Author Archives: WOJ@deborahsdescendants.com

Enemies to Friends

Ordinary Time

February 19, 2022

Scripture Reading:
Luke 6:27-38

‘But I say to you that listen, Love your enemies, do good to those who hate you, bless those who curse you, pray for those who abuse you. If anyone strikes you on the cheek, offer the other also; and from anyone who takes away your coat do not withhold even your shirt. Give to everyone who begs from you; and if anyone takes away your goods, do not ask for them again. Do to others as you would have them do to you. –Luke 6:27-31

I wrote about this scripture last week. I do not know if I recorded the same scripture in two different places or if the creators of the lectionary thought it so important it listed it twice. The scripture is crucial to living as Christ wishes us to live.

What is an enemy and who are our enemies?

Strong’s Concordance describes the word enemy used in this scripture as properly, an enemy; someone openly hostile (at enmity), animated by deep-seated hatred. implies irreconcilable hostility, proceeding out of a “personal” hatred bent on inflicting harm*.

I must say I do not think of others as enemies. Only a few times in my life have I ever felt threatened by anyone who intended me physical harm. Enemies in my world are generally people who feel I am in their way toward attaining an outcome they desire. Isn’t that the purpose of most people we tag with the title enemy? Years ago, a child was brought to the Children’s hospital where I work from her school in severe pain which was quickly diagnosed as acute appendicitis. The school had been unable to contact her mother as she had no phone. Her mother lived in a sordid, dangerous place dubbed Sandtown by locals who avoided it like the plague. I was tasked to go find the girl’s mother and bring her back to the hospital. Having just moved to Oklahoma City, I had no idea where or what Sandtown was. I got the address and when I turned down the street, I needed to travel to reach the mother’s home, I was stopped by rough-looking men who rocked the front of my car demanding to know what I was doing in their community. I told them what my mission was, and they lowered their voices giving me direction to the mother’s house. I found the mother and as we drove by that welcoming committee on our way to the hospital, they waved us on wishing us well.

I am not sure most of us know what drives our desires. Vicious dogs often have been routinely beaten. Most people long for acceptance not knowing what in their lives made them feel unaccepted. Others know only too well why they are mistreated. As Christ-followers we are called to love one another even those who do not love themselves or us. When I got back to the hospital people were stunned that I even went there without a police escort. If i had known what it was, I am not sure I would have gone, but I am glad I did.

Sun Tzu is credited with the phrase “Keep your friends close; keep your enemies closer.” He was an ancient Chinese general.  His works focus much more on alternatives to battle, such as stratagem, delay, the use of spies and alternatives to war itself, the making and keeping of alliances, the uses of deceit, and a willingness to submit, at least temporarily, to more powerful foes**  I am not sure I agree with all his strategies, but I like the idea of working at making friends of our enemies.

Prayer: Lord, show us ways to heal our relationships with those who struggle against us. Amen.

* https://biblehub.com/greek/2190.htm

**https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Sun_Tzu

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

Dealing with Distractions

Ordinary Time

February 18, 2022

Scripture Reading:
1 Corinthians 15:35-38, 42-50

So it is with the resurrection of the dead. What is sown is perishable, what is raised is imperishable. It is sown in dishonor, it is raised in glory. It is sown in weakness, it is raised in power. It is sown a physical body, it is raised a spiritual body. If there is a physical body, there is also a spiritual body. Thus it is written, ‘The first man, Adam, became a living being’; the last Adam became a life-giving spirit. But it is not the spiritual that is first, but the physical, and then the spiritual. The first man was from the earth, a man of dust; the second man is from heaven. As was the man of dust, so are those who are of the dust; and as is the man of heaven, so are those who are of heaven. Just as we have borne the image of the man of dust, we will also bear the image of the man of heaven.

What I am saying, brothers and sisters, is this: flesh and blood cannot inherit the kingdom of God, nor does the perishable inherit the imperishable.

