Today’s scripture: Isaiah 55:1-13 (NRSV) (The Message) (KJV) What might God be saying to me?
My thoughts (Vivian Ampy):
I am reminded of a time a former pastor of mine sent me a private message on Facebook. She said that I was in danger of losing my salvation because I was a pastor at LifeJourney Church. I was dumbfounded that she thought God would be angry with me for simply serving in a church whose outreach was to the GLBT community. She had created God in her image, and God judged the same way she did.
When I officiate at a funeral, I often paraphrase this passage by saying that God’s thoughts are not your thoughts, neither are God’s ways your ways. Then I would say, “And this makes me glad. Because we are crying now, but over on the other side there is dancing.”
We do not get to decide where someone will spend eternity; for, as the heavens are higher than the earth, so are God’s ways higher than our ways and God’s thoughts our thoughts. Higher as in we puny humans will never be able to think most of God’s thoughts or act in most of God’s ways. We don’t have the capability of cutting to the chase and just looking at the heart.
And isn’t that wonderful? If you listen to some Christians today, no one is assured of a place in heaven but those who look like them, talk like them, dress like them, live like them. Luckily, they don’t get to choose anybody’s final outcome.
Quote for the day: “Heaven or hell are ours to create and ours to choose, though God makes hell harder to achieve than we imagine.” ~Elain Jarvis, Grace Rushes In
We encourage you to include a time of prayer with this reading. If you need a place to get started, consider the suggestions on the How to Pray page.