Category Archives: Daily Devotion

Sharing Love

Ordinary Time

January 24, 2023

Scripture Reading: Micah 6:1-8

‘With what shall I come before the Lord,
   and bow myself before God on high?
Shall I come before him with burnt-offerings,
   with calves a year old?
Will the Lord be pleased with thousands of rams,
   with tens of thousands of rivers of oil?
Shall I give my firstborn for my transgression,
   the fruit of my body for the sin of my soul?’
He has told you, O mortal, what is good;
   and what does the Lord require of you
but to do justice, and to love kindness,
   and to walk humbly with your God? –Micah 6:6-8

Do we really understand that God calls us to a partnership with God and with one another to spread God’s love to all? Making a burnt offering, even using one of the finest sheep or bull, and then walking back into the culture of the world around us does not mean we have excepted the responsibility to fulfill our relationship with God. We are not called to bribe our way into God’s good graces. We are called to accept God’s gift of grace that enables us to be a conduit of God’s love creating the Beloved Community where each and all are persons of worth. Worship rituals can be very meaningful to our growth in faith, but such activities are never the final goal. The final goal is building that Beloved Community that includes all of God’s creation, and God tells us how to do that through the voice of the prophet Micah,

and what does the Lord require of you

but to do justice, and to love kindness,

and to walk humbly with your God?

Prayer: Thank you, Lord, for sending us prophets to share the great challenge but the simplicity of loving 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.

Jesus as a Mentor

Ordinary Time

January 22, 2023

Scripture Reading:

Matthew 4:12-23

As he walked by the Sea of Galilee, he saw two brothers, Simon, who is called Peter, and Andrew his brother, casting a net into the lake—for they were fishermen. And he said to them, ‘Follow me, and I will make you fish for people.’ Immediately they left their nets and followed him. As he went from there, he saw two other brothers, James son of Zebedee and his brother John, in the boat with their father Zebedee, mending their nets, and he called them. Immediately they left the boat and their father, and followed him.

Jesus went throughout Galilee, teaching in their synagogues and proclaiming the good news of the kingdom and curing every disease and every sickness among the people. –Matthew 4:18-23

I read the book Jesus, CEO: Using Ancient Wisdom for Visionary Leadership by Laurie Beth Jones when it was first published in 1996, and I was still working. I thought of it as I read the above scripture recognizing that Jesus’s leadership role was much like a CEO’s job. I remember that I thought the book provided good guidance for people who supervise other people. I could not remember the author’s name, so I searched for it on the Internet. I was surprised to see that the book had been republished and updated on its 25^th anniversary in 2021. I guess I will read it again.

One does not have to be a CEO to learn from Jesus’s way of dealing with people and drawing out the very best in each person while helping people to work well together as a team. Jesus was a great coach. Being a leader is both an art and a science. I strongly believe that God created each person with unique skills that are necessary to fulfill the Kingdom of God. Our role is to be the very best person we can be while helping others do the same thing. That requires us to recognize the skills and abilities of others and understand the best way to communicate with them. When working as a team, we must develop our own skills to negotiate and compromise and surround ourselves with people who make the group with whom we are working whole.

Because all teams require the meshing together of differing skills, we all must learn to love ourselves as the person God created us to be so we can recognize that the talents and skills of others do not diminish who we are and what we are contributing. We are all called to make each other whole. The talents of a good surgeon would be wasted if the cleaning crew had failed to do their job. My paternal grandfather died because a scalpel had not been sterilized properly.

Prayer: Create in me a clean heart, O God, and put a new and right spirit within me. (Psalm 51:10). Amen

Being Strategic

Ordinary Time

January 21, 2023

Scripture Reading:

Matthew 4:12-23

Now when Jesus heard that John had been arrested, he withdrew to Galilee. He left Nazareth and made his home in Capernaum by the lake, in the territory of Zebulun and Naphtali, so that what had been spoken through the prophet Isaiah might be fulfilled:
‘Land of Zebulun, land of Naphtali,
   on the road by the sea, across the Jordan, Galilee of the Gentiles—
the people who sat in darkness
   have seen a great light,
and for those who sat in the region and shadow of death
   light has dawned.’
From that time Jesus began to proclaim, ‘Repent, for the kingdom of heaven has come near.’ –Matthew 4:12-17

Jesus moved strategically throughout his ministry until he didn’t. He probably thought he could be next to be arrested when he relocated to Capernaum. From the beginning, he had a mission, and he could not complete it by sitting in jail or, worse, being beheaded. I wonder why he waited around when he was called to save a sick Lazarus; I do not think he wanted Lazarus to die so he could raise him, but I do think there was a reason.

