Tag Archives: Higher Ground

God’s Perspective

Living in the Spirit

July 28, 2022

Scripture Reading:

Colossians 3:1-11

So if you have been raised with Christ, seek the things that are above, where Christ is, seated at the right hand of God. Set your minds on things that are above, not on things that are on earth, for you have died, and your life is hidden with Christ in God. When Christ who is your life is revealed, then you also will be revealed with him in glory. –Colossian 3:1-4

We are called to seek higher ground. What does that mean? When Jesus sat on the mountain overlooking Jerusalem, he saw a broad vision of what was happening and understood that the way people lived was out of sync with God’s plans for the world God had created. Jesus knew that realigning with God was the only way God’s great Kingdom, God’s beloved community could ever be realized.

‘Jerusalem, Jerusalem, the city that kills the prophets and stones those who are sent to it! How often have I desired to gather your children together as a hen gathers her brood under her wings, and you were not willing! (Matthew 23:37)

Jesus eventually gave his life to align God’s children with God.

I wonder what he sees looking over the breadth and depth of our world today. What do we see when taking in the whole picture? Do we need to examine ourselves first and discover the things in our lives we need to change to bring ourselves into sync with God? As we work toward wholeness, do we also need to work harder at finding oneness with all God’s people and our understanding that all people are God’s? Will God’s justice become real in our world if we become real to God?

Prayer: Lord, show us the view from your higher ground and help us discern how to change our lives to be better aligned with you and with all your 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 America. Used by permission. All rights are reserved.

Reaching for Higher Ground

Living in the Spirit

Scripture Reading: Colossians 1:1-14

July 8, 2022

For this reason, since the day we heard it, we have not ceased praying for you and asking that you may be filled with the knowledge of God’s will in all spiritual wisdom and understanding, so that you may lead lives worthy of the Lord, fully pleasing to him, as you bear fruit in every good work and as you grow in the knowledge of God. May you be made strong with all the strength that comes from his glorious power, and may you be prepared to endure everything with patience, while joyfully giving thanks to the Father, who has enabled you to share in the inheritance of the saints in the light. He has rescued us from the power of darkness and transferred us into the kingdom of his beloved Son, in whom we have redemption, the forgiveness of sins. –Colossians 1:9-14

We are surrounded by some meaningless and some mean distractions in our lives and in our elections. Candidates will say what they think you want to hear to get you to vote for them whether they agree with what they are saying or not and whether the job they are running for has any input into the situations about which they harp. It no doubt started with racism. For years now gun and abortion stances have been added. As some lose their power new ones are identified. The lgbtqia2s+ community is a major target now. I voted in the primary for a man whose only ad I saw once. He stood with his hand on the back of a chair shared his name, and said he was running for the US Senate. He would work to provide jobs that pay a living wage, good public schools, affordable college, access to health care for everyone, and a safe community. He added no bells and whistles and showed no ugly pictures and half-truths about his opponents. He lost but I thank him for doing the right thing, for taking the higher ground. I wish his example would be followed by others.

I have always loved the hymn, Higher Ground, and believe that is what Paul is calling the people of Colossae to reach for and that calling includes us, too.

I’m pressing on the upward way,
New heights I’m gaining ev’ry day;
Still praying as I’m onward bound,
“Lord, plant my feet on higher ground.”

Refrain:
Lord, lift me up, and let me stand
By faith, on heaven’s tableland;
A higher plane than I have found,
Lord, plant my feet on higher ground.

My heart has no desire to stay
Where doubts arise and fears dismay;
Though some may dwell where these abound,
My prayer, my aim, is higher ground.

I want to live above the world,
Though Satan’s darts at me are hurled;
For faith has caught a joyful sound,
The song of saints on higher ground*.

Prayer:
Lord, lift me up, and let [us] stand
By faith, on heaven’s tableland;
A higher plane than I have found,
Lord, plant [our] feet on higher ground. Amen.

Refrain and first three verses of the hymn I’m pressing on the upward way by Johnson Oatman, Jr. see at https://hymnary.org/text/im_pressing_on_the_upward_way

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.

