Tag Archives: God

Avoiding the Pitfalls of Life

Wedding feastLiving in the Spirit
Light a Candle for Children
October 11, 2014

 Scripture Reading: Matthew 22:1-14

 Once more Jesus spoke to them in parables, saying: ‘The kingdom of heaven may be compared to a king who gave a wedding banquet for his son. He sent his slaves to call those who had been invited to the wedding banquet, but they would not come. — Matthew 22:1-3

Why do you suppose the guest would not come to the wedding? Clearly they are not concerned about how the King would react to such a snub. They have an uncanny lack of political correctness. This group of guest may even have no regard for their own safety or future in the kingdom. Perhaps they feel unworthy to be in the King’s presence or perhaps they worry that they do not have the right clothes to wear. My guess is that, if they are like those of us today, they were so self-absorbed in the everyday routines of life that there was no room left to worry about their neighbor even if the neighbor is a king.

What has set us today at such a frantic pace of ennui—emptiness of spirit? Is it technology pollution or over stimulation from mass communications? Have we lost our sense of hope? Jesus in telling us in this parable that our lack of engagement with God, running our own show doing life our way, is not the answer. Being in sync with God orders all of life so that we can celebrate when it is time to celebrate and love when it is time to love and trust that our future is in God’s hands.

Our challenge is to live our faith such that we are enabling all to come into sync with God. When that happens, the things of this world will not overwhelm us.

Oklahoma Fact: 7% of youth ages 12 to 17 years of age participate in binge alcohol drinking. For young adults 18 to 25 years of age the percentage increases to 38%.*

Prayer: God of Hope, save us from the pitfalls of life that impair our judgment and destroy our potential. Amen.

*http://datacenter.kidscount.org/data/tables/38-binge-alcohol-drinking-among-youths-by-age-group?loc=38&loct=2#detailed/2/38/false/909,857,105,118,104/30,31/14407,315

 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 American. Used by permission. All rights reserved.

 

The Name of God

        Living in the Spirit
Light a Candle for ChildrenGod's name
      September 30, 2014 

Scripture Reading: Exodus 20:1-4, 7-9, 12-20 

You shall not make wrongful use of the name of the Lord your God, for the Lord will not acquit anyone who misuses his name. —Exodus 20:7

I guess I was taught it as a child, but for a long time this verse meant that I was not to use God’s name as a swear word. While I still believe that to be wise counsel, I now think this verse has much deeper and broader meaning and that the NRSV’s interpretation, wrongful use, gets to the heart of my transition in understanding. For example, I do not think it is appropriate for candidates for office to use God’s name as sort of a reference. One’s life and actions should speak for themselves. I also cringe when I see God’s name or Jesus’ being used as part of a sales pitch. In both instances I become immediately skeptical of the candidate or business.

I wonder though, if the misuse of God’s name goes even deeper than that. Is this verse also saying that we need to be very careful about assigning theological interpretations of ways of being and doing to God that are more from our cultures than they are from God? For example, the way we deal with our children is an amalgamation of how our parents were raised and their parents were raised, the events happening in the world at the time, communication styles, and dozens of other factors. I grew up being afraid of Russians, whatever they were, and routinely having drills at school where we would sit under our desks with our heads down to protect us from nuclear bombs. While there was some overkill in those actions, they did address the fears of this world in the years following World War II. Had my parents or my church tied such actions to God, we would most likely still be doing them.

We who call ourselves Christian are called to the difficult task of ferreting out what is of God and what is not. I may oversimplify this process, but I believe that the primary test that must be applied is asking the question: does this pass the test of love? I believe that if we use this as our foundation for life we will much more easily learn what is really important and what is not. So in our culture today, how do we deal with the threat of terrorism, changing sexual mores, or the value of people? What do we need to teach our children about living and being in our world today that is true to God in this time and this place?

 Oklahoma Fact: In 2010 in the US, 78.4% of people identified themselves as Christian.*

Prayer: God, help us discern what is of you and what is not. Help us reflect your love to our children and to the children of our world. Amen.

