Author Archives: WOJ@deborahsdescendants.com

Hope and God’s Peace

Living in the Spirit

August 8, 2021

Scripture Reading:
John 6:35, 41-51
Jesus said to them, ‘I am the bread of life. Whoever comes to me will never be hungry, and whoever believes in me will never be thirsty.

Then the Jews began to complain about him because he said, ‘I am the bread that came down from heaven.’ They were saying, ‘Is not this Jesus, the son of Joseph, whose father and mother we know? How can he now say, “I have come down from heaven”?’ Jesus answered them, ‘Do not complain among yourselves. No one can come to me unless drawn by the Father who sent me; and I will raise that person up on the last day. It is written in the prophets, “And they shall all be taught by God.” Everyone who has heard and learned from the Father comes to me. Not that anyone has seen the Father except the one who is from God; he has seen the Father. Very truly, I tell you, whoever believes has eternal life. I am the bread of life. Your ancestors ate the manna in the wilderness, and they died. This is the bread that comes down from heaven, so that one may eat of it and not die. 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.’

When I hear the word flesh, I think of skin. The Greek word, sarx*, translated flesh above, has a much broader meaning, the physical body. Thus, when Jesus says, and the bread that I will give for the life of the world is my flesh.’ He is foreshadowing his bodily death on the cross. This whole scripture is a discourse on things spiritual and carnal. He is talking to first-century people who probably are more comfortable with separating the two than perhaps our generation is. Their minds went immediately to the story in the Hebrew Bible about God providing the manna from heaven for the Israelites who found themselves in the desert with no food after fleeing Egypt. When Jesus states that he is the bread that came down from heaven, he essentially says that he is the people’s savior. That was a significant threat to the religious leaders of that time, but words of hope to the people hearing it.

Hope seems in short supply as we grimace that the Delta variant is causing COVID to spread more rapidly. People tend to respond to such threats in ways that are not necessarily helpful. We are seeing a lot of denial with people still not getting vaccinations. Careless behavior is cropping up again with large gatherings, no masks, and no space for social distancing. We must never forget that God is always with us, Jesus is the source of all hope, and the Holy Spirit can and will calm our beings to face whatever comes to us with the grace of God’s Peace.

Prayer: Lord, we are scared and frustrated that all we can do is take a shot or two, wear masks, socially distance, and wash our hands. We are somewhat like the Israelites leaving Egypt. Help us remember that you provided for them just as you can and will conquer our anguish and help us make good decisions not only for ourselves but for all the people with whom we come into contact. Amen.

*https://biblehub.com/greek/4561.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.

Food for Our Souls

Living in the Spirit

August 7, 2021

Scripture Reading: John 6:35, 41-51
Jesus said to them, ‘I am the bread of life. Whoever comes to me will never be hungry, and whoever believes in me will never be thirsty.

Then the Jews began to complain about him because he said, ‘I am the bread that came down from heaven.’ They were saying, ‘Is not this Jesus, the son of Joseph, whose father and mother we know? How can he now say, “I have come down from heaven”?’ Jesus answered them, ‘Do not complain among yourselves. No one can come to me unless drawn by the Father who sent me; and I will raise that person up on the last day. It is written in the prophets, “And they shall all be taught by God.” Everyone who has heard and learned from the Father comes to me. Not that anyone has seen the Father except the one who is from God; he has seen the Father. Very truly, I tell you, whoever believes has eternal life. I am the bread of life. Your ancestors ate the manna in the wilderness, and they died. This is the bread that comes down from heaven, so that one may eat of it and not die. 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.’

I am on a self-imposed low-carb diet, so I rarely eat bread. In a society like first-century Galilee and Judea, where bread was indeed the staff of life, these verses meant more to the reader than they may mean to us today. I see the boney pictures of undersized babies in Yemen and get some idea of how starvation looks. I do not know how it feels, nor do I fully appreciate the pain forced upon parents watching their malnourished children fade away. I wonder if our too comfortable life, where we are more likely to overeat than starve, limits our ability to understand Jesus’ teaching

While I am sure Jesus wanted all to have adequate bodily nutrition, the above scripture targets spiritual starvation. We may need this lesson more than those first-century people who knew well literal hungry. Unfortunately, our society tends to substitute material wealth and values for the food that feeds our souls. There is no substitute for the love of God, the teachings and examples of Jesus, the Christ who offered himself for our shortcomings, and the guidance of the Holy Spirit. Until we accept God’s spiritual food, we will continue to languish as we search for God in all the wrong places.

