Category Archives: Uncategorized

God’s Guidance

Eastertide

May 22, 2019

Scripture Reading: Psalm 67
May God be gracious to us and bless us
   and make his face to shine upon us,
that your way may be known upon earth,
   your saving power among all nations.
Let the peoples praise you, O God;
   let all the peoples praise you.
Let the nations be glad and sing for joy,
  for you judge the peoples with equity
   and guide the nations upon earth.
Let the peoples praise you, O God;
   let all the peoples praise you.
the earth has yielded its increase;
   God, our God, has blessed us.
May God continue to bless us;
   let all the ends of the earth revere him.

As I write this, I am receiving more and more ominous warnings about impending dangerous weather. “Flash flood warning” “A tornado watch has been issued for current location” “Oklahoma City opens disaster bunker as severe weather threat looms.”  There is more than one storm expected and they apparently all are not good. Our lakes are full, and more water means more floods. Tornados are not that unusual in May in Oklahoma, but this seems to be a particularly dangerous situation. It is good to have alerts. When I was a child, we spent a lot of time in our cellar because we knew the weather was bad, but we did not know how bad.

I open my computer and see the above scripture and wonder how this scripture relates to my reality today. Being under the protection of God’s wings would have been immediately meaningful to me. So I read it again and again and take a walk inside my house because walking helps me organize my thoughts. As I passed by my “safe place” which is where I will go if a tornado gets close, I was intrigued with what I thought was necessary.  The scripture puts emphasis on the power of God particularly as it relates to judging the people with equity and guiding the nations.

Our nation is in chaos making me feel like I do when surrounded by tornadoes. It is in times likes these when lust for power and greed are ruling our land and we are being divided in support of those sins. In times like these we do need to cling to the gracious God who blesses us. God is our safe place. In following God’s guidance, we can overcome the world.

Prayer: Lord, help us not be distracted by the things of the world, but to seek your guidance in all that 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.

Hospitality

Eastertide

May 21, 2019

Scripture Reading: Acts 16:9-15

We set sail from Troas and took a straight course to Samothrace, the following day to Neapolis, and from there to Philippi, which is a leading city of the district of Macedonia and a Roman colony. We remained in this city for some days. On the sabbath day we went outside the gate by the river, where we supposed there was a place of prayer; and we sat down and spoke to the women who had gathered there. A certain woman named Lydia, a worshipper of God, was listening to us; she was from the city of Thyatira and a dealer in purple cloth. The Lord opened her heart to listen eagerly to what was said by Paul. When she and her household were baptized, she urged us, saying, ‘If you have judged me to be faithful to the Lord, come and stay at my home.’ And she prevailed upon us. –Acts 16:11-15

We need to revisit the heart of hospitality. In the first place, hospitality is not a milestone around our necks, an overbearing requirement to get ahead in the world or meet the expectation of others. Hospitality is a privilege for Lydia in our scripture today. She gets to welcome this wonderful man and all his friends into her home as perhaps a celebration of his great gifts which he shared with her.

My mother was a practitioner of the art of hospitality. I can just see her opening the door of our house with a big smile on her face saying, “Come in, it is so good to see you.” I do not think anyone left Mom’s house without at least being served a glass of water and usually was offered tea and something to eat. Now Mom could get into quite a frenzy preparing for guest and we kids were caught up in making everything just perfect but that was all a part of the joy of entertaining others.

The church in one of the few places left in the world where people of various generations can just, for a few moments, get to know one another and enjoy the pleasure of each other’s company. We say it every Sunday when we acknowledge that we are a people of the table. Jesus taught us to embrace hospitality as a reminder of his constant presence with us. While the formal service at the Lord’s Table is of highest importance, we celebrate his presence in every instance when two or three* are gathered in his name sharing good will along with cookies and coffee. Maybe if we practiced a little more hospitality, we would deal with a lot less hostility in our world today.

Prayer: Lord, teach us the joy of your hospitality as we share it with one another. Amen.

*Matthew 18:20

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.

Finding Our Faith Niche

Eastertide

May 20, 2019

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

This is often noted as a key scripture because it records the first indication that Luke had joined Paul in his travels. It is the first use of Luke writing in first person, we/us. He felt he had been called to proclaim the good news along with Paul. Luke was a doctor and Paul had some sort of reoccurring health issue, which has made me wonder if Luke join the crew to be available if Paul needed medical care.  In any case, Luke identified as a lay leader sharing the call of ministry like most of Christ’s followers.

