Monthly Archives: August 2014

Living Sacrifice

Living-Sacrifice3Living in the Spirit
August 21, 2014

 Scripture Reading: Romans 12:1-8

 I appeal to you therefore, brothers and sisters, by the mercies of God, to present your bodies as a living sacrifice, holy and acceptable to God, which is your spiritual worship. Do not be conformed to this world, but be transformed by the renewing of your minds, so that you may discern what is the will of God—what is good and acceptable and perfect. — Romans 12:1-2

Seared in my mind is the image of Dietrich Bonhoeffer with his back to the camera, naked, and all alone facing imminent death in the movie Dietrich Bonhoeffer: Agent of Grace. I also remember vividly when I learned that Martin Luther King Jr. had been killed. History is filled with people, including our Lord and Savior, willing to give their lives in service to God—Paul among them. So I am always rather taken aback when Paul calls for all of us to live with that same level of dedication—present your bodies as living sacrifice, holy and acceptable to God. Paul reaches deep into his Jewish background for this illustration. Whatever was brought for sacrifice whether it was two pigeons or a might bull was to be without blemish.

Now, I don’t know about you but I have got some blemishes. Some days I have more than others. So I take great relief in the next segment of this scripture that God will take us as we are and if we are willing to work with God our minds will be renewed resulting in our being transformed.

It is really hard to break bad habits, but I have found it quite easy to break good ones. On the other hand it is really hard to make new good habits, but easy to pick up bad ones. When I was a child we did not learn to floss our teeth. I got the brushing part down but not the flossing. As an adult when the dental folks decided flossing was important, it took me forever to build it into my daily routine. I lost count of the number of times I tried to lose weight until I finally did.

While I think God wants us to take care of ourselves, I don’t think this is the primary focus of being holy and acceptable. God wants us to meld our will into God’s will. Not so much to control us, but because God made us, God knows what makes us tick and knows how we as individuals can rest most aptly into being ourselves. God also knows and can actualize what parts each of us individuals play in the Body of Christ.

Prayer: Lord, I am yours, transform me and make me a living sacrifice for you. 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.

Living in an Arid Land

Spiritual droughtLiving in the Spirit
August 20, 2014

 Scripture Reading: Psalm 24 

   The earth is the Lord’s and all that is in it,
   the world, and those who live in it;
   for he has founded it on the seas,
   and established it on the rivers. — Psalm 24:1-2

As I write this I can hear the rain gently tapping my roof and dripping loudly from my carport. Oklahoma is having an unusually cool summer, if you can call 80 and 90 degree temperatures cool. We have even broken some records for coldest high temperature. The rain is desperately needed as parts of our state are still considered to be suffering extreme drought. One comes to appreciate the value of the waters on our earth when one lives in drought.

While we celebrate the rain and the reduction of drought, we do it with some level of knowing that the cause of the rain, an unstable polar vortex, is potentially a reason for greater concern. Whether what is occurring is normal weather fluctuation or the result of climate change is yet to be determined.

Because the Bible is largely written about people living in an arid region, it deals often with the issues surrounding water. Christ uses the necessity of water for life sustenance to illustrate who he is: Jesus said to her, ‘Everyone who drinks of this water will be thirsty again, but those who drink of the water that I will give them will never be thirsty. The water that I will give will become in them a spring of water gushing up to eternal life.’ (John 4:13-14)  We live in an arid land both physically and spiritually.  In Genesis we are called to be stewards of the earth. Christ calls us to drink deeply from the water that he serves. We need to take both callings very seriously. Our lives depend on them.

Prayer: Lord make us good stewards of the earth the care of which you have entrusted to us. Let our lives reflect the sustenance of the water that you give us as we obey your calling. 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.