Prayer: God of Love and Mercy, forgive us for substituting the things of the world for your abundant love. Grant us the wisdom to turn around and seek and follow your guidance. 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.

Imitating Christ

Living in the Spirit

August 6, 2021

Scripture Reading:

Ephesians 4:25-5:2
So then, putting away falsehood, let all of us speak the truth to our neighbors, for we are members of one another. Be angry but do not sin; do not let the sun go down on your anger, and do not make room for the devil. Thieves must give up stealing; rather let them labor and work honestly with their own hands, so as to have something to share with the needy. Let no evil talk come out of your mouths, but only what is useful for building up, as there is need, so that your words may give grace to those who hear. And do not grieve the Holy Spirit of God, with which you were marked with a seal for the day of redemption. Put away from you all bitterness and wrath and anger and wrangling and slander, together with all malice, and be kind to one another, tender-hearted, forgiving one another, as God in Christ has forgiven you. Therefore be imitators of God, as beloved children, and live in love, as Christ loved us and gave himself up for us, a fragrant offering and sacrifice to God.

I have been appalled at some of the hateful, hurtful things I have read on social media written in support of the author’s understanding of God and Christ. What makes people feel the need to express themselves like this? What message does it send others about God and Christ? Is anyone surprised that the number of people in the USA who identify as Christian is dropping? I wonder when and why these writers became so disillusioned in a faith founded on love grounded in the knowledge that Christ loved us so much he gave himself for us.

There were many false prophets in the first century when Paul was sharing the love of God among people who had never heard of Christ. Unfortunately, people still use Christ for their ends, whatever they may be—wealth or power or self-aggrandizement. As followers of Christ, one test we might use to help us represent our faith well is to imagine Jesus’ writing or saying what we want to share with others. If we cannot imagine Jesus using those thoughts and words addressing anyone that might stumble on to them, we need to find a new way to represent our faith. Remember, what we write on social media will be read by many people that have nothing to do with what upsets us in the first place.

Prayer:
Lord, Let the words of my mouth and the meditation of my heart
   be acceptable to you,
   O Lord, my rock and my redeemer*. Amen.

*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.

What Grieves the Holy Spirit

Living in the Spirit

August 5, 2021

Scripture Reading: Ephesians 4:25-5:2

So then, putting away falsehood, let all of us speak the truth to our neighbors, for we are members of one another. Be angry but do not sin; do not let the sun go down on your anger, and do not make room for the devil. Thieves must give up stealing; rather let them labor and work honestly with their own hands, so as to have something to share with the needy. Let no evil talk come out of your mouths, but only what is useful for building up, as there is need, so that your words may give grace to those who hear. And do not grieve the Holy Spirit of God, with which you were marked with a seal for the day of redemption. Put away from you all bitterness and wrath and anger and wrangling and slander, together with all malice, and be kind to one another, tender-hearted, forgiving one another, as God in Christ has forgiven you. Therefore be imitators of God, as beloved children, and live in love, as Christ loved us and gave himself up for us, a fragrant offering and sacrifice to God.

The heading supplied by the editors in the Bible I use described these verses as Rules for the New Life. Paul is giving instructions to new Christ-followers who live in a culture of idol worship and all kinds of mixed messages about the best way to live. We probably need to read this list from that perspective and that time in history. It is interesting, however, that it mirrors the human condition throughout time, including today. For example, I find it interesting that we celebrated the poliovirus but think our freedom is being taken from us if we take the COVID vaccine or wear a mask to curb its spread.

Here is a shorthand list of the Rules for the New Life Paul sent to the Ephesians, all good advice for today.

Be angry but do not let the sun go down on our anger
Do not steal
Labor and work so we will  have something to share with the needy
Let no evil talk come out of our mouths
Let our words give grace to those who hear
Do not grieve the Holy Spirit
Put away bitterness, wrath, anger, wrangling, slander, and all malice
Be kind to one another, tender-hearted, forgiving
Be imitators of God—live in love

What would we need to add to this list for our time? I also wonder what grieves the Holy Spirit.  All the things listed are no doubt nuisances to the Holy Spirit. So what are we doing that breaks God’s heart?

