Author Archives: WOJ@deborahsdescendants.com

A Shining Light

Lent

March 2, 2023

Scripture Reading:

1 Corinthians 2:1-12 (13-16)

When I came to you, brothers and sisters, I did not come proclaiming the mystery of God to you in lofty words or wisdom. For I decided to know nothing among you except Jesus Christ, and him crucified. And I came to you in weakness and in fear and in much trembling. My speech and my proclamation were not with plausible words of wisdom, but with a demonstration of the Spirit and of power, so that your faith might rest not on human wisdom but on the power of God. –1 Corinthians 2:1-4

How do we spread the good news of Jesus Christ? Or do we spread the good news of Jesus Christ? Do we live lives that give credence to the worth of following a God of love who blessed us with the life, even death, and especially the resurrection of the One whom God called Son, Jesus Christ?

Pew Research Center projects that Christians will make up less than half of the American population by 2070, with estimated ranges for that year falling between 35% and 46% of the American population (down from 64% in 2022 and from 91% in 1976) *. I could never identify with some of the actions being credited to Christianity today. What Paul might have called lofty words or wisdom. The Prosperity Gospel is an example.

Is our world operating in the way Jesus wanted it to work? Are the hungry fed, the naked clothed, the sick healed, strangers welcomed, and prisoners restored to wholeness? Does everyone love their neighbor as they love themselves? Do we all even love ourselves?

This little light of mine
I’m going to let it shine
Oh, this little light of mine
I’m going to let it shine

This little light of mine
I’m going to let it shine
Let it shine, all the time, let it shine**

Prayer: Lord, make us full partners in spreading your love to the whole world and forgive us for being a stumbling block for all to know and live in God’s love.  Amen.

*https://www.pewresearch.org/religion/2019/10/17/in-u-s-decline-of-christianity-continues-at-rapid-pace/

**Chorus from This Little Light of Mine by Harry Dixon Loes see at https://allnurseryrhymes.com/this-little-light-of-mine/

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.

Fearing the Lord

Lent

March 1, 2023
Scripture Reading: Psalm 112:1-9
Praise the Lord!
Happy are those who fear the Lord,
who greatly delight in his commandments.
Their descendants will be mighty in the land;
the generation of the upright will be blessed.
Wealth and riches are in their houses,
and their righteousness endures forever.
They rise in the darkness as a light for the upright;
they are gracious, merciful, and righteous.
It is well with those who deal generously and lend,
who conduct their affairs with justice.
For the righteous will never be moved;
they will be remembered forever.
They are not afraid of evil tidings;
their hearts are firm, secure in the Lord.
Their hearts are steady, they will not be afraid;
in the end they will look in triumph on their foes.
They have distributed freely, they have given to the poor;
their righteousness endures forever;
their horn is exalted in honor.

It was recently announced that former President Jimmy Carter, who has been under treatment for cancer for some time, has elected to forego any future treatment and receive hospice care. I thought of him as I read this scripture. Carter is viewed as an anomaly, a nice guy but generally a lackluster President. On his second day as president, Carter pardoned all Vietnam War draft evaders. His administration established the United States Department of Energy and the Department of Education. He also created a national energy policy that included conservation, price control, and new technology. Carter successfully pursued the Camp David Accords, the Panama Canal Treaties, and the second round of Strategic Arms Limitation Talks*. His presidency ended on the heels of the Iran hostage crisis, the 1979 energy crisis, the Three Mile Island accident, the Nicaraguan Revolution, and the Soviet invasion of Afghanistan. All threats from outside sources and outside his control, but beyond the public’s patience in his dealing with the issues.

He of course, did not stop there. Out of office, he championed Habitat for Humanity. In 1982, he established the Carter Center to promote and expand human rights, which earned him a Nobel Peace Prize in 2002. He traveled extensively to conduct peace negotiations, monitor elections and further the eradication of infectious diseases*. I do think he is happy in the fear/awe of the Lord. And he is an excellent example of how we all must rise in the darkness as a light for the upright.

Prayer: Lord, guide us to be a light for the upright. Amen.

*https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Jimmy_Carter#:~:text=On%20his%20second%20day%20as,price%20control%2C%20and%20new%20technology.

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.

