Tag Archives: Growing Love

Sprouting Love

Advent
December 1, 2018

Scripture Reading: Luke 21:25-36

Then he told them a parable: ‘Look at the fig tree and all the trees; as soon as they sprout leaves you can see for yourselves and know that summer is already near. So also, when you see these things taking place, you know that the kingdom of God is near. Truly I tell you, this generation will not pass away until all things have taken place. Heaven and earth will pass away, but my words will not pass away. –Luke 21:29-33

The coming of the Son of Man, the one to shepherd people into God’s world vision is the subject of this parable. Jesus’ life, death, and resurrection ushered in a new phase of the development of the Kingdom of God. In it, all Christ’s followers are called to serve as conduits to the realization of that Kingdom. What are the sprouting leaves we are nurturing toward that goal? Are we seeing progress some 2,000 years later? The overwhelming evil in the world can sometimes make us lose heart and miss the sprouts of love springing up in small ways and in great.

My church just welcomed its first refugee family. It is hard to imagine such a life-changing experience. Hard to leave everything one has ever known behind.  Working with this family truly offers our members the opportunity to love our neighbor as we love ourselves. While we are trying to comprehend the magnitude of need in the world, we make a small difference addressed one family at a time.

Faith friends of mind from the UCC church just returned from a pilgrimage to the Mexican border to witness the situation there and directly to love like Jesus loves. The stories they brought back with them will encourage others to get involved.

Years ago, an experienced justice advocate told me it takes about ten years to change laws. I though she was overstating reality. She was not. Dedicated, knowledgeable people working hard for several years began to update our states criminal justice system and bit by bit it has improved. There is great hope that even more progress will be made this legislative session. Christ calls us to care about the prisoner. Implementing restorative justice is a good start.

Isaiah described a world where wolves and lambs, calves and lions, lie down together in harmony and a little child leads them. (Isaiah 11:6) They are not little children, but I am impressed with what groups of dedicated youth have done working toward ending the scourge of violence in our land.

One of my favorite scriptures is John 16:33, I have said this to you, so that in me you may have peace. In the world you face persecution. But take courage; I have conquered the world!’ We need to remember often who we follow.

Prayer: Lord, give us the courage to grow your Kingdom in both small and great ways. 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.

The Enemy is Violence

Living in the Spirit
June 19, 2018

Scripture Reading: 1 Samuel 17:1-23, 32-49

The Philistine came on and drew near to David, with his shield-bearer in front of him. When the Philistine looked and saw David, he disdained him, for he was only a youth, ruddy and handsome in appearance. The Philistine said to David, ‘Am I a dog, that you come to me with sticks?’ And the Philistine cursed David by his gods. The Philistine said to David, ‘Come to me, and I will give your flesh to the birds of the air and to the wild animals of the field.’ But David said to the Philistine, ‘You come to me with sword and spear and javelin; but I come to you in the name of the Lord of hosts, the God of the armies of Israel, whom you have defied. This very day the Lord will deliver you into my hand, and I will strike you down and cut off your head; and I will give the dead bodies of the Philistine army this very day to the birds of the air and to the wild animals of the earth, so that all the earth may know that there is a God in Israel, and that all this assembly may know that the Lord does not save by sword and spear; for the battle is the Lord’s and he will give you into our hand.’ –1 Samuel 17:41-47

That was then, this is now. Now rather than turning to violence to gain freedom from an enemy, our youth are campaigning for the end of violence which is the enemy. Complex issues surround war, police-related shootings, and school massacres. We can wring our hands and cry woe is me ignoring our collusion in reinforcing the enemy of violence or we can turn away from our covert or overt support of violence exploring better and more productive ways to address the issues that challenge us.

I heard on the news recently that a fleeing suspected criminal had crossed the border entering Oklahoma from another state when a local deputy stopped the car. He encountered a man holding a gun to his own head and the deputy chose to shoot the gun from the man’s hand. I do not know the details and events may have been markedly different than the brief report I heard, but I must say besides being a pretty good shot, it seems to me the deputy had his heart in the right place. Indeed, shooting a gun from someone’s hand is violent, it is not fatal. I do not envy the police. They have a very tough job and must make a split second decision that can have devastating consequences. The morality of their actions must be built into their being before they get into those situations.

Isn’t that true for all of us as we attempt to love like Jesus in every aspect of our lives? We must nurture the desire to love God and to love one another and allow it to grow throughout our whole being to be able to have such love flow when we are operating in routine and extraordinary experiences of life.

Prayer: Lord, create in me a clean heart and a right spirit so that my ability to love first is well formed. 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.

Multiplying Resources

Living in the Spirit
November 18, 2017

Scripture Reading: Matthew 25:14-30

‘For it is as if a man, going on a journey, summoned his slaves and entrusted his property to them; to one he gave five talents, to another two, to another one, to each according to his ability. Then he went away. The one who had received the five talents went off at once and traded with them, and made five more talents. In the same way, the one who had the two talents made two more talents. But the one who had received the one talent went off and dug a hole in the ground and hid his master’s money. After a long time the master of those slaves came and settled accounts with them. Then the one who had received the five talents came forward, bringing five more talents, saying, “Master, you handed over to me five talents; see, I have made five more talents.” His master said to him, “Well done, good and trustworthy slave; you have been trustworthy in a few things, I will put you in charge of many things; enter into the joy of your master.” And the one with the two talents also came forward, saying, “Master, you handed over to me two talents; see, I have made two more talents.” His master said to him, “Well done, good and trustworthy slave; you have been trustworthy in a few things, I will put you in charge of many things; enter into the joy of your master.” Then the one who had received the one talent also came forward, saying, “Master, I knew that you were a harsh man, reaping where you did not sow, and gathering where you did not scatter seed; so I was afraid, and I went and hid your talent in the ground. Here you have what is yours.” –Matthew 25:14-25

When I have the time, I enjoy exploring my genealogy. Once while tracking down some information on my family, I opened the census for the area in Oklahoma where my dad’s family lived and where I lived as a child. It surprised me that I recognized most of the names listed. They were the grandparents of my classmates. What was called the unassigned lands in Indian Territory, now Oklahoma, were opened to settlement by homesteaders in 1889 through a run where the first person to get a stake taken from a 160-acre tract and turned it in got the land. First appearances would indicate that all the homesteaders started out with equal potential. Of course, that was not the case. Some came with household goods, and money others came with a horse and the shirts on their backs.

What struck me as I scanned through those names was the vastly differing outcomes for the families involved. Some prospered buying other farms and becoming wealthy. Others were still living off the land in poverty. What was the difference? Tragedy for some paved the way to desperate times. My grandmother’s first husband was struck by lightning and killed while plowing a field leaving her with six children to raise and no means of support. Others were like the one-talent servant settling for what they had.

The parable instructs us on our servanthood as followers of Christ. It encourages us to make the most of our resources. Look around at what some of done with very little simply by doggedly pursuing their quest.

Prayer: Lord, prod us forward to invest every ounce of our resources I the furtherance of your Kingdom. 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.