Monthly Archives: August 2014

Taking Up a Cross

carrycross6Living in the Spirit
August 31, 2014

 Scripture Reading: Matthew 16:21-28 

Then Jesus told his disciples, ‘If any want to become my followers, let them deny themselves and take up their cross and follow me. For those who want to save their life will lose it, and those who lose their life for my sake will find it. For what will it profit them if they gain the whole world but forfeit their life? Or what will they give in return for their life? — Matthew 16:24-26

Denying self is an unheard of concept in our culture today. We want what we want and we want it now. It is really hard to escape. I can rarely remember chapter and verse from the Bible, although I do remember lots of scripture. I quoted Jesus recently in a study group and someone said that they had heard me say that before but they had never been able to find it in the Bible. Before I could say that I would look the citation up and get it to them later, one of the other participants had found it on their cell phone and gave her the reference. My immediate thought was, “I’ve got to have that App.”

It’s funny, but I think I understood denying self and taking up the cross of Jesus better when I was a child. My favorite hymn as a child was, Must Jesus bare the cross alone and all the world go free. No there’s a cross for everyone and there’s a cross for me*. We do not even sing it anymore. It is not in our hymn books.

We know what cross Jesus took up. He bore the cross of our salvation but what is our cross? We hear this phrase many times applied to circumstances beyond our control. “Her disability is such a cross to carry.” The cross Paul is discussing is one we take up by choice, something to which we are willing to dedicate our very lives. I heard on the news yesterday and interview with a staff person at a Catholic center for youth in Guatemala. She has worked there for many years and described how much worse the situation was now with gangs and violence. Yet she works every day at providing job skills training for young people in the hope that a skilled job will lift them away from the stumbling-blocks regularly thrust in their paths. This woman seemed to be at perfect peace though she was expressing great sadness for the situation. She is there by choice. She has found her cross. What is mine? What is yours?

Prayer: Christ of the Cross, it is so easy to get caught up in mundane things that really do not matter. Refocus my life so that I may make the right choices in your service. Amen.

*First verse of the hymn, Must Jesus Bear the Cross Alone? By Thomas Shepherd
All scriptures are quoted from the New Revised Standard Version Bible: Anglicized Edition, copyright 1989, 1995, Division of Christian Education of the National Council of Churches of Christ in the United States of American. Used by permission. All rights reserved.

Stumbling-Blocks

Stumpling blockLiving in the Spirit
August 30, 2014

 Scripture Reading: Matthew 16:21-28

 From that time on, Jesus began to show his disciples that he must go to Jerusalem and undergo great suffering at the hands of the elders and chief priests and scribes, and be killed, and on the third day be raised. And Peter took him aside and began to rebuke him, saying, ‘God forbid it, Lord! This must never happen to you.’ But he turned and said to Peter, ‘Get behind me, Satan! You are a stumbling-block to me; for you are setting your mind not on divine things but on human things.’ — Matthew 16:21-23

What are your stumbling-blocks? What are the things in your life that set your mind not on divine things but on human things?

 It is a practice at my church to give a small token of remembrance when someone is baptized. Each year during Lent we offer a Pastor’s Class for those considering to become a follower of Christ and being baptized. Several years ago I found a wonderful potter who made some individual chalices for this gift. The potter lived several miles from where I lived but he was going to have a booth at a large outdoor annual festival soon to be held in a suburb near me and we agreed that I would pick up the pottery at his booth.  I actually knew a parade was part of the festival but in my hurry to find the booth amid a huge crowd of people, I guess I forgot. Seeing some open space to my right I excused myself and stepped into it not realizing that the empty space was the street. The crowd was standing at the edge of the parade viewing space. The edge was the curb and the first step past the curb was about four to six inches lower than the curb. If an ugly picture of a short women falling all over herself into the middle of a parade flashed through your mind at this point, you have the right picture. The people on the curb were very gracious. I assured them I was fine as I limped quickly away. My stumbling-blocks had been impatience and pride. I had been guilty of placing a stumbling-block in my own path.

There are instances when others out of fear or greed or prejudice or for whatever reason place stumbling–blocks in our paths. Peter was doing that to Jesus in our scripture today. Our society does it with racism, sexism, poverty just to name a few.

When we place stumbling-blocks in our own way it reflects our need for wholeness. When a stumbling-block is placed in another’s path it most likely reflects a need for justice. God through Jesus Christ is our best source of finding personal wholeness. We may be God’s best resource for bringing about justice in our world.

Prayer: Help me to see my self-imposed stumbling-blocks and help me remove them from my being. Help me see the stumbling-blocks of injustice in this world, use me as you choose to help remove them from your sight. Amen.

