Tag Archives: God’s Love

Made to be a Kingdom

tips169Eastertide
March 31, 2016

Scripture Reading: Revelation 1:4-8

John to the seven churches that are in Asia:

 Grace to you and peace from him who is and who was and who is to come, and from the seven spirits who are before his throne, and from Jesus Christ, the faithful witness, the firstborn of the dead, and the ruler of the kings of the earth.

 To him who loves us and freed us from our sins by his blood, and made us to be a kingdom, priests serving his God and Father, to him be glory and dominion for ever and ever. Amen. –Revelation 1:4-6

We have been made to be a kingdom. What does that mean? Does it describe our interdependence? Do we need each other to thrive and live in God’s abundant love? Does that mean all of God’s children are included in such a kingdom? These are fundamental questions about which we each must struggle if we are to make sense of our purpose on earth.

In Matthew 29:19-20 Jesus sends us out into the world with these words: Go therefore and make disciples of all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit, and teaching them to obey everything that I have commanded you. And remember, I am with you always, to the end of the age.’

In John 17:22-23 Jesus prayed: 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.

If we hold to the hope that God’s love is unconditional for each of us, then we must understand that God’s love is unconditional for all. We have not been granted the authority to place conditions on each other and we have been commanded to love one another. Easier said than done. I understand that to mean that God’s kingdom is faith fed, not fear bound; inclusive, not exclusive; empathetic, not judgmental; and sharing, not hoarding. What do you think?

Prayer: Lord, show us how to overcome the fears and drives that separate us from one another and limit our ability to be one as you so deeply desired. 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.

Praise the Lord!

praise the LordEastertide
March 30, 2016

Scripture Reading: Psalm 150
Praise the Lord!
Praise God in his sanctuary;
   praise him in his mighty firmament!
Praise him for his mighty deeds;
   praise him according to his surpassing greatness!  

Praise him with trumpet sound;
   praise him with lute and harp!
Praise him with tambourine and dance;
   praise him with strings and pipe!
Praise him with clanging cymbals;
   praise him with loud clashing cymbals!
Let everything that breathes praise the Lord!
Praise the Lord!

Praise the Lord! Is a phrase uttered in many different circumstances. Read from Psalm 150 it is associated with absolute joy. My church has a tradition of singing Handel’s Hallelujah Chorus at the close of worship on Easter Sunday. It is a robust making of joyful noise to the Lord.

I have heard Praise the Lord! uttered from people discovering that everyone in their household survived a tornado that destroyed their homes, their vehicles, and for some their tools of work. Actually, I have heard it shouted with arms raised when a family pet has been to discovered alive after such a storm.

The birth of a child is a source of great praise to God as is successful surgery or other sources of healing. And I have heard it said in grateful appreciation of their service and love when one of the saints of the church returns to his or her maker.

We praise the Lord not as a special occasion but as a response to God’s abiding presence in every breath we take for it is one way we can thank God for the wonder of his abiding love.

Prayer: Praise the Lord!

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 Power of the Resurrection

resurrection-1Lent
March 11, 2016

Scripture Reading: Philippians 3:4b-14

I want to know Christ and the power of his resurrection and the sharing of his sufferings by becoming like him in his death, if somehow I may attain the resurrection from the dead.

 Not that I have already obtained this or have already reached the goal; but I press on to make it my own, because Christ Jesus has made me his own. Beloved, I do not consider that I have made it my own; but this one thing I do: forgetting what lies behind and straining forward to what lies ahead, I press on towards the goal for the prize of the heavenly call of God in Christ Jesus.
 –Philippians 3:10-14

Approximately halfway through Lent, it might be a good idea to consider just what we think about the power of Jesus’ resurrection. First do we appreciate its power? There are lots of books written about the resurrection some thinking it a symbolic representation of God’s presence with us; others strongly accepting the bodily resurrection. I must confess I do get amused sometimes at the lengths we go trying to wrap our minds around the infinite. Getting to know the heart of God is a lifelong task and I, for one, don’t plan to stop my pursuit.

The first thing in considering the power of the resurrection is that in 2016 it still matters. One man who walked the earth some 2000+ years ago turned the world upside down. Now that is power. It is so much power that political pundits today seem to have the need to use it for their own purposes as have others.