Prayer: Lord, heal our souls so that we do not waste our time on foolish things as we strive to be imitators of God 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.

Conduits of God’s Love

Living in the Spirit

August 4, 2021

Scripture Reading: Psalm 34
Praise for Deliverance from Trouble

[Of David, when he feigned madness before Abimelech, so that he drove him out, and he went away.]

I will bless the Lord at all times;
   his praise shall continually be in my mouth.
My soul makes its boast in the Lord;
   let the humble hear and be glad.
O magnify the Lord with me,
   and let us exalt his name together.

I sought the Lord, and he answered me,
   and delivered me from all my fears.
Look to him, and be radiant;
   so your faces shall never be ashamed.
This poor soul cried, and was heard by the Lord,
   and was saved from every trouble.
The angel of the Lord encamps
   Around those who fear him, and delivers them.
O taste and see that the Lord is good;
   happy are those who take refuge in him.

David is one of the most human people in the Bible. Crafty at evading his enemies, at times, he was blind to avoiding personal sin. Yet, in all ways, David maintained a close relationship with God. He willingly gave God glory in his successes and repented asking for forgiveness in his moments of moral weakness. Psalm 34 is an excellent example of the close relationship he maintained with God. How well do we nurture our relationship with God? Is God a part of all our lives? Do we only seek God when we think we need God’s help? Are we willing servants when God desires our help?

God loves us and empowers us with the ability to love one another. Our world stands in great need of being flooded by God’s love, and we are designate conduits called to fulfill that obligation. Let it be so.

Prayer: God of Grace and Mercy, open the flood gates of the love you provide through us so that our world may be healed from all the evil that harms 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.

Discouraged

Living in the Spirit

Matthew 11:28-30 ESV.

August 3, 2021

Scripture Reading:
1 Kings 19:4-8

But [Elijah] himself went a day’s journey into the wilderness, and came and sat down under a solitary broom tree. He asked that he might die: ‘It is enough; now, O Lord, take away my life, for I am no better than my ancestors.’ Then he lay down under the broom tree and fell asleep. Suddenly an angel touched him and said to him, ‘Get up and eat.’ He looked, and there at his head was a cake baked on hot stones, and a jar of water. He ate and drank, and lay down again. The angel of the Lord came a second time, touched him, and said, ‘Get up and eat, otherwise the journey will be too much for you.’ He got up, and ate and drank; then he went in the strength of that food for forty days and forty nights to Horeb the mount of God. At that place he came to a cave, and spent the night there.

I am deeply concerned about many issues facing our nation. The pandemic has to be at the top of the list. I had just started to not wear a mask in places where I know everyone has received the vaccine. Now I understand that even if I do not get sick I can carry the disease to others. I walked up to a store today and saw a sign asking customers to wear masks, returning to my car to get one, I wondered how much longer is this going to continue?

Also, I recognize that assuring all who work earn a living wage would solve many issues in our society. I have been working with others to reach for that reality by raising the minimum wage to $15 an hour. In all honesty that is only a beginning step toward addressing the poverty that is ravaging our nation, but it is an important step. What we who are trying to champion this goal are finding is that many do not care. One of my US Senators locked the elevator to his office and the door at the top of the stairs leaving a sign that said they were not seeing visitors. I thought he was supposed to represent us.

My discouragement is not as serious as Elijah’s was, but I have experienced a hint of what he felt. I thank God for the angels with whom I work who lift my spirits when I get down. I also think it is even more important in times like these that we deepen our prayer relationship with the Lord for indeed his yoke is easy and his burden is light* when we are aligned with his vision of a world ruled by love.

Prayer: Lord, grant us the strength to champion your desires for all your people. Keep us on the right path in all we do. Amen.

*Matthew 11:30

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.

Parenting In Times of Trial

Living in the Spirit

August 2, 2021

Scripture Reading:
2 Samuel 18:5-9, 15, 31-33
The king gave orders to Joab and Abishai and Ittai, saying, ‘Deal gently for my sake with the young man Absalom.’ And all the people heard when the king gave orders to all the commanders concerning Absalom.