Created for a Purpose

Lent

February 28, 2023

Scripture Reading: Genesis 2:15-17; 3:1-7
The Lord God took the man and put him in the garden of Eden to till it and keep it. And the Lord God commanded the man, ‘You may freely eat of every tree of the garden; but of the tree of the knowledge of good and evil you shall not eat, for in the day that you eat of it you shall die.’

Now the serpent was more crafty than any other wild animal that the Lord God had made. He said to the woman, ‘Did God say, “You shall not eat from any tree in the garden”?’ The woman said to the serpent, ‘We may eat of the fruit of the trees in the garden; but God said, “You shall not eat of the fruit of the tree that is in the middle of the garden, nor shall you touch it, or you shall die.”’ But the serpent said to the woman, ‘You will not die; for God knows that when you eat of it your eyes will be opened, and you will be like God, knowing good and evil.’ So when the woman saw that the tree was good for food, and that it was a delight to the eyes, and that the tree was to be desired to make one wise, she took of its fruit and ate; and she also gave some to her husband, who was with her, and he ate. Then the eyes of both were opened, and they knew that they were naked; and they sewed fig leaves together and made loincloths for themselves.

Why do we suppose God put a tree in the garden and then said yes, that tree is there, but the humans were told not to eat from it? Why plant it in the first place? Is God testing humans to see if they will mind God? Or is God testing them to see, if they can think for themselves, good or bad? Why was this story included in the creation saga, so the humans to come, us, would read it? What exactly do we think God wanted us to glean from this account? What is the bigger picture?

First, being made in the image of God sets humans apart from other animals. Psalm 8 describes it this way:
When I look at your heavens, the work of your fingers,
   the moon and the stars that you have established;
what are human beings that you are mindful of them,
   mortals that you care for them?
Yet you have made them a little lower than God*,
   and crowned them with glory and honor. –Psalm 8:3-5

Second, due to this designation, humans were set apart to partner with God in God’s great creation undertaking. To be a good steward of God’s work, we must differentiate what is good and what is not, and we are called to do the good that Jesus Christ modeled for us.

Prayer: Lord, forgive us when we miss the mark in our service to you. Help us not to be distracted by the ways of the world that are harmful to the development of the Beloved Community. Amen.

*This is from the NRSV. Some translations use the word angels rather than God.

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.

Procreation

Lent

February 27, 2023

Scripture Reading:

Genesis 2:15-17; 3:1-7
The Lord God took the man and put him in the garden of Eden to till it and keep it. And the Lord God commanded the man, ‘You may freely eat of every tree of the garden; but of the tree of the knowledge of good and evil you shall not eat, for in the day that you eat of it you shall die.’

Now the serpent was more crafty than any other wild animal that the Lord God had made. He said to the woman, ‘Did God say, “You shall not eat from any tree in the garden”?’ The woman said to the serpent, ‘We may eat of the fruit of the trees in the garden; but God said, “You shall not eat of the fruit of the tree that is in the middle of the garden, nor shall you touch it, or you shall die.” ’ But the serpent said to the woman, ‘You will not die; for God knows that when you eat of it your eyes will be opened, and you will be like God, knowing good and evil.’ So when the woman saw that the tree was good for food, and that it was a delight to the eyes, and that the tree was to be desired to make one wise, she took of its fruit and ate; and she also gave some to her husband, who was with her, and he ate. Then the eyes of both were opened, and they knew that they were naked; and they sewed fig leaves together and made loincloths for themselves.

Have you ever wondered why we are so hung up on our sexuality? Are our attitudes toward sex the heredity left to us by our Puritan ancestors? Or does it go all the way back to the scripture that says Adam and Eve were tempted to eat the fruit of Good and Evil? They were awakened to their nakedness. Indeed, knowing the difference between good and evil sets humans apart from other animals. As the creation story begins, humans were made in the image of God, indicating that we were set apart as sentient beings—marked by the stimulation or exercise of the senses or of conscious perception*. The challenge of the Genesis story is that procreation with conscious perception is necessary if the world God created is to thrive. It was the first instance of God calling humans to partner in God’s work to care for the earth and everything in it. Taking that step may have created the necessity for humans to discern good from evil, but its success also requires us humans to comprehend good from evil and practice the good in all aspects of our being. Sex in and of itself is not evil or shameful. It is like all parts of our lives are susceptible to the evils that confront us, like lust for power, greed, misogyny, etc.

