Scripture Passage that Caught my attention today: Nehemiah 8:9-12 And Nehemiah, who was the governor, and Ezra the priest and scribe, and the Levites who taught the people said to all the people, “This day is holy to the LORD your God; do not mourn or weep.” For all the people wept when they heard the words of the law. 10 Then he said to them, “Go your way, eat the fat and drink sweet wine and send portions of them to those for whom nothing is prepared, for this day is holy to our LORD; and do not be grieved, for the joy of the LORD is your strength.” 11 So the Levites stilled all the people, saying, “Be quiet, for this day is holy; do not be grieved.” 12 And all the people went their way to eat and drink and to send portions and to make great rejoicing, because they had understood the words that were declared to them.
Observation: At first the people understood the message of God to be law, a form of rightful conviction. But then, at the leader’s promptings, they began to see the message of God as good news—a cause for “great rejoicing.”
Application: Lutherans, theologically, are bad news good news people. We see the bad news of our human condition/situation as good news in the sense that it drives us to rediscover our need for God and to rediscover the hope that is found in the crucified and risen Christ. I’m not sure if it’s a case of the bad news driving us to the good news or whether the good news enables us to face the bad news. But either way, we are neither idealistic (we can see that the world is a broken place and that we are broken people) nor pessimistic (through Christ God’s love has been poured out for us and life, not death, will have the final say). Instead we are realistic—Christ’s love and resurrected life trumps humanity’s self-centeredness and earthly death. Therefore we’re not afraid to face the law because we do so in light of the Gospel.
Nehemiah was written long before the earthly time of Jesus, but it’s interesting that some leaders, even back then, saw the law of God as good news—a cause for rejoicing.
Prayer: Lord, help us to see the beauty in all that you provide. In Jesus’ name. Amen.
(readings today included: Nehemiah 7-8 and Acts 1)
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