 

Fear Not in a Hug

hug-your-fear-logo-72dpi-smallLiving in the Spirit
August 19, 2014

 Scripture Reading: Exodus 1:8-2:10 

The daughter of Pharaoh came down to bathe at the river, while her attendants walked beside the river. She saw the basket among the reeds and sent her maid to bring it. When she opened it, she saw the child. He was crying, and she took pity on him. ‘This must be one of the Hebrews’ children,’ she said. Then his sister said to Pharaoh’s daughter, ‘Shall I go and get you a nurse from the Hebrew women to nurse the child for you?’ Pharaoh’s daughter said to her, ‘Yes.’ So the girl went and called the child’s mother. Pharaoh’s daughter said to her, ‘Take this child and nurse it for me, and I will give you your wages.’ So the woman took the child and nursed it. When the child grew up, she brought him to Pharaoh’s daughter, and she took him as her son. She named him Moses, ‘because’, she said, ‘I drew him out of the water.’—Exodus 2:5-10

One person rescued one child and in so doing changed the course of history. We each may have that opportunity at some time in some place. We never know when the simplest act of kindness can result in a mountain being moved.

Back in the early 1980’s my boss was diagnosed with AIDS. There was not a whole lot know about AIDS at that time and thus there was a whole lot of fear regarding it. He spent several days in the hospital with the illness that brought the condition to light and it was several days before he returned to work. By that time his condition was common knowledge throughout out building. We had had meetings with and distributed pamphlets to our staff assuring them that the disease was not contagious through normal contact. Some did not believe it. One told me that she knew it was highly contagious but that God would shield her from getting it. There was an already scheduled senior staff meeting that included about 100 people on the day my boss returned to work. I walked into the nearly full room with him when our very gregarious and loving nurse who headed our in-home care program for the elderly came flying across the room and gave my boss the biggest hug declaring for all to hear how happy it was to see him back. No angel had ever rendered “fear not” more profoundly.

I doubt if Pharaoh’s daughter had a lot of power but she had enough to keep one child safe. In a world where justice rest on a delicate ledge, we are all called to do whatever we can to keep it from failing.

Prayer: God grant me the courage to do what I can to make justice a reality throughout the world. Amen.

 

Jesus Loves the Little Children

Jesus loved the little childrenLiving in the Spirit
August 18, 2014 

Scripture Reading: Exodus 1:8-2:10 

Now a new king arose over Egypt, who did not know Joseph. He said to his people, ‘Look, the Israelite people are more numerous and more powerful than we. Come, let us deal shrewdly with them, or they will increase and, in the event of war, join our enemies and fight against us and escape from the land.’  —Exodus 1:8-10

The headline read: Census: White majority in U.S. gone by 2043* I would have thought it would be sooner than that, but I live in a city where right now the only white not Hispanic population is at 56.7%. The fastest growing groups here are Asian and Hispanic. Most of my immediate world is well integrated: my neighborhood, stores, schools, gym, and the child care at my church but not so much the membership of my local church. It is not unusual for advertisements and other signs to be in both English and Spanish. My denomination at the state and national level are very integrated. I grew up on a farm in a very white community with only a few American Indians and that is still true in much of rural American today, although there is more growth in the Hispanic population working in agriculture. Our country has controlled the number of people being admitted as legal immigrants by country of origin, which results to a great extent in controlling the number by race or ethnicity**.  Thus most of the growth in minority populations is through birth.

We in America could learn from the mistakes of the King of Egypt. His solution to the “problem” of the growth of the population of people he had enslaved probably caused the disaster that he foresaw.  His cruelty and mistreatment drove the Israelites out of Egypt. The fear of giving up the status of white superiority can only lead to further division in our own country.

We use to sing Jesus loves the little children all the children of the world red, and yellow, black and white.*** I wonder if we meant it and whether he expects the same of us?

Prayer: God, increase our understanding that your love is indivisible and there is more than enough for all your children. Create in us clean hearts and right spirits toward all of your children. Amen.

