Author Archives: WOJ@deborahsdescendants.com

Reality-Equality-Equity-Justice

Eastertide

April 19, 2021

Scripture Reading:
Acts 4:5-12
The next day their rulers, elders, and scribes assembled in Jerusalem, with Annas the high priest, Caiaphas, John, and Alexander, and all who were of the high-priestly family. When they had made the prisoners stand in their midst, they inquired, ‘By what power or by what name did you do this?’ Then Peter, filled with the Holy Spirit, said to them, ‘Rulers of the people and elders, if we are questioned today because of a good deed done to someone who was sick and are asked how this man has been healed, let it be known to all of you, and to all the people of Israel, that this man is standing before you in good health by the name of Jesus Christ of Nazareth, whom you crucified, whom God raised from the dead. This Jesus is
“the stone that was rejected by you, the builders;
   it has become the cornerstone.”
There is salvation in no one else, for there is no other name under heaven given among mortals by which we must be saved.’

Good health is a luxury for those who cannot afford medical care or food or clean water or time for rest. We were created as an interdependent world where the well-being of one raises the well-being of all. During the COVID pandemic, we see the disproportionately negative impact the virus has had on those who fundamentally enable others to continue their routines—shop clerks, bus drivers, janitors, and sadly grave diggers. We must recognize and correct the inequities in our society, assure that all have access to affordable quality health care, and earn a living wage. In times such as these, our call to do justice echoes throughout the land.

O Christ, the healer, we have come
to pray for health, to plead for friends.
How can we fail to be restored
when reached by love that never ends?

In conflicts that destroy our health,
we diagnose the world’s disease;
our common life declares our ills:
is there no cure, O Christ, for these?

Grant that we all, made one in faith,
in your community may find
the wholeness that, enriching us,
shall reach the whole of humankind.*

Prayer: O Christ help us become healers as we do justice for all your people. Amen.

*First, fourth, and fifth verses of O Christ, the Healer by Fred Pratt Green see at https://hymnary.org/text/o_christ_the_healer_we_have_come

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.

Stepping Out of Our Comfort Zone

Eastertide

April 18, 2021

Scripture Reading:

Luke 24:36b-48

Then he said to them, ‘These are my words that I spoke to you while I was still with you—that everything written about me in the law of Moses, the prophets, and the psalms must be fulfilled.’ Then he opened their minds to understand the scriptures, and he said to them, ‘Thus it is written, that the Messiah is to suffer and to rise from the dead on the third day, and that repentance and forgiveness of sins is to be proclaimed in his name to all nations, beginning from Jerusalem. You are witnesses of these things. –Luke 24:44-48

The history of God is a cohesive whole recorded by God’s followers as it occurred in the development of cultures, societies, and nations over time. I do not think God would have created beings made in God’s image had God not intended for them to excel when they set their hearts to the right. Jesus’ example tells us that serving God would require a lot of intentional, righteous work. Jesus also assures us that he will be sharing our burdens and strengthening us for that work.

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. I will do whatever you ask in my name, so that the Father may be glorified in the Son.  If in my name you ask me for anything, I will do it. John 14:12-14

Our challenge as people of faith is discerning what is right and what is just for ourselves and everyone. Such efforts can only be successful if we make an effort to step out of our comfort zones and see the world through the eyes of others.

Prayer: Lord, open us to understanding the lives of all your children, finding our common threads, and seeking to understand our different perspectives while we grow together in the love of God. 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.

Simply Love

Eastertide

April 17, 2021

Scripture Reading: Luke 24:36b-48

While they were talking about this, Jesus himself stood among them and said to them, ‘Peace be with you.’ They were startled and terrified, and thought that they were seeing a ghost. He said to them, ‘Why are you frightened, and why do doubts arise in your hearts? Look at my hands and my feet; see that it is I myself. Touch me and see; for a ghost does not have flesh and bones as you see that I have.’ And when he had said this, he showed them his hands and his feet. While in their joy they were disbelieving and still wondering, he said to them, ‘Have you anything here to eat?’ They gave him a piece of broiled fish, and he took it and ate in their presence. –Luke 24:36-43

