’s a Goner by Carolyn Arends.

In his article, Contemplative Rhythms for an Exhausted Life, Rich Villodas speaks to the need we all have to develop a rule and rhythm of life. You’ll also find a link to a podcast where Villodas talks more about his book, The Deeply Formed Life.

Infinite Jest, anyone?

David Foster Wallace’s novel about addiction and grace uses zany, obscure, and bizarre writing to reflect on the nature of reality. The backdrop of his novel takes place at an elite tennis school, an addiction treatment center with Quebecois separatists, and a game called “Eschaton.” (what?) DFW probably didn’t mean this to happen, but at least one reader became a Christian through his “little” book. (It’s 1098 pages with 100 pages of endnotes.)

Here is Elizabeth Callen’s literary testimony — Infinite Grace: David Foster Wallace’s Infinite Jest, and Being Found By God

Pastor Taylor Mertins briefly describes the similarities between what one finds in Infinite Jest and the church—The Infinite Grace of Infinite Jest

Birkenstock Stock and Drama

Look at your feet. Several readers of this fine newsletter are now staring at their Bostons, Londons, or Arizonas. Bloomberg has a fun report on the family drama and history of Birkenstocks. It’s better than watching paint dry and a lot better than the news — The Ballad of Birkenstock (you may need to log in to read-it is free)

Which Wheatlander holds the record for replacing their Birkenstock soles?

Algorithmic Spirituality (a must read)

This one hit me between the eyes. Our algorithms are imitating our spiritualities and then . . . creating them? I don’t want to say too much, but this may be a good moment to remind us that God often works slowly and inefficiently — Algorithmic Spirituality by Grayson Quay

Bonhoeffer: The Movie?

I look forward to seeing this, but I don’t have much hope it will be good. Bonhoeffer is too sophisticated to be captured on film in a two-hour movie. Here’s to hoping they do his complicated and important legacy justice. — Bonhoeffer

Here is an older documentary about Bonhoeffer. It features clips and comments from the people who knew him and understood the life of faith in Germany in the 1930s and 1940s. - Dietrich Bonhoeffer: Memories and Perspectives

Jurgen Moltmann: RIP

Jurgen Moltmann died this week at the age of 98. Born in Germany and a prisoner of war in WWII, he became one of the most important theologians of the 20th (and 21st) Centuries. Moltmann’s influence far outweighs his name recognition. He’s helped many become more faithful followers of Jesus.

Here are some salutes to him: The Fullness of Life and Remembering Jurgen Moltmann

Some Quick Links:

BEMA Podcast - great, semi-rabbinic reflections on all of Scripture. Great stuff, too many episodes to choose from.

“Unbelievable” Podcast - everything sounds better in the King’s English, including this podcast that explores all kinds of issues from a Christian perspective.

Justin Brierly’s “The Surprising Rebirth of Belief in God” - I commend this podcast to everyone. Brierly explores the decline of the New Atheism and the new rise of spirituality, which includes for many a return to Christian faith.

The Bible Project - has too many videos to choose from, and they are all good. Is there a book of the Bible you are wondering about? Nahum? Zephaniah? III John? BP has what you need to get quickly and clearly oriented. Check them out!

And, of course, Wheatland’s website, where you can find daily Scripture readings, a link to our FB page for Saturday worship, and, of course, a link to WM’s Substack.

We say our prayers out loud when we are together so we can say them out loud when we are alone. When we pray the Lord’s prayer, the Phos Hilaron, or any of the others, we truly and genuinely pray to the Father, Son, and Holy Spirit. At the same time, this kind of prayer is a deeply formative experience. Because these prayers are committed to our memories, they become available when we need them most. If our own words fail us our corporate prayers don’t.

Wheatland’s call to worship throughout June will come from the first half of Celtic Daily Prayer’s Morning office. It goes like this:

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+ In the name of the Father, and of the Son, and of the Holy Spirit. Amen

Opening sentences
One thing I have asked of the Lord,
this is what I seek:
that I may dwell in the house of the Lord
all the days of my life;
to behold the beauty of the Lord
and to seek Him in His temple.

