Tag Archives: Body of Christ

Mentoring

Eastertide

April 30, 2019

Scripture Reading: Acts 9:1-20

Now there was a disciple in Damascus named Ananias. The Lord said to him in a vision, ‘Ananias.’ He answered, ‘Here I am, Lord.’ The Lord said to him, ‘Get up and go to the street called Straight, and at the house of Judas look for a man of Tarsus named Saul. At this moment he is praying, and he has seen in a vision a man named Ananias come in and lay his hands on him so that he might regain his sight.’ But Ananias answered, ‘Lord, I have heard from many about this man, how much evil he has done to your saints in Jerusalem; and here he has authority from the chief priests to bind all who invoke your name.’ But the Lord said to him, ‘Go, for he is an instrument whom I have chosen to bring my name before Gentiles and kings and before the people of Israel; I myself will show him how much he must suffer for the sake of my name.’ So Ananias went and entered the house. He laid his hands on Saul and said, ‘Brother Saul, the Lord Jesus, who appeared to you on your way here, has sent me so that you may regain your sight and be filled with the Holy Spirit.’ And immediately something like scales fell from his eyes, and his sight was restored. Then he got up and was baptized, and after taking some food, he regained his strength. –Acts 9:10-19

Mentors have been very important in my life. I doubt that the ones with the most influence would realize how much their guidance has meant to me. Teachers, of course, stand out both school and Sunday school, pastors, too. I, like Saul, learned much from co-workers. I worked with some amazing people who dedicated their lives to protecting children and adults, making sure the hungry were fed, helping people learn how to work and finding them jobs, finding health care when none was readily available. People who did not think twice about doing what was right when the powers that be were pushing hard in the opposite direction. People who followed the law to the letter and made it work for the betterment of those they served. And people who worked tirelessly to change bad laws.

Ananias was a mentor in faith for Saul as his transformation from persecuting Christ followers to being one occurred. Oneness is a mutual agreement to mentor each other as members of the Body of Christ.

Prayer: Lord, if we are called to mentor guide our work. When we are being mentored, guide our awareness. 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.

The Harvest of Love

Advent
December 8, 2018

Scripture Reading: Philippians 1:3-11

And this is my prayer, that your love may overflow more and more with knowledge and full insight to help you to determine what is best, so that on the day of Christ you may be pure and blameless, having produced the harvest of righteousness that comes through Jesus Christ for the glory and praise of God. –Philippians 1:9-11

My dad was a custom hay baler. He bought a new straw hat every spring to wear while working outside, A wise idea for most people working long hours in the sun, it was especially important for him because he was bald. He had a habit of tossing his straw hate into the baler as he completed the last row of the last field to commemorate the end of another season when the hay harvest was over. There is something special about finishing a task. There is a tremendous amount of work that goes into baling hay with a lot of ups and downs throughout the season. Weather is a primary determinate of success over which the farmer has no control. Machinery breaks down and must be fixed. I remember many trips to town to get a new part to replace one that was broken. My dad was also his own mechanic, welder, and make-doer.

Paul’s prayer for Christ’s followers in the scripture today is grounded in a similar knowledge that sharing the love of God is hard work, requiring adjustments on the fly based on the realities we face each day. Advent marks the beginning of a new year in the church calendar. Staying with the idea of the harvest, Advent is the time to get ready for the planting or as my dad would do, buy a new straw hat. It is the time of darkness before the spring sowing of seed that allows us to assess where we are in our mission to love others while recalling what the world was like without the light and love of God through Jesus Christ. During this time, we welcome anew the coming of God in human form in preparation for another year of our love overflowing as we strive to be the Body of Christ in the world today.

Prayer: Lord, surround us with your love during this Advent season as we perfect our art of loving as Jesus 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 America. Used by permission. All rights are reserved.