The most important aspect of the power of the resurrection for most of us, if we really stop to think about it, is how very much love it demonstrates for each of us and all of us.

Prayer: Lord, we adore you, lay our lives before you because you loved us first and showed us what love is and how to love. 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 Long Walk Home

slide_carpool-272x222Epiphany
February 7, 2016

Scripture Reading: Luke 9:28-36

Just as they were leaving him, Peter said to Jesus, ‘Master, it is good for us to be here; let us make three dwellings, one for you, one for Moses, and one for Elijah’—not knowing what he said. While he was saying this, a cloud came and overshadowed them; and they were terrified as they entered the cloud. Then from the cloud came a voice that said, ‘This is my Son, my Chosen; listen to him!’ When the voice had spoken, Jesus was found alone. And they kept silent and in those days told no one any of the things they had seen. –Luke 9:33-36

Have you ever had one of those moments when you made a life-changing decision that was way out of your comfort zone, but about which you were totally comfortable? I think that is what the Transfiguration was for Jesus, and, no doubt, in retrospect for the disciples who were with him as well.

The world is too much with me right now and so last night I watched a movie made in 1990, which I did not know had ever been made: The Long Walk Home. I found it by searching Netflix’s. It is the story of an upper middleclass white woman in Montgomery, Alabama and her black maid during the days following Rosa Parks’ famous stand or, seat might be a better descriptor, on a bus. Here actions were followed by a bus boycott by the black community. By refusing to take the bus the maid was forced to walk a long distance to get to her job. The white woman, without her husband’s knowledge, started driving her maid to work two days a week. The movie is about both women and their struggles to decide their responses. The white woman eventually ended up being a part of a brigade of both blacks and whites who drove blacks to and from work every day during the boycott. In a final showdown when a group of white men, including the white woman’s husband and brother-in-law, intervened to put an end to the white driver’s actions, the white woman reached that point of becoming totally comfortable with the totally uncomfortable and joined the line of black women standing and singing a hymn in the face of the angry mob.

Jesus set the example for this type of courage as he turned his face toward Jerusalem and his final confrontation with the principalities and powers that stood against everything God intended for God’s people. He was blessed with the encouragement of his ancestors in faith Moses and Elijah. We, too, are blessed with such a great cloud of witnesses led by Jesus Christ. With God’s strength we can face whatever forces try to break us from the love of God as we follow his Son’s lead.

Prayer: Lord, keep our eyes on the goal of your love overcoming the world and guide us in our Long Walk Home to your Kingdom. 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.

Words

lbb psalm 141 3 jpgEpiphany
January 2, 2016

Scripture Reading: Psalm 19

Let the words of my mouth and the meditation of my heart
   be acceptable to you,
   O Lord, my rock and my redeemer. –Psalm 19:14

How often I have prayed these words but they never grow outdated or stale. Sometimes I couple them with Psalms 141:3 Set a guard over my mouth, O Lord; keep watch over the door of my lips. Or James 1:26 If any think they are religious, and do not bridle their tongues but deceive their hearts, their religion is worthless.

Words are important, not only for the facts they may or may not communicate, but also for the damage they can do that sometimes can never be undone. I dashed off a quick email to someone just yesterday volunteering my help in doing some writing. When I just perchance reread it after sending it, I found wrong words that in this case made the sentences nonsense but in other cases could have changed the whole meaning of what was intended.

There are a lot of words floating around through our world today probably resulting from fear and frustration or perhaps hopelessness, but that are hurtful to some and incendiary for others. If ever we have needed this scripture and God’s abiding presence guiding our language it is now.

Words, too, can be healing and soothing, lessening fear and giving hope. Let us strive to salt our language with these words.

Prayer: Lord, you challenged us to be the salt of the earth. Help us season the world with our words derived from your love. 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.