Together as One

Advent

December 7, 2021

Scripture Reading: Malachi 3:1-4

See, I am sending my messenger to prepare the way before me, and the Lord whom you seek will suddenly come to his temple. The messenger of the covenant in whom you delight—indeed, he is coming, says the Lord of hosts. But who can endure the day of his coming, and who can stand when he appears?

For he is like a refiner’s fire and like fullers’ soap; he will sit as a refiner and purifier of silver, and he will purify the descendants of Levi and refine them like gold and silver, until they present offerings to the Lord in righteousness. Then the offering of Judah and Jerusalem will be pleasing to the Lord as in the days of old and as in former years.

I never noticed before that Malachi indicates that the Lord’s messenger is being sent to make ready the clergy, in this instance the descendants of Levi, for their role in preparing for the arrival of the Lord. Being clergy in a divide-and-conquer world is as challenging now as when the Sadducees and the Pharisees tangled with the ruling Roman government. Then, all involved were more concerned about their power and prestige than with the needs of their congregants or constituents. Sound familiar?

Recently, the “Fear Not” Scripture related to Gabriel’s meeting with Mary was considered in Sunday School, and participants were invited to share their fears. One woman stated that she feared that our government was on the precipice of failure. I, too, have felt that fear. The sad part is we are so divided that people on both sides feel that fear.

Good clergy walk a tightrope trying to lead their parishioners to a common ground by reaching for the higher ground of Jesus’s teachings on how we are to live and love. All followers of Christ need to support good examples and instructions and work together to find the actions on which all can come together. Paul brought people together, for one thing, by collecting donations for others who were suffering in a drought*. That is where Jesus also started, caring for the poor. Their working together led to the Jerusalem Council that opened the doors to gentiles being welcomed without first becoming Jews..

Prayer: Lord, bring us together one act of love at a time. Amen.

*See Acts 15 and Galatians 2

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.

Higher Ground

Living in the Spirit

November 21, 2021

Scripture Reading:

John 18:33-37

Then Pilate entered the headquarters again, summoned Jesus, and asked him, ‘Are you the King of the Jews?’ Jesus answered, ‘Do you ask this on your own, or did others tell you about me?’ Pilate replied, ‘I am not a Jew, am I? Your own nation and the chief priests have handed you over to me. What have you done?’ Jesus answered, ‘My kingdom is not from this world. If my kingdom were from this world, my followers would be fighting to keep me from being handed over to the Jews. But as it is, my kingdom is not from here.’ Pilate asked him, ‘So you are a king?’ Jesus answered, ‘You say that I am a king. For this I was born, and for this I came into the world, to testify to the truth. Everyone who belongs to the truth listens to my voice.’

Our challenge from Jesus following his death and resurrection was to actualize a kingdom ruled by love for all people. We are called to a partnership with the Holy to plant our efforts, our feet on higher ground, see the bigger picture of justice and mercy, and work to make it real for all people.

The hymn Higher Ground expresses this well:

I’m pressing on the upward way,
New heights I’m gaining every day;
Still praying as I onward bound,
“Lord, plant my feet on higher ground*.”

The hymn is most liked based on Psalm 40:1-3

I waited patiently for the Lord;
   he inclined to me and heard my cry.
He drew me up from the desolate pit,
   out of the miry bog,
and set my feet upon a rock,
   making my steps secure.
He put a new song in my mouth,
   a song of praise to our God.
Many will see and fear,
   and put their trust in the Lord.

Prayer: “Lord, plant my feet on higher ground.” Amen.

*First verse of hymn Higher Ground written by Johnson Oatman Jr. see at https://www.hymnal.net/en/hymn/h/396

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.

Higher Ground

Living in the Spirit

August 13, 2021

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. Do not get drunk with wine, for that is debauchery; but be filled with the Spirit, as you sing psalms and hymns and spiritual songs among yourselves, singing and making melody to the Lord in your hearts, giving thanks to God the Father at all times and for everything in the name of our Lord Jesus Christ.

