Author Archives: WOJ@deborahsdescendants.com

Faith Instinct

Eastertide

May 10, 2022

Scripture Reading:

Acts 11:1-18

At that very moment three men, sent to me from Caesarea, arrived at the house where we were. The Spirit told me to go with them and not to make a distinction between them and us. These six brothers also accompanied me, and we entered the man’s house. He told us how he had seen the angel standing in his house and saying, “Send to Joppa and bring Simon, who is called Peter; he will give you a message by which you and your entire household will be saved.” And as I began to speak, the Holy Spirit fell upon them just as it had upon us at the beginning. And I remembered the word of the Lord, how he had said, “John baptized with water, but you will be baptized with the Holy Spirit.” If then God gave them the same gift that he gave us when we believed in the Lord Jesus Christ, who was I that I could hinder God?’ When they heard this, they were silenced. And they praised God, saying, ‘Then God has given even to the Gentiles the repentance that leads to life.’ Acts 11:11-18

The Spirit told me to go with them and not to make a distinction between them and us. Did you ever feel that something came up and you knew instinctually that it was something you needed to take care of that you could feel that need in your bones? I think that would describe Peter’s response to the men who had traveled to bring him back to their community. The spirit not only told him to go but to make no distinction. We are all raised with certain norms, and ways of being that differ from those of others. The line Peter crossed just by going with the visitors took a giant step, but to treat them as he would a fellow Jew was even a greater challenge. We see that kind of behavior in emergencies. A man comes upon a car wreck with a driver in the front seat and a fire under the hood. The first man jumps from his car and pulls the driver out and away from the vehicle just before it explodes. Instinct kicked in. Peter’s faith instinct allowed him to make the journey, share the story of Christ, welcome these strangers, and then return to convince his fellow Jews that he did the right thing. We are called to nurture a vibrant faith instinct where we respond to life situations and people as Jesus would respond.

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. Describes the dilemma we face when responding to our call to serve God. The KJV uses the word darkly rather the dimly in its translation. Either word illustrates that we are not necessarily seeing the whole picture. We must learn to trust in God when we serve in the dark. To do that we must maintain a lasting, deep relationship with the Lord, through prayers, communion, and study.

Prayer: Lord, strengthen our faith instinct as we work toward realizing the Kingdom of God.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.

Ethnocentricity

Eastertide

May 9, 2022

Scripture Reading: Acts 11:1-18

Now the apostles and the believers who were in Judea heard that the Gentiles had also accepted the word of God. So when Peter went up to Jerusalem, the circumcised believers criticized him, saying, ‘Why did you go to uncircumcised men and eat with them?’ Then Peter began to explain it to them, step by step, saying, ‘I was in the city of Joppa praying, and in a trance I saw a vision. There was something like a large sheet coming down from heaven, being lowered by its four corners; and it came close to me. As I looked at it closely I saw four-footed animals, beasts of prey, reptiles, and birds of the air. I also heard a voice saying to me, “Get up, Peter; kill and eat.” But I replied, “By no means, Lord; for nothing profane or unclean has ever entered my mouth.” But a second time the voice answered from heaven, “What God has made clean, you must not call profane.” This happened three times; then everything was pulled up again to heaven. –Acts 11:1-10

One of the words I learned in Sociology 103 was Ethnocentricity. According to Mirriam-Webster, it means:
One of the words I learned in Sociology 103 was Ethnocentricity. According to Mirriam-Webster, it means:
a: inclined to regard one’s own race or social group as the center of culture
<any profession … is somewhat ethnocentric regarding outsiders — L. W. Doob>
b: exhibiting an incapacity for viewing foreign cultures dispassionately
<the ethnocentric view that the rest of the world must become worthy of us by … imitating our way of life–G.E. Taylor>

How do we react when someone approaches us saying, “My group’s way is the only way and if you do not adopt it you will suffer extreme consequences.” Jesus’s example was to share meals with people, get to know them, love them, and when they experienced his love, they felt comfortable loving him back.

One of the greatest blessings of living in the US is the breadth and depth of learning from people with differing backgrounds—wonderful music, delicious food, differing life experiences, and amazingly similar ordeals.  Many came to our country due to starvation and famine, escaping war, some came against their will, others were just adventuresome, and some had been here for hundreds of years before these new people arrived. All were created in the image of God.

