Living in the Spirit

November 3, 2021

Scripture Reading:
Psalm 24

The earth is the Lord’s and all that is in it,
   the world, and those who live in it;
for he has founded it on the seas,
   and established it on the rivers.

Who shall ascend the hill of the Lord?
   And who shall stand in his holy place?
Those who have clean hands and pure hearts,
   who do not lift up their souls to what is false,
   and do not swear deceitfully.
They will receive blessing from the Lord,
   and vindication from the God of their salvation.
Such is the company of those who seek him,
   who seek the face of the God of Jacob. Psalm 24:1-6

The indigenous peoples of the Americas did not recognize individual land ownership. They believed that the earth was created for and shared by all peoples, much as the above scripture describes. This idea differed markedly from the European culture when they came to occupy the Americas. The Europeans not only practiced land ownership but used it as a definer of ones worth. This collision of culture laid the groundwork for much misunderstanding and wars. I am not acquainted enough with world history to know where the Europeans developed their land ownership philosophy. Basic laws regarding land were laid out following the Norman invasion of 1066.

As the world progresses, people make changes to accommodate new ways of living. Horse and buggies changed to cars. I read an interesting discussion about the observance of not working on the Sabbath regarding electric lights. Did flipping a switch constitute work? That was the question that arose with the introduction of electric lights. Our culture deals daily with new ways of living as we communion with many diverse cultures. Our challenge is determining how we insert these changes into our lives while discerning how they mesh with our faith. The Psalm above handles that self-examination by asking Who shall ascend the hill of the Lord?  And who shall stand in his holy place? The Psalmist is challenging us to act with intentionality in all we do to assure that we are in sync with the Lord we serve. We should never assume that our way is always the better way. And better ways should not be the source of greed and discrimination which are never in sync with God’s plan.

Prayer: Open our hearts to grow from the diversity of the world you created for all. 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.