All scriptures are quoted from the New Revised Standard Version Bible: Anglicized Edition, copyright 1989, 1995, Division of Christian Education of the National Council of Churches of Christ in the United States of American. Used by permission. All rights reserved.

Vengeance

forgiveness-is-freedom-05-11-13Living in the Spirit
August 29, 2014

 Scripture Reading: Romans 12:9-21

 Beloved, never avenge yourselves, but leave room for the wrath of God; for it is written, ‘Vengeance is mine, I will repay, says the Lord.’— Romans 12:19 

The windmill I have jousted the most with over the past several years is the abolition of the use of the death penalty both in Oklahoma and in the country as a whole. There is absolutely no logical reason to use the death penalty. Several studies have concluded that it does not serve as a deterrent to crime, it has been shown to be way more expensive than life without parole, most victims’ families do not get closure from the killing of the one who murdered their loved one, and even lethal injection appears to be cruel and unusual punishment. Oh, did I mention that people of color are far more apt to be executed than whites, women are rarely executed, and almost all persons executed are poor? There is not that great a discrepancy among these groups in the demographics of people who kill people.

I classify the death penalty as my windmill because none of this matters to most supporters of the death penalty. It seems that somewhere in our culture the seed was planted that vengeance is necessary following a senseless murder to set the earth correctly back on its axis. Some of that comes from the Eye for and Eye rule, which Jesus actually dispatched rather quickly in Matthew 5. I think it probably comes from that primal childhood response to hit back at anything that is hurting us or that we fear might hurt us.

It never works for children and it never works for adults. Actually vengeance hurts the one wanting it more than it hurts the perpetrator of it. Whole lives have been wasted by dedicating them to seeking vengeance. Vengeance and all the emotions that accompany can eat a person up from the inside out.

Part of the problem for some with letting God’s wrath be sufficient is that God is fully capable of messing around and redeeming the scoundrel. In all honesty victims’ family members with whom I have discussed this issues were most often able to find some type of closure only when they forgave the criminal.

Prayer: God of Justice and of Mercy, help us leave room for your wrath and trust that your way is always the better way. Amen.

All scriptures are quoted from the New Revised Standard Version Bible: Anglicized Edition, copyright 1989, 1995, Division of Christian Education of the National Council of Churches of Christ in the United States of American. Used by permission. All rights reserved.

Intentionality

IntentionalLiving in the Spirit
August 28, 2014

 Scripture Reading: Romans 12:9-21 

Let love be genuine; hate what is evil, hold fast to what is good; love one another with mutual affection; outdo one another in showing honor. Do not lag in zeal, be ardent in spirit, serve the Lord. Rejoice in hope, be patient in suffering, persevere in prayer. Contribute to the needs of the saints; extend hospitality to strangers. —Romans 12:9-13 

I have always had a pretty good memory but as I age I am relying more and more on lists and digital calendar reminders. I have found over the years that there are times, for example, when I get very busy or when I am distracted from what I must do by something not related to what I must do that I tend to run on what I dub “automatic pilot.” I must lean back on God and let God establish my priorities getting me through the musts, probably ignoring some of the “shoulds” of life.

We must be well prepared to rely on “automatic pilot” and Paul’s to do list of everyday stuff is a great place to start. Think how much simpler life would be if we could make each item, in this laundry list of behavior, a habit. They say it takes six weeks to form a habit. Trying to make all of these behaviors habits in six weeks would be a daunting task. But if we took one at a time, worked on one with intentionality for six weeks and then moved to the next, I think we would be surprised at how our life and, more importantly, our service to God would blossom.

First we would have to “chew” on each for a while. What is genuine love? How do we know when it is happening? What does the word hate really mean? Next we must practice what we have discerned. Third we need to be at least accountable to ourselves and to God.

It strikes me as I review this list that the tasks get easier as they go. For once we learn to love in a genuine way and to hate evil it will be easier to hold fast to good. Once we have shed the weight of not loving genuinely and of being ho hum about evil, we will have more energy for zeal and an ardent spirit.

Prayer: Lord, foster in me the intentionality I need to live in harmony with your will. Amen.

All scriptures are quoted from the New Revised Standard Version Bible: Anglicized Edition, copyright 1989, 1995, Division of Christian Education of the National Council of Churches of Christ in the United States of American. Used by permission. All rights reserved.

