Monthly Archives: May 2017

Rejoice in the Lord Always

Eastertide
May 31, 2017

Scripture Reading: Psalm 104:24-35

May the glory of the Lord endure for ever;
   may the Lord rejoice in his works—
who looks on the earth and it trembles,
   who touches the mountains and they smoke.
I will sing to the Lord as long as I live;
   I will sing praise to my God while I have being.
May my meditation be pleasing to him,
   for I rejoice in the Lord. –Psalm 104:31-34

Do we take God for granted? Yes and we should but we also should not. I believe that God is eternal, always present, all powerful, and all knowing.  The Psalmists prays May the glory of the Lord endure for ever; may the Lord rejoice in his works in acknowledgment of and reference to the favor we receive from God’s love and to pledge our love to God and all of God’s creation.

What meditations are pleasing to God? I must confess I probably spend more time ranting and raving to God about the injustices I see and cannot change and the complexities of solving problems working for and with others who share a diversity of understandings of the issues and ideas for addressing them. I do not think God minds. It is when I can put words to what I am experiencing/feeling; I am pliable to God’s amazing ability to reshape and refocus my responses.

When something finally works, when good things happen, when love rains on parched lands and lives, including God in our rejoicing, brings God joy too. God’s sustaining grace and love makes all things possible.

Prayer: Thank you Lord for loving us so much you accept us as we are and work to make us love like you each day. 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 America. Used by permission. All rights are reserved.

 

Jealousy and Faith

Eastertide
May 30, 2017

Scripture Reading: Numbers 11:24-30

Two men remained in the camp, one named Eldad, and the other named Medad, and the spirit rested on them; they were among those registered, but they had not gone out to the tent, and so they prophesied in the camp. And a young man ran and told Moses, ‘Eldad and Medad are prophesying in the camp.’ And Joshua son of Nun, the assistant of Moses, one of his chosen men, said, ‘My lord Moses, stop them!’ But Moses said to him, ‘Are you jealous for my sake? Would that all the Lord’s people were prophets, and that the Lord would put his spirit on them!’ And Moses and the elders of Israel returned to the camp. –Numbers 11:26-30

My ageless but withered landlord years ago, described jealous as the green-eyed monster. I did not know from where the phrase derived, but it seems appropriate.  As it turns out, William Shakespeare penned the green-eyed part in The Merchant of Venice in 1596. Much earlier than that Exodus 20:17 states:  You shall not covet your neighbor’s house; you shall not covet your neighbor’s wife, or male or female slave, or ox, or donkey, or anything that belongs to your neighbor.

 The Hebrew word for coveting is chamad and means to desire, to take pleasure in*. There is nothing wrong with taking pleasure in a beautiful sunset, a loving spouse, the first word or steps of your child. The problem arises when we go beyond our boundaries and desire something that is not ours to have. Jealousy is our unhealthy response to not having what is not ours. It is a destructive disposition that sometimes hurts others but most often eats holes in our souls.

Inappropriate in our personal life, jealously regarding our and others’ relationship to God breaks God’s heart and hinders our mission to be the whole Body of Christ. In the cynical world in which we live it is very hard to trust anything. As people of God, learning to lean on God in absolute faith is the starting point for healing sin-sick souls.

There is a balm in Gilead
to make the wounded whole,
there is a balm in Gilead
to heal the sin-sick soul**.

Prayer: Spirit of the Living God, fall afresh on each of your children enabling us to trust God in all that we do, healing our fractured hearts.  Amen.

*http://biblehub.com/hebrew/2530.htm

**Refrain from There is a Balm in Gilead see at http://hymnary.org/text/sometimes_i_feel_discouraged_spiritual and also Jeremiah 8:22

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 America. Used by permission. All rights are reserved.

 

Breath, Wind, Spirit

Eastertide
May 29, 2017

Scripture Reading: Numbers 11:24-30

So Moses went out and told the people the words of the Lord; and he gathered seventy elders of the people, and placed them all around the tent. Then the Lord came down in the cloud and spoke to him, and took some of the spirit that was on him and put it on the seventy elders; and when the spirit rested upon them, they prophesied. But they did not do so again. –Numbers 11:24-25

The Hebrew word for spirit is ruach, which is used interchangeably for breath and wind. In Biblical literature, the Spirit of God is as ancient as the creation stories. The earth was a formless void and darkness covered the face of the deep, while a wind from God swept over the face of the waters.(Genesis 2:1). We should not be surprised to find it in the book of Numbers. The mysteries of the nature of God abides with us always.

