Author Archives: WOJ@deborahsdescendants.com

Happy or Blessed

Living in the Spirit

October 27, 2021

Scripture Reading: Psalm 119:1-8

Happy are those whose way is blameless,
   who walk in the law of the Lord.
Happy are those who keep his decrees,
   who seek him with their whole heart,
who also do no wrong,
   but walk in his ways.
You have commanded your precepts
   to be kept diligently.
O that my ways may be steadfast
   in keeping your statutes!
Then I shall not be put to shame,
   having my eyes fixed on all your commandments.
I will praise you with an upright heart,
   when I learn your righteous ordinances.
I will observe your statutes;
   do not utterly forsake me.

I just discovered that I did not know what the word “happy” means. When I read the first line of the above scripture, Happy are those whose way is blameless, my mind immediately flashed to the plight of Julius Jones, a prisoner on death row awaiting execution. There are many questions about his guilt in the murder of a man. In my opinion, there exist too many unanswered issues to execute him, but a jury disagreed, as have the appeals courts. Much information has evolved since the trial that was not available for the jury to consider. A very compelling case could be made that he was innocent. However, if he is blameless, I doubt that he would use my definition of the word “happy” to describe his state of being.

Merriam-Webster defines happy as:

  1. favored by luck or fortune
  2. notably well adapted or fitting, markedly effective
  3. having the feeling arising from the consciousness of well-being*

Strong’s Concordance uses blessed as a near-synonym**. Other Biblical translations use blessed instead of happy, which perhaps suggests a relationship with God. He was 19 years old when the crime was committed and was sentenced to death in 2002. He could have quit feeling a long time ago.

I think definition number three fits Julius Jones’s situation. One attains a sense of well-being when one is right with God, no matter what others think. I know nothing about his faith, but I pray he has found that sense of well-being that comes from a relationship with God. I also pray that, as a government, we seek restorative justice for all in all situations.

Prayer: God, forgive us when we fail to do justice and practice mercy. Amen.

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

**https://biblehub.com/hebrew/835.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.

Fragile Destiny

Living in the Spirit

October 26, 2021

Scripture Reading:

Deuteronomy 6:1-9

Now this is the commandment—the statutes and the ordinances—that the Lord your God charged me to teach you to observe in the land that you are about to cross into and occupy, so that you and your children and your children’s children may fear the Lord your God all the days of your life, and keep all his decrees and his commandments that I am commanding you, so that your days may be long. Hear therefore, O Israel, and observe them diligently, so that it may go well with you, and so that you may multiply greatly in a land flowing with milk and honey, as the Lord, the God of your ancestors, has promised you.

Hear, O Israel: The Lord is our God, the Lord alone. You shall love the Lord your God with all your heart, and with all your soul, and with all your might. Keep these words that I am commanding you today in your heart. Recite them to your children and talk about them when you are at home and when you are away, when you lie down and when you rise. Bind them as a sign on your hand, fix them as an emblem on your forehead, and write them on the doorposts of your house and on your gates.

I have a deep sense that our world is on the cusp of imploding, collapsing inward from the external pressure of greed. We seem willing to die or kill our future and the future of our descendants in exchange for amassing wealth. We use our talents and skills clinging to fossil fuels rather than seeking ways to replace them while retaining the economic impact they create. Jobs are crucial amassing wealth is not.  I am reminded of these words from the song, Circle, on Barbra Streisand’s CD Higher Ground:

When it comes to thinking of tomorrow
We must protect our fragile destiny
In this precious life there is no time to borrow
The time has come to be a family

Of course, we may not need to save the earth if we kill off all its inhabitants via starvation, pandemics, and terrorism. Are we climbing the Tower of Babel or perhaps swimming to grab the last seat on Noah’s Ark? Are we really willing to fall as Israel and Judah did, followed by their captors Assyria and Babylon? Can we not see ourselves in our history? Oh, but I forget we are now outlawing the teaching of history—finding ways to learn from our mistakes.

The good thing about a cusp is it marks a point of transition. We do hold our fragile destiny in our hands. Do we follow the ways of greed and lust for power, or do we listen to the path set forth by Micah 6:8?

He has told you, O mortal, what is good;
   and what does the Lord require of you
but to do justice, and to love kindness,
   and to walk humbly with your God?

Prayer: Lord, save us from self-destruction. Turn us around and help us learn the wonder of living a life of 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.