Therein lies the rub: understand[ing] what the will of the Lord is. We are admonished to be careful, be wise, and not get drunk on wine but be filled by the Spirit, sing and make melody, and give thanks. I am part of the Poor Peoples’ Campaign. The protocol of that movement is to wrap music, singing, and instrumental, around everything they do. That almost seems counter-intuitive. The problems the PPC tackle are some of the most challenging, sobering issues of our time–poverty, racism, lack of health care, the right to vote, mass incarceration, climate change. We can only do the will of the Lord when we step up to higher ground seeing the world from the perspective that God is in charge. The best way to do that is through music. That can immediately lift us to a higher plain.

I’m pressing on the upward way,
New heights I’m gaining ev’ry day;
Still praying as I’m onward bound,
“Lord, plant my feet on higher ground.”

Refrain:
Lord, lift me up, and let me stand
By faith, on heaven’s tableland;
A higher plane than I have found,
Lord, plant my feet on higher ground. *

Also,

My life flows on in endless song,
above earth’s lamentation.
I catch the sweet, though far-off hymn
that hails a new creation.

Refrain:
No storm can shake my inmost calm
while to that Rock I’m clinging.
Since Love is Lord of heav’n and earth,
how can I keep from singing?**

Prayer: Lord, guide our feet to higher ground and keep us singing. Amen.

*First verse and refrain of How Can I Keep from Singing by Johnson Oatman, Jr. See at, https://hymnary.org/text/im_pressing_on_the_upward_way

**First verse and refrain of How Can I Keep from singing? by Robert Lowry. See at https://hymnary.org/text/my_life_flows_on_in_endless_song

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.

Higher Ground

Living in the Spirit

November 12, 2020

Scripture Reading: Psalm 90:1-12

Lord, you have been our dwelling-place
   in all generations.
Before the mountains were brought forth,
   or ever you had formed the earth and the world,
   from everlasting to everlasting you are God.

For we are consumed by your anger;
   by your wrath we are overwhelmed.
You have set our iniquities before you,
   our secret sins in the light of your countenance.

Who considers the power of your anger?
   Your wrath is as great as the fear that is due to you.
So teach us to count our days
   that we may gain a wise heart. –Psalm 90:1-2, 7-8, 11-12.

I was surprised to learn that the root Hebrew word for anger is related to our noses or nostrils. Wrath is what I thought it would be—rage.* I can feel Hebrew scholars shudder as I try to make sense of this. Growing up on a farm and having attended numerous rodeos, I am acquainted with the flaring nostrils of an angry bull. The bull intakes more fuel strengthening them for the fight ahead. While that is not my normal vision of God, I can imagine God preparing to take each of us and all of us together on as God sets our iniquities before us. God’s proclaimed followers may have pushed God to God’s limits in recent days as we fight over who has the corner on God. We are like children taunting each other on a playground, “my god is better than your god.” While God is uttering those age-old words of parents, “How many times do I have to tell you, love one another.”

The rest of the Psalm stresses that life is short and now is the time to become whole in God’s love, to become one in Christ service, and to create a just world together.

I’m pressing on the upward way,
New heights I’m gaining every day;
Still praying as I onward bound,
“Lord, plant my feet on higher ground.”

               Lord, lift me up, and let me stand
By faith on Canaan’s tableland;
A higher plane than I have found,
  Lord, plant my feet on higher ground.

My heart has no desire to stay
Where doubts arise and fears dismay;
Though some may dwell where these abound,
My prayer, my aim, is higher ground. **

Prayer: Lord, forgive us for our childish ways. Lead us to higher ground. Amen.

*https://biblehub.com/interlinear/psalms/90-7.htm
**First verse, second verse, and chorus of Higher Ground by Johnson Oatman Jr. see at https://www.hymnal.net/en/hymn/h/396

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.

