Tag Archives: God’s Presence

Living in the Wilderness

Lent

February 21, 2021

Scripture Reading: Mark 1:9-15

And the Spirit immediately drove him out into the wilderness. He was in the wilderness for forty days, tempted by Satan; and he was with the wild beasts; and the angels waited on him.

Now after John was arrested, Jesus came to Galilee, proclaiming the good news of God, and saying, ‘The time is fulfilled, and the kingdom of God has come near; repent, and believe in the good news.’ –Mark 1: 11-15

Mark does not describe the temptations or Jesus’ responses. Mark’s version highlights both the dangers of the wilderness in the unpredictable wild beasts and God’s consistent presence represented by angels. Is that not the way of life? We do not always have to go to the wilderness to search for God. Sometimes the wilderness comes to us. Such a time is now. We have exceeded 40 days in the wilderness, more like a year. The dangers we face are primarily the consequences of our own behavior or lack of appropriate response. A pandemic of epic proportions has struck us, racial injustice boils over, and political discord resulted in a deadly riot at our nation’s Capital. Planting our heads in the sand regarding global warming finally came back to bite us with an ice storm in October and multiple snowstorms in February accompanied by record-breaking temperatures that totally overrode our infrastructure for days leaving many without water or heat. I awoke this morning to the news that Oklahoma had another earthquake. In Oklahoma, earthquakes are usually associated with gleaning oil and natural gas from the Earth.

Yet even amid such chaos, I see God working everywhere. My church delivers mobile meals every Thursday to some 30 or 40 shut ins. Routinely, retired people complete this task. Yesterday, with ten inches of snow on the ground, that did not seem possible. After a few phone calls, young men from my church delivered those means using vehicles that could traverse the snow. Even the Pastor’s five-year-old son did his part. Faith-based groups and our Homeless Alliance opened their buildings to those on the streets. At the close of a Zoom meeting of Poor Peoples Campaign volunteers and its staff yesterday, over 200 people joined in a closing prayer and felt the presence of God in our midst.

Christmas has passed, but the incarnate Lord is with us still. Thus, I quote verse 5 from the Christmas song; I Heard the Bells on Christmas Day

Then rang the bells more loud and deep
God is not dead, nor does he sleep (peace on Earth, peace on Earth)
The wrong shall fail, the right prevail
With peace on Earth, goodwill to men

Prayer: Lord, call us all together as one in your name to go into the world and share your good news. 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.

Reaching for God

Eastertide

Scripture Reading:
Acts 17:22-31

Then Paul stood in front of the Areopagus and said, ‘Athenians, I see how extremely religious you are in every way. For as I went through the city and looked carefully at the objects of your worship, I found among them an altar with the inscription, “To an unknown god.” What therefore you worship as unknown, this I proclaim to you. The God who made the world and everything in it, he who is Lord of heaven and earth, does not live in shrines made by human hands, nor is he served by human hands, as though he needed anything, since he himself gives to all mortals life and breath and all things. From one ancestor he made all nations to inhabit the whole earth, and he allotted the times of their existence and the boundaries of the places where they would live, so that they would search for God and perhaps grope for him and find him—though indeed he is not far from each one of us. –Acts 17:22-27

God desires communion with each of us and all of us. Thus God is present, available to share in every aspect of our being. God does not force Godself on us but allows us to open those lines of communication. Through his grace, God maintains those lines even when we have turned away.

Bowing down to a well-carved statue in worship seems archaic to me as it probably does to most of us living in modernity. Our idols are more abstract. What do we worship? What do we place before or ahead of God in our lives? People are groping for something they are not able to find. Searching in all the wrong places for something to worship? People who read these devotions regularly probably get tired of my dealing with greed and power. I do think they would be high on a survey of idols if such a thing were even possible and if people actually realized what their idols are. Neither power nor greed is helpful in a pandemic that does not discriminate. The line from Shakespeare’s Richard III comes to mind. “A horse, a horse my kingdom for a horse.” Uttered as he stands on a battlefield with no way to escape.

