Author Archives: WOJ@deborahsdescendants.com

Redeemed

Living in the Spirit

August 18, 2021

Scripture Reading:

Psalm 34:15-22
The eyes of the Lord are on the righteous,
   and his ears are open to their cry.
The face of the Lord is against evildoers,
   to cut off the remembrance of them from the earth.
When the righteous cry for help, the Lord hears,
   and rescues them from all their troubles.
The Lord is near to the broken-hearted,
   and saves the crushed in spirit.

Many are the afflictions of the righteous,
   but the Lord rescues them from them all.
He keeps all their bones;
   not one of them will be broken.
Evil brings death to the wicked,
   and those who hate the righteous will be condemned.
The Lord redeems the life of his servants;
   none of those who take refuge in him will be condemned.

The Hebrew word tsaddiq translated her as righteous, also means just as in justice. My understanding of these two words, righteousness and justice, are nuanced, slightly different, in my perception of them. Righteousness seems to apply to me personally. Do I make the right choices? Is my behavior and relationship with God in sync with God’s will? The prophet Amos described this as aligning my life with God like a brick mason following a plumbline’s guidance. Similarly, justice describes being in the right relationship with other people as a part of our righteous connection with God.

The Psalmist quoted above tells us that God sees and hears our cries for God with us. In response, God turns his face against evildoers. I sense that messages as God standing guard against evil. God perceives the problem and then steps between us and the threats facing us.

To quote Thomas Paine, we are living in times that try men’s souls. A virus out of control, people, responding in fear, earthquakes and other weather-related events destroying life and property, and our military is now leaving Afghanistan. We pay the price for past decisions and pray for the wisdom to correct our courses personally and communally. The final line of this scripture is our hope in salvation:
The Lord redeems the life of his servants;
   none of those who take refuge in him will be condemned.

Prayer: Lord, help us to be redeemed in your righteousness and be champions of 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.

Better Together

Living in the Spirit

August 17, 2021

Scripture Reading:
Joshua 24:1-2a, 14-18  

‘Now therefore revere the Lord, and serve him in sincerity and in faithfulness; put away the gods that your ancestors served beyond the River and in Egypt, and serve the Lord. Now if you are unwilling to serve the Lord, choose this day whom you will serve, whether the gods your ancestors served in the region beyond the River or the gods of the Amorites in whose land you are living; but as for me and my household, we will serve the Lord.’

Then the people answered, ‘Far be it from us that we should forsake the Lord to serve other gods; for it is the Lord our God who brought us and our ancestors up from the land of Egypt, out of the house of slavery, and who did those great signs in our sight. He protected us along all the way that we went, and among all the peoples through whom we passed; and the Lord drove out before us all the peoples, the Amorites who lived in the land. Therefore we also will serve the Lord, for he is our God.’ –Joshua 24:14-18.

When reading scriptures related to idols, I fear that our minds go to effigies that people venerated, laying gifts at their feet. Our idols are more subtle but not significantly different. We worship power, wealth, prestige, and anything that will put us ahead of others. While these are attributes of the world, we have adapted them well into our systems of faith. In-crowds oversee most houses of worship and denominational leadership.

 I was guilty of building such a system when I started supervising staff in my government role. In a training session on types of personalities in which all my staff participated, I was shocked to see that a third of them fit the same profile that I did. The designation was the least prevalent in the general population. I was partial to people like me. From that point forward, I intentionally tried to be opened to other types of viewing the world. It takes more work on everyone’s part to bring different perspectives together, but the results are worth the breadth of understanding.

That is the beauty of the USA. We have among our population people from all over the world with varied skills and talents. We are at our best when we recognize all our people’s vast talents and experiences, including those whose families arrived generations ago and those coming today. There is nothing in God’s divine plan that outlines a hierarchy of worth. All God’s children were created with something good to contribute to building a better world. Our job as Christ-followers is to do everything we can to enable all to fulfill their call to serve the Lord together.

Prayer: God, help us see the talents and skills of others and guide us in enabling all to fulfill your purpose. 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.

