Tag Archives: Calling

Maturing our Faith

molotov-cocktailEpiphany
January 7, 2017

Scripture Reading: Matthew 3:13-17
Then Jesus came from Galilee to John at the Jordan, to be baptized by him. John would have prevented him, saying, ‘I need to be baptized by you, and do you come to me?’ But Jesus answered him, ‘Let it be so now; for it is proper for us in this way to fulfil all righteousness.’ Then he consented. And when Jesus had been baptized, just as he came up from the water, suddenly the heavens were opened to him and he saw the Spirit of God descending like a dove and alighting on him. And a voice from heaven said, ‘This is my Son, the Beloved, with whom I am well pleased.’

Do you remember the exact moment when you answered God’s call when you knew you made your choice when there was no turning back? I am what is called a cradle-Christian, so it would have been very easy for me to go through all the motions of being a follower of Christ without ever intentionally choosing that role. I grew up in a tradition that practices what is called believer’s baptism, so I was not baptized or christened at birth. Accepting Jesus as my Lord and Savior, however, was an expectation of my family and community of faith, which I did in grade school. That said, I cannot remember a time when I did not know Jesus as friend—still relish that relationship to this day. At a very young age, I did walk with him and talk with him as I observed my parents doing.

I rededicated my life to Christ as a senior in high school. Had I been male I most likely would have gone into the ministry then, but Christian Education was not my thing. I moved to college in the fall and pursued a career in social work. It was the mid-1960’s. The world was exploding around me. While, lying in my bed a mile or so from the primarily African American area of Enid, OK, I heard small explosions in the night after the assassination of Martin Luther King, Jr. Later I learned the blasts were from Molotov cocktails lit and thrown in their own neighborhood by frustrated young black youth. I was involved in registering new voters in that same area only a few days earlier. I was a good volunteer doing the kinds of things good young people did. The echoing of those small explosions set me on a course of seeking justice from which I could never turn back.

Think about your moment of commitment. Re-clothe yourself in how it felt and what it meant to you at the time. What does it mean to you now?

Prayer: Reenergize us, O God, by helping us remember our naive start. Help us examine the scars of our experiences since then, heal any wounds that exist that are holding us back from being fully engaged in your service. Help us identify the lessons we have learned in our maturing faith and help us apply them. 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.

Perseverance

create-a-world-where-peace-is-built-with-justice-and-where-justice-is-guided-by-loveLiving in the Spirit
June 20, 2016

Scripture Reading: 2 Kings 2:1-2, 6-14

Now when the Lord was about to take Elijah up to heaven by a whirlwind, Elijah and Elisha were on their way from Gilgal. Elijah said to Elisha, ‘Stay here; for the Lord has sent me as far as Bethel.’ But Elisha said, ‘As the Lord lives, and as you yourself live, I will not leave you.’ So they went down to Bethel. –2 Kings 2:1-2, 6-14

You will need to read all of 2 Kings 2 to feel the fullness of Elisha’s perseverance as this scene is played over and over again. The book of Hebrews also talks about perseverance: Therefore, since we are surrounded by so great a cloud of witnesses, let us also lay aside every weight and the sin that clings so closely, and let us run with perseverance the race that is set before us, (Hebrews 12:1)

How do we love with perseverance? How do we cling to our calling to love God and love our neighbors as we love ourselves in a world filled with fear and hate? How do we love away hate and fear without alienating the ones we are trying to love? How do we let love cleanse our souls to the extent that there are no enemies just more people for us to love? And how can we chase after our call to love with the same perseverance that Elisha pursued his mentor for the last gift of grace he felt he needed to enable his ministry?

I wonder how the disciples felt as Jesus left them with a call and the gift of grace. We still stand today with the same call and the same gift of grace. Let us run with perseverance the race that is set before us. Love is stronger than hate and fear. God is working God’s purpose out and we are a vital part of God’s work. We are not working alone.

Prayer: Lord, help us to feel your presence in the work we do in your name. Guide us and teach us your will and your way. Amen.