Prayer: Lord, lead us in understanding others and help us to see them as you see them. 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.

Privilege

Eastertide

May 8, 2022

Scripture Reading:

John 10:22-30

At that time the festival of the Dedication took place in Jerusalem. It was winter, and Jesus was walking in the temple, in the portico of Solomon. So the Jews gathered around him and said to him, ‘How long will you keep us in suspense? If you are the Messiah, tell us plainly.’ Jesus answered, ‘I have told you, and you do not believe. The works that I do in my Father’s name testify to me; but you do not believe, because you do not belong to my sheep. My sheep hear my voice. I know them, and they follow me. I give them eternal life, and they will never perish. No one will snatch them out of my hand. What my Father has given me is greater than all else, and no one can snatch it out of the Father’s hand. The Father and I are one.’

We are in a pandemic of people being told truth who chose not to believe it because it was not what they wanted to hear. As I read the above-quoted scripture, I wondered if that was the problem with the religious leaders in this story. The Jews had been waiting for the Messiah for years, but would the Messiah’s presence disturb their leadership, their power, their privilege?  

A new divide and conquer issue arises almost weekly in the US now with no one willing to look at the realities of the issues or seek common ground for the Common Good. The bathroom issue is currently catching fire in Oklahoma. While schools and other governmental entities are dealing with the war over the issue, I have noticed that many restaurants have taken down the signs designating gender allowing anyone to use whichever facility they choose. In Sweden, bathrooms were built for privacy and none were designated.

Bathrooms are not the issue. The problem we are dealing with is fearing the loss of our privilege like the leaders of the temple in Jesus’ day feared would happen if Jesus really was the Messiah. They killed him because of it. The sad thing is, that Jesus’ coming was a gift of abundant life for all. No one needs to be better than anyone else to be a person of worth to God. God created all of us in God’s image and loves all of us.

Prayer: Lord, open our hearts to love all your children as you love all of 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.

Bread of Life

Eastertide

May 7, 2022

Scripture Reading: John 10:22-30

At that time the festival of the Dedication took place in Jerusalem. It was winter, and Jesus was walking in the temple, in the portico of Solomon. So the Jews gathered around him and said to him, ‘How long will you keep us in suspense? If you are the Messiah, tell us plainly.’ Jesus answered, ‘I have told you, and you do not believe. The works that I do in my Father’s name testify to me; but you do not believe, because you do not belong to my sheep. My sheep hear my voice. I know them, and they follow me. I give them eternal life, and they will never perish. No one will snatch them out of my hand. What my Father has given me is greater than all else, and no one can snatch it out of the Father’s hand. The Father and I are one.’

During our spring session, my Bible study group studied the Apocrypha*, which we discovered most of us had barely even read. Though it was not canonized in the Hebrew Bible, it fills a gap of understanding between the exile and the coming of Jesus, who had read at least some of the Apocrypha even quoting it.

The Feast of Dedication mentioned in the scripture above is another name for Hanukkah, an eight-day Jewish festival that commemorates the rededication of the Jewish Temple in Jerusalem in the 2nd-century BCE. It is a happy celebration of God’s care for God’s people when their situation seemed hopeless. I thought of that today as I watched a few people being rescued from the Mariupol steel plant in Ukraine. Still, others remain.

I also heard on the news that the cost of bread around the world will go up because Ukraine and Russia are primary providers of the grains needed to make bread. Neither country can to the degree necessary farm and fight a war simultaneously.

I do not think Jesus was just talking about the Jews present when he answered the question of whether he was the Messiah, and he said he had already told them.  I think he is talking to all of us today telling us that we need to get our act together and become one, not just in our houses of worship but all people worldwide are called to be One, assuring that no one’s bread bin is ever empty.

Prayer: Lord, forgive us for not recognizing that your abundance is for everyone. Amen.

*We used the book The Apocrypha by David A. deSilva

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.

