Tag Archives: God’s Love

Bread of Heaven

2013_04_07-i-am-the-breadoflife2Living in the Spirit
August 16, 2015

Scripture Reading: John 6:51-58

52 The Jews then disputed among themselves, saying, “How can this man give us his flesh to eat?” 53 So Jesus said to them, “Very truly, I tell you, unless you eat the flesh of the Son of Man and drink his blood, you have no life in you. 54 Those who eat my flesh and drink my blood have eternal life, and I will raise them up on the last day; 55 for my flesh is true food and my blood is true drink. 56 Those who eat my flesh and drink my blood abide in me, and I in them. 57 Just as the living Father sent me, and I live because of the Father, so whoever eats me will live because of me. 58 This is the bread that came down from heaven, not like that which your ancestors ate, and they died. But the one who eats this bread will live forever.” –John 6:52-58

We do give flesh today and continue to live. People donate a kidney to a loved one or perhaps a stranger whose own kidney’s no longer function. Even part of a liver can be donated for transplantation to save a life. Of course, upon death our whole bodies are rich sources of the continuance of life for others—bone, skin, corneas, hearts, and lungs. Now even hands can be transplanted making life more meaningful, not just extending it.

Jesus is not just talking about eating actual flesh or drinking actual blood. Jesus is talking about the source of life at its core. The mystery of our being is inexplicably entwined with God. In a sense, God transplanted part of God’s self in each of us as we were created in God’s image. While God’s image can never be removed from our being, we can chose not to cherish it, not to nurture it, not to love in return the very source of our being, but to do so is our greatest loss.

Jesus was sent by God to give us life abundantly—the richness of knowing God more nearly. It is a gift to be celebrated.

Prayer: Bread of heaven, bread of heaven, feed me ’til I want no more.* Amen.

*Chorus from Bread of Heaven by John V. Kee see at http://www.elyrics.net/read/j/john-p.-kee-lyrics/bread-of-heaven-lyrics.html
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.

Being the Body of Christ

 

Living in the Spirit
August 13, 2015problem-of-evil

Scripture Reading: Ephesians 5:15-20 Be careful then how you live, not as unwise people but as wise, making the most of the time, because the days are evil. So do not be foolish, but understand what the will of the Lord is. –Ephesians 5:15-17

Evil days, I suppose that means times—evil times, but it seems like evil is raising its ugly head every day, several times a day. How else do we make sense of two teenaged brothers, allegedly hacking their parents and three younger siblings to death and injuring seriously a 13 year old sister or a man alleged to have kill eight people including six children, some may have been his own, in what was called a domestic dispute? Two stories plucked from the news are just the tip of the iceberg of dysfunctional families and the dire consequences of their lives. If this is happening in families is it any wonder our world seems to have an unlimited supply of lone-wolf and other terrorist ready to strike at will.

Such tragedies occur in both non-religious and very religious families. Sometimes, I feel, we as the called Body of Christ on the earth today have failed miserably at our task of spreading the good news that God’s love is abundant and does not discriminate. Of course, to spread that news we must love abundantly and not discriminate.

When I was in college, and that was more than a few years ago, I heard the story of another student who was volunteering to help at Sunday school at a local church. A woman came to the church and brought her toddler son. Both were dressed poorly. The child was left in the nursery while the mother attended church and when she picked him up he had a note pinned to his shirt saying something to the effect that children attending this church wear church clothes on Sunday. She never went back.

When discerning the will of God we might start with Micah 6:8: 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?

Prayer: God of grace and God of glory on your people pour your powers* so that we might spread your love throughout the world. Amen.

*from God of Grace and God of Glory by Harry E. Fosdick see at http://www.cyberhymnal.org/htm/g/o/godgrace.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.

What’s in it for Me?

goal3_smLiving in the Spirit
August 2, 2015

Scripture Reading: John 6:24-35

What must we do to perform the works of God? Jesus answered the, “This is the work of God, that you believe in him whom he has sent.” So they said to him, “What sign are you going to give us then, so that we may see it and believe you? What work are you performing? Our ancestors ate the manna in the wilderness, as it is written, ‘He gave them bread from heaven to eat.’” Then Jesus said to them, “Very truly, I tell you, it was not Moses who gave you the bread from heaven, but it is my Father who gives you the true bread from Heaven. For the bread of God is that which comes down from heaven and gives life to the world.” They said to him, “Sir, give us this bread always.” Jesus said to them, “I am the bread of life. Whoever comes to me will never be hungry, and whoever believes in me will never be thirsty. –John 28b-35

What’s in it for me? Jesus’ answer is essentially: Everything—meaning to life, wholeness, oneness within the Body of Christ, love, fulfillment, and justice. His followers were targeting the lesser things, food for the body but not necessarily for the soul.