The Lords’s peace is there for all who reach out to God. We, as God’s servants, need to be more outgoing in sharing this wonder-filled good news.

Prayer: Lord of Creation who was and is and is to come, renew in us a new spirit to share the wonder of 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 America. Used by permission. All rights are reserved.

Seeking God’s Peace

Eastertide

April 22, 2020

Scripture Reading:
Psalm 116:1-4, 12-19

I love the Lord, because he has heard
   my voice and my supplications.
Because he inclined his ear to me,
   therefore I will call on him as long as I live.
The snares of death encompassed me;
   the pangs of Sheol laid hold on me;
   I suffered distress and anguish.
Then I called on the name of the Lord:
   ‘O Lord, I pray, save my life!’ –Psalm 116:1-4

Times like these are precisely the times we need to remember that we are never alone. God is always with us. God hears us and understands us. Listening to those who are recovering from COVID 19, I hear a common thread. The typical pains of what we know as flu may be exacerbated, but they are familiar. We have recovered from them before. The symptom that seems to bring the most anxiety is the feeling that one is losing the ability to breathe. That, I am sure, is when the patient feels closest to the snares of death encompassing them. Turning our anxiety over to God is the best antidote to that fear.  The calming presence of God helps sufferers breathe easier.

That is true of the physical act of breathing. It is also true of the brushes with anxiety we experience:

  • when we get a little stir crazy being home all the time
  • when we overdose on bad news and wonder if this will ever end
  • when we consider shucking it all returning to our standard life practices without regard for prudent safety measures.

Wearing masks is an act of loving our neighbor as is coughing into our elbows and keeping our distance. It is not an affront to our civil liberties.

God loves us and wants the best for us.  In Paul’s letter to the Philippians thanking them for sending him financial support while he was in prison, he wrote:
I know what it is to have little, and I know what it is to have plenty. In any and all circumstances I have learned the secret of being well-fed and of going hungry, of having plenty and of being in need. I can do all things through him who strengthens me. (Philippians 4:12-13)

God will be with us throughout our economic struggles, too. You can take that to the bank as God guides us into a new and better economy when we put our trust in God.

Prayer: God who is Love, grant us your peace that passes understanding as we deal with the daily challenges of a health pandemic and economic challenges. 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 as Our Hiding-Place

Lent
March 27, 2019

Scripture Reading: Psalm 32

Therefore let all who are faithful
   offer prayer to you;
at a time of distress, the rush of mighty waters
   shall not reach them.
You are a hiding-place for me;
   you preserve me from trouble;
   you surround me with glad cries of deliverance. –Psalm 32:6-7

I said to a friend recently that I wanted to run away from home. The world was too much with me*.  All the things I wanted to do were colliding with things I had to do. I managed to complete the “had tos” and most of the “want tos” but I was spent. I thus understand the Psalmist need for a hiding-place. God is a great companion when we need to escape the torrents that flood our lives.

Sometimes we long for silence because our world is filled with noisy gongs or clanging cymbals**. Perhaps we have allowed ourselves to be such an instrument of distraction. Sometimes there are no words to say. At least, there are no words that can change events, no words that comfort, no words that matter. The comfort of God’s very presence means a lot. God is the only entity who knows us completely. God loves us without condition and wants the very best for us.

While we on occasion encounter such breaking points, some of our own making, spending time daily with God soaking up God’s loving nurture is a good preventive measure especially when you do not think you have the time for it. Find the time—driving in a car, sitting in a waiting room, taking a minute before ringing a doorbell.

Prayer: Thank you Lord, for your abiding presence. Help us take the time to acknowledge it so we can be still and know that you are God***. Amen.

*Derived from The World Is Too Much With Us by William Wordsworth
**See I Corinthians 13
*** See Psalm 46:10

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.

