Category Archives: Uncategorized

Simpler Truth

Epiphany
February 23, 2017

Scripture Reading: 2 Peter 1:16-21

For we did not follow cleverly devised myths when we made known to you the power and coming of our Lord Jesus Christ, but we had been eyewitnesses of his majesty. For he received honor and glory from God the Father when that voice was conveyed to him by the Majestic Glory, saying, ‘This is my Son, my Beloved, with whom I am well pleased.’ We ourselves heard this voice come from heaven, while we were with him on the holy mountain. –2 Peter 1:16-18

I changed ophthalmologist a couple of years ago, very carefully researching what sources are available to find a good one that was recommended by patients. I was diagnosed with dry eye syndrome several years ago, and have received various treatments for it none of which were particularly helpful. Eye plugs to prescription eye drops did not make much difference. For me, it is more nuisance than serious requiring repeated use of over the counter eye drops. My new doctor told me it was caused by clogged or dry oils in my eyelids and some simple routines of applying heat and cleaning my eye lids regularly would help. I am sure I looked at her like she was crazy. I had twenty years of experience with dry eye syndrome under the care of four or five different eye doctors. I had never heard any of that before. I knew how Naaman felt when Elisha told him to wash in the Jordan*. When I got home I checked out some reliable sources on the Internet and they seem to agree with her. So, I did what she recommended and it worked.

Discerning truth has always been a challenge, particularly when steeped in values and traditions that counter truth. Is it harder to accept simpler truth? Are we more persuaded by sophisticated ideas? Relationships are surely more complex than simply wanting the best for others, or are they? Racism, misogyny, other forms of discrimination result from our inability to accept simple truth. God created all humans in Gods image. Pretty straightforward, don’t you think? God commands us to love our neighbors, welcome strangers, feed the hungry, restore the prisoner. None of these are too complicated to comprehend.

Since the beginning of people, God’s followers have never started our work of loving others with a clean slate. Some of God’s children are downright scary. Some do not seem to what to be loved. Some strangers do not speak our language, worship the way we do, eat the same food, or wear the same type of clothing. I feed my family why can’t they feed theirs? Prisoners are locked up for a reason. Ancient patterning of behavior is passed down through generations. They are very difficult to alter, probably impossible to alter without the overwhelming love of God through Jesus Christ remolding us, if we let him.

Prayer: Lord make us instruments of your love and help us understand that loving isn’t difficult at all. It is giving up our preconceived notions that is hard. Amen.

*2 Kings 5:10

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.

Responsibility in Equity

Epiphany
February 22, 2017

Scripture Reading: Psalm 99

Mighty King, lover of justice,
   you have established equity;
you have executed justice
   and righteousness in Jacob.
Extol the Lord our God;
   worship at his footstool.
   Holy is he! –Psalm 99:3-4

If I recall correctly, my first Aha! Moment with God’s equity came reading Psalm 67.4:

Let the nations be glad and sing for joy,
   for you judge the peoples with equity
   and guide the nations upon earth.

I am a bit of a nut about equality within governments but this scripture takes equality a step further. It speaks to each person’s contributing whatever he or she can to bring about a world ruled by God’s love. It is the basis on which God passes ultimate judgement. Luke 12:48b states it like this: From everyone to whom much has been given, much will be required; and from one to whom much has been entrusted, even more will be demanded.

We live in a world where acquisition, gain, is valued unconstrained by responsibility.  Such a system is not of God. We experienced this phenomenon in Oklahoma in the oil bust of the 1980’s and in the United States in 2008 with the nearly disastrous financial downturn. It seems we never learn from history.

Of course, there are some great examples of entrepreneurs whose contributions in both talent and funding have resulted in significant advancements in many areas such as global health. Isn’t that what we are all called to do? If the best we can do is bring a few cans of food to donate to a food closet at our church, we are called to do it.  If we can develop and implement a whole system to deliver clean water to sub-Saharan Africa, we are called to do that too. When we all work together our efforts expand exponentially like the loaves and fishes Jesus divided among the multitudes*.

Prayer: Lord, help us each to see the gifts within ourselves you provided for us to share and grant us the wisdom and courage and perseverance we need to share them generously. Amen.

*See Matthew 14, Luke 9, and John 6

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.

Who Do We Trust?