Celebrate Love

Eastertide

May 6, 2022

Scripture Reading: Revelation 7:9-17

After this I looked, and there was a great multitude that no one could count, from every nation, from all tribes and peoples and languages, standing before the throne and before the Lamb, robed in white, with palm branches in their hands. They cried out in a loud voice, saying,
‘Salvation belongs to our God who is seated on the throne, and to the Lamb!’
And all the angels stood around the throne and around the elders and the four living creatures, and they fell on their faces before the throne and worshipped God, singing,
‘Amen! Blessing and glory and wisdom
and thanksgiving and honor
and power and might
be to our God forever and ever! Amen.’ –Revelation 7:9-12

With the state of the world today, I find it hard to imagine a world ruled by love where everyone has experienced salvation for hate is strong and mocks the song of peace on earth goodwill to men*. Government officials play games of divide and conquer jumping on the bandwagon of the latest divisive issue that has little or nothing to do with providing for the Common Good, the purpose of government. It may get them more votes and once elected they can continue to wheel and deal in greed and power, which often hurts their constituents. I was writing a report recently on poverty in Oklahoma. We rank very badly in most of the categories reported on the American Health Ranking**.  Our Greatest Challenges were listed as a high premature death rate, a high prevalence of non-medical drug use, and a high percentage of households with food insecurity. The only one of those three I have heard any public official address recently is drug abuse.

Jesus’s birth, death, and resurrection had a purpose. We are called to help shepherd in a world where love rules not greed or power. We should never take that for granted and we should always live our lives in thanksgiving by fulfilling Christ’s vision.  

Prayer: Open our hearts, spirits, and minds to serving you by doing our part to create a world ruled by love. Amen.

*From the hymn, I Heard the Bells on Christmas Day by Henry Wadsworth Longfellow

**Data from https://www.americashealthrankings.org/explore/annual/measure/Overall_a/state/OK see also https://www.kff.org/statedata/?state=OK

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.

Send Your Bread Forth

Eastertide

May 5, 2022

Scripture Reading:

Revelation 7:9-17

Then one of the elders addressed me, saying, ‘Who are these, robed in white, and where have they come from?’ I said to him, ‘Sir, you are the one that knows.’ Then he said to me, ‘These are they who have come out of the great ordeal; they have washed their robes and made them white in the blood of the Lamb.
For this reason they are before the throne of God,
   and worship him day and night within his temple,
   and the one who is seated on the throne will shelter them.
They will hunger no more, and thirst no more;
   the sun will not strike them,
   nor any scorching heat;
for the Lamb at the center of the throne will be their shepherd,
   and he will guide them to springs of the water of life,
and God will wipe away every tear from their eyes.’ –Revelation 7:13-17

Even as a child I wondered about these words, they have washed their robes and made them white in the blood of the Lamb. How could that be? A few months ago, after my church had returned to onsite services, I sat the prescribed three feet from a friend in the worship service. She wore white slacks and a white blouse topped off with a pretty necklace. We had not returned to serving communion but used the little prepackaged thimble-like cups containing grape juice with a foil seal and a little wafer tucked on top with a plastic cover. As my friend tried to get into the grape juice the foil was very stubborn, and she finally gave a stronger tug on it and spilled grape juice all over her white slacks. She quickly grabbed a tissue and wiped it up leaving not a trace of purple. She truly had been washed in the blood and came out whiter than snow. We look at each other in total surprise.

The English word used to describe such an event is paradox, a statement or sentiment that is seemingly contradictory or opposed to common sense and yet perhaps true in fact*. Ecclesiastes 11:1 shares another such paradox: Send out your bread upon the waters, for after many days you will get it back. Jesus gave generously of his life in love and hope that we would be made whole from his sacrifice. Everybody knows that if you throw a piece of bread in the water it will either be eaten quickly by a bird or sink and disintegrate. Generosity is void of what is in it for me; yet filled with faith generosity breeds greater and greater love and hope.  That was Jesus’s purpose in his incarnation, and we inherited that same mission to give of ourselves generously.

Prayer: Thank you Lord for cleansing our souls, and making us whole in your service. Amen.

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

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.

Advocacy

Eastertide

May 4, 2022

Scripture Reading: Psalm 23

The Lord is my shepherd, I shall not want.
   He makes me lie down in green pastures;
he leads me beside still waters;
   he restores my soul.
He leads me in right paths
  for his name’s sake.

Even though I walk through the darkest valley,
   I fear no evil;
for you are with me;
   your rod and your staff—
   they comfort me.