Prayer: Lord, open our eyes to the evil that misguides us in completing our responsibilities of building your beloved community. Amen.

*https://unabridged.merriam-webster.com/unabridged/sentient

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.

Fasting

Lent

February 26, 2023

Scripture Reading:

Matthew 6:1-6, 16-21

Concerning Fasting

‘And whenever you fast, do not look dismal, like the hypocrites, for they disfigure their faces so as to show others that they are fasting. Truly I tell you, they have received their reward. But when you fast, put oil on your head and wash your face, so that your fasting may be seen not by others but by your Father who is in secret; and your Father who sees in secret will reward you.

Concerning Treasures

‘Do not store up for yourselves treasures on earth, where moth and rust consume and where thieves break in and steal; but store up for yourselves treasures in heaven, where neither moth nor rust consumes and where thieves do not break in and steal. For where your treasure is, there your heart will be also. Matthew 6:16-21

Food and water are necessities of life, and in some places on our earth, people do not even have food to from which to fast. Giving up food was and still can be a very meaningful part of life to give up and see how its absence impacts our lives. I attended a dinner where speakers presented information on poverty in the USA. We were all seated in a large room, and the servers began to distribute plates of food. Some got a nice plate of food with baked chicken breast, green beans, scalloped potatoes, and a slice of warm bread. Others got a bowl of watery rice. It was disconcerting, to say the least. The people at my table did not know what to do. Someone said, “We get the point; surely they will bring more plates of food, but that did not happen. Eventually, someone at my table of people started cutting their servings in half and offering one-half to those with the bowl of watery rice.  Lesson learned before any of the speakers walked to the podium to speak. Whether we give up food or time wasted on frivolous activities, changing our schedule and refocusing our resources, including time, can and should be a growth experience in serving God. For, indeed, where your treasure is, there your heart will be also, and we might be surprised to find that we are missing the mark in so many ways by not intentionally using our skills and talents for the good.

Prayer:
Open my eyes that I may see
glimpses of truth thou hast for me.
Place in my hands the wonderful key
that shall unclasp and set me free.
Silently now I wait for thee,
ready, my God, thy will to see.
Open my eyes, illumine me,
Spirit divine.  Amen.

First verse of the Hymn Open My Eyes by Clara H Scott, see at https://hymnary.org/text/open_my_eyes_that_i_may_see

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.

Alms and Prayers

Lent

February 25, 2023

Scripture Reading: Matthew 6:1-6, 16-21

Concerning Almsgiving

‘Beware of practicing your piety before others in order to be seen by them; for then you have no reward from your Father in heaven.

‘So whenever you give alms, do not sound a trumpet before you, as the hypocrites do in the synagogues and in the streets, so that they may be praised by others. Truly I tell you, they have received their reward. But when you give alms, do not let your left hand know what your right hand is doing, so that your alms may be done in secret, and your Father who sees in secret will reward you.

Concerning Prayer

‘And whenever you pray, do not be like the hypocrites; for they love to stand and pray in the synagogues and at the street corners, so that they may be seen by others. Truly I tell you, they have received their reward. But whenever you pray, go into your room and shut the door and pray to your Father who is in secret; and your Father who sees in secret will reward you. Matthew 6:1-6

I must admit I have no patience with coddling the wealthy to support programs for the poor. Having special rooms for them at a banquet where they are served cocktails in a private room with a harp playing in the background is not my cup of tea, while the other donors hang around in the hallways waiting for the doors open to let them in the event. Help-yourself refreshments are usually available for this group, served with coffee or tea. It apparently is the worldview of our day. Jesus set the standard when he said in Luke 12:48b, 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.

Setting an example with wealth is a different story. My dad told the story that during the depression, there was a run on banks throughout Oklahoma created by fear-fed rumors that said the banks were failing and people clamored to get their money out which probably would have caused the banks to fail. In the small town of Pawnee, Oklahoma, its leading citizen, known as Pawnee Bill, Gordon William Lillie, a popular entertainer, and rancher, loaded a wheel barrel full of his money and pushed it down the main street for all to see to the bank to deposit it. People calmed down, and the bank survived to serve them.

In like manner, there is a time and place for prayer, both public and private. We truly would not know how to pray in those times of tragedy if we had not invested our time in daily communion with God.

