Monthly Archives: November 2020

God’s Double Gift of Grace

Advent

November 30, 2020

Scripture Reading:
Isaiah 40:1-11

Comfort, O comfort my people,
   says your God.
Speak tenderly to Jerusalem,
   and cry to her
that she has served her term,
   that her penalty is paid,
that she has received from the Lord’s hand
   double for all her sins.

A voice cries out:
‘In the wilderness prepare the way of the Lord,
   make straight in the desert a highway for our God.
Every valley shall be lifted up,
   and every mountain and hill be made low;
the uneven ground shall become level,
   and the rough places a plain.
Then the glory of the Lord shall be revealed,
   and all people shall see it together,
   for the mouth of the Lord has spoken.’ –Isaiah 40:1-5

I started my day scanning my emails. Several were contribution solicitations from charities, and some included the statement that for every dollar I donate matching funds would be provided. One would have been three times my gift. Later when I read the familiar scripture provided above and I saw in a new light the phrase that the Lord had paid double to cleanse Jerusalem of all its sins. I must confess I am a little cynical of groups trying to entice me to donate because the funds would be matched. Wouldn’t some entity that generous give the money anyway? And then I realize that is the point. Our forgiveness of sin as individuals and as a nation are undeserved gifts of grace with the Lord doing all the Lord can do to free us from trekking down the wrong paths.

That introductory phrase is followed by a voice crying out that we can help in the Lord’s work by clearing out everything that is proving to be a stumbling block to our full participation in the work God calls us to do. God’s forgiveness is grace and our understanding the gift of grace provides us with the motivation to do our part in spreading the love of God throughout our community, our nation, our world. In times like these, we need to answer that call with no reservations and with all the energy we can muster.

Prayer: Lord, thank you for your loving gift of grace. Let it lift us to clear paths for justice and righteousness to flourish. 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.

Being the Body of Christ

Advent

November 29, 2020

Scripture Reading: Mark 13:24-37

‘But about that day or hour no one knows, neither the angels in heaven, nor the Son, but only the Father. Beware, keep alert; for you do not know when the time will come. It is like a man going on a journey, when he leaves home and puts his slaves in charge, each with his work, and commands the doorkeeper to be on the watch. Therefore, keep awake—for you do not know when the master of the house will come, in the evening, or at midnight, or at cockcrow, or at dawn, or else he may find you asleep when he comes suddenly. And what I say to you I say to all: Keep awake.’ –Mark 13:32-37

I read the book Hillbilly Elegy by J. D. Vance shortly after it was published. It is a good book, a challenging read because it delves into how our upbringing shapes us for better or worse. Netflix just released the movie, which I think captured that idea well. My Dad was obsessed with the second coming. He followed the teachings of one of the radio preachers of the 1950s. You know the type. They end their program with a promise that if we follow their teachings, we will be saved and the address where to send your contributions. Dad signed up for the correspondence courses they offered, and I drew the assignment of reading them out loud to my parents. The documents were printed with the words the minister thought were the most important in bold type. My teenage rebellion was never to emphasize what they darkened. That experience made me overly cautious regarding interpreting scripture. It took me years and some quality guidance to read Daniel and Revelation for the wisdom they offered. I feel blessed now to have gleaned from those readings the need to dig deep into the scriptural study and seek an array of understandings.

I share this background with you can decide if that background colors my response to the above scripture. I am a bit of a nut on investing energies in doing my part as the Body of Christ in the world today and let Christ worry about the end of days. I think that is what he is saying here. Followers of Christ are called to be verbs, not nouns.

But be doers of the word, and not merely hearers who deceive themselves. For if any are hearers of the word and not doers, they are like those who look at themselves in a mirror; for they look at themselves and, on going away, immediately forget what they were like. But those who look into the perfect law, the law of liberty, and persevere, being not hearers who forget but doers who act—they will be blessed in their doing. — James 1:22-25

Prayer: Lord, forgive us when we describe ourselves as Christian and think we have completed our work here on earth. Make us doers of the Word following the example of Jesus. 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 is Faithful

Advent

November 28, 2020

Scripture Reading:
1 Corinthians 1:3-9
Grace to you and peace from God our Father and the Lord Jesus Christ.

