Monthly Archives: June 2015

A Logic Test

King DavidJesus riding a donkeyLiving in the Spirit
June 10, 2015

Scripture Reading: Psalm 2

I will tell of the decree of the Lord:
He said to me, ‘You are my son;
    today I have begotten you.
Ask of me, and I will make the nations your heritage,
   and the ends of the earth your possession.
You shall break them with a rod of iron,
   and dash them in pieces like a potter’s vessel.’

 Now therefore, O kings, be wise;
   be warned, O rulers of the earth.
Serve the Lord with fear,
   with trembling kiss his feet, or he will be angry,
and you will perish in the way;
   for his wrath is quickly kindled. 

  Happy are all who take refuge in him. –Psalm 2:7-12

The words you are my son from this Psalm celebrating the anointing of David is picked up by the three gospels reporting Jesus’ baptism with the words in you I am well pleased.* The tie that binds David and Jesus is strong. The Psalm goes on to promise power and wealth at the hands of violence to the new king. The Psalmist warns though the new king to maintain his connection with God throughout his reign as God is the source of the King’s strength. Psalm 2 is attributed to David. While modern students of the Bible question such attributions, it is interesting to consider David’s authorship.

David was a great warrior, leader of the army of Israel. He probably acquainted his military success to his fidelity to God. It is an incomplete logic test. When I am doing God’s will, I succeed. I succeed as a military leader thus doing battle is God’s will. This is an ancient form of faith followed by peoples of many cultures worshiping many gods. How often do we back into our own faith choices in this way? How often does the results of such faith choices result in injustice?

Christ specifically challenged such a logic test. He called us to love. We are doing God’s will when we are loving God and loving our neighbors as we love ourselves. This is the only test we need to run against our actions to determine God’s will.

Prayer: Lord, focus my relationship with you so that your priorities establish my priorities no matter how enticing power and wealth may be. Amen

*Matthew 3:13-17, Mark 1:9-11, Luke 3:21 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 Common Good

Shepherd with sheepLiving in the Spirit
June 9, 2015

Scripture Reading: 1 Samuel 15:34-16:13

Samuel said to Jesse, ‘Are all your sons here?’ And he said, ‘There remains yet the youngest, but he is keeping the sheep.’ And Samuel said to Jesse, ‘Send and bring him; for we will not sit down until he comes here.’ He sent and brought him in. Now he was ruddy, and had beautiful eyes, and was handsome. The Lord said, ‘Rise and anoint him; for this is the one.’ Then Samuel took the horn of oil, and anointed him in the presence of his brothers; and the spirit of the Lord came mightily upon David from that day forward. Samuel then set out and went to Ramah. –1 Samuel 16:11-13

A shepherd, one who cares for his sheep, is an image engraved in the annals of Christendom, but it had its start in the call of David to kingship. Governments have existed since the beginning of time charged with the responsibility of assuring the common good. The role of the shepherd is to protect and nourish his or her flocks and was an appropriate background for the purpose for which God called David. The job of shepherd, however, was one of the lowliest. It was dirty, required long hours, never complete. Out in the countryside with perhaps a few other shepherds, it was not a place where one could amass a following or gain respect and admiration.

Oh, we have the stories of David coming from the field and slaying Goliath and later becoming a great general, but when Nathan called him to account for his dalliance with Bathsheba, the prophet reminded David of his role as a shepherd. (2 Samuel 12) Power, greed, and the self-importance complementing them are hard idols to ignore.

We are called to speak prophetically to our governmental leaders today reminding them of their call to assure the common good. We, of course, must overcome the enticements of the idols of power, greed, and self-importance ourselves, before we can fulfill that responsibility.

