Category Archives: Uncategorized

Finding Oneness

Eastertide

April 22, 2019

Scripture Reading: Acts 5:27-32

When they had brought them, they had them stand before the council. The high priest questioned them, saying, ‘We gave you strict orders not to teach in this name, yet here you have filled Jerusalem with your teaching and you are determined to bring this man’s blood on us.’ But Peter and the apostles answered, ‘We must obey God rather than any human authority. The God of our ancestors raised up Jesus, whom you had killed by hanging him on a tree. God exalted him at his right hand as Leader and Savior, so that he might give repentance to Israel and forgiveness of sins. And we are witnesses to these things, and so is the Holy Spirit whom God has given to those who obey him.’

Where do we draw the line? Where do we say, ‘We must obey God rather than any human authority? I was in the state capitol recently attending a faith-based workshop on doing justice in the civic community, learning things like the current status of criminal justice reform, education, health care reform, and how to talk to our legislators about our positions. This group thinks our faith should inform our stances regarding state laws and we have a right to share our stances.

Our closing speaker was drowned out by the chanting of another group two floors down, also faith-based, who were taking the stance that their belief system should be incorporated into state law and be applied to everyone regardless of their faiths or if they have no faith at all.

Acts informs us well that we must obey God rather than any human authority, it does not say we are to force others to obey God and frankly, I think God prefers to be followed by people who choose to follow and love God.  We, indeed, as followers of Christ are called to take the good news of God’s love to the ends of the earth. We are never charged with forcing it on anyone. Obviously from the scenario described above followers of Christ themselves are not in agreement on many issues.

Yet God also calls us to oneness. How do we get to oneness from such divisiveness? It is imperative that all of Christ followers seek together those things upon which we can agree and find common ground for the Common Good.

Prayer: Lord of Might and Miracles, we so desperately need your loving arms to reach around all your followers and help use find and pursue those bits and pieces of common ground. 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.

Gift of Love

Easter April 1, 2019

Scripture Reading: Luke 24:1-12

But on the first day of the week, at early dawn, they came to the tomb, taking the spices that they had prepared. They found the stone rolled away from the tomb, but when they went in, they did not find the body. While they were perplexed about this, suddenly two men in dazzling clothes stood beside them. The women were terrified and bowed their faces to the ground, but the men said to them, ‘Why do you look for the living among the dead? He is not here, but has risen. Remember how he told you, while he was still in Galilee, that the Son of Man must be handed over to sinners, and be crucified, and on the third day rise again.’ Then they remembered his words, and returning from the tomb, they told all this to the eleven and to all the rest. Now it was Mary Magdalene, Joanna, Mary the mother of James, and the other women with them who told this to the apostles. But these words seemed to them an idle tale, and they did not believe them. But Peter got up and ran to the tomb; stooping and looking in, he saw the linen cloths by themselves; then he went home, amazed at what had happened.

Idle tale is that the equivalent of emotional women’s gibberish? Why did Peter run to the tomb if, indeed, it was only an idle tale? Did he expect something more sinister? Perhaps he was just a nice guy who wanted to calm the women and went to check so he could reassure them? Or had snippets of Jesus’ words been replaying in his head, something about the third day, that sent him running? Hope is a great motivator.

After experiencing a great loss of any kind humans tend to rearrange the priorities of their lives. Jesus’ death and resurrection did just that for a relatively small group of dedicated followers who after returning from that tomb, after reconnecting with the risen Lord, after a normal period of shock and grief set out as instructed to take the ways of Jesus to the ends of the earth and in so doing changed the whole world. We celebrate these events each year to remind us that we are responding to the same calling. To do it well we too need to rearrange our priorities because there is nothing, we can do that is more important than making the love of God the standard for our whole world in all that we do individually and collectively.

In all the world around me I see His loving care
And though my heart grows weary I never will despair
I know that He is leading, through all the stormy blast
The day of His appearing will come at last

Rejoice, rejoice, O Christian Lift up your voice and sing
Eternal hallelujahs to Jesus Christ, the King
The Hope of all who seek Him, the Help of all who find
None other is so loving, so good and kind*

Prayer: Thank you, Lord, for your wonderous love modeled for us by your son Jesus, the Christ. Amen.