The ability to dispel fear is one of the greatest attributes needed in our world today and Paul gives it his best shot in 1 Corinthians 15. I could not help, as I read this, to think how much energy we burn every day over things of little consequence of which we often have no control while overlooking the world in front of us where we see many wrongs we do have the ability to right but are not willing to make the investment of time and energy necessary to make the changes needed,  and are very hard to actualize. We have needed to rewrite the statutes and policies that control immigration for decades. Three differing issues must be addressed: What is our stand on caring for refugees, who do we want to welcome as persons wanting to and how do we process workers who want to retain their current citizenship but what to work here and not become a citizen. Policies on each should be relatively easy to develop and implement. The rules are not the problem, our prejudices and greed are. One segment of our society very much wants the undocumented to work for them for they can pay them below minimum wage and not provide the benefits required by our government. That is neither fair to US citizens who need jobs nor to the undocumented who need adequate incomes to live.

That is just one example, there are many others. We will never be able to rewrite the out-of-date statutes and rules until we the people reexamine our understanding of what it means to welcome the stranger. Instead of doing the soul searching necessary to understand that concept, we build walls, real and imaginary, to protect ourselves from having to face the real issues. We cannot serve God and wealth* both.

Prayer: Lord, enable us to see the fruits that come with welcoming the stranger. Amen.

*See Matthew 6:24

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.

Faith

Ordinary Time

February 17, 2022

Scripture Reading:
1 Corinthians 15:35-38

But someone will ask, ‘How are the dead raised? With what kind of body do they come?’ Fool! What you sow does not come to life unless it dies. And as for what you sow, you do not sow the body that is to be, but a bare seed, perhaps of wheat or of some other grain. But God gives it a body as he has chosen, and to each kind of seed its own body.

I once was sitting beside a good friend at the funeral of another friend’s father. My friend was born for triple X clothing. She was attractive and wore her size well. The service had been too long while the presiding minister preached modern day hell, fire, and damnation. He suddenly slammed his hand down on the pulpit and declared that the man in the casket below him would one day rise out of that casket and his soul and body would be reunited. My triple X friend whispered just loud enough for me and the friend on the other side to hear, “But I wanted a new one.” I do not think I ever forgave her for making me laugh out loud at a funeral. I quickly turned it into a cough.

I remembered this event when I read that Paul called the people fools who inquired what kind of body they would have when they are raised from the dead. Faith is a difficult thing for some to fathom. They want absolutes and guarantees. Hebrews 11:1 states it well, Now faith is the assurance of things hoped for, the conviction of things not seen. We certainly hope to spend eternity with God, but we must attend to our serving the Lord here on earth today and trust eternity to God.

Prayer: Lord, thank you for being tolerant of our human foibles as we grow in wisdom and strength in your service.  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.

Send Me

Ordinary Time

February 16, 2022

Scripture Reading:
Psalm 37:1-11, 39-40

Do not fret because of the wicked;
   do not be envious of wrongdoers,
for they will soon fade like the grass,
   and wither like the green herb.

Trust in the Lord, and do good;
   so you will live in the land, and enjoy security.
Take delight in the Lord,
   and he will give you the desires of your heart.

Commit your way to the Lord;
   trust in him, and he will act.
He will make your vindication shine like the light,
   and the justice of your cause like the noonday.

Be still before the Lord, and wait patiently for him;
   do not fret over those who prosper in their way,
   over those who carry out evil devices.

Refrain from anger, and forsake wrath.
   Do not fret—it leads only to evil.
For the wicked shall be cut off,
   but those who wait for the Lord shall inherit the land.

Yet a little while, and the wicked will be no more;
   though you look diligently for their place, they will not be there.
But the meek shall inherit the land,
   and delight in abundant prosperity.

The salvation of the righteous is from the Lord;
   he is their refuge in the time of trouble.
The Lord helps them and rescues them;
   he rescues them from the wicked, and saves them,
   because they take refuge in him.

