Author Archives: WOJ@deborahsdescendants.com

Is your God too Small?

Living in the Spirit

June 19, 2021

Scripture Reading:

Mark 4:35-41
On that day, when evening had come, he said to them, ‘Let us go across to the other side.’ And leaving the crowd behind, they took him with them in the boat, just as he was. Other boats were with him. A great gale arose, and the waves beat into the boat, so that the boat was already being swamped. But he was in the stern, asleep on the cushion; and they woke him up and said to him, ‘Teacher, do you not care that we are perishing?’ He woke up and rebuked the wind, and said to the sea, ‘Peace! Be still!’ Then the wind ceased, and there was a dead calm. He said to them, ‘Why are you afraid? Have you still no faith?’ And they were filled with great awe and said to one another, ‘Who then is this, that even the wind and the sea obey him?’

Your God is Too Small: A Guide for Believers and Skeptics Alike by J.B. Phillips is one of the best faith-based books I have ever read. Phillips challenges us to consider that we tend to relegate God to the events of biblical times without recognizing that the Creator God is just as relevant to us today. The things we read as history in the Bible were real-time issues of the era and place. They indeed describe the ways of God in relationship to humans, but the humans of that time and place had to implement God’s practices as they applied to their reality, just as we must interpret them for our world today. A good example might be that polygamy was acceptable in the stories of the Hebrew Bible and disappear in the New Testament. There are laws against it today. Polygamy was an economic phenomenon in its beginning. Today marriage is about the relationship. Both require the guidance of loving one another.

I think God sent Jesus to help us understand that God as love is the overarching litmus test of following God’s ways. The Bible does tell us that God created our world based on the foundation of love, and anytime we shift away from loving God, loving ourselves, and loving one another, our whole world gets out of sync, and we suffer the consequences for it.

Prayer: Lord, let your love empower our love so that our world becomes dedicated to your ways. 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.

The Wholeness of God

Living in the Spirit

June 18, 2021

Scripture Reading:
2 Corinthians 6:1-13

As we work together with him, we urge you also not to accept the grace of God in vain. For he says,
‘At an acceptable time I have listened to you,
   and on a day of salvation I have helped you.’
See, now is the acceptable time; see, now is the day of salvation! We are putting no obstacle in anyone’s way, so that no fault may be found with our ministry, but as servants of God we have commended ourselves in every way: through great endurance, in afflictions, hardships, calamities, beatings, imprisonments, riots, labors, sleepless nights, hunger; by purity, knowledge, patience, kindness, holiness of Spirit, genuine love, truthful speech, and the power of God; with the weapons of righteousness for the right hand and for the left; in honor and dishonor, in ill repute and good repute. We are treated as impostors, and yet are true; as unknown, and yet are well known; as dying, and see—we are alive; as punished, and yet not killed; as sorrowful, yet always rejoicing; as poor, yet making many rich; as having nothing, and yet possessing everything.

We have spoken frankly to you Corinthians; our heart is wide open to you. There is no restriction in our affections, but only in yours. In return—I speak as to children—open wide your hearts also.

When I read the quote in the first verse of the above scripture, I heard Jesus speaking. I stopped and considered that assumption, realizing Paul’s writings were published before any of the Gospels. I am sure that other sources of Jesus’s sayings existed that are now lost to us, but Paul’s Bible was the Hebrew one. Looking up the reference, I found the quote came from Isaiah 49:8. The full selection is:
Thus says the Lord:
In a time of favor I have answered you,
   on a day of salvation I have helped you;
I have kept you and given you
   as a covenant to the people,
to establish the land,
   to apportion the desolate heritages;

Isaiah charges his readers in the same manner that Paul addressed his followers, and both speak to us today. There is a time and place for God’s intervention, and that is God’s decision to make. We are called to work together toward God’s vision set forth by Jesus, the Christ, knowing that when God needs to intercede, God will. Thus, all God’s children must maintain a constant open line of communication with God.

Paul spent much time studying and meditating to discover the truth of the Messiah and the teachings from the scrolls of the Hebrew scriptures. Jesus quoted them also. Our challenge is to discern God’s ways as they are described among very human time-dated stories. God helped us in doing just that when the Word became flesh and lived among us, and we have seen his glory, the glory as of a father’s only son, full of grace and truth*.