Illustration above from http://www.imagesbuddy.com/images/206/let-us-create-a-world-where-peace-is-built-with-justice-and-where-justice-is-guided-by-love.jpg

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 River

riverEastertide
April 29, 2016

Scripture Reading: Revelation 21:10, 22-22:5

Then the angel showed me the river of the water of life, bright as crystal, flowing from the throne of God and of the Lamb through the middle of the street of the city. On either side of the river is the tree of life with its twelve kinds of fruit, producing its fruit each month; and the leaves of the tree are for the healing of the nations. Nothing accursed will be found there anymore. But the throne of God and of the Lamb will be in it, and his servants will worship him; they will see his face, and his name will be on their foreheads. And there will be no more night; they need no light of lamp or sun, for the Lord God will be their light, and they will reign for ever and ever. —Revelation 22:1-5

Rivers run into larger bodies of water. Unless blocked in some way by natural or human made obstacles, they work relentlessly to reach their appointed destination. It is these sorts of things in nature that make me see the hand of a higher power in earth’s creation. Rivers are diverted at times and some bodies of water are dammed for use in providing water for communities, providing electricity, and providing recreation sites. Rivers seem to have minds of their own for when rocks fall from mountains and block the river’s path, the river carves out another way to fulfill their purpose.

What is our purpose? How committed are we to fulfilling that which God has called us to do and be? It is so easy to get distracted from today. Sometimes I think I hunt for something to distract me from doing a task, I do not particularly enjoy. Our service to God needs to be as steady and persistent as rivers flowing to the sea. It needs to become so natural we do not know how to act another way. It may take a whole lifetime to reach that point but it is well worth the effort.

A River in Judea

Oftentimes I dream of music,
Of the river that freely flows.
And it sings a song sweeter than honey,
One everybody knows.
Late at night, I hear it singing.
Then again when I wake at dawn.
And it fills me up with hope and goodwill,
The will to go on,
Go on.

(Chorus)

There is a river in Judea
That I heard of long ago.
And it’s a singing, ringing river
That my soul cries out
To know.*

Prayer: Lord, clear our paths so we might flow more readily to you. Amen.

*First verse and chorus of River in Judea, by Linda Marcus & Jack Feldman/arr. Leavitt – Shawnee Press see at http://www.allthelyrics.com/lyrics/feldman_jack/river_in_judea-lyrics-906906.html#ixzz46xeLf8f7

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.

Response

ShelterEastertide
April 25, 2016

Scripture Reading: Acts 16:9-15

During the night Paul had a vision: there stood a man of Macedonia pleading with him and saying, ‘Come over to Macedonia and help us.’ When he had seen the vision, we immediately tried to cross over to Macedonia, being convinced that God had called us to proclaim the good news to them.
–Acts 16:9-10

When do we trust our guts? When do take a dream or vison seriously? I score very high on the Myers Briggs personality type scale as being intuitive. I also score somewhat high on being a thinking person. Those two types find themselves in conflict at times. I over analyze my intuition. It is thus interesting to me the few times I never question my gut and act immediately upon what it is calling me to do. I sense that is what Paul did regarding his call to Macedonia.

Many years ago I took a sabbatical retreat wandering to and along the east coast in search of myself and my ancestry. In my planning ahead, I booked a stay at a bed and breakfast in the Poconos area of Pennsylvania. This part of my retreat was to be my quiet reflective time. I was definitely not pleased when I was assigned to a huge room with sleeping arrangements for five people, but decided to make the best of it. Then a large multigenerational family checked in across the hall and made the normal noise that any large multigenerational family would make. Thus I might have left the next day anyway. After the family had apparently headed out for an adventure and it was very quiet, I had the most urgent sense that I needed to leave there immediately. The keeper of the B and B was not home. I left a note on her table with a cash payment for the night and left. Driving west on highway 70 without stopping until I realized that it was getting dark, I began to look for a motel, found one, checked in, and then tried to analyze what I had just done. It made no sense to me and still doesn’t but I assure you I would do the same thing again. I think it had more to do with God working with me throughout the whole trip, granting me the peace I needed, and saying now get off your duff and get back to it. We do need to pay attention to those calls.

Prayer: Lord, I thank you for being my shelter in the storms of life when shelter is what I need and I thank you for pushing me back out into the wind and the rain when that is what you need. 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 Time is Now

torah-readingEpiphany
January 23, 2016

Scripture Reading: Luke 4:14-21

When he came to Nazareth, where he had been brought up, he went to the synagogue on the sabbath day, as was his custom. He stood up to read, and the scroll of the prophet Isaiah was given to him. He unrolled the scroll and found the place where it was written:
‘The Spirit of the Lord is upon me,
   because he has anointed me
     to bring good news to the poor.
He has sent me to proclaim release to the captives
   and recovery of sight to the blind,
     to let the oppressed go free,
to proclaim the year of the Lord’s favor.’

