Monthly Archives: January 2020

Experiencing Privilege

Epiphany

January 31, 2020

Scripture Reading:

1 Corinthians 1:18-31

Consider your own call, brothers and sisters: not many of you were wise by human standards, not many were powerful, not many were of noble birth. But God chose what is foolish in the world to shame the wise; God chose what is weak in the world to shame the strong; God chose what is low and despised in the world, things that are not, to reduce to nothing things that are, so that no one might boast in the presence of God. He is the source of your life in Christ Jesus, who became for us wisdom from God, and righteousness and sanctification and redemption, in order that, as it is written, ‘Let the one who boasts, boast in the Lord.’ –1 Corinthians 1:26-31

Why do we long for privilege and then become blind to it becoming a prominent part of our being? I hope I was qualified for the first job I got as a teenager and that I exemplified that quality in my work. I am sure I got the job because the owner of the nursing home where I worked was a friend of my mother. I was in high school and thinking about becoming a nurse, and Mom thought some direct experience might help me make my decision. The nursing home even arranged special work hours for me. I worked 8 to 5 to coincide with Mom’s work schedule so we could ride together while the other aides work either a 7 to 3 or 3 to 11 shift. It worked out well as I could respond to the call lights while shift change occurred, but that was not the reason I had special hours.  I loved being a nurse’s aide, but I also realized I had no desire to be a nurse. Such an experience is not bad; it was good for me, very normal in my middle-class existence. And it was a privilege that few of the women with whom I worked had available.

Most of the other nurse’s aides were women in their fifties or sixties with limited education. In general, they had raised children, were grandmothers, had never worked outside their homes before, and were either widows or caring for a disabled husband while being the sole breadwinner in the home. They were living on the same salary I was making, with which I was saving for college and buying clothing. While this experience changed my vocational choice, it opened my eyes to the inequities in our world. It allowed me just a smidgen of the knowledge of privilege.

Prayer:
Open my eyes, that I may see
Glimpses of truth thou hast for me;
Place in my hands the wonderful key
That shall unclasp and set me free.

Silently now I wait for thee,
Ready, my God, thy will to see.
Open my eyes, illumine me, Spirit divine*! Amen

*First verse and chorus of Open My Eyes by Clara H. Scott see at https://www.hymnal.net/en/hymn/h/807

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.

Living Christ’s Love

Epiphany

January 30, 2020

Scripture Reading:
1 Corinthians 1:18-31

For the message about the cross is foolishness to those who are perishing, but to us who are being saved it is the power of God. For it is written,
‘I will destroy the wisdom of the wise,
   and the discernment of the discerning I will thwart.’
Where is the one who is wise? Where is the scribe? Where is the debater of this age? Has not God made foolish the wisdom of the world? For since, in the wisdom of God, the world did not know God through wisdom, God decided, through the foolishness of our proclamation, to save those who believe. For Jews demand signs and Greeks desire wisdom, but we proclaim Christ crucified, a stumbling-block to Jews and foolishness to Gentiles, but to those who are the called, both Jews and Greeks, Christ the power of God and the wisdom of God. For God’s foolishness is wiser than human wisdom, and God’s weakness is stronger than human strength. –1 Corinthians 1:18-25

One of the major problems for humans is not what we know but recognizing what we do not know. We put a lot of faith in what we think we know, only to find out later that somethings we were taught just were not ever true or are no longer true.  That does not mean we should avoid seeking knowledge. It does mean that the quest for knowledge never ends.

We also are very good at filtering knowledge to gain the answers that we want to hear.  Following someone who was crucified for his teachings is more than a little counterintuitive unless we open our hearts and minds to the love behind the sacrifice.

Prayer: Thank you, Lord, for loving us so much that you were willing to die on the cross. We celebrate the wonder of your resurrection and hear your call to share your love with the whole world. Empower us to live your love. 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.