Prayer: Lord, make us whole, make us one enabling us to do justice in the formation of your Kingdom. Amen.

*John 1:14

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.

Spiritual Itinerary

Living in the Spirit

June 17, 2021

Scripture Reading: 2 Corinthians 6:1-13

As we work together with him, we urge you also not to accept the grace of God in vain. For he says,
‘At an acceptable time I have listened to you,
   and on a day of salvation I have helped you.’
See, now is the acceptable time; see, now is the day of salvation! We are putting no obstacle in anyone’s way, so that no fault may be found with our ministry, but as servants of God we have commended ourselves in every way: through great endurance, in afflictions, hardships, calamities, beatings, imprisonments, riots, labors, sleepless nights, hunger; by purity, knowledge, patience, kindness, holiness of Spirit, genuine love, truthful speech, and the power of God; with the weapons of righteousness for the right hand and for the left; in honor and dishonor, in ill repute and good repute. We are treated as impostors, and yet are true; as unknown, and yet are well known; as dying, and see—we are alive; as punished, and yet not killed; as sorrowful, yet always rejoicing; as poor, yet making many rich; as having nothing, and yet possessing everything.

We have spoken frankly to you Corinthians; our heart is wide open to you. There is no restriction in our affections, but only in yours. In return—I speak as to children—open wide your hearts also.

Where does God fit into our life plan? Does God get two hours on Sunday morning? Perhaps we take some time each day to share our needs. How often do we recognize God in our interactions with others? Do we, indeed, acknowledge that our relationship with God involves our following God’s ways as we strive to build a better world? Are we conscience that we are considered a model of Christ in everything we do? No wonder the percentage of people who identify as Christian is shrinking when we act holier-than-though and even hatred.

A morning itinerary of how we intend to live our lives in the Spirit each day with an evening review of our accomplishments is a good place to start being intentional about our work in God’s Kingdom. I imagine most of us do something like that regarding routine tasks–laundry today, complete the Jones contract, doctor’s appointment. So, what would our faith itinerary look like?

 Would it include:

  • Bible study
  • Seeking God’s will for our day
  • Prayer for specific people or events
  • Sending cards to those who are sick or in grief
  • Volunteering at the food bank
  • Befriending a new person at work
  • Looking for the Christ in everyone we encounter
  • Emailing our government representative encouraging him or her to support a bill that addresses the needs of the poor. . . .

Prayer: God of Possibilities, help us open wide our hearts and let the world know your love through 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.

Surviving the Storms of Life

Living in the Spirit

June 16, 2021

Scripture Reading: Psalm 107:1-3, 23-32

Some went down to the sea in ships,
   doing business on the mighty waters;
they saw the deeds of the Lord,
   his wondrous works in the deep.
For he commanded and raised the stormy wind,
   which lifted up the waves of the sea.
They mounted up to heaven, they went down to the depths;
   their courage melted away in their calamity;
they reeled and staggered like drunkards,
   and were at their wits’ end.
Then they cried to the Lord in their trouble,
   and he brought them out from their distress;

he made the storm be still,
   and the waves of the sea were hushed.
Then they were glad because they had quiet,
   and he brought them to their desired haven.
Let them thank the Lord for his steadfast love,
   for his wonderful works to humankind.
Let them extol him in the congregation of the people,
   and praise him in the assembly of the elders. –Psalm 107:23-2

While visiting a friend in Washington D.C., I was invited for my first ride on a sailboat. My fellow sailors raced sailboats, so I was with folks who knew the Chesapeake Bay and how to sail. I, of course, immediately got seasick when one of the sailors advised me to focus my eyes straight ahead on the horizon. She also had some over-the-counter seasick medicine I took. My stomach settled quickly, and I enjoyed the ride. Suddenly something snapped above. My sailing companions discussed what to do about what seemed to be a minor problem because they were so calm about the situation. They did head straight for the shore, and all were pleased that we arrived safely. The mast had cracked. Just as the crew pulled into the dock, the mast broke a few feet from the top.

