Category Archives: Uncategorized

As Ye Sow

FloodingLiving in the Spirit
June 7, 2016

Scripture Reading: 1 Kings 21:1-21a

Then the word of the Lord came to Elijah the Tishbite, saying: Go down to meet King Ahab of Israel, who rules in Samaria; he is now in the vineyard of Naboth, where he has gone to take possession. You shall say to him, ‘Thus says the Lord: Have you killed, and also taken possession?’ You shall say to him, ‘Thus says the Lord: In the place where dogs licked up the blood of Naboth, dogs will also lick up your blood.’

Ahab said to Elijah, ‘Have you found me, O my enemy?’ He answered, ‘I have found you. Because you have sold yourself to do what is evil in the sight of the Lord, I will bring disaster on you; I will consume you, and will cut off from Ahab every male, bond or free, in Israel; –1 Kings 21:17-21

In Hinduism and Buddhism, it is called Karma. Others would use the phrase “as ye sow so shall ye reap”, which is probably based on Galatians 6:7, Do not be deceived; God is not mocked, for you reap whatever you sow. Jesus took a more circumspect attitude when he is quoted as saying in Matthew 5:45 so that you may be children of your Father in heaven; for he makes his sun rise on the evil and on the good, and sends rain on the righteous and on the unrighteous. Jesus had no doubt seen/experienced justice unrequited. Now the Hindus and Buddhist believe that Karma may have been the result of actions in a previous life or that it will find completeness in a future life and the people of faith who follow a what-you sow-you-reap philosophy may have final judgement in mind. Jesus was concerned about justice being achieved through acts of love by his follower in real time. He calls us to do justice every day.

It is interesting that Jesus illustrates justice using weather. As I write this, vast acres of Texas are underwater, several people have drowned; a tropical storm is heading toward Florida; and there was a 3.5 level earthquake recorded in the Oklahoma City metro this morning. These have historically been classified as acts of God and recovery from them required our loving response. Consideration now must be given to human responsibility at least to some degree in the nature and frequency of these “natural phenomena”. Even if humans are not responsible, science seems to indicate that our preventive efforts could lessen their impact.

Doing part of justice may be as simple as loving ourselves and our neighbors enough to recycle, drive energy efficient vehicles, and heat and cool our homes efficiently and effectively.

Prayer: Lord guide us in fulfilling our charge to have dominion over the earth as we seek to be loving caretakers of it. 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.

Finding Your Quest

nature-quest-2Living in the Spirit
June 3, 2016

Scripture Reading: Galatians 1:11-24

Then after three years I did go up to Jerusalem to visit Cephas and stayed with him for fifteen days; but I did not see any other apostle except James the Lord’s brother. In what I am writing to you, before God, I do not lie! Then I went into the regions of Syria and Cilicia, and I was still unknown by sight to the churches of Judea that are in Christ; they only heard it said, ‘The one who formerly was persecuting us is now proclaiming the faith he once tried to destroy.’ And they glorified God because of me. –Galatians 1:18-24

Just as with sisters, the relationship between brothers is special and unique. I have often felt for Jesus’ brother, James. I always picture him as the second oldest, although I do not know if he was. If not the second oldest, he was apparently the next best alpha male. Tradition holds that Mary was widowed at some time before the recorded history of Jesus’ ministry began. If that is the case, while Jesus was away being a Rabbi, James was apparently at home keeping things afloat. Paul reports in 1 Corinthians 15:7 that Jesus-resurrected appeared to James. I wonder if this event was shared with Paul at the meeting described in our scripture today. It must have had a major impact on James’ life as he went on to become the leader of the church in Jerusalem. I also think it is pretty special that with everything else that was going on, Jesus took the time to connect with James.

Paul did not stay in Jerusalem but initiated his ministry in other regions, perhaps beginning his outreach to the gentiles, but more than likely starting with the Jews who were scattered about the whole region. He probably knew he had to prove himself before he would be accepted back at the home base.

What of your life experiences has made you peculiarly well prepared to take the message of Jesus Christ to certain populations? You have a story to tell. It may seem rather vanilla to you but it may mean the difference in a life lost to a life found for another. It never ceases to amaze me the people who seem to have a gift for working with prisoners, the poor, the homeless, drug addicts, and the mentally ill who really had no background at all in the area they work but something lit the flame in their hearts and something is lighting a flame in our hearts today.

Prayer: Lord, help those who have not yet found their quest to recognize it, help all who know their quest to hone their skills and invest their whole being in attaining it. 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.