I worked for wages from the time I was 15 years old and for 35 years for the State of Oklahoma where I participated in a defined benefit retirement system that theoretically will be there for me for the rest of my life. It ultimately is controlled by the legislature who does not have a good track record with the public trust. It may seem strange but it was really hard for me to accept deep within my being that I would be getting a check every month without working. I rather held my breath until the first retirement check was deposited into my bank account and still do as I read reports of proposed shenanigans of our elected officials who seem more and more interested in there key supporters good than the common good.

I enjoyed all of my paid jobs most of the time, but there are occasions in any job when we have to do things that we really do not enjoy. While it may seem weird to some people, I like to work. What those defined benefits have allowed me to do is to define what I do and when I do it.

In our scripture today, I think Jesus is talking about living the fullness of life within the framework of his love no one can take away and that is more important than anything. Recognizing God’s love in its proper place in our lives is rather like receiving a defined benefit that has already been fully vested and is under the control of the Trusted One. Such a plan opens the door for our loving like Jesus without fear of not having enough love to sustain us.

Prayer: Thank you Lord for the gift of your abundant love. Let is empower each of us to love like Jesus loves. 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.

 

Awash with Greed

overcoming-greed-500x500Living in the Spirit
August 1, 2015

Scripture Reading: John 6:24-35

When they found him on the other side of the lake, they said to him, ‘Rabbi, when did you come here?’ Jesus answered them, ‘Very truly, I tell you, you are looking for me, not because you saw signs, but because you ate your fill of the loaves. Do not work for the food that perishes, but for the food that endures for eternal life, which the Son of Man will give you. For it is on him that God the Father has set his seal.’ –John 6:25-27 

There is an ad running on TV now for some kind of asthma medicine. It includes a talking gold fish flopping around on a solid service out of water, gasping for breath. I think the gold fish is not only an apt portrayal of the way an asthma sufferer must feel, but it also seems to me, it is a great illustration of an American society overcome with an epidemic of greed. We cannot get off the hard surface and back into our source of life.

The news is blatant with greed like the need to deflate footballs to win big games, thus cheating to win at any cost except for the financial rewards of the big win. A man paid $50,000+ for the right to kill a beloved lion in Africa. Politicians will say anything to fire up support among the masses, but their policies only seem concerned with maintaining the backing of the people who own them. We have an unaccountable disconnect between the need to actually pay for the services required to support the common good and the resulting necessity of taxation. We all want our cake and to eat it too.

Jesus called his followers out on this very issue in our scripture today. “Hey, man, this guy is handing out free bread and fish. Let’s go.” While Jesus did meet the immediate need for physical sustenance, he wanted the people to prioritize their lives toward seeking the eternal nurture of God’s abiding love.

Prayer: Lord, heal us of the greed that overcomes us. Help is to see the better way and to follow 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 American. Used by permission. All rights reserved.

Legacy

Legacy of LoveLiving in the Spirit
July 14, 2015

Scripture Reading: 2 Samuel 7:1-14a

When your days are fulfilled and you lie down with your ancestors, I will raise up your offspring after you, who shall come forth from your body, and I will establish his kingdom. He shall build a house for my name, and I will establish the throne of his kingdom for ever. I will be a father to him, and he shall be a son to me. When he commits iniquity, I will punish him with a rod such as mortals use, with blows inflicted by human beings. –2 Samuel 7:12-14a

I was at my sisters for the 4th of July and learned that her 12 year old grandson had taken up the ukulele. She and he played a duet for us, Dustin on his ukulele and she on the piano. As I sat and watched them play, a very clear picture of my father flashed into my mind. He would have been so proud of his great grandson. He died many years before Dustin was even born, but most nights when I was a child after we kids went to bed, we would be lulled to sleep listening to my dad play his guitar and sing.

In the story of Nathan and his discussions with David about building a house for God, we hear God saying what David passes on to his sons about God is more important than any building he could put up to honor God.

What legacy are we passing on to the children of our world today? Some are thriving and learning of God’s love and how to love one another in comfortable homes with adequate food and clothing. Others are learning to survive on mean streets in as many ways as it takes. Still others, in parts of our world, would be thrilled to have only a mean street to face as they risk their lives fleeing from war’s atrocities living and dying with no hope.

God has granted us as humans finite time and energy to bring toward fruition a world reflecting God’s love. When we choose to use these resources unwisely we pass on a more troubled world with which our children must deal. Our working to infuse the world with God’s love will reduce the threat of those mean streets and bring hope to the hopeless creating a world where all of God’s children will be able to worship God in peace and with justice.

