Author Archives: WOJ@deborahsdescendants.com

Prepare the Way for the Lord

Advent

December 22, 2022

Scripture: Hebrews 1:1-4, (5-12)

Long ago God spoke to our ancestors in many and various ways by the prophets, but in these last days he has spoken to us by a Son, whom he appointed heir of all things, through whom he also created the worlds. He is the reflection of God’s glory and the exact imprint of God’s very being, and he sustains all things by his powerful word. When he had made purification for sins, he sat down at the right hand of the Majesty on high, having become as much superior to angels as the name he has inherited is more excellent than theirs. –Hebrews 1:1-4

I heard yesterday on the news that the Taliban had reinstated the rule that Afghan women could no longer attend university.  The move was expected. As I read the scripture above that thought crossed my mind because scholars have no idea who wrote the book of Hebrews. One speculation is that it might have been a woman because of their standing in that culture in the first century, women were not normally accredited with such work. Priscilla and Mary Magdalene have been named as possible authors. The King James Version of the Bible identifies Paul as the author, but the written form of Hebrews is very different from Paul’s writing.

Regardless of the author, the document seems to have been targeted at churches needing to examine their vision and purpose, perhaps as they shift from awaiting an imminent return of Christ toward making ready the Kingdom of God for Christ’s return. That idea plays out well in the scripture quoted above.  The scripture reminds us that prophets had predicted Christ’s coming many years ago and in these last days Christ, God with us, came to dwell among us, and made purification of our sins, and returned to his work at the right hand of God. In so doing, he instructed us to continue his work here on earth. We might liken our call to work on building the Kingdom of God to Jesus’s instructions to the disciples in Luke 22:8: So Jesus sent Peter and John, saying, ‘Go and prepare the Passover meal for us that we may eat it.’

Prayer: Lord, guide us through your work in the Spirit to do our work to actualize the Kingdom of God here, now, and for the future. 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.

A New Song

Advent

December 21, 2022

Scripture Reading: Psalm 98
O sing to the Lord a new song,
   for he has done marvelous things.
His right hand and his holy arm
   have gained him victory.
The Lord has made known his victory;
   he has revealed his vindication in the sight of the nations.
He has remembered his steadfast love and faithfulness
   to the house of Israel.
All the ends of the earth have seen
   the victory of our God. –Psalm 98:1-3

Do you remember the first time you heard special songs that remained with you forevermore? The Hills are Alive with the Sound of Music comes to mind for me. I think I loved Near to the Heart of God when I was born; just hearing it brings the peace and comfort of God’s presence to my heart. Silent Night has a similar impact.

All the challenges our world has faced over the past few years and still faces today call out for us to find a new song to address all the new ways of being with which we must deal. We have buried our heads in the sand too long on so many things like climate change, racism, and all the other isms that divide us even anti-Semitism is rearing its ugly head again; mass shootings; and drug abuse. All are often the result of an overabundance of greed.

As we sing the songs of Christmas this week, let us own them as guidance for our living throughout the rest of the year. Celebrating the gift of the Christ child, let us intentionally make life changes modeled by Christ in his sojourn on earth.

There is a place of quiet rest,
near to the heart of God,
a place where sin cannot molest,
near to the heart of God.

Refrain:
O Jesus, blest Redeemer,
sent from the heart of God,
hold us, who wait before thee,
near to the heart of God*.

Prayer:  Lord, write on our hearts the new song you wish us to hear and sing in 2023. Amen.

*First verse an refrain of the hymn Near to the Heart of God by Cleland Boyd McAfee see at https://hymnary.org/text/there_is_a_place_of_quiet_rest?extended=true#Author

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.

Doers of the Word

Advent

December 20, 2022

Scripture Reading: Isaiah 52:7-10
How beautiful upon the mountains
   are the feet of the messenger who announces peace,
who brings good news,
   who announces salvation,
   who says to Zion, ‘Your God reigns.’
Listen! Your sentinels lift up their voices,
   together they sing for joy;
for in plain sight they see
   the return of the Lord to Zion.
Break forth together into singing,
   you ruins of Jerusalem;
for the Lord has comforted his people,
   he has redeemed Jerusalem.
The Lord has bared his holy arm
   before the eyes of all the nations;
and all the ends of the earth shall see
   the salvation of our God.