Ethnocentrism

Living in the Spirit

October 25, 2021

Scripture Reading: Ruth 1:1-18

So [Naomi] said, ‘See, your sister-in-law has gone back to her people and to her gods; return after your sister-in-law.’ But Ruth said,
‘Do not press me to leave you
   or to turn back from following you!
Where you go, I will go;
   where you lodge, I will lodge;
your people shall be my people,
   and your God my God.
Where you die, I will die—
   there will I be buried.
May the Lord do thus and so to me,
   and more as well,
if even death parts me from you!’
When Naomi saw that she was determined to go with her, she said no more to her. –Ruth 1:15-18

This scripture was once used in wedding ceremonies; however, they were being taken out of context. I have not heard it read at a wedding for many years. I recall a pastor suggesting that when a couple asked these words be included at their wedding, it would be more appropriate for the bride to say these words to her newly acquired mother-in-law. They were omitted.

There are all types of intrigue included in this story. Ruth was a foreigner choosing to leave her homeland and adopt that of her mother-in-law. She gathered leftover grain in the fields so she and

Naomi could eat. She did not practice the faith of the Israelites but was a convert. We measure people’s worth based on cultural values. God looks at their hearts*. Ethnocentricity seems to be inborn in people. I do not think God put it there at our creation. Ethnocentricity is the belief that a dominant ethnic group is superior to other ethnic groups, and that its perspectives should be adopted at the individual and societal levels**.

At some point in our lives, we absorb from our society the idea that our worth is established based on being better than another or some other person or people. If we believe that all people are created in the image of God, there are no people left with whom to compare ourselves to calculate our worth. Most of our societal problems could be addressed more quickly if we could get past our unnecessary need to be better than another person or group. Be who God created you to be. It does not get any better than that.

Prayer: Lord, help us remove the social elements we have taken on from our culture that are distracting us from serving you by loving as you love us. Amen.

*See 1 Samuel 16:7

**https://www.oxfordreference.com/view/10.1093/acref/9780198796688.001.0001/acref-9780198796688-e-657

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.

Seeing

Living in the Spirit

October 24, 2021

Scripture Reading: Mark 10:46-52

They came to Jericho. As he and his disciples and a large crowd were leaving Jericho, Bartimaeus son of Timaeus, a blind beggar, was sitting by the roadside. When he heard that it was Jesus of Nazareth, he began to shout out and say, ‘Jesus, Son of David, have mercy on me!’ Many sternly ordered him to be quiet, but he cried out even more loudly, ‘Son of David, have mercy on me!’ Jesus stood still and said, ‘Call him here.’ And they called the blind man, saying to him, ‘Take heart; get up, he is calling you.’ So throwing off his cloak, he sprang up and came to Jesus. Then Jesus said to him, ‘What do you want me to do for you?’ The blind man said to him, ‘My teacher, let me see again.’ Jesus said to him, ‘Go; your faith has made you well.’ Immediately he regained his sight and followed him on the way.

We all have collected life filters we carry that shape how we intake information into our being. I inherited my love of listening to the news from my Dad morning, noon, evening, and night. A few years ago, Dad’s local station of preference played a tribute segment on the late-night news when their long-time noon news anchor died. Just hearing this voice from my childhood made me hungry. I listened to his voice every day just before lunch. That connection that filter was still resident somewhere deep in my mind. Filters are neither good nor bad. However, they can wear out their usefulness, and they may lose their truthfulness. In those instances, we need to identify those that stagnate our faith, clear them out, and refresh our hearts and minds with filters drawn from our faith.

Our scripture today talks about the life filter of being physically blind. Still, I also think it speaks to the reality that we do not see the attitudes and practices harming our ability to love God and love our neighbors as we love ourselves. We are easily distracted by issues that divide us and fail to find ways to work toward the oneness Christ calls us to be. We must let the Spirit guide us out of cultural blindness and reclaim the loving ways set for us by God when he sent his Son, Jesus.

Prayer:

 Open my eyes that I may see
glimpses of truth thou hast for me.
Place in my hands the wonderful key
that shall unclasp and set me free.
Silently now I wait for thee,
ready, my God, thy will to see.
Open my eyes, illumine me,
Spirit divine*! Amen.

