Living in the Spirit

November 10, 2020

Scripture Reading: Zephaniah 1:7, 12-18
Be silent before the Lord God!
For the day of the Lord is at hand’
The Lord has prepared a sacrifice,
he has consecrated his guest.

-I will bring distress upon people.
That they shall walk like the blind;
Because they have sinned against the Lord,
their blood shall be poured out like dust
And their flesh like dung.
Neither their silver nor their gold
Will be able to save them
On the day of the Lord’s wrath;
In the fire of his passion
The whole earth shall be consumed;
For a full , a terrible end
He will make of all the inhabitants of the earth.

My intellectual self does not deal well with scriptures like the one above that describes God quite differently than my God who is love. My spiritual self can identify with getting fed up with complacency in the face of issues that desperately need to be addressed whether in personal lives or in society. Several years ago, a loved one was heavily involved in activities that were clearly missing the mark in my judgment. I prayed that God would forgive that person’s sins. I was immediately struck by a strong message that it was not my place to ask for forgiveness for this other or any other. Ever since that event, I take very seriously Jesus’ statement that he is the judge not me or anyone else. The social worker in me, however, does not ever want to give up on anyone and I think we can speak truth to life situations when needed without passing judgment as we walk with others through challenging times.

Problems arise when the actions of some are detrimental to others in society. Here we face the call to do justice, which inevitably involves dealing with individuals or groups oppressing other individuals or groups. I note that all the references in the scripture above are descriptive of society, people together with caring or not caring for one another. Is that indicative of forces of evil working to divide and conquer the children of God?  How do we turn around from evil’s interference and reclaim the wholeness that comes from the love of God? I think it starts with each of us turning to God and seeking insight into whether or how much we have been caught in such a web of evil and turning away from it. We then must reclaim our roles as members of the Body of Christ charged with bringing the whole world into the fold of God’s loving care.

Prayer: God of Love and Mercy, forgive me from any form of behavior that is detrimental to the development of your vision of our world. Open my eyes to see where I am a part of problems we face whether by my complacency or my overt actions. Show me the better road to follow.  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.