Monthly Archives: March 2017

Free to Love

Lent
March 11, 2017

Scripture Reading: John 3:1-17

Nicodemus said to him, ‘How can anyone be born after having grown old? Can one enter a second time into the mother’s womb and be born?’ Jesus answered, ‘Very truly, I tell you, no one can enter the kingdom of God without being born of water and Spirit. What is born of the flesh is flesh, and what is born of the Spirit is spirit. Do not be astonished that I said to you, “You must be born from above.” –John 3:16-17.

I received one of those Facebook faith testing messages today that was a simple yes or no question with a big check box next to a big YES and a big check box next to a big NO. The question was “Do you believe in prayer at school?” Now I think I know where the message creator was coming from and I am pretty sure it was not the same place from whence I start. Paul advises us in 1 Thessalonians 5:16-18 to pray without ceasing. So, it follows that if one attends school one would pray at school. Jesus admonishes us in Matthew 6:6 when we pray to do it in secret. My answer to the faith testing question would be Yes, we should pray at school and anywhere else we may find ourselves and our prayers in such instances should be between God and us.

I believe with all my heart that God wants us to love God by our free choice. Jesus never forced himself on anyone. With most people, he met along the way he opened the conversation with a question or two. What do you want? What do you need? Asking how can I love you? The scripture quote above is from the conversation Jesus had with Nicodemus. We are given the free choice to follow the guidance of the Spirit or not. It makes sense to elicit the support of people who understand your vision and are excited about helping to implement it. Jesus welcomed all to join him in his quest to transform the world into the Kingdom of God through love not violence or oppression or force.

Prayer:
Lord, make me an instrument of thy peace.
Where there is hatred, let me sow love;
Where there is injury, pardon;
Where there is doubt, faith;
Where there is despair, hope;
Where there is darkness, light;
Where there is sadness, joy. 

O Divine Master,
Grant that I may not so much seek
To be consoled as to console;
To be understood, as to understand;
To be loved, as to love. 

For it is in giving that we receive;
It is in pardoning, that we are pardoned;
It is in dying that we are born to eternal life*. Amen

*Prayer of St. Francis of Assisi

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.

Faith and Works

Lent
March 10, 2017

Scripture Reading: Romans 4:1-5, 13-17

For the promise that he would inherit the world did not come to Abraham or to his descendants through the law but through the righteousness of faith. If it is the adherents of the law who are to be the heirs, faith is null and the promise is void. For the law brings wrath; but where there is no law, neither is there violation. –Romans 4:13-15

In their book The First Paul, Borg and Crossan indicate it is not possible to have faith without works. It is possible to have works without faith. Why do we do what we do? The answer to the question matters. The what-is-in-it-for-me discourse requires the establishment of some sort of tit for tat arrangement.  God’s call to love our neighbors reflects gifts freely received and freely given.

I once thought our public welfare programs largely served to stifle anarchy. While they were begun During the Great Depression, they were expanded following the riots occurring primarily in inner-cities throughout the country during the 1960’s. Some of the initial programs were very good, designed to help disadvantaged even oppressed citizens move from poverty to self-sufficiency. The War on Poverty quickly turned into structures to prohibit fraud, waste, and abuse. I use to note at the time we fought a war in Vietnam that was never declared and the War on Poverty that was declared but never fought. Both demanded great works neither was necessarily graced by faith.

The history of God is one that welcomes free expression of our love for God. Would you want to be loved by someone forced to love you? Is that even possible? God wants us to love God and out of the abundance of that shared love work toward a world where all know love.

Prayer: Lord we have willing hands and feet to help you in any way we can to make your Kingdom a reality for all your children. Show us the way. Amen.

*The First Paul by Marcus J. Borg and John Dominic Crossan. Harper One, 2009.

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.

Faith Reckoned as Righteousness

Lent
March 9, 2017

Scripture Reading: Romans 4:1-5, 13-17

What then are we to say was gained by Abraham, our ancestor according to the flesh? For if Abraham was justified by works, he has something to boast about, but not before God. For what does the scripture say? ‘Abraham believed God, and it was reckoned to him as righteousness.’ Now to one who works, wages are not reckoned as a gift but as something due. But to one who without works trusts him who justifies the ungodly, such faith is reckoned as righteousness. –Romans 4:1-5

“Daddy, Daddy look what I did! I tied my shoes today all by myself. Watch see how I can do it!” This young girl is on the road to becoming fully the person God created her to be. God expects that of all of us and it has nothing whatsoever to do with earning God’s love. In our “what’s in it for me” world that is a little hard to understand.