Despising the Wicked

Epiphany

January 29, 2020

Scripture Reading:
Psalm 15
O Lord, who may abide in your tent?
   Who may dwell on your holy hill?

Those who walk blamelessly, and do what is right,
   and speak the truth from their heart;
who do not slander with their tongue,
   and do no evil to their friends,
   nor take up a reproach against their neighbors;
in whose eyes the wicked are despised,
   but who honor those who fear the Lord;
who stand by their oath even to their hurt;
who do not lend money at interest,
   and do not take a bribe against the innocent.

Those who do these things shall never be moved.

Psalm 15 continues the theme that the priority of God’s people who hold God in the highest esteem is to love our neighbors and to do what is right, which is the same Hebrew word as justice.

What does it mean in this scripture to despise the wicked? God commands us to love one another, and surely that includes those we deem wicked. Who are we to deem anyone wicked? Jesus got the assignment to judge others. (John 5:22)  Despise means to consider oneself better than another. How does considering oneself better than another help anything? I do not think the act of despising fits the definition of love.

Much of what we know about God’s presumed reaction to evil is filtered through the eyes of the reporter before we read it. For example, I cannot imagine the God that is love ordering all innocent people killed (See 1 Samuel 15:2-3) in a raid.  This I know, I do despise the behavior of certain people because I disapprove of their actions. I guess that means I think my way is indeed better than their way. One of the challenges of doing justice in our world today is to call attention to and try to dismantle the injustice practiced by others and do it while walking humbly with God. Rightness is not self-righteous. All of us called to do justice must do it in the framework of equality of all God’s children.

Prayer: Lord, hold me accountable for any behavior of mine that does not reflect your love even when I disagree and am working to change the behavior of another. 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.

God’s How

Epiphany

January 28, 2020

Scripture Reading:
Micah 6:1-8

‘With what shall I come before the Lord,
   and bow myself before God on high?
Shall I come before him with burnt-offerings,
   with calves a year old?
Will the Lord be pleased with thousands of rams,
   with tens of thousands of rivers of oil?
Shall I give my firstborn for my transgression,
   the fruit of my body for the sin of my soul?’
He has told you, O mortal, what is good;
   and what does the Lord require of you
but to do justice, and to love kindness,
   and to walk humbly with your God? –Micah 6:6-8

God’s priorities do not rest in our offerings, no matter how great, or our acts of repentance, even though we must face the consequences of our sins and seek forgiveness. These are included respectively in the prosperity gospel, which recognizes monetary wealth as a measure of our status with God, and the hellfire and damnation belief system bent on judging others. I often notice when religious groups identify sins, the behaviors they identify as the worst sins are often things related to others, not them.

Micah 6:8 is the seminal scripture for my life’s work as a child of God and a follower of Christ. Jesus provided the vision, the “what” elements when he commanded us to love God and love our neighbors as we love ourselves*.  Micah describes the “how.” I guess one could see that the other way around, but they are definitely interrelated.

God seems to be more concerned with how we treat one another than our personal salvation. Personal salvation is just the starting gate, not the finish line. That is a hard thing for those of us raised on massive doses of personal salvation to understand,. The finish line or more appropriately a new beginning is when God’s love is the norm for everyone throughout the earth.

Prayer: God of Justice and Mercy, instill in us the drive we need to do justice, love kindness, and walk humbly with you. Amen.

*Matthew 22:36-40; Mark 12:30-31 derived from Deut. 6:4,5 and Lev. 19:18

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.

Foolish Ways

Epiphany

January 27, 2020

Scripture Reading: Micah 6:1-8

‘O my people, what have I done to you?
   In what have I wearied you? Answer me!
For I brought you up from the land of Egypt,
   and redeemed you from the house of slavery;
and I sent before you Moses,
   Aaron, and Miriam.
O my people, remember now what King Balak of Moab devised,
   what Balaam son of Beor answered him,
and what happened from Shittim to Gilgal,
   that you may know the saving acts of the Lord.’ –Micah 6:3-5

How does God feel when we turn our backs on God? How does God discern between prayers offered by God’s children when they solicit opposing outcomes?  How can God’s people ignore God or create God in the image we desire rather than searching for the truth in God’s love? Micah writes words in God’s inspired voice that asked similar questions. What did God do to deserve such treatment? After raising this question, Micah then lists just some of the saving acts of the Lord over time.