Negativity

Praise the LordLiving in the Spirit
August 27, 2014

 Scripture Reading: Psalm 105:1-6, 23-26, 45b

 O give thanks to the Lord, call on his name,
   make known his deeds among the peoples.
Sing to him, sing praises to him;
   tell of all his wonderful works. — 105:1-2

I must confess I get a little tired of those people who always see through rose colored glasses. They never see problems, everything is beautiful to them. I am probably a little jealous to be honest. Analytical by nature, I do see both the pros and the cons of life.

Recently I have been working on a business plan for one segment of our regional church’s responsibilities. The guideline I am following asked for a summary of the state of the entity about which I am writing. Declining membership, declining offerings, and staff cuts is depressing to write. It is true though, and it is something with which we must deal, if we are to carry out the mission of Christ.

I also read an editorial in a newspaper today about a poll that indicated the vast majority of the American public hold the perception that the Affordable Care Act has been a miserable failure. Not so by most measures, millions of people who did not have health care now do, computer glitches have been fixed. Negotiations have occurred with business to fix some areas that caused unexpected issues. The problem is that is not what we hear on the news. Every problem is breaking news that we hear ad nauseam while the successes, if told at all, are on the back page. And opponents of the law still rant regularly that it is the worst law ever implemented.

Psalm 105 starts out with exquisite praise of God then leads into reports of the horrible deeds done against the Israelites in Egypt. At the end it recognizes that God sent Moses and Aaron that they might keep his statutes and observe his laws. Isn’t that interesting? It does not say Moses subsequently led them out of bondage. It praises God for the privilege to serve God. In all our negativity that is something to think about.

Prayer: Almighty God, lead us forward as your servants knowing that our call is to serve, the results are yours. Amen.

All scriptures are quoted from the New Revised Standard Version Bible: Anglicized Edition, copyright 1989, 1995, Division of Christian Education of the National Council of Churches of Christ in the United States of American. Used by permission. All rights reserved

The Blame Game

blamegameLiving in the Spirit
August 26, 2014

 Scripture Reading: Exodus 3:1-15 

Then the Lord said, ‘I have observed the misery of my people who are in Egypt; I have heard their cry on account of their taskmasters. Indeed, I know their sufferings, and I have come down to deliver them from the Egyptians, and to bring them up out of that land to a good and broad land,…The cry of the Israelites has now come to me; I have also seen how the Egyptians oppress them. So come, I will send you to Pharaoh to bring my people, the Israelites, out of Egypt.’ But Moses said to God, ‘Who am I that I should go to Pharaoh, and bring the Israelites out of Egypt?’ He said, ‘I will be with you; and this shall be the sign for you that it is I who sent you: when you have brought the people out of Egypt, you shall worship God on this mountain.’ — Exodus 3:7-12

Jesus told us that God counts every hair on our head and knew what was happening with every sparrow. It should not come as a surprise to us then that God was fully aware of the plight of the Israelites. Surely there were many among those slaves calling out to God for mercy, but there were many perhaps who had given up, forgotten about God. God was still keeping an eye on them, too. And God sees the plight of families with children pouring out of Syria, Guatemala, Afghanistan, and Democratic Republic of the Congo in our world today. There are no easy answers to the problems that cause such migration, but we are called to seek solutions and offer assistance.  While it is usually beneficial to analyze what is happening to seek answers, it is a waste of precious time and resources to invest most of our energies in establishing blame.

I once had a supervisor for whom it was very important that she not be seen as the blame for anything that might have gone wrong in our challenging work with abusive and neglectful families. After spending long sessions with her where the time was mostly spent trying to fix blame, my co-workers and I discovered that we could forgo the blame game and get on about the business of addressing the issues, if in some way we would say “It was my fault, and I will never do it again.” That or a similar phrase seemed to lift the burden off her shoulders and free her to become a very good, proactive problem solver.

Jesus essentially did just that at the cross. He took the blame for all our misguided actions to free us to serve as his Body in the world today. We need to get about the business of doing just that.

Prayer: Great I AM, we thank you for the gift of your Son who frees us every day to serve you. And we thank you for hearing our cries and the cries of the oppressed. Show us what our response is to be and enable us to make it happen. Amen.

All scriptures are quoted from the New Revised Standard Version Bible: Anglicized Edition, copyright 1989, 1995, Division of Christian Education of the National Council of Churches of Christ in the United States of American. Used by permission. All rights reserved.