The Language of Love

Language of the heartEastertide
May 9, 2016

Scripture Reading: Acts 2:1-22

Now there were devout Jews from every nation under heaven living in Jerusalem. And at this sound the crowd gathered and was bewildered, because each one heard them speaking in the native language of each. Amazed and astonished, they asked, ‘Are not all these who are speaking Galileans? And how is it that we hear, each of us, in our own native language? Parthians, Medes, Elamites, and residents of Mesopotamia, Judea and Cappadocia, Pontus and Asia, Phrygia and Pamphylia, Egypt and the parts of Libya belonging to Cyrene, and visitors from Rome, both Jews and proselytes, Cretans and Arabs—in our own languages we hear them speaking about God’s deeds of power.’ All were amazed and perplexed, saying to one another, ‘What does this mean?’ –Acts 2:5-12

Several years ago while traveling in Switzerland, the group I was with stayed in Andermatt, a small mountain village. On our arrival I had noticed a very small, inviting chapel nestled into one of the mountains. Since I am a morning person and since I had been starting my mornings with a walk on this trip, I climbed up the incline to that chapel. It was  beautiful yet simple and I spent some time meditating and inhaling the clean mountain air. As I got up to leave stepping out of the little building, I met a local woman, I suspect, coming for her morning prayers also. She did not speak a word of English and I did not know any greeting for her except the German “good day”, which I am sure I butchered enough in my saying that she readily knew it was not my native language. I saw a moment of hesitation in her eyes as to what her appropriate response might be. She spread her arms apart and patted me gently on both of my arms then pointed to the cross on the tiny altar at the front of the chapel. I gave her an affirmative nod and we both went on our ways having communicating volumes in our lack of words.

I do not know what happened on the day of Pentecost but I do know that it was a day that marked love, as demonstrated in the life, death, and resurrection of Jesus Christ, as a universal language. It is the language in which we are all called to become fluent.

Prayer: Lord, even in those situations when our words fail us, let the light of your love shine through us brightly. 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.

Response

ShelterEastertide
April 25, 2016

Scripture Reading: Acts 16:9-15

During the night Paul had a vision: there stood a man of Macedonia pleading with him and saying, ‘Come over to Macedonia and help us.’ When he had seen the vision, we immediately tried to cross over to Macedonia, being convinced that God had called us to proclaim the good news to them.
–Acts 16:9-10

When do we trust our guts? When do take a dream or vison seriously? I score very high on the Myers Briggs personality type scale as being intuitive. I also score somewhat high on being a thinking person. Those two types find themselves in conflict at times. I over analyze my intuition. It is thus interesting to me the few times I never question my gut and act immediately upon what it is calling me to do. I sense that is what Paul did regarding his call to Macedonia.

Many years ago I took a sabbatical retreat wandering to and along the east coast in search of myself and my ancestry. In my planning ahead, I booked a stay at a bed and breakfast in the Poconos area of Pennsylvania. This part of my retreat was to be my quiet reflective time. I was definitely not pleased when I was assigned to a huge room with sleeping arrangements for five people, but decided to make the best of it. Then a large multigenerational family checked in across the hall and made the normal noise that any large multigenerational family would make. Thus I might have left the next day anyway. After the family had apparently headed out for an adventure and it was very quiet, I had the most urgent sense that I needed to leave there immediately. The keeper of the B and B was not home. I left a note on her table with a cash payment for the night and left. Driving west on highway 70 without stopping until I realized that it was getting dark, I began to look for a motel, found one, checked in, and then tried to analyze what I had just done. It made no sense to me and still doesn’t but I assure you I would do the same thing again. I think it had more to do with God working with me throughout the whole trip, granting me the peace I needed, and saying now get off your duff and get back to it. We do need to pay attention to those calls.

Prayer: Lord, I thank you for being my shelter in the storms of life when shelter is what I need and I thank you for pushing me back out into the wind and the rain when that is what you need. 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.

Learning Like Little Children

Little child learningEastertide
April 23, 2016

Scripture Reading: John 13:31-35

Little children, I am with you only a little longer. You will look for me; and as I said to the Jews so now I say to you, “Where I am going, you cannot come.” I give you a new commandment, that you love one another. Just as I have loved you, you also should love one another. By this everyone will know that you are my disciples, if you have love for one another.’ –John 13:33-35

Jesus address his disciples, including us, as little children, not just children. How many times do we have to repeat something to a preschooler before it is imprinted into their very being? I sat next to a young mother in a waiting room recently with I would guess, her 18-month old little girl. She was playing with her doll and every once in a while she would hug the doll closely and scream a little scream and giggled in pure delight. Each time her mother would gently say we need to be quiet here. The child soon got distracted by another activity and the screaming ended. I do not know whether the child stopped screaming because her mother asked her to or not, but I do know that every so gradually this child was learning how to deal with others.