Unexpected Grace

Jesus’ Ministry
January 7, 2019

Scripture Reading: Isaiah 43:1-7

But now thus says the Lord,
   he who created you, O Jacob,
   he who formed you, O Israel:
Do not fear, for I have redeemed you;
   I have called you by name, you are mine.
When you pass through the waters, I will be with you;
   and through the rivers, they shall not overwhelm you;
when you walk through fire you shall not be burned,
   and the flame shall not consume you. –Isaiah 43:1-2

Oklahoma City received record breaking torrents of ice, rain, sleet and snow this week that began about the time I drove away from an auto dealership in a courtesy car having left my recently damaged car with them. The courtesy car was a much newer model of my seven-year-old car and was equipped with a lot of new stuff, mainly electronics, with which I was not familiar.  When the man helping me with the loaner handed me a little rectangular thing instead of a key, I thought this is going to be interesting. He showed me how to use it to enter the car and explain how the push button starter worked. I had seen that type thing before many years ago as a child on a very old tractor. What goes around comes around. The car was already covered with ice cycles formed from the ice melting from the defrosting windows. I do not remember praying, as I gingerly back out of the parking place and headed for the street.

The first thing for which I was verbally thankful was that the wiper controls and lights were all in the same place as in my car. I then was thankful that the ground temperature was not cold enough yet to freeze further the slush through which I was driving. I settled into the patience required for stop and go traffic and making room for two fire trucks and one ambulance that sped through the throng of cars.  Making it home safely, I did thank God for God’s wonderful presence whether I have enough sense to ask for it or not.

The promise in the above scripture is for real. Praying on the fly is often the norm through the greatest struggles. Continually working to improve our relationship with God gives us the faith to trust that God will be with us when we pass through the waters or its equivalent, unexpectedly.

Prayer: Thank you Lord, for your constant presence when we need it the most. 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.

Do Not Worry?

Advent
December 14, 2018

Scripture Reading: Philippians 4:4-7
Rejoice in the Lord always; again I will say, Rejoice. Let your gentleness be known to everyone. The Lord is near. Do not worry about anything, but in everything by prayer and supplication with thanksgiving let your requests be made known to God. And the peace of God, which surpasses all understanding, will guard your hearts and your minds in Christ Jesus.

I really like this scripture and take to heart the promises of its first three short sentences. Then we come to sentence four which is an instruction to me that I find myself totally incapable of doing even with the knowledge of God’s continuing presence. The Greek word* translated “worry” here, also sometimes translated as “anxious”, at its root means drawn in opposite directions, sometimes to the point of pulling apart. I have concluded that my tossing and turning about something even in prayer is more for my benefit than anything else. In some cases, I must accept that there is nothing I can do about a situation but turn it over to God and let it go. At other times, I must accept that there is something I can do that I do not want to do but I need to do for the sake of bringing about wholeness, oneness, or justice. At such times, I am wrestling with God as Jacob did the night before his reunion with his estranged brother Esau.

What kind of a world would we have in the absence of God’s presence with us? We get a taste of what life without God would be every time we have pulled apart when our wholeness is shattered, dissent rules, and there is no justice. Thank the Lord in such times, God intervenes and sends someone to save us from ourselves. First, it was prophets and priest eventually, God visited us in human form as God’s son came and dwelt among us full of truth and grace and we beheld his glory. (John 1:14)

At this time of Advent, we revisit the acts of God’s saving grace as we prepare once again to recognize Gods abiding presence with us coming as a newborn child to bring hope and love and reconciliation into the world.

Prayer: God of Truth and Grace,
Cure your children’s warring madness;
bend our pride to your control;
shame our wanton, selfish gladness,
rich in things and poor in soul.
Grant us wisdom, grant us courage,
lest we miss your kingdom’s goal,
lest we miss your kingdom’s goal**. Amen.

*https://biblehub.com/greek/3309.htm
**Verse 3 of God of Grace and God of Glory by Harry Emerson Fosdick see at https://hymnary.org/text/god_of_grace_and_god_of_glory

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.

Fear No Evil

Eastertide
April 18, 2018

Scripture Reading: Psalm 23
The Lord is my shepherd, I shall not want.
   He makes me lie down in green pastures;
he leads me beside still waters;
   he restores my soul.
He leads me in right paths
   for his name’s sake.