Prayer: Forgive me, Lord, for succumbing to the call of these lesser gods. When I am exercising my civic responsibilities keep my focus on the common good. 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

Learning from Mistakes

Temper tantrumLiving in the Spirit
June 8, 2015

Scripture Reading: 1 Samuel 15:34-16:13

Then Samuel went to Ramah; and Saul went up to his house in Gibeah of Saul. Samuel did not see Saul again until the day of his death, but Samuel grieved over Saul. And the Lord was sorry that he had made Saul king over Israel. –1 Samuel 15:34-35

The relationship between prophet/priest and King had been severed. Saul was moving through the motions of kingship without a rudder and Samuel withdrew to grieve. Why do you suppose the Lord was sorry he had made Saul king? I don’t question that Samuel was sorry he had caved to the people’s demands that a monarchy be established. He was mad about it in the first place.  Why was God sorry?

The Hebrew word translated sorry is nacham, a root word that essentially means comfort,* here used in the form of consoling oneself. The Lord is acting in the role of a parent as God nurtured the people toward an expanding civilization requiring a different type of governance to survive and prosper within God’s realm. Not unlike a parent takes a preschooler to start Sunday school to prepare for this new ventures in the child’s life, God guided Samuel to anoint the first king and it did not work. Every stand outside the preschool classroom with a child having a temper tantrum refusing to enter? God was not necessarily sorry civilization was expanding; God was perhaps sorry that the people had wanted the king for the wrong reasons. God was also sorry that the people, Saul included, did not adapt to the change as readily as God had hoped.

Growth and maturity whether on a large scale or a small scale takes much adapting, time, and energy. It requires all those gifts of the Spirit mentioned in 1 Corinthians 12 and all of the fruits of the Spirit listed in Galatians 5. It often means we take two steps forward and one step back in our journey toward the Kingdom of God. And while the scene in front of the preschool class may flash through our minds as we watch the same child receive his or her college diploma, the final outcome is worth the effort. It is OK to learn from our mistakes, even to regret them for a time, but they must never stop us from continuing our journey with the guidance of the Spirit.

Prayer: God of Grace and God of Glory, help us be malleable to the Spirits shaping. Amen.

*http://biblehub.com/hebrew/5162.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 American. Used by permission. All rights reserved.

 

Family

family of GodLiving in the Spirit
June 7, 2015

Scripture Reading: Mark 2:20-35

 Then his mother and his brothers came; and standing outside, they sent to him and called him. A crowd was sitting around him; and they said to him, ‘Your mother and your brothers and sisters are outside, asking for you.’ And he replied, ‘Who are my mother and my brothers?’ And looking at those who sat around him, he said, ‘Here are my mother and my brothers! Whoever does the will of God is my brother and sister and mother.’ –Mark 2:31-35

“He is like a brother to me.” “She is the same as a sister.” “She may not have borne me but she has been my mother.” Some take umbrage with Jesus over the scripture above. They think it might have hurt his family’s feelings, I guess. I think Mary would have understood exactly from where he was coming. She had known his purpose from the first. I have always wondered about his brother James. I think he was not so clear about this elder brother who was always away wandering around the country as an itinerate preacher leaving him at home to hold things together. We do not know when Joseph died. He was at the temple when Jesus was 12, but never mentioned again. Family is complicated.

Jesus is reminding his Disciples that they and his other followers are part of the family of God. While family is complicated the relationship is not severable. I have the copy of a will of one of my great great grandfathers who apparently had had a falling out with my great grandfather for the last paragraph of the will states ice-clearly “Daniel is to get nothing.” Daniel is even left out of the pages related to this family in the county history of prominent settlers. None of that made him any less my great great grandfather’s son.

As a social worker I encountered many dysfunctional families. As a Christian I have observed more discord than one would ever think possible among a people who identify with a God of love and his son who gave his very life out of love for each of us. God’s love is often the only cure for dysfunctional families. It is the only cure for discord among Christians. We need to reaffirm the wondrous love of God and work toward loving one another as we strive together to be his Body in the world today.

Prayer: Lord forgive us when we do not love our brothers and sisters in Christ. Gift us with your Spirit to guide us as we stumble our way toward the realization of your Kingdom here on earth. 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.