Doing Good Works

Advent
December 7, 2018

Scripture Reading: Philippians 1:3-11

I thank my God every time I remember you, constantly praying with joy in every one of my prayers for all of you, because of your sharing in the gospel from the first day until now. I am confident of this, that the one who began a good work among you will bring it to completion by the day of Jesus Christ. —Philippians 1:3-6

Is Paul suggesting that if all Christ’s followers begin a good work and bring it to completion, God’s kingdom will become a reality? So what good work(s) have you got going? Have you completed and started on new good works? Have you started some and decided the timing was not right, so you set them aside for a time and worked on other good works? Has the time arrived to revisit those held back to dust them off and try again?

Doing good works takes patience, cooperation, and good timing. The Thunder (that is the Oklahoma City pro basketball team) were getting their socks beaten off in a game last night; got behind 23 points. The other team could not seem to miss a shot and the Thunder, let’s just say, were not at their defensive best. They kept playing; kept trying to win, until with the help of every member on the team working together started playing like a well-oiled machine with great assists being delivered in a timely manner to the players making shots and they won by two points in the last eight seconds of the game.

Paul is addressing the plural you in the above scripture—the whole Body of Christ called to patiently work together within the context of God’s good timing. We are to do good work as individuals and as communities of faith toward transforming our world into one ruled by love as we complete one good work at a time.

Prayer: God grant us the humility to work together as we strive for the sum of our parts to be far greater than what we can accomplish alone. 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.

Discerning Mercy and Justice

Living in the Spirit
October 27, 2018

Scripture Reading: Mark 10:46-52

They came to Jericho. As he and his disciples and a large crowd were leaving Jericho, Bartimaeus son of Timaeus, a blind beggar, was sitting by the roadside. When he heard that it was Jesus of Nazareth, he began to shout out and say, ‘Jesus, Son of David, have mercy on me!’ Many sternly ordered him to be quiet, but he cried out even more loudly, ‘Son of David, have mercy on me!’ Jesus stood still and said, ‘Call him here.’ And they called the blind man, saying to him, ‘Take heart; get up, he is calling you.’ So throwing off his cloak, he sprang up and came to Jesus. Then Jesus said to him, ‘What do you want me to do for you?’ The blind man said to him, ‘My teacher, let me see again.’ Jesus said to him, ‘Go; your faith has made you well.’ Immediately he regained his sight and followed him on the way.

When Bartimaeus asks Jesus, Son of David, have mercy* on me! what is he requesting? Strong’s Concordance says mercy or pity means to show mercy as God defines it, i.e. as it accords with His truth (covenant) which expresses “God’s covenant-loyalty-mercy” (i.e. acting only on His terms).

Bartimaeus was a blind beggar. My first reaction, if I had heard that cry was that he was asking for money. Jesus did not assume that and inquired, “what do you want?” Bartimaeus’ heartfelt, audacious answer was ‘My teacher, let me see again.’ Jesus healed him carrying out mercy as God defined it.

As followers of Christ, we are called to show mercy and to discern what God’s mercy is in relation to the many justice issues with which we are challenged. In the history of God, mercy always seems linked to justice. Mercy often demands intermediate, sshort-termresponses to long-term systemic problems. Feeding one who is hungry is a necessary short-term response; justice strives for a world where everyone has enough to eat. Jesus could have dropped coins in Bartimaeus’ cup and walked on but he took the time to discern the real problem and addressed it. As the Body of Christ active today, we are called to discern both God’s definition of mercy and justice and work toward their fruition throughout our world.

Such discernment is one of the guides we need to consider as we make our decision during the mid-term elections. There are no easy answers to solve the issues that we face. If ever there was a time to seek God’s definition of mercy and justice, it is now. Is that not always the truth in all “nows”?

Prayer: My teacher, let me see now your mercy and your justice and how they fit into my duties as a citizen of this nation. Amen.

*https://biblehub.com/greek/1653.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.

Bread of Life

Living in the Spirit
August 11, 2018

Scripture Reading: John 6:35, 41-51

Jesus said to them, ‘I am the bread of life. Whoever comes to me will never be hungry, and whoever believes in me will never be thirsty.