Simple Instructions

Living in the Spirit

August 16, 2021

Scripture Reading:

1 Kings 8:(1,6,10-11), 22-30, 41-43

Then Solomon stood before the altar of the Lord in the presence of all the assembly of Israel, and spread out his hands to heaven. He said, ‘O Lord, God of Israel, there is no God like you in heaven above or on earth beneath, keeping covenant and steadfast love for your servants who walk before you with all their heart, the covenant that you kept for your servant my father David as you declared to him; you promised with your mouth and have this day fulfilled with your hand. Therefore, O Lord, God of Israel, keep for your servant my father David that which you promised him, saying, “There shall never fail you a successor before me to sit on the throne of Israel, if only your children look to their way, to walk before me as you have walked before me.” Therefore, O God of Israel, let your word be confirmed, which you promised to your servant my father David. –1 Kings 8:22-26

I hate buying something and getting page after page of fine print telling me essentially that if this does not work right and you want to recover your losses, your efforts will be more costly and time-consuming than you ever imagined. God’s communication with Solomon above is clear and concise language (my emphasis added):

“There shall never fail you a successor before me to sit on the throne of Israel, if only your children look to their way, to walk before me as you have walked before me.”

 History tells us that Israel split and continued to fall apart following Solomon’s death until it was taken into exile. They did not heed the simple instructions to follow God’s ways.

Simple instructions are not followed because they differ from our desired way of being. Such behavior is rampant across our world today. We must examine ourselves and cull out those ways and means that are not of God. And ask God to replace our wayward wondering with the countenance of God’s love.

Prayer:
Create in me a clean heart, O God,
   and put a new and right spirit within me.
Do not cast me away from your presence,
   and do not take your holy spirit from me.
Restore to me the joy of your salvation,
   and sustain in me a willing spirit*.  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 with Us

Living in the Spirit

August 15, 2021

Scripture Reading:
John 6:51-58
I am the living bread that came down from heaven. Whoever eats of this bread will live forever; and the bread that I will give for the life of the world is my flesh.’

The Jews then disputed among themselves, saying, ‘How can this man give us his flesh to eat?’ So Jesus said to them, ‘Very truly, I tell you, unless you eat the flesh of the Son of Man and drink his blood, you have no life in you. Those who eat my flesh and drink my blood have eternal life, and I will raise them up on the last day; for my flesh is true food and my blood is true drink. Those who eat my flesh and drink my blood abide in me, and I in them. Just as the living Father sent me, and I live because of the Father, so whoever eats me will live because of me. This is the bread that came down from heaven, not like that which your ancestors ate, and they died. But the one who eats this bread will live forever.’

The word love does not appear in this scripture, but the scripture is all about love. God’s love for each person was made real in the gift of God’s son to live among us and teach us in word and deed about how much God cares for us and wants the very best for us. But, unfortunately, the religious leaders of the day were so caught up in their desires for power and control and maintaining the status quo; they could not recognize love when they saw it.  We are no different today.

Covid is making us all a little crazy. We people of the USA like to be in control, as do viruses. Thus, we are having all kinds of responses to Covid’s ravages. Some are in total denial. Others are hibernating until it is gone. Most people are doing the best they can to care for themselves and others by trying to keep up with the moving target the virus is tossing at them. This week, I lost a co-worker, a friend who had done all the recommended right things and still succumbed to the disease. He did have other medical conditions that probably made him more vulnerable. There is no rhyme or reason to understand why one is taken, and others are not. It does rain on the just and the unjust*. Saying those things does not help.

What does help is knowing that God is with us no matter what and walks through the shadow of death with us. We are fed daily with the Bread of Life that nourishes our spirits to withstand the challenges of life and stand with those dealing with loss and suffering, following God’s example of walking with us always.

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

*Matthew 5:45

**First verse of Dear Lord and Father of mankind by John Greenleaf Whitter see at https://hymnary.org/text/dear_lord_and_father_of_mankind

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

Being Whole and Being One

Living in the Spirit

August 14, 2021

Scripture Reading:
John 6:51-58
I am the living bread that came down from heaven. Whoever eats of this bread will live forever; and the bread that I will give for the life of the world is my flesh.’