Houses Divided

one-true-churchLiving in the Spirit
June 6, 2015

Scripture Reading: Mark 3:20-35 And he called them to him, and spoke to them in parables, ‘How can Satan cast out Satan? If a kingdom is divided against itself, that kingdom cannot stand. And if a house is divided against itself, that house will not be able to stand. And if Satan has risen up against himself and is divided, he cannot stand, but his end has come. But no one can enter a strong man’s house and plunder his property without first tying up the strong man; then indeed the house can be plundered. –Mark 3:23-35

A lot of people consider Abraham Lincoln the source of the phrase, a house divided against itself cannot stand, but he was paraphrasing our scripture for today. I, too, borrowed it for the title of my book but made the word house plural, Houses Divided. I wrote about the fractures that exist among the houses of God in our land today. I believe it is a source of great grief for God who called us to oneness.

Unless we figure out how to be one we will never overcome the world’s madness. I believe oneness is impossible without wholeness within each of us and wholeness within each and among all the houses of faith. So much of the strife in the world is the result of competition for the souls of people. Jesus calls it Satan in our scripture today, I think of it as evil. It is like a parasite that drains the energy from its hosts eventually destroying it even while making it appear full of life.

Jesus’ message to us in his coming to us is that the only thing that can overcome such a destructive force is the love of God. We cannot legislate evil away and we cannot kill it. We can facilitate its demise by loving God and loving like Jesus loved. The final verse (33) in John 16 which proceeds Jesus’ prayer for us in John 17 where he calls us to be one, gives me great hope: 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!’

In Jesus Christ we have received the answer to the age-old mystery of what to do about evil, God’s love. We just need to live it.

Prayer: O Jesus, blest Redeemer, Sent from the heart of God; Hold us, who wait before Thee,Near to the heart of God.* Let your Spirit fill us and guide us in the ways that we are to live your love. Make us whole; make us one. Amen.

*Chorus from Near to the Heart of God by Cleland B. McAfee see at http://library.timelesstruths.org/music/Near_to_the_Heart_of_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 American. Used by permission. All rights reserved.

One in Christ

One in ChristLiving in the Spirit
June 5, 2015

Scripture Reading: 2 Corinthians 4:13-5:1

So we do not lose heart. Even though our outer nature is wasting away, our inner nature is being renewed day by day. For this slight momentary affliction is preparing us for an eternal weight of glory beyond all measure, because we look not at what can be seen but at what cannot be seen; for what can be seen is temporary, but what cannot be seen is eternal.

 For we know that if the earthly tent we live in is destroyed, we have a building from God, a house not made with hands, eternal in the heavens. –2 Corinthians 4:16-5:1

The snap, crackle, and pop of arthritic joints greeted me this morning as I arose from my bed foot to floor, stood, and stretched my arms high. It has become a routine sound in my life reminding me that I am alive and thus have things to accomplish today. It doesn’t hurt and I am thankful that I still have working ears to hear it. I somehow recoil at the phrase wasting away though, true as it may be. While our bodies may be wasting away, the building, Paul describes we have from God is developing as an even stronger structure in its preparation for the great day when justice exists throughout the earth.

I work at keeping my body going as it wastes away. Brush and floss my teeth, exercise daily, try to eat right, and get a decent amount of rest trying to postpone disabling results as much or more than extending life.  According to the Oklahoma Department of Health the two leading causes of poor health in Oklahoma are obesity and tobacco use, both of which are in our control, hard as it is to break the lifestyle that supports them.

We need to work at strengthening our spiritual lives as well. What are the leading causes of poor spiritual lives for you? What are you doing to reverse their course? I must confess I do a lot of the “right” things not unlike the leaders of faith throughout the Bible. I go to church most Sundays, facilitate a Sunday school class, serve on various teams, and support it financially. While I still think these activities are important parts of my faith development my need to be attentive to the spiritual development of the others in my life is very important and may at times get lost in the busyness of the church. Imagining myself as part of the Body Christ helps me set priorities in what I do and say.

