Author Archives: WOJ@deborahsdescendants.com

From War to Peace

Advent

November 22, 2022

Scripture Reading: Isaiah 2:1-5
The word that Isaiah son of Amoz saw concerning Judah and Jerusalem.
In days to come
   the mountain of the Lord’s house
shall be established as the highest of the mountains,
   and shall be raised above the hills;
all the nations shall stream to it.
   Many peoples shall come and say,
‘Come, let us go up to the mountain of the Lord,
   to the house of the God of Jacob;
that he may teach us his ways
   and that we may walk in his paths.’
For out of Zion shall go forth instruction,
   and the word of the Lord from Jerusalem.
He shall judge between the nations,
   and shall arbitrate for many peoples;
they shall beat their swords into ploughshares,
   and their spears into pruning-hooks;
nation shall not lift up sword against nation,
   neither shall they learn war anymore.
O house of Jacob,
   come, let us walk
   in the light of the Lord!

As challenging and heartbreaking as pulling our troops out of Afghanistan was, I think it was the right thing to do. What we have not noted well is that this is the first time in over 20 years that we have not been at war, declared or not.  We do not know what is going to happen in Ukraine or if Russia will move into NATO countries that might immediately thrust us into another war. Now is the time, however, to re-think our relationships with other nations and how we can move further away from violence as a cure for anything.

One of the goals we need to work on is making sure that every person in our world has enough—enough food, clothing, shelter, health care, safety, and a safe climate. A living wage for everyone would make a significant difference in each of these necessities. Ultimately it is the Kingdom of God, the Beloved Community.

Prayer: Lord, help us identify our role in developing the Beloved Community and empower us to fulfill it at our 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.

Discerning God’s Ways

Advent

November 21, 2022

Scripture Reading: Isaiah 2:1-5
The word that Isaiah son of Amoz saw concerning Judah and Jerusalem.
In days to come
   the mountain of the Lord’s house
shall be established as the highest of the mountains,
   and shall be raised above the hills;
all the nations shall stream to it.
   Many peoples shall come and say,
‘Come, let us go up to the mountain of the Lord,
   to the house of the God of Jacob;
that he may teach us his ways
   and that we may walk in his paths.’
For out of Zion shall go forth instruction,
   and the word of the Lord from Jerusalem.
He shall judge between the nations,
   and shall arbitrate for many peoples;
they shall beat their swords into ploughshares,
   and their spears into pruning-hooks;
nation shall not lift up sword against nation,
   neither shall they learn war anymore.
O house of Jacob,
   come, let us walk
   in the light of the Lord!

How do we discern the ways of God? How do we test differing interpretations of scripture, of the history of our faith, and of the acts of God in our lives? How do we strip from the ways of the world, our culture, and the ancient cultures from our understanding of how to love God, love ourselves, and love others as we love ourselves? Where is our mountain of the Lord where God may teach us God’s ways that we may walk in God’s path?

In the 19th century, two of my great aunts had their left toddler arms tied to their sides until they were “cured” from being dominantly left-handed based on the scripture in Matthew 25:33 and he will put the sheep at his right hand and the goats at the left. The assumption was made that the right hand was the favored one, but that is not the big problem. The big problem is that my ancestors could have gotten so caught up in stopping their children from being left-handed that they lost track of the critical purpose of the scripture–to feed the hungry, care for the sick, clothe the naked, welcome the stranger, and restore the prisoner.

I think it is essential to study the Bible on our own, but it is also important to hear how others understand scripture. Discerning worldviews impact our reading of scripture and can help us separate what is cultural and what is God’s ways. Practicing a daily examination of ourselves regarding the practice of our faith will help us be intentional about following God’s way.

Prayer: Lord, grant us the gift of discernment regarding being in sync with you. 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.

Restorative Justice

Living in the Spirit

November 20, 2022

Scripture Reading: Luke 23:33-43

One of the criminals who were hanged there kept deriding him and saying, ‘Are you not the Messiah? Save yourself and us!’ But the other rebuked him, saying, ‘Do you not fear God, since you are under the same sentence of condemnation? And we indeed have been condemned justly, for we are getting what we deserve for our deeds, but this man has done nothing wrong.’ Then he said, ‘Jesus, remember me when you come into your kingdom.’ He replied, ‘Truly I tell you, today you will be with me in Paradise.’ –Luke 23:38-43

Restorative justice is the work of helping someone turn around from errors they may have made and refocus their lives on positive outcomes. We all require it at one time or another. Restorative justice not only requires forgiveness but refocusing. We most often apply the term to persons who have been found guilty of a crime.