The Jews then disputed among themselves, saying, ‘How can this man give us his flesh to eat?’ So Jesus said to them, ‘Very truly, I tell you, unless you eat the flesh of the Son of Man and drink his blood, you have no life in you. Those who eat my flesh and drink my blood have eternal life, and I will raise them up on the last day; for my flesh is true food and my blood is true drink. Those who eat my flesh and drink my blood abide in me, and I in them. Just as the living Father sent me, and I live because of the Father, so whoever eats me will live because of me. This is the bread that came down from heaven, not like that which your ancestors ate, and they died. But the one who eats this bread will live forever.’

My themes for these devotions are wholeness, oneness, and justice, and they feed each other. Wholeness is crucial to attaining oneness and universal justice, which will become more and more a reality as we grow in wholeness toward oneness. However, I have a strong sense that none of that can happen unless and until we divorce ourselves from the castes in which we find ourselves but, in most cases, do not perceive as existing.

Caste is a division or class of society comprised of persons within a separate and exclusive order based variously upon differences of wealth, inherited rank or privilege, profession, occupation*.

The bread of life discussed in the above scripture was familiar to the Jews. The manna from heaven, which appeared after the Exodus from Egypt, was lifesaving. The Jews that heard him challenged his saying this because they knew what he was saying was outside of the boundaries of their separate and exclusive order of life. Jesus was describing a path to follow when seeking a relationship with God that made the religious leaders of the day very uncomfortable. It was not a new path. It was as old as the Exodus, but it did not fit well in the system they had carved out over the centuries.

The history of the Israelites is much like our history today. We slide into creating separate and exclusive order based on our desires that gradually drift away from God’s will for our lives and create those ugly castes. Such systems tear at the very fiber of God’s love and our ability to love like Jesus. We need to return to being nourished by the bread of life to sustain us as we serve Christ in making a world ruled by love.

Prayer: Lord, forgive us for getting so caught in the ways of the world that we forget who we are and whose we are. Make us whole, make us one.  Amen.

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

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.

Higher Ground

Living in the Spirit

August 13, 2021

Scripture Reading:
Ephesians 5:15-20
Be careful then how you live, not as unwise people but as wise, making the most of the time, because the days are evil. So do not be foolish, but understand what the will of the Lord is. Do not get drunk with wine, for that is debauchery; but be filled with the Spirit, as you sing psalms and hymns and spiritual songs among yourselves, singing and making melody to the Lord in your hearts, giving thanks to God the Father at all times and for everything in the name of our Lord Jesus Christ.

Therein lies the rub: understand[ing] what the will of the Lord is. We are admonished to be careful, be wise, and not get drunk on wine but be filled by the Spirit, sing and make melody, and give thanks. I am part of the Poor Peoples’ Campaign. The protocol of that movement is to wrap music, singing, and instrumental, around everything they do. That almost seems counter-intuitive. The problems the PPC tackle are some of the most challenging, sobering issues of our time–poverty, racism, lack of health care, the right to vote, mass incarceration, climate change. We can only do the will of the Lord when we step up to higher ground seeing the world from the perspective that God is in charge. The best way to do that is through music. That can immediately lift us to a higher plain.

I’m pressing on the upward way,
New heights I’m gaining ev’ry day;
Still praying as I’m onward bound,
“Lord, plant my feet on higher ground.”

Refrain:
Lord, lift me up, and let me stand
By faith, on heaven’s tableland;
A higher plane than I have found,
Lord, plant my feet on higher ground. *

Also,

My life flows on in endless song,
above earth’s lamentation.
I catch the sweet, though far-off hymn
that hails a new creation.

Refrain:
No storm can shake my inmost calm
while to that Rock I’m clinging.
Since Love is Lord of heav’n and earth,
how can I keep from singing?**

Prayer: Lord, guide our feet to higher ground and keep us singing. Amen.