Prayer: God of Faith, Hope, and Love, heal our souls so that we might love like you love and leave a legacy of love for our children. 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.

God’s Purpose for Us

Purpose RomansLiving in the Spirit
June 3, 2015

Scripture Reading: Psalm 138

Though I walk in the midst of trouble,
   you preserve me against the wrath of my enemies;
you stretch out your hand,
   and your right hand delivers me.
The Lord will fulfil his purpose for me;
   your steadfast love, O Lord, endures for ever.
   Do not forsake the work of your hands. –Psalm 138: 7-8

Several years ago there was a popular saying, God Doesn’t Make Junk, referring to all the earth and all the plants and animals including humans that dwell on it. Junk is something that is more than worthless; it is in the way, a nuisance.

Our Psalm today tells us that we were each created with a purpose and the Lord will fulfil that purpose. Now how does God fulfil our purpose? Does it first take our commitment to God? The Psalm does not speak to any commitment on our part? Does it mean right now, in the midst of all the trouble spoken about earlier? Or does it mean on the day of the Lord when all things will be set right?

The answer seems to be all of the above. God did not create anything without purpose. I do think God wants us to choose to partner with God, to love the Lord as the Lord loves us. I think God hardwired us so that fulfilling our purpose is our greatest source of joy and thus it makes sense in the day of the Lord we will be fulfilled. But I think God wants us to experience a taste of joy in the here and now, even in the midst of trouble.

I watched a report on the news the other evening about all the junk that ended up in the Oklahoma River flowing through Oklahoma City as a result of the torrential rains and heavy flooding we have been receiving. Human lives have been lost as have homes and crops and animals. The man who was operating the machine extracting the junk from the river said he routinely cleans the river of debris but he had never seen this much before. I could not help but notice his sense of satisfaction in being able to do something positive in the midst of trouble. There is joy in in the here and how.

Prayer: Lord, help us to show our love for you by pursuing your purpose for us right here and right now. 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.

Adoption

Living in the Spirit
May 28, 2015

Scripture Reading: Romans 8:12-17

So then, brothers and sisters, we are debtors, not to the flesh, to live according to the flesh— for if you live according to the flesh, you will die; but if by the Spirit you put to death the deeds of the body, you will live. For all who are led by the Spirit of God are children of God. For you did not receive a spirit of slavery to fall back into fear, but you have received a spirit of adoption. –Romans 8:12-15

I worked as an adoption specialist for a couple of years at the beginning of my career as a social worker. One of my tasks was to do the adoption study that determined whether an individual or couple would meet the standards required to care for a child. These adoption allplicants also specified what type of child or children they wanted. Having also worked with many teen parents, I wished often that someone had touched their lives at some point to help them understand that postponing parenthood might result in better outcomes for the parent and the child. It was an odd place to find myself caught between those wanting children and those having them whether they wanted them or not. It was also the time in our culture when most teen parents were beginning to choose to keep their babies.

It struck me when I read our scripture today that God accepts any who come to God just as they are—not only an infant whose mother had no history of drug abuse, did well in school, and knew who the father was. As an adoption worker, I thought it was important that potential adoptive parents recognize what they could handle and what they could not, because as an adoption worker, I experienced the pain of receiving back children returned from adoptions that did not work.

God though takes us all, and works to make each of us whole. What a blessing, what a gift of love is the adoption of God.

Prayer: Lord, we thank you for receiving us as your precious children and for your continuing love that makes us whole. 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.

Deep Roots

Jesus winnowing wheatEastertide
May 13, 2015

Scripture Reading: Psalm 1

Happy are those
   who do not follow the advice of the wicked,
or take the path that sinners tread,
   or sit in the seat of scoffers;
 but their delight is in the law of the Lord,
  and on his law they meditate day and night.
 They are like trees
   planted by streams of water,
which yield their fruit in its season,
   and their leaves do not wither.
In all that they do, they prosper.

The wicked are not so,
   but are like chaff that the wind drives away.
Therefore the wicked will not stand in the judgment,
   nor sinners in the congregation of the righteous;
or the Lord watches over the way of the righteous,
   but the way of the wicked will perish.

Although Oklahoma has been suffering from the results of a serious draught for a few years now, recently some parts of the state have literally been flooded with too much rain in too little time. In both instances, the depth and the stamina of the roots of plants are what determines whether they continue to grow and bear fruit. It is the depths and the stamina of our roots in Jesus Christ that control whether we bear fruit for the Kingdom of God.