*First verse of the hymn Open My Eyes That I may See by Clara H. Scott. See at https://hymnary.org/text/open_my_eyes_that_i_may_see

All scriptures are quoted from the New Revised Standard Version Bible: Anglicized Edition, copyright 1989, 1995, Division of Christian Education of the National Council of Churches of Christ in the United States of America. Used by permission. All rights are reserved.

Being the Body of Christ

Living in the Spirit

October 23, 2021

Scripture Reading: Mark 10:46-52

They came to Jericho. As he and his disciples and a large crowd were leaving Jericho, Bartimaeus son of Timaeus, a blind beggar, was sitting by the roadside. When he heard that it was Jesus of Nazareth, he began to shout out and say, ‘Jesus, Son of David, have mercy on me!’, but he cried out even more loudly, ‘Son of David, have mercy on me!’ Jesus stood still and said, ‘Call him here.’ And they called the blind man, saying to him, ‘Take heart; get up, he is calling you.’ So throwing off his cloak, he sprang up and came to Jesus. Then Jesus said to him, ‘What do you want me to do for you?’ The blind man said to him, ‘My teacher, let me see again.’ Jesus said to him, ‘Go; your faith has made you well.’ Immediately he regained his sight and followed him on the way.

Among the crowd following Jesus, many sternly ordered [the blind man] to be quiet. Jesus’s response was to tell the followers to call him here. Wouldn’t it make more sense for Jesus to call Bartimaeus to him so that the blind man could follow the sound of Jesus’ voice? Was Jesus gently putting his followers in their place for not caring about the blind beggar’s plight? They most likely also had to clear a path and guide Bartimaeus to Jesus.

Do we place our personal experience being the church above our call to be the Body of Christ in our world today? Working together in communities of faith is essential to being the Body of Christ. Still, we must be careful not to get so caught up in being the gathering and sharing parts of the Body of Christ we forget about reaching out: feeding, healing, teaching people; providing safe water while otherwise protecting our environment; welcoming strangers; and restoring prisoners.

My local District Attorney, supported by our State Attorney General, requested that two of the Pardon and Parole Board members be removed because they believe in what I call restorative justice. The two prosecutors even pointed out that the faith of one of the two impacted his viewpoints.  The issue arose when this new Attorney General took steps to reactivate the death penalty in Oklahoma. Suddenly, five men on death row are being scheduled for execution and must have their final appearance before the Pardon and Parole Board. The question is not what Jesus would do, but how do we respond since we wear his shoes?

Prayer: Lord, let your Spirit give us the courage to love like you and serve like 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.

Wholeness in Christ

Living in the Spirit

October 22, 2021

Scripture Reading:
Hebrews 7:23-28

For it was fitting that we should have such a high priest, holy, blameless, undefiled, separated from sinners, and exalted above the heavens. Unlike the other high priests, he has no need to offer sacrifices day after day, first for his own sins, and then for those of the people; this he did once for all when he offered himself. For the law appoints as high priests those who are subject to weakness, but the word of the oath, which came later than the law, appoints a Son who has been made perfect for ever. –Hebrews 7:26-28

What is meant by the high priest being separated from sinners? The very human Jesus was criticized for interacting with sinners by the religious leaders of the day. Yet, this One who gave his life for those same sinners would, I think, desire their presence even in the exaltation of the heavens. So what does this phrase mean?

I was a sickly child routinely having strep or tonsilitis, along with spring and fall reaction to whatever pollen was riled by the changing of the seasons. Because of that, I missed a lot of school, causing me great distress. As I lay in my bed unhealthy and unhappy, I would envision a magic machine that started at the top of my head and scanned down my whole body erasing my symptoms and curing my illnesses. I even imagined it repairing my eyes so that I did not need to wear glasses. Such a machine has yet to be invented, but the daydream may have lulled me to sleep, which was a Godsend after coughing all night long.

My first reaction to the phrase separated from sinners, was negative because I could not believe that the Jesus I know and love would ever give up on me or anyone else since we are all sinners. However, remembering my longed-for magic machine, I realized that Jesus’ death on the cross resulted in his gift of grace that makes all sinners complete or whole. His subsequent resurrection as the Christ, the high priest Hebrews describes above, reminds us that we are made whole through his presence. I cannot tell you how it works, but I can tell you it does. Now some of you inventors God gifted with the skills to create solutions to problems need to be working on my magic machine.

