Author Archives: WOJ@deborahsdescendants.com

Chosen to Serve

Living in the Spirit

July 19, 20219

Scripture Reading:
2 Samuel 11:1-15

In the morning David wrote a letter to Joab, and sent it by the hand of Uriah. 15In the letter he wrote, ‘Set Uriah in the forefront of the hardest fighting, and then draw back from him, so that he may be struck down and die.‘ –2 Samuel 11:14-15

I chose not to include the entire scripture that describes the sordid details of David’s dalliance with Bathsheba. The scripture reference is cited above if you wish to read it. The affair itself was bad enough. Having her husband killed to cover up David’s behavior went beyond the pale in the world, and he knew that. With no respect for life, he moved to protect his public image as king. I do not see God anywhere in this story. I do see the presence of politics and ego. I see the desire to check piety off the resume’ one presents to the public. I fear that describes for many the primary purpose of our faith.

The sad part of this story is that David had walked with the Lord from childhood, maintaining a close relationship throughout his life as it has been described to us. After this incident, he eventually sought forgiveness and returned to his faithful practices. So how does evil pressure even someone like David, like all of us, rushing into lust and murder? Following a restless stroll across the balcony of his palace, he sees a woman bathing on her rooftop and decides he wants her. He apparently was bored and missing the excitement of battle since he had turned the army over to his generals.

A lot of people are now caught up in all the varied responses resulting from COVID. Being told that the best thing I could do to help address the pandemic was to stay home, wash my hands, and wear a mask was challenging to one who wants to fix wrong things. I have wondered if some people’s reluctance to get the vaccine is an in-your-face response to the disease, saying, “You cannot rule my life.” Even though it can. This type of tragedy does not routinely impact many of our lives directly. We think we are the chosen people of God. Thus, our sense of selectness is challenged when disasters touch us. I accept that it rains on the just and the unjust*. And I believe that when we open our hearts to God, we do become a part of God’s workforce, chosen to take God’s Kingdom to higher plains. That is what I think it means to be chosen. We need not let boredom, fear, or a sense of lost value drive us to let evil influence us.

Prayer: Lord, forgive us when we get caught up in the ways of the world and forget for whom we work. Amen.

*Matthew 5:45

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.

Christ the Healer

Living in the Spirit

July 18, 2021

Scripture Reading:
Mark 6:53-56
When they had crossed over, they came to land at Gennesaret and moored the boat. When they got out of the boat, people at once recognized him, and rushed about that whole region and began to bring the sick on mats to wherever they heard he was. And wherever he went, into villages or cities or farms, they laid the sick in the market-places, and begged him that they might touch even the fringe of his cloak; and all who touched it were healed.

The time has come to stop debating who is right and who is wrong—who has the corner on God and who does not. We are experiencing what we have known all along if a house is divided against itself, that house will not be able to stand. (Mark 3:25)   We have tested the idols of our world and found them lacking. We have learned from experience that the love of money is the root of all evil. (1 Timothy 6:10) Now we need to invite Christ to walk among us and heal our wounded souls.  God wants our love of God to be our choice as God wants us to foster a world where we all love one another by choice. Is that the vision we each see when we look in a mirror? Does our life reflect any of these ways of the world that sent Israel into exile, later allowed the temple to be destroyed, and the fall of Rome? Democracy is the image of its people.

Prayer:
Draw us in the Spirit’s tether; For when humbly, in thy name,
Two or three are met together, Thou art in the midst of them:
Alleluia! Alleluia! Touch we now thy garment’s hem.

As the brethren used to gather In the name of Christ to sup,
Then with thanks to God the Father Break the bread and bless the cup,
Alleluia! Alleluia! So knit thou our friendship up.

All our meals and all our living Make us sacraments of thee,
That be caring, helping, giving, We may true disciples be.
Alleluia! Alleluia! We will serve thee faithfully*. Amen.

*Draw us in the Spirit’s Tether, by Percy Dearmer, Chalice Hymnal page 392

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.

Shepherding

Living in the Spirit

July 17, 2021

Scripture Reading: Mark 6:30-34

The apostles gathered around Jesus, and told him all that they had done and taught. He said to them, ‘Come away to a deserted place all by yourselves and rest a while.’ For many were coming and going, and they had no leisure even to eat. And they went away in the boat to a deserted place by themselves. Now many saw them going and recognized them, and they hurried there on foot from all the towns and arrived ahead of them. As he went ashore, he saw a great crowd; and he had compassion for them, because they were like sheep without a shepherd; and he began to teach them many things.

We see a lot of people in our world today who are like sheep without a shepherd. We need to love and care for them to restore their souls.