Even though I walk through the darkest valley,
   I fear no evil;
for you are with me;
   your rod and your staff—
   they comfort me.


You prepare a table before me
   in the presence of my enemies;
you anoint my head with oil;
   my cup overflows.
Surely goodness and mercy shall follow me
   all the days of my life,
and I shall dwell in the house of the Lord
   my whole life long.

My Bible study group has delved into the Hebrew Bible books of Amos, Joel, and Hosea the last two semesters. All full of doom and gloom, these prophets offer a bit of hope at the end of each. The most remarkable thing is they all seem to be describing our world today, although they were describing Israel before its fall. Recently we studied Hosea chapter 10 which talks about raining retribution against an enemy. Our study was the same day USA leaders were announcing a rebuttal strike being prepared against Syria for a recent poison gas attack against Syrian citizens.

While just reading the stories can bring on fear, none of the prophets seem fearful. They are angry at the blindness of their fellow citizens in denial of the consequences of their failure to walk in obedience to God. They are disconcerted at the distractions of other gods they comingle with their Hebrew heritage, but not afraid.

These prophets are intimately acquainted with the God our Psalmist describes in the above scripture.  They fear no evil for God is with them. I am not talking about the normal fears that prepare us for a quick response when safety and security are threatened. I am talking about the fear that stems from hopelessness and alienation from God. One of these prophets’ goals is probably to instill some holy fear in their listeners or readers to help them avoid certain disaster.

Our goal in life is to solidify our relationship with God so that we, too, can be people who fear no evil thus enable to be the Body of Christ in our world today.

Prayer: I take comfort in your constant presence; help me be constantly present with you. 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 Presence of God

Lent
March 23, 2018

 Scripture Reading: Mark 11:1-11

Many people spread their cloaks on the road, and others spread leafy branches that they had cut in the fields. Then those who went ahead and those who followed were shouting,
‘Hosanna!
   Blessed is the one who comes in the name of the Lord!
   Blessed is the coming kingdom of our ancestor David!
Hosanna in the highest heaven!’
Then he entered Jerusalem and went into the temple; and when he had looked around at everything, as it was already late, he went out to Bethany with the twelve. –Mark 11:8-11

What was Jesus looking for when he entered the temple? What about that building was important to him? What upset him? Did he go to worship and became disgusted at all the money changers and merchants in the courtyard? Did he recall that first visit when he was twelve? Did he wonder why many followed him, but the religious leaders were threatened by him?

There is something special about a house of worship. I attend a church now with a simple but beautiful sanctuary with wonderful wood all around. I love wood. It feels sacred walking in the door. I particularly like to sit in one of the pews and listen to the organ or piano being played. I experienced that same sacredness when I was a child and entered the little one-room schoolhouse which also served as a church on Sunday. Its school use was ended years before but until I was five it was my church where I learned Jesus Loves Me and how to Let My Little Light Shine.

Of course, it is not the building. Houses of worship allow us to automatically acknowledge the presence of God who is always with us but at times gets pushed to the corners of our minds and lives. That is why it is so important that we gather together at houses of worship to help us get God properly aligned in our lives. When we are aligned with God, our lives are aligned with all other aspects.

My sense is that Jesus was always aligned with God but even with that being so in times like he was facing it surely had to help strengthen him to enter the house of God one more time understanding that humans are fragile and much needed to be accomplished to help God’s children fully align with God.