Prayer:
Lord prepare me, to be a sanctuary, pure and holy, tried and true
And with thanksgiving, I’ll be a living, sanctuary, oh for you*. Amen.

*”Lord Prepare Me To Be a Sanctuary Lyrics.” Lyrics.com. STANDS4 LLC, 2023. Web. 24 Feb. 2023. <https://www.lyrics.com/lyric/29786117/West+Angeles+C.O.G.I.C.+Angelic+%26+Mass+Choir/Lord+Prepare+Me+To+Be+a+Sanctuary>.

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.

Refocusing

Lent

February 24, 2023

Scripture Reading:

2 Corinthians 5:20b-6:10

As we work together with him, we urge you also not to accept the grace of God in vain. For he says,
‘At an acceptable time I have listened to you,
   and on a day of salvation I have helped you.’

See, now is the acceptable time; see, now is the day of salvation! We are putting no obstacle in anyone’s way, so that no fault may be found with our ministry, but as servants of God we have commended ourselves in every way: through great endurance, in afflictions, hardships, calamities, beatings, imprisonments, riots, labors, sleepless nights, hunger; by purity, knowledge, patience, kindness, holiness of spirit, genuine love, truthful speech, and the power of God; with the weapons of righteousness for the right hand and for the left; in honor and dishonor, in ill repute and good repute. We are treated as impostors, and yet are true; as unknown, and yet are well known; as dying, and see—we are alive; as punished, and yet not killed; as sorrowful, yet always rejoicing; as poor, yet making many rich; as having nothing, and yet possessing everything.

At the beginning of each new session of the Oklahoma State Legislature, 3,000 or so bills are introduced or carried over from the previous year for consideration. In 2022, 410 of them became laws. Many of the first bills include specific, often controversial ones that are more designed to define the author’s political views in preparation for the next election. Many are what I call distraction bills designed to keep the public stirred up about hot-button issues that neither promote citizens’ general welfare nor provide for the Common Good. Paul’s description of his life reminded me of that. He and his fellow apostles put up with a lot so that 2000 years later, we are blessed with knowing about the love of God demonstrated through the life, death, and resurrection of Jesus Christ and continues in our everyday lives with the presence of the Holy Spirit. We are called to continue that quest today, enabling the next generations to continue the work needed to build the beloved community.

Lent is a time to reevaluate how we invest our energies in fulfilling that quest and refocus on what matters.

Prayer: Lord, during these 40 days of Lent, walk with us through the wilderness of our world today and help us reclaim your vision for our lives. 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.

40 Days of Wondering in the Wilderness

Lent

February 23, 2023

Scripture Reading:

2 Corinthians 5:20b-6:10

So we are ambassadors for Christ, since God is making his appeal through us; we entreat you on behalf of Christ, be reconciled to God. For our sake he made him to be sin who knew no sin, so that in him we might become the righteousness of God. –2 Corinthians 5:20-21

The Greek word presbeuó, translated here as ambassador, means to act as an established statesman (diplomat) – a trusted, respected ambassador who is authorized to speak as God’s emissary (represent His kingdom).

This term is used in the ancient phrase, “I am on embassy to the Emperor, I am an ambassador” (Souter) – i.e. as someone respected as trustworthy (loyal, knowledgeable), especially in the opinion of those they know (belong to)*.

When I read this scripture, I thought of former President Jimmy Carter, having recently heard that he had chosen to stop all medical treatment and shift to hospice care. He embodies this scripture. He is the example we need to follow, and yet, I fear he is seen as a rarity that is viewed beyond our ability to emulate. Of course, his presbeuó is Jesus Christ. Christ-followers are called to be the example of God’s love for the world, and I fear we sometimes get off track. I fear we grow uncomfortable with loving without judging, which leads us to transition to creating God and God’s love in images in which we are more comfortable. There was a time when being left-handed was seen as being the mark of Satan, and toddlers had their arms tied to their sides until they had mastered using their right hand. Now we pick on sexual differences as being evil. Just exactly how that is supposed to be a danger to anyone else is beyond me. And racism is still alive and well in our worldview, although the very existence of different “human races” has been debunked by genetic science.  We do great harm to future generations when we fail to follow the example of Christ in living love.