* http://usnews.nbcnews.com/_news/2013/06/13/18934111-census-white-majority-in-us-gone-by-2043?lite
** The Immigration Act of 1924, or Johnson–Reed Act, including the National Origins Act, and Asian Exclusion Act (Pub.L. 68–139, 43 Stat. 153, enacted May 26, 1924), limits the annual number of immigrants who could be admitted from any country to 2% of the number of people from that country who were already living in the United States in 1890.
*** From Jesus Loves the Little Children. Words by C. Herbert Woolston, music by George F. Root
 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.

 

Loving the Stranger

Border CrosserLiving in the Spirit
August 17, 2014 

Scripture Reading: Matthew 15: (10-20), 21-28

Just then a Canaanite woman from that region came out and started shouting, ‘Have mercy on me, Lord, Son of David; my daughter is tormented by a demon.’ But he did not answer her at all. And his disciples came and urged him, saying, ‘Send her away, for she keeps shouting after us.’ He answered, ‘I was sent only to the lost sheep of the house of Israel.’ But she came and knelt before him, saying, ‘Lord, help me.’ He answered, ‘It is not fair to take the children’s food and throw it to the dogs.’ She said, ‘Yes, Lord, yet even the dogs eat the crumbs that fall from their masters’ table.’ Then Jesus answered her, ‘Woman, great is your faith! Let it be done for you as you wish.’ And her daughter was healed instantly. —Matthew 15:22-28 

Ever wonder at what point in his life Jesus really knew who he was? We have the story of his first visit to the temple at the age of 12 when he said he needed to be about his Father’s work but there is little else to define his awareness of who and what he was  and what his calling was. The story in our scripture today suggests that it was later in his ministry that he realized his calling involved more than the Jewish community with which he was so very familiar. He could not turn away someone, a woman even, in great need even though she was one of the unclean. My hunch is that he had always known who he was and what his calling was but that the reality of what it meant unfolded as he grew in wisdom and in strength.

I have a friend who is a very talented natural, although now well-trained, musician who comes from a family where no one else is a musician. He knew he wanted to be a musician from his preschool years even though he probably didn’t really know what a musician was at the time. He just loved music.

Jesus just loved God. Loved God so much that he could not turn his back on any of God’s children even an unacceptable, woman from a different culture than his own or her precious child.

When the question arises, “What are we going to do with all these children flooding our southern border?” Remember this story. If we love God we will also love them and through the complications of violence and culture and distance and language barriers, we will do what it takes to let them know we love them and that we have their best interest at heart.

but Jesus said, ‘Let the little children come to me, and do not stop them; for it is to such as these that the kingdom of heaven belongs.’–Matthew 19:14

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 Way of Christ

The-Cross-of-Christ-Worship-BackgroundLiving in the Spirit
August 16, 2014

 Scripture Reading: Matthew 15: (10-20), 21-28

 Do you not see that whatever goes into the mouth enters the stomach, and goes out into the sewer? But what comes out of the mouth proceeds from the heart, and this is what defiles. For out of the heart come evil intentions, murder, adultery, fornication, theft, false witness, slander. These are what defile a person, but to eat with unwashed hands does not defile.’ — Matthew 15:17-20

The health and hygiene laws of the Hebrew Bible were probably as relevant then as our health and hygiene laws are today. My guess is even by Jesus’ time on earth some of the relevance had changed. We now reduce our salt intake, watch our cholesterol, and get regular exercise. I’ll bet if a first century Christian were able to time travel to today they would think it was funny that we have to work at getting appropriate exercise. It was not a problem for them as most of them walked everywhere they went.

I fear though that the things that do defile us have not changed much over time, the sins of our hearts. Oh, we certainly have more sophisticated methods of practice perhaps, but Jesus’ list is still valid. We see it particularly in subtle messages in advertisements and politics right now.  It is really, really hard not to punch back with the same vitriol. We become as defiled as the defiler.

The way of Christ is really pretty simple and thus does not require a degree in propaganda to follow. The hard part, the hardest part is making the intentional decision to live the way of Christ even when it may lead to a cross. The important thing, the most important thing we must hold on to is the promise that the way of Christ will definitely lead to the Kingdom of God.