*First verse and refrain of How Can I Keep from Singing by Johnson Oatman, Jr. See at, https://hymnary.org/text/im_pressing_on_the_upward_way

**First verse and refrain of How Can I Keep from singing? by Robert Lowry. See at https://hymnary.org/text/my_life_flows_on_in_endless_song

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.

Healing Damaged Self-concepts

Living in the Spirit

August 12, 2021

Scripture Reading: Ephesians 5:15-20
Be careful then how you live, not as unwise people but as wise, making the most of the time, because the days are evil. So do not be foolish, but understand what the will of the Lord is. Do not get drunk with wine, for that is debauchery; but be filled with the Spirit, as you sing psalms and hymns and spiritual songs among yourselves, singing and making melody to the Lord in your hearts, giving thanks to God the Father at all times and for everything in the name of our Lord Jesus Christ.

When listening to some of our political leaders being interviewed, I find myself drawn into discerning where they fit on Maslow’s Hierarchy of Need or The Stages of Faith described by James W. Fowler in his book by the same name*. Where are these people stuck on the steps of one or both of those maturation measurement tools? The speakers remind me of the two-year-old lying on the floor screaming and kicking because they did not get what they wanted or may not know what they want. They are at the stage of life when they might say, “You cannot make me wear a mask.” However, they perceive they have the right to outlaw everyone else from wearing a mask.

I have observed over time that one of the most damaging messages parents and others deliver to a child is that they are fundamentally better than everyone else. Such messaging is harmful because deep in every person’s heart is the knowledge that they are not better. Yet, if we are blessed with talents and skills, that does not enable us to mistreat others. Indeed, Jesus tells us in Luke 12:48b, 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.

How do we undo the harm that brings about damaged self-concepts? How do we help ourselves and others climb the steps to psychological and faith growth? Assisting people to develop empathy is a good starting point. I have recently seen some beautiful examples of children perceiving the needs of others and working to meet those needs. My mother’s nursing home had an arrangement with a nearby grade school. Classes of children came and did artwork with the patients. My mother, a former teacher, enjoyed participating with the children. The students developed a loving understanding of the unique needs of the elderly. Maybe some of us adults need to work on empathy also.

Prayer: Lord, open our hearts to the good in everyone, including ourselves, so that we may share your love in all we do and speak. Amen.

*https://www.institute4learning.com/2020/06/12/the-stages-of-faith-according-to-james-w-fowler/

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.

Fear Not

Living in the Spirit

August 11, 2021

Scripture Reading: Psalm 34:9-14
O fear the Lord, you his holy ones,
   for those who fear him have no want.
The young lions suffer want and hunger,
   but those who seek the Lord lack no good thing.

Come, O children, listen to me;
   I will teach you the fear of the Lord.
Which of you desires life,
   and covets many days to enjoy good?
Keep your tongue from evil,
   and your lips from speaking deceit.
Depart from evil, and do good;
   seek peace, and pursue it.

First, let us deal with the idea of fearing the Lord. Fear is the correct word, which concerning God means to be morally, reverent*.  Fear for most of us, I think, constitutes a concern for our safety. Fear of the Lord means precisely the opposite. It is the recognition that a being exists that offers us everlasting protection, providing us unconditional love. This is the message of God’s agents often quoted in the Bible, starting with “fear not” who transmit instructions from God directing our work.

How do we respond to something so mindboggling beyond our imaginations? The above-quoted Psalmist advises seeking this being who offers to teach us the ways of love doing good and seeking peace. This Psalm highlights both physical and spiritual realities—our animal nature experiences hunger for food necessary to support life. Our spiritual side must also be fed if we are to fulfill our calling as children of God to love and be loved, do good and enable good amid all of God’s creation, as we dwell in peace one with the other. Let it be so.

Prayer: Lord, teach us to “fear not” as we step out into the world, transmitting your love to one another and all others. Amen.

*https://biblehub.com/hebrew/3373.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.

