Monthly Archives: November 2020

Wisdom and Revelation

Living in the Spirit

November 20, 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.

This is such a powerful scripture for times such as these. In some sense, I think we are living at a demarcation from one span of faith development to another not unlike the reformation. How we deal with it matters. While we complain about the principalities and powers here in the USA, we have been afforded a strong reminder during 2020 that if we believe in democracy, we ultimately own the role of being the principalities and powers. When we do not do our part, we allow the lesser gods of the world, like greed and lust for power, to rule. We, too, must pray for a spirit of wisdom and revelation. We, too, need to have the eyes of our hearts enlightened. We, too, need to remember who we serve and who called us to be the Body of Christ in the world and how powerful Christ is. When we align with his leadership, we can overcome the world.

First, we must seek self-revelation. How much of our being is shaped not by Christ but by those same lesser gods? I watched a PBS special about the making of the musical Fiddler on the Roof recently and was reminded of the temptations we all face described in the song, If I Were a Rich Man. We have all experienced it as we dream what we would do if we won a huge lottery pay out.

Second, we must rediscover Jesus Christ and his teachings. Coming to the end of a very challenging year with hope on the horizon of a vaccine that will address the pandemic, is a great time while we are still sheltering at home to immerse ourselves again this winter in the sermon on the mount, Jesus’ parables, and how he dealt with people. While we study, we should pray for wisdom and revelation.

Prayer: God of Mercy and Justice, enlighten our hearts and our minds as we prepare to face our changing times. 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.

Presence of God

Living in the Spirit

beach, wave and footsteps at sunset time

November 19, 2020

Scripture Reading: Psalm 95:1-7a
O come, let us sing to the Lord;
   let us make a joyful noise to the rock of our salvation!
Let us come into his presence with thanksgiving;
   let us make a joyful noise to him with songs of praise!
For the Lord is a great God,
   and a great King above all gods.
In his hand are the depths of the earth;
   the heights of the mountains are his also.
The sea is his, for he made it,
   and the dry land, which his hands have formed.

O come, let us worship and bow down,
   let us kneel before the Lord, our Maker!
For he is our God,
   and we are the people of his pasture,
   and the sheep of his hand.

Reading this scripture made me wonder where is God in my life right now? I have been in survival mode for two weeks since a major ice storm struck. I was left with no electricity for 11 days and still no internet. Forced out of my comfort zones of normality, I probably functioned like the person in the story of the footprints in the sand*. You remember the story. A person noted that she was walking with God where two sets of footprints were apparent then suddenly there was only one set.  She asked God something to the effect, “Where were you when I needed you?” God’s simply responded, “I was carrying you”.

The scripture above implores us to Come into God’s presence. Is not that a call to recognize God’s presence? Two years ago, on a cold, wet day with rain turning into sleet, I finalized the purchase of a new car. It was not going to be ready that evening. Having traded in my car the dealer would not allow me to drive it home. I was graciously provided a nice loaner and after a few quick instructions. I headed home in rush hour traffic just as the ice and sleet hit. I prayed every inch of the way. How hard did I need to press the brake? How did I turn on the windshield wiper? Careful, that car ahead just skidded of the road. After eight treacherous miles, I pulled under my carport, put the car in park, laid my head on the steering wheel and praised God for God’s presence.

A dangerous thirty-minute drive is one thing, living with a pandemic for several months and with several more months to come is another.  Perseverance and intestinal fortitude will be required to make it through this crisis particularly when it is exacerbated by other calamity and a major change in our national leadership. Recognizing the constant presence of God is imperative. This is a time to seek God’s guidance in working toward good outcomes and perhaps even better ways of being the Body of Christ in the world today.

Prayer: Thank you Lord for your abiding presence. Amen.

*See https://www.scrapbook.com/poems/doc/38987.html

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 in God’s Love

Living in the Spirit

November 18, 2020

Scripture Reading: Psalm 100

Make a joyful noise to the Lord, all the earth.
   Worship the Lord with gladness;
   come into his presence with singing.

Know that the Lord is God.
   It is he that made us, and we are his;
   we are his people, and the sheep of his pasture.

Enter his gates with thanksgiving,
   and his courts with praise.
   Give thanks to him, bless his name.

For the Lord is good;
   his steadfast love endures forever,
   and his faithfulness to all generations.

The paradox of God is that if we choose to follow God, basking in God’s love and being conduits of that love to others, our lives will be full of joy and music and Shalom—peace, harmony, wholeness, and wellbeing. Why do we not want that? Why do we choose to live in discord?

