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Fear No Evil

Eastertide
April 18, 2018

Scripture Reading: Psalm 23
The Lord is my shepherd, I shall not want.
   He makes me lie down in green pastures;
he leads me beside still waters;
   he restores my soul.
He leads me in right paths
   for his name’s sake.

Even though I walk through the darkest valley,
   I fear no evil;
for you are with me;
   your rod and your staff—
   they comfort me.


You prepare a table before me
   in the presence of my enemies;
you anoint my head with oil;
   my cup overflows.
Surely goodness and mercy shall follow me
   all the days of my life,
and I shall dwell in the house of the Lord
   my whole life long.

My Bible study group has delved into the Hebrew Bible books of Amos, Joel, and Hosea the last two semesters. All full of doom and gloom, these prophets offer a bit of hope at the end of each. The most remarkable thing is they all seem to be describing our world today, although they were describing Israel before its fall. Recently we studied Hosea chapter 10 which talks about raining retribution against an enemy. Our study was the same day USA leaders were announcing a rebuttal strike being prepared against Syria for a recent poison gas attack against Syrian citizens.

While just reading the stories can bring on fear, none of the prophets seem fearful. They are angry at the blindness of their fellow citizens in denial of the consequences of their failure to walk in obedience to God. They are disconcerted at the distractions of other gods they comingle with their Hebrew heritage, but not afraid.

These prophets are intimately acquainted with the God our Psalmist describes in the above scripture.  They fear no evil for God is with them. I am not talking about the normal fears that prepare us for a quick response when safety and security are threatened. I am talking about the fear that stems from hopelessness and alienation from God. One of these prophets’ goals is probably to instill some holy fear in their listeners or readers to help them avoid certain disaster.

Our goal in life is to solidify our relationship with God so that we, too, can be people who fear no evil thus enable to be the Body of Christ in our world today.

Prayer: I take comfort in your constant presence; help me be constantly present with you. 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.

Called to Love Not Judge

Eastertide
April 17, 2018

Scripture Reading: Acts 4:5-12

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.’ –Acts 4:10-11

In the scripture above Luke, the author of Acts quotes from Psalm 118:22 which seems to call religious leaders to task for not maintaining their alignment with the key foundation of their faith. While it would be easy for us to write this off as Christ followers chastising the Jewish leaders who rejected him, I think it very much has a message for we religious leaders today who can so easily slip into forming and worshiping a deity to meet our desires. The ancients called it idolatry.  As J. B. Phillips put it in the title and substance of his classic book Your God is too Small.

The next part of the scripture follows with the statement that salvation is through that cornerstone, Jesus Christ. I accept this statement fully and I find no place in scripture where any of Christ’s followers received the assignment to judge another’s relationship with God. Matthew 25:31+ clearly illustrates that Christ is the judge. Christ followers are to be living examples of God’s love as modeled by Christ to all of God’s children and trust in God who is greater than all to know their hearts and minds.

Jesus did say, I am the way, and the truth, and the life. No one comes to the Father except through me. (John 14:6) but he did not describe the many ways he may be manifested to others. He did say

I have other sheep that do not belong to this fold. I must bring them also, and they will listen to my voice. So there will be one flock, one shepherd. (John 10:16) Calling us to be one in our love.

Prayer: God of Mercy and Grace, help me perfect my ability to love like Jesus and leave any judgment up to him. Amen.

Holy Spirit Always

Eastertide
April 7, 2018

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 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 book of Acts describes the coming of the Holy Spirit after the ascension when the disciples were gathered together before the celebration of Pentecost. John, probably written later, indicates that Jesus blesses the disciples with the Holy Spirit before the ascension at his first visit with them after the resurrection. My best guess is that something happened both times. I am impressed with the story in Acts because it is set in the time just after the disciples decided to get with the program and start responding to Jesus instructions to go into all the world. Acts chapter one describes how the disciples held what appeared to be a routine business meeting and selected a replacement for Judas. By this rather mundane step they expressed their readiness to answer Jesus’ call and the Holy Spirit appeared to accompany them. I wonder if that same order of business applies to us today?

In John Jesus is addressing people in shock and grief, belief and disbelief, and fear. The presence of God was greatly needed by this group and it was given. Here they are tasked with a totally different responsibility, one that seemed previously and primarily to belonged to Jesus: granting forgiveness, perhaps owning that forgiveness. Think about it, these disciples had just experienced the trial and horrid execution of their leader. They most likely thought they were going to be next.  And the first topic Jesus confronts them with is forgiveness.

