Tag Archives: God with Us

The Glory of the Lord

Christmastide

January 5, 2021

Scripture Reading:
Isaiah 60:1-6
Arise, shine; for your light has come,
   and the glory of the Lord has risen upon you.
For darkness shall cover the earth,
   and thick darkness the peoples;
but the Lord will arise upon you,
   and his glory will appear over you.
Nations shall come to your light,
   and kings to the brightness of your dawn.

Lift up your eyes and look around;
   they all gather together, they come to you;
your sons shall come from far away,
   and your daughters shall be carried on their nurses’ arms.
Then you shall see and be radiant;
   your heart shall thrill and rejoice,
because the abundance of the sea shall be brought to you,
   the wealth of the nations shall come to you.
A multitude of camels shall cover you,
   the young camels of Midian and Ephah;
   all those from Sheba shall come.
They shall bring gold and frankincense,
   and shall proclaim the praise of the Lord.

What metaphors of wellbeing do we choose? The first stanza of the above poem speaks to the glory of the Lord, having risen upon us. In elegant terms, the verse tells of light dispels darkness, which elicits thoughts of peace and wellbeing. The second stanza strays to measures of material wealth to represent the wonders of the Lord with us. Jesus changed those metaphors. He described justice as the fruition of God with us. The hungry are fed, the sick are healed, strangers welcomed, and prisoners are restored to wholeness.

Isaiah does state that they all gather. Perhaps suggesting that the coming of the Lord is only realized when all have justice. We might also consider Isaiah’s other description of Justice:

Isaiah 11:6-9
The wolf shall live with the lamb,
   the leopard shall lie down with the kid,
the calf and the lion and the fatling together,
   and a little child shall lead them.
The cow and the bear shall graze,
   their young shall lie down together;
   and the lion shall eat straw like the ox.
The nursing child shall play over the hole of the asp,
   and the weaned child shall put its hand on the adder’s den.
They will not hurt or destroy
   on all my holy mountain;
for the earth will be full of the knowledge of the Lord
   as the waters cover the sea.

Prayer: Lord, help us understand the depth and breadth of your righteousness, enabling us to live into it. 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 of All

Christmastide

December 30, 2020

Scripture Reading:
Psalm 147:12-20
Praise the Lord, O Jerusalem!
   Praise your God, O Zion!
For he strengthens the bars of your gates;
   he blesses your children within you.
He grants peace within your borders;
   he fills you with the finest of wheat.
He sends out his command to the earth;
   his word runs swiftly.
He gives snow like wool;
   he scatters frost like ashes.
He hurls down hail like crumbs—
   who can stand before his cold?
He sends out his word, and melts them;
   he makes his wind blow, and the waters flow.
He declares his word to Jacob,
   his statutes and ordinances to Israel.
He has not dealt thus with any other nation;
   they do not know his ordinances.
Praise the Lord!

How do we describe God? Theologians use words like “omnipresent”—always present, “omnipotent”—all-powerful, “omnibenevolent”—all good, and “omniscient”—all-knowing. The writer of today’s Psalm wants us to understand that God is beyond our knowing, cooler than the coldest cold, hotter than the hottest hot. We know God by our ever-growing experience with God. If we are each uniquely created in the image of God, then we must have a unique relationship with the Lord. That also means that God has a unique relationship with all the children God created.

This Psalm seems to indicate that God, too, has unique relationships with nations or faith groups. Different groups with different backgrounds develop unique customs and rituals. In the USA, we have inherited a wide variety of those customs, tweaking them a bit or even combining them. Tex-Mex is not the same as native foods from Mexico. I can now buy burritos at my favorite middle eastern restaurant. I enjoy all of them. I had probably noted before that the USA’s indigenous people had little trouble recognizing the deity missionaries called God. The Great Spirit, the Creator, had been among them since the beginning of time also. We monotheist sometimes have a problem with needing to proclaim that our god is better than your god when God is ultimately the one who knows our hearts as individuals, faith groups, and nations.

