Tag Archives: Spirit Led

Spirit Led

Ordinary Time

February 3, 2023

Scripture Reading:

1 Corinthians 2:1-12 (13-16)

Yet among the mature we do speak wisdom, though it is not a wisdom of this age or of the rulers of this age, who are doomed to perish*. But we speak God’s wisdom, secret and hidden, which God decreed before the ages for our glory. None of the rulers of this age understood this; for if they had, they would not have crucified the Lord of glory. But, as it is written,
‘What no eye has seen, nor ear heard,
   nor the human heart conceived,
what God has prepared for those who love him’—**
these things God has revealed to us through the Spirit; for the Spirit searches everything, even the depths of God. For what human being knows what is truly human except the human spirit that is within? So also no one comprehends what is truly God’s except the Spirit of God. Now we have received not the spirit of the world, but the Spirit that is from God, so that we may understand the gifts bestowed on us by God. And we speak of these things in words not taught by human wisdom but taught by the Spirit, interpreting spiritual things to those who are spiritual. –1 Corinthians 2:1-13

*so he shall startle many nations;
   kings shall shut their mouths because of him;
for that which had not been told them they shall see,
   and that which they had not heard they shall contemplate. (Isaiah 52:15)

**From ages past no one has heard,
   no ear has perceived,
no eye has seen any God besides you,
   who works for those who wait for him. (Isaiah 64:4)

I can imagine Paul engrossed in the scriptures of his time; the Hebrew Bible has one Aha! Moment after another, following his encounter on the road to Damascus, seeing and perceiving the scriptures meaning that he had never understood before. I appreciate the New Interpreter’s Study Bible for reporting the source of scriptures quoted in the New Testament from the Hebrew Bible. I was memorizing scripture as a preschooler, yet I learn something new every time I am informed of the wholeness of scripture. I am equally amazed at the frequency of times I hear the Bible being used to support ideologies that I cannot find in the Bible, but that is a subject for a different time.

The Spirit is real, but it is hard for me hard to wrap my head around. Perhaps that is because the Spirit communicates as much through the ancient understanding of the heart or gut as the mind. We are, after all, organisms. While we today perceive are bodies in more scientific forms—hearts as pumps maintain our living, and guts distribute the good and the bad food we take in to keep our minds and hearts working. But what drives us to choose the good over the bad food and love over hate? Is it the Spirit of God interfacing with us that makes us whole, tugging at us to care for ourselves and others?

Prayer:
Spirit of the Living God,
Fall afresh on me,
Spirit of the Living God,
Fall afresh on me.
Break me, melt me, mold me, fill me.
Spirit of the Living God,
Fall afresh on me. ***Amen.

***Chorus Spirit of the Living God by Daniel Iverson, see at https://hymnary.org/text/spirit_of_the_living_god_fall_iverson#Author__st__1_

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 Word of God

Living in the Spirit

October 7, 2021

Scripture Reading: Hebrews 4:12-16

Indeed, the word of God is living and active, sharper than any two-edged sword, piercing until it divides soul from Spirit, joints from marrow; it is able to judge the thoughts and intentions of the heart. And before him no creature is hidden, but all are naked and laid bare to the eyes of the one to whom we must render an account. –Hebrews 4:12-13

The Greek word, Logos, is used here and in John 1 to denote something more than scripture saved for posterity. The recording of the history of the acts of God lays a necessary foundation for our faith. However, it does not encompass the wholeness of God’s continuing acts of creation, including ongoing interactions through the Spirit with each of God’s children who seek to recognize God’s role in their lives. Strong’s Concordance describes the “word” used in the above scripture as:

reason, the mental faculty of thinking, meditating, reasoning, calculating, etc.: once so in the phrase ὁ λόγος τοῦ Θεοῦ, of the divine mind, pervading and noting all things by its proper force, Hebrews 4:12*.

I find myself praying, “God, help me see what I am missing,” while trying to understand what is happening around me and our world today. Elemental forces of change are ever-present. Thus, we must seek and foster God’s path as we struggle to make sense of it all. We face the challenge of loving all of God’s people or not as we play a game of who is acceptable and who is not. Every day, we gamble our future regarding how minimally we can respond to make the changes necessary to correct and adapt to climate change. But what are we leaving the next generations by our failure to act more aggressively? Have we reached the time when war no longer works, if it ever did? How do we attain harmony amid a world that feeds on division? And finally, how do we end the pandemic of greed that is usually woven through every disaster we face?