We believe in a God who is always with us. We believe that God was manifested to us through the life, death, and resurrection of Jesus Christ. We believe in the presence of the Holy Spirit. Yet just as our ancient ancestors in faith, we continue to long for a Savior. In the scripture above Isaiah describes in the present tense God who is here, available to us now, if we would only seek the Holy One. The Lord has already provided us with the work we must do to address those realities in our world from which we need to be saved. We, however, are like the rich young ruler who followed all the rules but wanted to know if that was enough for him to gain eternal life. Jesus’s response in Mark 10:21-22: Jesus, looking at him, loved him and said, ‘You lack one thing; go, sell what you own, and give the money to the poor, and you will have treasure in heaven; then come, follow me.’ When he heard this, he was shocked and went away grieving, for he had many possessions. The young man left grieving, but we are not told what he eventually did.  We are that young man wanting to be saved from troubled waters but not knowing whether we are willing to take the actions that will save us, save our neighbors, our nation, and our world.

As we move closer and closer once again to being astounded by the grace of God that can to us as a tiny baby, open our hearts and our minds to accepting God’s call to re-form the world in accordance with his great vision of love.

Prayer: Lord, makes us doers of the word not hearers only, (James 1:22) 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.

Peace on Earth

Advent

December 19, 2022

Scripture Reading:

Isaiah 52:7-10
How beautiful upon the mountains
   are the feet of the messenger who announces peace,
who brings good news,
   who announces salvation,
   who says to Zion, ‘Your God reigns.’
Listen! Your sentinels lift up their voices,
   together they sing for joy;
for in plain sight they see
   the return of the Lord to Zion.
Break forth together into singing,
   you ruins of Jerusalem;
for the Lord has comforted his people,
   he has redeemed Jerusalem.
The Lord has bared his holy arm
   before the eyes of all the nations;
and all the ends of the earth shall see
   the salvation of our God.

Peace and salvation are both things we long for today as Ukraine is being bombed unmercifully, but also as mass shootings are becoming the norm in the USA. The solution exists. We need as a society to turn to live in God’s love one with the other.

One of the most important messages of the coming of the Christ Child is the vision of peace on earth and goodwill to men.

In that region there were shepherds living in the fields, keeping watch over their flock by night. Then an angel of the Lord stood before them, and the glory of the Lord shone around them, and they were terrified. But the angel said to them, ‘Do not be afraid; for see—I am bringing you good news of great joy for all the people: to you is born this day in the city of David a Savior, who is the Messiah, the Lord. This will be a sign for you: you will find a child wrapped in bands of cloth and lying in a manger.’ And suddenly there was with the angel a multitude of the heavenly host, praising God and saying,

‘Glory to God in the highest heaven,

   and on earth peace among those whom he favors!’.’ Luke 2:8-14

Prayer: Thank you, Lord, for coming to dwell among us and showing us the way to peace on earth.  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.

The Sinew of Love

Advent

December 18, 2022

Scripture Reading:

Matthew 1:18-25
Now the birth of Jesus the Messiah took place in this way. When his mother Mary had been engaged to Joseph, but before they lived together, she was found to be with child from the Holy Spirit. Her husband Joseph, being a righteous man and unwilling to expose her to public disgrace, planned to dismiss her quietly. But just when he had resolved to do this, an angel of the Lord appeared to him in a dream and said, ‘Joseph, son of David, do not be afraid to take Mary as your wife, for the child conceived in her is from the Holy Spirit. She will bear a son, and you are to name him Jesus, for he will save his people from their sins.’ All this took place to fulfil what had been spoken by the Lord through the prophet: ‘Look, the virgin shall conceive and bear a son,
   and they shall name him Emmanuel’,
which means, ‘God is with us.’ When Joseph awoke from sleep, he did as the angel of the Lord commanded him; he took her as his wife, but had no marital relations with her until she had borne a son; and he named him Jesus.

We, humans, spend much time trying to make sense of God. The above scripture shows where Matthew tries to outline the birth of Jesus and how God came to us in human form. Mark skips that whole part of Jesus’s birth and goes straight to his ministry. Luke identifies that God relates to the poor and lowly. John tries to describe God-with-us in more theological language. It is good that we seek to know God better as it enables us to commune with God from our sense of ourselves.

I believe that God created each of us unique for a reason. God’s world is like an organism with many parts, all necessary and all designed to work together. We have been trying to figure out how to make that work for thousands of years. While God told us from the beginning that love is the sinew that holds us together. I fear that is hard for us to wrap our hearts and minds around.

This is supposed to be a time to renew our love by reviewing the coming of Emmanuel. Yet we get so caught up in the trappings of Christmas that we miss out on the purpose of the celebration. During this last week of Advent, let us draw closer to God with us and be refilled with God’s love that enables us to love one another.

