Category Archives: Uncategorized

Chance of a Lifetime

disciples fishing Epiphany
Celebration of God
Manifested in the World
January 25, 2015

 Scripture Reading: Mark 1:14-20

As Jesus passed along the Sea of Galilee, he saw Simon and his brother Andrew casting a net into the lake—for they were fishermen. And Jesus said to them, ‘Follow me and I will make you fish for people.’ And immediately they left their nets and followed him. As he went a little farther, he saw James son of Zebedee and his brother John, who were in their boat mending the nets. Immediately he called them; and they left their father Zebedee in the boat with the hired men, and followed him. — Mark 1:16-20

Was this a sudden total response or had these men heard John and then Jesus before they left everything to follow Jesus? Was John’s arrest the last straw for these young men? What would it take for us to walk away from family and the security of a job and take a different path? Did they expect to be away only for the day or a few days or did they know that their decision would alter their entire lifetimes?

The Book of Mark ends rather abruptly with the resurrection and an add-on about the disciples being sent forth. The book of John says these four, Andrew, Peter, James, and John and others returned to their boats and their nets following Jesus’ death and resurrection until they had an encounter with the Risen Lord by the seaside. (See John 21:1-14) I suppose before that encounter they thought that they had given Jesus’ message their best shot but that their best shot was not enough. They learned from the Lord that they had not even begun to fulfill their call.

We have not either. As discouraged as I become at times, particularly about issues related to justice, I know that God does not want us to ever give up. When we dare enough to press forward, our Advocate is always by our side. We may never know what difference we are making but we are making a difference when we live into assuring justice for all.

Prayer: God of Justice and Mercy, create in us clean hearts and right spirits so that are actions toward justice represent your will and your way. 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.

Phoenix Rising

Cherokee DancerEpiphany
Celebration of God
Manifested in the World
January 24, 2015

 Scripture Reading: Mark 1:14-20

Now after John was arrested, Jesus came to Galilee, proclaiming the good news of God, and saying, ‘The time is fulfilled, and the kingdom of God has come near; repent, and believe in the good news.’  — Mark 1:14-15

 It is rare when we have the opportunity to start with a clean slate. There has always been someone who did something before us and there will be those who pick up the mantel after we are gone. It happened with Moses and Joshua, Elijah and Elias, and it happened with John, who we call the Baptist, and Jesus. We really do not know if Jesus had been proclaiming the good news of God before John was arrested, but apparently Mark thought it important to tie these two events together. Jesus surely was drawn toward being more assertive as the result of John’s arrest.

History can be hard to overcome and perhaps harder from which to build. Our history of slavery in the United States, while technically ended 150 plus years ago, still cries for wounds to be healed and people to be made one. Years ago I attended an outdoor theater drama of the trail of tears that ended with the dance of a bird somewhat like the Phoenix* rising, an expression of hope for the Cherokee. Just this morning I read in the paper that the difference in salaries for women in Oklahoma as compared to men had actually grown larger this past year.

Jesus did many things in his short time on earth but one of the things he did do was to build on history. He championed the good that has emanated from it and he challenged the status quo and the regression that had been experienced from it. We are called to do the same.

Prayer: Lord enable us to learn from history and not to simply repeat it. Amen.

*From Greek mythology, the Phoenix is a long-lived bird that is regularly regenerated.

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 Judgment

Paul writing to the churchesEpiphany
Celebration of God
Manifested in the World
January 23, 2015

 Scripture Reading: 1 Corinthians 7:29-31

I mean, brothers and sisters, the appointed time has grown short; from now on, let even those who have wives be as though they had none, and those who mourn as though they were not mourning, and those who rejoice as though they were not rejoicing, and those who buy as though they had no possessions, and those who deal with the world as though they had no dealings with it. For the present form of this world is passing away.

 While I was writing my book Houses Divided, I was struck by the possibility that the full realization of the coming of the Kingdom of God may be awaiting our capacity for loving God and loving each other to the extent we would be able to experience God “dwelling”* among us all the time. The irony of such an idea is that while we are waiting for God to fix the world we now live in, God has already saved us. God has given us the gift of God’s love in human form. Our task is to love like Jesus loves God and his neighbors, and in so doing transform the world. He also challenged us to make everyone in the world our neighbor. Paul puts it precisely: For the present form of this world is passing away. We humans just keep reaching back and trying to drag some of that former world with us.