Indeed, the word of God is living and active, sharper than any two-edged sword, piercing until it divides soul from Spirit, joints from marrow; it is able to judge the thoughts and intentions of the heart. We must seek this word of God in everything we do.

Prayer: God, help us see what we are missing and to find your way, your truth, and your life. Amen.

*https://biblehub.com/greek/3056.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.

The Spirit Works

Living in the Spirit
May 25, 2018

Scripture Reading: Romans 8:1-17

But you are not in the flesh; you are in the Spirit, since the Spirit of God dwells in you. Anyone who does not have the Spirit of Christ does not belong to him. But if Christ is in you, though the body is dead because of sin, the Spirit is life because of righteousness. If the Spirit of him who raised Jesus from the dead dwells in you, he who raised Christ from the dead will give life to your mortal bodies also through his Spirit that dwells in you.

 So then, brothers and sisters, we are debtors, not to the flesh, to live according to the flesh— for if you live according to the flesh, you will die; but if by the Spirit you put to death the deeds of the body, you will live. For all who are led by the Spirit of God are children of God. For you did not receive a spirit of slavery to fall back into fear, but you have received a spirit of adoption. When we cry, ‘Abba! Father!’ it is that very Spirit bearing witness with our spirit that we are children of God, and if children, then heirs, heirs of God and joint heirs with Christ—if, in fact, we suffer with him so that we may also be glorified with him. –Romans 8:9-17

What are we afraid of? Are we questioning whether there really is a God, a God of love who longs for the well-being of all? Are we afraid that evil has finally overwhelmed good? Or are we afraid to take the next steps toward making the Kingdom of God a reality in our world today?

The Spirit stirs the water when we become complacent to our call to make disciples of all. It is not a call to see who can baptize the most people in any given year. Making disciples is not the equivalent of selling the most cookies in a fundraiser. Making disciples is living a way of life that wants the best for everyone as established by the life and example of Jesus Christ. We should all cringe in remorse when we hear something like what Gandhi said, “I like your Christ, I do not like your Christians. Your Christians are so unlike your Christ.”

Are we afraid to let go of the lesser gods we seem to cling to personal safety, good families, friendly neighbors most who look and act just like us, and value the same things we do? We even extend ourselves to accepting others who are willing to reshape their lives to be like us. Our goal is not for everyone to be like us but for us to be like Christ and for everyone to see the Christ in us.

I have believed for some time now that our governments at all levels are mirror reflections of their citizens. Not a pretty picture wouldn’t you say? What do you think our governments would be like if our lives reflected Christ’s ways?

You call from tomorrow, you break ancient schemes,
From the bondage of sorrow the captives dream dreams;
Our women see visions, our men clear their eyes,
With bold new decisions your people arise*.

Prayer:
Spirit, Spirit of gentleness
Blow through the wilderness, calling and free.
Spirit, Spirit of restlessness,

*. Amen.

*Fourth verse with the chorus as the Prayer of the hymn Spirit by James K. Manley, as found in the Chalice Hymnal on page 249. Published by Chalice Press, St. Louis Missouri.

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

Flesh to Spirit

Living in the Spirit
July 15, 2017

Scripture Reading: Romans 8:1-11

But you are not in the flesh; you are in the Spirit, since the Spirit of God dwells in you. Anyone who does not have the Spirit of Christ does not belong to him. But if Christ is in you, though the body is dead because of sin, the Spirit is life because of righteousness. If the Spirit of him who raised Jesus from the dead dwells in you, he who raised Christ from the dead will give life to your mortal bodies also through his Spirit that dwells in you. –Romans 8:9-11

Congressman John Lewis in his Note to Self* for CBS News, said to his younger self following a violent police response to a peaceful sit-in: “You got arrested the first time, and you felt so free. You felt liberated. You felt like you had crossed over,” he added. While he was still physically alive, he made the move from the flesh to the Spirit. Most of us dwell on the cusp of the Spirit, having never faced such a decisive threat to freedom, even life itself. Jesus Christ calls each of us to cross-over to the Spirit-driven life as we work for the actualization of the Kingdom of God.