I usually do not quote some longer scriptures like the one above. Rather I pick out the key verses that catch my attention. This morning as I read this scripture, I thought the whole world needs to read this as we seem caught in the chaos of fear and anger regarding the COVID pandemic, warmongers rattling their swords, greed, and lust for power running amok, and people, in general, trying to make sense of our changing world. Indeed, I believe we are at a crossroads of either getting stuck in our own mud and floundering or turning to God and saying Here am I send me with the same trembling voice of Isaiah as God calls us to partner with God to bring about the fruition of God’s Kingdom on this earth. Let it be so.

Prayer: Lord, free us from whatever holds up back from answering your call to service. Guide us through these troubled seas and bring us safely to your promised kingdom. 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.

Resting on our Laurels

Ordinary Time

February 15, 2022

Scripture Reading: Genesis 45:3-11, 15

So it was not you who sent me here, but God; he has made me a father to Pharaoh, and lord of all his house and ruler over all the land of Egypt. Hurry and go up to my father and say to him, “Thus says your son Joseph, God has made me lord of all Egypt; come down to me, do not delay. You shall settle in the land of Goshen, and you shall be near me, you and your children and your children’s children, as well as your flocks, your herds, and all that you have. I will provide for you there—since there are five more years of famine to come—so that you and your household, and all that you have, will not come to poverty.” And he kissed all his brothers and wept upon them; and after that his brothers talked with him. –Genesis 45:8-11, 15

And Joseph delivered all that he promised to the family of Jacob, renamed Israel, Joseph’s family. Exodus 12:40–41 tells us that the Israelites remained in Egypt for 430 years before the Exodus. We do not know exactly when they were forced into slavery. Exodus 1:8 describes that a new Pharoah who did not know Joseph came to power and that was the beginning of the end of their freedom.  One of the lessons of the Exodus is that we cannot rest on our laurels—get lazy or complacent about what we can achieve because we are too busy basking in the memories of former glories. Wealthy empires like Rome generally realized that too late to save themselves. The USA teeters on the edge of such privilege where greed and lust for power blind us from our highest principles.

While we can appreciate what our ancestors accomplished, we should also learn from their mistakes and strive to plan for a better future for our descendants. We cannot rest on our laurels and work toward a world ruled by love at the same time.

Prayer: Lord, grant us the courage to step out in faith and restore our nation to finding common ground for the Common Good. 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.

Let Love Abound

Ordinary Time

February 14, 2022

Scripture Reading:
Genesis 45:3-11, 15

Joseph said to his brothers, ‘I am Joseph. Is my father still alive?’ But his brothers could not answer him, so dismayed were they at his presence.

Then Joseph said to his brothers, ‘Come closer to me.’ And they came closer. He said, ‘I am your brother Joseph, whom you sold into Egypt. And now do not be distressed, or angry with yourselves, because you sold me here; for God sent me before you to preserve life. For the famine has been in the land these two years; and there are five more years in which there will be neither ploughing nor harvest. God sent me before you to preserve for you a remnant on earth, and to keep alive for you many survivors. —Genesis 45:3-7

I cannot imagine what it might be like to have sold your brother into slavery only to find him years later as a leader in the government of a great nation. God wants the very best for all of God’s children including the ones with exceptional talents and the ones who are threatened by those abilities. Parents have a great challenge of guiding children to be the best that they can be while being understanding of people with differing skills. Everyone has talents and skills that are necessary for the fruition of a world ruled by love.

God enabled Joseph to not only become a ruler of Egypt but to also discern that would not have happened had he not faced the jealousy of his brothers who sold him into slavery.  He seemed thrilled to see them and was particularly concerned about his father.

I think Paul may have said it best in 1 Corinthians 13:4-7,  Love is patient; love is kind; love is not envious or boastful or arrogant or rude. It does not insist on its own way; it is not irritable or resentful; it does not rejoice in wrongdoing, but rejoices in the truth. It bears all things, believes all things, hopes all things, endures all things.