Jesus used agricultural imagery to describe our work in his service. The Parable of Weeds among the Wheat in Matthew 13 describes his direction to let the weeds sown among the wheat continue to grow and he would deal with them. Our job is to continue to live our lives in the way of Jesus and to share with others Jesus’ teachings about his way. It is a full time job to love as Jesus loved and to share that love with others. We cannot fulfill these obligations if we are investing most of our time and energies condemning others. While God may work through us and our love to reach those who do not know God, the Lord is the one who saves us all when we fail to follow the path.

God’s act of salvation through Jesus Christ is being done in real time now. I believe, God hones us and clears away that which holds us back from full actualization of our love through him every minute of every day we give ourselves over to God’s love. To me, Matthew 3:12, His winnowing-fork is in his hand, and he will clear his threshing-floor and will gather his wheat into the granary; but the chaff he will burn with unquenchable fire.’ Is not talking about a final sentence to hell as much as it is talking about the work of the Lord to cleanse us and make us whole.

Prayer: Lord, I pray that my roots grow deep and wide into your fertile soil so that my life may be of worth to your purpose now and forever. 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 Lord Knows Us

GiftsEastertide
May 12, 2015

Scripture Reading: Acts 1:15-17, 21-26

Then they prayed and said, ‘Lord, you know everyone’s heart. Show us which one of these two you have chosen to take the place in this ministry and apostleship from which Judas turned aside to go to his own place.’ And they cast lots for them, and the lot fell on Matthias; and he was added to the eleven apostles. Acts 1:24-26

Does Matthias represent each of us, called to serve in a vacant slot or perhaps even in a new way? Every Disciple of Christ comes to serve with a unique set of talents. Talents with which we may have been born but also, I believe, instilled in us as good sees the need.

While, I must confess, it is a bit intimidating to realize that the Lord knows all of our hearts. On the other hand that can also be a confidence builder. For if we know that God loves us just exactly as we are, we can be assured that God can mold and make us what we are becoming to be in his service.

The key to being a productive Disciple of Christ is staying in synch with Christ: living the way Jesus taught us to live; communing regularly with God in prayer, study, meditation, and worship; and striving by choice to bear fruit in service to God through the guidance of the Holy Spirit.

Called as Partners in Christ Service

Christ’s example, Christ’s inspiring,
Christ’s clear call to work and worth,
Let us follow, never faltering,
Reconciling folk on earth.
Men and women, richer, poorer,
All God’s people, young and old,
Blending human skills together
Gracious gifts from God unfold.

Prayer: Lord, thank you for knowing me completely and still loving me. Teach me your ways and show me my way in your service. Amen.

*Called as Partners in Christ Service, verse 2, words by Jane Parker Huber, see at
http://worship-organizer.awtrey.com/hymnal/?number=343
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 First Loved Us

jesus-love-newEastertide
April 30, 2015

Scripture Reading: 1 John 4:7-21

Beloved, let us love one another, because love is from God; everyone who loves is born of God and knows God. Whoever does not love does not know God, for God is love. God’s love was revealed among us in this way: God sent his only Son into the world so that we might live through him. In this is love, not that we loved God but that he loved us and sent his Son to be the atoning sacrifice for our sins. Beloved, since God loved us so much, we also ought to love one another. No one has ever seen God; if we love one another, God lives in us, and his love is perfected in us. –1 John 4:7-21

While I enjoy thinking about scripture and making comments about it, sometimes I read something like our scripture today and I just want to say, “We all need to read this. Inhale it. There is nothing more important than this message.”

When I was a child we sang this scripture. It is no longer in hymn books at least in the form I knew it:

Christ Jesus my Lord from Heaven came,
 To save me from guilt and sin and shame;
 His death on the cross of Calvary
 Brought pardon and gave me liberty. 

I love Him because He first loved me,
 He first loved me, He first loved me;
 I love Him because He first loved me,
 And died on the cross of Calvary.*

The church goes through phases of identifying what is theologically correct like society defines what is politically correct. I guess at some point we decided that simple sing-song messages were not up to our standards. Isaiah would not have agreed. He liked repetition. He knew we need to constantly be reminded of God and God’s love or it slips from our hearts and minds. I was pleased to see, when I looked for these words on the Internet that there are several current day variations on this song. In whatever form you chose, keep the words of this scripture always in your heart.

Prayer: God who is love, be near to us reminding us that you have always loved us. Make that message the one that enriches our love for you and for each other. Amen.

 

*I Love Him Because He First Loved Me, words by Frank E. Roush, see whole hymn at http://www.hymntime.com/tch/htm/i/l/o/iloveHim.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.