*Verses two and three of He Lives by Alfred H. Ackley

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.

Silent Saturday

April 20, 2019

Scripture Reading: John 20:1-18

Early on the first day of the week, while it was still dark, Mary Magdalene came to the tomb and saw that the stone had been removed from the tomb. So she ran and went to Simon Peter and the other disciple, the one whom Jesus loved, and said to them, ‘They have taken the Lord out of the tomb, and we do not know where they have laid him.’ Then Peter and the other disciple set out and went towards the tomb. The two were running together, but the other disciple outran Peter and reached the tomb first. He bent down to look in and saw the linen wrappings lying there, but he did not go in. Then Simon Peter came, following him, and went into the tomb. He saw the linen wrappings lying there, and the cloth that had been on Jesus’ head, not lying with the linen wrappings but rolled up in a place by itself. Then the other disciple, who reached the tomb first, also went in, and he saw and believed; for as yet they did not understand the scripture, that he must rise from the dead. Then the disciples returned to their homes. –John 20:1-10

I am writing this on Good Friday, which this year is the 24th anniversary of the Oklahoma City bombing. I listened to the morning news that covered a report regarding the 20th anniversary of the Columbine School shooting which is tomorrow followed by special local coverage of the speeches from the Oklahoma City memorial—all heart felt, some so close to the event that the 24 years melted away. While I recognize the importance of such remembrances, I am past ready for the creation of any more. I have been to Dachau and read the words “Never Again.”

I tried to imagine how Mary Magdalene felt when she arrived at Jesus’ tomb and found it empty—neatly empty. No broken stones are described, no wadded mess of linen on the floor, just emptiness. I remember the fervent search for bodies after the bombing, how important it was for those first responders to find all the people believed to be in the building. How important it was for families and friends to know what happened to them. It was just as important for Mary Magdalene to care for the body of Jesus.

Good Friday was so labeled because the death of Jesus marked the beginning of a new focus for the people of God. Out of great loss and grief a new commitment to living as God envisioned for God’s creation was birthed. Holy Week reminds us of our need to recommit our lives to that vision of peace and love where mass murders and school shootings and holocausts are no longer the norm but ancient history.

On what some call Silent Saturday as Jesus was thought to be lying in a tomb, the beginning of this renewed commitment was quietly moving forward. Let us prepare ourselves anew for the revolution of resurrection coming first witnessed by Mary Magdalene.

Prayer: Holy One, grant us the peace that passes understanding today as we place our hope in your resurrection. 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.

Love Unswerving

Good Friday

April 19, 2019

Scripture Reading: 1 Corinthians 15:19-26

for as all die in Adam, so all will be made alive in Christ. But each in his own order: Christ the first fruits, then at his coming those who belong to Christ. Then comes the end, when he hands over the kingdom to God the Father, after he has destroyed every ruler and every authority and power. For he must reign until he has put all his enemies under his feet. The last enemy to be destroyed is death.
–1 Corinthians 15:22-26

I am a strong believer in the separation of church and state. I am a stronger believer in the day that is coming when our faith fully aliened with God’s love is reflected in all governments. I think that is what Paul is trying to say in the above scripture, after he has destroyed every ruler and every authority and power. We humans are the ones desirous of controlling or overthrowing governments by the force of our personal and national powers. We lean on bigger armies, more cunning political skills, and money lots and lots of money. What we fail to comprehend is that there is no power greater than God’s abiding love. As we are made in God’s image, fully capable of loving like God, and as we diligently strive to love like God that image will pass through us to are governance.

This is the day set aside to remember the greatest illustration of God’s love, the day Jesus was crucified. It is a good day for self-examination regarding our loving like God. It is a good day for us to renew our commitment to take on the very fiber of God’s love in our being and to live it in all aspects of our lives as individuals and as members of the Body of Christ charged with carrying forward the work of Jesus.

For me, kind Jesus, was thy incarnation,
thy mortal sorrow, and thy life’s oblation;
thy death of anguish and thy bitter passion,
for my salvation.

Therefore, kind Jesus, since I cannot pay thee,
I do adore thee, and will ever pray thee,
think on thy pity and thy love unswerving,
not my deserving.*

Prayer: Thank you, Lord, for the gift of you love, empower us to grow into loving like you. Amen.