Prayer: Lord, thank you for loving us by sending your Son to dwell among us. 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 Prepared

Advent

December 17, 2022

Scripture Reading:

Matthew 1:18-25
Now the birth of Jesus the Messiah took place in this way. When his mother Mary had been engaged to Joseph, but before they lived together, she was found to be with child from the Holy Spirit. Her husband Joseph, being a righteous man and unwilling to expose her to public disgrace, planned to dismiss her quietly. But just when he had resolved to do this, an angel of the Lord appeared to him in a dream and said, ‘Joseph, son of David, do not be afraid to take Mary as your wife, for the child conceived in her is from the Holy Spirit. She will bear a son, and you are to name him Jesus, for he will save his people from their sins.’ All this took place to fulfill what had been spoken by the Lord through the prophet: ‘Look, the virgin shall conceive and bear a son,
   and they shall name him Emmanuel’,
which means, ‘God is with us.’ When Joseph awoke from sleep, he did as the angel of the Lord commanded him; he took her as his wife, but had no marital relations with her until she had borne a son; and he named him Jesus.

What does it mean to be saved from sin? What is sin and how does it impact our lives?

The Greek word for sin means missing the target or the mark, but it has a deeper connotation.

hamartía (“sin, forfeiture because missing the mark”) is the brand of sin that emphasizes its self-originated (self-empowered) nature – i.e. it is not originated or empowered by God (i.e. not of faith, His inworked persuasion, cf. Ro 14:23).

Sin is self-originated whether we realize it or not. I am a basketball fan (Go Thunder!), and if we watch carefully or listen to the commentators, we will occasionally hear words like “the player knew the ball was not going into the basket.” They could feel it when it left their hands that it was not on target. The player’s normal response is to try to rebound the ball or call the potential miss to a fellow player to be ready to rebound. In most instances, the players try to shoot on target by manipulating their way between the other team’s efforts to do everything possible to keep them from hitting the goal. To play the game well, one must be in great shape and practice so much that making the correct counter move is done on automatic pilot or as they say in sports muscle memory.

Emmanuel was sent to prepare us to make the right decision and to do it automatically. Our part is to stay in close communication with God. In those instances when we miss the target, we are assured that God is with us and welcomes the opportunity to correct our aim when we seek God’s guidance. Being surrounded by a team of other God-followers, helps too, as we all wind our way through the world’s distractions.

Prayer: Thank you, Lord, for coming and dwelling among humans so you could experience life as we do and can teach us to orient ourselves following your guidance and direction. 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.

Grace and Peace

Advent

December 16, 2022

Scripture Reading: Romans 1:1-7

Paul, a servant of Jesus Christ, called to be an apostle, set apart for the gospel of God, which he promised beforehand through his prophets in the holy scriptures, the gospel concerning his Son, who was descended from David according to the flesh and was declared to be Son of God with power according to the spirit of holiness by resurrection from the dead, Jesus Christ our Lord, through whom we have received grace and apostleship to bring about the obedience of faith among all the Gentiles for the sake of his name, including yourselves who are called to belong to Jesus Christ,
To all God’s beloved in Rome, who are called to be saints:
Grace to you and peace from God our Father and the Lord Jesus Christ.

My mother would have described my activities over the past few weeks as being like a chicken with its head cut off. Quiet a grizzly sight I can assure you but true. When a chicken, or turkey for that matter, is beheaded, the body runs in circles until it collapses. This is one of those bits of information that you probably did not want to know and is generally only learned by those of us who have had some relationship with a farm.

I seem to be caught in the framework of taking one step forward and two backward in various aspects of my life. These good and important activities must be coordinated among people with varying understandings of the situations being addressed trying to discern the best way to a successful conclusion. Studying the Myers-Briggs personality types was very helpful to me in trying to communicate well with people who did not perceive the world in the same way that I did.  The same is true of the VAK learning mode which divides people into three categories of learners: Visual learners – who absorb information by sight, Auditory learners – who absorb information by sound, and Kinesthetic learners – who absorb information by moving. I am very auditory and thus do not think to use pictures to illustrate something I am sharing. A handout or picture might be worth a thousand words I might say to get a point across.

I now have time to take a bit of an extended Sabbath. Paul’s statement at the close of the above scriptures was a wonderful opening to my rest and recuperation. I do not identify as a saint, but I feel set apart as one trying to serve God as were most of the people with whom I have been dealing. Thus, I appreciate all the grace and peace God can provide for me and all of God’s other saints trying to work together to implement God’s vision for all people.

Prayer: Thank you Lord for the diversity of your saints who strive to serve you more nearly. 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.