And he rolled up the scroll, gave it back to the attendant, and sat down. The eyes of all in the synagogue were fixed on him. Then he began to say to them, ‘Today this scripture has been fulfilled in your hearing.’ –Luke 4:16-21

I wonder at what point Jesus felt compelled to walk into the synagogue and read the scripture about the coming of one to save his people from oppression? Did it gnaw at him for months or even years? Was the impetus planted when he was twelve and went to the temple the first time? Was there a straw that broke the camel’s back as with Moses when he saw the Egyptian murder the Hebrew slave? What had Jesus seen or heard that told him now is the time? Was there a message from God that said, “Go now”?

If timing is everything, is it time for God’s justice to prevail in this land and around the world? Is the oppression in our own land visible enough now that we can no longer set back, click our tongues, and say, “Isn’t it a shame” or more probably, “Somebody should do something about that”?

The timing was ripe for Jesus on the day he stepped up and read that scripture. We are all called to do justice. Where are we on the timeline to answer that call?

Prayer: Lord, I see injustice all around, plant your fire in my heart to answer your call to do justice, as the time is now. 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 Call

isaiah-and-the-hot-coalLiving in the Spirit
May 26, 2015

Scripture Reading: Isaiah 6:1-8

Then one of the seraphs flew to me, holding a live coal that had been taken from the altar with a pair of tongs. The seraph touched my mouth with it and said: ‘Now that this has touched your lips, your guilt has departed and your sin is blotted out.’ Then I heard the voice of the Lord saying, ‘Whom shall I send, and who will go for us?’ And I said, ‘Here am I; send me!’ –Isaiah 6:6-8

From the altar the seraph took a hot coal, too hot to touch, and touched it to Isaiah’s mouth. While we do communicate with body language, our eyes, hand motions, and through the written word, much of our interpersonal relationships are built around talking. When someone is called to God’s service, he or she must choose his or her words wisely.

When I read about Isaiah’s call, I am reminded of Psalm 51:10—Create in me a clean heart, O God, and put a new and right spirit within me. The heart is the mercy seat in the language of the Psalms. The Psalms also tell us we need God to help us control the use of our mouths as our brains process what we will say. Psalm 141:3—Set a guard over my mouth, O Lord; keep watch over the door of my lips. The writer of the book of James takes an even more strident approach. James 1:26 –If any think they are religious, and do not bridle their tongues but deceive their hearts, their religion is worthless.

If we profess to be a follower of Jesus Christ, we have been called to God’s service. It is an honor and a responsibility that cannot be taken lightly. It is a strong inner impulse that results from accepting the love and grace of God to which we are all compelled to say Here am I; send me!

Prayer: Create in me a clean heart, O God, and put a new and right spirit within me. Set a guard over my mouth, O Lord; keep watch over the door of my lips. Use me as you need me. Here am I; send me! 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.

Dealing with Change

BluetoothEastertide
May 11, 2015

Scripture Reading: Acts 1:15-17, 21-26

So one of the men who have accompanied us throughout the time that the Lord Jesus went in and out among us, beginning from the baptism of John until the day when he was taken up from us—one of these must become a witness with us to his resurrection.’ So they proposed two, Joseph called Barsabbas, who was also known as Justus, and Matthias. Then they prayed and said, ‘Lord, you know everyone’s heart. Show us which one of these two you have chosen to take the place in this ministry and apostleship from which Judas turned aside to go to his own place.’ And they cast lots for them, and the lot fell on Matthias; and he was added to the eleven apostles. –Acts 1:21-26

It is that time of year when my church, which is congregationally governed, elects new officers and elders, deacons, and deaconesses. Just a few years ago we went through a process of reorganizing our governance system primarily to reduce the number of meetings people were having to attend but also to shift the time commitment of our membership from governance to ministry.

It is hard to give up familiar ways, and any changes that are made in any organization must be accompanied with transparent and consistent communications. One of the greatest challenges facing the church and other organizations is the many varied ways we now communicate that may cause age isolation, if we fail to cover all the basis. I just spent time connecting my cell phone via Bluetooth to my new home phone system. I have stubbornly attempted to allocate my cell phone to my personal safety and communications needs, but have discovered that the rest of the world does not recognize my designated use. Once the number escaped my control, it morphed into everyone else’s designations. It took missing many calls and text messages causing me to hurt feelings and miss important meetings for me finally to give up trying to control it. I, however, do not want to constantly be checking several devices thus when my old home system bit the dust, I invested in one that could keep all my messaging together that is until the world changes again.

