Friday Scripture: Psalm 71
Those Who Are to Come
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I can't stop talking about your righteous deeds,
of your saving acts all day long—
though I don't know how to tell all of them.
I will come and proclaim your mighty acts, Sovereign Lord;
I will proclaim your righteous deeds, yours alone.
Since my youth, God, you have taught me,
and to this day I declare your marvelous deeds.
Even when I am old and gray,
do not forsake me, my God,
till I declare your power to the next generation,
your mighty acts to all who are to come.
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Most of us human beings do not live to a ripe old age because of the wise choices we make in our youth.
We made it this far because we've been blessed.
But God's blessings are not yours to keep.
God gave you all those miracles on your journey so you can pass them on to those who are to come.
All of God's blessings work that way.
The earth itself is a fragile miracle of life, spinning through an infinite expanse of death.
But this earth is not ours to keep.
We are borrowing it from our children.
All of God's blessings were given to you so you could pass them on to the next generation.
That is what elders do.
Our children need to know what God has done.
But there are others who need to know about those blessings.
The church where you worship was probably built before you came along.
When folks started building that vision, they didn't know anything about you.
But they dreamed about the day you would come.
They prayed you would be there soon.
And when you arrived, they told you their miracle stories.
They taught you all the things God had done.
In 2020, we're building something new.
Worship is WAY different than it was a year ago.
And we've been reminded that church is so much more than a building.
But we're not building this new vision for ourselves.
We're borrowing it from those who are to come.