Called as Advocates

AdvoccyLiving in the Spirit
August 25, 2014

 Scripture Reading: Exodus 3:1-15

 Moses was keeping the flock of his father-in-law Jethro, the priest of Midian; he led his flock beyond the wilderness, and came to Horeb, the mountain of God. There the angel of the Lord appeared to him in a flame of fire out of a bush; he looked, and the bush was blazing, yet it was not consumed. Then Moses said, ‘I must turn aside and look at this great sight, and see why the bush is not burned up.’ When the Lord saw that he had turned aside to see, God called to him out of the bush, ‘Moses, Moses!’ And he said, ‘Here I am.’ Then he said, ‘Come no closer! Remove the sandals from your feet, for the place on which you are standing is holy ground.’ He said further, ‘I am the God of your father, the God of Abraham, the God of Isaac, and the God of Jacob.’ And Moses hid his face, for he was afraid to look at God. — Exodus 3:1-6

I worked for the State of Oklahoma for 35 years. When I began, I signed a form acknowledging that I understood, as a state employee, I had to be very careful about any participation in politics. After retirement, I became a full time commissioned clergy person and worked at a local church where ethical considerations and our tax exempt status once again placed me in the position of being very careful about politics. I was, throughout my career and still am now, a very strong supporter of the separation of church and state whether those exact words are in our official government documents or not. I consider myself to be a member of the nation of God while I am also by birth a citizen of the United States of America.

Because of these almost 40 years of negative reinforcement, I find it very difficult to take a public stand for a given candidate, although I have worked for some in the background. I am becoming more publicly vocal about specific issues. I get all these emails and other social media pieces asking for my support on some issue or another, to which I may respond in support, but almost all of them say send this to all your friends and I just somehow cannot do that, yet. At some point my guess is, a justice issues about which I have very strong feelings will garner enough of a gut level response in me that I will forward it. Part of my hesitancy may be because I do not want to cause the same negative reaction I have when I receive such mail pushing political philosophies that are totally alien to me.

Moses got his gut check at a burning bush. He had been reared by Pharaoh’s daughter and his first rather knee jerk reaction of killing an Egyptian for his abuse of a Hebrew netted Moses a trip into the wilderness. That history had probably squelched much of his advocacy fervor. Yet the great I AM said “Moses, you are to be my advocate” and Moses was. Even with his fear and lack of self-confidence, Moses led the Israelites out of bondage.

There is a great sense of ennui in our land today. People are hiding their heads in the sand even as they suffer or watch others suffer with poverty, stagnate incomes, no health care, poor education systems, overcrowded prisons, a volatile world, and enormous debt while our elected representatives do nothing but point fingers and make personal attacks. They are our employees. It is our job as citizens to hold them accountable, but that requires us to become savvy voters and not be jerked around by issues that have little if any impact on the common good our governments are commissioned to provide.

Prayer: Great I AM, fully enable my participation in your kingdom as it progresses toward your governance and help me see the avenues of advocacy you are setting before me in meeting the common good of both my country and the world. Amen.

All scriptures are quoted from the New Revised Standard Version Bible: Anglicized Edition, copyright 1989, 1995, Division of Christian Education of the National Council of Churches of Christ in the United States of American. Used by permission. All rights reserved.

Jesus is the Builder

Jesus is the builderLiving in the Spirit
August 24, 2014

 Scripture Reading: Matthew 16:13-20

He said to them, ‘But who do you say that I am?’ Simon Peter answered, ‘You are the Messiah, the Son of the living God.’ And Jesus answered him, ‘Blessed are you, Simon son of Jonah! For flesh and blood has not revealed this to you, but my Father in heaven. And I tell you, you are Peter, and on this rock I will build my church, and the gates of Hades will not prevail against it.  — Matthew 16:15-18

It makes sense that a carpenter’s apprentice would envision the future through the eyes of a builder. One of the first tasks of a builder is to select the raw materials, gather the rocks from which to form the foundation. Jesus is doing that task in our scripture today as he shapes and molds the first disciples making them the foundation for the community of faith not made with hands. He has even assigned Simon a nickname, Peter, the rock, to emphasize this role.

Simon Peter’s natural leadership ability was key to the success of the formation of this community particularly after Jesus’ death and resurrection. Simon Peter’s faith and thus his success was totally dependent on this confession of faith: You are the Messiah, the Son of the living God. The Jews had long been looking for this promised one who was to come and save them from destruction. But like us, those first century Jews had an image of what that anointed one would look like, be like. Perhaps they hoped for a mighty warrior, perhaps a wise and powerful monarch, probably not a carpenter’s apprentice whose primary function was loving everyone. The other disciples had most likely seen the same clues that Simon Peter had. He gave voice to what everyone else was afraid to say.

And so today we are still working on that community of faith using the foundation of these first disciples. Jesus, the Christ, is still the builder. It is being constructed based on His design and we are the ones now saying Christ Jesus is the Messiah, the Son of the living God. We are called as one community with many facets all striving for justice and mercy.