We, too, are called to be strategic in answering our call to being a servant of God. The maintenance of close communion with God is essential to avoiding responses that set back our progress. Learning from our mistakes is also important. We must hone our spiritual muscle memory.

Prayer: Lord, help us be intentional in our growth in serving you more nearly. Amen.

The Power of God’s Love

Ordinary Time

January 20, 2023

Scripture Reading: 1 Corinthians 1:10-18

For the message about the cross is foolishness to those who are perishing, but to us who are being saved it is the power of God. –1 Corinthians 1:18

The Greek word apollumi* translated here as perishing means absolute destruction, to come to a miserable end. While we may long for a second coming where all evil will be ended, death is the certainty we all face in real-time with the hope and faith that it is not the final answer.

We live and have our being in the meantime, and it is in the meantime that our focus must be. We are called to share the message about the cross so that those who are perishing because they are missing the faith, hope, and love of Christ can experience the love of God. Please note the language in this scripture describes the here and now, not a done deal. The people are described as perishing, not destroyed.

This is not just about individual salvation but also about systemic change resulting from our being the whole body of Christ worldwide. That starts for us in the USA in our communities, our states, and yes, our nation.

Benjamin Franklin spoke the words; Our new Constitution is now established, everything seems to promise it will be durable; but, in this world, nothing is certain except death and taxes.

Our country is perishing in various ways, and we as individuals and members of communities of faith,we are charged with bringing the same faith, hope, and love we know to reconcile the whole world to Christ’s amazing grace.

Prayer: Lord, open the doors of our hearts for sharing your love with others so that your amazing grace can influence outcomes for those with all kinds of needs across the world. Amen.

*https://biblehub.com/greek/622.htm

Divided We Fail

Ordinary Times

January 19, 2023

Scripture Reading:

1 Corinthians 1:10-18

Now I appeal to you, brothers and sisters, by the name of our Lord Jesus Christ, that all of you should be in agreement and that there should be no divisions among you, but that you should be united in the same mind and the same purpose. For it has been reported to me by Chloe’s people that there are quarrels among you, my brothers and sisters. What I mean is that each of you says, ‘I belong to Paul’, or ‘I belong to Apollos’, or ‘I belong to Cephas’, or ‘I belong to Christ.’ Has Christ been divided? Was Paul crucified for you? Or were you baptized in the name of Paul? –1 Corinthians 1:10-13

I have lived through these battles on various church related issues. The most outrageous one I remember was when I was a child. The board of my church determined that the chairs at the communion table were getting rickety and needed to be replaced. A committee was appointed, and they chose to purchase upholstered chairs instead of strictly chairs made of wood and the fight began. Scriptures were exchanged supporting all sides opinions. Some families left the church over this incident. I must admit it was a great learning experience for me as a child teaching me an important lesson regarding the hard work needed to be one in Christ.

Our faith groups inability to find oneness spills over into our government. The greatest challenge in our world today is seeking the Common Good. I wonder sometimes if there is such a thing. I just heard a report on a news program that there is a crisis across the US regarding how to feed our public-school children. Public education is the foundation of any democracy. Everyone learns better when they are not hungry. Approximately 50% of public school students in Oklahoma are eligible for free lunch (2023) * They are not the problem. The problem is our poverty rate is so out of date that the families whose incomes exceed the levels used to determine eligibility for these programs cannot afford them. Why are we not including funding the feeding all the children in public school? They are our future, and we want them all to be the very best adults they can be.

The idols of greed, lust for power, and bigotry blind us to what is right, what is just regarding our faith experiences and our search for the Common Good.

Prayer: Lord, forgive us when we get so caught up in being right, we become wrong. Amen.

