Eastertide
April 26, 2014

Read Scripture: Psalm 16

Those who choose another god multiply their sorrows; their drink-offerings of blood I will not pour out or take their names upon my lips.

The Lord is my chosen portion and my cup; you hold my lot. The boundary lines have fallen for me in pleasant places; I have a goodly heritage. — Psalm 16:4-6

It bothers me to think that I actually choose another god over the one God who is the creator and sustainer of all that is including me.  I guess I am like Fred Sanford*, whose favorite line was, The devil made me do it. Jesus said it best when he said, For where your treasure is, there your heart will be also. (Matthew 6:21)  

I have osteoarthritis in most of my major joints, and I have one stainless steel knee to prove it.  It is a fact that excess weight makes the side effects of osteoarthritis much worse. Doctors tell me that one pound of weight loss takes four pounds of pressure off knees. The more pressure you place on your knees the greater the wear. I gained a lot of weight because I have bad joints.  The more painful it became; the less exercise I got. I did not cut back on my eating and I got older and my metabolism got slower. I would not say I actually worship food but I do really, really like it. And I would hate to think that food became another god to me, but I will confess to choosing food over health and that somehow equates to not loving myself, which is not God’s plan for any of us. Now this is not a black and white topic. Anorexia takes the food equation to the other extreme and there are people who carry weight well, stay in good shape, and eat healthy food.   

Other gods are like that. They cannot be easily identified and thus easily avoided. Even if they can be easily avoided they somehow take on a life of their own and for just a moment we step across the boundary and reach for that which is not good for us. Just ask Adam and Eve. 

Our scripture today tells us that God draws boundary lines for each of us and all of us. God wants the very best for us, but God does not force us to stay in the lines. It is our choice. I do really, really like food. It is amazing how much I enjoy fresh vegetables and fruit now that I have chosen the pleasant places God has for me. 

Prayer: Lord, help me to see the pleasant places of your plan when I am tempted by the other gods that stalk about. Amen. 

* Fred Sanford is a fictional character portrayed by actor/comedian Redd Foxx on the 1972-1977 NBC sitcom Sanford and Son.

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.

Eastertide
April 25, 2014

Read Scripture: 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. — 1 Corinthians 15:3-5 

Paul’s message was short and to the point. He proclaimed Christ crucified. In our scripture today he described it as being of first importance. Christ’s crucifixion was necessary for his resurrection and his resurrection marked the initiation of Christ’s followers becoming tools for the continuation of his quest here on earth. As followers of Christ we are charged with being fully engaged in Christ’s mission. Jesus said our purpose was to love God and to love our neighbors as we love ourselves. Such a simple statement, it includes two very formidable tasks. 

Putting God first or as the Hebrew Bible states, You shall have no other Gods before me.—Exodus 20:3, has been a challenge for God’s followers throughout history.  The Hebrew Bible is filled with the waxing and waning of God’s people trusting God. Idol worship included God’s people putting more faith in actual graven images then in God but, like today, they, too, worshipped and sought out power and money. The New Testament echoes similar themes as the new church struggles to make sense of cultures and governments. Being consistent lovers of God through the good times as well as the bad is difficult, but for the Christ’s purpose to flourish, consistency in loving and trusting God must be our ultimate purpose. 

It is only through fully loving God that we are enabled to love ourselves and to love our neighbors. Our wholeness and our oneness are bound together through the love of God. Our wholeness and oneness are precursors to God’s justice ruling the earth.  

This week after Easter, let us each take on the challenge of loving God, ourselves, and our neighbors with consistency. 

Prayer: O God who first loved us, enable us to love as Christ loves. 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.

Eastertide
April 24, 2014

Read Scripture: Colossians 4:2-6

Conduct yourselves wisely towards outsiders, making the most of the time. Let your speech always be gracious, seasoned with salt, so that you may know how you ought to answer everyone. — Colossians 4:2-5 

I must confess that verse six is not included with the other verses of Colossians in the lectionary readings for today. I read it as a part of the paragraph in which it was included and thought it had a lot to say. So, I hope the lectionary police will forgive my tampering by adding it. 