Prayer: Lord, make us one in the Spirit, grow us together so that our skills and talents complement each other as your Kingdom comes. 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.

Justice and Shalom

Sins of the fathersLiving in the Spirit June 4, 2015

Scripture Reading: 2 Corinthians 4:13-5:1 But just as we have the same spirit of faith that is in accordance with scripture—‘I believed, and so I spoke’—we also believe, and so we speak, because we know that the one who raised the Lord Jesus will raise us also with Jesus, and will bring us with you into his presence. Yes, everything is for your sake, so that grace, as it extends to more and more people, may increase thanksgiving, to the glory of God. –2 Corinthians 4:13-15

Are we speaking out for what we believe or are we holding our tongues in the name of shalom? It is not an easy question. We are called to shalom; we are called to do justice. How do we do justice in the spirit of shalom? It is my understanding that the word shalom, translated into English often as peace, has a richer meaning of wellbeing for all. Isn’t that what justice is also? Why then does working toward justice often lead to discord?

The need to work toward justice means some injustice exists, and injustice is insidious. The Hebrew bible talks about the sins of ancestors being passed forward to the third or fourth generation. (Numbers 14:18) Both of my great-grandfathers fought in the Civil War. One fought for the North, one for the South. The one on the South owned house slaves. We are not accountable for our ancestors’ sins, but we do bear the consequences of them. My mother, the granddaughter of the Confederate, served as a community developer for the Methodist church in the Appalachians during the depression working with both black and white communities, segregated, of course, at that time. The consequences of others in the cadre of Civil War descendant carry the animosity of their ancestors to this day. It is a choice. God calls us to choose justice.

My Confederate great-grandfather was a dedicated Christian. He believed he was doing the right thing. We are no doubt doing things today our descendants will be cleaning up for generations to come. Part of doing justice is considering the long-term consequences of our own attitudes and actions. Part of doing justice is seeking wholeness by carefully laying before God those things that drive us today and letting God love away the residue in our beings that denies justice to ourselves and others.

Prayer: Create in me a clean heart, O God, and put a new and right spirit within me. (Psalm 51:10)

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 Purpose for Us

Purpose RomansLiving in the Spirit
June 3, 2015

Scripture Reading: Psalm 138

Though I walk in the midst of trouble,
   you preserve me against the wrath of my enemies;
you stretch out your hand,
   and your right hand delivers me.
The Lord will fulfil his purpose for me;
   your steadfast love, O Lord, endures for ever.
   Do not forsake the work of your hands. –Psalm 138: 7-8

Several years ago there was a popular saying, God Doesn’t Make Junk, referring to all the earth and all the plants and animals including humans that dwell on it. Junk is something that is more than worthless; it is in the way, a nuisance.

Our Psalm today tells us that we were each created with a purpose and the Lord will fulfil that purpose. Now how does God fulfil our purpose? Does it first take our commitment to God? The Psalm does not speak to any commitment on our part? Does it mean right now, in the midst of all the trouble spoken about earlier? Or does it mean on the day of the Lord when all things will be set right?

The answer seems to be all of the above. God did not create anything without purpose. I do think God wants us to choose to partner with God, to love the Lord as the Lord loves us. I think God hardwired us so that fulfilling our purpose is our greatest source of joy and thus it makes sense in the day of the Lord we will be fulfilled. But I think God wants us to experience a taste of joy in the here and now, even in the midst of trouble.

I watched a report on the news the other evening about all the junk that ended up in the Oklahoma River flowing through Oklahoma City as a result of the torrential rains and heavy flooding we have been receiving. Human lives have been lost as have homes and crops and animals. The man who was operating the machine extracting the junk from the river said he routinely cleans the river of debris but he had never seen this much before. I could not help but notice his sense of satisfaction in being able to do something positive in the midst of trouble. There is joy in in the here and how.