*https://www.publicschoolreview.com/free-lunch-stats/oklahoma

God’s Tent

Ordinary Time

January 18, 2023

Scripture Reading: Psalm 27:1, 4-9

The Lord is my light and my salvation;
whom shall I fear?
The Lord is the stronghold of my life;
of whom shall I be afraid?

One thing I asked of the Lord,
   that will I seek after:
to live in the house of the Lord
   all the days of my life,
to behold the beauty of the Lord,
   and to inquire in his temple.

For he will hide me in his shelter
in the day of trouble;
he will conceal me under the cover of his tent;
he will set me high on a rock. –Psalm 27:1, 4-5

I needed this scripture this morning. It is a soothing balm in a world that seems destined to destroy itself as unbelievable weather events keep occurring. Where politics is being ruled by varied issues that have nothing to do with the Common Good distracting us from the real issues that need to be addressed. Church has been caught up in the distraction.

In 1937 — the year the Gallup poll began — seven out of 10 Americans attended church. In 2020 — before the pandemic — only 47 percent of Americans belonged to a church, synagogue or mosque, according to the survey. It’s been trending downward since 2000*.

I used the word church above rather than faith because the word church brings to mind a building. I am not suggesting we element buildings of worship. I am struck by the words in the above scripture saying that God will conceal us under the cover of God’s tent. Does our living our faith reflect what God expects of us?

Prayer: Thank you, Lord, for the balm of your Psalmist. Let them lead us back to the shelter of your love. Help us reflect your love in our service to you. Amen.

*See at https://www.npr.org/2022/12/10/1141010320/as-attendance-dips-churches-change-to-stay-relevant-for-a-new-wave-of-worshipper#:~:text=In%201937%20%E2%80%94%20the%20year%20the,been%20trending%20downward%20since%202000.

Ending Oppression–Sharing Love

Ordinary Time

January 17, 2023

Scripture Reading: Isaiah 9:1-4
But there will be no gloom for those who were in anguish. In the former time he brought into contempt the land of Zebulun and the land of Naphtali, but in the latter time he will make glorious the way of the sea, the land beyond the Jordan, Galilee of the nations.
The people who walked in darkness
   have seen a great light;
those who lived in a land of deep darkness—
   on them light has shined.
You have multiplied the nation,
   you have increased its joy;
they rejoice before you
   as with joy at the harvest,
   as people exult when dividing plunder.
For the yoke of their burden,
   and the bar across their shoulders,
   the rod of their oppressor,
   you have broken as on the day of Midian.

I am reading the book Horse by Geraldine Brooks. It is very good, and I highly recommend it. It is the story of a champion horse and his trainer, a young slave in the pre-Civil War south, interspersed with the perspective of current-day scientists looking back on that time. The young slave was the son of a well-respected slave who was a valued horse trainer, eventually gaining his freedom. The son was groomed to follow his father’s career and learned well, but he was born into slavery and remained a slave as the story begins. He experienced the rod of the oppressor and learned well the behavior necessary to survive, but survival was not his goal; freedom was.

As I read the above scripture, this young man’s quest for freedom and wholeness sprung to mind. He found the light of God in many places. He learned to read from a preacher who taught him using the Bible as his textbook. Teaching a slave to read was against the law. He learned to look for the helpers as Mr. Rogers recommended and found them along the way. But most importantly, so far as I have read, he cared about others. His owner had a big bet against another man’s horse that was to conclude after two races. The young man’s horse won the first race leaving the older horse well behind. After the first race, the young man saw that the competitor’s horse could not make the second race and tried to warn against that horse running again. No one listened; the horse was forced to run again, was beaten again, and died in the night after the race.

One of the greatest challenges of forming the kingdom of God, the Beloved Community, is understanding that God’s love is not just for some but for all. When we experience that love, we must also share it without distinction.

Prayer: Lord, as you guide us from any oppression we may experience, enrich our lives to love without judgment. Amen.