In our scripture today Jesus is parenting his disciples. In how many ways and how many times had Jesus said basically this same thing to them? How many times do we need to hear it before we begin to live it? In Matthew 18:3 Jesus tells his disciples, Truly I tell you, unless you change and become like children, you will never enter the kingdom of heaven. Children are learning sponges. It is amazing, really, how much information they can take in an apply in such a short amount of time, although it may not seem like a short amount of time to the parent. Adults on the other hand must learn from redundancy being taught the same thing over and over again and then it still may not stick.

The problem for adults in learning is a lack of trust. If something wasn’t what we had once been taught, it becomes suspect. Undoing such patterning takes some major motivation. The stories of Jesus and of God’s actions in the world are the source of building trust, but at some point we have to step out in faith and attempt in small ways to live the power of love.

Prayer: Don’t give up on us Lord. Keep whispering your love in our ears until through us the whole world knows 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 American. Used by permission. All rights reserved.

Living in a World of Tabernacles

monarch-emerging-300x209Eastertide April 21, 2016

Scripture Reading: Revelation 21:1-6

Then I saw a new heaven and a new earth; for the first heaven and the first earth had passed away, and the sea was no more. And I saw the holy city, the new Jerusalem, coming down out of heaven from God, prepared as a bride adorned for her husband. 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;
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.’ –Revelation 21:1-4

The book of Revelation is fraught with extremes. Horrid, violent battles are tossed together with some of the most gloriously and beautiful songs of celebration. It asks where is God in the midst of famine and war. It challenges us to really see the destructive side of our lives and the grief that results when it is allowed to run amok. It seems to rob us of all hope that we can do anything about evil, yet declares ultimate victory by God of which we are a key element.

The scripture selection for today tells us that God will pitch God’s tent among us or tabernacle with us. It is the end of the book and it is still talking about temporary housing. It is talking about the now of the Kingdom of God, the work necessary to bring about making all things new, and the future that will result.

I am not a great fan of camping out. It requires a lot of hard work that is never really finished. I like to drive up to a nice motel and register. About the only work I am required to do is carry my bags into a clean room with a bath, temperature control, a good restaurant a few steps away or, if I am really tired, room service. What I really do not want to acknowledge is that a lot of hard work by a lot of people made my rest haven possible.

If we want a world that is ruled by love, where God, the very essence of love, is in our midst, we must make that vision our life’s work becoming the source of, as well as the recipient of, its reality. We were blessed to receive a wonderful role model for such a way of being: Jesus Christ.

Prayer: Lord, help us build a world where love rules and as a result where we rest in the joy of your salvation as we continue in the work of 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 American. Used by permission. All rights 
reserved.

Bounds

Earth DayEastertide
April 20, 2016

Scripture Reading: Psalm 148

Let them praise the name of the Lord,
   for he commanded and they were created.
He established them for ever and ever;
   he fixed their bounds, which cannot be passed. –Psalm 148:5-6

What are the bounds, which cannot be passed? The Psalmist is speaking here of the whole of creation, describing an order that was hardwired into the earth’s existence. I can see this on two levels. The first is the one that warns us about messing with mother nature, misusing the precious resources for which God provides our very source of living. I think of the American Indian practice upon killing an animal for use as food, clothing, and shelter of first blessing the dead animal for giving its life for us and then being very careful not to waste any part of the gift. We have not done a good job in following God’s instructions to have dominion over the earth. True dominion is not a license for waste and misuse driven by greed. True dominion carries the weight of the world in responsibility.

The second level relates to the role of the parent. I attended a seminar once on nurturing children. The speaker described a young child sent to play in the front yard at a home located on the crossroads of two very busy intersections. The young child is told to stay out of the street and given a ball with which the play and left alone. He or she will most likely either be so afraid he or she barely moves or, if the ball roles into the street, the child will most likely follow it. What if that same preschooler were allowed to play in a well fenced yard with a well-cared for lawn surrounded by beautiful, safe flowers and a watchful parent at attention. The bounds of love have encased this child in a place of wonder and exploration where the child can learn and grow even noticing and learning about the cars rushing by on the street.

Our care of the earth is like caring for a child working toward helping both become all that they were created to be.

Prayer: Lord, as we celebrate the earth this week and rekindle our responsibility to care for it, forgive us when we have failed and guide us toward creating a more stable environment for all your creatures. 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.

God’s Redemptive Love

love God love peopleEastertide
April 19, 2016

Scripture Reading: Acts 11:1-18

And I remembered the word of the Lord, how he had said, “John baptized with water, but you will be baptized with the Holy Spirit.” If then God gave them the same gift that he gave us when we believed in the Lord Jesus Christ, who was I that I could hinder God?’ When they heard this, they were silenced. And they praised God, saying, ‘Then God has given even to the Gentiles the repentance that leads to life.’ –Acts 11:16-18

What is the full measure of God’s redemptive love? How do we recognize it? What is our role regarding it? Apparently if something is of God, at its core is love. No matter how holy something may seem or how obedient we may be to some tenet of faith or rule, if it is without love, it is without God. In I Corinthians 13:1, Paul calls it a noisy gong or a clanging cymbal.