While faith groups practice different customs and even follow various ordinances, it is amazing how closely our rules are alike. It is a God thing.

Prayer: Creator of all, enable us to commune together as your children while holding true to your will and your ways for all our lives. 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.

Enough for All

Christmas

December 25, 2020

Scripture Reading:
Isaiah 52:7-10
How beautiful upon the mountains
   are the feet of the messenger who announces peace,
who brings good news,
   who announces salvation,
   who says to Zion, ‘Your God reigns.’
Listen! Your sentinels lift up their voices,
   together they sing for joy;
for in plain sight they see
   the return of the Lord to Zion.
Break forth together into singing,
   you ruins of Jerusalem;
for the Lord has comforted his people,
   he has redeemed Jerusalem.
The Lord has bared his holy arm
   before the eyes of all the nations;
and all the ends of the earth shall see
   the salvation of our God.

God with us has come in human form, experiencing being human from the womb. A well-known but unattributable quote describes the importance of this reality, “You can’t understand someone until you’ve walked a mile in their shoes.” I can imagine God surveying the earth, considering how many great leaders and prophets God had sent to us to reset human paths. Corrections were made, and about the time we seem to be getting our acts together, we begin missing the mark again and fall into disorder and even exile. I can see God, pondering, “Maybe I need to experience being human to learn how I can keep them on the right paths.”  And, so, unto us, a child was given, and we called it the Incarnation.

Jesus’ exposure to birth, life on earth, death, and resurrection brought us new strength through God’s gift of grace and new responsibilities being the Body of Christ in the world today. Jesus Christ saw that we could not love like him unless we learned by direct contact the importance of loving one another and how to love one another.

I have been reading complaints about federal legislation to provide USA citizens financial help as we all struggle through the deprivation caused by the COVID pandemic. Many are saying the amount per person granted in the legislation is not enough. Some object to funds allocated for other nations, arguing we should take care of our citizens before taking care of people from other countries. Pandemics cannot be walled out just as evil cannot. As followers of Christ, we are called to love all our neighbors as we love ourselves. Practically speaking, we will not rid the USA of this virus unless we rid the whole world of it. God created the world on a foundation of love. Caste systems segmenting people according to evil’s biases is not of God and thus will never conform to God’s divine plan.

Prayer: Lord, help us realize that you created a world that can provide enough for everyone if we can open our hearts and learn to love like Jesus. 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 Substance of Faith

Christmas Eve

December 24, 2020

In that region there were shepherds living in the fields, keeping watch over their flock by night. Then an angel of the Lord stood before them, and the glory of the Lord shone around them, and they were terrified. But the angel said to them, ‘Do not be afraid; for see—I am bringing you good news of great joy for all the people: to you is born this day in the city of David a Savior, who is the Messiah, the Lord. This will be a sign for you: you will find a child wrapped in bands of cloth and lying in a manger.’ And suddenly there was with the angel a multitude of the heavenly host, praising God and saying,
‘Glory to God in the highest heaven,
   and on earth peace among those whom he favors!’ –Luke 2:1-14

An astrological phenomenon called the Jupiter Saturn conjunction occurred during this 2020 season of Advent leading to Christmas. The bright, large appearing star that resulted is identified, by some, as the star of Bethlehem that led the Wisemen to Jesus. The Wisemen’s visit is described in Matthew. Luke reports shepherds in the field being led by angels to see the newborn Messiah. God with us is a paradox, impossible to explain and as real as a baby. Some things must be taken on faith. Hebrews 11:1 describes faith as the assurance of things hoped for, the conviction of things not seen.