The Great Light

Ordinary Time

January 16, 2023

Scripture Reading:

Isaiah 9:1-4
But there will be no gloom for those who were in anguish. In the former time he brought into contempt the land of Zebulun and the land of Naphtali, but in the latter time he will make glorious the way of the sea, the land beyond the Jordan, Galilee of the nations.
The people who walked in darkness
   have seen a great light;
those who lived in a land of deep darkness—
   on them light has shined.
You have multiplied the nation,
   you have increased its joy;
they rejoice before you
   as with joy at the harvest,
   as people exult when dividing plunder.
For the yoke of their burden,
   and the bar across their shoulders,
   the rod of their oppressor,
   you have broken as on the day of Midian.

On a personal note, it has been a dark week. Monday morning, I received a call that one of my best friends through all 12 years of public school had died. Her obituary described well what a wonderful servant she was for doing her part to meet the needs of all. That evening I learned that a friend had died suddenly and unexpectedly who, by any measure, was one of the best legal advocates for all disadvantaged people but particularly immigrants in Oklahoma City.

This is also the week that newly elected leaders take their place in trying to find common ground for the Common Good when both at the federal level and the state level, some seem dedicated only to keeping the government in turmoil resulting in nothing getting done about very serious issues.

We, indeed, have seen a great light in the coming of Christ. Our great challenge is following that light. I fear we who call ourselves Christian have been caught up in the artificial lights of the world, causing us to lose sight of the light of Christ. Now is the time to rekindle the light of Christ, examine our lives to see if we are following his ways, and reignite his vision through our service and love.

Prayer: Lord, guide us in examining ourselves to discern where we may have slipped away from fulfilling your vision. Restore us to our mission. Amen.

Called to Serve

Ordinary Time

January 15, 2023

Scripture Reading: John 1:29-42

The next day John again was standing with two of his disciples, and as he watched Jesus walk by, he exclaimed, ‘Look, here is the Lamb of God!’ The two disciples heard him say this, and they followed Jesus. When Jesus turned and saw them following, he said to them, ‘What are you looking for?’ They said to him, ‘Rabbi’ (which translated means Teacher), ‘where are you staying?’ He said to them, ‘Come and see.’ They came and saw where he was staying, and they remained with him that day. It was about four o’clock in the afternoon. One of the two who heard John speak and followed him was Andrew, Simon Peter’s brother. He first found his brother Simon and said to him, ‘We have found the Messiah’ (which is translated Anointed). He brought Simon to Jesus, who looked at him and said, ‘You are Simon son of John. You are to be called Cephas’ (which is translated Peter). John 1:35-42

The story of John’s disciples leaving him and immediately following Jesus is somewhat truncated in the telling. We do not know how long John had been preaching that the Messiah was coming. His disciples were probably well versed in the scriptures from the prophets and most likely had heard John refer to him as the Lamb of God. After spending time with Jesus, John’s disciples accepted him as the One and immediately went to bring others into the group. Andrew’s first response was to tell his brother, Simon Peter.

I have always assumed that Peter was the older brother, which may or may not be true. He was a leader, a take-charge person, and somewhat impulsive. At the beginning of Peter’s relationship with Jesus, he was not necessarily the kind of person one would describe as a rock, but he became one. Jesus saw that trait in Peter from the beginning. Even though Jesus chastises Peter at one point, saying, ‘Get behind me, Satan! You are a stumbling block to me; for you are setting your mind not on divine things but on human things.’ (Matthew 16:23). And at Jesus’s trial, Jesus said to Peter, ‘Truly I tell you, this very night, before the cock crows, you will deny me three times.’ (Matthew 26:34) Yet Peter became a rock for the beginning of the church.

We are each called for service that only we can do with the guidance of the Spirit we need to fulfill being the person God created us to be as we fulfill that calling. We may not be Peter, but we would never have had Peter without Andrew.

Prayer: Lord, help us to find our calling and guide us in fulfilling it. Amen.

Wholeness/Oneness/Justice

A Covenantal Conversation on Church and State

Category Archives: Daily Devotion

Jesus as a Mentor

Ordinary Time

Being Strategic

Ordinary Time

The Power of God’s Love

Ordinary Time

Divided We Fail

Ordinary Times

God’s Tent

Ordinary Time

Ending Oppression–Sharing Love

Ordinary Time

The Great Light

Ordinary Time

Called to Serve

Ordinary Time