*http://religions.pewforum.org/reports#

 

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 American. Used by permission. All rights reserved.

Is the Lord among Us or Not?

Child abuseLiving in the Spirit
Light a Candle for Children
September 23, 2014

 Scripture Reading: Exodus 17:1-7 

I will be standing there in front of you on the rock at Horeb. Strike the rock, and water will come out of it, so that the people may drink.’ Moses did so, in the sight of the elders of Israel. He called the place Massah and Meribah, because the Israelites quarreled and tested the Lord, saying, ‘Is the Lord among us or not?’ — Exodus 17:6-7

Oklahoma is currently under a court order to improve its child abuse and neglect response system and we are not yet meeting the goals stipulated in that decree. The numbers of confirmed incidences of child abuse and neglect quoted below are nebulous as they only count the cases that were reported and investigated. No one really knows how many children are being abused or neglected. While additional funding was provided by the legislature in response to the court order, it was not enough. The greatest shame, in my opinion however, is the limited attempts to prevent such occurrences from happening in the first place.

In our scripture today as the Israelites rant and rave about whether the Lord is among them, God has already assured Moses that God is present. God continues to be present to God’s people today and stands ready to assists us in meeting the needs of all of God’s children. We, as the people of God, have a responsibility to our fellow humans to assure that their basic needs are met including living in a safe and nurturing environment. It is called loving our neighbors as we love ourselves. Children particularly need advocates to speak for them. They cannot vote and do not have the power to assure their own safety.

 Oklahoma Fact: in 2012, 9,581 children under the age of 18 were confirmed by child protective services as victims of maltreatment that is 10 out of every 1000 children in the state.*

Prayer: Grant us the insight to see you standing before the solutions to our problems, and the courage to act on your guidance. Amen.

*http://datacenter.kidscount.org/data/tables/6221-children-who-are-confirmed-by-child-protective-services-as-victims-of-maltreatment?loc=38&loct=2#detailed/2/38/false/868,867,133,38,35/any/12943,12942

 

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 American. Used by permission. All rights reserved.

Loss not Toss

JesusCryingEarthLiving in the Spirit
September 9, 2014

 Scripture Reading: Exodus 14:19-31

 So Moses stretched out his hand over the sea, and at dawn the sea returned to its normal depth. As the Egyptians fled before it, the Lord tossed the Egyptians into the sea. The waters returned and covered the chariots and the chariot drivers, the entire army of Pharaoh that had followed them into the sea; not one of them remained. But the Israelites walked on dry ground through the sea, the waters forming a wall for them on their right and on their left.

 Thus the Lord saved Israel that day from the Egyptians; and Israel saw the Egyptians dead on the seashore. Israel saw the great work that the Lord did against the Egyptians. So the people feared the Lord and believed in the Lord and in his servant Moses. —Exodus 14:27-31

He has told you, O mortal, what is good; and what does the Lord require of you but to do justice, and to love kindness, and to walk humbly with your God? –Micah 6:8

Our scripture today is a really tough one for me. As I read it over and over again trying to make sense of it, the little song created around Micah 6:8 kept playing in my mind. The idea of God tossing anyone into the sea is unimaginable. What was God thinking? While our story does not come from this perspective, the Egyptians were God’s children also. Now I can understand the Egyptians having to face the consequences of their own actions, driving recklessly into harm’s way attempting to reclaim their slaves. And I can identify with the Israelites looking back and seeing their oppressors swamped by the returning waters and the Israelites seeing God’s hand in their resulting salvation.

There are a variety of definitions for the Hebrew naar* word translated “tossing” by the NRSV. The word “toss” is not among the definitions in the Strong’s or the NAS Exhaustive Concordances. Overthrew is as is shaken. Among the other words identified as possible meaning, the word “lose” particularly caught my attention. I can image God feeling a great sense of loss from losing the Egyptians.

Prayer: God of all, expand our vision to encompass all your children in our circle of love. Heal the wounds inflicted on us by others enabling us to love them as you do. Heal the wounds of those who strike out at us enabling them to find the wholeness of your love. Amen.