*Verses 4 and 5 of Ah, Holy Jesus by Johann Heermann see at https://hymnary.org/text/ah_holy_jesus_how_hast_thou_offended 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.

Working toward Shalom

Lent
April 2, 2019

Scripture Reading: Isaiah 43:16-21

I am about to do a new thing;
   now it springs forth, do you not perceive it?
I will make a way in the wilderness
   and rivers in the desert.
The wild animals will honor me,
   the jackals and the ostriches;
for I give water in the wilderness,
   rivers in the desert,
to give drink to my chosen people,
   the people whom I formed for myself
so that they might declare my praise. –Isaiah 43:19-21

What is this new thing? Shalom is—completeness, soundness, welfare, peace. Shalom is the rejuvenating gift of God. Water is most important in the wilderness desert. Streams of living water represent love. Without water our bodies soon perish. Without love our souls would die. God promises water in the desert to nourish our bodies, and God’s eternal love to nourish every soul. The new thing is as old as God, making new everything it touches as it renews life.

Love requires a working relationship and is best served when all who love are whole—complete and sound individuals. Of course, we are all works in progress toward such wholeness and thus relationships are always works in progress. I wonder if God built that into us at creation knowing that humans are more respectful of that which we learn by experience. My guess is God puzzles over why some of us do not learn from experience or we only learn after multiple experiences of the same kind.

God did create us with brains and God expects us to use them. We were also blessed with free will so we are left to choose whether we will use our brains for good or evil. God even went the second mile with us by sending Jesus to serve as a role model giving us an example to help us avoid those repeated episodes of tripping over our own self-will even knowing that our actions will only lead to disaster.

Paul uses the example of athletes who work hard to stay in good shape so that at any given time they are ready to face with confidence the competition placed before them. Our souls require the stamina of the athlete gained from our continuous interaction with God through spiritual disciplines like prayer, meditation, silence, service. Such spiritual wholeness prepares us for the temptations that might otherwise pull us off track.

Prayer: Thank you God for giving us the tools we need to attain wholeness. 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.

Privilege for All

Lent
March 30, 2019

Scripture Reading: Luke 15:1-3, 11b-32

Then Jesus said, ‘There was a man who had two sons. The younger of them said to his father, “Father, give me the share of the property that will belong to me.” So he divided his property between them. A few days later the younger son gathered all he had and travelled to a distant country, and there he squandered his property in dissolute living. When he had spent everything, a severe famine took place throughout that country, and he began to be in need. So he went and hired himself out to one of the citizens of that country, who sent him to his fields to feed the pigs. He would gladly have filled himself with the pods that the pigs were eating; and no one gave him anything. But when he came to himself he said, “How many of my father’s hired hands have bread enough and to spare, but here I am dying of hunger! I will get up and go to my father, and I will say to him, ‘Father, I have sinned against heaven and before you; I am no longer worthy to be called your son; treat me like one of your hired hands.’”                                                                                                                                                 –Luke 15:4-19

One of the hardest cultural realities that we must overcome is an abiding sense of privilege being special to only a few and not to all. Our Constitution does not say that:

no State shall make or enforce any law which shall abridge the privileges and immunities of citizens of the United States — U.S. Constitution

For Example: any of various fundamental or specially sacred rights considered as peculiarly guaranteed and secured to all persons by modern constitutional governments (as the enjoyment of life, liberty, and reputation, the right to acquire and possess property, the right to pursue happiness)*

 Funny we seem to be so ensconced in privilege meaning, for a special few, that we consider whether something is a privilege or a right with right meaning that it is available for all.

The Prodigal son learned the hard way that privilege is not to be taken for granted. It is a precious gift from God and part of our job is to assure that all are privileged with enough—love, joy, food, clothing, health care, and so on. That is a picture of the Kingdom of God.

Prayer: Lord, save us from sparing privilege based on some false sense of superiority. Help us to see that all of God’s children are privileged. Amen.

*http://unabridged.merriam-webster.com/unabridged/Privilege

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.