I give thanks to my God always for you because of the grace of God that has been given you in Christ Jesus, for in every way you have been enriched in him, in speech and knowledge of every kind— just as the testimony of Christ has been strengthened among you— so that you are not lacking in any spiritual gift as you wait for the revealing of our Lord Jesus Christ. He will also strengthen you to the end, so that you may be blameless on the day of our Lord Jesus Christ. God is faithful; by him you were called into the fellowship of his Son, Jesus Christ our Lord.

God is faithful. In our world today, we have few, if any other, absolutes to grasp. Our federal government is in shambles, divided so deep we see no means of rising above the discord. Self-righteousness has replaced justice. Once our Supreme Court decided that corporations had all the rights of a person, the door was opened for money being poured into campaigns enticing voters to select options that were against their best interest. The rich got richer. The number of persons classified as poor grew greater

Corinth, too, had its fair share of discord and division when Paul first wrote to them. Yet, he opened the letter with the salutation that they were already equipped to deal with the array of problems they faced because God is faithful. God sent our Lord Jesus Christ to strengthen us and guide us in reshaping the world in the ways of God, the faithful one. Nowhere does Paul suggest that such a mission would be easy. He simply says we are graced with what it takes to make it happen.

One of our first challenges is bringing the Body of Christ together to find common ground. The early church was very divided on many things. The one thing they agreed on was helping the poor. We might start there, too.

Prayer: Faithful God, weave us together as we strive to be the Body of Christ in our 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.

Seeking Restoration

Advent

November 27, 2020

Scripture Reading:
Psalm 80:1-7, 17-19
Restore us, O God;
   let your face shine, that we may be saved.

O Lord God of hosts,
   how long will you be angry with your people’s prayers?
You have fed them with the bread of tears,
   and given them tears to drink in full measure.
You make us the scorn of our neighbors;
   our enemies laugh among themselves.

Restore us, O God of hosts;
   let your face shine, that we may be saved.

But let your hand be upon the one at your right hand,
   the one whom you made strong for yourself.
Then we will never turn back from you;
   give us life, and we will call on your name.

Restore us, O Lord God of hosts;
   let your face shine, that we may be saved. —Psalm 80:3-7, 17-19

When I read through this scripture. I was refreshed. We have had a bad year. Racial injustice boiled over. A contentious and divisive political campaign was overshadowed by the worst pandemic we have faced in our lifetimes. Truth gave way to conspiracy; safety gave way to self-righteousness. Our souls do need to be healed. Our oneness and justice need to be reestablished.

Before we pray for restoration, we need to identify what we desire to regenerate. How much of our tribulation was brought on by our own acts of omission or commission? Will we go back to ignoring the plight of the poor and oppressed in our land/our world? Do we want to go back to avoiding our responsibilities as citizens in a country designed to be run by the people? Is striving for wealth and power more important than loving one another?

The out of control roaring twenties led to the Great Depression. The tax cuts of 1982 brought on recession. Oklahoma’s failure to participate in Medicaid Expansion for ten years resulted in the loss of hospitals in rural areas, reducing accessible, affordable health care. We are like the Israelites described in the book of Amos before being taken into exile.

We must reassess who we are and who we want to be. We do not need to be restored to the high times before the flood. We need to be restored to being created in God’s image and build a world community that recognizes that image in all people as the driving force in our way of being.

Prayer: Help us, O Lord, to discern what we must be in your acts of restoration. 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.

Gratitude

Living in the Spirit

November 26, 2020

Scripture Reading:
Luke 17:11-19
On the way to Jerusalem Jesus was going through the region between Samaria and Galilee. As he entered a village, ten lepers approached him. Keeping their distance, they called out, saying, ‘Jesus, Master, have mercy on us!’ When he saw them, he said to them, ‘Go and show yourselves to the priests.’ And as they went, they were made clean. Then one of them, when he saw that he was healed, turned back, praising God with a loud voice. He prostrated himself at Jesus’ feet and thanked him. And he was a Samaritan. Then Jesus asked, ‘Were not ten made clean? But the other nine, where are they? Was none of them found to return and give praise to God except this foreigner?’ Then he said to him, ‘Get up and go on your way; your faith has made you well.’