Wisemen follow stars on faith; shepherds leave their flocks at the behest of angels searching for the Messiah, the Lord. John 1:14 skips the whole birth story, recognizing this child as God’s very Word in human form. And the Word became flesh and lived among us, and we have seen his glory, the glory as of a father’s only son, full of grace and truth. Mark, the oldest of the Gospels, jumps straight to Jesus’ baptism illustrated by the Spirit like a dove and a voice from heaven:

In those days Jesus came from Nazareth of Galilee and was baptized by John in the Jordan. And just as he was coming up out of the water, he saw the heavens torn apart and the Spirit descending like a dove on him. And a voice came from heaven, ‘You are my Son, the Beloved; with you I am well pleased.’—Mark 1:9-11

 And so, on this day before Christmas 2020, in times that try people’s souls* when our world seems to be spinning out of control, we find ourselves caught in the mystery that is God with Us who by faith we profess as our Savior. He shows us the way when we take the time to seek and follow his guidance. Starting this Christmas, let us dedicate time to meeting this Jesus again.

Prayer: Creator of all that is, lift us from the mire of fear and hate and privilege and greed and lust for power and help us discern false prophets that stir chaos and see clearly your better way and follow that path. Amen.

*Borrowed from a quote of Thomas Paine, a leader of the American Revolution.

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’s Covenants

Advent

December 16, 2020

Scripture Reading:
Psalm 89:1-4, 19-26

I will sing of your steadfast love, O Lord, forever;
   with my mouth I will proclaim your faithfulness to all generations.
I declare that your steadfast love is established forever;
   your faithfulness is as firm as the heavens.

You said, ‘I have made a covenant with my chosen one,
   I have sworn to my servant David:
“I will establish your descendants forever,
   and build your throne for all generations.”-Psalm 89:1-4

The translator of the Bible cited below adds titles to the scriptures. The title for the above scripture is God’s Covenant with David. The word covenant is important in the Bible. The word can describe an agreement between people, but the Bible particularly talks about the Covenants between God and people. Most often, these covenants are defined as a divine constitution or ordinance with signs or pledges*. In some instances, covenants between specific people and God are cited, for example:

Noah– a divine promise that there would be no other deluge.
Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob– a promise to multiply their seed, give them the land of Canaan, and make them a blessing to the nations.
Phinehas–a constitution, establishing an everlasting priesthood in his line
Joshua and Israel — an ordinance or constitutional agreement to serve Yahweh only
David– a divine promise to the seed of David of an everlasting kingdom, the relation of sonship

The Psalm above relates to David’s covenant with God and is of particular importance to Christ-followers of the first century and today who see Jesus as the heir of this divine promise. Indeed, it is almost impossible for Christians to read such scriptures and not see Jesus as that Son.

Really good literature that remains relevant over time has the quality of being truth for the day it describes and truth for future readers. God is the same yesterday, today, and tomorrow. While people can stray from their commitments to God, God’s unconditional covenants are everlasting.

During this Advent season, during times that try peoples’ souls, God’s eternal goodness and mercy and loving patience with us is something to be celebrated.

Prayer: Praise God for always being with us in good times and troubled times. We continue to celebrate Emmanuel, God with Us. Amen.

* https://biblehub.com/hebrew/1285.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.

Never Alone

Eastertide

May 17, 2020

Scripture Reading:
John 14:15-21

‘I will not leave you orphaned; I am coming to you. In a little while the world will no longer see me, but you will see me; because I live, you also will live. On that day you will know that I am in my Father, and you in me, and I in you. They who have my commandments and keep them are those who love me; and those who love me will be loved by my Father, and I will love them and reveal myself to them.’ –John 14:18-21

Where do we see Christ in the world today? The news is so bad right now I understand why the various news sources have broadened or added good news stories to their output. We see or hear about people singing together from adjoining balconies in Italy. A grade-school boy secretly delivered hand sanitizer and toilet paper to his elderly neighbors. Nurses sit by dying patients because their families cannot be with them. Such behavior is undergirded by the knowledge that we are not left alone.