You prepare a table before me
   in the presence of my enemies;
you anoint my head with oil;
   my cup overflows.
Surely goodness and mercy shall follow me
   all the days of my life,
and I shall dwell in the house of the Lord
   my whole life long.

I tossed and turned when I went to bed last night because a bill in the Oklahoma legislature that would capitate Medicaid health care payments appears to be headed for passage despite all efforts, mine, and others, to stop it.  I kept running over and over in my head what else I could have done to prevent its passage. I should note that the final version was much improved over the initial draft.  My primary mentor in legislative advocacy had sent me an email that simply said Keep up the fight. I read it again this morning. Then I read my church’s newsletter where my Pastor’s article talked about being barraged with all kinds of communications that are often meaningless and hard to keep straight. He encouraged his readers to stop and take the time to read Psalm 23 and let it guide us through the challenges of our day.

And then there on my computer screen Psalm 23 was listed as the scripture for today.

I, who memorized Psalm 23 early in life from the King James Version, have trouble reading it in the RSVP or any other version for that matter. This morning I did carefully read it as quoted above. I thought that would be helpful as I turn one page of advocacy and start a new chapter.

Prayer: Thank you, God, for mentors and pastors that say what I need to hear whether they knew I needed to hear it at that moment or not. 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.

Those Who Serve Others

Eastertide

May 3, 2022

Scripture Reading: Acts 9:36-43

Now in Joppa there was a disciple whose name was Tabitha, which in Greek is Dorcas. She was devoted to good works and acts of charity. At that time she became ill and died. When they had washed her, they laid her in a room upstairs. Since Lydda was near Joppa, the disciples, who heard that Peter was there, sent two men to him with the request, ‘Please come to us without delay.’ So Peter got up and went with them; and when he arrived, they took him to the room upstairs. All the widows stood beside him, weeping and showing tunics and other clothing that Dorcas had made while she was with them. Peter put all of them outside, and then he knelt down and prayed. He turned to the body and said, ‘Tabitha, get up.’ Then she opened her eyes, and seeing Peter, she sat up. He gave her his hand and helped her up. Then calling the saints and widows, he showed her to be alive. This became known throughout Joppa, and many believed in the Lord. Meanwhile he stayed in Joppa for some time with a certain Simon, a tanner.

One of the beautiful things about Christ-followers is we never work alone. Of course, we are blest with the constant presence of the Holy Spirit, but when needed someone like Simon, the tanner is there to support the work of the Lord. Indeed, Tabitha was also just that sort of person. We are all uniquely blest with special talents and each of our contributions is necessary and important.

I have been exceedingly busy for a few weeks dealing with planned work and unplanned interruptions. I got a new printer a few weeks ago but have not had time to set it up. My old printer can still produce copies of single sheets of regular paper but that is about it. When I tried to hook up the new printer, I got a message that it did not come with a print head. That made no sense to me, but I did not have time to mess with it. I had to get 200 copies of a very important flyer printed by the next morning. I took a deep breath, calmed down, and drove to the nearby Office Depot where a wonderful young woman was my Tabitha for the day. She completed the print job in 15 minutes. I came home, got a good night’s sleep, and handed out my flyers with joy the next day.

Prayer: Lord, thank you for all the Tabithas and Simons who serve very important roles as we work as one in Christ toward the fruition of the Kingdom of God 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.

Do We Care enough to Change?

Eastertide

May 2, 2022

Scripture Reading: Acts 9:36-43

Now in Joppa there was a disciple whose name was Tabitha, which in Greek is Dorcas. She was devoted to good works and acts of charity. At that time she became ill and died. When they had washed her, they laid her in a room upstairs. Since Lydda was near Joppa, the disciples, who heard that Peter was there, sent two men to him with the request, ‘Please come to us without delay.’ So Peter got up and went with them; and when he arrived, they took him to the room upstairs. All the widows stood beside him, weeping and showing tunics and other clothing that Dorcas had made while she was with them. Peter put all of them outside, and then he knelt down and prayed. He turned to the body and said, ‘Tabitha, get up.’ Then she opened her eyes, and seeing Peter, she sat up. He gave her his hand and helped her up. Then calling the saints and widows, he showed her to be alive. This became known throughout Joppa, and many believed in the Lord. Meanwhile he stayed in Joppa for some time with a certain Simon, a tanner.