We seem to be caught up in our human need to compete. Even to compete for God’s salvation. Now, I like a good basketball game as much as anyone, football too, but I do not move up on God’s rating chart by trying to be more righteous or more zealous or more anything than any of God’s other children or by assigning greater judgment magnitude to what I deem to be the sins of others while being blind to my own. God does not have a comparative rating chart. God’s judgment, as I understand it, is not based on who of us has the corner on “right” beliefs or are more self-righteous.  God’s judgment is based on how we have loved. Lord, when was it that we saw you hungry and gave you food, or thirsty and gave you something to drink? (Matthew 25:37+)

Prayer: Lord open my heart to the infusion of your love. Wash away all the barriers I raise to loving as you love. Free me from my need to judge myself by any standard other than the one you have established for me and free me from my need to judge others. Amen.

*See John 1:14 and Revelation 21:3

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.

 

Ready for Anything

Tornado shelterEpiphany
Celebration of God
Manifested in the World
January 22, 2015

 Scripture Reading: 1 Corinthians 7:29-31

I mean, brothers and sisters, the appointed time has grown short; from now on, let even those who have wives be as though they had none, and those who mourn as though they were not mourning, and those who rejoice as though they were not rejoicing, and those who buy as though they had no possessions, and those who deal with the world as though they had no dealings with it. For the present form of this world is passing away.   

I have lived in the heart of tornado alley most of my life. I, therefore, know the drill. When I was a child we watched the sky ourselves and made our own decisions about when to go to the cellar. Usually my mom, sister, brother, and I would be in the cellar while my dad watched from the top of the stairs often in a torrential rain and wind storm. Only a few times did he feel the necessity of quickly coming down himself and pulling the cellar door closed after him. We spent far more time in that cellar than necessary, because we did not have available then the tools of meteorological science use now. The excerpt from 1 Corinthians in our scripture today reminded me of those times of preparation when all that mattered was whether the storm was coming or not. Our favorite TV show, homework, chores all moved to the background until the threatening weather passed. It wasn’t really funny, but we laughed about it anyway, when several years later my parents slept through a tornado that destroyed the trees directly northwest of the house, apparently went back up over the house, and destroyed the hay barn and some other outbuildings southeast of the house.

The problem now is that with all the early warnings available, we can grow complacent. Last year I watched the TV in the safety of a shelter as the weatherman described a huge tornado coming straight down 23rd street in Oklahoma City. I must confess I was somewhat concerned about my own home that would not have been far from the storm had it continued on that path. Tornados are actually quite unpredictable, and we all watch in horror as it turned sharply south. Even some very savvy tornado chasers where killed in that storm.

Paul was no doubt anticipating the immediate return of Jesus Christ, a situation that dictated a level of preparedness that could not be sustained over the centuries. Yet it is still meaningful to us today, because it helps us realize that the living of our everyday lives, as mundane as they may seem, must be in synch with God’s priorities and purposes.

Prayer: God of our present and our future, align our lives with your priorities and purposes so that we are and will be ready and able to move forward toward the establishment of your Kingdom here on 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 American. Used by permission. All rights reserved.

 

Waiting for God

wait on GodEpiphany
Celebration of God
Manifested in the World
January 21, 2015

 Scripture Reading: Psalm 62:5-12

For God alone my soul waits in silence,
   for my hope is from him.
 He alone is my rock and my salvation,
   my fortress; I shall not be shaken.
 On God rests my deliverance and my honor;
   my mighty rock, my refuge is in God.  — Psalm 62:5-7

 It takes a while for me to be truly still and wait for God. I have a busy brain. It seems to think that the stiller I get is its opening to be even busier. I read some good advice a few years ago that was really helpful. Sorry, I cannot give credit to its author, I simply do not remember, but the gist of it is that it helps to keep a busy brain busy while trying to be still. Distracted might be a better word. The article said to work puzzles, for example. I count while riding an exercise bike and it seems to work. When we stop talking ceaselessly to ourselves, we create space to hear God’s voice.

It seems as a society we do not really get the idea of waiting. In many instances we procrastinate so long that we miss opportunities to make a difference. Such behavior is not waiting. At other times we respond too quickly running amuck just so we can say we are doing something. It happens in basketball games all the time. The players start off well implementing their plays and then one side or the other gets a steal and runs down to make a dunk and the race is on, the playbook is out the window. Eventually one coach will call a timeout to reset the play button.

The Psalmist is calling us today to build moments into our lives when we can routinely reset our play button and get back into God’s plan for us.

Prayer: Lord, teach me the art of waiting in your love and grace. 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.