As children, my sister and I sang a duet of a song titled, It Is No Secret What God Can Do. The song was sung by everybody from Jim Reeves to Elvis Presley to Mahalia Jackson and my sister and me. I thought of that song when I read the above scripture. It may not be a secret what God can do, but for many, at least at times, God’s capabilities are undiscernible. I found it interesting that the disciples could believe in ghosts but not in a man resurrected, one they could touch and feel. We humans, I fear, try to make life more complicated than it is or needs to be. Jesus’ message was simple and straightforward, love God and love one another. The source of abundant life for all people is the very Creator of the world. Can we at least recognize God might know how he created the world to work well?

I awoke this morning to the news of another mass shooting, this time in Indiana. A reporter interviewed a man who had just learned his relative had not been killed or injured. The man was greatly relieved but noted he was among a group of people who had lost family members, and though overjoyed that his relative had survived, he mourned with those who had lost a brother or sister or child or parent. He added, “Why can’t we just love one another?”

The chimes of time ring out the news, another day is through
Someone slipped and fell, was that someone you?
You may have longed for added strength your courage to renew
Do not be disheartened, I have news for you
It is no secret what God can do
What he’s done for others he’ll do for you
With arms wide open, he’ll pardon you
It is no secret what God can do

There is no night for in his light you’ll never walk alone
You’ll always feel at home, wherever you may roam
There is no power can conquer you while God is on your side
Take him at his promise, don’t run away and hide
It is no secret what God can do
What he’s done for others he’ll do for you
With arms wide open he’ll pardon you
It is no secret what God can do*

Prayer: Creator of all, help us to love one another as you have loved us. Amen.

*It Is No Secret What God Can Do by Stuart Hamblen see at https://www.google.com/search?q=it+is+no+secret+what+god+can+do&rlz=1C1CHZN_enUS922US922&oq=it+is+&aqs=chrome.0.69i59j69i57j46j0l2j69i60l3.2684j0j7&sourceid=chrome&ie=UTF-8

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

Without Law

Eastertide

April 16, 2021

Scripture Reading: 1 John 3:1-7

Everyone who commits sin is guilty of lawlessness; sin is lawlessness. You know that he was revealed to take away sins, and in him there is no sin. No one who abides in him sins; no one who sins has either seen him or known him. Little children, let no one deceive you. Everyone who does what is right is righteous, just as he is righteous. –1 John 3:4-7

Pilate asked, “what is truth?1” with the inference that truth is relative. What is right, for many, may fall in the same category. The words right and righteousness refers to what is deemed right by the Lord (after [the Lord’s] examination), i.e. what is approved in [the Lord’s] eyes2. Truth and righteousness come from the same source and require that we seek the vision of God in all aspects of our lives.

The Greek word, anomia3, translated here as lawlessness, means without law, not against established law. Sin is acting without recognizing God as the author of both truth and righteousness.

Like Pilate, our society is having problems discern what is true and what is right. Perhaps our blindness or confusion results from our failure to gain clarity from the One who defines truth and righteousness. Have we reached the point that we feel we are beyond God’s righteousness? Are we now a people who think we are beyond God’s laws? Jesus identified the most critical laws as loving God and loving our neighbors as we love ourselves. Families are struggling from the impact of COVID. In the USA, poverty impacts 1.4 million people, mass shootings are occurring across our lands, and families are fleeing other countries because of starvation and violence. Where are the laws of love to address such needs? 

I have always appreciated M. Scott Peck4‘s definition of love as wanting the very best for another, which I think is defined by God and includes all others. We have a living Savior and the guidance of the Holy Spirit to show us how to turn away from the distractions that are separating us from God, restoring us to keepers of the faith, ruled by God’s truth and righteousness.

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. 5 Amen

1John 18:38
2https://biblehub.com/greek/1343.htm
3https://biblehub.com/greek/458.htm
4 Author of The Road Less Traveled
5First verse of Dear Lrod and Father of Mankind by John Greenleaf Whittier see at John Greenleaf Whittier

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.