Prayer: God who is always present with us, thank you for understanding us when our frailties overcome us, and we lose sight of your constant presence. I was and still am glad when they said unto me let us go into the house of the Lord*.  Amen

*Derived from Psalm 12223

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 is Always at Work

Living in the Spirit
October 31, 2017

Scripture Reading: Joshua 3:7-17

When the people set out from their tents to cross over the Jordan, the priests bearing the ark of the covenant were in front of the people. Now the Jordan overflows all its banks throughout the time of harvest. So when those who bore the ark had come to the Jordan, and the feet of the priests bearing the ark were dipped in the edge of the water, the waters flowing from above stood still, rising up in a single heap far off at Adam, the city that is beside Zarethan, while those flowing towards the sea of the Arabah, the Dead Sea, were wholly cut off. Then the people crossed over opposite Jericho. While all Israel were crossing over on dry ground, the priests who bore the ark of the covenant of the Lord stood on dry ground in the middle of the Jordan, until the entire nation finished crossing over the Jordan. –Joshua 14-17

Many of us read with skepticism stories recorded in the Bible of extraordinary events saving people. Some even invest time and energy trying to explain them as naturally occurring events. Some like me think it may be a little of both. The Battle of Dunkirk in World War II perhaps involved both. German soldiers had Allied troops backed up to the waters’ edge with no place to go when the German commander decided to slow their push down until supplies could catch up with them. I wonder how much this commander felt the sting of killing enemy soldiers as if they were sitting ducks. A still small voice perhaps peaked his conscience.

The small break in action coincided with the allies’ desperate attempt to rescue their soldiers by way of the sea. The main problem was the Germans had superior air power that could destroy the rescue ships either coming or going. The allies decided to proceed, and as they headed for the beaches of France, it rained so hard the German planes could not take off, and the fog over the water was so dense the ships were not readily visible. While many gave their lives in this rescue, the people on those ships and boats saved 330,000 soldiers.

What strikes me about both stories, the Israelites crossing the Jordan and the Battle of Dunkirk, is God’s presence among God’s people who seek solutions to the situations in which they find themselves. While God calls us to do justice, and to love kindness, and to walk humbly with your God  (Micah 6:8b), God is present with us and supports us as we seek to do God’s will.

Lord, listen to Your children praying,
Lord, send Your spirit in this place;
Lord, listen to Your children praying,
Send us love, send us pow’r, send us grace!**

Prayer: Lord, give us the courage to step out in faith and act when needed and the faith to accept your guidance in our actions. Amen.

*https://www.deedsofgod.com/index.php/31-1940-ad–gods-weather-the-evacuation-of-dunkirk-mainmenu-169
*Chorus of Lord, Listen to the Children Praying by Ken Madema see at http://crossingsmusic.wikidot.com/lord-listen-to-your-children-praying

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.

Spending Time in a Fog

Epiphany
February 21, 2017

Scripture Reading: Exodus 24:12-18

Then Moses went up on the mountain, and the cloud covered the mountain. The glory of the Lord settled on Mount Sinai, and the cloud covered it for six days; on the seventh day he called to Moses out of the cloud. Now the appearance of the glory of the Lord was like a devouring fire on the top of the mountain in the sight of the people of Israel. Moses entered the cloud, and went up on the mountain. Moses was on the mountain for forty days and forty nights. –Exodus 24:15-18

I must say I do not think I have ever considered being in a fog, whether mental or physical, in positive terms. I like to know where I am and have some sense of what lies ahead of me. When I hear a morning weather report indicating zero visibility, I take caution. Driving becomes a slow and tedious process with every fiber of my being on alert. When I was a senior in high school with only one year of driving experience, I drove from our farm to a nearby town for a dental appointment in an early morning dense fog. That evening on the news I heard that a pedestrian was struck by a car and killed on my route about the same time I made my trip. I did not see anyone on the road and did not see the accident happening or being cleared. I trembled at the news as it could easily have been me driving the car that killed the man.

I rather think Moses was in a mental fog when he ascended the mountain wondering where do we go from here? He chose to walk into a dense fog as a part of finding his way out of a mental fog. Is that what faith is all about? Is faith taking our own lack of understanding deep into the presence of the mystery of God in search of wholeness and guidance? Is that done with the assurance a baby feels resting in the arms of a loving mother?

Prayer: Parent of all, give us the courage to enter your presence with the certain hope of your loving arms surrounding us. Make us whole as your Spirit’s wind blows away the fogs of life that overcome us. Show us your way, your truth, and your life. 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.