God is Faithful

Lent
March 22, 2019

Scripture Reading: 1 Corinthians 10:1-13

We must not put Christ to the test, as some of them did, and were destroyed by serpents. And do not complain as some of them did, and were destroyed by the destroyer. These things happened to them to serve as an example, and they were written down to instruct us, on whom the ends of the ages have come. So if you think you are standing, watch out that you do not fall. No testing has overtaken you that is not common to everyone. God is faithful, and he will not let you be tested beyond your strength, but with the testing he will also provide the way out so that you may be able to endure it. –1 Corinthians 9-13

This scripture reminds me of the joke about the guy on his roof in a flood. He prays for God to save him. A rescuer in a boat comes by and offers to take him to safety and the guy replies, “No thanks, God is going to save me.” After two other offers of help are dismissed the guy drowns. When he comes face to face with God, he asks why God did not save him, God says, “I sent three people to help you and you turned them all down.” One of the most difficult aspects for many humans in all kinds of relationships but particularly with God is understanding that the relationship is communal.

I think God delights in every aspect of our growth and development as humans from our first step to that aha moment when we ride a bike or read a book all by ourselves to being on the team that discovered how to create the airplane or cure cancer.  God loves being a part of our loving each other and caring for each other.

Humans are not perfect yet and we sometimes fail ourselves and each other but we must never be pulled into the trap of projecting our lapses onto God. God who is love is incapable of being unfaithful.

Prayer:  May the God of peace himself sanctify you entirely; and may your spirit and soul and body be kept sound and blameless at the coming of our Lord Jesus Christ. The one who calls you is faithful, and he will do this. [Amen] –1 Thessalonians 5:23-24

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.

Ancestors in Faith

Jesus’ Ministry
March 4, 2019

Scripture Reading: Deuteronomy 26:1-11

you shall make this response before the Lord your God: ‘A wandering Aramean was my ancestor; he went down into Egypt and lived there as an alien, few in number, and there he became a great nation, mighty and populous. When the Egyptians treated us harshly and afflicted us, by imposing hard labor on us, we cried to the Lord, the God of our ancestors; the Lord heard our voice and saw our affliction, our toil, and our oppression. The Lord brought us out of Egypt with a mighty hand and an outstretched arm, with a terrifying display of power, and with signs and wonders; and he brought us into this place and gave us this land, a land flowing with milk and honey. –Deuteronomy 26:5-9

Why do we contribute to the support of our faith group? The segment quoted above is the words Israelites were instructed to say when they brought the first fruits of their harvest and donated it to their faith group in various places throughout their sojourn. It is a litany of the historic acts of God in the stages of their lives starting with the wandering Aramean, Abraham, and ending at their entry in and claiming of the Promised Land.

Reading this litany in this light made me wonder what my litany of the historic acts of God might be. My knowledge is limited to bits and pieces of history about some parts of my family and extensive documentation about others. To my knowledge, my first ancestors to arrive in the New World came in 1630 fleeing religious persecution in England. They were active in starting a new nation and perhaps practicing some intolerance of other religious beliefs themselves. In another ancestral line, my 6th great grandfather probably arrived in the USA in 1759 on a prison ship from England along with his 16-year-old son by the same name also in my ancestral line. I have yet to discover the crime that won him a berth on the prison ship. I must assume his son was also guilty of some crime. Failure to pay debts was one of the main reasons for such punishment. The son indentured his son as a servant for seven years to learn the trade of working in the iron/steel industry, which he did. His first wife and he had six children all duly christened in the Anglican tradition. She died and he married my ancestor. In 1824, he served as a trustee for a newly forming Methodist church. One of his sons, also my ancestor migrated to Illinois in 1834, where town history indicates that the first worship service held by “whites” was conducted in his home, an indication that the indigenous population recently removed from the area included Christians also. When I read it I was surprised that someone thought it was important to remember.

I am sure readers do not want me to go through similar litanies for the other six ancestral lines I track, but I share this to encourage all of us to consider the history of God’s acts in our lives and how they are still playing out today as we learn from their successes and mistakes and shape our faiths in our relationships with God striving to answer God’s call to create a world ruled by love which takes investment of all our resources.

Prayer: Thank you God for being present in the lives of our ancestors in faith back to and including Abraham. Let their example guide our giving. 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.