Doing something because it is simply the right thing to do seems to be in short supply today. At times, it appears some feel they have a license to do whatever evil crosses their minds. I am sure most of us experience a flash of anger, perhaps based on fear, when someone cuts us off while driving but we do not chase them down and kill them for it. On the other hand, many are blessed while having a bad day by a saint who simply holds a door for us or picks up a package we have dropped. There is a bit of righteousness in both not responding in kind or worse to evil and in developing the art of kindness in everything we do.

There is a story of hell and heaven, The Allegory of the Long Spoons, where a person is given a tour of both. In hell, he sees people starving while setting before a banquet table full of food. The problem was their spoons were too long for them to bring the food to their mouths. In heaven, he sees the same scene where all are well fed. Using the same sized spoons, each person feeds the neighbor across from him or her.

God’s grace is not only a gift for all God’s children, it is a model for our way of being.

Prayer: Lord, thank you for the gift of your grace. Infuse us with your love so that we can be graceful toward others. Amen.

*https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Allegory_of_the_long_spoons

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 Vistas of God’s Love

Lent
March 8, 2017

Scripture Reading: Psalm 121

I lift up my eyes to the hills—
   from where will my help come?
My help comes from the Lord,
   who made heaven and earth.

The Lord will keep you from all evil;
   he will keep your life.
The Lord will keep
   your going out and your coming in
   from this time on and for evermore. –Psalm 121:1-2, 7-8

There is that word again, evil. Yesterday we discussed God bringing down evil on people by cursing them. Today we find the Lord keeping us from evil.  The Hebrew word translated here as evil* at its root deals with adversity. Humans have an interesting relationship with evil. I find myself in adversity trying to accomplish justice all the time. It is always a challenge to walk the fine line between standing for what one believes to be right while not being drawn into behavior that is not of God.

Thus, I find it comforting that the Psalmist ties lifting one’s eyes to the hills, turning to the Lord in times of trouble when dealing with adversity. I lived in Denver for two years and awoke each morning with the ability to turn my eyes to the west and gaze not only on the foothills but the mighty mountains in the background. It does give one perspective. I get the same sense of the presence of God watching an Oklahoma sunset. Using the beauty of God’s earth as a vehicle to see the world from God’s panoramic viewpoint, helps us to mesh our priorities with God’s. It enables us to discern a path forward toward justice while loving our perceived adversaries as children of God made in God’s image too.

I have found it helpful when seeking to do justice to search for the things on which all or most can agree and lighten up if possible on the things that tear us apart ending any conversation.

Prayer: Thank you Lord, for the beauty of the sunset as it stretches endlessly across the sky much like your love embraces all your children. Let that image guide us as we seek to be champions of justice. Amen.

*http://biblehub.com/hebrew/7451.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.

A Cursing God?


Lent
March 7, 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.

I only remember my mother cursing one time. To this day, I do not remember to whom she was referring. She was reading a letter she had just received from some of her family in Arkansas. I may not have known the person but she said, “God damn him.” It was a prayer and she meant it. In my family, no one took the Lord’s name in vain. I think our society uses the word “curse” rather loosely, usually describing any kind of off colored slang. It means to ask a deity to bring evil down onto someone*.

I confess I do not want to consider God cursing anyone. I know Jesus cursed a fig tree (Mark 11:12-25) which has always been beyond my understanding even though I have read several attempted explanations by theologians I respect. There are 200 cursing usages in the NRSV Bible. Perhaps my problem is that the act of cursing suggest that God gives up on some people. I don’t like to think that either. I do know there are times when walking away from someone who will not help themselves is necessary, but that is not the same as calling on God to bring evil onto someone. In today’s scripture, Abram doesn’t even have to call on God. God seems to volunteer to initiate cursing as situations indicate. Is it perhaps God’s way of saying, “I’ve got your back, no matter what?” I could see God doing that.