In our judicial system today, that is the last place we see restorative justice at work. However, there are a few bright lights to guide us. Oklahoma instigated a drug court system that deals with people caught up in the use and abuse of drugs. Rather than sending them to prison, we offer them the opportunity to identify a plan that is approved by the court and if they comply with the tenets of the plan, over time, they can remain in their community and be a productive citizen. Plans include such things as getting treatment for addiction, getting and keeping a job, etc.

Another form of restorative justice is a program I heard about prisoners who were serving life without parole sentences and who were taught to train service dogs. One of these prisoners said he first encountered unconditional love through those dogs who showed him what it meant to be loved.

Prayer: Lord, show us more ways to provide restorative justice. 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 Reign of Christ

Living in the Spirit

November 19, 2022

Scripture Reading: Luke 23:33-43

When they came to the place that is called The Skull, they crucified Jesus there with the criminals, one on his right and one on his left. [[ Then Jesus said, ‘Father, forgive them; for they do not know what they are doing.’ And they cast lots to divide his clothing. And the people stood by, watching; but the leaders scoffed at him, saying, ‘He saved others; let him save himself if he is the Messiah of God, his chosen one!’ The soldiers also mocked him, coming up and offering him sour wine, and saying, ‘If you are the King of the Jews, save yourself!’ There was also an inscription over him, ‘This is the King of the Jews.’ –Luke 23:33-37

Christmas is everywhere—decorations, stores overflowing with all kinds of gifts, and Black Friday enticements. So, I experienced some shock when I read the lectionary scripture for today. Jesus dying on the cross seemed out of place. The last Sunday in the liturgical year is designated as the Reign of Christ by some; others call it Christ the King Sunday. It marks the full realization of Jesus’s incarnation and our redemption. Christ did, indeed, save others and us by giving his life in the ultimate act of love. However, the cross marked a beginning, not an ending. Celebrating that is the most appropriate way to complete the cycle of praise leading into Advent. Advent reminds us how we got to the incarnation and offers a new opportunity for us to be renewed in Christ as we work to spread his love throughout the world in anticipation of the full fruition of the Kingdom of God—The Beloved Community.

Let all mortal flesh keep silence
and with fear and trembling stand;
ponder nothing earthly-minded,
for with blessing in his hand
Christ, our God, to earth descending,
comes our homage to command.

King of kings, yet born of Mary,
as of old on earth he stood,
Lord of lords in human likeness,
in the body and the blood
he will give to all the faithful
his own self for heav’nly food*.

Prayer: Thank you, Lord, for the gift of your Son coming to show us the way to encountering you fully in the Beloved Community.  Amen.

*The first and second verses of the hymn Let All Mortal Flesh Keep Silence Paraphrased by Gerard Moultrie by from Habakkuk 2:20. See at https://hymnary.org/text/let_all_mortal_flesh_keep_silence

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.

Christ, Our Role Model

November 18, 2022

Living in the Spirit

Scripture Reading:

Colossians 1:11-20

He is the image of the invisible God, the firstborn of all creation; for in him all things in heaven and on earth were created, things visible and invisible, whether thrones or dominions or rulers or powers—all things have been created through him and for him. He himself is before all things, and in him all things hold together. He is the head of the body, the church; he is the beginning, the firstborn from the dead, so that he might come to have first place in everything. For in him all the fullness of God was pleased to dwell, and through him God was pleased to reconcile to himself all things, whether on earth or in heaven, by making peace through the blood of his cross. –Colossians 1:15-20

Christ is our ultimate role model. He sets a very high standard, and yet he indicates that his yoke is easy, and his burden is light*.  I fear most of us are guilty of thinking that everyone else thinks as we do, or at least should.  We all perceive the world through the perspective we have cultivated over time. I grew up on a farm; people raised away from that environment may never have the same sense that I do regarding the source of their food. Paul tells us in 1 Corinthians 13:12: For now we see in a mirror, dimly, but then we will see face to face. Now I know only in part; then I will know fully, even as I have been fully known.

A part of accepting Jesus as our Lord and Savior is accepting him as our ultimate role model, which requires us to examine our thinking and ways of relating to others through the lenses of his example. We do that primarily through the teachings that have been passed down to us from the information captured by those who shared it with us via scriptures. We are all parts of the Body of Christ, we are not Christ, but we can learn from him and live our lives in such a way that others can get some sense of Christ through our attitudes and behavior.

Day by day
Day by day
Oh Dear Lord
Three things I pray
To see thee more clearly
Love thee more dearly
Follow thee more nearly
Day by day**

Prayer: Lord, open our minds and our wills to see more clearly and live more nearly the way you love.  Help us revamp our lives to follow that example. Amen.

