Living in the Spirit

October 6, 2023

Scripture Reading:

Philippians 3:4b-14
even though I, too, have reason for confidence in the flesh.

If anyone else has reason to be confident in the flesh, I have more: circumcised on the eighth day, a member of the people of Israel, of the tribe of Benjamin, a Hebrew born of Hebrews; as to the law, a Pharisee; as to zeal, a persecutor of the church; as to righteousness under the law, blameless.

Yet whatever gains I had, these I have come to regard as loss because of Christ. More than that, I regard everything as loss because of the surpassing value of knowing Christ Jesus my Lord. For his sake I have suffered the loss of all things, and I regard them as rubbish, in order that I may gain Christ and be found in him, not having a righteousness of my own that comes from the law, but one that comes through faith in Christ, the righteousness from God based on faith. I want to know Christ and the power of his resurrection and the sharing of his sufferings by becoming like him in his death, if somehow I may attain the resurrection from the dead.

Not that I have already obtained this or have already reached the goal; but I press on to make it my own, because Christ Jesus has made me his own. Beloved, I do not consider that I have made it my own; but this one thing I do: forgetting what lies behind and straining forward to what lies ahead, I press on towards the goal for the prize of the heavenly call of God in Christ Jesus.

Christ cannot be compartmentalized. Our relationship with Jesus Christ must be reflected in everything we do and say, from morning prayers through time for devotion and study, but just as important, how we great the mail carrier, volunteer at the local school, take care of our family and neighbors, feed the hungry, work for justice, and enjoy a Thunder game that I sometimes must record and watch later. Our faith is not something we do in two hours on Sunday morning, it is our way of being as we address all aspects of life. One of my mother’s favorite sayings was, “Do not cry over spilled milk.” Paul, in his way, is saying that in the above scripture. We sometimes make mistakes; we need to learn from them and move ahead as we answer Christ’s call to build a better world ruled by love.

Prayer: We thank you, God, for the gift of your Son, who models your way of being, and for the constant presence of the Holy Spirit to guide our paths.  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.

Living in the Spirit

October 5, 2023

Scripture Reading:

Psalm 80:7-15
Restore us, O God of hosts;
   let your face shine, that we may be saved.

You brought a vine out of Egypt;
   you drove out the nations and planted it.
You cleared the ground for it;
   it took deep root and filled the land.
The mountains were covered with its shade,
   the mighty cedars with its branches;
it sent out its branches to the sea,
   and its shoots to the River.
|Why then have you broken down its walls,
   so that all who pass along the way pluck its fruit?
The boar from the forest ravages it,
   and all that move in the field feed on it.

Turn again, O God of hosts;
   look down from heaven, and see;
have regard for this vine,
   the stock that your right hand planted.

This psalm brought to mind John 15:4-5, Abide in me as I abide in you. Just as the branch cannot bear fruit by itself unless it abides in the vine, neither can you unless you abide in me. I am the vine, you are the branches. Those who abide in me and I in them bear much fruit, because apart from me you can do nothing.

God had a purpose for bringing the Israelites out of Egypt: spreading God’s way of being throughout the world. Granted, there was a lot of violence and greed described in that history.  People did not always get it right. I am sorry to say we still don’t. Still, we have that same call today, branching out to love our neighbors worldwide as we build the beloved community.

Prayer: Lord, abide with us and help us fulfill your vision of a world ruled by 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.

Living in the Spirit

Living in the Spirit

October 4, 2023

Scripture Reading: Isaiah 5:1-7
Let me sing for my beloved
   my love-song concerning his vineyard:
My beloved had a vineyard
   on a very fertile hill.
He dug it and cleared it of stones,
   and planted it with choice vines;
he built a watch-tower in the midst of it,
   and hewed out a wine vat in it;
he expected it to yield grapes,
   but it yielded wild grapes.

And now, inhabitants of Jerusalem
   and people of Judah,
judge between me
   and my vineyard.
What more was there to do for my vineyard
   that I have not done in it?
When I expected it to yield grapes,
   why did it yield wild grapes?

And now I will tell you
   what I will do to my vineyard.
I will remove its hedge,
   and it shall be devoured;
I will break down its wall,
   and it shall be trampled down.
I will make it a waste;
   it shall not be pruned or hoed,
   and it shall be overgrown with briers and thorns;
I will also command the clouds
   that they rain no rain upon it.

For the vineyard of the Lord of hosts
   is the house of Israel,
and the people of Judah
   are his pleasant planting;
he expected justice,
   but saw bloodshed;
righteousness,
   but heard a cry!