Sharing God’s Love

Jesus’ Ministry
February 26, 2019

Scripture Reading: Exodus 34:29-35

Moses came down from Mount Sinai. As he came down from the mountain with the two tablets of the covenant in his hand, Moses did not know that the skin of his face shone because he had been talking with God. When Aaron and all the Israelites saw Moses, the skin of his face was shining, and they were afraid to come near him. But Moses called to them; and Aaron and all the leaders of the congregation returned to him, and Moses spoke with them. Afterwards all the Israelites came near, and he gave them in commandment all that the Lord had spoken with him on Mount Sinai. When Moses had finished speaking with them, he put a veil on his face; but whenever Moses went in before the Lord to speak with him, he would take the veil off, until he came out; and when he came out, and told the Israelites what he had been commanded, the Israelites would see the face of Moses, that the skin of his face was shining; and Moses would put the veil on his face again, until he went in to speak with him.

 Why were the people afraid of Moses when they saw his face shining? Was it simply fear of the unknown? Aware that he had climbed the mountain to seek God, perhaps they understood this change in Moses’ countenance indicated he had had an encounter with God. Was the people’s fear from seeing Moses’ face an extension of a fear of God?

How do people perceive us when the conversation turns to our faith? Do they sense some presence of God in us? Do we send forth a vibe that welcomes people as we share our faith with others? Or do we turn them away with our approach? How do we see ourselves clearly so that we can understand how our countenance might impact another person?

I once had a friend tell me that she wanted me to add the words “in my opinion” when I shared my ideas about something because when I spoke my countenance was so strong, I sounded like I was quoting from the Bible. She was right. I can speak forcefully when I feel strongly about what I am discussing, and I feel strongly about many subjects. I did not add “in my opinion” very often after receiving her advice but I did on occasion, when I realized I was pontificating a bit strongly, end my comments with something like” that was 1 Marilynn 1:1.”

Moses probably was unaware of how he appeared, but he was able to quiet their fears calling them to him and even wearing a veil to make them more comfortable. Our job is to spread the love of God through Christ Jesus. We must take whatever steps are necessary to make our communication of that love accessible.

Prayer: Lord, make us aware of how others may perceive us so we can adjust as needed to make the encounter more comfortable. 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.

False Prophets

Jesus’ Ministry
February 20, 2019

Scripture Reading: Psalm 37:1-11, 39-40

Do not fret because of the wicked;
   do not be envious of wrongdoers,
for they will soon fade like the grass,
   and wither like the green herb. 

Trust in the Lord, and do good;
   so you will live in the land, and enjoy security.
Take delight in the Lord,
   and he will give you the desires of your heart.

 Commit your way to the Lord;
   trust in him, and he will act.
He will make your vindication shine like the light,
   and the justice of your cause like the noonday. –Psalm 37:1-6

If it were not so serious, the advent of the mighty “socialism” becoming the scourge of our land would be amusing. Socialism is defined as any of various theories or social and political movements advocating or aiming at collective or governmental ownership and administration of the means of production and control of the distribution of goods*. Does that sound like health care for all or free and appropriate education? These are both services that provide the workforce for capitalism to thrive. What we are doing as a nation is using our tax dollars so corporations can make big profits that are not being reinvested in the Common Good.

Contrary to popular opinion, most non-elderly adults receiving food stamps, Medicaid, and child care subsidies work. Our tax dollars provide these subsidies for corporations who do not pay living wages but who do enjoy the fruits of their employee’s labor through the profits the business earns. Cities and states routinely provide corporations tax incentives to encourage companies to locate in their area. We denigrate the recipients of public assistance while we hold in high esteem the moguls of industry both living off the dole with the corporations the ultimate winners in both instances.

The average CEO-to-worker pay ratio for the 168 companies included in this report stands at about about 70-to-1, with some CEOs making more than 300 times the median salary of their employees – just in cash (base pay, bonuses, profit sharing, etc.). Many CEOs receive substantial stock/option grants and perks as part of their compensation, which can more than quadruple their total annual pay. But similar data for employees by company is not readily available, so we looked solely at cash compensation for both CEOs and workers to calculate ratios for this report**.

Prayer: Lord, create in us clean hearts so our doing justice is not blinded by false prophets of greed. Amen.

*http://unabridged.merriam-webster.com/unabridged/socialism
**CEO Pay: How Much Do CEOs Make Compared to Their Employees? See at https://www.payscale.com/data-packages/ceo-pay

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.