I fear we Christians may limit the beginning of the history of the Spirit of God to Pentecost or the book of John’s report of Jesus breathing the Spirit on the disciples after the resurrection. The book of Hebrews (13:8) proclaims Jesus Christ is the same yesterday and today and forever. Surely this description includes the Spirit.

What does the foreverness of the Spirit mean to us today? What does a relationship with the Spirt mean? I write this to a symphony of wind gales in the background the aftermath of damaging winds and tornados that ravaged the Plains about 100 miles west of my home last night. Many homes were destroyed, people were injured, and one man was killed. We do not take wind lightly in Oklahoma. We should not take the Spirit of God lightly either. A power able to form the earth from chaos can shape us into a powerful Body carrying out the work of Christ in the world today. Let it be so.

Prayer: Come Holy Spirit, move among us making us each whole, together one, and advocates for your justice. 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 America. Used by permission. All rights are reserved.

Brotherly Love

Eastertide
May 28, 2017

Scripture Reading: John 17:1-11

‘I have made your name known to those whom you gave me from the world. They were yours, and you gave them to me, and they have kept your word. Now they know that everything you have given me is from you; for the words that you gave to me I have given to them, and they have received them and know in truth that I came from you; and they have believed that you sent me. I am asking on their behalf; I am not asking on behalf of the world, but on behalf of those whom you gave me, because they are yours. All mine are yours, and yours are mine; and I have been glorified in them. And now I am no longer in the world, but they are in the world, and I am coming to you. Holy Father, protect them in your name that you have given me, so that they may be one, as we are one.
–John 17:6-11

Brotherly love meets agape love. Jesus’ concern for those whom you gave me weaves through this scripture. I get a sense Jesus is saying “I am really going to miss these guys—and gals. I have been glorified in them.” Jesus gained value from his interactions with his disciples. The love of God is mutually synergistic. For where two or three are gathered in my name, I am there among them. (Matthew 18:20)

As Christ’s disciples, we are called to continue melding brotherly love and agape love as we strive to be the Body of Christ in the world today. We close our Congregational Council meeting each month with prayer including updates on member-related issues. Most often this list of concerns relates to health concerns. Someone is in the hospital, someone just moved to assisted living, someone was able to return to church for the first time in two and a half years. Sometimes we celebrate a new birth, and sometimes we mourn the loss of a dear friend.

For Christ’s disciples, the coming together of brotherly love and agape love extends beyond the local congregation. It takes us just down the street to a school where we fill backpacks with food for 14% of the students to take home for the weekend because the school lunch program is believed to be their only source of nourishment. It takes us to the City Rescue Mission where we provide steel-toed boots for job seekers who must have these shoes to work at construction sites where day jobs are available. It takes us to the halls of the state legislature and Congress to help assure that the least of these are not disenfranchised. It takes us to the Dominican Republic where children learn skills that lead to employment removing them from exploitation.

Where does brotherly love and agape love come together for you?

Prayer: God of Love, thank you for the opportunities to share the wealth of your affection with all our brothers and sisters in Christ. 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 America. Used by permission. All rights are reserved.

Glorified?

Eastertide
May 27, 2017

Scripture Reading: John 17:1-11

After Jesus had spoken these words, he looked up to heaven and said, ‘Father, the hour has come; glorify your Son so that the Son may glorify you, since you have given him authority over all people, to give eternal life to all whom you have given him. And this is eternal life, that they may know you, the only true God, and Jesus Christ whom you have sent. I glorified you on earth by finishing the work that you gave me to do. So now, Father, glorify me in your own presence with the glory that I had in your presence before the world existed. –John 17:1-5

What connotation do we give to the word “glorify”? Do we turn it into condescending slang? When we use the word glorified are we saying someone or something is overrated? The Greek word translated glorify, doxazó* means to ascribe weight by recognizing real substance (value).  It seems what Jesus is saying here is that he is ready to fulfill his calling come what may. Hebrews 5:5 describes this phenomenon, So also Christ did not glorify himself in becoming a high priest, but was appointed by the one who said to him, ‘You are my Son, today I have begotten you.’.