Evil wins by dividing people. There is a lot of that going on in the USA. As people of faith, God calls us to overcome evil with good and show that love always wins over hate. Evil is very, very seductive, enticing us with those things sometimes that on the outside looks good but can still be divisive. I doubt we ever agree on abortion, but surely we can agree on quality health care, including access to safe, affordable, preventive birth control. The state of Colorado reduced its abortion rate by 40% in one year by guaranteeing free preventive birth control for anyone who needs it. We may not agree on the causes of climate change, but surely, we can agree to do all that is necessary to curb that which we see happening before us.

We need to open our hearts and minds to one another, trying to understand each other better and understand that we are all children of the same God who longs to bring us together under God’s wings.

Prayer:
Dear Lord and Father of mankind,
Forgive our foolish ways;
Reclothe us in our rightful mind,
In purer lives Thy service find,
In deeper rev’rence, praise*. Amen.

*First verse of Dear Lord and Father of Mankind by John Greenleaf Whittier see at https://library.timelesstruths.org/music/Dear_Lord_and_Father_of_Mankind/

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.

Weave us Together

Epiphany

January 26, 2020

Scripture Reading: Matthew 4:12-23

As he walked by the Sea of Galilee, he saw two brothers, Simon, who is called Peter, and Andrew his brother, casting a net into the lake—for they were fishermen. And he said to them, ‘Follow me, and I will make you fish for people.’ Immediately they left their nets and followed him. As he went from there, he saw two other brothers, James son of Zebedee and his brother John, in the boat with their father Zebedee, mending their nets, and he called them. Immediately they left the boat and their father, and followed him.

Jesus went throughout Galilee, teaching in their synagogues and proclaiming the good news of the kingdom and curing every disease and every sickness among the people. –Matthew 4:18-23

I believe that each person on this earth is a child of God gifted with talents and skills that, when melded together in positive integration will result in the actualization of the vision of God’s kingdom ruled by the love that Jesus proclaimed. Further, I believe that Jesus came to prepare us for the work necessary to enable each of God’s children to fulfill their potential as workers charge with building that kingdom ruled by love. I also believe that God granted us free will to chose whether we accept that calling or not. That gift of freedom, of necessity, opens the door to self-centered or group-centered ambitions that are not in keeping with God’s vision.  The ultimate end of selfism is greed or lust for power or other evils that contribute to negative outcomes for all of God’s children, including those who turned away from God’s abiding love.

Jesus valued diversity among his disciples. He chose fishermen and tax collectors, old and young, and while we have to read around a bit in the writings of a male-dominated culture to find it, even both women and men. The most well-known 12 were probably all Jews, but in their ministries, they fanned out throughout the world. The disciples’ writings and reports of their work tell us just how hard and messy it is to bring all together in a shared vision. Recently, in a discussion at a meeting of well-seasoned participants, we got into a discussion of the things we experienced regarding disagreements in churches and just shook our heads about things of little consequence that resulted in hurt feelings and even church breakups. We agreed that the issue of discussion was not the primary cause of the problem. The main problem was power plays that left others feeling left out or not respected.

Seeking wholeness through our relationship with God is the only way we can successfully be the Body of Christ in the world today. It is a constant activity in our lives asking God to filter out the diversions of the world and open our lives to the wonders of the power of God’s love.

Prayer:
We are many textures,
we are many colors,
Each one different from the other.
But we are entwined with one another
in one great tapestry.

Weave, weave, weave us together,
Weave us together, in unity and love.
Weave, weave, weave us together,
weave us together, together in love*. Amen.