Paul outlines in 1 Corinthians 12 the diverse skills needed to complete the work we are called to do as we work together to usher in the Kingdom of God. All our varieties of talents are needed. As with Paul and Luke some preach, and some enable preaching. The list includes the following:

Apostles
Prophets
Teachers
Deeds of Power
Gifts of Healing
Forms of Assistance
Forms of Leadership
Gifts of Speaking in Other Languages

Most have skills for more than one of these areas of work, some multitask while others concentrate on one specific area. When I was a child my mother was almost always a teacher, and usually a leader, and one of the hardest working people around. I noticed as she aged, she shifted out of things she no longer had the stamina to do. My guess is she sent at least one get well, thinking of you, in sympathy card, to someone every day. Even when she was bedfast and to weak to write she practiced intercessory prayer. We have the same call as we work together to become one and change the world into one being ruled by love.

Prayer: Lord, we thank you for equipping us to serve you more nearly. Help us each to find our niche and develop it fully. 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.

Glorified

Eastertide

May 19, 2019

Scripture Reading: John 13:31-35

When he had gone out, Jesus said, ‘Now the Son of Man has been glorified, and God has been glorified in him. If God has been glorified in him, God will also glorify him in himself and will glorify him at once. 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.’

So what does it mean when this scripture says that the Son of Man has been glorified? The Greek word doksázō* translated glorify ascribes weight by recognizing real substance or value. Glorifying God thus means valuing God for who God really is. Jesus’ glorification thus amplifies the glory of God helping us understand the full value of God in our lives. Do our acts as God’s disciples amplify the glory of God?

Joshua understood this concept when he noted among all the idols available for people in his culture to worship that Yahwah was the one with real substance and value. He said in Joshua 24:15:

Now if you are unwilling to serve the Lord, choose this day whom you will serve, whether the gods your ancestors served in the region beyond the River or the gods of the Amorites in whose land you are living; but as for me and my household, we will serve the Lord.’

What do we put above God? What are the 21st Century idols we choose over God? We are far too sophisticated to bow down to golden calves or mammoth carved stones. I fear our idols are more sinister. Certainly, wealth and power are more important to some than God. Politics and nationalism seem to push God aside or even worse use God as a steppingstone to their own ends. We, like the people Joshua led, need to carefully consider who we serve and reevaluate how our way of being is influencing others toward God or away from God.

Prayer: Lord, forgive us when we claim to be your disciples and do not have love for one another or any others. Amen.

*https://biblehub.com/greek/1392.htm

All scriptures are quoted from the New Revised Standard Version Bible: Anglicized Edition, copyright 1989, 1995, Division of Christian Education of the National Council of Churches of Christ in the United States of America. Used by permission. All rights are reserved.

Choosing to Love

Eastertide

May 18, 2019

Scripture Reading: John 13:31-35

When he had gone out, Jesus said, ‘Now the Son of Man has been glorified, and God has been glorified in him. If God has been glorified in him, God will also glorify him in himself and will glorify him at once. 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.’

The Unabridged Merriam-Webster Dictionary* defines the English use of the word love using three and a half pages where it identifies eleven different definitions most of which are further divided into two or more iterations. And additional three pages deals with variations of love. I realize I write a lot about love and further understand that some of my readers do not get what I am trying to say because the definition of love they primarily use does not match the one I am thinking as I write.

The Greek from which the above scripture was translated has at least three definitions of love and the one used throughout our reading today is based on agape or what English speakers often refer to as God’s love. Here are explanations of that word:

agapáō – properly, to prefer, to love; for the believer, preferring to “live through Christ” (1 Jn 4:9,10), i.e. embracing God’s will (choosing His choices) and obeying them through His power. 25 (agapáō) preeminently refers to what God prefers as He “is love” (1 Jn 4:8,16). See 26 (agapē).

ith the believer, 25 /agapáō (“to love”) means actively doing what the Lord prefers, with Him (by His power and direction). True 25 /agapáō (“loving”) is always defined by God – a “discriminating affection which involves choice and selection” (WS, 477). 1 Jn 4:8,16,17 for example convey how loving (“preferring,” 25 /agapáō) is Christ living His life through the believer**.

The primary emphasis in the Greek word translated love in the above scripture is that it related to goodwill and it is a chosen preference of the way we live as God chooses to love us. Our culture seems to see love as an enticement over which we have no control. Jesus chose to love the wild man of Gennesaret (Matthew 8:28-34; Mark 5:1-20) when no one else wanted to be near. He chose to love the son of the Syrian Phoenician woman (Mark 7:26) though in his religion/culture both she and the boy were unclean.  Jesus even loved James and John when they felt privileged and deserved more status than others (Mark 10:35-45) not understanding that following Jesus most likely meant great sacrifice. Who do we choose to love simply because they are another child of God deserving of our goodwill?