 I think the disciples knew Jesus was special; I doubt they knew he was who he was before the resurrection. Some I am sure wondered, and others like Peter turned hot and cold. The disciples often did not understand him, but they knew they wanted to be around him. He had charisma. We are even jaded in that department. We encounter folks with charisma who use it for selfish gain.

Why is he saying this in the presence of his disciples? Why was it retained for us to read today? Jesus promises eternal life and says that eternal life is knowing God and is available through an encounter with Jesus. Jesus is setting the example for us to follow. He is glorifying us through our relationship with him so that we can pass on to others the real substance of the God who is love.

.Prayer: Lord make us worthy of your trusting us to carry forth your mission as the Body of Christ in the world today. 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 America. Used by permission. All rights are reserved.

Discipline

Eastertide
May 26, 2017

Scripture Reading: 1 Peter 4:12-14; 5:6-11

Humble yourselves therefore under the mighty hand of God, so that he may exalt you in due time. Cast all your anxiety on him, because he cares for you. Discipline yourselves; keep alert. Like a roaring lion your adversary the devil prowls around, looking for someone to devour. Resist him, steadfast in your faith, for you know that your brothers and sisters throughout the world are undergoing the same kinds of suffering. And after you have suffered for a little while, the God of all grace, who has called you to his eternal glory in Christ, will himself restore, support, strengthen, and establish you. To him be the power for ever and ever. Amen.—1 Peter 5:6-11.

I do not know about you, but I am very disciplined about the things I am disciplined about not so much the things I am not. Probably addicted to doing yoga every morning, I must make myself practice the art of putting something up after I use it. One day l I walk into my kitchen and wonder from where did all this clutter come: scissors two inches from the draw in which they belong, two cutting boards, the strip of cellophane recently torn from the top of a bag of coleslaw. Putting away or throwing away similar items seems to be in the DNA of most of my friends.  Once I discover my untidiness, I improve for a few days, but then there it is again.

The truth is there are some things that are a part of our being that we do by rote, which is not discipline. To me, discipline means doing the right thing every time whether we want to or not. Now that is a tough order, and it is what  Peter is calling us to do regarding our discipleship.

Much of discipleship’s discipline involves getting relationships right, loving our neighbors, wanting the very best for them, all the time every time. People say things to us that came from something that happened to them earlier in the day or in life and had nothing to do with us but it hurt anyway. At another time,  we go off on something that causes pain to another with no idea something about the same issue impacted their life. How do we learn to weave ourselves together as the one Body of Christ? Our scripture today speaks eloquently. God enables our discipline. Humble yourselves therefore under the mighty hand of God. . .the God of all grace, who has called you to his eternal glory in Christ, will himself restore, support, strengthen, and establish you. God can and will enable our discipleship when we let God.

 Prayer: God, make us whole, make us one. 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 America. Used by permission. All rights are reserved.

Persecute or Privileged

Eastertide
May 25, 2017

Scripture Reading: 1 Peter 4:12-14; 5:6-11

Beloved, do not be surprised at the fiery ordeal that is taking place among you to test you, as though something strange were happening to you. But rejoice in so far as you are sharing Christ’s sufferings, so that you may also be glad and shout for joy when his glory is revealed. If you are reviled for the name of Christ, you are blessed, because the spirit of glory, which is the Spirit of God, is resting on you. –1 Peter 4:12-14

We USA citizens of the first quarter of the 21st century can hardly compare our lives to those who lived in Rome during the last quarter of the 1st century. Christians were a minority in Rome when 1 Peter was written. In the 1st century, dictatorial emperors ruled Rome and fostered the Pax of Rome’s peace through victory, victory through violence. Except for Nero’s tyranny in 64 CE when Rome burned, the widespread persecution of Christians by Rome came later in history. 1 Peter is speaking to persecution related to being a minority and being a minority group who described its leader using the same descriptors demanded by the Emperor: Lord, Son of God, etc. Peter and Paul were both most likely executed in Rome under Nero’s reign. Even though the worst was yet to come, the Christians of  1st Century Rome faced great peril. It seems to me what we call persecution today is more akin to angst because we do not always get our way. We have become the privileged.