Prayer: Lord, help us to show our love for you by pursuing your purpose for us right here and right 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.

Listen and Learn

Living-Gods-Heart-SmLiving in the Spirit
June 2, 2015

Scripture Reading: 1 Samuel 8:4-20

But the people refused to listen to the voice of Samuel; they said, ‘No! but we are determined to have a king over us, so that we also may be like other nations, and that our king may govern us and go out before us and fight our battles.’ –1 Samuel 8:4-20

The people called for a king to fight their battles for them without the presence of forethought to realize that they would be the ones conscripted to do the fighting. The prophets often quote God as saying something to the effect, “You closed your ears to me.” The people of Israel had just heard Samuel’s speech regarding the cost of a kingship and it did not matter.

There is a lot of failure to heed wise advice going around throughout the world. From texting while driving to over indulging in sugar and trans fat, we personally do not accept responsibility for our own wellbeing. Our scorn of the poor targeted at saving a few dollars in tax spending is dark comedy when Congress wants to fund the Department of Defense with millions more dollars than requested in its budget.

I have been reading Joan Chittister’s book The Ten Commandments, laws of the Heart. Her treatment of the second commandment really got my attention. My childhood take on, “Do not take the name of the Lord in vain” was basically not to swear. But no, Chittister asserts we should not call on the Lord when we know in our hearts what we are demanding is not something the God of love would even consider. We are wasting God’s time and our own—my words not hers.

We are called to a lifetime quest to know God. Hearing does not mean we have listened. Listening does not mean we have learned unless we live what God speaks to us.

Prayer:  Lord, enable us to give ear to your teaching, let in immerse our souls, and be reflected in our lives. 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.

Governance

Common GoodLiving in the Spirit
June 1, 2015

Scripture Reading: 1 Samuel 8:4-20

Then all the elders of Israel gathered together and came to Samuel at Ramah, and said to him, ‘You are old and your sons do not follow in your ways; appoint for us, then, a king to govern us, like other nations.’ But the thing displeased Samuel when they said, ‘Give us a king to govern us.’ Samuel prayed to the Lord, and the Lord said to Samuel, ‘Listen to the voice of the people in all that they say to you; for they have not rejected you, but they have rejected me from being king over them. Just as they have done to me, from the day I brought them up out of Egypt to this day, forsaking me and serving other gods, so also they are doing to you. Now then, listen to their voice; only—you shall solemnly warn them, and show them the ways of the king who shall reign over them.’—1 Samuel 8:4-9

It is interesting to read about the establishment of a monarchy in Israel some three thousand years ago. Things haven’t changed much. The people wanted the government to be and do everything for them when they wanted it but not when they didn’t. Today, we want personal freedom and our privacy protected thus we do not want our telephone calls stored for possible tracking by the government, but we also want the government to stop terrorist activities before they start. The Israelites wanted to play on the big stage with their mighty neighbors, but they did not consider the costs. Samuel spells it out for them in very specific terms.

As civilizations develop, the need for an entity to coordinate activities to protect the common good grows. Family structure becomes tribal which leads to loose amalgamations of order, like the judges in the history of Israel, which eventually morphs into a formal government. Whether that government takes the form of a monarchy or a democracy, its purpose remains the same to protect the common good. I do not believe that Samuel was concerned with the need for such a structure as much as he was concerned about the people’s motivations for having a king. Their desire to be a world power, as they knew it at the time, was overtaking their commitment to serve God.

The people of the United State of America chose to be a democracy with a representative governmental structure. As we strive to define this entity charged with protecting the common good, we need to be very careful with our motivations and not lose sight of that common-good purpose of government. We seem to want smaller government for everybody else but ourselves.

Prayer: Lord, open our hearts and minds to your leadership and let your purposes be our purposes as we struggle to govern ourselves and our neighbors. 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.