Monthly Archives: May 2017

Change

Eastertide
May 2, 2017

Scripture Reading: Acts 2:42-47

Awe came upon everyone, because many wonders and signs were being done by the apostles. All who believed were together and had all things in common; they would sell their possessions and goods and distribute the proceeds to all, as any had need. Day by day, as they spent much time together in the temple, they broke bread at home and ate their food with glad and generous hearts, praising God and having the goodwill of all the people. And day by day the Lord added to their number those who were being saved. –Acts 2:43-47

How do we respond to paradigm shifts in our lives; those events that change our entire view of the world. Like those who chose to follow Christ in the first century, we, too at the beginning, might jump in with our whole being basking in the joy of the moment’s revelation.

Spending much of my life as a change agent, I can assure you change is not that easy and when change is attempted, we need to cling tightly to the source of our conviction that the change is imperative. A seasoned politician once told me that it takes at least ten years to pass meaningful change legislation. Our founding leaders had a vision of government of the people, by the people, and for the people. It was sorely tested with the Civil War and still is not realized today. I cannot put a date on the beginning of a move toward universal health care in the USA for it began well before 1965 when Medicaid and Medicare were created. It sets on a shaky foundation, today.

Christ’s vision for our world, having stood the test of time, is as valid today as it was when the first followers broke bread together having the goodwill of all the people. Nowhere did anyone say it would be easy. Our striving toward attaining Christ’s vision is worth the effort.

Prayer: God of Yesterday, Today, and Tomorrow, renew your vision within us and lead us toward making it reality. 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.

 

Spirit Led

Eastertide
May 1, 2017

Scripture Reading:  Acts 2:42-47

They devoted themselves to the apostles’ teaching and fellowship, to the breaking of bread and the prayers. —Acts 2:42

Acts describes a four-fold schematic of spiritual disciples that stands the test of time: teaching, fellowship, breaking of bread, and prayers.

Teaching here is derived from the Greek word didaché*, a noun, which describes a body of knowledge.  Its verb form describes instruction about a body of knowledge that certainly includes the Hebrew Bible, perhaps the writings of the Apocrypha, and maybe by the time of the writings of Acts, Paul’s letters and other works in circulation, for example, the gospel of Mark, the missing Q document, and other writings now in the New Testament such as Hebrews. The Bible as we know it did not yet exist when Acts was written. We are each required to study and discern from a wide variety of sources related to God, ancient and current. We are wise to do that in dialogue with other seekers to hold us accountable for not limiting our discernments to what we want to hear.

Fellowship is the companionship of persons on equal and friendly terms**. I value highly the fellowship of my congregation as it strives to nurture and care for people from birth to the grave. Even in the limited size of a single congregation, it is a challenge to have companionship with all persons on equal and friendly terms. Jesus commanded us to take that fellowship to all the people of the earth. To do that, we must first and foremost understand what God’s purpose is for us. It is hard to love everyone. It amazes me still that as a child welfare worker, I learned to look at someone who had beaten his or her own child severely and see the pain in their beings that lead to that atrocity. It is easier to do that when the offender is a stranger. Objectivity suffers when a relationship exist which compounds our ability to respond with love when we feel our love has been betrayed. The presence of the Holy Spirit in relationships is key to re-balancing relationships.

Ephesians 4:26 Be angry but do not sin; do not let the sun go down on your anger is most likely the source of the adage do go to bed angry. I think the same advice applies to eating together. The breaking of bread in communion with others derives from the culture of family. Family presumes a permanent relationship. There is just something about eating together that reminds us of our oneness and our dependence on each other. Jesus chose this most common of practices to symbolize his mission and ministry when he took the bread and gave it to his disciples to share as he did the wine. Again, he encourages us to go beyond our comfort zones and commune with the entire family of God.

The Greek word for prayer, proseuché***, means exchange of wishes. We are probably most adept at presenting our laundry list of desires to God, and not so good at reciprocating by not only taking in God’s list but also trying with all our might to fulfill it. At times our lists may include wishes, if granted that would not be in our best interest. We can be assured that God’s wishes are always in our best interest and perhaps more importantly the best interest of the Kingdom of God.

Prayer: Lord, guide my growth in learning how to love like you. Amen.

*http://biblehub.com/greek/1322.htm
**http://unabridged.merriam-webster.com/unabridged/fellowship
***http://biblehub.com/greek/4335.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.