Prayer: Keep us focused on your design as we strive to extend your community of faith to all the peoples of the world. Amen.

All scriptures are quoted from the New Revised Standard Version Bible: Anglicized Edition, copyright 1989, 1995, Division of Christian Education of the National Council of Churches of Christ in the United States of American. Used by permission. All rights reserved.

‘Who Do You Say that I Am?’

Who do you say that I amLiving in the Spirit
August 23, 2014

 Scripture Reading: Matthew 16:13-20

 Now when Jesus came into the district of Caesarea Philippi, he asked his disciples, ‘Who do people say that the Son of Man is?’ And they said, ‘Some say John the Baptist, but others Elijah, and still others Jeremiah or one of the prophets.’ He said to them, ‘But who do you say that I am?’ —Matthew 11:23

One of the reasons I write these daily devotions is that it makes me delve into scripture in ways I would not have considered without having to face the public scrutiny of my interpretation. It forces me to be honest with myself and makes me be as honest as I possibly can be with the reader. We intuitive-introverts aren’t particularly comfortable with such openness and sometimes find it challenging to explain what we feel in our guts. Doing something outside of our comfort zone is good for us though, right?

The disciples in our scripture today clearly recognized that Jesus was someone special. He is in really good company being compared to John the Baptist and Jeremiah, but especially Elijah. Elijah was taken up to heaven and did not die. He was projected as being the forerunner of the Messiah. The disciples probably were experiencing some of those gut level reactions that said, “This man is more than that.”

Today, who do we say that Jesus is? A great role model, he is put forth by many as the example of how we all should live. A great teacher, he helped all with whom he came into contact understand better what life was all about and still helps us today. The Savior, he came to free us from our chains of separation from God and be the link that would forever bind us to God. I believe that is all well and good and accurate. But Jesus the Christ is so much more than that. He is the one who has ushered in a whole new form of governance with a foundation of love that is the hope of the whole world.

Prayer: Thank you God for a great role model, a great teacher, a Savior and most of all we thank you for the One who is ushering in your Kingdom now and forevermore. Amen.

All scriptures are quoted from the New Revised Standard Version Bible: Anglicized Edition, copyright 1989, 1995, Division of Christian Education of the National Council of Churches of Christ in the United States of American. Used by permission. All rights reserved.

Wholeness to Oneness

TornadoLiving in the Spirit
August 22, 2014

 Scripture Reading: Romans 12:1-8 

For by the grace given to me I say to everyone among you not to think of yourself more highly than you ought to think, but to think with sober judgment, each according to the measure of faith that God has assigned. For as in one body we have many members, and not all the members have the same function, so we, who are many, are one body in Christ, and individually we are members one of another. — Romans 12:3-5

It is a paradox but it is true, in order to be whole we need one another. Our Western culture is sometimes defensive about our interdependence. After all, we are the pull-ourselves-up from the bootstrap kind of people. Whenever I hear that phrase, I always want to ask where did you get the boots and where did you get the strap.  Truth is there are a few people who are quite accomplished at many things, but there is no one who can do everything. Even if we found our boots and strap just lying by the road, someone showed us how to use them. Someone instilled in us the gumption to do the work necessary to succeed.

If interdependence is true for society, it is even truer for the Body of Christ. Jesus prayed for us to be one just before his crucifixion. He knew how important it was to have all the talents and skills God instilled in each of us to work together in Christ to bring about the Kingdom of Heaven.

Of course, when a group of people with totally different skills and personalities get together chaos could result unless they know who the leader is and they know what the job is that needs to be accomplished. I live in the heart of tornado alley and I have been amazed at how much a group of people from several diverse churches can accomplish in clearing debris, feeding and sheltering those left without homes, and comforting the injured and those who lost loved ones. They don’t check to see if each other were immersed or sprinkled, take communion every Sunday or never, read the King James or the Common English Bible. They just do their very best to love the way Jesus loved. I am not saying those other things are not meaningful. We are very diverse in culture and education and income levels and that is actually more than OK that is what Jesus expected. We need to find the spot where we can worship and serve God with all our hearts, minds, souls, and strength both separately and as God calls us together. Who knows we might learn a new song we just love or share a tear with a stranger we had never met who helped us pull a living breathing child from a pile of rubble.

Prayer: Jesus, Son of God, make us whole make us one. When we are a leader help us lead, when we are followers help us follow as we go about the business of being Your Body here on earth. Amen.

All scriptures are quoted from the New Revised Standard Version Bible: Anglicized Edition, copyright 1989, 1995, Division of Christian Education of the National Council of Churches of Christ in the United States of American. Used by permission. All rights reserved.