Being burdened with anger is very disruptive to productivity. We have all most likely been in a workplace where some event has caused a stir, and everyone is standing around debating the issue and not getting much else done. Letting go of wasted emotions is important to wholeness. Channeling those emotional energies to a higher cause can lead to positive outcomes.  The disciples knew that Jesus had already forgiven his persecutors. They knew the right path, but it is one they must take for the fruition of the Kingdom of God.

What burdens are we bearing that are holding us back from Wholeness?

Prayer: Thank you, Lord, for the gift of the Holy Spirit. 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.

 

Grace

Eastertide
April 3, 2018

Scripture Reading: Acts 4:32-35

Now the whole group of those who believed were of one heart and soul, and no one claimed private ownership of any possessions, but everything they owned was held in common. With great power the apostles gave their testimony to the resurrection of the Lord Jesus, and great grace was upon them all. There was not a needy person among them, for as many as owned lands or houses sold them and brought the proceeds of what was sold. They laid it at the apostles’ feet, and it was distributed to each as any had need.

What do we think about when considering the word “grace”? When I was a child I would most likely have answered grace is the prayer said before meals. A ballerina is graceful, meaning she dances in perfectly timed and placed motions. Theologically speaking grace is a gift freely given with no strings attached as in God’s grace saves us. The word translated “grace” in the above scripture refers to a gift freely given but with an interesting nuance.

/xáris (“grace”) answers directly to the Hebrew (OT) term 2580 /Kaná (“grace, extension-toward”). Both refer to God freely extending Himself (His favor, grace), reaching (inclining) to people because He is disposed to bless (be near) them*.

 Considering this word “grace” led me to wonder if I live my life in such a way that God would be disposed to be near me. Indeed, there are times I do not even like to be near myself. How can I, predispose myself to God, myself, and others?

Grace before meals suggests that each time we eat we recognize the food before us is the bounty of God’s gift to us of the earth which reminds us we are responsible for the care of the earth. Using all our skills and talents in proper times and places reflects our response to the interdependence of all people on that same earth. Every part of God’s creation has a purpose.

Those considerations bring us to the fundamental question are we living together with one another in such a way that God is disposed to be near us collectively. I fear we bring God to tears by our interactions or lack of interactions more than we draw him to us. We seem to search for things about which we disagree and rarely work toward finding the common threads that weave us together.

Individually being in right relationship with God is the first step toward being gracious. Intentionally working to love one another of necessity implies that we know one another. Taking the time to get to know the diverse people around us is a starting pointing toward learning to love them. Jesus mingled with everyone, sometimes much to the displeasure of the religious leaders of the day. He understood their lives and what formed them to become the people they were. He was thus disposed to be near them. Are we?

Prayer: Thank you for your every present grace. Help us to become people of grace working together within the framework of your divine grace. Amen.

*Strong’s Concordance see at http://biblehub.com/greek/5485.htm

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.

Siblings of Jesus

Maundy Thursday
March 29, 2018

 Scripture Reading: 1 Corinthians 15:1-11

For I handed on to you as of first importance what I in turn had received: that Christ died for our sins in accordance with the scriptures, and that he was buried, and that he was raised on the third day in accordance with the scriptures, and that he appeared to Cephas, then to the twelve. Then he appeared to more than five hundred brothers and sisters at one time, most of whom are still alive, though some have died. Then he appeared to James, then to all the apostles. Last of all, as to someone untimely born, he appeared also to me. –I Corinthians 15:3-8

I do not know anything of about James, the brother of Jesus, except the few mentions by Paul. I, however, have my own fictional rendering of him. My guess is he was the brother just younger than Jesus. When Jesus set out to be an itinerant preacher, James was left to meet the needs of the family, a role that would normally have gone to the eldest son. We here no more about Joseph, James’ father after the temple trip when Jesus was 12. Joseph probably died leaving Mary to lean on James since Jesus was otherwise occupied. After the resurrection, James became the leader of the church in Jerusalem. His early family responsibilities had most likely made him a good leader. We do not know what James thought or felt being left to deal with the common needs of his family. We do not know if he followed Jesus’ teachings before his death and resurrection. A lot of people would have resented this older brother whom his mother adored.  He played a tough, tough role.

I thus have wondered about the conversation Paul reports Jesus and James had following Jesus resurrection. Were fences mended? Did James experience a new enlightenment? The meeting was consequential, or Paul would not have written about it.