First verse and chorus from Weave us Together by Rosemary Crow see at http://ehymnbook.org/CMMS/hymnSong.php?id=pd16696

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.

Answering the Call

Epiphany

January 25, 2020

Scripture Reading: Matthew 4:12-23

Now when Jesus heard that John had been arrested, he withdrew to Galilee. He left Nazareth and made his home in Capernaum by the lake, in the territory of Zebulun and Naphtali, so that what had been spoken through the prophet Isaiah might be fulfilled:
‘Land of Zebulun, land of Naphtali,
   on the road by the sea, across the Jordan, Galilee of the Gentiles—
the people who sat in darkness
   have seen a great light,
and for those who sat in the region and shadow of death
   light has dawned.’
From that time Jesus began to proclaim, ‘Repent, for the kingdom of heaven has come near.’ –Matthew 4:12-17

Through his ministry on earth, Jesus was not reckless; he was also fearless. The gospels mention other times when he left potential danger and moved to safer regions so his ministry could continue. Think about this, his relative, John the Baptist, was perhaps held in prison for up to two years before he was beheaded. Jesus knew well what he was facing. That speaks to his intentionality at the end of his ministry when he chose to go to Jerusalem and face the cross.

We live in a chaotic world where children are afraid to go to school, where training them about the avoidance of active shooters is a necessity. Scientists are telling us that our earth may be unliveable sooner than later if we do not take steps to deal with climate change. Wealth distribution is heavily skewed toward the top 1% of the population. And we seem to need to identify worth by the color of one’s skin or their gender or sexual identity.

We are called not to hid our heads in the sand or lock ourselves behind walls of exclusion but to go into all the world and take the message of God’s love to the whole earth just like Jesus did.

Prayer: Lord, our world can be scary. Strengthen our limp hands and week knees* and help us step forth to love like you toward building your kingdom in our world. Amen.

*Derived from Hebrews 12:12

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

Epiphany

January 24, 2020

Scripture Reading:
1 Corinthians 1:10-18

What I mean is that each of you says, ‘I belong to Paul’, or ‘I belong to Apollos’, or ‘I belong to Cephas’, or ‘I belong to Christ.’ Has Christ been divided? Was Paul crucified for you? Or were you baptized in the name of Paul? I thank God that I baptized none of you except Crispus and Gaius, so that no one can say that you were baptized in my name. (I did baptize also the household of Stephanas; beyond that, I do not know whether I baptized anyone else.) For Christ did not send me to baptize but to proclaim the gospel, and not with eloquent wisdom, so that the cross of Christ might not be emptied of its power.

For the message about the cross is foolishness to those who are perishing, but to us who are being saved it is the power of God. –I Corinthians 1:12-18.

I think I would be a Jesus follower without faith. My sense of His way of being is very close to my philosophies of living. Granted, my philosophies were shaped by indoctrination in the stories of his life from my birth. I still think if I stumbled onto him as an adult, his ways would be appealing to me. I notice when I am searching for the illustrations I use with these devotions; I am often drawn to pictures that contain quotes of Mother Teresa or someone named Rumi. I finally looked him up and found that he was a 13th-century Persian poet and Islamic scholar of whom I had never heard. Dietrich Bonhoeffer is another person with who I wished I could have shared a chat and a cup of coffee.

When Paul writes about the cross is foolishness, he is inviting us to take that faith step from fan to disciple, from working to be a good person who practices mercy and justice to giving our lives to help others find the joy and love of God through Jesus Christ. The positive influence of others enhances our lives. The power of God shared through the birth, life, death, and resurrection of Jesus Christ saves our lives for a higher calling.

Prayer: Lord, lift me up, and let me stand
By faith on Canaan’s tableland;
A higher plane than I have found,
  Lord, plant my feet on higher ground*. Amen.

*Chorus of I’m pressing on the upward way by Johnson Oatman Jr.  See at https://www.hymnal.net/en/hymn/h/396

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.

