Day 14 of 90 Devotion

Dearest e-votees-

Day fourteen of our cover to cover voyage through the Bible.

If you care to follow along you can find links to the assigned Bible passages at:

www.christthegoodshep.org/biblein90days.html

Peace,
Karl

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Day 14 Readings: Deuteronomy 8:1-23:11

It's deja vu all over again. (apologies to Yogi Berra)

Almost everything in today's reading we have seen before. There are a few things that have made an appearance that weren't in the first iteration of the law but by and large it is recapping what was already said.

The point of this text is that the people hearing it (those who were less than 20 or not even born at the time of the Exodus) need to recall God's deeds of delivery and the law given (to those 20 or older) as they enter into the promised land. Generations don't always share wisdom and stories between them well. So God has Moses tell again the stories and the expectations of God. This is needed because...

People learn by repetition. People so easily forget. People's forgetfulness can lead to dire breakdowns and consequences.

Some people are critical of worship forms that seem to repeat themselves or have clearly discernible patterns. Some go so far as to call liturgical forms dead.

We learn by repetition. We so easily forget. Our forgetfulness can lead to dire breakdowns and consequences.

Some people shun regular and frequent communion saying that having it so often makes it less special. To them I might say "How special was your last breath?" and beyond that I might say...

We learn by repetition. We so easily forget. Our forgetfulness can lead to dire breakdowns and consequences.

Some people shun regular and frequent communion with the saints saying that Christmas and Easter may well be sufficient for them (if even that frequently). Our constitutional requirements for voting members are so painfully and woefully inadequate (worship, communion, offering of record within the last two years). Some might say that they are meeting the bare minimum expectations. I might say back...

We learn by repetition. We so easily forget. Our forgetfulness can lead to dire breakdowns and consequences.


God help us learn by faithfully tending the repetitions and cycles of the faith life. Help us remember what can so easily be forgotten. Help us remember that Jesus came to repair the breakdowns and fulfill the consequences so that we might have sure and certain hope and life. Amen.