What difference do Jesus’ death and resurrection make in our lives? Did everything change for us some 2000 years ago or was it just another point of interest on the timeline of history? I am writing this after hearing a young man speak about the senseless death of his twin brother shot down on his way home from a college preparatory class. The surviving twin’s life, of course, was changed forever but that is not enough for him. He was speaking at a campaign to curb gun violence so that no one else’s brother would have to go through what he and his brother did.

Time can fade memory perhaps even lessen the pain of loss, but time should never decrease our resolve to carry out Jesus’ mission in our lives today. My guess is that was part of James and Jesus’ discussion after his resurrection. My guess is that is why James used the leadership skills he had honed growing up in a single parent home to make his brother’s vision a reality. We are called to do the same.

Prayer: Lord, help us to be our brothers and our sisters’ keepers as we work for justice and 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.

The Order of Melchizedek

Lent
March 15, 2018

Scripture Reading: Hebrews 5:5-10

So also Christ did not glorify himself in becoming a high priest, but was appointed by the one who said to him,
‘You are my Son,
   today I have begotten you’;
as he says also in another place,
‘You are a priest forever,
   according to the order of Melchizedek.’
–Hebrews 5:5-7

The mysterious Melchizedek of unknown parentage and place is described as King of Righteousness and Peace, High Priest, forerunner of David, and in the order of Jesus. He first appears standing in support of Abraham. In Hebrews, he is identified with Christ.

My morning ritual usually involves watching national news programs while eating breakfast after which I work on these daily devotionals. At times over the years, the juxtaposition of the news and these devotionals have proved to be prophetic. I seem to notice that more and more recently. Today with reports of what I perceived to be out of control government chaos, reading about God’s eternal advocates was most helpful. In God’s care when evil makes a run, we can take comfort in God’s all-powerful presence countering evil.

Such trust does not mean we are to sit back and hope for a superhero to swoop in and save our day. It does mean that as we advocate for righteousness, justice, and peace, God has our backs.

Prayer: Holy One, thank you for your constant presence. Help us to be good advocates for bringing about your righteousness in this world. 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.

Being True to Oneself

Lent
March 14, 2018

 Scripture Reading: Psalm 51:1-12

You desire truth in the inward being;
   therefore teach me wisdom in my secret heart.
Purge me with hyssop, and I shall be clean;
   wash me, and I shall be whiter than snow.

Let me hear joy and gladness;
   let the bones that you have crushed rejoice.
Hide your face from my sins,
   and blot out all my iniquities. –Psalm 51:6-9

Hamlet Act I Scene III: Polonius says: “This above all: to thine own self be true. And it must follow, as the night the day. Thou canst not then be false to any man/Farewell, my blessing season this in thee!”

Think Shakespeare was acquainted with Psalm 51?

The need to lie to others stems from lying to oneself. If we can be honest with ourselves, we can deal with anything outside ourselves that might tempt us to lie to someone else.

I have had the same hairdresser for some 40 years. He became my next-door neighbor when he had a booth in a beauty shop. He now owns his own salon and has moved to a bigger and better home. With my hair washed and wrapped in a towel, I walked from the sink to the chair while he was on the phone. It gave me time to study myself in the full-length mirror I faced. I did not like what I saw. When he walked up behind me and removed the towel, I said that I look old and haggard and he said, “I can’t do anything about that” with the unspoken understanding that he could do something about my hair. I knew that too. Accepting life as it meets us is a decision point. We can live with what we find, do everything in our power to change it, or repurpose ourselves to attain our goal all choice dependent on our being truthful to ourselves in the first place.

I have never particularly been super concerned about my looks and do recognize aging as a normal process. My larger concern now is the state of justice or lack thereof in our world today and those same choices apply to doing justice. I am incapable of learning to live with the injustice I see but I am also tired of what seems like beating my head against a brick wall to overcome it. I have thus decided I may need to seek new approaches. For example, with all the divisiveness in our world today, I am becoming more and more committed to finding the things on which people agree and building from that common ground for the common good.

Prayer: Lord, open our hearts to finding more productive ways of doing justice. 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.