Prayer: Dear Lord of all, thank you for your gift of grace and your patience with your children still striving toward wholeness. 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.

Intercession

Living in the Spirit

October 21, 2021

Scripture Reading: Hebrews 7:23-28

Furthermore, the former priests were many in number, because they were prevented by death from continuing in office; but he holds his priesthood permanently, because he continues for ever. Consequently he is able for all time to save those who approach God through him, since he always lives to make intercession for them. –Hebrews 7:23-25

I would love to know who wrote Hebrews and I would like to have met the person. Hebrews is a writing masterpiece. The first sentence in the above scripture is priceless. It is essentially saying that there are a lot of former priests because they are dead. Life is short for every human when compared to eternity. Our intercessor, our high priest, Christ, is eternal.

Having Christ ready and willing to intercede for us all the time and forever is remarkable, but what does intercede mean?

Merriam Webster defines intercede as to act between parties with a view to reconciling differences, to beg or plead in behalf of another.

The Greek word entygxánō, translated intercession above, is a little more complicated. The term intensifies the Greek word, tygxánō**, which means to obtain by hitting the mark. Missing the mark, translated from the Greek word, hamartanó**,  is one definition of sin. Christ intercedes for us as he meets us where we are missing the mark and, through his Grace, straightens our aim from missing the mark to hitting the mark. When I read the phrase hitting the mark, I envision someone aiming a bow and arrow aimed at a target several feet away with a bullseye in the middle. We must return to the master teacher and allow his grace and love to enable us to hit the target of our calling.*

We, too, are called to intercede for others whose paths we cross along the way. Christ’s grace is sufficient, but people must know about the Savior his grace. We are the ones sent to share that good news. We are also called to love like Jesus and thus plead on behalf of others who may be facing a crisis of faith, health, mental health, poverty, or loss. All life difficulties do not result from sin. As Jesus says, it rains on the just and the unjust (Matthew 5:45.) We serve Christ when we intercede in prayer and encourage others helping in any other way we can.

Prayer: God, we thank you for the gift of grace you brought us through the life, death, and resurrection of your Son Jesus the Christ. Thank you for straightening our aim at life’s challenges when we miss the mark. Make us repairer of the breach, The restorer of paths to dwell in (Isaiah 58:12.) Amen.

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

**https://biblehub.com/greek/264.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.

Satisfied Mind

October 20, 2021

Scripture Reading: Psalm 126

When the Lord restored the fortunes of Zion,
   we were like those who dream.
Then our mouth was filled with laughter,
   and our tongue with shouts of joy;
then it was said among the nations,
   ‘The Lord has done great things for them.’
The Lord has done great things for us,
   and we rejoiced.

Restore our fortunes, O Lord,
   like the watercourses in the Negeb.
May those who sow in tears
   reap with shouts of joy.
Those who go out weeping,
   bearing the seed for sowing,
shall come home with shouts of joy,
   carrying their sheaves.

How do we get off this rollercoaster? The Lord restores us, but we do not seem to possess the ability to keep that status. We strive for more wealth, more power until we find ourselves once again in need of God’s restoration. Sometimes I think God’s Kingdom will not be realized until we learn to recognize and be satisfied with what is good for us.  The ways of the world blind us to what is just for all and righteous. Once we get out of balance with justice, societies crumble from within. The song Satisfied Mind* describes this well.

How many times have
You heard someone say
If I had his money
I could do things my way

But little they know
That it’s so hard to find
One rich man in ten
With a satisfied mind*

Prayer: Lord, remove the veil the world castes over our vision, allowing us to see what really is in our best interest and the best interest of all your children. Amen.

*The first two verses of Satisfied Mind by Red Hays and Jack Rhodes lyrics © Carlin America Inc see at https://www.google.com/search?q=satisfied+mind+lyrics&rlz=1C1CHZN_enUS922US922&oq=satisfied+mind+lyrics&aqs=chrome..69i57j0i512l5j0i22i30l4.9037j0j7&sourceid=chrome&ie=UTF-8

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.

Advocate for Justice

Living in the Spirit

October 19, 2021

Scripture Reading: Jeremiah 31:7-9

For thus says the Lord:

Sing aloud with gladness for Jacob,

   and raise shouts for the chief of the nations;

proclaim, give praise, and say,

   ‘Save, O Lord, your people,

   the remnant of Israel.’