While it may seem a paradox, it is harder at times for those of us who live in relative privilege and safety to answer Christ’s call to give up the flesh and become Spirit-led. What was it Jesus said in Matthew 19:24? Again I tell you, it is easier for a camel to go through the eye of a needle than for someone who is rich to enter the kingdom of God.’  We are cutting ourselves short. We too can know the liberating facet of God’s love when we see past our privilege and open our hearts to love all our neighbors. When we have a world where everyone has enough and is enabled to become fully the persons God created them to be, the Kingdom of God is at hand.

Prayer:
Spirit of the living God,
Fall afresh on me.
Melt me, mold me, fill me, use me.
Spirit of the living God,
Fall afresh on me**. Amen.

*http://www.cbsnews.com/news/note-to-self-congressman-john-lewis-civil-rights-leader/

**Spirit of the Living God by Michael Hawn see at https://www.umcdiscipleship.org/resources/history-of-hymns-spirit-of-the-living-god

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.

Life in the Spirit

Lent
March 30, 2017

Scripture Reading: Romans 8:6-11

To set the mind on the flesh is death, but to set the mind on the Spirit is life and peace. For this reason the mind that is set on the flesh is hostile to God; it does not submit to God’s law—indeed it cannot, and those who are in the flesh cannot please God. –Romans 8:6-11

The Greek word for flesh used here is sarx* and means merely of human origin or empowerment*.

4561 /sárks (“flesh”) is not always evil in Scripture. Indeed, it is used positively in relation to sexual intercourse in marriage (Eph 5:31) – as well as for the sinless human body of Jesus (Jn 1:14; 1 Jn 4:2,3). Indeed, flesh (what is physical) is necessary for the body to live out the faith the Lord works in (Gal 2:20)*

Flesh is a technical word in Paul’s writings, referring not primarily to physical acts (i.e., sex or eating) but to the fallen nature of Adam, thus humanity apart from grace. The old written code refers to observance of Torah divorced from the intentions and Spirit of God.**

We let ourselves off too easily when we limit Paul’s discussions of flesh to misuse of sex or overeating or things like these. Humans tend to gravitate toward the world of “what’s in it for me”. If obeying a series of laws gets us a better seat at the table, then we are in the game. The Hebrew Bible calls us to obey a series of laws out of our desire to demonstrate our love of God and God’s desire for us to live in community with God and all his children. His rules provide guidance for such a way of being.

God continued this quest by sending Jesus Christ into the world not only to model the life God envisioned but ultimately to enable us through grace to become whole and partners in building the Kingdom God desires. Why is it so hard for humans to grasp the truth that what is good for me is good for you and what is good for you is good for me. God is glorified when we can accept and live God’s truth.

Prayer: Lord, forgive us when we rely on our human nature more than we rely on you. Makes us whole, make us one. Amen.

*http://biblehub.com/greek/4561.htm

**The New Interpreter’s Study Bible, New Revised Standard Version with the Apocrypha, Abington Press 2003, page 2019

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.

Spirit

spirit-ledEpiphany
January 8, 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.’

And so, it begins. We do not know much about Jesus’ life before the moment of his baptism. We know he was a serious student of the scriptures via the report of his trip to the temple. His dad was a carpenter making it most likely that he apprenticed to be one also. He was born in a turbulent time in Galilean history with Jewish rebels taking on Roman oppression and being devastatedly defeated. It seems John the Baptist was more than cousin for Jesus, but also a fellow enthusiast, perhaps even zealot for a faith based on justice, in concern for others rather than ritual appropriateness.

None of us step out in faith into a world uncluttered by culture and history. While we long to start with a clean slate, it never happens. We must deal with wholeness while working for justice and justice while moving toward wholeness. Our preconceived ideas must be tested against God’s reality, determining if they pass the test of love. The harder part, is allowing God to create in us clean hearts when we discover that some of our central ideas or ideals are misguided or just wrong.

We can be thankful that the Spirit that introduced us to Jesus is with us still and willing to work with us throughout our faith journey.

Prayer: Thank you, Lord, for your ministry on earth and your abiding presence each and every 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 American. Used by permission. All rights 
reserved.