Seventeen out of every 10,000 people in the United States were experiencing homelessness on a single night in January 2019 during HUD’s Annual Point-in-Time Count.  These 567,715 people represent a cross-section of America.  They are associated with every region of the country, family status, gender category, and racial/ethnic group*. Some are youth. Others are former soldiers who find the transition from war to life at home difficult.

There are others we do not consider to be sheep without a shepherd. They are people whose only interest is making more money, gaining more power—accumulating stuff, being better than others. Such people are lost in the world’s false facades of righteousness and justice.  We must reach these people if we are ever going to be able to address the needs of all God’s children. Greed and lust for power feed on oppressing others. Such actions are often justified by self-righteousness and the denigration of others.

We must start this difficult task by looking ourselves squarely in the mirror and determining where we fit this continuum. Are we lacking wholeness, and are we thus in need of a shepherd? At some level, could we be caught in the greed and lust for power cycle? Accordingly, are their changes needed in our lives?

Prayer: Lord, forgive me when I get too caught up in the ways of the world that I forget who I am to follow. Guide me back into your fold. Amen.

*https://endhomelessness.org/homelessness-in-america/homelessness-statistics/state-of-homelessness-2020/

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 One

Living in the Spirit

Living in the Spirit

July 16, 2021

Scripture Reading: Ephesians 2:11-22

So then, remember that at one time you Gentiles by birth, called ‘the uncircumcision’ by those who are called ‘the circumcision’—a physical circumcision made in the flesh by human hands—remember that you were at that time without Christ, being aliens from the commonwealth of Israel, and strangers to the covenants of promise, having no hope and without God in the world. But now in Christ Jesus you who once were far off have been brought near by the blood of Christ. For he is our peace; in his flesh he has made both groups into one and has broken down the dividing wall, that is, the hostility between us. He has abolished the law with its commandments and ordinances, so that he might create in himself one new humanity in place of the two, thus making peace, and might reconcile both groups to God in one body through the cross, thus putting to death that hostility through it. So he came and proclaimed peace to you who were far off and peace to those who were near; for through him both of us have access in one Spirit to the Father. So then you are no longer strangers and aliens, but you are citizens with the saints and also members of the household of God, built upon the foundation of the apostles and prophets, with Christ Jesus himself as the cornerstone. In him the whole structure is joined together and grows into a holy temple in the Lord; in whom you also are built together spiritually into a dwelling-place for God.

In John 17:20–23, Jesus called us to be one. Paul picks up this theme in both Ephesus and Galatians. Yet, we still cannot even find ways to be one among the groups that consider themselves to be Christ-followers. We are driving people away from Christ, not introducing them to him.

We humans pick out the strangest things about which to disagree. My faith community split the first time over whether the bible supported the use of organs in worship. This group was founded on the belief that we had no creed but Christ. I guess some folks had some other doctrines. My guess is some were concerned about their members moving toward the high church type worship from which their ancestors moved to the New World to escape. The problem presented is rarely the concern needing to be addressed.

Here in 2021, we are farther away from being one, as our ancestors in faith were when they fled religious oppression. Instead, we are following a well-established worldly competitive attitude that my god is better than your god. But, of course, often in such discourses, the god of choice is the one projected from our image. So, how did we get to this point? But, more importantly, how can we turn around from this place and seek God’s Kingdom where all people are capable of loving and being loved in return?

Prayer: Lord, fill us with your love to the extent that we can love ourselves and one another without question or dispute. Make us one, O Lord, Make us one. Amen.

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

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 through God’s Eyes

Living in the Spirit

July 15, 2021

Scripture Reading:
Ephesians 2:11-22

So then, remember that at one time you Gentiles by birth, called ‘the uncircumcision’ by those who are called ‘the circumcision’—a physical circumcision made in the flesh by human hands— remember that you were at that time without Christ, being aliens from the commonwealth of Israel, and strangers to the covenants of promise, having no hope and without God in the world. But now in Christ Jesus you who once were far off have been brought near by the blood of Christ. For he is our peace; in his flesh he has made both groups into one and has broken down the dividing wall, that is, the hostility between us. He has abolished the law with its commandments and ordinances, so that he might create in himself one new humanity in place of the two, thus making peace, and might reconcile both groups to God in one body through the cross, thus putting to death that hostility through it. So he came and proclaimed peace to you who were far off and peace to those who were near; for through him both of us have access in one Spirit to the Father. So then you are no longer strangers and aliens, but you are citizens with the saints and also members of the household of God, built upon the foundation of the apostles and prophets, with Christ Jesus himself as the cornerstone. In him the whole structure is joined together and grows into a holy temple in the Lord; in whom you also are built together spiritually into a dwelling-place for God.