*See Matthew 11:30

**Song from the musical Godspell Written By Stephen Schwartz see at https://genius.com/Godspell-day-by-day-lyrics

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.

Darkness into Light

Living in the Spirit

St. Teresa of Avila

November 17, 2022

Scripture Reading:

Colossians 1:11-20

May you be made strong with all the strength that comes from his glorious power, and may you be prepared to endure everything with patience, while joyfully giving thanks to the Father, who has enabled you to share in the inheritance of the saints in the light. He has rescued us from the power of darkness and transferred us into the kingdom of his beloved Son, in whom we have redemption, the forgiveness of sins. –Colossians 1:1-14

The power of darkness surrounds us. What happens in the dark? I carried one of my mother’s boxes of genealogy information into my living room to find some information for one of my cousins. I left it next to where I was sitting when I went to bed because I needed to dig into it more. The following day as I stumbled through my very familiar house to turn on the lamp next to my favorite chair, my toes slammed into that box. It really hurt as stubbed toes usually do. I hopped around and said bad words as I got the lamp on. The pain soon subsided, but my familiar world had lost its certainty.

Our world, our country has been engulfed in unexpected darkness for several years if we include climate change. We time things to COVID, but it really began before then. We want someone to fix everything. What we are not yet ready to accept is that Christ sent us forth to work toward providing a lighted world as his partners in service. We have already been transferred into the kingdom of God’s beloved Son. He has shown us the way. We seem not to be able to accept fully his vision of the beloved community. We prefer our own vision. That has resulted in division and a divide-and-conquer world. We play around the edges doing the things we have always done, but we do not step out into the darkness and shine God’s light throughout the world. Where do we go from here? How do we get in sync with God’s vision and how it is to be realized?

Prayer: Lord, you called us to be the light of the world; give us the courage to step out in faith and follow your vision.  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.

No War

Living in the Spirit

November 16, 2022

Scripture Reading: Psalm 46
God is our refuge and strength,
   a very present help in trouble.
Therefore we will not fear, though the earth should change,
   though the mountains shake in the heart of the sea;
though its waters roar and foam,
   though the mountains tremble with its tumult.

There is a river whose streams make glad the city of God,
   the holy habitation of the Most High.
God is in the midst of the city; it shall not be moved;
   God will help it when the morning dawns.
The nations are in an uproar, the kingdoms totter;
  he utters his voice, the earth melts.
The Lord of hosts is with us;
   the God of Jacob is our refuge.

Come, behold the works of the Lord;
   see what desolations he has brought on the earth.
He makes wars cease to the end of the earth;
   he breaks the bow, and shatters the spear;
   he burns the shields with fire.
‘Be still, and know that I am God!
   I am exalted among the nations,
   I am exalted in the earth.’
The Lord of hosts is with us;
   the God of Jacob is our refuge.

For some reason, yesterday I realized that for the first time in many years our country is not at war with anyone. Indeed, we are providing resources for Ukraine, and we pray that the war they face will soon come to an end. Getting out of our last war was not pretty, and the people of Afghanistan are suffering from the takeover by the Taliban.  Short of war, we must do all we can to bring the world to peace, where everyone has enough, and all can be the person God created us to be. Jesus called it the Kingdom of God. He may have picked that descriptor up from the Wisdom of Solomon 10:10 from the Apocrypha. In my Bible study group last spring we studied the Apocrypha and learned that Jesus was well acquainted with it.  Jesus is quoted in the gospels 54 times mentioning actualizing the Kingdom of God as his and our ultimate goal. Acts uses the term six times, and Paul uses it eight times. We no longer live in a world ruled primarily by Kings so that term may not be as meaningful to us as it was to a first-century audience. I liken it to Martin Luther King, Jr.’s Beloved Community: a community where everyone is cared for, absent of poverty, hunger, and hate.

While the Kingdom of God is not mentioned in the Hebrew Bible using that language, the Psalmist who wrote the above Psalm seems to have been well acquainted with it.

Prayer: Lord, guide us in our work toward your goal of the whole world being a Beloved Community. 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.

God’s Righteousness

Living in the Spirit

November 15, 2022

Scripture Reading: Jeremiah 23:1-6

The days are surely coming, says the Lord, when I will raise up for David a righteous Branch, and he shall reign as king and deal wisely, and shall execute justice and righteousness in the land. In his days Judah will be saved and Israel will live in safety. And this is the name by which he will be called: ‘The Lord is our righteousness.’ –Jeremiah 23:5-6

Apparently, what was missing in Israel in Jeremiah’s time was justice—at least the right kind of justice. What is just to me may not be just to you. For example, I do not think capital punishment is just, but its use is legal in my state. I do not think undocumented aliens being sent to jail when they are caught is just when they were brought here to work at below-legal wages with no benefits and no limits on the number of hours required to work for a company that will only get a fine for hiring them. I think the CEO committed the crime and should be the one going to jail. I would vet the undocumented person. If they have a clean record, they should be considered for a work visa allowing them to work for someone who is following the law. If there is no legal job available for them or they do not have a clean record, they should be deported to their native country. Labor trafficking is perhaps less repulsive but is not different from sex trafficking.