Love is hard to define; we use it so loosely anymore. I like M. Scott Peck’s simplified definition that love is wanting the very best for another, but even that definitions begs the question what constitutes “tough” love? When, in a relationship with another, is it time to stop direct actions to save them when their need is to learn to love themselves so that they too want the very best for themselves? In the end we must accept that all love involves the presence of God. All love requires us to trust that God will nurture each loving relationship and will continue to work for the very best of all God’s children even when they do not seek it for themselves. As with the prodigal son, sometimes we must let another go, freeing them to find their way back to God and to us also.

What is our role in God’s redemptive love? We have been spared the hard task of judging others. Christ has taken on that task himself. Our only job is to love others even if they eat things that would never touch our lips and don’t follow the same set of rules by which we live.

Prayer: Lord, be present to me in all my relationships as we work together to perfect my ability to love the other even when I do not understand 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 American. Used by permission. All rights 
reserved.

It’s a God Thing

Be still and knowEastertide
April 17, 2016

Scripture Reading: John 10:22-30

My sheep hear my voice. I know them, and they follow me. I give them eternal life, and they will never perish. No one will snatch them out of my hand. What my Father has given me is greater than all else, and no one can snatch it out of the Father’s hand. The Father and I are one.’
–John 10:27-30

It’s a God thing. Ever say that and mean it? When the perfect intersection of life and faith meet and both are better for the meeting, it is a God thing. I do not think it is something that we can create or duplicate as needed. It is not like a scientific experiment that we repeat under the exact same circumstances enough times that we can project a high probability of it happening every other time we repeat it. Our certainty measure comes from faith in that which is hoped for but not seen. (Hebrews 11:1) It results from the surety that God is active and present in our lives working toward the kingdom with attributes of wholeness, oneness, and justice.

You may have noticed, if you read these devotions regularly, that I stumble around trying to get the right name for God in relation to the subject with which I am dealing. There are some areas about which I have no problem. God is the creator. Jesus is the friend, the example of how to love. Christ is the redeemer. The Holy Spirit is faith’s energy. I find myself falling back on the Lord when two or more characteristics meld into the one I am referencing. Our ancestors in the faith struggled with this also. God in three persons blessed trinity. I have actually become comfortable with the flexibility of God. Isn’t that a part of God’s omnipotence?

The important thing, I think, is to acknowledge God’s work in our lives so that God can continue to grow our faith. After all, how else can we let God know we love the Lord?

Prayer: Lord, thank you for the grace of your presence in the everyday aspects of our life of faith. 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.

Reconciliation

created in the image of godEastertide
April 16, 2016

Scripture Reading: John 10:22-30

At that time the festival of the Dedication took place in Jerusalem. It was winter, and Jesus was walking in the temple, in the portico of Solomon. So the Jews gathered around him and said to him, ‘How long will you keep us in suspense? If you are the Messiah, tell us plainly.’ Jesus answered, ‘I have told you, and you do not believe. The works that I do in my Father’s name testify to me; but you do not believe, because you do not belong to my sheep. My sheep hear my voice. I know them, and they follow me. –John 10:22-27

I bristled a bit when I read the email. I had been in a conversation recently with someone regarding reconciliation within the church and throughout the world, a reality that, I do feel, is one of our greatest challenges. The email seemed to me to make the assumption that I was ignorant of oppression and suggested some books to read to get me started on the road to understanding. I am sure I do have a lot to learn about discrimination and other forms of oppression, but I am certainly not a novice. Why did it bother me so? The author barely knew me, has no idea what I know about the subject and was probably good intentioned. My reaction made me think of the movie, Ground Hog Day. I haven’t seen it but I understand it illustrates an endless cycle of waking up each day and discovering it is Ground Hog Day again and again.

I think my response was the result of my thinking that we cannot read or role play or be lectured into reconciliation. True reconciliation results from letting God clean all the filters out of our brains that cause us to react in unfair or untrue ways with the others in our lives. Reconciliation only occurs when we learn to love like Jesus. Jesus learned to love by getting to know someone. “What is it that you want?” “What do you need?” By taking the time and investing the energy into loving the other, he could meet them where they were. They could meet him where he was. They became reconciled and justice and mercy resulted.

I actually have been a bookworm all my life and know reading to be a great way to experience the realities of others in places far from my rather sheltered existence. I really don’t mind doing role play and enjoy good lectures. What causes my discomfort is thinking that my clocking hours in such activities is all I need to do to be reconciled and create a just world.

Prayer: Lord, infuse us with your ability to love like you, clean our filters so that when we encounter others in our lives we first see the image of you in 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 American. Used by permission. All rights 
reserved.