Epiphany
February 17, 2017

Scripture Reading: 1 Corinthians 3:10-11, 16-23

 Do not deceive yourselves. If you think that you are wise in this age, you should become fools so that you may become wise. For the wisdom of this world is foolishness with God. For it is written,
‘He catches the wise in their craftiness’,
and again,
‘The Lord knows the thoughts of the wise,
   that they are futile.’
So let no one boast about human leaders. For all things are yours, whether Paul or Apollos or Cephas or the world or life or death or the present or the future—all belong to you, and you belong to Christ, and Christ belongs to God. –1 Corinthians 3:18-23

Who do we trust? Several years ago, when I was obese, I participated in a mandatory ropes course with my fellow executives to develop our teamwork skills. One of the tasks was to pick up and pass each participant through a steel web of randomly sized holes each of which could only be used once. It also had to be accomplished without the person being transferred touching the ground until they were completely on the other side. I was not sure I could fit through any of the holes and I was not too thrilled with being picked up by several people and handed over to the receivers. My transfer occurred in the middle of the process along with those who would require more than one person on each side to complete the hand off. While I hated the process, and would never choose to do it again, it did teach a vital lesson. We live in a diverse world including people with varying needs. We live in a diverse world with people of varying skills and talents. Our task is to find wholeness for all by meshing needs with appropriate skills and talents. Every human has needs as well as the ability to help others.

To be a part of God’s team working to bring about God’s Kingdom, we the people must thoughtfully consider the best and most productive ways to meet the Common Good and find or become the leadership that can and will implement them. Such actions require us to work with peoples of other faiths and people of no faith at all. It may require us to identify the practical and pragmatic sense of what it means to love our neighbors as we love ourselves so that the people with whom we are building this nation can feel comfortable working with us without concern that we are forcing our faith on them. God, it seems, is pragmatic so are God’s ways. In searching for openings too explain our values we may find that some of them are not of God at all. Likewise, if we can explain our vision in God’s universal terms, we may help others see the virtue of God who we love.

Prayer: God help us put our trust in you to guide our actions. Enable us to grow closer to you so that we readily recognize you in everything we do. 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.

Backstories

Epiphany
February 15, 2017

Scripture Reading: Psalm 119:33-40

Teach me, O Lord, the way of your statutes,
   and I will observe it to the end.
Give me understanding, that I may keep your law
   and observe it with my whole heart.
Lead me in the path of your commandments,
   for I delight in it.
Turn my heart to your decrees,
   and not to selfish gain. –Psalm 119:33-36

What is the backstory behind the Lord’s statutes? Every law has a backstory. Laws about murder weave through every culture throughout history. Others may reflect the selfish desire of a powerful politician—remember the bridge to nowhere*? The Lord’s laws are not arbitrary checklists of things to do to get into heaven. They do not exist to define the limits of our behavior, so we can invest our time trying to get around them for selfish motivations.

The Lord’s laws reflect God’s desire for us to experience life to the fullest in the confidence of God’s loving guidance. The laws laid out in the Bible reflect backstories of the times and places according to their origins in oral and written history. Some ancient backstories are as relevant today as they were in the beginning as some things in the human condition seem to remain constants. Others speak to truths, like eating healthily, about which behavior changes with advancements in knowledge about food storage or its impact on our bodies. We must be diligent as we seek to live our lives within God’s vision to study the backstories.

We also must be diligent not to rewire God’s statutes to meet our selfish gains.

Prayer: Lord, help us to Do our best to present ourselves to you as one approved by you, a worker who has no need to be ashamed, rightly explaining the word of truth**. Amen.

*https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Gravina_Island_Bridge
Derived from 2 Timothy 2:15

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.

Unjust Judging

Epiphany
February 14, 2017

Scripture Reading: Leviticus 19:1-2, 9-18

You shall not render an unjust judgement; you shall not be partial to the poor or defer to the great: with justice you shall judge your neighbor. You shall not go around as a slanderer among your people, and you shall not profit by the blood of your neighbor: I am the Lord.

 You shall not hate in your heart anyone of your kin; you shall reprove your neighbor, or you will incur guilt yourself. You shall not take vengeance or bear a grudge against any of your people, but you shall love your neighbor as yourself: I am the Lord. – Leviticus 19:15-18

I learned through time and experience that dogs are generally good judges of human character. I always wonder what they sense, or perhaps it’s a scent that tells them: “Be careful around this one” or “this one’s OK.” Perhaps their ancestors’ survival responses were recorded on their DNA for future application by their descendants’ in times of threat. What made them retain what was correct and let go of what was not? Even mistreated dogs can get their survival signals wrong.