The forces of evil routinely do everything possible to counter God’s righteousness and justice with the self-righteousness of the world.  I ended my book Houses Divided with the observation that, if our goal is to live in eternity in God’s kingdom, we had better start loving all God’s children because that is exactly who we will be spending time with in eternity.

I love the story of someone arriving in heaven being led down a hallway. He peeks into a room and sees rows of people sitting across from each other with food on plates before them but with spoons too long to allow them to feed themselves. They were starving. In the next room with the same setup, the people on one side of the table are reaching across to feed the person across the table with those too-long spoons*.

Prayer: Lord, free us from the bondage of the world we worship, lead us to the freedom of your love. Amen.

*Allegory of the too long spoons. See more at https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Allegory_of_the_long_spoons#:~:text=The%20allegory%20of%20the%20long,to%20eat%20with%20long%20spoons.&text=In%20hell%2C%20the%20people%20cannot,the%20table%20and%20are%20sated.

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.

Loving our Enemies Making them Friends

Living in the Spirit

November 17, 2020

Scripture Reading: Ezekiel 34:11-16, 20-24

Therefore, thus says the Lord God to them: I myself will judge between the fat sheep and the lean sheep. Because you pushed with flank and shoulder, and butted at all the weak animals with your horns until you scattered them far and wide, I will save my flock, and they shall no longer be ravaged; and I will judge between sheep and sheep.

I will set up over them one shepherd, my servant David, and he shall feed them: he shall feed them and be their shepherd. And I, the Lord, will be their God, and my servant David shall be prince among them; I, the Lord, have spoken. –Ezekiel 34:20-24

As the Body of Christ in the world today, how do we deal with bullies? First, let us get this out of the way. I think Jesus meant it when he said that he was God’s appointed judge. I also think Jesus meant it when he said we are to love our enemies and our neighbors. And Ezekiel is right in warning those taking advantage of others that they will ultimately be judged for those actions.

What I see in our world today are a lot of scared people whose way of life is slipping away from them and they do not know how to stop it. When I have discussed this status with some of these people, they cannot necessarily name the perpetrators.  So, they fall in line with names that really mean nothing to them—socialist, liberals. One of our senators ran an ad that proclaimed socialists and liberals were not Oklahomans. He won. And scared people line up with the principalities and powers because they appear to have found the key to the kingdom. The powerbrokers cast blame on others like people of color and the LGBTQ population as being at fault for the scared people’s dilemma.

I do think we must start by recognizing that all people were made in the image of God and, thus, all people are equal. I worked at a large teaching hospital in the 1970s that was under major renovations. The former parking lot became the ground for a new building. Land purchased a few blocks away was converted into parking space for staff. Prime parking places were reserved next to the hospital for top administrators and all doctors including interns and residents who were mostly young healthy men.   Most of the very essential cleaning staff were women and men over the age of 50 who spent their days on their feet pushing brooms and mops, bending and stretching to sanitize every nook and cranny of rooms and surgical theaters. Several of us raised the issue with the administration. I remember saying that it does not matter how talented a surgeon is if that surgical room is not sanitized properly. The hospital finally provided a bus to transport staff from the distant parking lot. Most people in our nation today are as essential as those cleaning staff who work hard every day and have a right to be respected for the contribution they make to the wellbeing of our society.

Prayer: Lord, help us to see the importance of all your children in our work to make a better world. 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.

Restore our Souls

Living in the Spirit

November 16, 2020

Scripture Reading:
Ezekiel 34:11-16, 20-24

For thus says the Lord God: I myself will search for my sheep, and will seek them out. As shepherds seek out their flocks when they are among their scattered sheep, so I will seek out my sheep. I will rescue them from all the places to which they have been scattered on a day of clouds and thick darkness. I will bring them out from the peoples and gather them from the countries, and will bring them into their own land; and I will feed them on the mountains of Israel, by the watercourses, and in all the inhabited parts of the land. I will feed them with good pasture, and the mountain heights of Israel shall be their pasture; there they shall lie down in good grazing land, and they shall feed on rich pasture on the mountains of Israel. I myself will be the shepherd of my sheep, and I will make them lie down, says the Lord God. I will seek the lost, and I will bring back the strayed, and I will bind up the injured, and I will strengthen the weak, but the fat and the strong I will destroy. I will feed them with justice. –Ezekiel 34:11-16