I worked as a social worker for five years, including working with the poor and child welfare, serving as a child welfare supervisor and social work supervisor at a large teaching hospital. Encouraged to apply for an agency scholarship to get my master’s degree in social work, I had to return one year of work for each year of schooling. Thus, after my first year, I was assigned to work a year in our state office before completing my second year and receiving my MSW. During that first year of schooling, my field placement was with a wonderful organization working on behalf of the aging, and I learned a lot. Because of that experience, my primary assignment while working that interim year was to help develop our programs for the aging. I loved the work, but I got frustrated with others working on the project because they would not accept my contributions directly. Everything I did had to be approved by my supervisor. That was not the case with anyone else on that team.

I sat in frustration across the desk from my supervisor as I had to bother him one more time to sign off on what I had done before it could be presented to the decision-makers. I apologized to him for interrupting his work because he did know what I was doing and had helped me a couple of times when I got stuck. I said, “I do not know why they do not trust my work.” He laughed and said, “You do not know the magic handshake.” I look at him with a raised eyebrow as he said, “You do not have your MSW. All the other members of the team do. Having that degree is their measure of ability.” He signed it without reading it, handed it to me, and said, “Now get in there and do your thing.” When I returned to the same office after getting my MSW, I carried the secret handshake with me, and I hope I never applied it to any of my co-workers.

I learned a lot in graduate school and fully appreciated the opportunity that was afforded me. However, such outward measures of who we are or what we can do are shorthand for acceptance in most societies. That does not make them right or wrong, but they should never be the sole measure. I think that is what Paul was stressing in the above scripture.

The story of Samuel seeking a new leader for the Hebrews states it this way,  But the Lord said to Samuel, ‘Do not look on his appearance or on the height of his stature, because I the Lord looks on the heart.‘ –1 Samuel 16:7

Prayer: Lord, help us see others as you see them as we worked together in your service. Amen.

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

Called to be Me

Living in the Spirit

Living in the Spirit

July 14, 2021

Scripture Reading: Psalm 89:20-37
I have found my servant David;
   with my holy oil I have anointed him;
my hand shall always remain with him;
   my arm also shall strengthen him.
The enemy shall not outwit him,
   the wicked shall not humble him.
I will crush his foes before him
   and strike down those who hate him
My faithfulness and steadfast love shall be with him;
   and in my name his horn shall be exalted.
I will set his hand on the sea
   and his right hand on the rivers.
He shall cry to me, “You are my Father,
   my God, and the Rock of my salvation!”
I will make him the firstborn,
   the highest of the kings of the earth.
For-ever I will keep my steadfast love for him,
   and my covenant with him will stand firm.
I will establish his line for ever,
   and his throne as long as the heavens endure.
If his children forsake my law
   and do not walk according to my ordinances,
if they violate my statutes
   and do not keep my commandments,
then I will punish their transgression with the rod
   and their iniquity with scourges;
but I will not remove from him my steadfast love,
   or be false to my faithfulness.
I will not violate my covenant,
   or alter the word that went forth from my lips.
Once and for all I have sworn by my holiness;
   I will not lie to David.
His line shall continue forever,
   and his throne endure before me like the sun.
It shall be established for ever like the moon,
   an enduring witness in the skies.’

We are all called to be the best human we can be, just as David was anointed. He learned early in his life his need for God’s guidance and love. David’s communion with God was often glorious, yet sometimes raw. He did cry to God, “You are my Father, my God, and the Rock of my salvation!” David was not perfect. Unlike many great people in history, the Bible spares no detail on David’s good and the bad. David who played, and sang praises to God also sent a man to be murdered so David could have the man’s wife. David grieved the loss of his children and friends and celebrated the return of the Ark of the Covenant to Jerusalem.

We are not called to be the best shepherd, soldier, or king like David. We are, however, each called to be the best “me.” That, too, requires us to each develop a close relationship with God and a willingness to serve him with all our might, whatever that might is.

Prayer: 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.

Distracted by Idols

Living in the Spirit

July 13, 2021

Scripture Reading: Jeremiah 23:1-6

Woe to the shepherds who destroy and scatter the sheep of my pasture! says the Lord. Therefore, thus says the Lord, the God of Israel, concerning the shepherds who shepherd my people: It is you who have scattered my flock, and have driven them away, and you have not attended to them. So I will attend to you for your evil doings, says the Lord. Then I myself will gather the remnant of my flock out of all the lands where I have driven them, and I will bring them back to their fold, and they shall be fruitful and multiply. I will raise up shepherds over them who will shepherd them, and they shall not fear any longer, or be dismayed, nor shall any be missing, says the Lord.