While we in the USA live in a representative democracy, not an empire, we are now in the role of being citizens of one of the most powerful nations on earth, if not the most powerful nation.  This role reversal demands consideration as we try to make sense of our roles as witnesses to the love of God through Jesus Christ. How do we mesh our faith with our responsibilities as citizens in a democracy? Do we force our beliefs on our fellow citizens by incorporating them into civil law? Do we demand exceptions, resulting from our beliefs, be made by the government from requirements everyone else must obey? Most difficult of all, whose “Christian” beliefs are the “Christian” beliefs when Christians are seriously divided on what is justice?

Do we practice the art of discernment among our diverse peoples? Do we dust off the act of negotiation and give it a try? Do we place our challenges before God and seek clarity regarding what it means to be the Body of Christ in the 21st Century?

Prayer: Lord, you have brought us to this place and this time to carry out your work, give us the tools and talents we need and the power of your Spirit to guide us. 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 America. Used by permission. All rights are reserved.

 Desolate People

Eastertide
May 24, 2017

Scripture Reading: Psalm 68:1-10, 32-35

Father of orphans and protector of widows
   is God in his holy habitation.
God gives the desolate a home to live in;
   he leads out the prisoners to prosperity,
   but the rebellious live in a parched land.
–Psalm 68:5-6

I could not find a count of the number of orphaned children, where both parents are dead, in the USA. Relatives assume the care for most. In the years I worked in child welfare, we never received custody of a child whose parents were both deceased. I only recall one, where the mother knew she was near death with cancer who relinquished custody of her four children to the state because she had no family to help her. She kept them as long as she was physically able. Well mannered, smart kids, they were all quickly placed for adoption, not together though. I always regretted that. The system is better at keeping children together now than it was fifty years ago. There are millions of orphans in third world countries, and they are the targets of much global missions work.

The care of orphans was in the earliest Hebrew law (Deuteronomy 14:28-29) and continued to be assigned to the governing authorities whether it was the religious leaders in the early years or later the kings. Children are important for many reasons and particularly because they are all our futures. Thus, I find myself in total shock at the callous way some Oklahoma state legislators and national leaders consider children. We here in Oklahoma are grossly under-funding public education. Recent actions considered at the federal level include skimping on school lunch programs and at the state level attempted to pass a law that would turn children receiving English as second language classes over to ICE (U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement) to get them tossed out of school to cut the cost of education.

Forty-three out of the 300 or so children in the school near my church receive backpacks of food provided by the local food bank each week to take home to eat over the weekend. The school lunch program is most likely their only source of food. Ninety-seven percent of all the students at that school participate in the free or reduced-cost food program. Many ESL students are citizens and all children taken into custody would be traumatized. It is not going to happen. I guess someone did not do their research when considering this action. In June 1982, the Supreme Court issued Plyler v. Doe, a landmark decision holding that states cannot constitutionally deny students a free public education on account of their immigration status*.  It did its job of driving fear into all immigrants and feeding the emptiness of those who fear them.

I wonder from where such thinking comes? Have our lives become so desolate that we can no longer care for the least of these. Are we those rebellious people the Psalmist describes living in a parched land? How do we regenerate, if we are?

Prayer: Lord, let justice roll down like waters, and righteousness like an ever-flowing stream. (Amos 5:24) Make our parched land a nurturing oasis for all. Amen

*https://www.americanimmigrationcouncil.org/research/plyler-v-doe-public-education-immigrant-students

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 America. Used by permission. All rights are reserved.