How much do we take God for granted? The fact that we can take God for granted does not mean we should. God’s love and grace are gifts without strings attached. How does that make us feel? How does that impact our way of being? How does the knowledge of God’s love and grace give us the strength to reach for our full potential? How does it enable our ability to love one another? How does expressing our gratefulness for God’s love and grace bring us closer to God? How does our expressing gratefulness bring others closer to God?

Jesus modeled giving thanks:

At that time Jesus said, ‘I thank you, Father, Lord of heaven and earth, because you have hidden these things from the wise and the intelligent and have revealed them to infants; Matthew 11:25

So they took away the stone. And Jesus looked upwards and said, ‘Father, I thank you for having heard me. John 11:41 (Raising of Lazarus)

Then he took a cup, and after giving thanks he gave it to them, saying, ‘Drink from it, all of you; Matthew 26:27 (Last Supper)

We should also model gratefulness.

Come, ye thankful people, come,
raise the song of harvest home;
all is safely gathered in,
ere the winter storms begin.
God our Maker doth provide
for our wants to be supplied;
come to God’s own temple, come,
raise the song of harvest home.*

Prayer: Thank you God for your everlasting love and gift of grace. Amen.

First verse of Come, ye thankful people, come by Henry Alford see at https://hymnary.org/text/come_ye_thankful_people_come

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.

Saying Thanks

Living in the Spirit

November 25, 2020

Scripture Reading:
2 Corinthians 9:6-15
The point is this: the one who sows sparingly will also reap sparingly, and the one who sows bountifully will also reap bountifully. Each of you must give as you have made up your mind, not reluctantly or under compulsion, for God loves a cheerful giver. And God is able to provide you with every blessing in abundance, so that by always having enough of everything, you may share abundantly in every good work. As it is written,
‘He scatters abroad, he gives to the poor;
   his righteousness endures for ever.’
He who supplies seed to the sower and bread for food will supply and multiply your seed for sowing and increase the harvest of your righteousness. You will be enriched in every way for your great generosity, which will produce thanksgiving to God through us; for the rendering of this ministry not only supplies the needs of the saints but also overflows with many thanksgivings to God. Through the testing of this ministry you glorify God by your obedience to the confession of the gospel of Christ and by the generosity of your sharing with them and with all others, while they long for you and pray for you because of the surpassing grace of God that he has given you. Thanks be to God for his indescribable gift!

I drove home from a grandnieces wedding yesterday evening across the Oklahoma prairie in the pitch black of night. It was a beautiful wedding, wonderful service watching a young couple take their vows before God. I was thinking I am getting too old to be driving around in the dark, when my car gently lurched toward my lane of traffic. I was the only traffic in sight, and it was so dark and drizzle was falling I could not see the lines in the road. My car has one of those gismos that corrects my lane placement if I accidently drifts across the paint stripes marking the lanes. It reminded me that I was not without guidance. God always travels with us and helps us adjust to the world whether we are driving across the Great Plains or in the middle of a busy city.

I love the following song. Hope it will bless you as it blesses me during this season of Thanksgiving.

Prayer:
How can I say thanks
For the things You have done for me?
Things so undeserved
Yet You gave to prove Your love for me;
The voices of a million angels
Could not express my gratitude
All that I am and ever hope to be
I owe it all to Thee

Chorus:
To God be the glory
To God be the glory
To God be the glory
For the things He has done

With His blood He has saved me
With His power He has raised me;
To God be the glory
For the things He has done

Just let me live my life
Let it pleasing, Lord to Thee
And if I gain any praise
Let it go to Calvary.

*My Tribute by Andraé Crouch see at https://genius.com/Andrae-crouch-my-tribute-lyrics

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.

Thank You, Lord

Living in the Spirit

November 24, 2020

Scripture Reading:
Psalm 65
Praise is due to you,
   O God, in Zion;
and to you shall vows be performed,
  O you who answer prayer!
To you all flesh shall come.
 When deeds of iniquity overwhelm us,
   you forgive our transgressions.
Happy are those whom you choose and bring near
   to live in your courts.
We shall be satisfied with the goodness of your house,
   your holy temple.

You visit the earth and water it,
   you greatly enrich it;
the river of God is full of water;
   you provide the people with grain,
   for so you have prepared it.
You water its furrows abundantly,
   settling its ridges,
softening it with showers,
   and blessing its growth.
You crown the year with your bounty;
   your wagon tracks overflow with richness.
The pastures of the wilderness overflow,
  the hills gird themselves with joy,
  the meadows clothe themselves with flocks,
  the valleys deck themselves with grain,
  they shout and sing together for joy.—Psalm 65:1-4, 9-13

For what are we thankful?