Water into Wine

Water-To-WineEpiphany
January 17, 2016

Scripture Reading: John 2:1-11

And Jesus said to [his mother], ‘Woman, what concern is that to you and to me? My hour has not yet come.’ His mother said to the servants, ‘Do whatever he tells you.’ Now standing there were six stone water-jars for the Jewish rites of purification, each holding twenty or thirty gallons. Jesus said to them, ‘Fill the jars with water.’ And they filled them up to the brim. He said to them, ‘Now draw some out, and take it to the chief steward.’ So they took it. When the steward tasted the water that had become wine, and did not know where it came from (though the servants who had drawn the water knew), the steward called the bridegroom and said to him, ‘Everyone serves the good wine first, and then the inferior wine after the guests have become drunk. But you have kept the good wine until now.’ Jesus did this, the first of his signs, in Cana of Galilee, and revealed his glory; and his disciples believed in him. –John 2:4-11

Years ago, when the Oklahoma Christian Home was in Edmond, Oklahoma; local Christian Churches (DOC) took turns holding a worship service in the Home’s chapel each Sunday afternoon. The local church planned the service but the Home provided the Communion elements. The attendance was not high as only the patients that were mobile enough to come to the chapel attended. My church thought it would be nice to take the entire choir to do an anthem at the service. It was close, but there were probably as many of us as there were of them. The Home did not have enough grape juice to fill the cups needed for we extra guest so they improvised and added a little water to what they did have so all could partake. The choir had taken of communion that morning and kept saying that’s ok we don’t need to participate. But that is not the way of faith and so we accepted their hospitality. It may have been the best Communion elements I had ever taken, although the coke and popcorn we had in youth group some years earlier left a positive impression also.

I think of Communion when I read the scripture for today, and I remember partaking of watered-down grape juice, which in its own way was also saving the best for last. The act of wanting the very best for another is an act of love, not an act of ritual. There is much symbolism in this scripture using the jars that were to hold the purification waters. While we all strive to be clean on the outside as well as on the inside, it, in the final analysis, is the love of God that makes us whole.

Prayer: God of Grace, we thank you for sending your Son, to teach us about your love. 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.

Living Love

heart-of-love2Epiphany
January 14, 2016

Scripture Reading: 1 Corinthians 12:1-11

Now concerning spiritual gifts, brothers and sisters, I do not want you to be uninformed. You know that when you were pagans, you were enticed and led astray to idols that could not speak. Therefore I want you to understand that no one speaking by the Spirit of God ever says ‘Let Jesus be cursed!’ and no one can say ‘Jesus is Lord’ except by the Holy Spirit. –1Corinthians 12:1-3

Is Paul teaching tolerance here? Or perhaps, is he letting people know that they do not benefit from claiming a corner on the Jesus market? We no doubt in our world today need to be attentive to both messages. I must confess, I bristle a bit, when I hear things being proclaim in the name of Jesus that are totally alien to my faith. I, too, am sure that others have heard me say things that they consider to be heresy. How do we deal with faith elitism?

Mark 9:38-41 might give us some food for thought:

John said to him, ‘Teacher, we saw someone casting out demons in your name, and we tried to stop him, because he was not following us.’ But Jesus said, ‘Do not stop him; for no one who does a deed of power in my name will be able soon afterwards to speak evil of me. Whoever is not against us is for us. For truly I tell you, whoever gives you a cup of water to drink because you bear the name of Christ will by no means lose the reward.

We are sent as messengers to love God and love one another. By living love we fulfill our role in the Kingdom of God. It is a hard assignment and it will take a lifetime to get it right. Living love all the time leaves us no time to judge others for their understanding of God.

Prayer: Lord, strengthen my ability to live love as you showed 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.

Nations and God

God of our fathersEpiphany
January 11, 2016

Scripture Reading: Isaiah 62:1-5

For Zion’s sake I will not keep silent,
   and for Jerusalem’s sake I will not rest,
until her vindication shines out like the dawn,
   and her salvation like a burning torch.
The nations shall see your vindication,
   and all the kings your glory;
and you shall be called by a new name
   that the mouth of the Lord will give. –Isaiah 62:1-2

The Oklahoma City Philharmonic Orchestra opens its classics presentations with the playing and singing of the American National Anthem. Recently at the symphony, a young couple sat next to me, who spoke very good English as they excused their way past me to take their seats, but conversed with each other in what I think was Chinese. I guessed they were foreign exchange students and observed their attention increase when the internationally renowned guest pianist walked onto the stage. When the first note of the National Anthem played, the entire audience rose to our feet. The young couple also stood, it was a very polite and appropriate action even though they did not owe allegiance to our country and they most likely did not know the words to the song.