*http://biblehub.com/hebrew/5287.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 American. Used by permission. All rights reserved.

God of Wonder

partingredsea08Living in the Spirit
September 8, 2014

 Scripture Reading: Exodus 14:19-31

 Then Moses stretched out his hand over the sea. The Lord drove the sea back by a strong east wind all night, and turned the sea into dry land; and the waters were divided. The Israelites went into the sea on dry ground, the waters forming a wall for them on their right and on their left. The Egyptians pursued, and went into the sea after them, all of Pharaoh’s horses, chariots, and chariot drivers. At the morning watch the Lord in the pillar of fire and cloud looked down upon the Egyptian army, and threw the Egyptian army into panic. He clogged their chariot wheels so that they turned with difficulty. The Egyptians said, ‘Let us flee from the Israelites, for the Lord is fighting for them against Egypt.’ — Exodus 14:19-25

The second movie I ever saw as a child was The Ten Commandments. Thus Cecil B. DeMille’s rendition of the Israelites crossing the sea will probably always pop into my brain whenever I read our scripture today. I now know that high drama is not reality but in some instances it may speak the truth more than the real situation. The truth is that Moses believed in the God he had encountered in Midian as did apparently at least a fragment of the Israelites back in Egypt. Some were probably revolutionaries itching to fight for their freedom. But for some the tradition of the God of Abraham had remained a vital part of their lives as it was passed down through the generations. The remaining multitudes were hungry for a better life and were willing to follow those who promised it.

The anthropologist Margaret Mead said, Never doubt that a small group of thoughtful, committed citizens can change the world; indeed, it’s the only thing that ever has. She is describing story after story in the Bible. None more obvious than Jesus and his disciples. That is our heritage in faith and one we must cling to in times like these when God’s love is the only solution to the many evils that we face.

We are called to remember the traditions of the first disciples sent by Jesus into the world to spread the news of God’s love, the salvation given us through Jesus Christ, and the guidance of the Holy Spirit. We spread that word best by living it.

Prayer: God of Wonder, keep afresh the dreams you planted in us when we first discovered you. Make them our vision for the world today so that we might live into 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 American. Used by permission. All rights reserved.

The Blame Game

blamegameLiving in the Spirit
August 26, 2014

 Scripture Reading: Exodus 3:1-15 

Then the Lord said, ‘I have observed the misery of my people who are in Egypt; I have heard their cry on account of their taskmasters. Indeed, I know their sufferings, and I have come down to deliver them from the Egyptians, and to bring them up out of that land to a good and broad land,…The cry of the Israelites has now come to me; I have also seen how the Egyptians oppress them. So come, I will send you to Pharaoh to bring my people, the Israelites, out of Egypt.’ But Moses said to God, ‘Who am I that I should go to Pharaoh, and bring the Israelites out of Egypt?’ He said, ‘I will be with you; and this shall be the sign for you that it is I who sent you: when you have brought the people out of Egypt, you shall worship God on this mountain.’ — Exodus 3:7-12

Jesus told us that God counts every hair on our head and knew what was happening with every sparrow. It should not come as a surprise to us then that God was fully aware of the plight of the Israelites. Surely there were many among those slaves calling out to God for mercy, but there were many perhaps who had given up, forgotten about God. God was still keeping an eye on them, too. And God sees the plight of families with children pouring out of Syria, Guatemala, Afghanistan, and Democratic Republic of the Congo in our world today. There are no easy answers to the problems that cause such migration, but we are called to seek solutions and offer assistance.  While it is usually beneficial to analyze what is happening to seek answers, it is a waste of precious time and resources to invest most of our energies in establishing blame.

I once had a supervisor for whom it was very important that she not be seen as the blame for anything that might have gone wrong in our challenging work with abusive and neglectful families. After spending long sessions with her where the time was mostly spent trying to fix blame, my co-workers and I discovered that we could forgo the blame game and get on about the business of addressing the issues, if in some way we would say “It was my fault, and I will never do it again.” That or a similar phrase seemed to lift the burden off her shoulders and free her to become a very good, proactive problem solver.

