Tag Archives: God’s Son

God’s Power

Jesus'baptismEpiphany
Celebration of God
Manifested in the World
January 7, 2015

 Scripture Reading: Psalm 29

Ascribe to the Lord, O heavenly beings,
   ascribe to the Lord glory and strength.
 Ascribe to the Lord the glory of his name;
   worship the Lord in holy splendor. 

The voice of the Lord is over the waters;
   the God of glory thunders,
   the Lord, over mighty waters.
The voice of the Lord is powerful;
   the voice of the Lord is full of majesty. — Psalm 29:1-4

 As we prepare for the observation of the baptism of Jesus this Sunday, we are reminded in our scripture today that the power of the voice of the Lord was recognized from the beginning of time when God spoke creation.  God’s voice was also heard identifying Jesus as God’s Son, the Beloved, at his baptism.

My dog, Hefner, had a broad vocabulary and responded to actual words not just the tone of my voice. He lived with me all 13 years of his life except for the six weeks with his mother. I was thus accustomed to communicating with my dog verbally. A few months after Hef’s death Micah came to live with me and I had to relearn my communication skills. I don’t think he ever understood a word I said. One day I discovered by accident that he was very visual and immediately responded to hand signals. He and I developed our own little sign language that served us well for many years. What I did learn in this process was that Micah did respond to the tone of my voice. While playing in the yard, he ran out the gate toward a very busy street. He had no experience with traffic. Whatever my panic-laden voice said to him he stopped in his track and looked back at me with a new found respect. Stood there until I was able to pick him up and return him to the enclosed yard and the freedom of his fenced area.

The first verse of our scripture today says we are to ascribe—acknowledge as the cause, author or source—the power of God that can create worlds. If we grasp that reality, the introduction of God’s son as God with us becomes even more profound.

Prayer: Lord we acknowledge your power and your glory. We thank you for your gift of Jesus to show us the way, the truth, and the 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 American. Used by permission. All rights reserved.

Come in, Have a Seat

RighteousnessAdvent
December 4, 2014

Scripture Reading: 2 Peter 3:8-15a

But do not ignore this one fact, beloved, that with the Lord one day is like a thousand years, and a thousand years are like one day. The Lord is not slow about his promise, as some think of slowness, but is patient with you, not wanting any to perish, but all to come to repentance. But the day of the Lord will come like a thief, and then the heavens will pass away with a loud noise, and the elements will be dissolved with fire, and the earth and everything that is done on it will be disclosed….But, in accordance with his promise, we wait for new heavens and a new earth, where righteousness is at home. — 2 Peter 3:8-10, 13

The earth grows dormant now, at least in Oklahoma. Leaves are everywhere but are always on the move because the wind is a constant here on the plains.  We have had our first snow and now live through one beautiful day of mild temperatures and bright sunshine and the next a day of fridge cold. Much of the land has been sown with winter wheat that will lay quietly beneath the topsoil until spring rains and rising temperatures signal the wheat’s time of fruition. Make no mistake, much is happening between that seed of wheat and God’s good earth. The cycle of life continues as autumn fads to winter.  These verses from Second Peter tell us not to get too complacent in our lives. We need to remember why we are here and what we have been assigned to do.

God wants all of God’s children, to not only succeed, but to thrive, to bear fruit, and to be conduits of God’s own love. God wants this so much that God sent his only Son to dwell with us on earth showing us the way to make God’s plan a reality and when the Son returned to God, the Son asked that we his sisters and brothers in faith continue the work to fulfill God’s desired outcome for the Lord wanted no one to perish.

Yet as the cycle of life continues, all of God’s children are not thriving, all have not experienced abundant life, and, thus, our work is not done. I think Second Peter is suggesting that in our world today “righteousness” would not feel at home even if it were invited in. Our job is to set our world’s home in order, so fill it with love that when “righteousness” arrives, it will recognize our world as its home.

Prayer: Lord, forgive us when we grow complacent. Inspire us to nurture this world you have given us until it and all its people can be at home with righteousness and righteousness can be at home with 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.