So the army went out into the field against Israel; and the battle was fought in the forest of Ephraim. The men of Israel were defeated there by the servants of David, and the slaughter there was great on that day, twenty thousand men. The battle spread over the face of all the country; and the forest claimed more victims that day than the sword.

Absalom happened to meet the servants of David. Absalom was riding on his mule, and the mule went under the thick branches of a great oak. His head caught fast in the oak, and he was left hanging between heaven and earth, while the mule that was under him went on. And ten young men, Joab’s armour-bearers, surrounded Absalom and struck him, and killed him.

Then the Cushite came; and the Cushite said, ‘Good tidings for my lord the king! For the Lord has vindicated you this day, delivering you from the power of all who rose up against you.’ The king said to the Cushite, ‘Is it well with the young man Absalom?’ The Cushite answered, ‘May the enemies of my lord the king, and all who rise up to do you harm, be like that young man.’

The king was deeply moved, and went up to the chamber over the gate, and wept; and as he went, he said, ‘O my son Absalom, my son, my son Absalom! Would that I had died instead of you, O Absalom, my son, my son!’

What would make a son revolt against his father? Who determines the one who is right and the wrong one? In Absalom’s case, the rebellion may have been simply lust for power or fear that he would not be the chosen heir. Life experience coupled with parents feeling their way through the challenge of raising a child can create unexpected results. My Dad’s father died suddenly and unexpectedly when Dad was ten years old in 1928. The following year marked the beginning of the Great Depression. Both events, I am sure, shaped his life in ways no one could have predicted.

We live in precarious times amid a stubborn pandemic that began in an already tumultuous political environment. Our call as Christ-followers is to dig even deeper into the well of Jesus’s teachings, letting them shape our lives rather than being shaped by the world about us. Loving and taking care of ourselves and our neighbors is the best starting point.

Prayer: Lord, let your love be our guide as we try to survive and thrive against the plagues that confront us. Please give us the courage to follow your course, not the world.  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.

Hyperbole

Living in the Spirit

August 1, 2021

Scripture Reading:
John 6:24-35
So when the crowd saw that neither Jesus nor his disciples were there, they themselves got into the boats and went to Capernaum looking for Jesus.

When they found him on the other side of the lake, they said to him, ‘Rabbi, when did you come here?’ Jesus answered them, ‘Very truly, I tell you, you are looking for me, not because you saw signs, but because you ate your fill of the loaves. Do not work for the food that perishes, but for the food that endures for eternal life, which the Son of Man will give you. For it is on him that God the Father has set his seal.’ Then they said to him, ‘What must we do to perform the works of God?’ Jesus answered them, ‘This is the work of God, that you believe in him whom he has sent.’ So they said to him, ‘What sign are you going to give us then, so that we may see it and believe you? What work are you performing? Our ancestors ate the manna in the wilderness; as it is written, “He gave them bread from heaven to eat.” ’ Then Jesus said to them, ‘Very truly, I tell you, it was not Moses who gave you the bread from heaven, but it is my Father who gives you the true bread from heaven. For the bread of God is that which comes down from heaven and gives life to the world.’ They said to him, ‘Sir, give us this bread always.’

Jesus said to them, ‘I am the bread of life. Whoever comes to me will never be hungry, and whoever believes in me will never be thirsty.’

To get his point across, Jesus often spoke in hyperbole*. How else can we help each other understand something beyond our ability to perceive fully—something by faith we accept as true. We describe God as being all-powerful, all-knowing, and always present because we understand the meaning of these words when fully describing aspects of God around which we can wrap our heads. Jesus talks about the higher plain of spiritual hunger and thirst by using some things we all experience routinely. Can any of us envision a day when we are not hungry for food, thirsty for water? Yet, Jesus assures us that our spiritual needs are met when we are in a relationship with God. Such a relationship forms the foundation for our dealing with all the challenges of life, enabling us to love like Jesus and work as partners in Christ’s service.

Prayer: Thank you, Lord, for helping us understand your more fully to serve your more nearly. Amen.

* Hyperbole: extravagant exaggeration that represents something as much greater or less, better or worse, or more intense than it really is or that depicts the impossible as actual. https://unabridged.merriam-webster.com/unabridged/hyperbole

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.