Entering the House of Wisdom

Living in the Spirit

August 10, 2021

Scripture Reading:

Proverbs 9:1-6
Wisdom has built her house,
   she has hewn her seven pillars.
She has slaughtered her animals, she has mixed her wine,
   she has also set her table.
She has sent out her servant-girls, she calls
   from the highest places in the town,
‘You that are simple, turn in here!’
   To those without sense she says,
‘Come, eat of my bread
   and drink of the wine I have mixed.
Lay aside immaturity, and live,
   and walk in the way of insight.’

I love poetry, and when I hear or read a poem I like, I wonder why I do not take the time to read more poetry. The scripture printed above is one such writing. Entering the house of Wisdom is much needed in our world today. Seven denotes perfection in the Hebrew context. The seventh day of Sabbath brought to fullness the creation of the world and all that was in it; the six days’ work culminated by rest and renewal. We are all called to enter the house of Wisdom and feed upon its bounty coupled with understanding and knowledge. There are times when we are all simple, without sense, and immature. Recently I jokingly said I would need to find a three-year-old to help me complete a transaction on my phone. The people around me laughed. One said her two-year-old grandchild has learned how to call her for a screen chat. Wisdom is for every age and person.

The problem with a fast-moving world of information is learning how to use it wisely, including not being led astray by people trying to make money or otherwise scam people or political opportunists. Sorting out what is valid and valuable requires our entering the house of Wisdom in search of the Word of God to guide us through the tangled webs of the world in which we live.

Prayer: Lord, grant us the stalwartness to seek your Wisdom and to follow it. 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.

Feeling at Home in the Kingdom of God

Living in the Spirit

August 9, 2021

Scripture Reading:
1 Kings 2:10-12; 3:3-14

Solomon loved the Lord, walking in the statutes of his father David; only, he sacrificed and offered incense at the high places. The king went to Gibeon to sacrifice there, for that was the principal high place; Solomon used to offer a thousand burnt-offerings on that altar. At Gibeon the Lord appeared to Solomon in a dream by night; and God said, ‘Ask what I should give you.’ And Solomon said, ‘You have shown great and steadfast love to your servant my father David, because he walked before you in faithfulness, in righteousness, and in uprightness of heart towards you; and you have kept for him this great and steadfast love, and have given him a son to sit on his throne today. And now, O Lord my God, you have made your servant king in place of my father David, although I am only a little child; I do not know how to go out or come in. And your servant is in the midst of the people whom you have chosen, a great people, so numerous they cannot be numbered or counted. Give your servant therefore an understanding mind to govern your people, able to discern between good and evil; for who can govern this your great people?’

It pleased the Lord that Solomon had asked this. God said to him, ‘Because you have asked this, and have not asked for yourself long life or riches, or for the life of your enemies, but have asked for yourself understanding to discern what is right, I now do according to your word. Indeed I give you a wise and discerning mind; no one like you has been before you and no one like you shall arise after you. I give you also what you have not asked, both riches and honor all your life; no other king shall compare with you. If you will walk in my ways, keeping my statutes and my commandments, as your father David walked, then I will lengthen your life.‘ –1 Kings 3:3-14

In a democracy with a government of the people, by the people, and for the people, we should be able to look in the mirror and see the reflection of our government looking back at us. I fear we can. We are a house divided and do not seem willing or able to seek what is good for all because we think our way is the right way and thus the only way. We have lost our moral fiber to do what is best for all the people, not just for ourselves or people like us.  Solomon asked the right question initially but got caught up in the love of money and power. While his service in office may have been spectacular in its buildings and international intrigue, he left it in shambles, causing the kingdom to split, which began the downfall of a great nation. How do we measure what a great country is by wealth and power, or how well it cares for itself and all its neighbors—a nation ruled by love. We know that love is the ruling factor in God’s Kingdom.  We might be surprised when God’s Kingdom comes to full fruition and find we feel like strangers.

Prayer: Give your servant(s) therefore an understanding mind(s) to govern your people, able to discern between good and evil; 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.