Jesus 2020
Dear Mosaic Family,
There are 17 days left until the election. Yes, you should vote. But more importantly, you should pray (1 Tim. 2:1-2). How often do you pray for our leaders? How often do you pray for their souls and for their families? How often do you pray for the Lord to guide them and lead them and grant them wisdom?
As we continue our series in the Psalms, we turn to Psalm 72, a royal coronation psalm. It's a prayer for Israel's king. The psalmist doesn't just ask for the Lord to make the king just and righteous, he asks "Give the king your justice, O God, and your righteousness to the royal son!" Why? Because our ultimate heart's cry isn't for a just and righteous king, not in terms of human justice and righteousness. Our ultimate heart's cry is for a King who is just like God, and righteous like God. Well, who could fulfill this job description?
Then the author proceeds to pray specifically for the king with a series of "May he... judge, defend, have dominion" and "May the people be blessed..." and "May there be abundance..."
The psalm is fascinating in that it is designed both as a prayer for the current leadership, as well as a cry for the ultimate king to return and rule. Verse 1 begins with an imperative, "Give the king..." The following verbs are imperfects, which can be translated either as prayers "may he..." or predictions "he will...". Most of your translations read "may he..." For meditation purposes, pray through the psalm with "he will..." instead. Who could this be about?
There is intentional ambiguity at play in the verbs, because purposeful ambiguity is at home in poetry. The psalmist teaches us to pray for our current leadership, while recognizing their faults. They're just human. They're just sinners. They also eat/drink/sleep. They too, get indigestion. They also need Jesus. As we pray for them, we aren't to trust in them. We are not supposed to put our hope and faith in them. We pray for them, and at the same time cry out for the Ultimate King to return. Come, Lord Jesus, come!
With Love,
Pastor Jan
This Week's Announcements
Membership 101 Class
Sunday, November 1st at 1:15 pm
If you'd like to learn more about Mosaic Boston Brookline, join us to hear why we are here and how you can join the church through membership. Visit our website to learn more and to RSVP.
Mini Mo Phase 2 Reopening
Sundays, 9:30 & 11:30 am
We are offering childcare for children ages 0-4 years old. Capacity is limited so please visit our website for more information and to reserve your spot.
We are also looking for more volunteers for our Mini Mosaic team. If you are interested, you can find more information and sign-up on our website.
Songs for Sunday
If you would like to know what we'll be singing on Sunday, you can find the playlist here.
Reopening Process
For a full overview of our reopening process and the safety standards that we have in place, visit:
https://brookline.mosaicboston.com/covid-19.