Prayer: Christ, you are the way surround us with your love as we struggle to walk your path. 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.

God’s Mercy and Our Mercy

mercy3Living in the Spirit
August 15, 2014

 Scripture Reading: Romans 11:1-2a, 29-32 

Just as you were once disobedient to God but have now received mercy because of their disobedience, so they have now been disobedient in order that, by the mercy shown to you, they too may now receive mercy. For God has imprisoned all in disobedience so that he may be merciful to all.                                                                                                                                       —Romans 11:30-32

Paul retained a deep concern for the wellbeing of his fellow Jews throughout his ministry. He mourned the ones who could not accept Jesus as the Messiah. He writes in our scripture today that the gentiles benefited from the Jew’s rejection of Jesus in that the gentiles might never have heard the good news of the Christ had the Jew’s accepted him. Paul thus asks for the gentiles to show some mercy for the Jews.

Jesus told a parable that dealt with the same issue. In Matthew 22:1-10, he described a man planning a wedding for his son. He sent out invitation to all his friends and none of them came. So the man sent his servants into the streets to invite anyone, good or bad, who would come, to come. The room filled up quickly but the man had an expectation that the persons attending would celebrate the son’s wedding not just eat the cake and drink the punch.  Later in the story, one who did not celebrate the wedding was asked to leave.

This is another story of God working God’s purpose out in spite of the barriers raised. It is an interesting one to tell after informing the Romans, and us, that our gifts and calling are irrevocable.  I wonder if there is a bit of a warning here that we, too, should not get complacent about our faith and our relationship with God through Jesus Christ.

Prayer: Because your steadfast love is better than life, my lips will praise you.
So I will bless you as long as I live; I will lift up my hands and call on your name.
My soul is satisfied as with a rich feast, and my mouth praises you with joyful lips
when I think of you on my bed, and meditate on you in the watches of the night;
for you have been my help, and in the shadow of your wings I sing for joy.  Amen. –Psalm 63:3-7

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.

Gifts and Callings

Living in the Spirit
August 14, 2014

 Scripture Reading: Romans 11:1-2a, 29-32

 for the gifts and the calling of God are irrevocable. — Romans 11:29 

I keep my car radio set on one of my local National Public Radio stations, which comes on whenever, I start my car. It is about 1.5 miles in one direction to my gym and about 1.5 miles in another direction to my church. (And, yes, I know intrinsically that there is something wrong with driving 1.5 miles to a gym, but I do.) It is rather bizarre what you hear in a 1.5 mile drive. Recently, I got a smidgen of something about humans only using 10 percent of their brains, which I understand has not been verified, but my guess is many of us do not use as fully as we could our gifts and talents.

Paul is challenging us in our scripture today to do just that, use whatever gifts and talents God has given us. He takes the challenge one step further when he indicates that first we all have a calling of God and that both the gifts and the calling of God are irrevocable.

Remember the parable of the talents. (Matthew 25:14-30)  Now the word “talent” used in this scripture is a form of money but I think it is also useful in its other meaning. In any case, the boss went on a trip and gave one servant $5 another one $2 and a third one $1 each according to his skills. The first two servants did really well and the boss was happy. The third one fearing his boss, if anything happened to that $1, hid it until the boss returned. The boss was not happy with that.

God expects us to make the most of our gifts and talents and use them to God’s glory. And by the way, I do not think it is a coincidence that this parable immediately precedes the story of the last judgment. You know the one when Jesus said:  “Come, you that are blessed by my Father, inherit the kingdom prepared for you from the foundation of the world; for I was hungry and you gave me food, I was thirsty and you gave me something to drink, I was a stranger and you welcomed me, I was naked and you gave me clothing, I was sick and you took care of me, I was in prison and you visited me.”

Prayer: God who made us in your image, make us mindful of your gifts and your call to us. Invest us in your service as we invest ourselves in your call. 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.

