Tag Archives: God is Love

Idol Worship

Ordinary Time

February 6, 2023

Scripture Reading:

Deuteronomy 30:15-20
See, I have set before you today life and prosperity, death and adversity. If you obey the commandments of the Lord your God that I am commanding you today, by loving the Lord your God, walking in his ways, and observing his commandments, decrees, and ordinances, then you shall live and become numerous, and the Lord your God will bless you in the land that you are entering to possess. But if your heart turns away and you do not hear, but are led astray to bow down to other gods and serve them, I declare to you today that you shall perish; you shall not live long in the land that you are crossing the Jordan to enter and possess. I call heaven and earth to witness against you today that I have set before you life and death, blessings and curses. Choose life so that you and your descendants may live, loving the Lord your God, obeying him, and holding fast to him; for that means life to you and length of days, so that you may live in the land that the Lord swore to give to your ancestors, to Abraham, to Isaac, and to Jacob.

We may no longer bow down to statues of gods, but we still have idols. Greed and lust for power are two at the top of my list that I have observed. I am seeing more and more instances where we are creating and fostering gods made in our image that fit our desired outcomes for life rather than following the God in whose image we are made and whose foundation for life is love. The prosperity Gospel is a good example of that, as is Christian nationalism. We substitute cultural attributes for how and who we love. The story in Matthew 19:16-26 tells of the rich young man who came to Jesus to find out what more he could do; since he was already following all the commandments, Jesus said ‘If you wish to be perfect, go, sell your possessions, and give the money to the poor, and you will have treasure in heaven; then come, follow me.’ When the young man heard this word, he went away grieving, for he had many possessions.

Somehow our culture has been caught up in the need for individuals to be better than other individuals to be of worth. That did not come from God. God created all people in God’s image and saw that they were good. We tend to cluster with people who are like us and ignore or even discriminate against those who differ from us even though they, too, were created in the same image as the rest of us.

Prayer: Lord, forgive us when we see you as we want to see you and not as who you are.  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.

God with Us

Living in the Spirit

September 29, 2022

Scripture Reading:

2 Timothy 1:1-14

Do not be ashamed, then, of the testimony about our Lord or of me his prisoner, but join with me in suffering for the gospel, relying on the power of God, who saved us and called us with a holy calling, not according to our works but according to his own purpose and grace. This grace was given to us in Christ Jesus before the ages began, but it has now been revealed through the appearing of our Saviour Christ Jesus, who abolished death and brought life and immortality to light through the gospel. For this gospel I was appointed a herald and an apostle and a teacher, and for this reason I suffer as I do. But I am not ashamed, for I know the one in whom I have put my trust, and I am sure that he is able to guard until that day what I have entrusted to him. Hold to the standard of sound teaching that you have heard from me, in the faith and love that are in Christ Jesus. Guard the good treasure entrusted to you, with the help of the Holy Spirit living in us. –2 Timothy 1:8-14

Hymns often run through my mind when I read the scriptures upon which they are based. Many of those hymns have been removed from hymnals. While some may have questionable theology many just do not meet our current language and music styles. The one that flashed through my mind as I read the above scripture was, I know not why God’s wondrous grace To me He hath made known*.

1 I know not why God’s wondrous grace
to me is daily shown,
nor why, with mercy, Christ in love
redeemed me for his own.

Refrain:
But “I know whom I have believed,
and am persuaded that he is able
to keep that which I’ve committed
unto him against that day.”

In times like these, with storms, fires, wars, and injustice rampant, we need to read/sing/hear this message and know that our Lord is indeed able to keep that which all of us have committed against such times like these.

Prayer: Lord, help us remember who we are and whose we are as we deal with life’s challenges. Amen.

*I know not why God’s wondrous grace To me He hath made known by D. H. Whittle see at https://hymnary.org/text/i_know_not_why_gods_wondrous_grace_to_me

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.

Lord of All

Lent

April 8, 2022

Scripture Reading: Philippians 2:5-11

Therefore God also highly exalted him
   and gave him the name
   that is above every name,
so that at the name of Jesus
   every knee should bend,
   in heaven and on earth and under the earth,
and every tongue should confess
   that Jesus Christ is Lord,
   to the glory of God the Father. –Philippians 2:9-11

The word “Lord”, written with a capital “L” and often with small caps for the rest of the word, means God, the ruler of the universe*. The act of taking a knee is considered the ultimate act of acknowledging the status of God as the ruler of the universe, except when Colin Kaepernick took a knee to express his concern about racism. God is not a personal possession that no one else can turn to in times of trouble, not an idol that we wear like a badge of honor. We are all God’s creations.

In the scripture above Paul is exclaiming that Jesus Christ is Lord, the glory of his father. I took a class a few years ago where the professor went through all the various triangles to explain the idea of the trinity and other theological definitions of the Supreme Being. I am probably a heretic for this but throughout that segment of the class, I kept thinking we cannot ever put the Lord God in a box or a triangle, and that is a good thing. I like being loved by One who is all-powerful, all-knowing, and always present without having to define that One. My big challenge is learning how to love like Jesus Christ, the Lord.

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.

*https://biblehub.com/greek/2962.htm

**Chorus from the hymn Thank You Lord by Seth Sykes, Bessie Sykes. See at https://digitalsongsandhymns.com/songs/5739

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.

Love Came Down at Christmas

Advent

December 24, 2021

Scripture Reading: John 1:1-5

In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God, and the Word was God. He was in the beginning with God. All things came into being through him, and without him not one thing came into being. What has come into being in him was life, and the life was the light of all people. The light shines in the darkness, and the darkness did not overcome it.

What would life be like without God? We exalt God as being omnipotent—all-powerful, omniscient—all-knowing, and omnipresent—always with us. However, the overriding character that makes these descriptors meaningful is that God is love. We have seen examples of leaders who momentarily ruled as if they were greater than anyone else throughout history. Most turned their power into authoritarianism, using the people to enhance their wealth and power. God created the world based on the premise that it works best when God’s love for us is accepted, returned, and reflected outward toward all of God’s creation.

We get into trouble when we seek to possess the powers of God without that foundation of love. In everything we do, we must make a habit of considering whether our actions pass the test of love. Jesus, the Christ, was sent not only to teach us about love but to demonstrate it in all that he did. Understanding Jesus’s ways give us the tools we need to live and love as he does.

Love came down at Christmas,
love all lovely, Love divine;
Love was born at Christmas;
star and angels gave the sign.
Worship we the Godhead,
Love incarnate, Love divine;
worship we our Jesus,
but wherewith for sacred sign?

Love shall be our token;
love be yours and love be mine;
love to God and others,
love for plea and gift and sign*.

Prayer: Lord, help me develop the habit of testing my actions and words against the example of love Jesus set for all. Amen.

*Poem Love Came Down at Christmas by Christina Georgina Rossetti

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.