Preemptive Love

Eastertide

April 15, 2021

Scripture Reading: 1 John 3:1-7

See what love the Father has given us, that we should be called children of God; and that is what we are. The reason the world does not know us is that it did not know him. Beloved, we are God’s children now; what we will be has not yet been revealed. What we do know is this: when he is revealed, we will be like him, for we will see him as he is. And all who have this hope in him purify themselves, just as he is pure. –1 John 3:1-3

God created the world and all that is in it and called it good. All people are God’s children. I think God chose not to make a puppet theater where God pulled all the strings. God had a great desire for the interchange of ideas and feelings, the same need of parents to reproduce their likeness for the furtherance of human life and the expansion of possibilities. When God created us in God’s image to attain that vision, we were also granted free will to follow the Lord’s path or not. Thus, the anti-God, we sometimes call evil, was allowed a presence.

The world has fallen far short of God’s glory as we become more and more divided. We are being played by evil which is the entity treating us like puppets. Evil tries hard to limit our choices to exclude that which is good and right. We see this when we and society care more about issues that rarely impact our lives while ignoring the teachings of Jesus to feed the hungry, clothe the naked, care for the sick, reform the prisoner, and welcome the stranger. We pick and choose verses from the Bible that support our biases and promote self-righteousness while patently ignoring the Ten Commandments or the Sermon on the Mount or Romans 8.

We are not given the assignment of judging or condemning others. We are charged with loving them. Preemptive love fills the void in people’s lives that evil uses to its advantage. Preemptive love is God’s love, and we as Christ-followers are empowered to share it, replacing something of far greater value than evil could ever produce. After this year of tumult, violence, sickness, and death, perhaps we need to reconnect with God’s preemptive love.

Prayer: Lord, heal our weary souls and enable our witness of God’s 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.

Selah

Eastertide

April 14, 2021

Scripture Reading: Psalm 4
Answer me when I call, O God of my right!
   You gave me room when I was in distress.
   Be gracious to me, and hear my prayer.

How long, you people, shall my honor suffer shame?
   How long will you love vain words, and seek after lies?
          Selah
But know that the Lord has set apart the faithful for himself;
   the Lord hears when I call to him.

When you are disturbed, do not sin;
   ponder it on your beds, and be silent.
          Selah
Offer right sacrifices,
   and put your trust in the Lord.

There are many who say, ‘O that we might see some good!
   Let the light of your face shine on us, O Lord!’
You have put gladness in my heart
   more than when their grain and wine abound.

I will both lie down and sleep in peace;
   for you alone, O Lord, make me lie down in safety.

I often take the word Selah out when it appears in scripture I am quoting because I had some vague understanding that it was a standard instruction of worship, like “all rise,” but not necessarily needed to understand the written content. Besides, it usually took up a whole line of space. Selah’s use in this Psalm made me wonder if there were more to it than what I considered. Selah is the same as our word Benediction, the word we see in church orders of worship usually denoting the closing prayer. When I saw that, I wondered what Benediction* meant and discovered a broader meaning than I had understood. Benediction is the invocation of a blessing on persons or things being dedicated to God. That is especially important at the end of the service, but as the Psalm above illustrates, it fits nicely throughout our worship and lives. Psalm 4 includes a series of problems God has observed in us, followed by a blessing from God, Selah, and afterward by instructions to set those wayward behaviors right.

I sense at times that my soul has frayed from the stress and life changes caused by COVID exacerbated by the already present division and disharmony rampant in our nation. I think when we feel this way, we might want to adopt G od’s formula for life. Go to God in prayer and share our fears and hurts and loss. Follow that by receiving the Lord’s richest blessings. Then be still and know that God is God** and allow God to write appropriate responses on our hearts and in our minds.

Prayer: Lord, help us to see our failures to love as you would have us love and thank you for blessing us with your guidance to turn around and follow the path you designed for us. Amen.

**Psalm 46:10
*https://unabridged.merriam-webster.com/unabridged/benedictions.

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.