I learned a lot from that experience. For example, seasickness could be quelled by focusing on something at a distance. It works for car sickness, too. The experience reminded me of Jesus’s Disciples on the boat with him asleep when a storm came up, and they panicked*. The Disciples, too, were at their wits’ end. They, too, sought the Lord’s help, and he calmed the sea. These stories are relevant in our lives now. People are stressed to the point of panic. Anger pours out in shootings and domestic violence, slugfests on airplanes, and the inability to face the reality of our situation. This Psalm reminds us that we serve a mighty God who can cause storms and stop them. In times like these, we need that Savior, and we need to open our hearts and minds to the Lord’s guidance to lead us to still waters.

Prayer: Lord, help us recognize you as our horizon where we find the calm needed to weather the challenges we face. You called us, your Disciples, to be the light of the world all the time but especially in times like these. Grant us the courage to model our lives after your example. Amen.

*See Mark 4:38-40

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.

Relating to God

Living in the Spirit

June 15, 2021

Scripture Reading:

Job 38:1-11

Then the Lord answered Job out of the whirlwind:
‘Who is this that darkens counsel by words without knowledge?
Gird up your loins like a man,
   I will question you, and you shall declare to me.

‘Where were you when I laid the foundation of the earth?
   Tell me, if you have understanding.
Who determined its measurements—surely you know!
   Or who stretched the line upon it?
On what were its bases sunk,
   or who laid its cornerstone
when the morning stars sang together

   and all the heavenly beings shouted for joy?

‘Or who shut in the sea with doors
   when it burst out from the womb?—
when I made the clouds its garment,
   and thick darkness its swaddling band,
and prescribed bounds for it,
   and set bars and doors,
and said, “Thus far shall you come, and no farther,
   and here shall your proud waves be stopped”?

A class I took on theology dealt with the Trinity, a subject argued at least since the beginning of Christianity. I was not a good student for this topic. I have no problem with worshipping an all-powerful God, trying to model my life after a very human man who was also fully divine, and following the guidance of a Spirit all working together somehow. I do not care if that grouping has a name or not. I do not think there is a shape, title, or description that can illustrate this phenomenon. If such artwork is helpful to others’ understanding of God, I am glad it is meaningful to them.

God’s frustration described in the above scripture is not how to define God but the paradox that we can take God for granted and we never should. God had a purpose in creating the world and all that is in it. The Lord made life with which God could relate.  The story of Job starts at a meeting in heaven where God and Satan discuss whether Job would continue to be a blameless, steadfast follower of God if all the things God had provided for Job were taken from him. And so, a test was created. Job lost everything he cared about and was chastised by his friends for the loss resulting from Job’s sins even though he had not sinned. Job held forth his innocence. The book of Job is a morality play illustrating how vital our relationship with God is and that we should never assume we know God better than God knows God’s self as we attempt to judge others.

Prayer: Thank you, Lord, for your abiding presence with us. Forgive us when our love falls short in our relationship with you and with your other children. 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.

Curious Agnostics

Living in the Spirit

June 14, 2021

Scripture Reading: Job 38:1-11

Then the Lord answered Job out of the whirlwind:
‘Who is this that darkens counsel by words without knowledge?
Gird up your loins like a man,
   I will question you, and you shall declare to me.

‘Where were you when I laid the foundation of the earth?
   Tell me, if you have understanding.
Who determined its measurements—surely you know!
   Or who stretched the line upon it?
On what were its bases sunk,
   or who laid its cornerstone
when the morning stars sang together

   and all the heavenly beings shouted for joy?

‘Or who shut in the sea with doors
   when it burst out from the womb?—
when I made the clouds its garment,
   and thick darkness its swaddling band,
and prescribed bounds for it,
   and set bars and doors,
and said, “Thus far shall you come, and no farther,
   and here shall your proud waves be stopped”?

Having had a hectic week, I was ready to kick back and watch a movie. Angels & Demons was available. Although I have seen it several times, it was a good choice. It is the story of a professor who specializes in symbolism, particularly that of religions. He is contacted to help the Catholic church deal with a problem that demanded his skills. At one point in the movie, a church representative asked him if he believed in God. He stumbled around responding and demonstrated that he was a curious agnostic.  The above scripture challenges those of us to say one way or another whether we have faith that there is a God. If we come done on the side that says yes, there is a God, then we must deal with the question: where are we in our relationship with and service to God?

