May 31, 2010

Treasure, New and Old

I. Readings
Psalms 57, 145, 85, 47
Ecclesiastes 2:1-15
Galatians 1:1-17
Matthew 13:44-52

II. Selections
Psalm 57:2
I cry to God Most High,
      to God who fulfills his purpose for me.

Ecclesiastes 2:11
Then I considered all that my hands had done and the toil I had spent in doing it, and again, all was vanity and a chasing after wind, and there was nothing to be gained under the sun.

Galatians 1:11-12
For I want you to know, brothers and sisters, that the gospel that was proclaimed by me is not of human origin; for I did not receive it from a human source, nor was I taught it, but I received it through a revelation of Jesus Christ.

Matthew 13:52
And [Jesus] said to [his disciples], “Therefore every scribe who has been trained for the kingdom of heaven is like the master of a household who brings out of his treasure what is new and what is old.”

III. Meditation

If only we would be willing to receive it,
you would give us treasure, new and old.

You are ready to fulfill your purpose for us;
we are not ready. We pursue our own agenda

in search of happiness, only to discover
that all the things our hands have done,

and all the toil we have spent on them,
are a vanity and a chasing after wind.

The treasure you offer is not of human origin,
nor is it to be received from a human source;

it comes from you. Give us this treasure,
for we cry to you, O God Most High.