Thoughts for Saturday 9th May 2020

Psalm 31:1-5, 15-16; Jeremiah 26:20-24; John 8:48-59

Saturday 9 May - Rev. Jerry Eve

I tend to look, first of all – because it’s the pew Bible we have in Busby Church – to the Good News Bible. This, though, was purposefully translated in the 1960s following requests from Christians in Africa and the Far East for a version that was easier to read. Translated for those for whom English is a second language, it therefore employs a limited vocabulary, which can be a problem for some. For me, though, I like the way it’s laid out with all its headings, and I do enjoy the artwork (by Annie Vallotton). There are times, however, when it’s helpful to look to another translation as well. And today I think that’s true of our psalm.

But which? Universities here in Scotland favour the NRSV (New Revised Standard Version), claiming that it’s the most accurate. The King James Version, I think, though, is always worth consulting, and maybe that’s because it’s the version I remember from childhood, and I’m being nostalgic. The reason, though, I have decided to read it as well today, though, is because I’m aware that, for some reason, the GNT completely omits any reference to God’s body parts in our psalm. And I wonder, ‘why?’ Maybe it’s because some cultures might look askance at God being described as having a body as such, but this is pure speculation on my part. There could easily be a more plausible explanation.

But I do much prefer, ‘bow down thine ear’ from the KJV than, ‘hear me’ from the GNT. And I also prefer, ‘into thine hand’ from the KJV than, ‘I place myself’ from the GNT. Because it helps my faith sometimes to think of God with ears and hands – and eyes and arms as well.

Moving to our other two readings, these underline just how dangerous it can be to be a prophet. Uriah, unfortunately, didn’t have a friend as highly placed as Jeremiah did, and, dragged back from Egypt, was put to death by the sword. The Pharisees wanted to do the same to Christ, and to stone him, but somehow he manages on this occasion to escape.

The exchange he has with the Pharisees, though, about his age, I think, is interesting. He’s nowhere near fifty, and I just wonder whether this isn’t so much about whether or not he could physically have been around when Abraham was, but about something else. And that’s the belief among Pharisees that, unless you’ve completed an extremely lengthy period of training, which would have taken them up until 50 years old, you’re just not qualified – yet – to be able to teach others.

And so we easily dismiss today, for example, the likes of Malala Yousafzai when she speaks out in favour of education for girls, and Greta Thunberg too. ‘What can they possibly teach us, at their tender age?’ we say to ourselves. Let us pray:

Everlasting God,
Change and transition can be so unsettling.
How easily I get used to my ‘normal’,
how settled I become in my ‘comfort zones’.
I like to think of myself as a person comfortable with change,
but the truth is that I struggle with change just as much as anyone.
It doesn’t take much for me to feel off-balance,
to feel like the world is spinning too fast for me.

Change can cause us to panic,

to overthink what we are so prayerfully trying to achieve.
We can fear the unknown, viewing it as fraught with danger,
even if we are moving to something bigger, better, or brighter.

Change can bring unexpected loss.

We mourn the loss of the routines we didn’t realise were important to us.
We mourn the loss of the sense of security that comes with normality.
We mourn the friendships that will inevitably wither, no matter how hard we try to keep them going.
We can long for the way things used to be.

As we take step after step into the unknown,
Help us to know that You are the very ground on which we stand.
Help us to find our peace in You.
Help us to find solace.
Help us to step into the unknown regardless of fear,
knowing that You will keep us grounded and will not let us fall,
but hold us safe in Your everlasting arms,

Amen. (Dana McQuater, Moderator of the Kirk’s National Youth Assembly)

 

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