The interesting thing about this series of movies, starting with the Da Vinci Code, is that it is almost impossible to tell who the good people are and who the bad people are until the very end. My book club recently read, The Trouble with Goats and Sheep: A Novel, which addresses the same question. How far afield can we go in our attempts to serve God when we invest much of our energies in defining God in an image of our own making. But, unfortunately, Job and his pals had become tangled in separating their idea of God from God.

Prayer: Lord, guide us in the search for understanding how we dwell with you in fuller understanding, resulting in our having a better understanding of who we are. 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.

Parables

Living in the Spirit

June 13, 2021

Scripture Reading:

Mark 4:26-34
He also said, ‘The kingdom of God is as if someone would scatter seed on the ground, and would sleep and rise night and day, and the seed would sprout and grow, he does not know how. The earth produces of itself, first the stalk, then the head, then the full grain in the head. But when the grain is ripe, at once he goes in with his sickle, because the harvest has come.’

He also said, ‘With what can we compare the kingdom of God, or what parable will we use for it? It is like a mustard seed, which, when sown upon the ground, is the smallest of all the seeds on earth; yet when it is sown it grows up and becomes the greatest of all shrubs, and puts forth large branches, so that the birds of the air can make nests in its shade.’

With many such parables he spoke the word to them, as they were able to hear it; he did not speak to them except in parables, but he explained everything in private to his disciples.

We need not only to learn the wisdom shared in Jesus’s parables, but we also need to understand the power of a story taking us out of our comfort zone and enabling us to see the world around us in a clearer light. The prophet Nathan did this with King David when he challenged David about his relationship with Bathsheba. You might remember the story Nathan described a man with a pet sheep he dearly loved. His wealthy neighbor was planning a feast and ordered his servants to slaughter the pet sheep and roast it for the rich man’s guests. At hearing the story, David became outraged and demanded the rich man be punished. Nathan responded that the rich man was David and the sheep represented Bathsheba*.

We rarely know the inside story of people we judge to be out of sync with our values. Jesus saw people for who they could become. We are called to do the same. I love the report of Jesus healing the man described in the scriptures as demon-possessed. He was a nuisance to the neighborhood. After Jesus returned him to wholeness, the man begged to stay with Jesus. But Jesus said, ‘Return to your home, and declare how much God has done for you.’ This formerly demon-possessed man had a mighty witness to share among people who knew him well.

Prayer: God of Mercy, help to see and serve others as you do. Amen.

*See 2 Samuel 12

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.

Using Our Talents

Living in the Spirit

June 12, 2021

Scripture Reading: Mark 4:26-34

He also said, ‘The kingdom of God is as if someone would scatter seed on the ground, and would sleep and rise night and day, and the seed would sprout and grow, he does not know how. The earth produces of itself, first the stalk, then the head, then the full grain in the head. But when the grain is ripe, at once he goes in with his sickle, because the harvest has come.’

He also said, ‘With what can we compare the kingdom of God, or what parable will we use for it? It is like a mustard seed, which, when sown upon the ground, is the smallest of all the seeds on earth; yet when it is sown it grows up and becomes the greatest of all shrubs, and puts forth large branches, so that the birds of the air can make nests in its shade.’

With many such parables he spoke the word to them, as they were able to hear it; he did not speak to them except in parables, but he explained everything in private to his disciples.

I value scientists because they have the tenacity to try to understand the wonders of our world. This ability in no way discounts God, the Creator. If anything, it deepens respect for God in various ways. By planting the seeds of curiosity and exploration in humans, we have soared to heights unknown and still have only tapped the basics in many areas. Jesus said in John 14:12, Very truly, I tell you, the one who believes in me will also do the works that I do and, in fact, will do greater works than these, because I am going to the Father. Jesus was clear God expects much out of God’s children. In the parable of the talents, a man going on a journey entrusted talents to his servants while he was away. When the man returned, the first two servants reported that they had increased the number of talents left in their care. The third said that he buried the talent entrusted to him because he was afraid the man would be angry if it came to harm. Indeed, the man was mad that the talent had not been used, much less multiplied*. In this example, talent designates what we would call money today. I believe it has a deeper and richer meaning to include all of our abilities to make the world a better place for everyone and enable everyone to contribute their talents in the process.