Prayer: Lord, grant us the patience love requires and the ability to grow in love. 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.

Intentional Living

Ordinary Time

February 13, 2022

Scripture Reading: Luke 6:27-38

‘Do not judge, and you will not be judged; do not condemn, and you will not be condemned. Forgive, and you will be forgiven; give, and it will be given to you. A good measure, pressed down, shaken together, running over, will be put into your lap; for the measure you give will be the measure you get back.’ –Luke 6:37-38

The container in which I store ground coffee holds exactly 12 ounces. It must be totally empty to hold the coffee from the pouch I pour into it. To make the transfer I must shake the receiving container at least once to press it down so the lid will close. I usually use that which might run over to make my next cup of coffee before I close the lid. I buy my coffee and other products from Equal Exchange*. My favorite is their Organic Mind, Body, and Soul Coffee. I thought of them when I read the last part of the above scripture. We do not realize the many ways we can help others just through the everyday activities of living. My buying Equal Exchange coffee provides me with a quality product I would buy anyway while enabling small farmers in third world nations to eke out a living, often when they otherwise could not compete with the corporate farms making much of the coffee we drink while their workers earn far below a living wage.

God calls us to be intentional about the way we invest our time, energy, and resources for the wellbeing of all people. Before COVID hit we sold at cost, Equal Exchange coffee, tea, chocolate, and olive oil at my church in support of this program. My hope is we will sell it again when we are able to return to full attendance at worship. In the meantime, we each can buy it online from home. It is a small thing, but we indeed do get a wonderful return for our efforts.

Praise God for the harvest of orchard and field,
praise God for the people who gather their yield,
the long hours of labor, the skills of a team,
the patience of science, the power of machine.

Praise God for the harvest that comes from afar,
from market and harbor, the sea and the shore:
foods packed and transported, and gathered and grown
by God-given neighbors, unseen and unknown**.

Prayer: Thank you Lord for farmers, near and far, who bless us with food for our bodies. Amen.

*To learn more about Equal Exchange go to https://equalexchange.coop/

**Verses one and two of PRAISE GOD FOR THE HARVEST OF ORCHARD AND FIELD by Brian Wren see at https://www.hopepublishing.com/find-hymns-hw/hw2711.aspx

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.

Expect Nothing

Ordinary Time

February 12, 2022

Scripture Reading: Luke 6:27-38

‘But I say to you that listen, Love your enemies, do good to those who hate you, bless those who curse you, pray for those who abuse you. If anyone strikes you on the cheek, offer the other also; and from anyone who takes away your coat do not withhold even your shirt. Give to everyone who begs from you; and if anyone takes away your goods, do not ask for them again. Do to others as you would have them do to you.

‘If you love those who love you, what credit is that to you? For even sinners love those who love them. If you do good to those who do good to you, what credit is that to you? For even sinners do the same. If you lend to those from whom you hope to receive, what credit is that to you? Even sinners lend to sinners, to receive as much again. But love your enemies, do good, and lend, expecting nothing in return. the wicked. Be merciful, just as your Father is merciful. –Luke 6:27-36

I do not recall when I started practicing the art of expecting nothing in return. It must have been somewhere in my childhood. The most positive thing about expecting nothing is when a positive response returns to you—an uncontrolled smile or a  reflexive hug—it becomes an unexpected blessing.

There is no way any of us can know everything that has happened in another’s history or even if they have a toothache that makes them behave the way they do. Others have the same problem when they consider why I do what I do or say what I say. I think God created very different people because a diversity of skills and talents are needed to maintain the world. Sometimes we need others to translate those differences to help create cohesion in the work we do. I grew up on a farm went to a very small rural school. Although I have lived in a city two-thirds of my life, I still understand the differing needs of people living in the country and those living in the city. I can become a translator between the two entities.