I probably need to understand my own motivations causing my questioning of the use of curses in the Bible. How does my apparent preconceived perception of God impact my own relationship with God? We filter most things following preset patterns. It is a good idea to challenge our filters to make sure they remain valid.

Prayer: God of Grace, cleanse my filters so that I can see you more clearly. Amen.

*http://unabridged.merriam-webster.com/unabridged/curse

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.

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.

 

Vision Quest

Lent
March 5, 2017

Scripture Reading: Matthew 4:1-11

Again, the devil took him to a very high mountain and showed him all the kingdoms of the world and their splendor; and he said to him, ‘All these I will give you, if you will fall down and worship me.’ Jesus said to him, ‘Away with you, Satan! for it is written,
“Worship the Lord your God,
   and serve only him.”’
Then the devil left him, and suddenly angels came and waited on him. –Matthew 4:8-11

Power tends to corrupt, and absolute power corrupts absolutely. Great men are almost always bad men. *

I tend to think of Jesus’ temptations as his vision quest in the tradition of some American Indian tribes. Young men, and women too, are sent out to be alone with the Spirit to find their calling as they transition to adulthood. At some level, all teenagers make such a quest. The key point is that we are the decisions we make.

When I first began my career, I noticed that many of the women with whom I worked were there not by the choice of pursuing a career but by the necessity of meeting their basic needs and often the basic needs of children. Some felt caught in a no win situation, doing whatever they were told for fear of losing their children’s livelihood. (A member of the Oklahoma state legislature recently was forced to resign because of sexual harassment. Among other things, he required his administrative assistant to supply him with nude pictures of herself.) I was working in pursuit of a career, single and with no children, and able early on to make the decision that I never wanted to ever be in a situation when I could not walk away from my job at any point. That decision influenced many later decisions I made about handling my finances mainly, but also being able to stand my ground for doing what was right.

Playing the game of power is a heady business and can become our god. Jesus possessed ultimate power but his task on earth, his vision, was to enable others to use their power to God’s glory advancing the influence of love throughout the world. He made three major decisions on his vision quest that set the values for his ministry: not letting the thirst for greed rule his life, not testing God, and not letting a hunger for power supersede his primary purpose. His example is a good one to follow.

Prayer: Lord help us understand that the power of love is stronger than all other forms of power, guide us in loving like Jesus. Amen.

*John Emerich Edward Dalberg-Acton, 1st Baron Acton

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Fasting

Lent
March 4, 2017

Scripture Reading: Matthew 4:1-11

Then Jesus was led up by the Spirit into the wilderness to be tempted by the devil. He fasted for forty days and forty nights, and afterwards he was famished. The tempter came and said to him, ‘If you are the Son of God, command these stones to become loaves of bread.’ But he answered, ‘It is written,
“One does not live by bread alone, –Matthew 4:1-4

What is the purpose of fasting? Does it change our focus? Does it make us appreciate more what we have? Does it help us understand better the plight of those who do not have enough food? Does it prove to us that we are capable of self-discipline? What is the purpose of fasting?

Jesus is challenged by the disciples of John the Baptist because Jesus’ disciples did not fast. (Matthew 9:14-17) He first replies weddings are times for celebration; the time for deep contemplation in the absence of the bridegroom would come. He then shares the familiar metaphors regarding sewing unshrunk cloth on old cloaks and putting new wine into old wineskins. What does that have to do with fasting?

Jesus projects the coming of a seismic shift of great proportion regarding human relationship with God where the world would never be the same again and he was the catalyst of that happening. We are acquainted with geological transformations of large magnitude where the earth changes dramatically. Located in south central Oklahoma, the Arbuckle Mountains are the oldest known formations in the United States between the Appalachian and Rocky Mountains. They contain a core of granite and gneiss that date back at least 1.4 billion years*. To make a scientific explanation very short and inadequate, at some point in history these mountains were turned on their side. The change is apparent from one’s car windows driving through the area on the interstate. Once such an event happens, the earth is never the same again. The coming of God incarnate, Jesus Christ, changed the world.

The answer to all the introductory questions above is “Yes.” Fasting changes our focus, makes us appreciate what we have, helps us understand the plight of the hungry, and proves we are capable of self-discipline among other things. This ancient spiritual discipline did not lose its value in the coming of Jesus. It is now being applied in a world turned upside-down by the life, death, and resurrection of Jesus Christ.  Fasting is now a vehicle for traversing through Christ’s spiritual landscape of love.

