Author Archives: WOJ@deborahsdescendants.com

Peace

Advent

December 20, 2021

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.

They have treated the wound of my people carelessly,
   saying, ‘Peace, peace’,
   when there is no peace. –Jeremiah 6:14

When we think of the word “peace,” we often consider the lack of war or perhaps peace of mind. The terms used above in Isaiah and Jeremiah’s quotes are translations of the Hebrew word “Shalom*” and have a broader meaning, including completeness, soundness, welfare, (plus) peace*. Recently, we have experienced the withdrawal from a war in Afghanistan that lasted for 20 years and continues today, although our nation is not in the fighting.  Yet, we are experiencing little peace as we deal with violence of all kinds and miss the joy of peace of mind. How do we withdraw from the battles of who is right and wrong and who owns God?

As we approach the celebration of the coming of the Christ child, let us take some time to restore our souls with love that poured forth from God at the birth of a child, an innocent entering a world that was just as messed up as we are now. He, however, brought with him and taught us the ways of shalom, if we are willing to give up those things that divide us and follow the path that Christ set before us.

Prayer: God of Love and Mercy, forgive us when we let the world distract us and lead us off the path you carved for us. Draw us back to the road you set before us, Amen.

*https://biblehub.com/hebrew/7965.htm

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.

Love is a Choice

Advent

December 19, 2021

Scripture Reading: John 1:1-14

In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God, and the Word was God. He was in the beginning with God. All things came into being through him, and without him not one thing came into being. What has come into being in him was life, and the life was the light of all people. The light shines in the darkness, and the darkness did not overcome it.

There was a man sent from God, whose name was John. He came as a witness to testify to the light, so that all might believe through him. He himself was not the light, but he came to testify to the light. The true light, which enlightens everyone, was coming into the world.

He was in the world, and the world came into being through him; yet the world did not know him. He came to what was his own, and his own people did not accept him. But to all who received him, who believed in his name, he gave power to become children of God, who were born, not of blood or of the will of the flesh or of the will of man, but of God.

And the Word became flesh and lived among us, and we have seen his glory, the glory as of a father’s only son, full of grace and truth.

What does it mean to be born of God? The stories of Jesus’s birth relate the great mystery of one born of God, assumed to be a king. Jesus was born into a world full of gods of all types and purposes. The Roman kings of the first century all claim to be divine. Jesus’s being proclaimed as the Son of God was not unusual in that time and place. The unexpected element of Jesus’s ministry was having been given the power to make everyone children of God.

John reminds us that Jesus was with God at the beginning of the world when all humans were created in God’s image. John then tells us that God wants humans to choose to accept and love God. I do not believe it is possible to make anyone love someone else. Love does not love unless it comes from the heart and soul of the lover. The whole idea of free will is tied to that concept. We often interpret free will as the right to sin or not. I think John may be viewing the free will that God grants us as the right to love God by choice. What accompanies the choice to love God is the commitment and empowerment to love others as we love God. Indeed, separation from God exists when we choose not to love God, and all types of folly can follow. We are experiencing that in our world today.

Prayer: Creator God, You designed a world that functions at its most excellent efficiency when love rules, help us let go of anything that distracts us from living 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.

Immersed in God’s Ways

Advent

December 18, 2021

Scripture Reading: John 1:1-14

In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God, and the Word was God. He was in the beginning with God. All things came into being through him, and without him not one thing came into being. What has come into being in him was life, and the life was the light of all people. The light shines in the darkness, and the darkness did not overcome it.

There was a man sent from God, whose name was John. He came as a witness to testify to the light, so that all might believe through him. He himself was not the light, but he came to testify to the light. The true light, which enlightens everyone, was coming into the world.

He was in the world, and the world came into being through him; yet the world did not know him. He came to what was his own, and his own people did not accept him. But to all who received him, who believed in his name, he gave power to become children of God, who were born, not of blood or of the will of the flesh or of the will of man, but of God.

And the Word became flesh and lived among us, and we have seen his glory, the glory as of a father’s only son, full of grace and truth.

We are each a combination of our genetics, life experiences, cultural influences, as was Jesus when he came to dwell among us. The Scripture above describes his beginning present at the creation of the world. The book of John delves into the mystery, might, and majesty of Jesus, the Christ. Matthew, Mark, and Luke shared more about his human experiences and dwelling with other humans. Star Trek may have borrowed from those scenarios when it had a series of shows that place the ominous Q in the experience of being a human without his supernatural powers. It was very tough for him. His reactions were more like those of Moses, raised in the Pharaoh’s palace when he struggled to accept his identity as an Israelite, having been raised as a royal. He killed a man and ran for his life. Moses spent some time as a shepherd trying to find himself until he found the burning bush. Jesus had the advantage of being born and raised in human form. He knew what it meant to work hard and perhaps be hungry. He knew who held power and who did not. Jesus’s trip to the wilderness with John the Baptist was designed to immerse him into life as the Son of God.