Jesus uses the language of the day like “enemies” to describe other people, but he is also saying that there are no enemies when love rules; there may be some people who do not understand that yet. We are called to translate that through our love.

Prayer: Help us to love others expecting nothing in return. 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 Lessons

Ordinary Time

February 11, 2022

Scripture Reading:
1 Corinthians 15:12-20

Now if Christ is proclaimed as raised from the dead, how can some of you say there is no resurrection of the dead? If there is no resurrection of the dead, then Christ has not been raised; and if Christ has not been raised, then our proclamation has been in vain and your faith has been in vain. We are even found to be misrepresenting God, because we testified of God that he raised Christ—whom he did not raise if it is true that the dead are not raised. For if the dead are not raised, then Christ has not been raised. If Christ has not been raised, your faith is futile and you are still in your sins. Then those also who have died in Christ have perished. If for this life only we have hoped in Christ, we are of all people most to be pitied.

I guess I cringe at scriptures like this because they have been misrepresented to make oppression holy. The great history of faith in Jesus Christ springing out of American slavery was formed in a time when slaves were taught to mind their masters well and their reward would come in heaven. Such theology runs through other caste systems including misogyny*. The miracle of God’s grace is that people came come out of oppression with an even deeper faith even though their oppressors tried to mislead them. God’s love transcends human distortions. Those of us who inherited our faith can too easily take it for granted and never take the time to delve into the depths of God’s love.

Paul was writing to the Christ-followers in his letter to the Corinthians who were apparently struggling with the idea that a dead person could come back to life.  This scripture nowhere says if one gives in to the powers-that-be they will inherit eternal life. He says not believing in Jesus’s resurrection separates one from God. The argument about the resurrection is a whole other theological discussion that has nothing to do with sanctifying oppression.

Prayer: Lord, forgive us when we twist words to salve our own sins. Thank you for your amazing grace that prospers your love in spite of human attempts to redefine it.  Amen.

*For more information on this, you might want to read Caste: The Origins of Our Discontents by Isabel Wilkerson, Robin Miles, et al.

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.

Death Has No Sting

Ordinary Time

February 10, 2022

Scripture Reading:
1 Corinthians 15:12-20

Now if Christ is proclaimed as raised from the dead, how can some of you say there is no resurrection of the dead? If there is no resurrection of the dead, then Christ has not been raised; and if Christ has not been raised, then our proclamation has been in vain and your faith has been in vain. We are even found to be misrepresenting God, because we testified of God that he raised Christ—whom he did not raise if it is true that the dead are not raised. For if the dead are not raised, then Christ has not been raised. If Christ has not been raised, your faith is futile and you are still in your sins. Then those also who have died in Christ have perished. If for this life only we have hoped in Christ, we are of all people most to be pitied.

But in fact Christ has been raised from the dead, the first fruits of those who have died.

I believe in a Supreme Being that is love and the source of all that is, I call God. I believe in the resurrection of Jesus, the Christ, who embodied the Supreme Being when he came to earth as a newborn, lived the life of a human, shared the love of God with all, was crucified on a cross, died and rose again. He breathed the Spirit of God on all his disciples as he has continued to do from that time forth. With the Spirits guidance Jesus commissioned us to take the love of God throughout our world and use it as the springboard for the wellbeing of the world God created and all that is within it.

That said, I have no clue what happens after our death. Of this I am sure, I will spend eternity with God and that is all I need to know. Thus, scriptures like the one above perplex me, and, yet, I know others for whom such scriptures speak much comfort. I do not love God in real time only for the promise of something better to come. I hope I share God’s love for the sake of its value for myself and others rather than building my faith resume’.  I do believe that to whom much is given much will be required (Luke 12:48). God wants all of us to be fully what God created us to be and God never measures our outcomes against others.

Prayer: Lord, we are in chaos as we stumble through the world’s temptations and try to make sense out of what is of you and what is not. We thank you for your abiding presence and asked that you restore and help us retain our recognition of it and not be mislead by false prophets. 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.