A Relenting God

JonahEpiphany
Celebration of God
Manifested in the World
January 20, 2015

 Scripture Reading: Jonah 3:1-5, 10

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

The verse above gives me great hope that God not only forgives but may alleviate some of the suffering we bring upon ourselves. The interesting thing is the rest of the story, not included in our scripture today. Jonah was angry at God for relenting. Jonah had told the people of Nineveh to expect calamity and calamity they should get. He says, O Lord! Is not this what I said while I was still in my own country? That is why I fled to Tarshish at the beginning; for I knew that you are a gracious God and merciful, slow to anger, and abounding in steadfast love, and ready to relent from punishing. And now, O Lord, please take my life from me, for it is better for me to die than to live.’ (Jonah 4:2-3) Jonah thought God made Jonah look bad.

In Deuteronomy 32:25 the Lord is quoted as saying: Vengeance is mine, and recompense, for the time when their foot shall slip; because the day of their calamity is at hand, their doom comes swiftly. And Jesus said in Matthew 7:1-3 ‘Do not judge, so that you may not be judged. For with the judgment you make you will be judged, and the measure you give will be the measure you get. Why do you see the speck in your neighbor’s eye, but do not notice the log in your own eye?

I don’t believe God has a ranking of God’s followers, which is best left to sports. We too should celebrate when anyone turns around and finds his or her path to wholeness. Our celebration in such situations is a reflection of our own wholeness in God.

Prayer: O God who Relents, open my heart to rejoice in those who have found a better way and let their example be a stepping stone toward my growing relationship 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 American. Used by permission. All rights reserved.

 

One with the Lord

Gifts of the spiritEpiphany
Celebration of God
Manifested in the World
January 16, 2015

 Scripture Reading: 1 Corinthians 6:12-20

Do you not know that whoever is united to a prostitute becomes one body with her? For it is said, ‘The two shall be one flesh.’ But anyone united to the Lord becomes one spirit with him. Shun fornication! Every sin that a person commits is outside the body; but the fornicator sins against the body itself. Or do you not know that your body is a temple of the Holy Spirit within you, which you have from God, and that you are not your own? For you were bought with a price; therefore glorify God in your body. —1 Corinthians 6:16-20

I just finished reading Soul Keeping by John Ortberg. He envisions a representation of us humans as being a series of circles. The center most circle is the Will. It is surrounded by the circle of the Mind, than the circle of the Body, and finally the circle that holds it all together, the Soul. While I am still playing with this example in my own thoughts, it makes sense. I, however, don’t think most of us function as if the Soul were the primary circle in our lives. For some the Will would be the outer boundary of who we are and the Soul would be the inner most core.

The Soul is that part of are being that is our very essence, who we really are. How we treat each segment of our being is important to all the other segments. When our Will runs amuck our Minds, Bodies, and Souls are impacted and so it goes with each part.

Paul is perhaps suggesting in our scripture today that the Soul is the part of us that relates most closely to God. It is the home of the Holy Spirit. We need to take good care of it as we need to take good care our Bodies and Minds. If we take good care of all three our Wills might become a source of strength for our total being rather than an enemy battling for supremacy. It is something to think about.

Prayer: Lord, we pray that in whatever construct we perceive ourselves in relationship to you that your will is our will and our souls are one 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 American. Used by permission. All rights reserved.

To Know God

God loves youChristmas
January 4, 2015

Scripture Reading: John (1:1-9), 10-18

And the Word became flesh and lived among us, and we have seen his glory, the glory as of a father’s only son, full of grace and truth. (John testified to him and cried out, ‘This was he of whom I said, “He who comes after me ranks ahead of me because he was before me.” ’) From his fullness we have all received, grace upon grace. The law indeed was given through Moses; grace and truth came through Jesus Christ. No one has ever seen God. It is God the only Son, who is close to the Father’s heart, who has made him known. — John 10:14-18

It is God the only Son, who is close to the Father’s heart, who has made him known. (John 1:18b) Thus the author of John ends the prologue by saying this is what I am going to discuss now. Translators have been challenged by this scripture since it was first discovered. My guess is those who read Greek were perplexed by it also. It speaks in mystery about the nature of a person, Jesus Christ, as he apparently was sent to us to help us understand better the nature of God. Perhaps God was also able to grasp better the ways of humans in the process.

I do not like math. My mother taught math and both my sister and brother excelled in it, but not me. It’s rather funny because I enjoyed logic. To get my degree in sociology and to qualify for graduate school, I had to pass a higher level statistics course for which I was very ill prepared because I had avoided taking math in college. I was fortunate though to have a good friend who was a math major who understood the intricacies of math so well she could distill it down to its simplest level for someone as limited as I was. I passed the class and am pleased to note that I actually learned a lot about statistics due to her help.