During Advent, let us consider how well our humanness meshes with our faith. Does our genetics, culture, or life experiences define our faith, or have we immersed ourselves in the ways of the living God? One of the greatest gifts God gave us was a baby born in a manger who, from the beginning, knew personally the struggles we face, who taught us how to love one another because of or despite our genetics, life experiences, and cultural influences.

Prayer: God of Grace, we thank you for the gift of your Son, our Savior, Jesus Christ. Open our hearts and minds to life as he taught 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.

Sanctified

Advent

December 17, 2021

Scripture Reading: Hebrews 10:5-10

Consequently, when Christ came into the world, he said,
‘Sacrifices and offerings you have not desired,
   but a body you have prepared for me;
in burnt-offerings and sin-offerings
   you have taken no pleasure.
Then I said, “See, God, I have come to do your will, O God”
   (in the scroll of the book it is written of me).’
When he said above, ‘You have neither desired nor taken pleasure in sacrifices and offerings and burnt-offerings and sin-offerings’ (these are offered according to the law), then he added, ‘See, I have come to do your will.’ He abolishes the first in order to establish the second. And it is by God’s will that we have been sanctified through the offering of the body of Jesus Christ once for all.

The definition of the word sanctify has two meanings* that I believe are inseparable.

a: made holy: made free of sin or free from the bondage of sin

b: set apart to sacred duty or use

Hebrews tells us that we have been made holy through the offering of the body of Jesus Christ once for all.

I grew up when the phrase, once saved always saved, was in vogue. I had never heard that phrase before I went to church camp with my best friend one summer. My family attended a different denomination church than hers did, although I did not know what a denomination was at the time. I, never having enough sense to keep my mouth shut, disagreed with the teacher when she expressed that tenet of faith in class. I said something to the effect that we also had to follow Jesus once we were saved. If we did not, we had to ask for forgiveness. I do not think a student had ever disagreed with her before.  She called my mother and recommended that she chat with me not only about my misled beliefs but also about my disrespect for authority. My mother did ask me if I had been polite and stressed that I always should be. She suggested that the next time something like that happened; I might not want to make a big deal because people did have different ways of expressing themselves.  Mom did not think the teacher meant we no longer had to ask for forgiveness.

I do not consider myself an expert on the absolutes of salvation, but I still understand Jesus’s teachings as saying if you do not live it, you do not believe it.

Prayer: Lord, forgive us when we stray from the path you have set before us, and for folks like me, put a guard over our mouths** as we try to live our faith. Let the words of our mouths and the meditations of our hearts be acceptable to you***. Amen.

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

**Psalm 141:3

***Psalm 19:14

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 Grace

Advent

December 16, 2021

Scripture Reading: Hebrews 10:5-10

Consequently, when Christ came into the world, he said,
‘Sacrifices and offerings you have not desired,
   but a body you have prepared for me;
in burnt-offerings and sin-offerings
   you have taken no pleasure.
Then I said, “See, God, I have come to do your will, O God”
   (in the scroll of the book it is written of me).’
When he said above, ‘You have neither desired nor taken pleasure in sacrifices and offerings and burnt-offerings and sin-offerings’ (these are offered according to the law), then he added, ‘See, I have come to do your will.’ He abolishes the first in order to establish the second. And it is by God’s will that we have been sanctified through the offering of the body of Jesus Christ once for all.

Civilization from its inception seemed to intuitively understand that there was something more powerful than individuals and even clusters of people, so they identified gods for all occasions.  Our ancestors in faith were among the first to recognize that there was one supreme God who created them and set the ways for them to live successfully. Yet, they struggled to know God more nearly as they discerned their imperfections in following God’s ways and sought a means to rectify their failure by offering what was of value to them. Eventually, the prophets helped them understand that they were valuable to God. God did not want their perfect sheep or even a turtle dove. God wants loving relationships with each and all of God’s children, and among them, in a world, God created to meet their every need. He made that clear in accepting the utmost offering of Jesus in his death on the cross.