 Then the Jews began to complain about him because he said, ‘I am the bread that came down from heaven.’ They were saying, ‘Is not this Jesus, the son of Joseph, whose father and mother we know? How can he now say, “I have come down from heaven”?’ Jesus answered them, ‘Do not complain among yourselves. No one can come to me unless drawn by the Father who sent me; and I will raise that person up on the last day. –John 6:35, 41-44

In the Jewish tradition referring to bread from heaven most likely would invoke memories of the manna from heaven provided to the Israelites after they fled from Egypt. While life was not perfect in first century Jerusalem, the people were not facing wholesale physical starvation their ancestors had from lack of food. Spiritual starvation was another matter. Under the thumb of Rome and their own religious leaders who were caught up in the politics of going along to get along, the people in Judea and Galilee were suffering from spiritual malnutrition. Broadening the vista, the peoples of the whole world were hungering for the Good News of God’s love. Abraham’s challenge to be a blessing to all nations* had yet to be fulfilled.

Jesus came in search of those willing to fulfill the call to nurture souls and to spread the love of God throughout the earth. We now call it the Body of Christ in the world today. None of us are called to do everything; all of us are called to do our thing as a part of that organism. Such work entails nurturing the members of that Body as well as sharing the love of God with all God’s children in our role of being a blessing.

Introducing change in any circumstance requires a level of single-minded intentionality the keeps individuals and groups focus on the ultimate outcome desired. The routines of life engulf us in distractions that limit our drive toward our vision. All who are drawn by the Father to this work must from time to time withdrawn unto a quiet place and regain our focus and our energy. Thus recharged, we continue toward the realization of God’s world lead by love.

Prayer: God grant me the balance of living that is necessary for me to fulfill my call. Amen.

*Genesis 22:18

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.

Jesus Healed

Living in the Spirit
July 22, 2018

Scripture Reading: Mark 6:30-34, 53-56

When they had crossed over, they came to land at Gennesaret and moored the boat. When they got out of the boat, people at once recognized him, and rushed about that whole region and began to bring the sick on mats to wherever they heard he was. And wherever he went, into villages or cities or farms, they laid the sick in the market-places, and begged him that they might touch even the fringe of his cloak; and all who touched it were healed. – Mark 6:53-56

The USA is in a healthcare crisis resulting in a tug of war between meeting the basic health care needs of its citizens and supporting a financially thriving for-profit healthcare industry. Forcing we the people to struggle with the answer to the question: Is healthcare a right or a privilege? The situation is much more complicated than that.

In the USA hospitals are mandated to provide at least a minimum level of care to people who present to their emergency rooms with life-threatening conditions. Such care is the most expensive care available. Every one of those admittances contributes to the cost of everyone’s health insurance whether they ever use it or not. Every patient who arrives at the hospital in the throes of a major heart attack or stroke as his or her first contact with health care for many years, costs each of us far more than assuring people have affordable, accessible preventive care perhaps taking a baby aspirin each day or being prescribed medication for high blood pressure. Every woman whose first medical contact during their pregnancies is coming to the ER in labor has a much higher risk of problems with the birth and ongoing problems for the baby.

Our health is dependent in many ways on the good health of others. Can you imagine living in a world like Jesus did where the sick are outcasts on the streets possibly spreading contagion, dying leaving rotting corpses? I do not think any of us want that, but it is still a reality in parts of our world today.

Jesus devoted much of his time to healing. Our healing as the Body of Christ in the world today comes through our assuring that health care is available and affordable to all, that there are adequate well-trained professionals to offer care, and that we can contribute compassion and care as needed.

Prayer: Lord, help us identify our roles as healers today as we work toward health justice for all. Amen.