There are also stories about people building and stocking bunkers with food and other necessities plus weapons. I find it ironic that people willing to escape to a bunker are unwilling to wear a mask and practice physical distancing because it somehow shackles their personal freedoms. We do not like to deal with a force we cannot control. At this time, there is little we can do to contain the coronavirus. We do have control over how we respond to it and all of the side effects it is having on our society.

A friend sent me an article about how many people are dying alone. She commented that she wondered about that too and particularly about those who have no one routinely checking on them. I responded that we do need to identify those who are alone and let them know people care about them. I then added that I do not believe anyone ever dies alone because God is always with them. God does not leave us orphaned.

Prayer: Lord, help us to see the opportunities we have to be present with those who feel 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.

God With Us

Eastertide

April 17, 2020

Scripture Reading:
1 Peter 1:3-9
Blessed be the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ! By his great mercy he has given us a new birth into a living hope through the resurrection of Jesus Christ from the dead, and into an inheritance that is imperishable, undefiled, and unfading, kept in heaven for you, who are being protected by the power of God through faith for a salvation ready to be revealed in the last time. In this you rejoice, even if now for a little while you have had to suffer various trials, so that the genuineness of your faith—being more precious than gold that, though perishable, is tested by fire—may be found to result in praise and glory and honour when Jesus Christ is revealed. Although you have not seen him, you love him; and even though you do not see him now, you believe in him and rejoice with an indescribable and glorious joy, for you are receiving the outcome of your faith, the salvation of your souls.

Watching the morning news before I write these devotions may not be a good idea. It is an excellent source of my discerning, where I need to direct my prayers. We do suffer various trials. Health care workers are tested by fire. And God loves and cares for all of us, even those who do not believe God exists.

And no, I do not believe God sent this virus to punish any one or all of us. God does allow us to suffer the consequences of our decisions and our society’s decisions. While we do need to return to financial stability, acquiring wealth is never more important than people’s lives, all people’s lives. God created us with brains; God intends for us to use them for good. I do not think parsing theology right now is particularly helpful. I know that sharing the love of God is essential. And in the final analysis, loving God and loving one another is all that matters. The salvation of our souls is not just an event in a distant time or at our deaths. Particularly now, God’s consistent and eternal salvation of our souls is crucial to our traversing the trials we face today and every day.

There is a balm in Gilead
to make the wounded whole,
there is a balm in Gilead
to heal the sin-sick soul.

Sometimes I feel discouraged
and think my work’s in vain,
but then the Holy Spirit
revives my soul again.*

Prayer: We thank you, Lord, for the consistency of your presence as we struggle with the challenges of our world today. Enable us to love like Jesus. Amen.

*Refrain and first verse of There is a Balm in Gilead https://hymnary.org/text/sometimes_i_feel_discouraged_spiritual

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.

Never Alone

Lent

April 8, 2020

Scripture Reading: Psalm 114
When Israel went out from Egypt,
   the house of Jacob from a people of strange language,
Judah became God’s sanctuary,
   Israel his dominion.

The sea looked and fled;
   Jordan turned back.
The mountains skipped like rams,
   the hills like lambs.

Why is it, O sea, that you flee?
   O Jordan, that you turn back?
O mountains, that you skip like rams?
   O hills, like lambs?

Tremble, O earth, at the presence of the Lord,
   at the presence of the God of Jacob,
who turns the rock into a pool of water,
   the flint into a spring of water.

God’s in His Heaven, All’s Right With the World*. It does not feel right; does it? As we shelter at home, we feel impotent to address a virus that does not discriminate as we mourn the loss of so many people and the pain and suffering of many more. We are thankful for living in a country that has some resources. We are also grateful for all those who are risking their own lives to save others. We pray for those in other lands with limited medical care and for all who do not have homes in which to shelter. We thank God for God’s servants who are already among those in such stark need as we do whatever we can from afar to support them.