See, I am going to bring them from the land of the north,

   and gather them from the farthest parts of the earth,

among them the blind and the lame,

   those with child and those in labor, together;

   a great company, they shall return here.

With weeping they shall come,

   and with consolations I will lead them back,

I will let them walk by brooks of water,

   in a straight path in which they shall not stumble;

for I have become a father to Israel,

   and Ephraim is my firstborn.

I have not decided whether it is good or bad to know all the bad things are happening in our world within seconds. We can get information overload that makes us numb to crisis after crisis. Yet, being aware of world events helps us see what we were ignorant of in the past.  I view with interest pictures of cargo ships backed up in the Pacific Ocean. The delivery system from abroad has gotten so overcrowded it cannot unload the vessels on time. Part of that results from not having enough truck drivers and people who offload ships.  Layoffs and work stoppages caused by COVID have resulted in employees reconsidering the type of work and shifting to better-paying jobs or demanding higher pay. The real problem is while C.E.O. salaries have skyrocketed, workers’ wages have stagnated. By 2019, C.E.O. compensation grew 940% since 1978*.  In 2020, top C.E.O.s earned 351 times more than the typical worker**. 

In the scripture above, Jeremiah has seen the plight of his people and is assuring them that God will restore them to wholeness. I believe that is the case today. God is working God’s purpose out. Therefore, we as God’s followers are called to do our part for all people to benefit from the love of God where they can walk by brooks of clean water along straight paths in a world where justice prevails.

Prayer: Lord, help us not miss the parts of our world that are curving off your path. Guide us in our advocacy for your justice. Amen.

*https://www.epi.org/publication/ceo-compensation-2018/

**https://www.cnbc.com/2021/09/15/in-2020-top-ceos-earned-351-times-more-than-the-typical-worker.html

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.

In the scripture above, Jeremiah has seen the plight of his people and is assuring them that God will restore them to wholeness. I believe that is the case today. God is working God’s purpose out. Therefore, we as God’s followers are called to do our part for all people to benefit from the love of God where they can walk by brooks of clean water along straight paths in a world where justice prevails.

Prayer: Lord, help us not miss the parts of our world that are curving off your path. Guide us in our advocacy for your justice. Amen.

*https://www.epi.org/publication/ceo-compensation-2018/

**https://www.cnbc.com/2021/09/15/in-2020-top-ceos-earned-351-times-more-than-the-typical-worker.html

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.

Learn From History

Living in the Spirit

October 18, 2021

Scripture Reading: Jeremiah 31:7-9

For thus says the Lord:
Sing aloud with gladness for Jacob,
   and raise shouts for the chief of the nations;
proclaim, give praise, and say,
   ‘Save, O Lord, your people,
   the remnant of Israel.’
See, I am going to bring them from the land of the north,
   and gather them from the farthest parts of the earth,
among them the blind and the lame,
   those with child and those in labor, together;
   a great company, they shall return here.
With weeping they shall come,
   and with consolations I will lead them back,
I will let them walk by brooks of water,
   in a straight path in which they shall not stumble;
for I have become a father to Israel,
   and Ephraim is my firstborn.

After the death of King Solomon (sometime around 930 B.C.), the Kingdom of Israel split into a northern kingdom, which retained the name Israel and a southern domain called Judah, so named after the tribe of Judah that dominated the Kingdom. Assyria overthrew the Kingdom of Israel in 721 B.C. The people, representing ten of the 12 tribes of Israel, were taken into captivity and eventually were dispersed. Babylon seized Judah in 567 B.C. Jeremiah was born in 650 B.C. and died in 570 B.C. In 538 B.C. King Cyrus, who had overthrown Babylon, made a public declaration granting the Jews the right to return to Judah and rebuild the Temple in Jerusalem.

History is only essential if we learn from it. For example, Joseph taught the Egyptians to save up grain for the possibility of a famine. Seven years later, they reaped the benefits of that action. Unfortunately, Israel did not ever seem to learn from its mistakes until it was too late. When the rulers and upper class reached the point of self-sufficiency, they basked in it, grew their wealth, and lost their connectivity to God. Jeremiah reminds his people that their cousins were scattered across the earth. The same thing could happen to the people of Judah if they did not consider what happened to those relatives and return to God. He was right.

We, too, can learn from their history and our own.

Prayer: Lord, help us examine ourselves to see where we are straying from your path and correct our life plans. 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.