Growing in Faith

Advent

December 15, 2022

Scripture Reading:

Romans 1:1-7

Paul, a servant of Jesus Christ, called to be an apostle, set apart for the gospel of God, which he promised beforehand through his prophets in the holy scriptures, the gospel concerning his Son, who was descended from David according to the flesh and was declared to be Son of God with power according to the spirit of holiness by resurrection from the dead, Jesus Christ our Lord, through whom we have received grace and apostleship to bring about the obedience of faith among all the Gentiles for the sake of his name, including yourselves who are called to belong to Jesus Christ,
To all God’s beloved in Rome, who are called to be saints:
Grace to you and peace from God our Father and the Lord Jesus Christ.

While Jesus came to live among us understanding humanity with all its potential to do good or evil, Paul is a role model of growing into the life Jesus Christ invites us to join. The letters he left us document his growth in faith, including his frustrations, failures, and friends with whom he shares his ministry. We, too, grow in faith learning from our mistakes and recovering from events beyond our control. He always, always cast his lot with God that is the message we must take from Paul.

And in despair I bowed my head:
“There is no peace on earth,” I said,
“For hate is strong, and mocks the song
Of peace on earth, good will to men.”

Then pealed the bells more loud and deep:
“God is not dead, nor doth He sleep;
The wrong shall fail, the right prevail,
With peace on earth, good will to men.”*

Prayer: During this Advent season, help us remember that you are not dead and you are always awake to our voices. Amen.

*Third and fourth verses from the Hymn I Heard the Bells on Christmas Day by Henry W. Longfellow see at https://hymnary.org/text/i_heard_the_bells_on_christmas_day

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.

Giving Up

Advent

December 14, 2022

Scripture Reading: Psalm 80:1-7, 17-19

Give ear, O Shepherd of Israel,
   you who lead Joseph like a flock!
You who are enthroned upon the cherubim, shine forth
   before Ephraim and Benjamin and Manasseh.
Stir up your might,
   and come to save us!
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. –Psalm 80:1-7

This was an interesting scripture to read after spending time trying to analyze the mid-term election results. Several non-partisan groups worked hard to encourage Oklahomans to vote. We did not tell them how to vote but to study issues and the candidates, make their own decisions, and vote. Yet we had fewer people turn out to vote in the 2022 mid-term elections than in 2018. Oklahoma has one of the lowest voter turnout rates in the United States. This sounds to me like people who have given up on themselves.

As I read the Psalm quoted above, it too sounds like a people who had given up on themselves. Perhaps they had given up on God. When I read something like this, I wonder if these people are aware of a wrongdoing for which they believe they are paying penitence. Or are they people caught in the wrongdoings of others and cannot understand what they have done to deserve their dilemma? Probably a little of both. For example, do the poor of the world choose to be poor, or is their poverty necessary to support the greed of others? It certainly was a question for the Israelites and their descendants. whether the oppressors were outside their group or inside. What Paul would later write about as the principalities and powers (King James translation).  

This same scripture, Ephesians 6:12, in the NRSV, describes it as

For our struggle is not against enemies of blood and flesh, but against the rulers, against the authorities, against the cosmic powers of this present darkness, against the spiritual forces of evil in the heavenly places.

In this scripture, Paul invites us to struggle against the systemic patterns in our world that result in poverty and its many manifestations, among other negative outcomes. In a democracy, voting is a good place to start.

Prayer: Lord, strengthen us to stand up to the present darkness in our world so that everyone at least has enough. 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.

Intentionality

Advent

December 13, 2022

Scripture Reading:

Isaiah 7:10-16
Again the Lord spoke to Ahaz, saying, Ask a sign of the Lord your God; let it be deep as Sheol or high as heaven. But Ahaz said, I will not ask, and I will not put the Lord to the test. Then Isaiah said: ‘Hear then, O house of David! Is it too little for you to weary mortals, that you weary my God also? Therefore the Lord himself will give you a sign. Look, the young woman is with child and shall bear a son, and shall name him Immanuel. He shall eat curds and honey by the time he knows how to refuse the evil and choose the good. For before the child knows how to refuse the evil and choose the good, the land before whose two kings you are in dread will be deserted.

Immanuel knows how to refuse the evil and choose the good and modeled it for his followers. Jesus walked the talk; he never met a stranger. My dad was like that; this introvert must work at it. I think he was very intentional in everything he did, as much as his stories seem to portray him as being very spontaneous. His interaction with the Samaritan woman at the well is a good example of that, but so was his chasing the money changers out of the temple. Was that because he was always on message fulfilling his purpose in the short time he had on earth? Are all our actions targeted at fulfilling Christ’s vision for all God’s children?

 A time of waiting, Advent is a time of waiting and a great time to reinforce our dedication to answering the call to serve God in all aspects of our lives. We must stop at times and explore what we are doing to further the development of the Beloved Community. Even taking the time for self-care gives us the energy to continue our work.

Prayer: Lord, grant us the intentionality we need to serve you by habit. 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.