The days are surely coming, says the Lord, when I will raise up for David a righteous Branch, and he shall reign as king and deal wisely, and shall execute justice and righteousness in the land. In his days Judah will be saved and Israel will live in safety. And this is the name by which he will be called: ‘The Lord is our righteousness.’

In 2019, Christians represent 65% of the total adult population, 43% identifying as Protestants, 20% as Catholics, and 2% as Mormons. People with no formal religious identity at 26% of the total population*.

That is a drop from 2014 with 70.6% and 2007 with 78.4%**. Why are these numbers shrinking? Jeremiah’s words above surely apply to us today.  How diverse in theology are those who identify as Christian? Do we even recognize each other as fellow followers of Christ?

We know what happened to the Hebrews Jeremiah was addressing. They eventually landed in exile,  becoming oppressed because of their unwillingness to follow and serve God. So we can learn from the ancient prophets, but we can only know if we are willing to let go of the idols we worship, greed and lust for power, and on it goes.

 We have been having flash floods in Oklahoma recently. I keep hearing the warning turn around don’t drown on my TV, warning people not to drive into the water when they do not know how deep it is or if there is even a road left beneath it. We should apply this caution to other aspects of our lives as we bury ourselves in depths that lead away from God’s love.

Prayer: Lord, help us return to your guidance and practice your love. Amen.

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

**https://www.pewforum.org/2015/05/12/americas-changing-religious-landscape/

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.

Abiding with God

Living in the Spirit

July 12, 2021

Scripture Reading: 2 Samuel 7:1-14a

Now when the king was settled in his house, and the Lord had given him rest from all his enemies around him, the king said to the prophet Nathan, ‘See now, I am living in a house of cedar, but the ark of God stays in a tent.’ Nathan said to the king, ‘Go, do all that you have in mind; for the Lord is with you.’

But that same night the word of the Lord came to Nathan: Go and tell my servant David: Thus says the Lord: Are you the one to build me a house to live in? I have not lived in a house since the day I brought up the people of Israel from Egypt to this day, but I have been moving about in a tent and a tabernacle. Wherever I have moved about among all the people of Israel, did I ever speak a word with any of the tribal leaders of Israel, whom I commanded to shepherd my people Israel, saying, ‘Why have you not built me a house of cedar? Now therefore thus you shall say to my servant David: Thus says the Lord of hosts: I took you from the pasture, from following the sheep to be prince over my people Israel; and I have been with you wherever you went, and have cut off all your enemies from before you; and I will make for you a great name, like the name of the great ones of the earth. And I will appoint a place for my people Israel and will plant them, so that they may live in their own place, and be disturbed no more; and evildoers shall afflict them no more, as formerly, from the time that I appointed judges over my people Israel; and I will give you rest from all your enemies. Moreover, the Lord declares to you that the Lord will make you a house. When your days are fulfilled and you lie down with your ancestors, I will raise up your offspring after you, who shall come forth from your body, and I will establish his kingdom. He shall build a house for my name, and I will establish the throne of his kingdom forever. I will be a father to him, and he shall be a son to me. When he commits iniquity, I will punish him with a rod such as mortals use, with blows inflicted by human beings.

The rest of the story includes Solomon getting the job of building the temple and David getting a great name regarding leadership. What I want to delve into is God’s desire to be with God’s people wherever they are.  The building of the temple eventually occurred yet it was also destroyed as was its replacement. Having a place to gather and worship is helpful but not necessary. Being in a relationship with God is fundamental.

God wants the very best for all of God’s children. We become fully the persons God created us to be when we are in full communion with God. We have been provided the freedom to develop the desires of our hearts as we align our love of others with God’s love.

Prayer: Thank you, Lord, for the gift of your love. Help us to grow in spirit and in truth as you abide with us and we abide with 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.

Guilt or Responsibility

Living in the Spirit

July 11, 2021

Scripture Reading:

Mark 6:14-29

King Herod heard of it, for Jesus’ name had become known. Some were saying, ‘John the baptizer has been raised from the dead; and for this reason these powers are at work in him.’ But others said, ‘It is Elijah.’ And others said, ‘It is a prophet, like one of the prophets of old.’ But when Herod heard of it, he said, ‘John, whom I beheaded, has been raised.’ –Mark 6:14-16

Guilt struck Herod when he heard about the teacher Jesus and assumed John the Baptist had returned from the dead. The dictionary definition of guilt* is:

  1. the state of one who has committed an offense especially consciously
  2. feelings of culpability especially for imagined offenses or from a sense of inadequacy : morbid self-reproach often manifest in marked preoccupation with the moral correctness of one’s behavior

I like Freud’s idea that guilt is anger turned inward.