Some people have a “sweet tooth” but I can take or leave sweets. Give me salt. It has apparently always been the case. The pasture fence on our farm was about fifty feet from the back door of our house. The cattle were separated from our yard by a few strands of barbed wire. Just beyond the wire, on the cows’ side, was the salt lick. Dad bought big squares of salt for the cows to consume. It is necessary for their health as it is for our health in limited quantity. When I was about two years old, my mother glanced out the window to check on we kids playing in the yard only to see that I had crawled under the fence and was sitting on the ground licking the salt along with several friendly cows. My mother had a blood curdling scream that she applied mostly when she saw a snake but apparently she also applied it when she saw me amid the cows, “Carl, those cows will kill Marilynn!” My dad was taking a nap on the couch. Abruptly awoken from sleep, he did not notice that the screen door was locked, tore it off its hinges with one stroke, ran through the yard, leaped the fence, and rescued me.  

Tales of my childhood notwithstanding, what does it mean to season gracious speech with salt? Salt makes many things more palatable–period. For me potatoes need salt. Salt also enhances the taste of other foods. Watermelon is good all by itself but add a little salt and it is even better. Salt to the writer of Colossians probably had a more crucial role: food preservation. Salt was the primary preservative for foods before the advent of freezers and canning. 

Our language is like that. Sometimes we add words or take away words to help make what we must say more palatable to the one receiving the words. Bad news often needs the help of such seasoning.  Giving praise for a job well done, however, can be even more meaningful if laced with words of appreciation, for example. Most importantly, our words need to stand the test of time: build bridges of understanding, spread hope and joy, give comfort, and convey the love of Christ to all who hears us. 

Prayer: Let the words of my mouth and the meditation of my heart be acceptable to you, O Lord, my rock and my redeemer. Amen—Psalm 19:14 

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.

Eastertide
April 23, 2014

Read Scripture: Psalm 118: 1-2, 14-24

I thank you that you have answered me and have become my salvation.
The stone that the builders rejected has become the chief cornerstone.
This is the Lord’s doing; it is marvelous in our eyes.
This is the day that the Lord has made; let us rejoice and be glad in it.— Psalm 118:21 

Is Christ our cornerstone? I have never laid brick but I have placed tile and know from experience that if the first tile is not exactly in the right place all the rest will not be either. Even more importantly, the further one gets from an offline beginning tile the worse the wall or floor begins to look. It is a paradox, but when we are in alignment with Christ, we are in truer alignment with who we really are. That equates to wholeness, something that is woefully missing in our world today—wholeness within individuals and wholeness among the various grouping of people including the church. 

I probably should not watch or read the news as it often troubles my soul. Perhaps God wants my soul to be troubled so that I and others will step up and do something about bringing wholeness to our fragmented world. This week a student apparently randomly stabbed 20+ fellow students. Last week a soldier, probably suffering from PTSD, shot several of his fellow soldiers. But this week a young college tennis player instigated a program of encouraging early teens to value themselves enough to eat right and get good exercise. Next week I will attend a presentation by a man who traveled to Africa with a group to bring a balm of love to those working in extremely stressful circumstances. 

We know our cornerstone is true, which makes our task much easier. We are called to place our tiles true to Christ’s and help others find that alignment in their lives too. 

The newspaper or evening news is a great source of prayer topics. In praying for those who are victims or predators, we might find our cause to help others align to the cornerstone. We might also see the examples of others who are already making a difference. 

Prayer: God, grant me wholeness and help me be a source of others finding their wholeness through 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.

Eastertide
April 22, 2014

Read Scripture: Colossians 3:12-17

As God’s chosen ones, holy and beloved, clothe yourselves with compassion, kindness, humility, meekness, and patience. Bear with one another and, if anyone has a complaint against another, forgive each other; just as the Lord has forgiven you, so you also must forgive. Above all, clothe yourselves with love, which binds everything together in perfect harmony. — Colossians 3:12-14

Singing and dancing marked the Israelites successful crossing of the Red Sea. Moses’ song in Exodus 15: 18 ends with these words: The Lord will reign forever and ever. So, too, we acknowledge the continuing reign of God in the life, death and resurrection of Jesus Christ.  Not only has the world been transformed, but we as individuals and as the followers of Christ have been called to transformation also. We are asked to take on a significant role in the establishment of the Kingdom of God on earth by living as if it were already fully realized.  