Prayer: God, as we fast in whatever manner fits our situations during this time of Lent make us mindful of the force of your love in coming to the world to open new windows of faith for all. Amen.

*https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Arbuckle_Mountains

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.

Love Caste Out All Fear

Lent
March 3, 2017

Scripture Reading: Romans 5:12-19

Therefore just as one man’s trespass led to condemnation for all, so one man’s act of righteousness leads to justification and life for all. For just as by the one man’s disobedience the many were made sinners, so by the one man’s obedience the many will be made righteous. –Romans 5:18-19

What does it mean to be made righteous? Strong’s Concordance defines the Greek word translated as righteous in our scripture above as just in the eyes of God—describes what is in conformity to God’s own being*. A word we use to foster comfort in personal salvation, grace, seems to be tied to our relationships with others. Can justice exist outside of community?

Laws exist to standardize structures and processes related to human interaction. The rightness or justness of laws is based on the impartial facts of a given situation which demonstrates whether the issue is fair; whether it possesses the qualities of equity—a free and reasonable conformity to accepted standards of natural right, law, and justice without prejudice, favoritism, or fraud and without rigor entailing undue hardship:  justice according to natural law or right**. Jesus said he did not come to abolish the law but to fulfill it. (Matthew 5:17) When we practice his way of being based on loving God and loving others the law is fulfilled because the very nature of love results in justice.

The law became brittle in various times in the history of God including in first century Galilee and Judea. Hardened and no longer malleable to the world’s growth and progress, the law became a path to self-righteousness for some and a stumbling block for others in search of God. Jesus reset the paradigm placing rules in their proper order joined with the imperative of always living one’s love.

Fear is often the cause of the breakdown in the connection between rules and love. Fear of change is often the culprit. To be honest, it is probably easier to follow a whole book full of rules than engage with other humans toward living together in harmony. This is particularly true when we or our group believe we have the only correct interpretation of the rules. 1 John 4:18 assures us, There is no fear in love, but perfect love casts out fear; for fear has to do with punishment, and whoever fears has not reached perfection in love.

Prayer: God of Justice who is Love, calm our fears, embolden our love so that your justice may rule our lives. Amen.

*http://biblehub.com/greek/1342.htm

**http://unabridged.merriam-webster.com/unabridged/equity

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.

Grace as Glue

Lent
March 2, 2017

Scripture Reading: Romans 5:12-19

Therefore, just as sin came into the world through one man, and death came through sin, and so death spread to all because all have sinned— sin was indeed in the world before the law, but sin is not reckoned when there is no law. Yet death exercised dominion from Adam to Moses, even over those whose sins were not like the transgression of Adam, who is a type of the one who was to come. –Romans 5:12-14

How do we change something bad that seems to be unchangeable? Humans seem to be unable or unwilling to stay in constant sync with God. Is the gift of freewill so heady for us or perhaps scary to us that we are drawn to test whether the gift is real or not by acting in ways that are not good for us or for anyone else? What could be accomplished if we were able, through faith, to maintain a constant connection? God seemed to desire such a partnership or God would not have created us. God incarnate, Jesus Christ, came to fill any gaps in our ability to stay in sync with God enabling us to participate fully in developing the world God envisions.

A friend suffering from a re-occurrence of a particularly troublesome form of bone cancer is now undergoing another round of treatment. Before that could happen the hallow places in his bones caused by the cancer were filed with what might be defined in laymen’s terms as glue.  It seems to provide the stability necessary to allow treatment to go forward. I could not help but think when I heard about this preliminary step that it sounded a lot like grace.

So, what is our response to such a gift as this? First, we thank God for graciously filling any gaps in our souls that are impeding our full potential in God’s service. Second, we must humbly accept God’s grace as Ephesians 6:13 puts it: Therefore take up the whole armor of God, so that you may be able to withstand on that evil day, and having done everything, to stand firm.  Finally, we must live God’s love in all aspects of our lives without fear and with the sure and certain nature of the sufficiency of God’s grace.

Prayer: God of Might and Miracles, forgive us when the problems of the world overwhelm us and we break away from your love and your grace. 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.