I think this is what John is trying to say about Jesus. John says it succinctly at John 3:16. To paraphrase, God loved us so much that he invested a part of himself in getting to know us better in our own environment and time so that God could help us know God better because God wants the very best for God’s children. Therefore, we need to pay close attention to the words and actions of Jesus for he is the one who will make God known to us and our wholeness is wrapped up in our relationship with God.

Prayer: Thanks be to thee, my Lord Jesus Christ, for all the benefits Thou hast given me, for all the pains and insults thou hast borne for me. O most merciful redeemer, friend and brother, may I know thee more clearly, love thee more dearly and follow thee more nearly, day by day.* Amen.

*Prayer of Richard of Wyche, Bishop of Chichester (1197-1253)

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.

 

What Has the Lord Called you to Do?

TalentsAdvent
December 8, 2014

Scripture Reading: Isaiah 61:1-4, 8-11

The spirit of the Lord God is upon me,
   because the Lord has anointed me;
he has sent me to bring good news to the oppressed,
   to bind up the broken-hearted,
to proclaim liberty to the captives,
   and release to the prisoners;
to proclaim the year of the Lord’s favor,
  and the day of vengeance of our God;
   to comfort all who mourn;
to provide for those who mourn in Zion—
   to give them a garland instead of ashes,
the oil of gladness instead of mourning,
   the mantle of praise instead of a faint spirit.— 61:1-3a

Could you make a list like this one? If you have accepted the spirit of God upon you, what have you been anointed to do? It might be a good experience to really stop for a time and think about that. I think God who created each of us instilled in us certain talents. When we are most at home in using those talents, we most likely are in sync with what God has called us to do. The challenge is to recognize our talents, to hone them by study and good use, and to apply them when appropriate.  All of these tasks are easier to say than to do.

I have noticed in my many years of working as a part of various churches, or any organization for that matter, there are people doing things because the things need to be done and nobody else will do them. The problem with that is the person is most liked working in an area where they have limited skills while not doing the things at which they excel. The whole body of Christ suffers when all its members are not working at their full potential.

This week take a few minutes and write your Isaiah 61. The Lord has sent me to . . . .
You might be surprise what your list includes. What are the things that bring you joy even if they are hard to do and may be frustrating? When while you are working do you feel closest to God?

Of course, we all have to do some things that are not our cup of tea but knowing where you are gifted is a good start toward fulfilling your calling.

Prayer: Lord, speak to me. Help me see my passions for service, my skills to address them, and what I need to do to improve 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.

 

Worthy of God

Enough for allLiving in the Spirit
November 6, 2014

Scripture Reading: 1 Thessalonians 2:9-13

As you know, we dealt with each one of you like a father with his children, urging and encouraging you and pleading that you should lead a life worthy of God, who calls you into his own kingdom and glory. — 1 Thessalonians 2:11-12

On November 4, 2014, the majority of eligible Oklahoma voters cast their votes by their absence. Oklahoma’s voter turnout for the 2014 midterm election has been estimated at about 39.5 percent, right around the national rate of 40 percent.”* Following the reporting of the election results, I heard speeches about how the vote was a reflection of the great economy in Oklahoma and that is probably true. Because I think the vote also reflects the hopelessness of much of the state’s population who did not feel their vote mattered. While we have such a “wonderful economy”, 16.6% of the population live on incomes below the poverty level. The poverty level for the US as a whole is 14.4%**. The poverty rate for Oklahoma children (24.1 per-cent) is higher than that of working-age adults (16.1 percent) or seniors (9.9).** This is a particularly significant fact because it is we seniors who vote. The reason there are fewer seniors living below the poverty level is largely because Social Security payments are indexed to the poverty level.

The 2014 election is now over and we can get back to our normal routines of life but I think we need to seriously consider that living a life worthy of God requires us to be concerned about all of God’s children. If Jesus did nothing else he gave people hope. If we truly believe that we are called to do justice in this world, we must care about all God’s children not just our peer groups. We must work to make any success our economy is experiencing be shared throughout the population. We now must hold whomever was elected accountable to do justice within our government. Our elected representatives will not be standing in our place when we come before Christ and are judged by how we treated the “least of these” (Matthew 25). The prophets foretold that the Israelites greed would come back to bite them. The same could be said to us.

Prayer: Lord, make us seekers of justice not just for ourselves but especially for those who feel they have no voice in this land. Amen.

*http://kgou.org/post/republican-gains-few-surprises-real-time-recap-oklahomas-midterm-election-results
**http://quickfacts.census.gov/qfd/states/40000.html
***http://okpolicy.org/wp-content/uploads/2013/10/Oklahoma-Poverty-Profile-2012.pdf 

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.