God is Good... ALL the Time

God  is good to one and all; everything he does is suffused with grace. (Psalm 145:9 MSG)

I loved Pastor Chad's list of cliched sayings he wishes Christians wouldn't use.  I couldn't agree more.  They are all based on bad theology.  I have a few more I would like to add...

• "God is good!"  - Not that I don't agree that God is good, but this phrase is usually used in response to something happening that makes us happy... often a prayer that is answered in the way we wanted it to be answered.  Quite recently in the news, I read about a small plane that crashed into a house.  The people in the plane perished.  The house occupants were unharmed.  A family member of one of the survivors said, "God is good!"  I couldn't help but wonder what the family of those who died in the same accident thought about God at that point.  My point is, isn't God stil good whether or not he does what we want him to do?  ... whether our own loved one lives or dies?  .... whether the test results are positive or negative?
• "There but for the grace of God go I" - Why is the person we are refering to less deserving of God's grace than I am?  Why would I think that it is a lack of God's grace that put that person in that position and the abundance of grace that kept me out of it?  I have heard this phrase rephrased as:  "There BECAUSE of the grace of God I GO!"  God's grace shouldn't make us feel priviliged to not be as bad off as another, but it should prod us to help those who are suffering.
• "God doesn't give you more than you can handle" - excuse me, but the cemetaries and mental hospitals are full of people that obviously had more than they could handle.  And there is also the problem with believing that God gives us our problems.  I believe we create plenty of those all on our own!  However, I do believe that our problems are indeed made easier to bear if we trust God to help... it doesn't always work out the way we would like, but that trust is crucial to easing our stress in any situation.

Ok, well, I think I have probably stepped on enough toes for one day!  I have a whole bag for of these bad-theology cliches, but I will spare you.  Being that most of you are Lutheran, you will probably agree with me on this one though.... the next time someone asks you, "When were you saved?"  Simply reply, "About two thousand years ago on a cross on a hill."

Father,

We often depend on well-worn sayings to bring comfort to ourselves or to others.  Help us to think before we say them.  We may just be hurting them further or worse... pulling them away from a god they think has purposely hurt them.  Give us compassion to know when to be silent and simply share your love by our presence.  Amen.

Joys:  Being Jesus' hands this past weekend by helping to distribute Second Harvest Food to those in need in our community; Time with Cecelia and the newest Mr and Mrs Hayes; crockpot chicken and dumplings