Prayer: Lord, as we enter the time of Lent, when we relive your 40-day sojourn in the wilderness facing the temptations of Satan, guide us to wrestle with the temptations we face enticing us to take wrong paths and show us the right path.  Amen.

*https://biblehub.com/greek/4243.htmpre

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.

A New and Right Spirit

Ash Wednesday

Ash Wednesday

February 22, 2023

Scripture Reading: Psalm 51:1-17

To the leader. A Psalm of David, when the prophet Nathan came to him, after he had gone in to Bathsheba.
Have mercy on me, O God,
   according to your steadfast love;
according to your abundant mercy|
   blot out my transgressions.
Wash me thoroughly from my iniquity,
   and cleanse me from my sin.

For I know my transgressions,
   and my sin is ever before me.
Against you, you alone, have I sinned,
   and done what is evil in your sight,
so that you are justified in your sentence
   and blameless when you pass judgement.
Indeed, I was born guilty,
   a sinner when my mother conceived me.

You desire truth in the inward being;
   therefore teach me wisdom in my secret heart.
Purge me with hyssop, and I shall be clean;
   wash me, and I shall be whiter than snow.
Let me hear joy and gladness;
   let the bones that you have crushed rejoice.
Hide your face from my sins,
   and blot out all my iniquities.

10 Create in me a clean heart, O God,
   and put a new and right spirit within me.
Do not cast me away from your presence,
   and do not take your holy spirit from me.
Restore to me the joy of your salvation,
   and sustain in me a willing spirit. –Psalm 51:1-12

Verse 10 is a daily prayer for me. Romans 3:23 tells us that all have sinned and fall short of the glory of God. For me, it is important to address my missing the mark as quickly as possible, but that can only happen if we acknowledge and are aware of what we have done. We seem to have an epidemic in our nation where we project our interpretation of our actions as something that may not be God’s interpretation. We must be in a close enough relationship with God to have a new and right spirit.

Prayer: Create in me a clean heart, O God, and put a new and right spirit within me. 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.

Repairers of the Breach

Ordinary Time

Ordinary Time

February 21, 2023

Scripture Reading: Isaiah 58:1-12
Shout out, do not hold back!
   Lift up your voice like a trumpet!
Announce to my people their rebellion,
   to the house of Jacob their sins.
Yet day after day they seek me
   and delight to know my ways,
as if they were a nation that practiced righteousness
   and did not forsake the ordinance of their God;
they ask of me righteous judgements,
  they delight to draw near to God.
‘Why do we fast, but you do not see?
   Why humble ourselves, but you do not notice?’
Look, you serve your own interest on your fast-day,
   and oppress all your workers.
Look, you fast only to quarrel and to fight
   and to strike with a wicked fist.
Such fasting as you do today
  will not make your voice heard on high.
Is such the fast that I choose,
   a day to humble oneself?
Is it to bow down the head like a bulrush,
   and to lie in sackcloth and ashes?
Will you call this a fast,
   a day acceptable to the Lord?

Is not this the fast that I choose:
   to loose the bonds of injustice,
   to undo the thongs of the yoke,
to let the oppressed go free,
   and to break every yoke?
Is it not to share your bread with the hungry,
   and bring the homeless poor into your house;
when you see the naked, to cover them,
   and not to hide yourself from your own kin?
Then your light shall break forth like the dawn,
   and your healing shall spring up quickly;
your vindicator shall go before you,
   the glory of the Lord shall be your rearguard.
Then you shall call, and the Lord will answer;
   you shall cry for help, and he will say, Here I am.

If you remove the yoke from among you,
   the pointing of the finger, the speaking of evil,
if you offer your food to the hungry
   and satisfy the needs of the afflicted,
then your light shall rise in the darkness
   and your gloom be like the noonday.
The Lord will guide you continually,
   and satisfy your needs in parched places,
   and make your bones strong;
and you shall be like a watered garden,
   like a spring of water,
   whose waters never fail.
Your ancient ruins shall be rebuilt;
   you shall raise up the foundations of many generations;
you shall be called the repairer of the breach,
   the restorer of streets to live in.

This is probably the longest scripture I have included in these devotions, but I could not segment out one part today to hone in on. Don’t just read it; live into it.

Prayer: Please guide me to be a repairer of the breach. 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.