Discord

Epiphany

January 23, 2020

Scripture Reading:
1 Corinthians 1:10-18

Now I appeal to you, brothers and sisters, by the name of our Lord Jesus Christ, that all of you should be in agreement and that there should be no divisions among you, but that you should be united in the same mind and the same purpose. For it has been reported to me by Chloe’s people that there are quarrels among you, my brothers and sisters. –1 Corinthians 1:10-11

My experience is that most of the quarrels that happen in the church are not dealing with the real problem. They are signs that people are not on the same page that there is not a clear shared purpose. The use of the phrase “Chloe’s people” is a sign that the church in Corinth was dealing with a power play. I do not know if “Chloe’s people” were involved in the power play or the innocent people caught in the middle who are often the loser in such situations.

I remember as a child the fight that occurred in my small rural church when a disagreement broke out regarding whether it was appropriate to have upholstered chairs at the communion table rather than wood only chairs. It was considered a grave theological issue by the wood group who thought we should be more austere. We lost one family from that brouhaha. The deeper issue was probably what of cultural changes are benign and what are not in sync with the teachings of Jesus Christ. That same type dispute split my denomination at the turn of the twentieth century over whether organs could be played in churches.

The phrase in the above scripture that you should be united in the same mind and the same purpose is critical to the furtherance of our work as the body of Christ active in the world today. When disasters occur, people work together doing whatever needs to be done because lives depend on them. The Body of Christ depends on our working together as we identify and work through those issues on which we differ.

Every kingdom divided against itself is laid waste, and no city or house divided against itself will stand. Matthew 12:25                                       

Prayer: Lord, the world is particularly challenging right now and we do not know how do deal with things outside our control. Forgive us when we turn our frustrations on ourselves and each other. Help us see the opportunities you place before us to be a light to a world in chaos. 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.

The Light of Faith

Epiphany

January 22, 2020

Scripture Reading: Psalm 27:1, 4-9
The Lord is my light and my salvation;
   whom shall I fear?
The Lord is the stronghold of my life;
   of whom shall I be afraid?

One thing I asked of the Lord,
   that will I seek after:
to live in the house of the Lord
   all the days of my life,to behold the beauty of the Lord,
   and to inquire in his temple. –Psalm 27:1, 4

In our world today it is odd to consider the lack of light. I turn my reading lamp off in my living room and click off another lamp each evening before I go to bed and still all around me light is present. Streetlights stream through openings in my curtains. Little electronic lights are everywhere even on my thermostat. Clocks in my kitchen on my microwave, stove, and coffee pot shine forth with the time, although they all usually show different times. One evening recently I was working on my laptop with the news playing on the TV when suddenly I heard my breaker box click and I found myself in utter darkness. There was not even any moonlight that night.  My phone was also dark but I new it was close by and runs on batteries. I felt round for it, push the right area, and already there appeared a news bulletin saying a driver had hit a main light pole knocking out our light for several blocks around.

I grew up on a farm and am thus well acquainted with utter darkness. We did eventually get a yard light. I do not recall the lack of light being scary as a child, while it did limit what I could do. We had flashlights handy if we needed to go check on something outside. I cannot image functioning in total blindness. It requires a wholly different way of perceiving the world for those who are blind if they are to succeed and thrive in our world.

We, too as children of God are called to perceive the world differently from God’s eyes through God’s light and react to the world within the lessons of that light. Living in such a new light requires a lot of trust and a lot of faith. Paul says regarding the Kingdom of God in 1 Corinthians 13:12 For now we see in a mirror, dimly, but then we will see face to face. Now I know only in part; then I will know fully, even as I have been fully known. At Jesus’ resurrection we began the journey of actualizing the Kingdom of God as Christ’s partners. To even remotely answer that calling we must trust in God and have faith in God’s guiding light.

Prayer: Lord, let your light be our beacon of faith, hope, and love sharing in the world today. 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.