Do you think Jesus studied and followed Ezekiel’s wisdom? A reading of Matthew 25 suggests that. Ezekiel wrote from the experience of going into and living in exile, a very dark time in Israel’s history. I am not suggesting that we are experiencing that same depth of loss but life sure feels challenging these days with COVID-19 running amok and extreme division in our nation, cause a sense of a very lost people who are turning and turning away from and toward a variety of temptations full of empty solutions. I did not live through the bubonic plague or the great depression, but in my lifetime, I have never seen anything universally resulting in such despair and hopelessness. It is time for the whole Body of Christ to reach out in the love of God and fulfill our mission. We need to put aside all the issues that divide us and come together in the oneness Christ desired for us. Ezekiel sets forth an excellent plan to initiate the work. Ezekiel instructs us to:

  1. Search and seek out one another. We need to talk to each other and more importantly listen to each other. Seek the root cause of the sense of loss that seems so prevalent among people.
  2. Bring light into the lives of all people as we work to rescue from darkness those who have lost hope.
  3. Help those who are lost in despair bring them out of mental exile and return them to wholeness and strength within themselves.
  4. Feed those who need physical nourishment but also spiritual nourishment to restore their souls.
  5. Give all rest to recover from trauma and stress, allowing people to experience God’s peace.
  6. Seek the lost bring back the strayed. The first search and seek in this list includes all of us. This one seeking the lost specifies ones who have strayed from and will not find their way to wholeness without our help.
  7. Bind the injured and strengthen the weak healing of our bodies as well as our souls.
  8. Finally, Ezekiel calls us to feed the unjust with justice.

Prayer: Lord, create in us clean hearts and right spirits as we set forth to be your Body 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.

Serving Others

Living in the Spirit

November 15, 2020

Scripture Reading: Matthew 25:14-30
‘For it is as if a man, going on a journey, summoned his slaves and entrusted his property to them; to one he gave five talents, to another two, to another one, to each according to his ability. Then he went away. The one who had received the five talents went off at once and traded with them, and made five more talents. In the same way, the one who had the two talents made two more talents. But the one who had received the one talent went off and dug a hole in the ground and hid his master’s money. After a long time the master of those slaves came and settled accounts with them. Then the one who had received the five talents came forward, bringing five more talents, saying, “Master, you handed over to me five talents; see, I have made five more talents.” His master said to him, “Well done, good and trustworthy slave; you have been trustworthy in a few things, I will put you in charge of many things; enter into the joy of your master.” And the one with the two talents also came forward, saying, “Master, you handed over to me two talents; see, I have made two more talents.” His master said to him, “Well done, good and trustworthy slave; you have been trustworthy in a few things, I will put you in charge of many things; enter into the joy of your master.” Then the one who had received the one talent also came forward, saying, “Master, I knew that you were a harsh man, reaping where you did not sow, and gathering where you did not scatter seed; so I was afraid, and I went and hid your talent in the ground. Here you have what is yours.” But his master replied, “You wicked and lazy slave! You knew, did you, that I reap where I did not sow, and gather where I did not scatter? Then you ought to have invested my money with the bankers, and on my return I would have received what was my own with interest. So take the talent from him, and give it to the one with the ten talents. For to all those who have, more will be given, and they will have an abundance; but from those who have nothing, even what they have will be taken away. As for this worthless slave, throw him into the outer darkness, where there will be weeping and gnashing of teeth.”

From everyone to whom much has been given, much will be required; and from one to whom much has been entrusted, even more will be demanded. –Luke 12:48b

I saw a story on the news about soldiers who had been in battle returning to the USA feeling the need to use the service skills they had learned in the military in helping others. They started responding to disasters with the same tenacity they enter battle. Now they are formalized as a non-profit, Team Rubicon, Built to Serve. Helping others, helps them heal from the ravages of war.

I think it is interesting that Jesus choose using economics to illustrate service in the Kingdom of God. Perhaps he chose it because he understood that wealth vs having enough is something most humans understand. We are taught from early ages the value of money and what it can and does mean in our society. When money becomes our only object of value we sell our souls to acquire riches. 1 Timothy 6:10 probably describes it best, For the love of money is a root of all kinds of evil, and in their eagerness to be rich some have wandered away from the faith and pierced themselves with many pains.

Jake Wood, one of the founders of Team Rubicon, said in the news interview that his military service has forced him to seek challenges to use his skills and enable the use of the skills of other soldiers whose experience in war had taught them the better way. We can learn from them.