Once we learn that we cannot buy God’s grace, that it is a gift, we are forced to deal with living a life of loving God and loving others in times when we may not want to love some of those others at all. God indicates, however, that the best way to show our love for God is to love all others just as they are. People we encounter who, in our opinion, are harming themselves and others need even more of our love. I do not think we can individually change anyone, but we can plant seeds to open their minds to new ideas and their hearts to receiving love by walking beside them as we all grow toward the perfection Paul describes in his writings. The hard part for us is that we must follow Jesus’s instruction in Luke 6:42, how can you say to your neighbor, “Friend, let me take out the speck in your eye”, when you yourself do not see the log in your own eye? You hypocrite, first take the log out of your own eye, and then you will see clearly to take the speck out of your neighbor’s eye.

Prayer: Lord, forgive me when I am more self-righteous than righteous. Help me to see the image of God in each of my brothers and sisters in Christ. 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.

Living Love

Advent

December 15, 2021

Scripture Reading: Luke 1:39-45

In those days Mary set out and went with haste to a Judean town in the hill country, where she entered the house of Zechariah and greeted Elizabeth. When Elizabeth heard Mary’s greeting, the child leapt in her womb. And Elizabeth was filled with the Holy Spirit and exclaimed with a loud cry, ‘Blessed are you among women, and blessed is the fruit of your womb. And why has this happened to me, that the mother of my Lord comes to me? For as soon as I heard the sound of your greeting, the child in my womb leapt for joy. And blessed is she who believed that there would be a fulfilment of what was spoken to her by the Lord.’

Isn’t it wonderful to have someone we can go to whenever we need comfort or help or just some time to think? Elizabeth was such a person for Mary. She had to travel a long way to get from Nazareth in Galilee to a Judean town in the hill country. I wonder if she went by herself, did her family know she was going? Did Joseph? If we read between the lines, I think we find a lot more to Mary, mother, meek, and mild than we give her credit. I guess Charles Wesley saw the same grit in Mary’s son as Charles Wesley wrote the hymn Gentle Jesus, meek and mild, Look upon a little child**.

We, too, as Disciples of Christ, are called to be there for others when they need us and make difficult decisions in times like these. I am thankful that the gospels’ authors shared the disputes among the twelve disciples when Jesus was in their midst. So many of us today, during the holiday season, are skirting around family members and friends who interpret their faith differently than we do. In times like these, we need to seek common ground for the common good. It will make for a better Christmas dinner.

Prayer: Lord, help us let go of the things that divide and take hold of the things that will bring love into every room. Amen.

 *See the song at https://www.hymnsandcarolsofchristmas.com/Hymns_and_Carols/mary_mother_meek_and_mild.htm

**See at https://hymnary.org/text/gentle_jesus_meek_and_mild_look_upon

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.

Called to Love

Advent

December 14, 2021

Scripture Reading: Psalm 80:1-7

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.

I did not live through the depression or World War II, and I was too young to remember much about the Korean War. I do remember sitting under my desk at school as practice in case a nuclear bomb struck us and watching the aftermath of the assassination of President Kennedy. I lived just a few blocks from the predominately black part of town in college. I remember well the sounds of guns, Molotov cocktails, and fire truck sirens all night after Martin Luther King Jr. was assassinated. I learned later those participants were shooting in the air and destroying trash cans and other containers in their neighborhood in frustration, anger, fear, and hopelessness. Here we are still. Does it ever end? We are a nation divided. I easily can imagine God being angry that we still do not recognize that love is always better than hate, and the love displaced on greed and power is the same as hate. What are we teaching our children? This cycle must stop with us.

Prayer: Restore us, O God of hosts; let your face shine, that we may be saved. 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.

Forever Together

Advent

December 13, 2021

Scripture Reading: Micah 5:2-5a

But you, O Bethlehem of Ephrathah,
   who are one of the little clans of Judah,
from you shall come forth for me
   one who is to rule in Israel,
whose origin is from of old,
   from ancient days.
Therefore he shall give them up until the time
   when she who is in labor has brought forth;
then the rest of his kindred shall return
   to the people of Israel.
And he shall stand and feed his flock in the strength of the Lord,
   in the majesty of the name of the Lord his God.
And they shall live secure, for now he shall be great
   to the ends of the earth;
and he shall be the one of peace.