The history of our world abounds in stories of the overthrowing of peoples, countries, and tribes, primarily through violence or the threat of violence. Not so the kingdom of God, it is being built on a foundation of love and its anthem rings with harmony not the dissonance of war. 

As I write this, trouble makers are stirring the pot of discord in Ukraine and millions of people are displaced from Syria as its civil war continues. It all seems so hopeless. Power hungry people have no qualms about using force to get their way. They seem oblivious to the hurting and hungry children in the streets. 

I am a basketball fan and I believe that one of the maxims of basketball may need to be applied in our world today. A team should never let the opposing team control the pace of the game. Never let them dictate the way it will be played. For if our team gives in to their strategic plan, our team most likely will be the loser. We are a war weary nation and the world knows it and there are those who are trying to take advantage of it, but that does not mean with have to play their game. 

If we are called to compassion, kindness, humility, meekness and patience and unite with others who would prefer this course, we could leave the violence-prone power mongers shadow boxing. For such a plan to work, all those opposed to violence must work in harmony and therein lay the challenge. If we really do not want to pay the high price of war both in lives and resources then we need to develop a really good game plan based on non-violent means and make it work. We have our military prowess ever lurking in the background, ready if needed, as a strong backup incentive. Now is the time to move our world a few steps closer to a world of wholeness, oneness, and justice for all through our love. 

Prayer: God grant us the mercy to find our partners in seeking a world of peace not war and bring us together in harmony. 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.

Eastertide

April 21, 2014

Read Scripture: Exodus 14:10-31; 15:20-21
Then the Lord said to Moses, ‘Why do you cry out to me? Tell the Israelites to go forward…. Then Moses stretched out his hand over the sea. The Lord drove the sea back by a strong east wind all night, and turned the sea into dry land; and the waters were divided. The Israelites went into the sea on dry ground, the waters forming a wall for them on their right and on their left. Exodus 14:15; 21-22 

The whole world changed yesterday. Did you notice? Actually the drastic change came 2000+ years ago when Jesus Christ was resurrected and a new order of life began. We are a part of that change that is still as new and fresh today as it was then. The history of God is the history of new beginnings. Adam and Eve marked a new beginning, Noah marked a new beginning, Abraham marked a new beginning, and our story today describes the events of the new beginning among the Israelites who just yesterday walked away from oppression and today, along with us, walks into a great unknown. And God said, Tell the Israelites to go forward— 

The day after great happenings is often wrapped in a mix of emotions that range the entire gambit from being absolutely frozen in space to leaping around totally out of control.  How would we have each reacted the day after walking out of Egypt, away from the Pharaoh, had we been one of the Israelites? How would we have felt the day after the resurrection had we been one of Christ’s first followers, eye witnesses to a great mystery? 

Our call to go forward today is no less potent than the call was to those saints in their time and place. Our world is still in need of the wholeness, oneness, and justice of God, and we are the ones charged with living in and through and toward it. 

I have decided to continue these daily devotions for a while continuing the theme of wholeness, oneness, and justice and invite you to join me on the journey.

Prayer: This is a day of new beginnings in our service to you, O God, help us to move forward as you commanded. 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.

Lent 2014
Resurrection of Our Lord
April 20, 2014 

Then Peter began to speak to them: ‘I truly understand that God shows no partiality, but in every nation anyone who fears him and does what is right is acceptable to him. You know the message he sent to the people of Israel, preaching peace by Jesus Christ—he is Lord of all. That message spread throughout Judea, beginning in Galilee after the baptism that John announced: how God anointed Jesus of Nazareth with the Holy Spirit and with power; how he went about doing good and healing all who were oppressed by the devil, for God was with him. We are witnesses to all that he did both in Judea and in Jerusalem. They put him to death by hanging him on a tree; but God raised him on the third day and allowed him to appear, not to all the people but to us who were chosen by God as witnesses, and who ate and drank with him after he rose from the dead. He commanded us to preach to the people and to testify that he is the one ordained by God as judge of the living and the dead. All the prophets testify about him that everyone who believes in him receives forgiveness of sins through his name.’ —Acts 10:34-43 

The Good News in a nut shell is: God shows no partiality—Christ is the ultimate judge of the living and the dead—all who faith in him receives forgiveness of sin. Now go and tell the whole world that message. Yes, I know that faith is not a verb in the English language but the word translated as believes is apparently better expressed in a verb form of the word “faith” or perhaps the word “trust.” I saw a church marque a few years ago that probably explains this better than I can: “If you don’t live it, you don’t believe it.” 

