Tag Archives: Loving

Being a Blessing

Lent
March 6, 2017

Scripture Reading: Genesis 12:1-4a

Now the Lord said to Abram, ‘Go from your country and your kindred and your father’s house to the land that I will show you. I will make of you a great nation, and I will bless you, and make your name great, so that you will be a blessing. I will bless those who bless you, and the one who curses you I will curse; and in you all the families of the earth shall be blessed.’

  So Abram went, as the Lord had told him; and Lot went with him. Abram was seventy-five years old when he departed from Haran.

Have you ever noticed that God’s answer to “What’s in it for me?” is always a positive outcome for someone else? God likes people to dream big dreams, to become fully the persons they were created to be but always in a cascade of love that results in others dreaming big dreams and becoming fully actualized. “Yes, Abram there is a vast world out there ready for you to explore and people will remember your name for ever because you will be a blessing to them.” With God, any of us can substitute our name in that sentence for Abram’s name as God calls all of us to be blessings to others.

Whose names do we remember as ones who blessed us? Mrs. George, the minister’s wife of the first church I attended as a child, enriched my life greatly with her soft southern accent, telling the story of Jesus on a flannel board carefully placing each new character creating a picture as she gently smoothed them into place. Dr. Keller, the minister of my second church, was a history professor as well as a pastor serving my tiny rural church as a part time job and a full time calling. He fed my already budding interest in history. Gave me a copy of the Declaration of Independence the Sunday after I asked him, “Do you know where they signed the Declaration of Independence?” He said, “I believe it was in Philadelphia.” To which I replied, “It was at the bottom of the page.” I still have that document and I still love history.

Jesus, the human essence of God, took time to reboot according to the gospels. After each of these refreshing moments spent communing with God alone on the mountainside or in the home of beloved friends when he withdrew to Bethany, he returned to his tasks of blessing us all. Lent offers an extended time for us to reboot, clearing all the clutter from our hearts and minds opening new space to store more love in our souls so that we can go forth and be blessings to others. Let it be so.

Prayer: Thank you Lord for all those who have blessed us from Abram to Jesus to the everyday people whose paths crossed our lives. In honoring them and you, make us blessing to others too. 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.

 

Dealing with Enemies

Epiphany
February 19, 2017

Scripture Reading: Matthew 5:38-48

‘You have heard that it was said, “You shall love your neighbor and hate your enemy.” But I say to you, Love your enemies and pray for those who persecute you, so that you may be children of your Father in heaven; for he makes his sun rise on the evil and on the good, and sends rain on the righteous and on the unrighteous. For if you love those who love you, what reward do you have? Do not even the tax-collectors do the same? And if you greet only your brothers and sisters, what more are you doing than others? Do not even the Gentiles do the same? Be perfect, therefore, as your heavenly Father is perfect. –Matthew 43-48

Strong’s Concordance describes an enemy as one who is actively, hostile, hating and opposing another*. We may think more often of people who are hostile toward us rather considering when we are in the role of enemy and I do not think we can deal with our enemies until we deal with being an enemy ourselves.

In my career over the past 40+ years, I found myself in many meetings being the only woman participant or perhaps one of two. One such meeting regarded a very important initiative for which I had the lead and was making a major presentation. One of the men present was one of those people who went out of the way to assert his authority not always in a pleasant manner. During the meeting, he got up several times pacing around the room which I interpreted as his message that I was wasting his precious time. The third time he did it I called him by name and said in a strident voice, “Would you please sit down.” He did. After the meeting my boss who was in the room told me that this was the first day the man had returned to work after having hemorrhoid surgery and that he was probably still uncomfortable. I was mortified and I learned a very valuable lesson not to always judge another’s behavior as being targeted at me.

I closed out my book, Houses Divided, with the issue of learning to play well with others because our goal is for all of God’s children to be in his presence for eternity. We need to do a lot of work perfecting getting along or we are in for some real culture shock in the Kingdom of God.

Prayer: Lord, be our mirror so we can see how we treat each other, guide us in loving each other, even those who do not love us back. Amen.

*http://biblehub.com/greek/2190.htm

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.