Keeping a relationship with the One Supreme God is necessary to meet basic needs, live securely in the world, and be at peace. As described by Micah in the above Scripture, the manifestation of the one to come will lead all God’s people in forming such a relationship. However, problems arise throughout the history of God when people become distracted and led away from the ways of God. Our greatest temptation as we reach places of comfort and abundance is no longer to feel the need for such a relationship. It is the story of the self-made billionaire. None of us were self-made; none of us pulled ourselves up from our bootstraps. Where did the boots come from in the first place? God created all people and endowed them with skills and talents nourished along the way by a hug, an example, or a cup of water. Most of us were blest with various mentors and enablers along the way. And yes, many of us put in long hours of hard work to succeed. God created us for a purpose. From everyone to whom much has been given, much will be required; and from one to whom much has been entrusted, even more will be demanded. (Luke 12:48)

We, as Christ-followers, now identify the one the prophet foretold as Jesus, who came to us as an infant, was nurtured by loving parents, and grew into the one who paved the road for us to follow toward forming a sustaining relationship with the One Supreme God. We call him by many names; one is God with Us.

Prayer: Lord of all, forgive us when we think we no longer need to be in a relationship with you. As we move closer and closer to celebrating the birth of God with Us, kindle in us the fire of your love forever. 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.

Moral Citizens

Advent

December 12, 2021

And the crowds asked him, ‘What then should we do?’ In reply he said to them, ‘Whoever has two coats must share with anyone who has none; and whoever has food must do likewise.’ Even tax-collectors came to be baptized, and they asked him, ‘Teacher, what should we do?’ He said to them, ‘Collect no more than the amount prescribed for you.’ Soldiers also asked him, ‘And we, what should we do?’ He said to them, ‘Do not extort money from anyone by threats or false accusation, and be satisfied with your wages.’ –Luke 3:10-14

I found it somewhat ironic that this Scripture with the phrase ‘Collect no more than the amount prescribed for you.’ was part of the liturgy for this week. Congress is considering the Build Back Better Bill; It includes a provision that the federal government will Impose a tax penalty if drug companies increase their prices faster than inflation*. While I am a strong supporter of the separation of church and state, we have a voice in our government’s being moral, being just. What Jesus is outlining in the above Scripture is the simple act of being righteous and just in all we do.

We live in a democracy that requires all citizens’ input and a concerted effort to find common ground for the common good among the diversity of opinions in our country. The word moral as it applies to governance means considering something having the qualities of right and wrong action being governed by a sense of right**. Unfortunately, we are in danger of being overtaken by oligarchs who believe theirs is the only right way to do anything and gain their decision-making control by buying our elected officials***. Such wealth allows our representatives to venture far afield from what is right for the constituents they serve. The oligarchs do not need to invest in the whole Congress or State Legislature. They just need to control enough to divide and conquer lawmaking. In a democracy, we, the people, are the only ones who can stop it.

Prayer: Lord, guide us in being good, moral, and just in our role as citizens. Amen.

*https://www.whitehouse.gov/build-back-better/

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

***On January 21, 2010, the Supreme Court ruled in Citizens United v. Federal Election Commission, that corporations and other outside groups could spend unlimited funds on elections.

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.

Bearing Fruit

Advent

December 11, 2021

Scripture Reading: Luke 3:7-18

John said to the crowds that came out to be baptized by him, ‘You brood of vipers! Who warned you to flee from the wrath to come? Bear fruits worthy of repentance. Do not begin to say to yourselves, “We have Abraham as our ancestor”; for I tell you, God is able from these stones to raise up children to Abraham. Even now the axe is lying at the root of the trees; every tree therefore that does not bear good fruit is cut down and thrown into the fire.’ –Luke 3:7-9

What happens after baptism? Baptism, for many of us, was a rite of passage. Some were baptized when their parents brought them forward in church shortly after birth, and they reconfirmed that when they were older. Others viewed baptism as publicly professing faith that Jesus was the Christ and accepting him as our Savior. Some became adults before making that commitment. Those coming to John for baptism did so in the hope of the prophesied Messiah, God’s anointed one coming to make all things right. John spells out our role in complementing the Messiah when he instructs those being baptized and those of us who now follow the Christ when he led them and us to bear fruits worthy of repentance.

If setting things right is the role of the Messiah, we are the workers called to take his love and ways throughout the world. How are we doing at that? Do we rest on our laurels because we confessed faith in Jesus, the Christ? As Luke suggests, John’s audience may think they have nothing left to do because they are Abraham’s descendants. We say we are baptized believers. In developing our ways of being, have we retained Jesus’s way of loving and shaping communities of love? Or are we moving further and further away from God’s righteousness and justice as we advertise a faith of our creation?

Advent is the time to evaluate our commitment to Christ’s ways to determine if we are bearing fruits worth repentance. What changes must we make to come into alignment with God’s righteousness and justice? What steps will we take to implement those changes?

Prayer: Lord, as we move closer and closer to your coming as God with Us let us also grow closer to your 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.