God inspires a diversity of his people to meet his people where they are and where they can understand God’s ways. This poem is one such example. Gardeners can all identify with carefully tending their plants, yet they do not produce fruit.  What has interfered to cause the plants to fail? How did the world distract the house of Israel and the people of Judah to turn away from God’s care? I remember once, when I was a child living on our farm, the weather was such that our tomato plants grew strong and tall, making beautiful plants but producing no tomatoes. While we do not control the weather, we do have things that distract us from following God and ending up in chaos that traps us.  That is why it is so important to open our hearts and minds to God’s guidance and study the variety of writings that the whole Bible provides.

Prayer: Thank you, Lord, for sending us various messages to help us retain our life in your 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.

Living in the Spirit

October 3, 2023

Scripture Reading: Psalm 19

The law of the Lord is perfect,
   reviving the soul;
the decrees of the Lord are sure,
   making wise the simple;
the precepts of the Lord are right,
   rejoicing the heart;
the commandment of the Lord is clear,
   enlightening the eyes;
the fear of the Lord is pure,
   enduring forever;
the ordinances of the Lord are true
   and righteous altogether.
More to be desired are they than gold,
   even much fine gold;
sweeter also than honey,
   and drippings of the honeycomb. –Psalm 19:7-10

I just heard on the news that another pedestrian had been hit by a car and killed in Oklahoma City.  Such events have been happening more and more. People do not follow the rules of the road. I do not know if I get more frustrated with people who never use a turn signal or never turn it off after making the turn. We all, at times, get distracted while driving, with our minds set more on what is going on at our destination than the process of getting there.  That is why it is so important to build habits out of good practices so that our right response to life situations can be automatic. In sports, it is called muscle memory. If we practice enough and maintain our muscles through exercise, we, as a catcher, receive the football automatically and run in for a touchdown, or the basketball is tossed perfectly to allow the shooter to score.  

God’s laws create spiritual memory. If we practice God’s laws daily, our right response to life challenges becomes automatic. I heard a report of a shooting at our state fair recently. Two teenagers, one 15 and the other 16, got into an argument that ended in one getting shot and the other running away. A couple of days later, the news reported that as most ran away after hearing the shots fired, a nearby 14-year-old boy immediately ran to the one who was shot and started applying pressure to stop the bleeding until the ambulance arrived. That was pure spiritual memory at work; he had already established in his young life, the memory that we are to love our neighbor as we love ourselves.

Prayer: Lord, guide us to maintain our spiritual memory of living well exercised. 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.

Living in the Spirits

October 2, 2023

Scripture Reading: Exodus 20:1-4, 7-9, 12-20
Then God spoke all these words:
I am the Lord your God, who brought you out of the land of Egypt, out of the house of slavery; you shall have no other gods before me.
You shall not make for yourself an idol, whether in the form of anything that is in heaven above, or that is on the earth beneath, or that is in the water under the earth.
You shall not make wrongful use of the name of the Lord your God, for the Lord will not acquit anyone who misuses his name.
Remember the sabbath day, and keep it holy. For six days you shall labor and do all your work.
Honor your father and your mother, so that your days may be long in the land that the Lord your God is giving you.
You shall not murder.
You shall not commit adultery.
You shall not steal.
You shall not bear false witness against your neighbor.
You shall not covet your neighbor’s house; you shall not covet your neighbor’s wife, or male or female slave, or ox, or donkey, or anything that belongs to your neighbor.
When all the people witnessed the thunder and lightning, the sound of the trumpet, and the mountain smoking, they were afraid and trembled and stood at a distance, and said to Moses, ‘You speak to us, and we will listen; but do not let God speak to us, or we will die.’ Moses said to the people, ‘Do not be afraid; for God has come only to test you and to put the fear of him upon you so that you do not sin.’

While some tend to worship the Ten Commandments, hanging them on our walls, hoping they say something about us. We dust them as needed.  We do not necessarily work to follow them consistently. They describe a way of being that, if followed, will lead to greater success in life. God wants us to succeed and be the people God created us to be. They are not designed to guarantee you a place in heaven. The Ten Commandments describe the actions that will help us all build the Kingdom of God, the Beloved Community,  right now, as 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 (John 1:14) and with the fulfillment of the Beloved Community described in Revelation 21:3-4: And I heard a loud voice from the throne saying.
‘See, the home of God is among mortals.
He will dwell with them;
they will be his peoples,
and God himself will be with them;
4 he will wipe every tear from their eyes.
Death will be no more;
mourning and crying and pain will be no more,
for the first things have passed away.’

Prayer: Let the Beloved Community be so.  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.