Prayer: Grant us the courage to choose to love others as you love us. Amen.

*http://unabridged.merriam-webster.com/unabridged/love

**https://biblehub.com/greek/25.htm

All scriptures are quoted from the New Revised Standard Version Bible: Anglicized Edition, copyright 1989, 1995, Division of Christian Education of the National Council of Churches of Christ in the United States of America. Used by permission. All rights are reserved.

All Things New

Eastertide

May 17, 2019

Scripture Reading: Revelation 21:1-6

And the one who was seated on the throne said, ‘See, I am making all things new.’ Also he said, ‘Write this, for these words are trustworthy and true.’ Then he said to me, ‘It is done! I am the Alpha and the Omega, the beginning and the end. To the thirsty I will give water as a gift from the spring of the water of life. –Revelation 21:5-6

I have never experienced the devastation of total disaster that happens like the level 5 tornado that struck Moore, Oklahoma twenty years ago. The only thing left of many homes was the concrete foundation. Overhead pictures of the scene made it look spotlessly clean with those foundation slabs lined up in rows. Some victims of this storm lost their lives, some lost their livelihoods. Others were seriously injured. Those owners of foundations lost their homes and all its contents. All had to begin anew.

We need to think seriously about how much we want all things to be made new. Are we ready for the lamb to lie down with the lion? Do we long for all people to have enough—food, clothing, shelter, love, opportunity—to become fully the people God created them to be? Do we want to live among people who have no concept of greed or lust for power? Can we accept our worth as being established fully by the love of God with no comparison to any other? Until we grow into God’s love and let go of idols of our own making, we are not ready for all things to be made new.

We sing about it at Christmas time as we celebrate the birth of Jesus, but the hymn, O come, O come Emmanuel* looks forward to the day when all things are made new. Are we ready for that?

Prayer:
O come desire of nations, bind
All peoples in one heart and mind;
Bid envy, strife, and quarrels cease;
Fill the whole world with heaven’s peace.
Chorus:
Rejoice! Rejoice! Emmanuel
Shall come to thee, O Israel!*, Amen.

*Seventh verse of O come, O come Emmanuel with Chorus by Latin hymn, 12th century, translated by John Neale, 1852 see at http://www.musicanet.org/robokopp/hymn/ocomeoco.html

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.

Happy Endings

Eastertide

May 16, 2019

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

I cannot remember being unable to read and have loved reading all my life. Dry eye syndrome slowed my reading down for a while until I decided to try listening to books, which I have learned to love.  I usually read (listen to) books from cover to cover. That said, I do not have a problem with those who create the lectionary I use skipping from Revelation 7 to Revelation 21 because I have read the in between before and do not mind missing the gory details to arrive at a happy ending. Perhaps Revelation 21 should have appeared at the beginning of the book to remind us that no matter how bad it gets God is always with us.

There is no way to sugar-coat the impact of evil on the world. In Revelation the Four Horsemen of the Apocalypse are used to describe the devastation that Conquest, War, Famine, and Death can and does bring upon our earth. Jimmy Carter noted in an interview recently that the USA has only enjoyed 16 years of peace in its 242-year history, making the country the most warlike nation in the history of the world*. We, indeed, have met the enemy and he is us**.

Of course, Jesus tells us that we as his followers play a vital role in bringing about the happy ending described in the above scripture when he sent us forth to be one as we love God and love our neighbors and build a world ruled by love.

Prayer: Lord, forgive us when we set our sights on what we deem to be the necessity of evil. Help us live your love as individuals, and communities of faith and help our live guide our work in doing justice in fulfilling our civic responsibilities. Amen.

*Newsweek May 13, 2019 Jimmy Carter took call about China from Concerned Donald Trump: by David Brennan.
**Popularized in a Pogo comic stripe the author is unknown.

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.

Simple Stuff

Eastertide

May 15, 2019

Scripture Reading: Psalm 148

Kings of the earth and all peoples,
   princes and all rulers of the earth!
Young men and women alike,
   old and young together!

Let them praise the name of the Lord,
   for his name alone is exalted;
   his glory is above earth and heaven.
He has raised up a horn for his people,
   praise for all his faithful,
   for the people of Israel who are close to him.
Praise the Lord! –Psalm 148:11-14

One of the greatest challenges churches face is melding together the rich and the poor, the powerful and the masses, the young and the old combined with racial/ethnic and sexual diversity. How do we become one in such a dynamic environment in what, I think, is a technological/communication revolution that may eventually exceed the challenges of the industrial revolution of the 19th century?