Faith

Epiphany

January 24, 2020

Scripture Reading:
1 Corinthians 1:10-18

What I mean is that each of you says, ‘I belong to Paul’, or ‘I belong to Apollos’, or ‘I belong to Cephas’, or ‘I belong to Christ.’ Has Christ been divided? Was Paul crucified for you? Or were you baptized in the name of Paul? I thank God that I baptized none of you except Crispus and Gaius, so that no one can say that you were baptized in my name. (I did baptize also the household of Stephanas; beyond that, I do not know whether I baptized anyone else.) For Christ did not send me to baptize but to proclaim the gospel, and not with eloquent wisdom, so that the cross of Christ might not be emptied of its power.

For the message about the cross is foolishness to those who are perishing, but to us who are being saved it is the power of God. –I Corinthians 1:12-18.

I think I would be a Jesus follower without faith. My sense of His way of being is very close to my philosophies of living. Granted, my philosophies were shaped by indoctrination in the stories of his life from my birth. I still think if I stumbled onto him as an adult, his ways would be appealing to me. I notice when I am searching for the illustrations I use with these devotions; I am often drawn to pictures that contain quotes of Mother Teresa or someone named Rumi. I finally looked him up and found that he was a 13th-century Persian poet and Islamic scholar of whom I had never heard. Dietrich Bonhoeffer is another person with who I wished I could have shared a chat and a cup of coffee.

When Paul writes about the cross is foolishness, he is inviting us to take that faith step from fan to disciple, from working to be a good person who practices mercy and justice to giving our lives to help others find the joy and love of God through Jesus Christ. The positive influence of others enhances our lives. The power of God shared through the birth, life, death, and resurrection of Jesus Christ saves our lives for a higher calling.

Prayer: Lord, lift me up, and let me stand
By faith on Canaan’s tableland;
A higher plane than I have found,
  Lord, plant my feet on higher ground*. Amen.

*Chorus of I’m pressing on the upward way by Johnson Oatman Jr.  See at https://www.hymnal.net/en/hymn/h/396

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 Impossible Dream

Living in the Spirit
August 9, 2018

Scripture Reading: Ephesians 4:25-5:2

So then, putting away falsehood, let all of us speak the truth to our neighbors, for we are members of one another. Be angry but do not sin; do not let the sun go down on your anger, and do not make room for the devil. Thieves must give up stealing; rather let them labor and work honestly with their own hands, so as to have something to share with the needy. Let no evil talk come out of your mouths, but only what is useful for building up, as there is need, so that your words may give grace to those who hear. And do not grieve the Holy Spirit of God, with which you were marked with a seal for the day of redemption. Put away from you all bitterness and wrath and anger and wrangling and slander, together with all malice, and be kind to one another, tender-hearted, forgiving one another, as God in Christ has forgiven you. –Ephesians 4:25-32

We seem to be living in a world practicing the philosophy of “all’s fair in love and war”*. Illustrated the best today in politics. One of the facets of first-century Christianity that was so very important was staying true to the ways of Christ. Ephesians emphasizes that in the above scripture. Our behavior is the world’s most prominent example of Christ. When we lie, we intimate that Christ also cannot be believed. When we spew hatred, we do it in the name of Christ who is love incarnate.

When I read today’s scripture that phrase all’s fair in love and war flashed in my mind. As I researched its source I found its first use in the novel* cited below. The article noted that the idea was much older. Miguel de Cervantes made the comparison in 1604 in Don Quixote when he wrote, “Love and war are all one . . . It is lawful to use sleights and stratagems to . . . attain the wished end.”** I am a devoted fan of the musical Man of La Mancha and The Impossible Dream is one of my all-time favorite songs. I was an idealistic college student when I first heard it in the 60’s and while I have become more pragmatic in my aging, it still remains true to me today. I prefer the privilege of being on Christ’s quest than anything else in this world.

To dream the impossible dream
To fight the unbeatable foe
To bear with unbearable sorrow
To run where the brave dare not go 

To right the unrightable wrong
To love pure and chaste from afar
To try when your arms are too weary
To reach the unreachable star 

This is my quest
To follow that star
No matter how hopeless
No matter how far***

Prayer: Love Incarnate, draw all forever into the rightness of your quest. Amen.

