Bulletin 1.26.25

There's such a difference between us 
And a million miles

Hello from the other side

                                                                                                                                       — Adele, “Hello” (from the 2015 album 25)

What's it like there outside 
With the living, with the living 
Here I've found a place I can hide 
From the living, from the living 
Because I don't care to stay with the living

Oh, the bottle has been to me 
My closest friend, my worst enemy 
Full of flavor, I walked a fine line 
Squandered it all and wasted my time 
And I don't stand a chance among the living

'Cause I don't care to stay with the living 
I don't think I'll remain with the living 

— Natalie Merchant, “The Living” (from the 1998 album Ophelia)

The webbing together of God, humans, and all creation in justice, fulfillment, and delight is what the Hebrew prophets call shalom. We call it peace, but it means far more than mere peace of mind or a cease-fire between enemies. In the Bible, shalom means universal flourishing, wholeness, and delight – a rich state of affairs in which natural needs are satisfied and natural gifts fruitfully employed, a state of affairs that inspires joyful wonder as its Creator and Savior opens doors and welcomes the creatures in whom He delights. Shalom, in other words, is the way things ought to be. 

— Cornelius Plantinga,  Not the Way It’s Supposed to Be (1995; p. 10)

The One-Hundredth Thirteenth Psalm

Praise the LORD! 

Praise, O servants of the LORD, 

Praise the name of the LORD.

Blessed be the name of the LORD 

From this time forth and forever.

From the rising of the sun to its setting 

The name of the LORD is to be praised.

The LORD is high above all nations; 

His glory is above the heavens.

Who is like the LORD our God, 

Who is enthroned on high,

Who humbles Himself to behold 

The things that are in heaven and in the earth?

He raises the poor from the dust 

And lifts the needy from the ash heap,

To make them sit with princes, 

With the princes of His people.

He makes the barren woman abide in the house 

As a joyful mother of children. 

Praise the LORD! 

(Prayer)