Tag Archives: Following Jesus's example

Faith Mentor

Living in the Spirit

June 21, 2022

Scripture Reading:

1 Kings 19:15-16, 19-21

Then the Lord said to him, ‘Go, return on your way to the wilderness of Damascus; when you arrive, you shall anoint Hazael as king over Aram. Also you shall anoint Jehu son of Nimshi as king over Israel; and you shall anoint Elisha son of Shaphat of Abel-meholah as prophet in your place.

 So he set out from there, and found Elisha son of Shaphat, who was ploughing. There were twelve yoke of oxen ahead of him, and he was with the twelfth. Elijah passed by him and threw his mantle over him. He left the oxen, ran after Elijah, and said, ‘Let me kiss my father and my mother, and then I will follow you.’ Then Elijah said to him, ‘Go back again; for what have I done to you?’ He returned from following him, took the yoke of oxen, and slaughtered them; using the equipment from the oxen, he boiled their flesh, and gave it to the people, and they ate. Then he set out and followed Elijah, and became his servant.

I did not realize the lectionary had prequels. Yesterday we remembered Elisha taking over the role of Elijah as he was whisked to the heavens on a chariot of fire and horses of fire. Today we go back to Elisha’s entry into being a prophet. The role of faith mentor is crucial. Jesus was the living example of a faith mentor. We are all called to be faith mentors. The smallest child senses when their presence in church is welcomed—even celebrated.  Hebrews 11:1-3, describes it thusly, Now faith is the assurance of things hoped for, the conviction of things not seen. Indeed, by faith our ancestors received approval. By faith we understand that the worlds were prepared by the word of God, so that what is seen was made from things that are not visible.

Living your faith will be the best sermon you will ever preach.

Prayer: Thank you Lord for modeling for us how to live our faith. Amen.

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

Learning to Trust God

Eastertide

May 29, 2022

Scripture Reading:

John 17:20-26

‘I ask not only on behalf of these, but also on behalf of those who will believe in me through their word, that they may all be one. As you, Father, are in me and I am in you, may they also be in us, so that the world may believe that you have sent me. The glory that you have given me I have given them, so that they may be one, as we are one, I in them and you in me, that they may become completely one, so that the world may know that you have sent me and have loved them even as you have loved me. Father, I desire that those also, whom you have given me, may be with me where I am, to see my glory, which you have given me because you loved me before the foundation of the world.

‘Righteous Father, the world does not know you, but I know you; and these know that you have sent me. I made your name known to them, and I will make it known, so that the love with which you have loved me may be in them, and I in them.’

How important is it to have someone we trust say they trust someone else, and we can trust them too? When we apply for a job, we are often required to provide references. My dad cosigned the first loan I made to buy a car. Having paid that loan off as prescribed by the agreement, I never had to have anyone cosign for me again. One of Jesus’s missions, when he came in human form, was to tell us by word and example that we could trust God.

I can envision God scratching his head following the exile, following the calamity after the exile, and following the rule of Greece and Rome wondering, “What do I need to do to convince my children that I love them and that my love is the guiding principle in living successfully in the world I created?” God decided to come to us in the incarnation of Jesus Christ to model the way that living in God’s world works.

What we have learned is that when we get out of sync with God’s plan for the world, we suffer the consequences. There is no room for hate, bigotry, greed, dishonesty, violence, or adultery in God’s world.  Just as there is no room for the results of such behavior such as allowing poverty or violence to exist.

Prayer: Help us clearly see the way Jesus modeled life in your love and change our lives to follow his 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 America. Used by permission. All rights are reserved.

The Common Good

Lent

March 12, 2022

Scripture Reading:

Luke 13:31-35

At that very hour some Pharisees came and said to him, ‘Get away from here, for Herod wants to kill you.’ He said to them, ‘Go and tell that fox for me, “Listen, I am casting out demons and performing cures today and tomorrow, and on the third day I finish my work. Yet today, tomorrow, and the next day I must be on my way, because it is impossible for a prophet to be killed away from Jerusalem.” Jerusalem, Jerusalem, the city that kills the prophets and stones those who are sent to it! How often have I desired to gather your children together as a hen gathers her brood under her wings, and you were not willing! See, your house is left to you. And I tell you, you will not see me until the time comes when you say, “Blessed is the one who comes in the name of the Lord.”’

I wonder what Jesus would say if he looked down upon our nation and our state today. I feel confident his words would be the same as those he spoke looking down on Jerusalem. Oklahoma is a state fighting against its own best interests. It ranks 47th in life expectancy* and 42nd in poverty**. The percentages vary among the different measures used to determine the standing of our ability to address these issues, but the numbers are only slightly different. We rank in the bottom 10 among all states in health care and health outcomes, education, and criminal justice. The one common denominator among these three ways of solving these problems is our leader’s desire to spread our tax dollars among for-profit providers rather than tackle the issues without greasing the skids of greed.

Jesus showed us the way in his life and his teachings. In Matthew 25 he says he will judge the nations in whether they fed the hungry, gave water to the thirsty, welcomed the stranger, clothed the naked, cared for the sick, and restored those in prison. In recent times we have turned inward only caring about our personal rights not the wellbeing of all. Jesus teaches us that there is room in God’s kingdom for all to have enough to thrive and we are each individually and collectively responsible for striving for that common good.

Prayer: Lord, forgive us for not fulfilling your plan for your world. Amen.

*https://www.worldlifeexpectancy.com/usa/oklahoma-life-expectancy

**https://www.news9.com/story/5e3498fe527dcf49dad814d4/oklahoma-ranks-among-the-poorest-states-in-the-us#:~:text=And%20Oklahoma%20wound%20up%20in,median%20household%20income%20at%20%2449%2C176.

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.