Prayer: Lord, thank you for those who bravely serve our country and return home to continue their service to help and heal others and themselves. 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.

Community-Nation

Living in the Spirit

November 14, 2020

Scripture Reading:
Matthew 25:14-30

‘For it is as if a man, going on a journey, summoned his slaves and entrusted his property to them; to one he gave five talents, to another two, to another one, to each according to his ability. Then he went away. The one who had received the five talents went off at once and traded with them, and made five more talents. In the same way, the one who had the two talents made two more talents. But the one who had received the one talent went off and dug a hole in the ground and hid his master’s money. After a long time the master of those slaves came and settled accounts with them. Then the one who had received the five talents came forward, bringing five more talents, saying, “Master, you handed over to me five talents; see, I have made five more talents.” His master said to him, “Well done, good and trustworthy slave; you have been trustworthy in a few things, I will put you in charge of many things; enter into the joy of your master.” And the one with the two talents also came forward, saying, “Master, you handed over to me two talents; see, I have made two more talents.” His master said to him, “Well done, good and trustworthy slave; you have been trustworthy in a few things, I will put you in charge of many things; enter into the joy of your master.” Then the one who had received the one talent also came forward, saying, “Master, I knew that you were a harsh man, reaping where you did not sow, and gathering where you did not scatter seed; so I was afraid, and I went and hid your talent in the ground. Here you have what is yours.” But his master replied, “You wicked and lazy slave! You knew, did you, that I reap where I did not sow, and gather where I did not scatter? Then you ought to have invested my money with the bankers, and on my return I would have received what was my own with interest. So take the talent from him, and give it to the one with the ten talents. For to all those who have, more will be given, and they will have an abundance; but from those who have nothing, even what they have will be taken away. As for this worthless slave, throw him into the outer darkness, where there will be weeping and gnashing of teeth.”

What happens if that man was Jesus who entrusted his followers to continue the development of God’s Kingdom throughout the earth? What happens if everyone did not do his or her part?  That is the gist of this parable. But what if each person did his or her part in a silo without regard to what the other people are doing? Can you imagine the chaos? Pharmaceutical companies and other entities all over the world are in a mad race to create a vaccine against COVID-19 where sharing information is crucial. If one group discovers that something does or does not work, others can redirect their energies to more productive activities.

God created us as interdependent people. We need people with vision and foresight to push us toward a better world. We need people who are cautious making sure that all the facts and potential consequences are considered. We need dreamers and skilled workers, experience and new ideas, conservatives, moderates, and progressives. And most importantly we need all people to share the vision of a world ruled by wanting the best for all people where everyone has enough. That requires faith groups, not-for-profits, for-profit businesses, and government at all levels to work together in the USA honoring the separation of church and state while finding common ground to provide for the Common Good. We are at the point of a new beginning in our nation. Let us join together working on where we find common ground.

Prayer: Lord, help us find our niche in your plan as individuals and as a community-nation. Enable us to invest fully in doing our part. 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.

Living in the Spirit

November 13, 2020

Scripture Reading:
1 Thessalonians 5:1-11

Now concerning the times and the seasons, brothers and sisters, you do not need to have anything written to you. For you yourselves know very well that the day of the Lord will come like a thief in the night. When they say, ‘There is peace and security’, then sudden destruction will come upon them, as labor pains come upon a pregnant woman, and there will be no escape! But you, beloved, are not in darkness, for that day to surprise you like a thief; for you are all children of light and children of the day; we are not of the night or of darkness. So then, let us not fall asleep as others do, but let us keep awake and be sober; for those who sleep sleep at night, and those who are drunk get drunk at night. But since we belong to the day, let us be sober, and put on the breastplate of faith and love, and for a helmet the hope of salvation. For God has destined us not for wrath but for obtaining salvation through our Lord Jesus Christ, who died for us, so that whether we are awake or asleep we may live with him. Therefore encourage one another and build up each other, as indeed you are doing.

When the sun went down each evening in very cold conditions recently, I spent eight days rolled like a cocooned in various blankets and afghans in total darkness during and after a rare October ice storm. Felled trees ripped the electric lines off my house and even shut down the streetlights. I lost all internet connection, too. I did have a flashlight and an ample supply of ready to eat food. Every few years we have an ice storm in January, but I do not remember any that were this bad. I was not afraid, that surprised me. I still had a cell phone which I had to recharge daily in my car. I was stunned, perhaps a bit in shock. We Oklahomans will remember 2020 for COVID and the election but perhaps, also because of the ice storm of all ice storms in October.