October 1, 2023

Scripture Reading:

Matthew 21:23-32

‘What do you think? A man had two sons; he went to the first and said, “Son, go and work in the vineyard today.” He answered, “I will not”; but later he changed his mind and went. The father went to the second and said the same; and he answered, “I go, sir”; but he did not go. Which of the two did the will of his father?’ They said, ‘The first.’ Jesus said to them, ‘Truly I tell you, the tax-collectors and the prostitutes are going into the kingdom of God ahead of you. For John came to you in the way of righteousness and you did not believe him, but the tax-collectors and the prostitutes believed him; and even after you saw it, you did not change your minds and believe him. Matthew 21:28-32

How often do we give lip service to being a Disciple of Christ, but do not live it?  We live in a challenging world where our faith is being tested daily by actions done in the name of Christ, that differ from our understanding of his message. Some of those actions are being incorporated into the functions of our government. The problem is that all sides of this discussion could be writing this message. We cannot seem to find common ground in either our faith or our governance. Much of that conundrum results from forces of darkness working against us. Ephesians. 6:12 in the King James Versions describes it as For we wrestle not against flesh and blood, but against principalities, against powers, against the rulers of the darkness of this world, against spiritual wickedness in high places. NRSV words it this way:

For our struggle is not against enemies of blood and flesh, but against the rulers, against the authorities, against the cosmic powers of this present darkness, against the spiritual forces of evil in the heavenly places.

How do we deal with the darkness that makes us quarrel among ourselves? We need to find the things we can agree on and work together to make them happen until all the principalities and powers are overthrown by the strength of our love through Jesus Christ.

Prayer: Lord, forgive us when we get distracted by the world’s ways and fail to do the simplest thing that will bring us back into 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.

Living in the Spirit

September 30, 2023

Scripture Reading: Matthew 20:1-16
‘For the kingdom of heaven is like a landowner who went out early in the morning to hire laborers for his vineyard. After agreeing with the laborers for the usual daily wage, he sent them into his vineyard. When he went out about nine o’clock, he saw others standing idle in the market-place; and he said to them, “You also go into the vineyard, and I will pay you whatever is right.” So they went. When he went out again about noon and about three o’clock, he did the same. And about five o’clock he went out and found others standing around; and he said to them, “Why are you standing here idle all day?” They said to him, “Because no one has hired us.” He said to them, “You also go into the vineyard.” When evening came, the owner of the vineyard said to his manager, “Call the laborers and give them their pay, beginning with the last and then going to the first.” When those hired about five o’clock came, each of them received the usual daily wage. Now when the first came, they thought they would receive more; but each of them also received the usual daily wage. And when they received it, they grumbled against the landowner, saying, “These last worked only one hour, and you have made them equal to us who have borne the burden of the day and the scorching heat.” But he replied to one of them, “Friend, I am doing you no wrong; did you not agree with me for the usual daily wage? Take what belongs to you and go; I choose to give to this last the same as I give to you. Am I not allowed to do what I choose with what belongs to me? Or are you envious because I am generous?” So the last will be first, and the first will be last.’

I more and more think that we each, having been created in the image of God, have unique skills and talents that are necessary for our reaching the interdependence to be One in Christ. It is also not only necessary for each of us to become the best we can be; we must also enable all others to become the best people they were created to be. Yes, if you wonder what these thoughts have to do with this scripture, the simple answer is not much. The more I thought about it, though, the more I realized that our reward as Christ-followers is not a personal achievement but mastering the perfection of molding together all to be One, and that includes the people who woke up early and recognized this calling and the ones who arrived later in the day.

Prayer: Lord, give us the gift of being the best we can be in the Oneness of all people being the best we all can be together as One. 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.

Living in the Spirit

September 29, 2023

Scripture Reading: Philippians 1:21-30
For to me, living is Christ and dying is gain. If I am to live in the flesh, that means fruitful labour for me; and I do not know which I prefer. I am hard pressed between the two: my desire is to depart and be with Christ, for that is far better; but to remain in the flesh is more necessary for you. Since I am convinced of this, I know that I will remain and continue with all of you for your progress and joy in faith, so that I may share abundantly in your boasting in Christ Jesus when I come to you again.

Only, live your life in a manner worthy of the gospel of Christ, so that, whether I come and see you or am absent and hear about you, I will know that you are standing firm in one spirit, striving side by side with one mind for the faith of the gospel, and are in no way intimidated by your opponents. For them this is evidence of their destruction, but of your salvation. And this is God’s doing. For he has graciously granted you the privilege not only of believing in Christ, but of suffering for him as well— since you are having the same struggle that you saw I had and now hear that I still have.

