Thought for Today

Exodus 32:7  The LORD said to Moses, "Go down at once! Your people, whom you brought up out of the land of Egypt, have acted perversely;  

Deuteronomy 10:5  So I turned and came down from the mountain, and put the tablets in the ark that I had made; and there they are, as the LORD commanded me.

Matthew 5:1  When Jesus saw the crowds, he went up the mountain; and after he sat down, his disciples came to him. 2  Then he began to speak, and taught them, saying:

Matthew 17:4  Then Peter said to Jesus, "Lord, it is good for us to be here; if you wish, I will make three dwellings here, one for you, one for Moses, and one for Elijah."

You may be aware that there will be a much-hyped athletic event this coming Sunday afternoon. It is not occurring on a mountain top, although the top of the venue is 273’ above sea level. The event is being held in New Orleans, La.

That event is on my mind, because this morning, as Greta and I were going about our morning routine and listening to the television news, I heard a reporter saying that she was in New Orleans, the city where the party never stops. That phrase about continuous partying might be applied to at least 2 different cities in our nation, Las Vegas, Nev. being the other. Is it a good thing? Who would really ever want to be where the party never stops?

Things may have changed since I was young enough to participate in the sorts of parties that reporter referenced. It has been more than 10 years since I was in college! My memories of the kind of parties referenced in that news report are of excessive crowds, noise levels which precluded any attempt to converse, and behavior which should provoke embarrassment when the alcoholic haze finally evaporates. It is the sort of image I always associate with what Moses encountered when he descended from the mountain with the first set of tablets in hand.

This Sunday’s contest is not a religious event. Even a native Texan cannot conceive any worshipful aspect of Sunday’s event. True, there will be Christians in attendance. There will be Christians supporting each team, maybe even Christians on each team. At the end of the game, irrespective of who prevails, life will go on. Life will go on virtually unchanged except for a brief interlude for the victors. People will still go to work Monday morning. Children will still go to school. Broken  items will need to be fixed or repaired. Meals will still need to be fixed.

No matter how entertaining the advertisements will be, life will not be especially different on Monday morning than on Sunday afternoon. I did not coin the phrase and am not the first to note that epiphanies take place on mountain tops, but life is lived in the valleys. Moses encountered God on the top of the mountain, but the Israelites lost faith down below. The Epiphany Christians celebrated on January 6th took place on a mountain. But, Jesus, Peter, James and John came down from that mountain.

As far as continuous partying, eventually the party stops. Golden calves may be impressive, but they are idols and their worship is idolatrous. Life in the valley presents us with many differing sorts of ‘golden calves.’ They can be objects, images of things in nature, animals, birds or other living things. They can be individuals, emperors, political leaders, business leaders, even religious leaders. The Bible warns us, “Leviticus 19:4 Do not turn to idols or make cast images for yourselves: I am the LORD your God.” "Deuteronomy 27:15 Cursed be anyone who makes an idol or casts an image, anything abhorrent to the LORD, the work of an artisan, and sets it up in secret."  

Even if idols or images are not set up in secret, even if they are not images or cast things of any sort, we must always remember, "Luke 10:27 You shall love the Lord your God with all your heart, and with all your soul, and with all your strength, and with all your mind; and your neighbor as yourself." Even athletic contest and athletes, even the concept of continuously partying can become idolatrous.

And, yes, for what it is worth, we will be watching our television this coming Sunday. As we would say in Texas, we don’t have a dog in this hunt, but we will be watching. And, irrespective of the outcome, Monday morning will dawn, just as it does every week

Stay safe, worship only God, trust God,

Pastor Ray