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

Our Bodies as the Body of Christ

Living in the Spirit
June 14, 2018

Scripture Reading: 2 Corinthians 5:6-17

So we are always confident; even though we know that while we are at home in the body we are away from the Lord—for we walk by faith, not by sight. Yes, we do have confidence, and we would rather be away from the body and at home with the Lord. So whether we are at home or away, we make it our aim to please him. For all of us must appear before the judgement seat of Christ, so that each may receive recompense for what has been done in the body, whether good or evil. –2 Corinthians 5:6-10

Paul talks about the body almost as an abstract entity. He apparently perceived of himself as complete without the body but seemed to have drawn a job assignment to be the best he could be within the body. I, of course, may be seeing something in the above scripture that is not there. I tend to think of myself as the sum of all my parts.

On first reading this scripture, I thought Paul was talking about our being the Body of Christ, but I do not think that is the case. I do think what he says could apply to both our individual bodies and the Body of Christ.

I have never been particularly coordinated and I was a sickly kid. So most of my life I have had to work around the limitations of my body developing skills with the parts that worked the best.  I do think God expects us to utilize our skills fully whatever they might be. The key in this scripture is whether we use them for good or evil.

The same could be said about our role as part of the Body of Christ doing Christ’s work together here on earth. This role not only demands that we do the best with what and who we are as individuals but that we do it with all the other bodies that are a part of the Body of Christ and we do it for good.

Christ calls us exactly to such a oneness. The closer we get to it, greater synergy results; the combined effect becomes greater than the sum of our separate effects. Synergy occurs in such instances of combined effect for both good and evil. The addition of Christ’s presence tilts the outcome toward good.

For where two or three are gathered in my name, I am there among them.’ –Matthew 18:20

Prayer: Lord, help us each develop fully the skills and talents which you gave us and make us one in sharing 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 America. Used by permission. All rights are reserved.

Being One

Eastertide
May 11, 2018

Scripture Reading: 1 John 5:9-13
If we receive human testimony, the testimony of God is greater; for this is the testimony of God that he has testified to his Son. Those who believe in the Son of God have the testimony in their hearts. Those who do not believe in God have made him a liar by not believing in the testimony that God has given concerning his Son. And this is the testimony: God gave us eternal life, and this life is in his Son. Whoever has the Son has life; whoever does not have the Son of God does not have life.

 I write these things to you who believe in the name of the Son of God, so that you may know that you have eternal life.

God’s life is in God’s Son and God’s Son’s life continues in and through his followers. To fulfill our calling to be the hands and feet of Jesus in our world today, just as we must continuously strive to be whole, we also must strive to be one. God surely had purpose in creating us as diverse people in every aspect of our being. The Myers Briggs personality types* define 16 different combinations of personalities based on four criteria. I am very goal oriented so having someone who is more process oriented around helps me see the broader picture. Such markedly different personalities must work hard at understanding the gifts of the other so skills can be maximized.

But, of course, personality is not the only form of diversity, we differ in language, rural/urban, skills, skin color and hair texture, gender, handedness—you get the idea the list is endless. I at times am dependent on someone tall enough to reach the back of the top shelf in the grocery store. As a child, I helped my dad work on machines because his hands were too big for the task. Learning to love the synergy in diversity is a first step in becoming one. God knew what God was doing when God created us.

Prayer:
Weave, weave, weave us together.
Weave us together in unity and love.
Weave, weave, weave us together.
Weave, us together, together in love**. Amen.

*For more information see http://www.myersbriggs.org/my-mbti-personality-type/mbti-basics/the-16-mbti-types.htm?bhcp=1

**Weave by Rosemary Crow, may be found in the Chalice Hymnal. For more information see https://hymnary.org/hymn/CH1995/495

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.

Wrestling with God

Eastertide
April 20, 2018

Scripture Reading: 1 John 3:16-24

And this is his commandment, that we should believe in the name of his Son Jesus Christ and love one another, just as he has commanded us. All who obey his commandments abide in him, and he abides in them. And by this we know that he abides in us, by the Spirit that he has given us. –1 John 3: 23-24

I feel like Jacob sometimes wrestling with the angel. What is prayer? What does it mean to commune with God? Dealing with people is sometimes difficult. Finding that common center is often allusive. Is the Spirit the One who comes in the wee hours of the morning when all is quiet and wakes me from my slumber to struggle with an issue that seems beyond my control that I so want to control?