The church is one of the places, if not the primary place, where all these groups come together with what should be a common cause.  Therein, may lie the solution.  People who are truly dedicated to a common cause are people who get things done despite differences. I watch on TV as diverse people rush to rescue those threatened with floods, parents of children killed in school shootings cluster in advocacy for change, saving boys stranded in a cave. Do we have to wait for life and death situations to create a world ruled by love? Where do we look to find our common cause?

Perhaps in all the complexity in which we find ourselves, it is time for us to keep it simple. Loving God and loving our neighbor as ourselves is the best place to start. I think limiting ourselves to working on the list Jesus is quoted as saying in Matthew 25 about feeding the hungry, clothing the naked, caring for the sick, restoring those in prison, and welcoming the stranger are our common cause. Anything that distracts us from those actions is not a priority of God’s.

Prayer: Lord, help us find you simple service that means life for so many. 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.

Peter and the Gentiles

Eastertide

May 14, 2019

Scripture Reading: Acts 11:1-18

At that very moment three men, sent to me from Caesarea, arrived at the house where we were. The Spirit told me to go with them and not to make a distinction between them and us. These six brothers also accompanied me, and we entered the man’s house. He told us how he had seen the angel standing in his house and saying, “Send to Joppa and bring Simon, who is called Peter; he will give you a message by which you and your entire household will be saved.” And as I began to speak, the Holy Spirit fell upon them just as it had upon us at the beginning. 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 11:11-18

I witnessed the baptism of a 90-year-old man recently. He preferred a smaller group rather than a whole congregation. I am in a study group with him that has met for several years now and I was unaware he had not been baptized. I knew he was a Christian by the way he loves. The ritual was very important to him though and I was honored to be a part of the service.

I do not know how the Spirit’s presence manifested itself so clearly to Peter and his companions. The man from Caesarea had obviously encountered at least a sense of the Spirit before Peter’s visit or he would not have sent for Peter at all. Ours is not a solitary faith. With a foundation of love, sharing our love of God with others is paramount as is sharing our love for one another. So, Peter entered the house of a Gentile and witness his experience of the Holy Spirit and knew that the time had come for God’s love to be shared with all of God’s children.

We are one in the Spirit, we are one in the Lord;
We are one int he Spirit, we are one in the Lord;
And we pray that all unity will one day be restored.
Chorus: And they’ll know we are Christians by our love, by our love,
yes, they’ll know we are Christians by our love*.

Prayer: Holy Spirit, flow through us so that your love is seen and felt by all we encounter. Amen.

First verse and Chorus of They’ll Know We Are Christians By Our Love by Peter Scholtes see at https://www.lyrics.com/lyric/7599366

All scriptures are quoted from the New Revised Standard Version Bible: Anglicized Edition, copyright 1989, 1995, Division of Christian Education of the National Council of Churches of Christ in the United States of America. Used by permission. All rights are reserved.

Being Squeamish

Eastertide

May 13, 2019

Scripture Reading: Acts 11:1-18

‘I was in the city of Joppa praying, and in a trance I saw a vision. There was something like a large sheet coming down from heaven, being lowered by its four corners; and it came close to me. As I looked at it closely I saw four-footed animals, beasts of prey, reptiles, and birds of the air. I also heard a voice saying to me, “Get up, Peter; kill and eat.” But I replied, “By no means, Lord; for nothing profane or unclean has ever entered my mouth.” But a second time the voice answered from heaven, “What God has made clean, you must not call profane.” –Acts 11:5-9

My work unit had a tradition of going to lunch together to celebrate each person’s birthday and the celebrant picked the restaurant. On one of these occasions a very popular seafood restaurant was selected. Along with seafood it offered the full array of commonly popular “American” food like steak and chicken. One of our staff was originally from Indonesia. His eyes lite brightly as he saw squid on the menu. One of his favorite foods, it rarely was available in landlocked Oklahoma. When it arrived, the steak eating guy seated next to him asked to trade places with someone at the end of the table as he could not stomach watching someone eat squid. We did the seating shuffle, and all was well. I think of that incident when I read stories like the one from Acts recorded above. We forget how very much we are controlled by the culture in which we were raised. In a worst-case scenario we presume our culture is the only right culture. Our co-worker who needed to move did not think less of the squid eater, he was dealing with his cultural bias in the best way possible without encroaching on his friend’s preferences. I have seen a similar reaction to someone watching another eat a very rare steak.

Our world is getting small. I am surrounded by many Asia and Middle Eastern restaurants and routinely frequent them. I am not sure how authentic the food is in all of them because they do not have ready access to some ingredients and local choices usually drive what is served.

The scripture is not about eating or culture. It is about the acceptance of all God’s children by all God’s children. Jesus called it being one.

Prayer: Lord, teach us to respect each other as we learn to love all others. 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.