The disciples in our scripture today, recognized the need to reorder their organization to make it fit the new life situations in which they found themselves, and to continue the ministry Jesus has set before them. We have the same calling today. We must make decision together that always work to support that calling and that may require adjusting our lives in ways we never imagined to fulfill the trust Christ placed in us.

Prayer: Lord, you gifted me with the ability to be steadfast, guard me from taking the next step into stubbornness when it may imperil my service to you. And thank you so much for whoever writes those step by step instructions: push menu, press the down arrow, and select Bluetooth when I do not have a clue what Bluetooth is. 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.

 

Dealing with Doubt

Dealing with DoubtEpiphany
Celebration of God
Manifested in the World
February 5, 2015

 Scripture Reading: 1 Corinthians 9:16-23

If I proclaim the gospel, this gives me no ground for boasting, for an obligation is laid on me, and woe betide me if I do not proclaim the gospel! For if I do this of my own will, I have a reward; but if not of my own will, I am entrusted with a commission. What then is my reward? Just this: that in my proclamation I may make the gospel free of charge, so as not to make full use of my rights in the gospel.  — 1 Corinthians 9:16-23

I do not like to shop. Stores quickly overload my senses with too many choices and thus too many comparisons. Thus I was surprised one Christmas when one of my nephew’s opened his gift from me. His eyes lit brightly and he said, “How did you know I wanted one of these. I didn’t know I wanted one!” It was some kind of radio that had to be built from the parts and tools that were provided. It was a gift I finally selected out of pure frustration because he meant a lot to me and I did not want to disappoint him.

 

Paul writes sometimes with the assumption that we, the readers, know what is going on in his head when we don’t. Our scripture today is a shining example of that. What I think he is trying to say is sort of like what my nephew said to me. Although Paul does not address God in this scripture, he is telling us about his relationship with God to whom Paul said, “How did you know to select me to share the good news of Christ to the gentiles, when I didn’t know that was the very thing I wanted to do.”

 

I think the message here may be that we should listen when that still small voice speaks calling us to service and not let the doubt that creeps in rob us of the joy of doing what we didn’t know we wanted to do. God may actually know what God is doing.

 

Prayer: Lord, help me be still and know that you are God. In those times when I am most doubting myself but projecting that doubt on you, grant me the courage to see doubt for what it really is and move past it. 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.

Chance of a Lifetime

disciples fishing Epiphany
Celebration of God
Manifested in the World
January 25, 2015

 Scripture Reading: Mark 1:14-20

As Jesus passed along the Sea of Galilee, he saw Simon and his brother Andrew casting a net into the lake—for they were fishermen. And Jesus said to them, ‘Follow me and I will make you fish for people.’ And immediately they left their nets and followed him. As he went a little farther, he saw James son of Zebedee and his brother John, who were in their boat mending the nets. Immediately he called them; and they left their father Zebedee in the boat with the hired men, and followed him. — Mark 1:16-20

Was this a sudden total response or had these men heard John and then Jesus before they left everything to follow Jesus? Was John’s arrest the last straw for these young men? What would it take for us to walk away from family and the security of a job and take a different path? Did they expect to be away only for the day or a few days or did they know that their decision would alter their entire lifetimes?

The Book of Mark ends rather abruptly with the resurrection and an add-on about the disciples being sent forth. The book of John says these four, Andrew, Peter, James, and John and others returned to their boats and their nets following Jesus’ death and resurrection until they had an encounter with the Risen Lord by the seaside. (See John 21:1-14) I suppose before that encounter they thought that they had given Jesus’ message their best shot but that their best shot was not enough. They learned from the Lord that they had not even begun to fulfill their call.

We have not either. As discouraged as I become at times, particularly about issues related to justice, I know that God does not want us to ever give up. When we dare enough to press forward, our Advocate is always by our side. We may never know what difference we are making but we are making a difference when we live into assuring justice for all.

Prayer: God of Justice and Mercy, create in us clean hearts and right spirits so that are actions toward justice represent your will and your 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.