  • God who is faithful and forgiving even when we are not until our deeds of iniquity overwhelm us and we confess our sins
  • God who welcomes us into his presence
  • God who provides water in a dry and arid land
  • God who understands are needs and supplies us with enough
  • God who loves the sound of God’s children singing together for joy

How must we then respond to a generous and gracious God?

  • Learn from our mistakes as we strive for wholeness
  • Turn around from the temptations of the world and bask in God’s abiding presence
  • Care for God’s earth as if our lives depend on it
  • Share the bounty of Gods earth so that all God’s children have enough
  • Make a joyful noise to the Lord, serve the Lord with gladness, come into God’s presence with singing*

Prayer: Thank you, Lord, for saving our souls. Thank you, Lord, for making us whole*. Amen.

*From Psalm 100
**From Thank You Lord For Saving My Soul, lyrics and music by Seth and Bessie Sykes

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.

I Will Serve the Lord

Living in the Spirit

November 23, 2020

Scripture Reading: Deuteronomy 8:7-18
For the Lord your God is bringing you into a good land, a land with flowing streams, with springs and underground waters welling up in valleys and hills, a land of wheat and barley, of vines and fig trees and pomegranates, a land of olive trees and honey, a land where you may eat bread without scarcity, where you will lack nothing, a land whose stones are iron and from whose hills you may mine copper. You shall eat your fill and bless the Lord your God for the good land that he has given you.

Take care that you do not forget the Lord your God, by failing to keep his commandments, his ordinances, and his statutes, which I am commanding you today. When you have eaten your fill and have built fine houses and live in them, and when your herds and flocks have multiplied, and your silver and gold is multiplied, and all that you have is multiplied, then do not exalt yourself, forgetting the Lord your God, who brought you out of the land of Egypt, out of the house of slavery, who led you through the great and terrible wilderness, an arid waste-land with poisonous snakes and scorpions. He made water flow for you from flint rock, and fed you in the wilderness with manna that your ancestors did not know, to humble you and to test you, and in the end to do you good. Do not say to yourself, ‘My power and the might of my own hand have gained me this wealth.’ But remember the Lord your God, for it is he who gives you power to get wealth, so that he may confirm his covenant that he swore to your ancestors, as he is doing today.

This is a scripture for this time, this nation, our people. The first paragraph tells us that God brought us into a good land with everything we need. The next paragraph warns us not to mess it up. Do not morph from a people that welcomed God’s abundance to taking credit for everything God does. We must not define ourselves by our nation’s worldview Pull yourself up from your own bootstraps. Be a self-made man. She needed a hero, so that is what she became. I can do anything I want to do whether it hurts others or not.

Self-reliance, being all that one can be, and overcoming obstacles were instilled in us through the creative acts of God. God surrounds us with guidance through scripture, the example of Jesus Christ, and the gifts of the Spirit. We separate ourselves from God when we say, ‘My power and the might of my own hand have gained me this wealth.’ Such an attitude is rampant in the USA today. A review of the ancient Hebrew prophets’ writings verify that such an attitude was prevalent among the people of Israel leading up to their exile.

The Israelites and God’s people in the USA might want to thumb back a little earlier in their faith history to Joshua’s saying, Now if you are unwilling to serve the Lord, choose this day whom you will serve, whether the gods your ancestors served in the region beyond the River or the gods of the Amorites in whose land you are living; but as for me and my household, we will serve the Lord.’ –Joshua 24:15

Prayer: Creator God forgive us for separating ourselves from your guidance and love. Accept us back into your service of love. Amen.