We live in an interesting time—an anti-guilt time. Guilt is usually not helpful. Indeed, it is a primary source of depression. But that does not mean we cannot discuss our nation’s history of slavery because we are not responsible for the sins of our ancestors. Likewise, we cannot study critical race theory because it might hurt the feelings of people whose ancestors practiced racism. Are not those two issues contradictory in terms, or do they complement each other?

I, too, do not think guilt is helpful when it channels our energies in self-destructive ways. A little responsibility that creates remorse**, however, could be beneficial. We do need to learn from history if we do not want to repeat its harmful elements. Most of the Bible is an attempt to help us learn from mistakes. I was amused when I toured Thomas Jefferson’s plantation and saw the bible he created after cutting out the parts he did not like. I do not like the violence attributed to God in the bible, but I read it. That study sent me to deeper analysis with comparisons to the teachings of Jesus. I am still exploring that today, but I do not either cut it out and ignore it or swallow it wholesale as God’s way of being in the 21st century. I do wonder at times how much we humans substitute our way for God’s way. The key to me is understanding that Jesus embodies the Word of God, and that is the light by which I try to read.

Prayer: Lord, free us from the strangling nature of guilt while helping us seek your way and your truth through recognizing you as our Word. Amen.

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

** a gnawing distress arising from a sense of guilt for past wrongs (as injuries done to others)

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.

Learning to Love Ourselves in the Right Way

Living in the Spirit

July 10, 2021

Scripture Reading: Mark 6:14-29

For Herod himself had sent men who arrested John, bound him, and put him in prison on account of Herodias, his brother Philip’s wife, because Herod had married her. For John had been telling Herod, ‘It is not lawful for you to have your brother’s wife.’ And Herodias had a grudge against him, and wanted to kill him. But she could not, for Herod feared John, knowing that he was a righteous and holy man, and he protected him. When he heard him, he was greatly perplexed; and yet he liked to listen to him. But an opportunity came when Herod on his birthday gave a banquet for his courtiers and officers and for the leaders of Galilee. When his daughter Herodias came in and danced, she pleased Herod and his guests; and the king said to the girl, ‘Ask me for whatever you wish, and I will give it.’ And he solemnly swore to her, ‘Whatever you ask me, I will give you, even half of my kingdom.’ She went out and said to her mother, ‘What should I ask for?’ She replied, ‘The head of John the baptizer.’ Immediately she rushed back to the king and requested, ‘I want you to give me at once the head of John the Baptist on a platter.’ The king was deeply grieved; yet out of regard for his oaths and for the guests, he did not want to refuse her. Immediately the king sent a soldier of the guard with orders to bring John’s head. He went and beheaded him in the prison, brought his head on a platter, and gave it to the girl. Then the girl gave it to her mother. When his disciples heard about it, they came and took his body, and laid it in a tomb. –Mark 6:17-29

What was Herod thinking? The answer is he was not thinking, and his pride would not keep him from breaking his promise. How much of our lives are controlled by our instinctual desires that we probably cannot explain, and yet we let them guide our lives. I once went on a business trip with a group in an area awash with bargain shops and malls. Two of the participants spent every free moment of their time on that trip shopping. A couple of weeks later, I saw one of them and asked how she liked all the purchases she had made. She said she sent it all back. She wondered what she was thinking?

We can be critical of both the atrociousness of Herod’s acts and the flakiness of my friend’s behavior. We, however, must recognize that we have all done something similar.  I stay closely on my eating plan most of the time, but occasionally, I succumb to a cookie or worse. Sometimes there is nothing wrong with doing something silly on the spur of the moment, particularly if it does not hurt anyone, including ourselves. The problem arises when we do not know or try to deal with what needs we are trying to meet with our impulsive behavior, and that is important. Cookies or other self-indulgences do not cure loneliness, shame, fear, lack of self-esteem, or even boredom.  

God desires wholeness for each of us. We all have had events in our pasts or everyday things like the pandemic that chip away at loving ourselves—wanting the best for ourselves. Such experiences can raise their ugly heads in our lives and send us down paths not attuned to God’s ways of being. When we do not love ourselves, we cannot love others. Routinely, dealing with such issues Is the best way to remove them from our lives. Take a few minutes each day to think about your day. Identify the things that happened that brought you joy and events that brought you down.  If you find something that routinely haunts you, spend some time wondering why it has a hold on you. Let it go and asked God to fill its vacancy with God’s love providing the insight needed to overcome it.

Prayer: God, grant us the insight to clear the path for loving ourselves, which paves the way to love others. 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.