Simply Love

Living in the Spirit

July 31, 2021

Scripture Reading: John 6:24-35
So when the crowd saw that neither Jesus nor his disciples were there, they themselves got into the boats and went to Capernaum looking for Jesus.

When they found him on the other side of the lake, they said to him, ‘Rabbi, when did you come here?’ Jesus answered them, ‘Very truly, I tell you, you are looking for me, not because you saw signs, but because you ate your fill of the loaves. Do not work for the food that perishes, but for the food that endures for eternal life, which the Son of Man will give you. For it is on him that God the Father has set his seal.’ Then they said to him, ‘What must we do to perform the works of God?’ Jesus answered them, ‘This is the work of God, that you believe in him whom he has sent.’ So they said to him, ‘What sign are you going to give us then, so that we may see it and believe you? What work are you performing? Our ancestors ate the manna in the wilderness; as it is written, “He gave them bread from heaven to eat.” ’ Then Jesus said to them, ‘Very truly, I tell you, it was not Moses who gave you the bread from heaven, but it is my Father who gives you the true bread from heaven. For the bread of God is that which comes down from heaven and gives life to the world.’ They said to him, ‘Sir, give us this bread always.’

Jesus said to them, ‘I am the bread of life. Whoever comes to me will never be hungry, and whoever believes in me will never be thirsty.

We are very much like our ancestors in faith. We want to know what is in it for us.  We, too, long for absolutes in a world constantly changing. Viruses mutate to catch us off guard. We get frustrated with scientists trying to keep a step ahead of the virus, changing their recommendations to at least match but preferably to win the race against the virus. We thus become our own worst enemies refusing to do the most straightforward actions that might save our lives and the lives of those around us.

In the story above, Jesus recognizes that human nature is not hearing what he is teaching. Jesus did not come to help us get rich quickly or overindulge. He came to bring us life and bring it more abundantly*. His abundance is not related to material wealth. He is trying to help us understand that abundant life is a life where our love of God, ourselves, and all others brought together in oneness results in the best outcomes for everyone in all aspects of life.  It perhaps is too easy. Thus, it becomes too hard when we must give up the ways of the world to attain shalom and justice for all.

Prayer: Lord, open our hearts and minds to accept the simplicity of living in our love of you, ourselves, and one another. Amen.

*John 10:10

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.

A Time to Care

Living in the Spirit

July 30, 2021

Scripture Reading: Ephesians 4:1-16

The gifts he gave were that some would be apostles, some prophets, some evangelists, some pastors and teachers, to equip the saints for the work of ministry, for building up the body of Christ, until all of us come to the unity of the faith and of the knowledge of the Son of God, to maturity, to the measure of the full stature of Christ. We must no longer be children, tossed to and fro and blown about by every wind of doctrine, by people’s trickery, by their craftiness in deceitful scheming. But speaking the truth in love, we must grow up in every way into him who is the head, into Christ, from whom the whole body, joined and knitted together by every ligament with which it is equipped, as each part is working properly, promotes the body’s growth in building itself up in love. –Ephesians 4:11-16

We must no longer be children, tossed to and fro and blown about by every wind of doctrine, by people’s trickery, by their craftiness in deceitful scheming. Sound familiar?

I do not think most of the verbal bouts we hear daily in our nation have much to do with the stated outrage. Instead, it is all about power and money. If some of our leaders think you care about an issue and your support will get them votes or donations, they will speak in favor of it.

With all the problems related to COVID, the one I heard my Senator taking a stand on was improving the delay of getting passports. While some may be in desperate need to return to jobs and family, generally, vacationers need passports. Tomorrow the moratorium on evictions ends, making thousands of citizens vulnerable to losing their homes and ending up on the streets. Adequate federal money was allocated to offset this problem, but many states have not been able to get it into the hands of those who need it. Part of that is the result of states underfunding for years the agencies that must handle the distribution and do not now have the resources to move the money quickly to where it is needed. The other more sinister part is that some government officials do not agree that those out of work need help. I am a bit surprised they do not care about the landlords or mortgage holders.

We must always hold our behavior and the behavior of those who lead us up to God’s standards to guide our service as workers in God’s Kingdom.

Prayer: Lord, help us develop in your righteousness, justice, and mercy as we strive to love like Jesus. 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.