Saturday, January 12, 2019

Day #1834

January 8, 2019

This year, instead of a prayer for the week on Monday, I’m planning a Tuesday Thoughts on Scripture. The idea is a devotion type writing on a verse or verses from the upcoming Sunday’s scripture. We begin…

Isaiah 43:1: But now thus says the Lord, he who created you, O Jacob, he who formed you, O Israel: Do not fear, for I have redeemed you; I have called you by name, you are mine. (NRSV)

When I was a little girl, the way parents in our neighborhood called for their children meant stepping out the back door and “hollering.” Each parent had a distinctive way of calling, and of course, each child had their own name. One neighbor called her son, Brian, using a long and loud - Brriiiiiiiaaaaaan, taking what sounded like three or four syllables instead of the usual two. We all knew this meant Brian better get to the house, NOW! Something important was happening - lunch, dinner, bedtime, time to go somewhere, or maybe time to be scolded for not doing chores or homework. It was hard to know if the “calling” was good or bad, but it meant step to it!

In a somewhat similar way, the Lord calls us. The Lord who claims us, uses our names, but gives us new ones. When the Lord calls, it is because we are children of God, created and beloved by God. The Lord knows us individually and loves us equally, so when the Lord calls, there is no need to fear or hesitate or argue or wonder why. The Lord calls us out of love and out of being created in God’s image. We are God’s and are all welcomed, unconditionally, because of the Lord’s love for us. 

Blessings.

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