What does it mean to Only, live your life in a manner worthy of the gospel of Christ? I am in a Bible study that this week reviewed the gospels of Matthew and Mark. It was a lot of reading for very busy people! It was worth the read. We often parse things we study, and delving into particulars is important. It is also important to step back and view the whole story as it unfolds to understand how our faith fits into the world in which we live. The gospels record the life of Christ in the real-time of the first century. Jesus was a storyteller, a healer, one who prays, one who knows the Hebrew scriptures, a champion for justice, a respecter of men and women, and a lover of children. The list could be longer, but working to live a life within the framework of this list is a great place to start living our lives in a manner worthy of the gospel of Christ.

Prayer: Lord, open our eyes to see and respond to opportunities to live in a manner worthy of the gospel of Christ. 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.

Living in the Spirit

September 28, 2023

Scripture Reading: Jonah 3:10-4:11
When God saw what they did, how they turned from their evil ways, God changed his mind about the calamity that he had said he would bring upon them; and he did not do it.

But this was very displeasing to Jonah, and he became angry. He prayed to the Lord and said, ‘O Lord! Is not this what I said while I was still in my own country? That is why I fled to Tarshish at the beginning; for I knew that you are a gracious God and merciful, slow to anger, and abounding in steadfast love, and ready to relent from punishing. And now, O Lord, please take my life from me, for it is better for me to die than to live.’ And the Lord said, ‘Is it right for you to be angry?’ Then Jonah went out of the city and sat down east of the city, and made a booth for himself there. He sat under it in the shade, waiting to see what would become of the city.

The Lord God appointed a bush, and made it come up over Jonah, to give shade over his head, to save him from his discomfort; so Jonah was very happy about the bush. But when dawn came up the next day, God appointed a worm that attacked the bush, so that it withered. When the sun rose, God prepared a sultry east wind, and the sun beat down on the head of Jonah so that he was faint and asked that he might die. He said, ‘It is better for me to die than to live.’

But God said to Jonah, ‘Is it right for you to be angry about the bush?’ And he said, ‘Yes, angry enough to die.’ Then the Lord said, ‘You are concerned about the bush, for which you did not labor and which you did not grow; it came into being in a night and perished in a night. And should I not be concerned about Nineveh, that great city, in which there are more than a hundred and twenty thousand people who do not know their right hand from their left, and also many animals?’

What an appropriate scripture to read in times like these where everyone thinks they are right. We have a battle in Oklahoma right now on who is indoctrinating whom in our public education system, primarily over the history being taught.  History has always been perceived through the eye of the beholder. That is why studying history must take a broad-brush approach analyzing all sides of the studied issues. Indeed, I am sure slaves in America viewed their plight markedly differently from how their owners saw it.  We probably learn more from understanding our mistakes than our successes.

Jonah was sent to warn the people of Nineveh that their destructive ways would be their downfall. He did a good job. The people saw the truth in what Jonah said and changed their ways accordingly. Yet, Jonah was disappointed that God forgave the people and did not punish them. I guess Jonah thought God not punishing the people made Jonah look bad when he told them that God would punish them. How do we restore community when disagreement has led to separation?  How do we follow Jesus’s demand to be One (John:17:21)?

Prayer: Lord, forgive us when we cannot forgive others. Instead enable us to love one another enough to learn from our mistakes and move forward from them. 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.

Living in the Spirit

September 27, 2023

Scripture Reading: Psalm 105:1-6, 37-45

O give thanks to the Lord, call on his name,
   make known his deeds among the peoples.
Sing to him, sing praises to him;
   tell of all his wonderful works.
Glory in his holy name;
   let the hearts of those who seek the Lord rejoice.
Seek the Lord and his strength;
   seek his presence continually.
Remember the wonderful works he has done,
   his miracles, and the judgments he has uttered,
O offspring of his servant Abraham,
   children of Jacob, his chosen ones. –Psalm 105:1-6

I needed to be reminded to recognize God in my life. I read scripture every day. Co-teach an adult Sunday school class, and facilitate an adult Bible study, but where do I make time just to communion with God? I wrestle with God at times, usually in the wee hours of the morning, when I am struggling to determine what is right and what is wrong in some venture that is before me. That is not just being with God. I have experienced it. I remember sitting on a huge rock when I was traveling in Maine that overlooked the ocean with the water lapping against the rocks below me, and God was there. I need to find more times to not bother God but just to be with God. Do you?

Prayer: Forgive me when I do not just take time to be with you. Help me clear the chaos of my life and just spend time in your presence. 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.