Christ, the Lord, is risen today, Alleluia! Let us praise God for the gift of God’s son—for his life, death, and resurrection. Let us sing with great joy and try to comprehend the significance of his sojourn on earth and his continuing presence with us through the Advocate. But more importantly let us live it. We are called to be the Body of Christ in the world today. We are called to love God and love the way Jesus loved. We are called to share this message of love with everyone until that day when God pitches God’s tent among us and God’s love rules the world. 

Today we close our season of prayer for Putnam Heights Elementary School but let us continue to listen with open hearts and minds as God guides us in our future partnership with it.  Let’s set a goal of celebrating next Easter a markedly improved score on that pesky test, but that is just a measure. Let us strive to raise the success of Putnam Heights Elementary school one child or one family at a time. We can do this, God willing. 

Prayer: Alleluia, Alleluia! We serve a risen Savior. Help us do so boldly. Amen.

The identities of students, families, or staff in stories that are shared in the devotions have been altered to protect their privacy. Any similarities between these stories and the experience of others are coincidental. No stories about students, families of students, or staff from Putnam Heights Elementary School are included in any of these devotions.

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.

Lent 2014
April 19, 2014

 Do you not know that all of us who have been baptized into Christ Jesus were baptized into his death? Therefore we have been buried with him by baptism into death, so that, just as Christ was raised from the dead by the glory of the Father, so we too might walk in newness of life.  

 For if we have been united with him in a death like his, we will certainly be united with him in a resurrection like his. We know that our old self was crucified with him so that the body of sin might be destroyed, and we might no longer be enslaved to sin. For whoever has died is freed from sin. But if we have died with Christ, we believe that we will also live with him. We know that Christ, being raised from the dead, will never die again; death no longer has dominion over him. The death he died, he died to sin, once for all; but the life he lives, he lives to God. So you also must consider yourselves dead to sin and alive to God in Christ Jesus.
—Romans 6:3-11 

My father died on a Sunday morning. He had had a massive heart attack one week earlier and was rushed to the VA hospital shortly after arriving at the local emergency room. The VA had strict visiting rules: every two hours for only ten minutes. I went for the 8:00 am visit the day he died and found my father sitting on the side of the bed looking healthier than I had seen him in 20 years. He was in good spirits and pleased to see me.  I glanced at his EKG screen and it looked like a child had scribbled it with random up and down motions. I must have looked alarmed because Dad looked at it and looked at me and said very calmly, “It is worse than you think.”  As I was leaving I stopped by the nurses’ station and asked about the EKG and was told that it was not that unusual. There were three or four inches of ice and snow on the roads and my brother was planning on driving the 70 miles from his home that day. When I got home 30 minutes later, I started to call him, give him a good report and encourage him not to make that drive but something told me to check with the hospital again. The nurse I talked to this time said, “You need to come back, your father has taken a turn for the worse.” He had died in that brief span of time. 

From that experience, I think I know some of what the disciples must have felt when Jesus died on the cross. He had told them several times his death was coming. It just did not register. I’m sure they ran the tape of those various previous conversations over and over again on this silent Saturday.  

Today I would encourage us all to run the tapes of our lives in Christ over again. Have we been living as Christ would want us to live? Have we heard the calls for our service He is making to us? Have we responded to those calls? Christ’s purpose on earth is finished to begin anew tomorrow.  So you also must consider yourselves dead to sin and alive to God in Christ Jesus. — Romans 6:11 

Prayer: Lord, as we consider the magnitude of your mission to us, prepare us for our mission for you. Amen.

The identities of students, families, or staff in stories that are shared in the devotions have been altered to protect their privacy. Any similarities between these stories and the experience of others are coincidental. No stories about students, families of students, or staff from Putnam Heights Elementary School are included in any of these devotions.

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.