Jesus essentially did just that at the cross. He took the blame for all our misguided actions to free us to serve as his Body in the world today. We need to get about the business of doing just that.

Prayer: Great I AM, we thank you for the gift of your Son who frees us every day to serve you. And we thank you for hearing our cries and the cries of the oppressed. Show us what our response is to be and enable us to make it happen. 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 American. Used by permission. All rights reserved.

Violence and Love

Living in the Spirit
August 11, 2014 

Scripture Reading: Genesis 45:1-15 

Then Joseph said to his brothers, ‘Come closer to me.’ And they came closer. He said, ‘I am your brother Joseph, whom you sold into Egypt. And now do not be distressed, or angry with yourselves, because you sold me here; for God sent me before you to preserve life. —Genesis 45:4-5

My Sunday school class decided to study the book of 1 Kings this spring. Some felt they did not know much about this section of the Bible. Actually most of us did not know much about it. I am pretty sure now that some wished they hadn’t learned as much as we have. The history of the Kings of Israel following David’s death is pretty gory and cutthroat.

This has, however, been one of the best studies we have done that really forced us to grapple with the nature of God. Does God inflict evil to punish people for their sins? What about the innocents who get caught in the crossfire?  What is the source of evil? How come the “good” kings that are doing God’s will are just as violent or more so then the “bad” kings who did not follow God’s will? Actually using these rather barbaric stories by modern standards provide excellent fodder for dealing with such issues that occur in our world every day albeit usually at a less extreme level.

In our story today, Joseph has interpreted his brother’s selling him into slavery as a good thing. He says the result was that God sent Joseph ahead to preserve life, not only the lives of his family but the lives of many people throughout that area impacted by the famine. One thing my class pretty much agreed on in our study of Kings was that God works God’s purpose out in whatever muck we may throw at God.

So where does that leave us? There are a lot of really evil things that happen in our world every day. We as followers of Jesus Christ have chosen a path for life that is paved with love. God is working toward a world ruled by that love. We are called to work beside God and with God to the end that love will overcome evil. It actually already has in the Resurrection of our Lord Jesus Christ.

Prayer: God who is Love, we don’t understand the violence of the Israelite kingdoms some three thousand years ago any better than we understand the violence in our world today. We do know that your desire is that we live love in all that we do. We do know that we can only do that through your amazing grace. Strengthen us for the tasks you set before us. 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 American. Used by permission. All rights reserved.

Saved for What?

Living in the Spirit
August 7, 2014

 Scripture Reading: Romans 10:5-15

 Moses writes concerning the righteousness that comes from the law, that ‘the person who does these things will live by them.’ …because if you confess with your lips that Jesus is Lord and believe in your heart that God raised him from the dead, you will be saved. For one believes with the heart and so is justified, and one confesses with the mouth and so is saved. The scripture says, ‘No one who believes in him will be put to shame.’ For there is no distinction between Jew and Greek; the same Lord is Lord of all and is generous to all who call on him. For, ‘Everyone who calls on the name of the Lord shall be saved.’ — Romans 10:5, 9-13

I am thankful for people like N. T. Wright* who help me understand where I have landed when I jump right into the middle of a scripture that deals with issues of the first century. Particularly how those issues relate to the history of God recorded in the Hebrew Bible to which Paul often turns as he does in this scripture today. This background is crucial to our understanding, but since my purpose in writing these daily devotions is to draw attention to wholeness, oneness, and justice, I ask your indulgence, if I head immediately in toward those subjects and recommend further study regarding the wealth of learning that can be excised from this scripture as you will find in the citation below regarding The New Interpreter’s Bible.