 

Good  Consciences

Lent
February 16, 2018

Scripture Reading: 1 Peter 3:18-22

who in former times did not obey, when God waited patiently in the days of Noah, during the building of the ark, in which a few, that is, eight people, were saved through water. And baptism, which this prefigured, now saves you—not as a removal of dirt from the body, but as an appeal to God for a good conscience, through the resurrection of Jesus Christ, who has gone into heaven and is at the right hand of God, with angels, authorities, and powers made subject to him. –1 Peter 3:20-22

I checked out my purchases at one of the do it yourself machines now prevalent in stores moving items from one place to another to make sure I ran them all. I then pushed my full cart to my car several yards away in the cold wind. As I unloaded the bags, something hanging from the seat for children caught my eye. I reached down and pulled up a long thin plastic bag filled with those little plastic ties used to pull together cords and keep them from being an unsightly tangle. The little plastic ties cost 79 cents. I looked at the ties, I looked at how very far I was from the store entrance, and I confess I thought the store would not miss my 79 cents. My conscience disagreed with my brain, and I trekked back into the store, ending up at a card only check out machine, ran the scanner over the package, and charged 85 cents with tax added on my bank card. God was certainly the ultimate source of my conscience; my parents made sure I got the idea. Doing the right thing is a habit of the heart. A part of the discipline of being a follower of Christ is engraining doing right things, even the smallest things, into our very being. If we do the right thing in the small things, it becomes easier to do the right thing in the tough, perhaps controversial things.

The story of Noah’s Ark is a story of one man doing God’s will while others did not. I do not readily get the connection with baptism that the author of I Peter is trying to make, but I do know that being cleansed of old habits and old hurts that limit our abilities to love like Jesus is important as we grow in wholeness with Christ as our example.

Prayer: Lord, cleanse us as we grow out of old bad habits and strengthen us as we strive to build new good habits. 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.

Sustainable Earth

Ordinary Time
February 12, 2018

Scripture Reading: Genesis 9:8-17

Then God said to Noah and to his sons with him, ‘As for me, I am establishing my covenant with you and your descendants after you, and with every living creature that is with you, the birds, the domestic animals, and every animal of the earth with you, as many as came out of the ark. I establish my covenant with you, that never again shall all flesh be cut off by the waters of a flood, and never again shall there be a flood to destroy the earth.’ –Genesis 9:8-11

I wonder what God thinks about the promise to never flood the earth to destroy it again, as God watches us do a good job of destroying it ourselves? In Oklahoma, the weather is always changing. We are used to that. I took awhile adapting to the weather forecast when I lived in Denver. It seemed so routine. The morning weather reporter would say, “It is going to rain at 8:00 pm.” And it did. In Oklahoma, we hear about a 20% chance of this but if a certain front moves further north we will have a 60% chance of something else. The report may be totally different three hours later. Now we are watching moisture falling all around us but not on us while our earth dries, and crops do not grow. Our forecasts regarding climate change are more concrete every day.

God’s promise contained in the scripture above is not made to just Noah and his descendants. God’s covenant is made with every living creature over which we were given dominion, making us responsible for their well-being as a part of the interdependent relationship we have with them in God’s creation. I believe God intends to keep that promise. I also believe that God intends for us to do our part in maintaining the sustainability of the earth and all that is on it and in it. Clearly, our life choices are contributing to the extreme weather we are experiencing, the erosion of land as sea waters rise, earthquakes caused by wastewater disposal, and carbon emissions impacting the air we breathe.

The time is now to invest our time and energy in learning about our environment and implementing ways to sustain a healthy world in which to live and grow and have our being.

Prayer: Lord, broaden our understanding of ways we can contribute to a sustainable earth. 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.

 

Purified by Fire

Ordinary Time
February 7, 2018

Scripture Reading: Psalm 50:1-6
The mighty one, God the Lord,
   speaks and summons the earth
   from the rising of the sun to its setting.
Out of Zion, the perfection of beauty,
   God shines forth. 

Our God comes and does not keep silence,
   before him is a devouring fire,
   and a mighty tempest all around him.
He calls to the heavens above
   and to the earth, that he may judge his people:
‘Gather to me my faithful ones,
   who made a covenant with me by sacrifice!’
The heavens declare his righteousness,
   for God himself is judge.

We are in the midst of fire season here in Oklahoma. Foliage is dormant, draught is rampant, and no substantial moisture predicted. Farmers are wondering if their hay will last to feed cattle until the wheat grows if the wheat appears at all. Our world just seems out-of-synch. In times like these with tempest all around, the presence of God in our lives is paramount.

While fire destroys, it also purifies. Our ancestors in faith, I am sure, observed this phenomenon as they lived off the land. Perhaps that knowledge led to their rituals of worshipping God by making burnt sacrifices of perfect animals.

The idea of routine acts of purification continues today. We need to open our lives to the cleansing power of God to rid us of the trash that blocks our ability to love as God loves us. There is a lot of that trash littering our world.  Now is the time to clean it up and clear it out allowing us to serve God fully.

Prayer: Lord, forgive me for letting the things of the world clutter my life blinding me to realities of loving others to which I need to be open. 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.