Changing the World

Eastertide

April 13, 2021

Scripture Reading: Acts 3:12-19
When Peter saw it, he addressed the people, ‘You Israelites, why do you wonder at this, or why do you stare at us, as though by our own power or piety we had made him walk? The God of Abraham, the God of Isaac, and the God of Jacob, the God of our ancestors has glorified his servant Jesus, whom you handed over and rejected in the presence of Pilate, though he had decided to release him. But you rejected the Holy and Righteous One and asked to have a murderer given to you, and you killed the Author of life, whom God raised from the dead. To this we are witnesses. And by faith in his name, his name itself has made this man strong, whom you see and know; and the faith that is through Jesus has given him this perfect health in the presence of all of you.

‘And now, friends, I know that you acted in ignorance, as did also your rulers. In this way God fulfilled what he had foretold through all the prophets, that his Messiah would suffer. Repent therefore, and turn to God so that your sins may be wiped out,

Peter’s words sting as I read them, you killed the Author of life, whom God raised from the dead. I have wondered what choices I would have made had I been one of those present moving from waving palms of welcome to crying out crucify him, crucify him. Would I have run home and hidden as he trudged toward Golgotha carry the cross, or would I have followed him? Only one of his closest disciples stood at the foot of the cross. The others probably feared for their own lives, but what about Thomas, who said let us go to Jerusalem to die with him. Women were there, but women did not matter among the male-dominant religious or political leaders. Secret followers came out of the woodwork to bury him.

The more critical issue is what I am doing today to fulfill the call to go into all the world and make disciples. I find more and more, my weak witness is defensive rather than welcoming, as actions are taken in the name of God that are foreign to my faith. How do we become the One Body of Christ in the tug-of-religious war in which we now find ourselves?

Peter takes us back to God when he assures the crowd that he did not heal the man. Peter was the conduit for the healing power of God. We, too, are called to be such a conduit. That role demands a closer walk with God and a clear understanding of our purpose, vision, and actions stripped of all self-righteousness and overflowing with God’s righteousness and grace. What happened to all those followers who did not show up at the cross? Through the gifts of the Holy Spirit and the overwhelming love of God, those initially week-kneed first disciples changed the world. We can do that, too.

Prayer: God grant us the courage to rise above our defensiveness and hesitancies to do our part in establishing the Kingdom of God through love in our world today. 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.

Dealing with Ignorance

Eastertide

April 12, 2021Justice

Scripture Reading: Acts 3:12-19
When Peter saw it, he addressed the people, ‘You Israelites, why do you wonder at this, or why do you stare at us, as though by our own power or piety we had made him walk? The God of Abraham, the God of Isaac, and the God of Jacob, the God of our ancestors has glorified his servant Jesus, whom you handed over and rejected in the presence of Pilate, though he had decided to release him. But you rejected the Holy and Righteous One and asked to have a murderer given to you, and you killed the Author of life, whom God raised from the dead. To this we are witnesses. And by faith in his name, his name itself has made this man strong, whom you see and know; and the faith that is through Jesus has given him this perfect health in the presence of all of you.

‘And now, friends, I know that you acted in ignorance, as did also your rulers. In this way God fulfilled what he had foretold through all the prophets, that his Messiah would suffer. Repent therefore, and turn to God so that your sins may be wiped out,

Ignorance is a challenging word. There are at least two types of ignorance. The first is a lack of knowledge or experience. We all are acquainted with that one, which can be corrected by study or observation or wisdom shared by others. I remember the centurion saying at the foot of Jesus’ cross Truly this man was God’s Son*! My high school American and Oklahoma History teacher contributed much outside information than was provided in our textbooks. Besides being my teacher, he was the Principal Chief of the Otoe Missouria Tribe at that time. The second type of ignorance is gained by ignoring what we have observed and blindly believing what we have been taught. Many of the Jews had been anticipating a Warrior King, Son of David Messiah, not one willing to die on a cross whose rule is based on love rather than military might.

Ignorance does not need to last forever. We can learn the better way, and we can turn around from holding on to knowledge without substance and experience without knowing.

Prayer: God of Love, open our hearts and minds to your ways and your truths. Amen.

*Matthew 27:54

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.