Jeremiah is saying that true justice and righteousness are defined by God and modeled for us by the one called the Lord-is-our-righteousness, whom we Christians identify as Jesus Christ. Much of the teachings in the gospels describe Jesus’s interpretation of justice. We love those stories, but do we live them?

Prayer: Lord, help us to study your word to discern your ways of righteousness. 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.

Take Heed

Living in the Spirit

November 14, 2022

Scripture Reading: Jeremiah 23:1-6

Woe to the shepherds who destroy and scatter the sheep of my pasture! says the Lord. Therefore, thus says the Lord, the God of Israel, concerning the shepherds who shepherd my people: It is you who have scattered my flock, and have driven them away, and you have not attended to them. So I will attend to you for your evil doings, says the Lord. Then I myself will gather the remnant of my flock out of all the lands where I have driven them, and I will bring them back to their fold, and they shall be fruitful and multiply. I will raise up shepherds over them who will shepherd them, and they shall not fear any longer, or be dismayed, nor shall any be missing, says the Lord. –Jeremiah 23:1-4

Most of the dark money ads that took over our media leading up to the election were designed to destroy and scatter the members of our democracy. Some of them presented their viewpoints in the name of God without regard to the harm they do, not only to the wellbeing of people, but in turning people away from the God that is love by characterizing God as a supporter of bigotry, lust for power, and greed. Jeremiah’s scripture above addresses God’s response to such an attack on God’s people.

Jeremiah’s warnings related to Judah’s exile to Babylon. Isaiah, Hosea, and Amos also addressed the people getting caught up in the idols of their day. It is frightening to read these prophets of the Hebrew Bible warning people that their lack of attention to what was going on about them was a major factor in their downfall. We today need to listen to their wise counsel for the same evil is afoot in our land.

Prayer:

Dear Lord and Father of mankind,
forgive our foolish ways;
reclothe us in our rightful mind,
in purer lives thy service find,
in deeper reverence, praise.

In simple trust like theirs who heard
beside the Syrian sea
the gracious calling of the Lord,
let us, like them, without a word
rise up and follow thee*. Amen.

*The first and second verses of the hymn Dear Lord and Father of mankind by John Greenleaf Whitter see at https://hymnary.org/text/dear_lord_and_father_of_mankind

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.

Owning What We Say

Living in the Spirit

November 13, 2022

Scripture Reading: Luke 21:5-19

‘But before all this occurs, they will arrest you and persecute you; they will hand you over to synagogues and prisons, and you will be brought before kings and governors because of my name. This will give you an opportunity to testify. So make up your minds not to prepare your defense in advance; for I will give you words and a wisdom that none of your opponents will be able to withstand or contradict. You will be betrayed even by parents and brothers, by relatives and friends; and they will put some of you to death. You will be hated by all because of my name. But not a hair of your head will perish. By your endurance you will gain your souls. –Luke 5:12-19

To prepare one’s defense in advance seems to be an attempt to justify something that was wrong. The problem when the words written above were recorded and still the problem today in seeking justice is that we all see things the way we choose to see them based on our backgrounds. Police investigators get suspicious when all the witnesses to an event tell the same story. That does not normally happen. l am 5 foot two inches tall, and I see the world from that height. A seven-footer standing right next to me gets an entirely different view. Both are most likely telling the truth as they experienced it.

I was taught in a class many years ago when trying to work with groups to you “I” language. That simply means setting the norm for discussion in recognition of the fact that everyone does not perceive the world in the same way. Everyone owning their viewpoint enables the group to search among the difference to find the common threads that might end a stalemate. My way or the highway lands most of us in a serious traffic jam. Abortion is a great example of that. The best way to markedly end abortion is to provide quality, affordable, and easily accessible preventive health care; provide a quality public education that allows students to form good decision-making habits and prepare them for a career that will allow them to start their adult life beyond poverty. Yet the USA has the most expensive health care system in the world and does not provide adequate financial support for education leaving many youths stuck in low-wage jobs as adults. We can and must do better than that.

Prayer: Lord, give us the words to say when we work together toward building a better world forall your children. 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.