We humans retain memories of events that continue to shape our motivations and responses. It is a good idea to thumb through them occasionally and determine whether they remain relevant. It is hard for us to see clearly in ourselves that which is very apparent in someone else. Asking God to illuminate our ingrained drivers of behavior might be a good place to start. Erasing the unproductive motivators and replacing them with appropriate ones is an even greater challenge. A new girl transferred into my class in the second or third grade, I cannot remember for sure. She was a lot bigger than the rest of us and she was a bully. Her name was Carol and I was afraid of her. She did not even finish that school year in my class so her terror only lasted a few months. From that point forward, I shied away from other people named Carol until I got to know them. Irrational behavior? Absolutely, but it took the recognition of its existence before I could lay it aside. So, the next time we experience an internal alert to judge another negatively, it might be a good idea to dig a little deeper and examine our response.

God is our refuge and strength, a very present help in trouble. (Psalm 46:1)

Prayer: God be present with me when I am in a position to judge another. Help me filter out those things that cloud my judgment. Give me the courage to arise above that which makes me judge unjustly. 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.

God’s Vision of the Common Good

Epiphany
January 31, 2017

Scripture Reading: Isaiah 58:1-12

Is not this the fast that I choose:
   to loose the bonds of injustice,
   to undo the thongs of the yoke,
to let the oppressed go free,
   and to break every yoke?
Is it not to share your bread with the hungry,
   and bring the homeless poor into your house;
when you see the naked, to cover them,
   and not to hide yourself from your own kin?
Then your light shall break forth like the dawn,
   and your healing shall spring up quickly;
your vindicator shall go before you,
   the glory of the Lord shall be your rearguard.
Then you shall call, and the Lord will answer;
   you shall cry for help, and he will say, Here I am. –Isaiah 58:6-9

One of the positives that comes from political discord is we each must grapple with what it is we hold dear. I find it intriguing that we make a big deal out of some issues that are barely mentioned in scripture or not mentioned at all while turning our backs on ways of being that are mentioned throughout scripture multiple times, even commanded by God. Welcoming the stranger is an example. Loving our neighbors is another. These are both subset actions of the umbrella calling to do justice.

Doing justice implies the need to have structures and processes in place for societies to operate in an orderly and fair fashion. The United States functions within a representative democracy with a checks and balance system among three branches of governance; Executive, Judicial, and Legislative. The purpose of such a government is to provide for the Common Good of all its citizens. Such systems can be traced to the beginning of history. For example, Deuteronomy 26.13 describes the care required by the community of faith for widows and orphans.

We are called to do justice as individuals and communities of faith and as citizens of this country. Addressing that calling is challenging when there exists conflict among these entities. Such conflict requires us to reach deeper into the wellspring of God’s love for guidance.

What do we hold dear?

Prayer: Lord, I wonder sometimes how you feel when you receive prayers from your followers that are diametrically opposed. How do you sort that out? Please help us each to have a better and clearer understanding of your vision for us and guide us to find the Common Good for all your children. 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.

 

God’s Rule

Epiphany
January 24, 2017

Scripture Reading: Micah 6:1-8

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 6:8

The Hebrew Bible is a record of God’s holding Israel responsible for its actions. God sent prophet after prophet to extol leaders who were not following God’s plan. It makes me wonder why the United States seems drawn to policies giving Israel a pass on most things they do. We do not do that with any of our other allies. If we truly believe in the separation of church and state, then there can be no country to which we ascribe a different status because of the nature of its dominant religion. If, however, we do not believe in the separation of church and state and choose to deal with another nation regarding its dominant religion we must be very careful as we may be playing God.

The Hebrew Bible reports Abraham’s covenant including the call to be a blessing to the nations that applies to all of Abrahams descendants. (Genesis 22:18) Dealing with neighbors as described in Leviticus 19 must be reasonable and ruled by love. The prophet Micah refreshes Israel’s memories reminding it to do justice, love kindness, and walk humbly with God.

We in the United States take great pride in being a nation formed within the rule of law where no one is above the law, although we have not perfected that lofty vision. In the Kingdom of God, no one is above God’s law and us as individuals or as a nation are not the final executioners of God’s law.

Prayer: Lord, forgive us when we get so caught up in ourselves we forget your roles in our lives. Help us walk humbly with you with justice and mercy for all. 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 American. Used by permission. All rights 
reserved.

Customizing Christ

Epiphany
January 20, 2017

Scripture Reading: 1 Corinthians 1:10-18

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 1:12-13

The phrase, ‘I belong to Christ’ bothers me as it is included in a laundry list of leaders in the church apparently caught in the middle of a game of my preacher is better than yours. Are we not all called to belong to Christ? As I ponder that phrase, I wonder if Paul was trying to say we don’t get to customize Christ—build a Christ based on our values not the other way around. I fear we may all get caught up in creating our own Christ occasionally.