I wish helping others were always that easy.  This story was memorial enough to be shared with all of us, giving us hope and reminding us that God is God and we never face alone the principalities and powers described in Ephesians 3:10 as translated in the King James Version. Trying to help an individual can be a challenge, changing the systemic causes of the problems we try to address is frustrating, hard work bringing together diverse people with varying backgrounds to break down the barriers that prevent positive life situations for everyone.

We spend far more on health care in the USA than any other nation in the world. Health spending per person in the U.S. was $11,945 in 2020, which was over $4,000 more expensive than any other high-income nation. The average amount spent on health per person in comparable countries ($5,736) is roughly half that of the U.S.1Of the 10 other nations that are most like the U.S., The U.S. ranks last overall on the health care outcomes domain2.

Poverty is a leading cause of health problems. Yet we do little to address the fact that 43 % of the people in the U.S. and 52% of children are poor or low-income3. Greed is the primary cause of poverty. Our health care system is an excellent example of greed at work where layers of profit are weaved through every aspect of health care. The cost of insulin is just one example. In 2018, the same amount of insulin that cost $98.70 in the U.S.  cost $21.48 in Chili the next highest priced insulin4.

We need a moral revival in the U.S. to combat the greed that is killing our country.

Prayer: Lord, forgive us for keeping our heads in the sand as those principalities and powers define who we are. Give us the courage to give up greed. Amen.

*https://www.healthsystemtracker.org/chart-collection/health-spending-u-s-compare-countries-2/#Per%20capita%20health%20consumption%20expenditures,%20U.S.%20dollars,%20PPP%20adjusted,%202019%20and%202020%C2%A0

2. https://www.commonwealthfund.org/publications/fund-reports/2021/aug/mirror-mirror-2021-reflecting-poorly

3. https://www.poorpeoplescampaign.org/140-million-maps/

4. https://worldpopulationreview.com/country-rankings/cost-of-insulin-by-country

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 Like Jesus

Eastertide

May 1, 2022

Scripture Reading: John 21:1-19

When they had finished breakfast, Jesus said to Simon Peter, ‘Simon son of John, do you love me more than these?’ He said to him, ‘Yes, Lord; you know that I love you.’ Jesus said to him, ‘Feed my lambs.’ A second time he said to him, ‘Simon son of John, do you love me?’ He said to him, ‘Yes, Lord; you know that I love you.’ Jesus said to him, ‘Tend my sheep.’ He said to him the third time, ‘Simon son of John, do you love me?’ Peter felt hurt because he said to him the third time, ‘Do you love me?’ And he said to him, ‘Lord, you know everything; you know that I love you.’ Jesus said to him, ‘Feed my sheep. Very truly, I tell you, when you were younger, you used to fasten your own belt and to go wherever you wished. But when you grow old, you will stretch out your hands, and someone else will fasten a belt around you and take you where you do not wish to go.’ (He said this to indicate the kind of death by which he would glorify God.) After this he said to him, ‘Follow me.’ –John 21:15-19

The dialogue between Peter is one we all must have with Jesus Christ. The first time Jesus asked Peter the question do you love me Jesus is using the Greek word, agapas, which is translated here as the English word love. Peter responds with the Greek word, philō, which is also translated in English as love. Jesus then commands Peter to feed Jesus’s lambs.  The same translations are recorded the second time Jesus asked the question, and Jesus commands Peter to Shepherd Jesus’s sheep. The third time Jesus asked the question using the word, phileis, which is a derivative of philō, but expresses something closer to Do you dearly love me, perhaps suggesting what we often imply about philō* the love of siblings.

I am not a Greek translator of any sort, but I do not think the varied use of the Greek words for love was not an accident. Jesus asked as the son of God for Peter to love all God’s children if they love the Lamb of God who died on the cross. That love carries over to assuming the assignment of Shepherding God’s children, taking on Jesus’s work in our world today.  As we serve in the name of Jesus Christ, in answering his call to be one and love all, we are likened as a sibling to him.

You may read it with another emphasis, but I think the questions were asked to all of Jesus’s disciples Including us. Please note, that all the instructions involved active caring for one another, all one another(s).

Prayer: Lord, help us demonstrate with our lives our love for you. Guide our service. Amen.

See https://biblehub.com/interlinear/john/21-17.htm for the source of all Greek words quoted.

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.