Darkness came for our nation on 911 and I sense that 20 years later we are still recovering from the vulnerability it established in our lives. It is not unlike the vulnerability in our students’ lives as our history of school shootings hangs over their heads.

How do we live as people of the light in times when the world goes dark? First, we must intentionally strive for spiritual wholeness in our relationship with God. It is a lot easier to share unusual experiences with God when God knows us well. Second, we must live in community with other people of the light. I have new neighbors across the street, I had not yet met. The first morning I was sitting in my car recharging my phone, a quiet tap on my window got my attention and a young woman smilingly offered me a protein bar. She brought new light into my life. And in the meantime, between times of darkness, we must reach out to others to share the light of Jesus Christ.

Prayer: Thank you Lord, for the light of your love that brings comfort and blessings to all who find it. 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.

Higher Ground

Living in the Spirit

November 12, 2020

Scripture Reading: Psalm 90:1-12

Lord, you have been our dwelling-place
   in all generations.
Before the mountains were brought forth,
   or ever you had formed the earth and the world,
   from everlasting to everlasting you are God.

For we are consumed by your anger;
   by your wrath we are overwhelmed.
You have set our iniquities before you,
   our secret sins in the light of your countenance.

Who considers the power of your anger?
   Your wrath is as great as the fear that is due to you.
So teach us to count our days
   that we may gain a wise heart. –Psalm 90:1-2, 7-8, 11-12.

I was surprised to learn that the root Hebrew word for anger is related to our noses or nostrils. Wrath is what I thought it would be—rage.* I can feel Hebrew scholars shudder as I try to make sense of this. Growing up on a farm and having attended numerous rodeos, I am acquainted with the flaring nostrils of an angry bull. The bull intakes more fuel strengthening them for the fight ahead. While that is not my normal vision of God, I can imagine God preparing to take each of us and all of us together on as God sets our iniquities before us. God’s proclaimed followers may have pushed God to God’s limits in recent days as we fight over who has the corner on God. We are like children taunting each other on a playground, “my god is better than your god.” While God is uttering those age-old words of parents, “How many times do I have to tell you, love one another.”

The rest of the Psalm stresses that life is short and now is the time to become whole in God’s love, to become one in Christ service, and to create a just world together.

I’m pressing on the upward way,
New heights I’m gaining every day;
Still praying as I onward bound,
“Lord, plant my feet on higher ground.”

               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.

My heart has no desire to stay
Where doubts arise and fears dismay;
Though some may dwell where these abound,
My prayer, my aim, is higher ground. **

Prayer: Lord, forgive us for our childish ways. Lead us to higher ground. Amen.

*https://biblehub.com/interlinear/psalms/90-7.htm
**First verse, second verse, and chorus of Higher Ground 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.

Pride of Contempt

Living in the Spirit

November 11, 2020

Scripture Reading: Psalm 123
To you I lift up my eyes,
O you who are enthroned in the heavens!
As the eyes of servants
Look to the hand of their master,
As the eyes of a maid
To the hand of her mistress,
so our eyes look to the Lord our God,
Until he has mercy upon us.
Have mercy upon us, O Lord, have mercy upon us.
For we have had more than enough of contempt.
Our soul has had more than its fill
 Of the scorn of those who are at ease,
of the contempt of the proud.

This psalm of assent, most likely post-exilic—after the return from Babylon, is a prayer moving from individual reconnection with God to communal worship of God. We must reignite our relationship with God before we can become a positive, active participant in the community of faith approaching worship. This Psalm recognizes God as both master and mistress of the heaven as individuals come together as one to seek mercy.

The Body of Christ in our nation today is deeply divided. That has become more complicated as it has been usurped by the world of politics. The result is that more and more people are choosing to walk away from traditional Christianity. There, of course is a continuum of identification with God as has always been the case. God is great enough to meet God’s followers where they are on that continuum. The possibility exists that such diversity is the best way to serve God completely.  We seem, however, to find ourselves in a situation where the sides are more monolithic, where we may not recognize our common threads of faith at all. Yet Christ called us to be one.

The time is now that we must seek our common ground in faith as frail as some of those links might have become. To accomplish that goal, we must face the discomfort of our differences, set them aside, and work to build on strengthening what will hold us together as the Body of Christ in the world today.

Prayer: Lord, cleanse us of our pride of contempt, we humbly ask in the name of Jesus who loves us and wants the very best for us especially when we do not accept oneness as that best. 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.