Lent 2014
Good Friday—April 18, 2014 

Read Scripture: Isaiah 52:13—53:12 

Surely he has borne our infirmities and carried our diseases;
yet we accounted him stricken, struck down by God, and afflicted.
But he was wounded for our transgressions, crushed for our iniquities;
upon him was the punishment that made us whole, and by his bruises we are healed.
All we like sheep have gone astray; we have all turned to our own way,
and the Lord has laid on him the iniquity of us all.—Isaiah 53:4-6 

This oracle dates all the way back to 540 BC, about 45 years after the destruction of Jerusalem. The Israelites were in captivity and had just about given up on God. The prophet wanted to assure them even in the worst of times that God was still with them and that they were still God’s people. God was sending One who would save them.  

On this day 2000+ years ago, Jesus’ followers that were not hiding out of fear stood at the foot of his cross. Their great hope was dying a shameful, painful death and there was nothing they could do about it. Some of them surely took comfort in reaching back 540 or so years to hear these gut wrenching words of salvation. Some probably said “We thought it was him.” Other said, “We told you he was a fraud.” Do you suppose there were a few who said even at the foot of the cross, “He is the One.”? 

Handel may have captured the moment best in four pieces from his work, Messiah. These horribly descriptive words are set to profound music. The story of love can best be told in music. God’s love defies our words alone. God’s love demands music and art and poetry and we still fall short. 

Today, Good Friday, is a day to know you are loved so much that God sent his only Son to save you. Hold on to that. The journey is just beginning. 

Prayer: Thank you Lord, for saving my soul. Thank you Lord, for making me whole. Thank you Lord for giving to me thy great salvation so rich and free. Amen—Lyrics and Music: Seth and Bessie Sykes

The identities of students, families, or staff in stories that are shared in the devotions have been altered to protect their privacy. Any similarities between these stories and the experience of others are coincidental. No stories about students, families of students, or staff from Putnam Heights Elementary School are included in any of these devotions.

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.

Lent 2014
Maundy Thursday—April 17, 2014

 For I received from the Lord what I also handed on to you, that the Lord Jesus on the night when he was betrayed took a loaf of bread, and when he had given thanks, he broke it and said, ‘This is my body that is for you. Do this in remembrance of me.’ In the same way he took the cup also, after supper, saying, ‘This cup is the new covenant in my blood. Do this, as often as you drink it, in remembrance of me.’ For as often as you eat this bread and drink the cup, you proclaim the Lord’s death until he comes.—1 Corinthians 11:23-26 

I cannot read this scripture without thinking of the shut-ins or hospital patients I have visited when taking Communion to them. This is often the scripture that is shared before the prayer and the taking of the bread and the wine at such visits. It is a sacred moment to share in the Lord’s Supper with people who can no longer attend church for various reasons or who are hospitalized. The Body of Christ is not limited to the interior of church buildings. 

In our scripture today Jesus is remembering the Passover when blood was spread on the doorposts of Hebrew homes in Egypt as a sign that the angel of death was to “pass over” them. This meal, this last supper, was the precursor to the crucifixion when Jesus’ own blood was spilled and a New Covenant was instigated.  This New Covenant brought the promise of salvation for all people. The terms of the New Covenant were brought forward from the old.  We are saved by the love of God through Jesus. We are to love God and love our neighbors as we love ourselves and to share that love to the ends of the earth.  

As we ponder the magnitude of the New Covenant on this Maundy Thursday, let us indeed remember these events and how seriously Jesus’ disciples took them. They were an odd combination of brains and brawn, diplomats and mouthy prophets. Yet, once they got their act together and set about with all due haste to make the New Covenant a reality, they literally changed the world. We, too, are his disciples and we are still called to change the world today, one act of love at a time. 

Prayer: Jesus, you warned your disciples of your coming death and that they would leave you alone but you also told them that God was with you. You urged them saying take courage; I have conquered the world. (John16:33b) Let that message seep deep into our souls and make us whole so that we can live the New Covenant. Amen.

The identities of students, families, or staff in stories that are shared in the devotions have been altered to protect their privacy. Any similarities between these stories and the experience of others are coincidental. No stories about students, families of students, or staff from Putnam Heights Elementary School are included in any of these devotions.

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.