Teach Us To Pray

Eastertide
May 23, 2017

Scripture Reading: Acts 1:6-14

Then they returned to Jerusalem from the mount called Olivet, which is near Jerusalem, a sabbath day’s journey away. When they had entered the city, they went to the room upstairs where they were staying, Peter, and John, and James, and Andrew, Philip and Thomas, Bartholomew and Matthew, James son of Alphaeus, and Simon the Zealot, and Judas son of James. All these were constantly devoting themselves to prayer, together with certain women, including Mary the mother of Jesus, as well as his brothers. –Acts 1:12-14

Are we as perplexed about prayer as we are about the Holy Spirit? We went along for hundreds of years in modern times thinking we were making great progress, but in recent years it sometimes seems we have not progressed much at all. I read two articles recently one saying everything we thought we knew about what causes heart disease is mostly wrong and the other saying everything we thought we knew about how salt interacts with our bodies is now in question. One day we are told caffeine is bad for us the next we are told drinking a cup or two of coffee is good for us. (I support the latter finding simply because I like coffee.) Just as we question our knowledge of what are good health practices, we question what good faith practices are. Some even question whether spiritual disciplines like prayer are relevant.

I attended my church’s child care graduation for the three-year-olds moving into preschool recently and loved every minute of it. Some think these recognitions of such milestones are over the top, but I think they help us understand the transitions in life that are necessary for us to grow in wisdom and truth. The move we are making from one set of cultural norms referred to as modernity to another called post-modernity is on a much grander scale and recognition that we are ready to take on a broader spectrum of God’s reality. Part of this struggle includes the place of faith and religion in our lives. Thus we plunge i
nto questioning everything.

I have found in my life that prayer takes on a different mode as I age. Sometimes I pray with a laundry list of names for God followed by a list of concerns and task. More often, I find myself following Paul’s instructions in 1 Thessalonians 5:16-18: Rejoice always, pray without ceasing, give thanks in all circumstances; for this is the will of God in Christ Jesus for you. There are some things that have survived the test of time.

A primary route to a nearby hospital complex runs right behind my house. Ambulances racing past in the night occasionally awaken me. At first it was disturbing, but eventually, I found it an opportunity for prayer as I place whoever is headed for medical care in God’s hands and return to sleep.

The purpose and appropriate mode of prayer are whatever solidifies our relationship with God.

Prayer: God, Lord, Jesus, Christ, Holy One, teach us to pray. Guide us not only in communing with you but also in taking in and applying your responses. 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 America. Used by permission. All rights are reserved.

Love Like Jesus

Eastertide
May 22, 2017

Scripture Reading: Acts 1:6-14

So when they had come together, they asked him, ‘Lord, is this the time when you will restore the kingdom to Israel?’ He replied, ‘It is not for you to know the times or periods that the Father has set by his own authority. But you will receive power when the Holy Spirit has come upon you; and you will be my witnesses in Jerusalem, in all Judea and Samaria, and to the ends of the earth.’ When he had said this, as they were watching, he was lifted up, and a cloud took him out of their sight. While he was going and they were gazing up towards heaven, suddenly two men in white robes stood by them. They said, ‘Men of Galilee, why do you stand looking up towards heaven? This Jesus, who has been taken up from you into heaven, will come in the same way as you saw him go into heaven.’ –Acts 1:6-11

What does Jesus mean when he says we are to be his witness?  A witness, in general, is one that gives evidence regarding matters of fact under inquiry*. I have testified in court as an eyewitness reporting what I observed directly and as what is called an expert witness as one with knowledge of a subject pertinent to the case. Child abuse and neglect were the subjects about which I provided information. It is rare for two people to report the exact information about an event that leads to a court hearing. As objective as we try to be, we all take in information based on our histories and understandings. Judges and juries make decisions based on the collective information presented to them.

The same is true of people trying to understand this man call Jesus and his impact on the lives he touched in first century Judea and Galilee, throughout subsequent history, and the lives he touches today. Particularly in the USA, most people possess some knowing about Jesus, so we rarely have the opportunity to share our witness about Jesus to someone who has never even heard of him. In some instances, existing ideas are positive in others negative. I believe in most cases our actions speak louder than our words. If we talk about love and live out enmity, we send a double message. The only solution is to become an expert witness through our love, and that takes a lot of study and a lot of practice.

1 John 3:18-20 states it this way:
Little children, let us love, not in word or speech, but in truth and action. And by this we will know that we are from the truth and will reassure our hearts before him whenever our hearts condemn us; for God is greater than our hearts, and he knows everything.

Prayer: Teach me to love like you. Amen.

*http://unabridged.merriam-webster.com/unabridged/witness

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 America. Used by permission. All rights are reserved.