Overcoming Evil

Eastertide

April 11, 2021

Scripture Reading:
John 20:19-31

But Thomas (who was called the Twin), one of the twelve, was not with them when Jesus came. So the other disciples told him, ‘We have seen the Lord.’ But he said to them, ‘Unless I see the mark of the nails in his hands, and put my finger in the mark of the nails and my hand in his side, I will not believe.’

A week later his disciples were again in the house, and Thomas was with them. Although the doors were shut, Jesus came and stood among them and said, ‘Peace be with you.’ Then he said to Thomas, ‘Put your finger here and see my hands. Reach out your hand and put it in my side. Do not doubt but believe.’ Thomas answered him, ‘My Lord and my God!’ Jesus said to him, ‘Have you believed because you have seen me? Blessed are those who have not seen and yet have come to believe.‘—John 20:24-29

Thomas would have been an empirical scientist today. He wanted to see the facts of Jesus’ Resurrection. Jesus understood Thomas and responded by showing him the nail holes in Jesus’ hands and the place where the spear stabbed him in the side. Thomas gets a bad rap for wanting proof. We need to remember that upon receiving the news that Lazarus had died, Thomas was the one who said we must go and die with Jesus if necessary*. Thomas loved Jesus with all his heart.

God created diverse people because a wealth of wisdom is required to properly care for the earth while living together within a loving framework. I learned a lot from studying the Myers-Briggs personality types. Sixteen different types are identified from combining various traits. There are other such tests, but most conclude that it takes a wide range of skills working in harmony to maintain a peaceful society. I think that achievement is what Jesus promised and described as abundant life.

Living together in community requires us to learn to love and trust one another. Evil wins by divide and conquer. It studies our weaknesses and pounces on them. Jesus admonished us in Matthew 10:16, See, I am sending you out like sheep into the midst of wolves; so be wise as serpents and innocent as doves.  Jesus called us to be one. To do that, we must intentionally turn the energy of evil into a power source of love. Maintaining our relationship with God is fundamental in accomplishing that feat.

Prayer: Lord, fill us with your love and light as we work to replace evil with love. Amen.

*John 11:16

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.

Sharing Jesus’ Message

Eastertide

April 10, 2021

Scripture Reading:
John 20:19-31

When it was evening on that day, the first day of the week, and the doors of the house where the disciples had met were locked for fear of the Jews, Jesus came and stood among them and said, ‘Peace be with you.’ After he said this, he showed them his hands and his side. Then the disciples rejoiced when they saw the Lord. Jesus said to them again, ‘Peace be with you. As the Father has sent me, so I send you.’ When he had said this, he breathed on them and said to them, ‘Receive the Holy Spirit. If you forgive the sins of any, they are forgiven them; if you retain the sins of any, they are retained.’ –John 20:19-23

The above scripture follows the story of Jesus endowing the disciples with the Holy Spirit. Here Jesus is more concerned about the correct transmission of his vision than passing judgment on moral behavior. He is instructing his followers to stick to his teachings, the revelation of God in Jesus. Through the gift of the Holy Spirit, these disciples were equipped with the ability to carry out what indeed must have seemed an impossible responsibility. That call extends to us today.

To have sin is to be blind to the revelation of God in Jesus. Jesus brings people to judgment by his revealing work and presence in the world. . .. The community is to continue what God sent Jesus to do*.

The New Interpreter’s Bible highlights the communal nature of the task set before the disciples. Our ability to be One in Christ and with the Holy Spirit is a powerful witness. Any failure to hold to Jesus’ example and teachings can be disastrous. Think about the Crusades, the Holocaust, crosses burning on front lawns.

My faith tells me that God is ultimately in charge. God elected to give us free will. God did that because he wanted us to choose the right path. In the meantime, we must invest ourselves in loving one another to the breadth and depths of Jesus’ love, so when we reveal the revelation of God in Jesus, we are displaying the right and just message.

Prayer: God of Love,  stay close to us and keep us mindful and heart-full of your ways of sharing your path that leads to the Kingdom of God among us. Amen.

*The New Interpreter’s Bible A commentary in Twelve Volumes. Volume IX page 847

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.