Call: Who is it that you seek?
Response: We seek the Lord our God.
Call: Do you seek Him with all your heart?
Response: Amen. Lord, have mercy.
Call: Do you seek Him with all your soul?
Response: Amen. Lord, have mercy.
Call: Do you seek Him with all your mind?
Response: Amen. Lord, have mercy.
Call: Do you seek Him with all your strength?
Response: Amen. Christ, have mercy.

Declaration of faith
To whom shall we go?
You have the words of eternal life,
and we have believed and have come to know
that You are the Holy One of God.

Praise to You, Lord Jesus Christ,
King of endless glory.

The three main sections of this prayer are based on three different portions of Scripture. Section 1 comes from Psalm 27. The second paraphrases the Great Commandment from Mark 12:30. The third section is from John 6:67 at the end of Jesus’ Bread of Life discourse.

“One thing I have asked of the LORD”

Psalm 27 is one of the most beautiful poems ever written. It stands out among the psalms. It’s filled with lines that appear elsewhere in the Psalter and the everyday language of Christians. Here are some examples,

v. 1 - The Lord is my light and my salvation; Whom shall I fear? The Lord is the strength of my life; of whom shall I be afraid?

v. 9 - Do not hide Your face from me; Do not turn your servant away in anger; You have been my help; Do not leave me nor forsake me, O God of my salvation!

v. 13 - I believe that I shall see the goodness of the LORD in the land of the living!

v. 14 - Wait for the LORD; be strong, and let your heart take courage; wait for the LORD!

The Celtic Daily Prayer opens with a Trinitarian invocation and thenPsalm 27:4,

One thing I have asked of the LORD, this is what I seek:

That’s an audacious claim. One thing? Just one? Couldn’t this verse mean, “one thing I have asked of the LORD—so far today?” How can anyone honestly pray this prayer with an opening line like that? We need so much, and we want so much more.

But this prayer is aspirational. Undoubtedly, we want more than one thing. Our hearts are divided and the psalmist knows this. The writer aspires to the “one thing I have asked” knowing his heart is divided like everyone else. To want nothing more than to be in God’s presence is what the psalmist longs for in spite of his aching back, hungry stomach, and empty bank account. Needs are not sin. In and of itself, desire is not wrong. But our psalmist reminds us that to desire God causes all of our other desires to fall into place.

Nik on Unsplash

Again, this prayer is aspirational. But who’s aspiration? Tradition tells us King David is this psalm’s composer. Did David want only one thing? I & II Samuel remind us that his heart was often divided. Sure, he wanted just one thing . . . like a walled city, victory over his enemies, and another man’s wife.

It is important to know how these prayers were used. Even the Psalms that speak with an individual's voice were meant to be prayed aloud within the congregation. David and the other psalmists were putting what they articulated out loud and in their hearts on paper. The Psalms are prayers prepared for all of Israel. It’s not an ad hoc collection but the directed prayers of God’s people.

Praying with Jesus

Dietrich Bonhoeffer says, “God’s speech in Jesus Christ meets us in the Holy Scriptures.” This is never more true than in the Psalms, where Jesus was not only familiar with the words but prayed them, making David’s words and the prayers of the ancient Israelites his own.

In Jesus’ mouth the human word becomes God’s Word. When we pray along with the prayer of Christ, God’s Word becomes again a human word. Thus all prayers of the Bible are such prayer, which we pray together with Jesus Christ, prayers in which Christ includes us, and through which Christ brings us before the face of God. Otherwise there are no true prayers, for only in and with Jesus Christ can we truly pray. (Psalms: The Prayerbook of the Bible)

Bonhoeffer’s advice is simple. When we pray, Jesus prays for us and through us and beside us. If it helps, imagine him kneeling next to us, making the psalm his prayer and ours. When Jesus prays with us, his aspirations can become ours. And, in spite of our weakness, we can say, “One thing I ask of the LORD, this is what I seek.” In Christ our hearts are no longer divided but are brought to God by Christ himself.

Like Kierkegaard, the psalmist intuits that “purity of heart is to will one thing.” And it is in Christ, praying with us and for us, that we can say, “One thing I ask of the LORD, this is what I seek: That I may dwell in the house of the Lord, all the days of my life.”

There’s more to come from the Celtic Daily Prayer. If you are interested in exploring it further check out: The Northumbria Community.

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