Jesus taught a radically different way of being than was the common practice among the faithful of the first century. He invested his life in standing behind the principles that he taught. I do not think he was bringing a new message as much as he was making the age-old message clearer in more human terms. Loving God, loving our neighbors as we love ourselves, being a blessing to all nations are recorded in some of the earliest writings. So why was it deemed unacceptable in the first century even to the faith community? Why is it still hard for us to live like Jesus today?

Prayer: Lord, just as you opened Saul’s heart and mind on his road to Damascus, open our lives to living through your love on our journeys. 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 American. Used by permission. All rights 
reserved.

Fear Not and Sing a New Song

sing-a-new-songAdvent
December 21, 2016

Scripture Reading: Psalm 96

O sing to the Lord a new song;
   sing to the Lord, all the earth.
Sing to the Lord, bless his name;
   tell of his salvation from day to day.
Declare his glory among the nations,
   his marvelous works among all the peoples.
For great is the Lord, and greatly to be praised;
   he is to be revered above all gods.
For all the gods of the peoples are idols,
   but the Lord made the heavens.
Honor and majesty are before him;
   strength and beauty are in his sanctuary. –Psalm 96:1-6

Can pure love feel pain? I wonder how God feels when God sees his creation in chaos with people doing horrible things in God’s name. How do we sing at all much less a new song when the whole world seems to be crumbling under our feet? We are all so caught up in our image of God that we cannot tolerate another perspective. Though we are called to work toward perfection, can any human fully comprehend God? How much is our image of God based on our idols? How do we know the difference?

Advent brings lots of questions. World events that dash hope add questions. Human life has become an expendable commodity to some. Fear is epidemic. How do we sing a new song in such circumstances? Perhaps we should consider that the very circumstances that make us lose hope are writing the melody and the words to a new song. The new song we need to sing is an ancient song apparently lost to some over the years. God created the world out of chaos. Is God calling us to be creators of love out of the chaos that surrounds us? How would that look? What role must each of us play in making God’s love real to all?

Prayer: Lord, in many situations through the Bible your messengers tell us to fear not. Help us hear those words and make our fears catalyst for loving even more. 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 American. Used by permission. All rights 
reserved.

Apostles

careerAdvent
December 15, 2016

Scripture Reading: Romans 1:1-7

Paul, a servant* of Jesus Christ, called to be an apostle, set apart for the gospel of God, which he promised beforehand through his prophets in the holy scriptures, the gospel concerning his Son, who was descended from David according to the flesh and was declared to be Son of God with power according to the spirit* of holiness by resurrection from the dead, Jesus Christ our Lord, through whom we have received grace and apostleship to bring about the obedience of faith among all the Gentiles for the sake of his name, including yourselves who are called to belong to Jesus Christ,

To all God’s beloved in Rome, who are called to be saints:

Grace to you and peace from God our Father and the Lord Jesus Christ.

What is an apostle? Per Strong’s Exhaustive Concordance of the Bible an apostle is

A messenger, envoy, delegate, one commissioned by another to represent him in some way, especially a [person] sent out by Jesus Christ Himself to preach the Gospel. Paul felt strongly about his commissioning and relates back to his encounter with the resurrected Christ on his trip to Damascus to document his calling. He lists his credentials in most of his writings not only taking the role very seriously himself but also using it to explain why people should pay heed to what he says. It is the career objective on his resume’.

What is our career objective as it relates to our choosing to follow Jesus Christ? Do we have one? Are we doing the things we are doing because in our work for Christ because that is what we have always done? Is what we are doing necessary and important? Within his career objective, Paul routinely consulted in prayer to identify his next steps. He remained ever vigilant and appeared to work at being efficient in the use of his time and talents even to the point of seeming rude at times. If we have a Christ related Career Objective how well defined is our plan toward attaining it?

As you await the coming of God with Us once again, pull out your Christ-related resume’ and see if it needs to be updated. Don’t have a Christ related Career Objective? Try developing one. Know what you feel your calling is but are not sure how to make it a reality? Map out a plan with steps to complete. One step might be contacting the leaders in your congregations to find others with similar objectives, work within a team.

Prayer: Lord, write on my heart your objectives for my work as a part of your body. Show me how to make them a reality. Amen.

*http://biblehub.com/greek/652.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 American. Used by permission. All rights 
reserved.