Eastertide
May 28, 2020
Bless those who persecute you; bless and do not curse them. Rejoice with those who rejoice, weep with those who weep. Live in harmony with one another; do not be haughty, but associate with the lowly; do not claim to be wiser than you are.
I usually do not pay attention to those section headings in my Bible. The one for today’s scripture above, however, caught my eye, and I thought it was spot-on: Marks of the True Christian. I also today forwarded a Facebook message that listed one by one many of the problems and issues with which we are dealing right now. Each one was followed by the same solution: Love Your Neighbor.
Of course, loving our neighbors gets all caught up in how we feel about ourselves, the environment in which we were raised, and the propaganda we must separate from the truth. The one thing I might add is we must let God’s Love flow through us before we can transmit it to our neighbors.
I eat healthy food, but one can overdo eating even healthy food. I held out reasonably well through the first few weeks of sheltering at home, eating within my limits. I found a couple of weeks ago that I was grabbing a few almonds in between meals, and I realized I was developing a bad habit. My go-to scripture for reconnecting with God is Psalm 63:1-8. I cannot tell you how many times I have recited it in my head, but a few days ago, the phrase, My soul is satisfied as with a rich feast, jumped out to me. My soul was hungry, not my body. So, now when I get the urge for some extra almonds, I recite that phrase and move on to more productive activities.
How often is our inability to love our neighbors driven by the unfulfilled hungering of our souls for God’s Love? God has not moved, nor does God ever stop loving us. We, however, are totally capable of turning to lesser gods to feed our basic needs, particularly when we are caught in stressful situations beyond our control. All we need to do is turn away from those temptations and turn toward our Creator God who is Love.
Over governments at all levels face significant challenges in dealing with the multiple evils that are befalling us. People of faith, including the whole Body of Christ, have an even greater mission to model and share the Love of God to all people so that as one with God, we can live without fear loving one another because Christ has indeed overcome the world. (See John 16:33)
Prayer:
Fill my cup, Lord;
I lift it up Lord;
Come and quench this thirsting of my soul.
Bread of Heaven, feed me till I want no more.
Fill my cup, fill it up and make me whole*. Amen
Chorus from Fill My Cup, Lord by Richard Blanchard see at https://www.hymnal.net/en/hymn/ns/340
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.