Our scripture today is a poem describing the experience of the Israelites as they fled Egypt. Going from known oppression to an unknown future is itself daunting. We no more like to live in an out of our control unknown existence than these ancestors in faith. We do serve the same God who loved them and tabernacled with them throughout the 40 years of wandering in the wilderness. They, too, had to be reminded regularly that God’s in His Heaven, All’s Right With the World. We need to say and hear and understand that over and over too.

Prayer: Lord of Life, help us use this experience to grow in spirit and truth as we strive to serve you more nearly. Amen.

*The last line from the poem Pippa’s Song by Robert Browning

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.

Merry Christmas

Christmas Day

December 25, 2019

Scripture Reading: Psalm 148

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 148:13-14

I just read commentaries by various newspaper writers telling about the vitriol in responses they get these days. No seasoned discourse on differences of opinions are written rather they receive nasty name calling, and even threats. How did we get here and, more importantly, how do we move to a better place? Much of what I hear and read expresses extreme frustration resulting in people hitting out at anything they can. I am not sure people understand the source of that frustration.

A feeling of helplessness is perhaps the cause of most frustration without a target. The Good News is we are not helpless. God loves us and sent God’s Son to save us and is with us every step of our way. So, let us focus our energies on following the model Jesus set for us, working together to bring about a world where love, not hate thrives.

I heard the bells on Christmas day
Their old familiar carols play,
And wild and sweet the words repeat
Of peace on earth, good will to men.

Then pealed the bells more loud and deep:
“God is not dead, nor doth he sleep;
The wrong shall fail, the right prevail,
With peace on earth, good will to men*.”

Prayer:
Praise the Lord!
Praise the Lord from the heavens;
   praise him in the heights!
Praise him, all his angels;
   praise him, all his host! (Psalm 148:1-2) Amen

*First and last verse of the hymn I Heard the Bells on Christmas day by Henry Wadsworth Longfellow. See at https://www.churchofjesuschrist.org/music/library/hymns/i-heard-the-bells-on-christmas-day?lang=eng&_r=1

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.

Sustaining Love

Advent

December 22, 2019

Scripture Reading: Matthew 1:18-25

She will bear a son, and you are to name him Jesus, for he will save his people from their sins.’ All this took place to fulfill what had been spoken by the Lord through the prophet:
‘Look, the virgin shall conceive and bear a son,
   and they shall name him Emmanuel’,
which means, ‘God is with us.’ When Joseph awoke from sleep, he did as the angel of the Lord commanded him; he took her as his wife, but had no marital relations with her until she had borne a son; and he named him Jesus. –Matthew 1:21-25

Jesus’ name from the Hebrew Yehoshua/Jehoshua, contracted to Joshua* means Yahweh saves. God creates, God loves us enough to grant us freewill, and God saves us because a mass of humans blessed with freewill sometimes gets things wrong. I think God longs for us to discover what is right, what is just and live righteousness and justice as a choice. The original design of God’s world has its foundation in love, and it will thrive only when we learn to form our lives around love. God set out rules for us to follow to help us live justly. God sent prophets to correct our course. God finally came to dwell among us to show us the ways of love.

We innately know what is right. Rightness comes out in times of disasters. Here in Oklahoma we dubbed it the Oklahoma Standard following the Oklahoma City bombing when most stopped what they were doing and tried to fix what was so terribly broken. What we as God’s people do not seem able to do is sustain God’s love n the good times. The Oklahoma City Thunder basketball team is in a rebuilding mode with different lead players and a host of talented new team members. They have flashes of being a great team, but the coaches and the team members know championships are not won with burst of fervor. They are won by playing a full 48 minutes of quality play with each member of the team and all the coaches giving it their best shot at both offense and defense in every game. The Kingdom of God will be fully actualized when we each and all invest a full lifetime of commitment to loving like God with Us.

Prayer: Thank you Lord for coming to dwell among us showing us how to love and to sustain a world ruled by love. Grant us the synergy with your abiding love to sustain our work at all times toward that vision. Amen.

*https://biblehub.com/greek/2424.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.