Isaiah’s writing for today made me wonder what is my allegiance to my country from the viewpoint of my faith. I am a very strong believer in the separation of church and state. Pleased to live in a free society that attempts to recognize the rights of all to follow the faith of their choice. I also understand how fragile nations are in the annals of history. It is important that we care for those things about our nation that are important to us. I am not talking about a façade of patriotism. I am talking about leaving a legacy of religious freedom for our posterity like my ancestors did for me.

It seems to me that God’s kingdom is founded on love and it is impossible to make anyone love another. I do not think God wants us to ever try to force anyone to love God. God loves each of God’s children and wants nothing more than to have that love reciprocated, but not by human manipulation. Christ’s partners in kingdom building are far more successful in introducing those, who do not know God, to God by loving them the way God loves each of us. We cannot legislate the Kingdom of God into reality.

Prayer: God so empower our ability to love each other that our nation is known for its love not its laws. 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.

Keep on Singing

sing-a-new-song_21228669Christmas
December 29, 2015

 Scripture Reading: Jeremiah 31:7-14

They shall come and sing aloud on the height of Zion,
   and they shall be radiant over the goodness of the Lord,
over the grain, the wine, and the oil,
   and over the young of the flock and the herd;
their life shall become like a watered garden,
   and they shall never languish again. –Jeremiah 31:12

It seems like I have had this cold forever. It robbed me of voice at a time when I love to sing, the Advent/Christmas season. I actually, unusually, chose not to attend the Christmas Eve service because my coughing might have over shadowed the service. I, of course, could still listen to music, but it is not the same as singing and singing alone is not the same as singing with a group.

Following in the way of Jesus is not a spectator activity whether we are worshipping God or serving others. We are called to be on the playing field or court when called, and to be on the bench ready to go at all times when we are not in play. I have heard or read a lot about the difference in whether a sport’s team wins or loses. It is not so much about the game plan as it is about the energy and the consistency of the energy the players invest in the game. The truth applies to all of life and especially to our life in Christ whose game plan is solid and worthy of our trust.

So let us all go forth today to take care of the business of being in Christ for he is with us to sustain us and to never languish in his work.

Sing a song full of the faith that the dark past has taught us,
Sing a song full of the hope that the present has brought us;
Facing the rising sun of our new day begun,
Let us march on till victory is won*.

Prayer: Lord, keep your song in our hearts and energize us to sing your love through how we live our lives. Amen.

From the first verse of Lift every voice and sing words by James W. Johnson see at http://www.cyberhymnal.org/htm/l/i/liftevry.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 with Us

Let all mortal fleshChristmas
December 25, 2015

Scripture Reading: Colossians 3:12-17

And let the peace of Christ rule in your hearts, to which indeed you were called in the one body. And be thankful. Let the word of Christ dwell in you richly; teach and admonish one another in all wisdom; and with gratitude in your hearts sing psalms, hymns, and spiritual songs to God. And whatever you do, in word or deed, do everything in the name of the Lord Jesus, giving thanks to God the Father through him. –Colossians 3:15-17

Years ago when I first moved to Oklahoma City and started attended a much larger church in membership as well as structure than I had ever been in before, I marveled at the beauty of music, I had never sung before. At one of the first Christmas Eve services I attended we sang the hymn, Let all Mortal Flesh Keep Silence. I have since thought it captures this day the best.

 Let all mortal flesh keep silence,
and with fear and trembling stand;
set your minds on things eternal,
for with blessing in his hand
Christ our God to earth descended,
come our homage to command*.

There is indeed a song in the air in the presence and welcoming of Emmanuel, God with us. We sing because we are happy; we sing because we are sad, angry, remorseful, full of hope and hopeless. We sing because we are God’s people within whom God planted music deeply in our souls. The music is a love song: “Chose to come with me and whatever we face, we face together.” Whatever song needs to be sung is always sung together whether in sorrow or hope, dissonance or harmony.

Prayer: Lord, forever keep your song in our hearts. Amen.

*First verse of Let All Mortal Flesh Keep Silence. See at http://www.hymnary.org/text/let_all_mortal_flesh_keep_silence

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.