The word “saved” translated from the Greek may have a different connotation than our use of the word today would suggest.  Merriam-Webster Dictionary suggests “hoarded” as a synonym for the word “saved”.  Somehow, “hoarded” does not seem remotely connected with Jesus’ intentions, although it may be the way we sometimes live out our faith. I am reminded of the parable of the rich fool who built bigger barns to store his abundance. (Luke 12:13-21) The Greek suggest that saved has the connotation to deliver out of danger and into safety; used principally of God rescuing believers from the penalty and power of sin – and into His provisions (safety).**

If God is not a hoarder, than surely God has some purpose in delivering us out of danger and rescuing us from the power of sin. Our primary purpose is to love God and to love one another to the extent that we become one together in a just world. We have been saved to make that happen.

Prayer: Give me the courage and the wisdom in joining with each of your other servants in loving myself and each of your other children into wholeness, oneness, and justice. Amen.

*The New Interpreter’s Bible in Twelve Volumes, Volume X, The Letter to the Romans, Introduction, Commentary, and Reflections by N. T. Wright. Abingdon Press, 2002.
**From Strong’s Concordance at http://biblehub.com/greek/4982.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 American. Used by permission. All rights reserved.

Sent Ahead

Living in the Spirit
August 6, 2014

 Scripture Reading: Psalm 105:1-6, 16-22, 45b Death from The weavers revolt

When he summoned famine against the land,
and broke every staff of bread,
he had sent a man ahead of them,
Joseph, who was sold as a slave. 

The king sent and released him;
the ruler of the peoples set him free.
He made him lord of his house,and ruler of all his possessions,
to instruct his officials at his pleasure, and to teach his elders wisdom. — Psalm105:16-17, 20-22

The picture by Kathe Kollwitz, Death, from the series The Weavers’ Revolt illustrates the hopelessness of famine. In a hovel of a room, a woman stands before her child with an empty bowl between them. Death in the form of a skeleton wraps one arm around the child while the other hand rest on the father slumped in death.

In our scripture today the Psalmist recognizes the trait of God that turns evil into good. In this instance the evil was Joseph’s brothers selling him into slavery. The good was turning Joseph into a well-placed leader who foresaw the calamity coming and stored up food for the time of famine. It has been debated for years whether God punishes people via natural or even man-made disasters. I guess I rationalize the answer. I do believe we have to face the consequences of our own actions. I don’t believe that God ever wants any of God’s people to starve. I do believe we as followers of Christ are called to feed the hungry and otherwise address the needs of all of God’s children throughout the world.

Famine has been a challenge throughout history. Even today scientist work to develop food that can be used to nourish the starving in some parts of our world as we still try to fight for the precious lives of children and their parents. Perhaps we are the contemporary Joseph’s, the ones who have been sent ahead to prepare for such disasters.

Prayer: Give us the wisdom to not only feed the hungry but to also help them become self-sustaining. 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 American. Used by permission. All rights reserved

 

 

Abide with Me

Living in the Spirit
August 1, 2014

 Scripture Reading: Romans 9:1-5

 They are Israelites, and to them belong the adoption, the glory, the covenants, the giving of the law, the worship, and the promises; to them belong the patriarchs, and from them, according to the flesh, comes the Messiah, who is over all, God blessed for ever. Amen. — Romans 9:4-5

What Christians have traditionally called the “Old Testament” is called the Hebrew Bible among many today. Whatever we call it, it is the history of God’s working among and through the Hebrew people told in story, poetry, wisdom literature, and the listing of laws.

What I have found about this part of the Bible is a profound understanding that people are just people set in different times and places. We laugh, we cry, we live we die, we love, we hate, and we spiral up and we spiral down moving near to and pulling far away from God. God’s message from the beginning has been: abide with me and I will abide with you. Yet we are challenged at every turn by things that are just that: things of no real value that entice us away from walking with God.

Where we abide is a choice. Our relationship with God is an intentional act. God stated our Lord’s intentions from the beginning, it is now our turn. For any relationship to thrive we must invest the hard work of communicating and sharing our lives. This is true with others. This is true with God.

Prayer: Let me abide in your tent for ever, find refuge under the shelter of your wings.(Psalm 61:4) Amen.