Prayer: Lord, Help us each to hone our skills and practice them in your service. Also, help us enable others to do the same. Amen.

*See Matthew 25:14–30

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.

Everything Becomes New

Living in the Spirit

June 11, 2021.

Scripture Reading:
2 Corinthians 5:6-10, (11-13), 14-17

For the love of Christ urges us on, because we are convinced that one has died for all; therefore all have died. And he died for all, so that those who live might live no longer for themselves, but for him who died and was raised for them.

From now on, therefore, we regard no one from a human point of view; even though we once knew Christ from a human point of view, we know him no longer in that way. So if anyone is in Christ, there is a new creation: everything old has passed away; see, everything has become new! –2 Corinthians 5:14-17

Ah, but do we regard no one from a human point of view? Is that even possible humans that we are? There is an intentionality to being a Christ-follower. It requires us to deal with that which stands in the way of our loving God and loving our neighbor as ourselves. Mother Teresa said, If you judge people, you have no time to love them. Following Christ demands that we become new creations. For most of us, that is a gradual process as the Spirit enters our lives when we open ourselves to such guidance. Like Elijah, how often in the chaos of life must we quiet ourselves to perceive that still small voice* showing the right path or like with Elijah healing our souls when we feel pushed to our limits.  

This year will always be associated with the COVID pandemic. We have seen humans from all walks of life responding in fear and with courage. At first, I was taken aback by thinking the best thing I could do was stay home, avoid people, practice good hygiene. A year later, and uncountable Zoom meetings, I have adjusted to a new way of being. I felt a little strange when my church reopened. I rather enjoyed the live stream services, which we will continue as we return to in-person worship. We discovered that shut-ins benefited from those services, and we gained some younger new participants who felt at ease with the electronic church. Everything has become new, and we have learned to appreciate more what we are carrying forward.

Prayer: Lord, thank you for walking with us as we learn the new we are encountering. Amen.

* See 1 Kings 19:11-13

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.

Judgment

Living in the Spirit

June 10, 2021

Scripture Reading:

2 Corinthians 5:6-10, (11-13), 14-17

So we are always confident; even though we know that while we are at home in the body we are away from the Lord— for we walk by faith, not by sight. Yes, we do have confidence, and we would rather be away from the body and at home with the Lord. So whether we are at home or away, we make it our aim to please him. For all of us must appear before the judgement seat of Christ, so that each may receive recompense for what has been done in the body, whether good or evil. –2 Corinthians 5:6-10

The theology of judgment has always been a paradox to me, a self-contradictory statement that is true. The word “recompense” used here describing what happens at judgment illustrates that well.  Recompense means either to give compensation to, to give an equivalent for, or to return in kind–reciprocate by or as if by rewarding or avenging*

My book club just read The Trouble with Goats and Sheep by Joanna Cannon. The story is about two girls searching for God among a neighborhood of families who get some things right and some things wrong routinely. The confusion for the girls in separating the goats from the sheep is the paradox of judgment. Finding God in such an environment is made more straightforward or more complicated by seeing the image of Jesus in a utility pipe. We learn with the girls that God is always with us, made even more so in the presence of Jesus among us.

God’s desire for us is to choose righteousness and justice, both hard words to define and categorize as their meaning gets caught up in the interpretations of the world. However, as we grow in Spirit and truth, increasing our connectedness to God, we perceive a purer knowledge and hopefully apply that understanding in how we live our lives. We can do that every day by examining our lives against God’s righteousness and justice, making corrective adjustments along the way.

My desired image of final judgment is sitting down with Jesus over a good cup of coffee in laughter and tears with thanksgiving for the forgiveness of the knuckleheaded things I did that required course corrections, thanksgiving for the consistency of the Spirit’s presence to get me through the hard times, and the joy I shared with all God’s children when we truly practiced God’s righteousness and did justice by loving God and loving one another. Let it be so.

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.

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

**First verse of Dear Lord and Father of Mankind  by John Greenleaf Whittier 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.