Friday, July 17, 2020
A Taste of God’s Goodness
“While Christians around the world gather to celebrate Sunday, and they do this in a myriad of ways, and even while some bemoan the demise of Sunday laws reminiscent of the Constantinian era, there is no doubt that there is a renewal of Sunday–of Sunday as the day of resurrection, of Sunday as the beginning of a new creation, and of Sunday as the foretaste of the final consummation.” page 150
Resurrection, new creation, and the coming of the Kingdom of God are all things for which to praise God! God is good, and Sundays are a day that we as Christians are invited to “taste and see that the Lord is good” (Psalm 34:8). The act of praise gives us a taste of God’s goodness. We don’t always feel like we are experiencing that goodness. We don’t always want to praise God. But practicing praise every week, like a discipline, is a way to remember that God is good.
Some Sundays all we want to do is cry. Some Sundays, we just want to sleep all day. Some Sundays, we’d rather not be reminded that we are part of something bigger (the Church). But every Sunday, we have a standing invitation from God to start the week anew. We are part of a community of folks who are united by the good, good God that we serve. No matter where we are or how we feel, God is always good. Pray that you would remember that.
Question to Ponder: What are some tangible ways that you are experiencing God’s goodness right now?
This week’s devotions are adapted from the book, A Brief History of Sunday: From the New Testament to the New Creation by Justo L. Gonzalez. Eerdmans, Grand Rapids. 2017.
A Taste of God’s Goodness
“While Christians around the world gather to celebrate Sunday, and they do this in a myriad of ways, and even while some bemoan the demise of Sunday laws reminiscent of the Constantinian era, there is no doubt that there is a renewal of Sunday–of Sunday as the day of resurrection, of Sunday as the beginning of a new creation, and of Sunday as the foretaste of the final consummation.” page 150
Resurrection, new creation, and the coming of the Kingdom of God are all things for which to praise God! God is good, and Sundays are a day that we as Christians are invited to “taste and see that the Lord is good” (Psalm 34:8). The act of praise gives us a taste of God’s goodness. We don’t always feel like we are experiencing that goodness. We don’t always want to praise God. But practicing praise every week, like a discipline, is a way to remember that God is good.
Some Sundays all we want to do is cry. Some Sundays, we just want to sleep all day. Some Sundays, we’d rather not be reminded that we are part of something bigger (the Church). But every Sunday, we have a standing invitation from God to start the week anew. We are part of a community of folks who are united by the good, good God that we serve. No matter where we are or how we feel, God is always good. Pray that you would remember that.
Question to Ponder: What are some tangible ways that you are experiencing God’s goodness right now?
This week’s devotions are adapted from the book, A Brief History of Sunday: From the New Testament to the New Creation by Justo L. Gonzalez. Eerdmans, Grand Rapids. 2017.