Family and the Rule of Love

FamilyLiving in the Spirit
August 13, 2014

 Scripture Reading: Psalm 133 

How very good and pleasant it is
   when kindred live together in unity! — Psalm 133:1

My mother died on January 13 in the midst of a frigid blizzard. It was fitting, I suppose, for my father, nearly 30 years earlier, had died on January 15 in a frigid blizzard. Their deaths had nothing to do with the weather but the weather had everything to do with planning memorials and settling the business of death. It thus was a few weeks later when there was no longer ice on the road that I traveled the seventy miles to my mother’s hometown to meet with my brother and sister to close out my mother’s bank account. My sister was at work but she would meet my brother and me at the bank. While discussing these plans on the phone, she said that she would pick up the death certificate we needed at the funeral home on her way to the bank. I volunteered to do that since I was taking the whole day off from work. When I arrived at the funeral home and made my request for the death certificate, the staff person, while very cordial, seemed very nervous. She went to the back and consulted apparently with her boss. She then returned to her desk and called my sister to get permission to give me the death certificate. After a short conversation with my sister, the woman handed me the death certificate. Knowing that I had overheard her conversation, I guess she felt the need to apologize. She said, “You have no idea how many family feuds have erupted right here at this desk over a death certificate.” The home had long practiced a policy of establishing the name of the one person who was to get the death certificate at the first visit by the family.

Families are our first opportunities to interact with other human being. They are complex structures that form the basis of all societies. Families built on the rule of love work hard at wanting the very best for each individual member while fostering the very best for the family as a whole. Weaving together diversities and similarities of personalities is a constant challenge among people at differing stages of growth and development.

The family of God must also be built on the foundation of the rule of love. We are called to be one in Christ that doesn’t mean we have to be the same. It probably means we should not because loving like God surely means loving in diverse ways. It takes all of us to even begin to love like God.

Prayer: Father and Mother of All, mold us into one by helping us to see the beauty in each of our individualities. 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 Rhythm of God

creative-danceLiving in the Spirit
August 12, 2014

 Scripture Reading: Genesis 45:1-15

Hurry and go up to my father and say to him, “Thus says your son Joseph, God has made me lord of all Egypt; come down to me, do not delay. You shall settle in the land of Goshen, and you shall be near me, you and your children and your children’s children, as well as your flocks, your herds, and all that you have. I will provide for you there—since there are five more years of famine to come—so that you and your household, and all that you have, will not come to poverty.” — Genesis 45:9-11

I’ll bet that was an interesting trip home. Ten brothers, nine of them having sold the twelfth brother into slavery some years ago, are pondering how they are going to tell their elderly father that they had lied to him about Joseph being killed by a wild animal, that they had sold Joseph into slavery, that somehow in his position as a slave he had worked his way into being the prime ruler in Egypt right under Pharaoh, and that Joseph now wanted his dad and all his brothers to come live with him in Egypt where all their needs would be met. Probably even more interesting was Jacob’s reaction to this news.

Did you notice the change in the language in Genesis as it moves to the story of Joseph from the story of Jacob? Jacob’s life was shared as human history except for the dream at Bethel and the wrestling match at Penuel. Joseph has found God in all of life and credits God with what has happened to him. This is the rhythm of God and humans throughout the Bible and actually ever since it was canonized. The devotion of individuals and groups ebbs and flows. But God’s rhythm is always there, people sometimes move too far away to hear it or they just do not listen.

This scripture reminded me of one of the sayings of Jesus: ‘Come to me, all you that are weary and are carrying heavy burdens, and I will give you rest. Take my yoke upon you, and learn from me; for I am gentle and humble in heart, and you will find rest for your souls. For my yoke is easy, and my burden is light.’ (Matthew11:28-30)

Prayer: Lord of the Dance, Let me share your yoke so that I may always be close enough to hear your rhythm. Open my ears that I also will always listen for 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.