Dwelling in God's Tent

PASSAGE FOR THE DAY:
1   LORD, who may dwell in your sacred tent?
       Who may live on your holy mountain?

2   The one whose walk is blameless,
       who does what is righteous,
       who speaks the truth from their heart;
3   whose tongue utters no slander,
       who does no wrong to a neighbor,
       and casts no slur on others;
4   who despises a vile person
       but honors those who fear the LORD;
    who keeps an oath even when it hurts,
       and does not change their mind;
5   who lends money to the poor without interest;
       who does not accept a bribe against the innocent.

    Whoever does these things
       will never be shaken. (Psalm 15, NIV)


REFLECTIONS:
The psalmist writes that those who abide in God’s tent live a certain way. Their lives reflect God’s moral imperatives. Their actions demonstrate that they are seeking to live in a manner that reflects God's good, righteousness, loving and just character. 

Here again, we face the notion of private versus public life. The text does not say that those who privately offer sacrifices in exactly the correct way will “live on God's holy mountain.” No, the psalmist affirms that just acts are the requisite for a life with God. Respectively, the psalmist identifies blameless living, honest speech, friendly conduct, rejection of evil, honor of the faithful, and economic fairness. These are public acts carried out in the midst of community. 

The psalmist concludes the psalm by saying that those who act in this fashion will not be shaken. Those who act justly and pursue justice for others will become fixed in their cause. Whether that cause becomes the rights of persons working in inhumane conditions, of persons living in prisons, of girls and women enslaved in sex trafficking rings, of parentless children seeking a home, or of persons struggling to make ends meet, people who live just lives will not be moved by the storms that come as part of the struggle for justice. 

Over the last few years, our church has become connected with Terry Cole and the good folks who lead Street Youth Ministry of Austin. Terry worked as a highly successful electrical engineer for 25 years; but, in 2008, he left behind his high paying job in the high-tech industry and began serving the street-dependent youth of Austin full time. For the last 5+ years, Terry has built relationships with the men, women, and teens living on the streets of Austin. He has sought to love, support, and equip these folks who are often overlooked and forgotten. In the face of much opposition, he has sacrificed his own comfort and livelihood to share the life-changing message of God's love with "the least of these." In the words of the apostle Paul, his life has been poured out as a drink offering in service to the street youth and the gospel (Philippians 2:17; 2 Timothy 4:6). And, in the words of the psalmist, his life of lived justice has shown him to be one who "will never be shaken" (Psalm 15:5).


PRAYER:
God of justice, give us courage to live lives of justice and bring us so completely into just living that we “shall never be moved” from that way of life. Amen.


WHO AM I?
I am Tres Sansom, and I am profoundly thankful for men and women like Terry Cole. Not only do they play a vital role in ministering God's love to the forgotten and overlooked masses, they challenge me to step out of my comfort zone. I've only served alongside Street Youth Ministry of Austin a handful of times, but each experience has been frightening, exhilarating, and life-giving.