Judge Jesus

Living in the Spirit

November 22, 2020

Scripture Reading:
Matthew 25:31-46
‘When the Son of Man comes in his glory, and all the angels with him, then he will sit on the throne of his glory. All the nations will be gathered before him, and he will separate people one from another as a shepherd separates the sheep from the goats, and he will put the sheep at his right hand and the goats at the left. Then the king will say to those at his right hand, “Come, you that are blessed by my Father, inherit the kingdom prepared for you from the foundation of the world; for I was hungry and you gave me food, I was thirsty and you gave me something to drink, I was a stranger and you welcomed me, I was naked and you gave me clothing, I was sick and you took care of me, I was in prison and you visited me.” Then the righteous will answer him, “Lord, when was it that we saw you hungry and gave you food, or thirsty and gave you something to drink? And when was it that we saw you a stranger and welcomed you, or naked and gave you clothing? And when was it that we saw you sick or in prison and visited you?” And the king will answer them, “Truly I tell you, just as you did it to one of the least of these who are members of my family, you did it to me.” Then he will say to those at his left hand, “You that are accursed, depart from me into the eternal fire prepared for the devil and his angels; for I was hungry and you gave me no food, I was thirsty and you gave me nothing to drink, I was a stranger and you did not welcome me, naked and you did not give me clothing, sick and in prison and you did not visit me.” Then they also will answer, “Lord, when was it that we saw you hungry or thirsty or a stranger or naked or sick or in prison, and did not take care of you?” Then he will answer them, “Truly I tell you, just as you did not do it to one of the least of these, you did not do it to me.” And these will go away into eternal punishment, but the righteous into eternal life.’

I had an AHA! moment some years ago when I finally realized that God appointed Jesus to be my judge and everyone else’s judge, too. He even took the time to tell us ahead what his judgment criteria would be:

  1. Feed the hungry
  2. Provide water for the thirsty,
  3. Welcome the stranger
  4. Clothe the naked
  5. Care for the sick
  6. Restore the prisoner

The first thing that seems to be missing here is failure to obey laws. While there are laws in the Hebrew Bible that address each of these to one degree or another, Jesus is making the point that we will be judged on our active behavior regarding others, not on how we obey laws or even on how many times we worship or pray or study the Bible. Indeed, all these activities are necessary to support the work that we are called to do but they are not the work. There is also no hint of comparing any of us to anyone else. God knows our hearts and the potential that was instilled in each of us at our creation. We will be judged on how well we fulfilled that potential in loving one another.

Prayer: Lord, help us to honor you by following your example as you loved others. 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 is Foundational

Living in the Spirit

November 21, 2020

Scripture Reading:
Ephesians 1:15-23
I have heard of your faith in the Lord Jesus and your love towards all the saints, and for this reason I do not cease to give thanks for you as I remember you in my prayers. I pray that the God of our Lord Jesus Christ, the Father of glory, may give you a spirit of wisdom and revelation as you come to know him, so that, with the eyes of your heart enlightened, you may know what is the hope to which he has called you, what are the riches of his glorious inheritance among the saints, and what is the immeasurable greatness of his power for us who believe, according to the working of his great power. God put this power to work in Christ when he raised him from the dead and seated him at his right hand in the heavenly places, far above all rule and authority and power and dominion, and above every name that is named, not only in this age but also in the age to come. And he has put all things under his feet and has made him the head over all things for the church, which is his body, the fullness of him who fills all in all.

We are called to understand the priority we chose for our lives when we elected to follow God.

There is one body and one Spirit, just as you were called to the one hope of your calling, one Lord, one faith, one baptism, one God and Father of all, who is above all and through all and in all. –Ephesians 4:4-6

When I was in college, I heard to story of the prayer the president of one of the men’s social clubs gave as grace over a banquet. His prayer was Yea! [his club’s name], Yea! [The school’s name], Yea! God let’s eat. I wonder at the time if God being mentioned last meant God was more important or the least important. I never got the chance to ask him. He went on to become a wonderful pastor and leader in faith.

Recently, I learned that most of us have the meaning of totem poles all wrong when we say someone is low man on the totem pole*. The base of the pole is the most important figure. These poles are not religious in nature often they record family history.

Combining these two stories to illustrate what Ephesians is trying to tell us, we see God is our strength which behooves us to accept God as foundational. The Lord is the alpha and omega, the beginning, and the end, yet God grants us the freedom to align with God or not. Choosing wisely results in a lifetime commitment to recognizing God who is love as our highest priority, which shapes everything else.

Prayer: Lord, in this time of pandemic help us reconsider our priorities and make the adjustments needed to follow your priorities more closely. Amen.

*https://www.aaanativearts.com/general-facts-about-totem-poles

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.