The Spirit tugs at my stubborn discontent until I finally release my fierce grip on not dealing with what must be solved and accept that I am responsible for my own malcontent for I am the one who sees what others do not see or do not care to address. I own the problem. Does the Spirit plant those seeds of discontent in calling me to service or is the Spirit trying to cleanse me of my preconceived notions that are getting in the way of being of service? Probably a little of both as the wrestling match continues.

Is abiding in Christ and Christ abiding in us part of this intersection with the Spirit? We are called to an extraordinary life of loving until the way of love wins. In a world where personal, family, team, national success is everything to many we who follow Christ must choose to always let love rule. As I listen to the news and view the discord in our world today, I gain a far greater appreciation for those wrestling matches with God as God saves me from myself and enables me the privilege of being a part of the Body of Christ working to welcome the full Kingdom of God to this earth.

Come and find the quiet center
     in the crowded life we lead,
          find the room for hope to enter,
               find the frame where we are freed:
clear the chaos and the clutter,
     clear our eyes, that we can see
          all the things that really matter,
               be at peace, and simply be*.

Prayer: Holy One, never stop wrestling we me until I perfect loving like you. Amen.

*First verse of Come and find the Quiet Center by Shirley Erena Murray. See at http://www.hopepublishing.com/html/main.isx?sitesec=40.2.1.0&hymnID=2366

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 a Witness

Eastertide
April 15, 2018

Scripture Reading: Luke 24:36b-48

Then he said to them, ‘These are my words that I spoke to you while I was still with you—that everything written about me in the law of Moses, the prophets, and the psalms must be fulfilled.’ Then he opened their minds to understand the scriptures, and he said to them, ‘Thus it is written, that the Messiah is to suffer and to rise from the dead on the third day, and that repentance and forgiveness of sins is to be proclaimed in his name to all nations, beginning from Jerusalem. You are witnesses of these things. —Luke 24:44-48

What have we witnessed about God in our world today and to whom did we share our observation? Personally, I am trying to deal with my pre-judgments about people not related to the color or gender but how differences in our backgrounds or personalities make it hard for me to communicate with them. A wise friend once advised me that when I had a problem with someone I needed to pray for them and for help in dealing with the negative vibes I feel. It works. God broadens my understanding, helps me see the person from a clearer vantage point, and suddenly the problem slips away. I have shared these experiences without naming names and had others tell me that it worked for them too. Now if I could just start these prayers at the first sign of tension, it would save me a lot of frustration and thought that could be channeled for more productive purposes. We are all works in progress.

What have we witnessed about God in our world today and to whom did we share our observation? My faith group is taking a long hard look at the need for reconciliation in our world particularly related to racism. The Spirit is present in each of the events and work that we do when our focus is on loving like Jesus loved. It is hard to rid ourselves as individuals but also as the church and as a nation of deeply ingrained habits and thought patterns. Cleaning our values and moral filters takes intentional work requiring constant communion with God to help us see ourselves more clearly and understand that what might seem innocent to us is very painful for others with different backgrounds. It takes courage to admit such shortcomings but taking that step is a witness of Christ’s love for others to see.

What have we witnessed about God in our world today and to whom did we share our observation?

We’ve a story to tell to the nations,
that shall turn their hearts to the right,
a story of truth and mercy,
a story of peace and light,
a story of peace and light.

 Refrain:
For the darkness shall turn to dawning,
and the dawning to noonday bright,
and Christ’s great kingdom shall come on earth,
the kingdom of love and light.*

Prayer: Lord, broaden my sight to see your work in our world and empower me to witness to it. Amen.

First verse and refrain of Hymn We’ve a Story to Tell to the Nations by H. Ernest Nichol see at https://hymnary.org/text/weve_a_story_to_tell_to_the_nations

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.