Caring Hearts

CaringHeartsLogoa-180x160Lent
February 21, 2016

Scripture Reading: Luke 9:28-43

On the next day, when they had come down from the mountain, a great crowd met him. Just then a man from the crowd shouted, ‘Teacher, I beg you to look at my son; he is my only child. Suddenly a spirit seizes him, and all at once he shrieks. It throws him into convulsions until he foams at the mouth; it mauls him and will scarcely leave him. I begged your disciples to cast it out, but they could not.’ Jesus answered, ‘You faithless and perverse generation, how much longer must I be with you and bear with you? Bring your son here.’ While he was coming, the demon dashed him to the ground in convulsions. But Jesus rebuked the unclean spirit, healed the boy, and gave him back to his father. And all were astounded at the greatness of God.

As disciples of Christ, what are we called to do or be? I begged your disciples to cast it out, but they could not. I do not like to fail and I do not like to be assigned impossible tasks. Casting out a demon, healing a sick person, I consider to be beyond my grade level. I have cared for the sick, really enjoyed being a nurse’s aid in high school and college. I have worked with abused and neglected children and adults, and the mentally ill. I remember once being called to the local hospital where a 15 year-old had been brought by his parents. He had attempted to commit suicide and was at one moment saying he was possessed by the devil and the next saying that he was Jesus Christ. I sat with him through the night primarily to alert others that he might try to hurt himself again. I cannot tell you a time I have prayed more for insight or courage or whatever it would take to help him, including praying for intercession for him. Because of experiences like that, I do not believe Luke is describing Jesus requiring us to do the impossible in this scripture, I think Jesus is calling us to care.

This week as Pope Francis was touring Mexico he was greeting people along the way, specifically greeting and, I think, trying to bless a young man in a wheel chair when arms reached over the young man’s head grasping at the pontiff pulling him toward the crowd. I understand from the TV report that he said in Spanish “Do not be so selfish”.

It is amazing the miracles that have occurred over time in our society because enough people cared and enough people sought answers to the problems that perplexes our world. I was one of the test children when the first polio vaccine was administered. I got the saline solution so when the vaccine proved to be effective, I had to get all those shots again. That was hard to explain to a six-year-old. Selfishness, greed, hunger for power are epidemic today. God is still calling us, to care for one another.

Prayer: Lord, forgive us for our selfish ways, infuse us with caring hearts. 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.

Film on our Glasses

Dirty GlassesLiving in the Spirit
September 5, 2014

 Scripture Reading: Romans 13:8-14

 Besides this, you know what time it is, how it is now the moment for you to wake from sleep. For salvation is nearer to us now than when we became believers; the night is far gone, the day is near. Let us then lay aside the works of darkness and put on the armor of light; — Romans 13:11-12

There seems to be an epidemic in our world today of people being thunderstruck. Some are so frozen by the noise of violence, economic disaster, and disharmony they are rendered unable to hear or otherwise perceive what we need to do to fix these issues. Everyone wants the problems solved without their having to make any sacrifices to make it happen. It doesn’t work that way.

The Bible is full of stories that illustrate that we have to face the consequences of our own actions.  The phrases “He did not do what was right in the sight of God” or “He did evil in the eyes of the Lord” precede reports of battles lost or people taken into captivity. This is the story line in most of the events that led up to the fall of Israel and later Judah and the resulting exile. In many instances what was “not right with God” was the worship of lesser gods.

We have few statues to which we bow in reverence but we do practice idolatry in our world today.  The love of money is high on our priorities, lust for power would run it a good competition, and self-pleasure seeking is certainly in the top ten list.

Paul admonishes us to wake up from sleep and to put on the armor of light. We are children of the living God, we do not have to rely on these lesser gods. But as children of God we are called to do what is right in the eyes of God. What is right is what is loving. Loving requires us to see through the eyes of God. Things clear up when we clean our human glasses and stop seeing the world through the film that has accumulated in our vision. Sometimes that accumulation is so great that we cannot clean it ourselves, but God can. Starting today, let us ask God for his help in creating in us clean hearts and right spirits.

Prayer:  Create in me a clean heart, O God,
                  and put a new and right spirit within me.
               Do not cast me away from your presence,
                 and do not take your holy spirit from me.
              Restore to me the joy of your salvation,
               and sustain in me a willing spirit. Amen –Psalm 51:10-12

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.