*From the novel Frank Fairlegh: Scenes from the Life of a Private Pupil by Frank Smedley.
**https://www.cliffsnotes.com/cliffsnotes/subjects/literature/who-said-alls-fair-in-love-and-war-and-where
From “The Impossible Dream” from MAN OF LA MANCHA (1972)music by Mitch Leigh and lyrics by Joe Darion see at http://www.reelclassics.com/Actors/O’Toole/impossibledream-lyrics.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 America. Used by permission. All rights are reserved.

Living in the Spirit
September 28, 2017

Scripture Reading: Philippians 2:1-13

If then there is any encouragement in Christ, any consolation from love, any sharing in the Spirit, any compassion and sympathy, make my joy complete: be of the same mind, having the same love, being in full accord and of one mind. Do nothing from selfish ambition or conceit,. Let each of you look not to your own interests, but to the interests of others.—Philippians 2:1-4

We need to hear this scripture today. In Matthew 12:25b,  Jesus is  quoted as saying Every kingdom divided against itself is laid waste, and no city or house divided against itself will stand. Principalities and powers from I believe, selfish ambition or conceit, are working hard to gain power by dividing the people of the USA. I listened to 60 Minutes (9/24/2017) and heard regular people talking together saying they feared things had gotten so bad that we were near civil war in this country. Congress has lost the ability to find common ground as has the Oklahoma State legislature. I just heard a report that we have jobs in Oklahoma going unfilled because there are no qualified people available and many people who cannot find jobs. We have underfunded education for years and seem to lack the will to provide even adequate education. What is the source of this self-defeating behavior?

We need to purposefully work at being of the same mind, having the same love, and being in full accord and of one mind. Such a transition will never occur unless we are intentional about it. Such a transition will never occur unless we practice humility and seek the Common Good.

The Thunder Basketball team starts its 2017-2018 season with the addition of two superstars, Paul George and Carmelo Anthony, to play alongside 2017 MVP, Russell Westbrook. Melding individual skill into a working team including the other players will be a challenge requiring a central purpose of winning games. A challenge at first is just getting into rhythm but I trust they will succeed.

Our role in serving God requires the same type of central purpose and an even higher level of humility and dedication. This state, this nation, the whole world depends on our getting it right. With God’s help, we will.

Prayer:
In loving partnership we come,
seeking, O God, your will to do.
Our prayers and actions now receive;
we freely offer them to you.

 We are the hands and feet of Christ,
serving by grace each other’s need.
We dare to risk and sacrifice
with truthful word and faithful deed.

 Loving community we seek;
your hope and strength within us move.
The poor and rich, the strong and weak
are brought together in your love.

 In loving partnership, O God,
help us your future to proclaim.
Justice and peace be our desire,
we humbly pray in Jesus’ name. * Amen

*Hymn In Loving Partnership by Jim Strathdee see at http://www.pateys.nf.ca/cgi-bin/lyrics.pl?hymnnumber=759

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.

We Go High

Living in the Spirit
September 6, 2017

Scripture Reading: Psalm 149

Praise the Lord!
Sing to the Lord a new song,
   his praise in the assembly of the faithful.
Let Israel be glad in its Maker;
   let the children of Zion rejoice in their King.
Let them praise his name with dancing,
   making melody to him with tambourine and lyre.
For the Lord takes pleasure in his people;
   he adorns the humble with victory.
Let the faithful exult in glory;
   let them sing for joy on their couches.
Let the high praises of God be in their throats
   and two-edged swords in their hands,
to execute vengeance on the nations
   and punishment on the peoples,
to bind their kings with fetters
   and their nobles with chains of iron,
to execute on them the judgment decreed.
   This is glory for all his faithful ones.
Praise the Lord!

For the Lord takes pleasure in his people. We are a source of God’s happiness. If you are a parent or aunt in my case, it is easy to imagine. I take pleasure in seeing my nieces and nephews thrive and success using their God given talents. I apparently inherited that trait from God. So did you. God loves each human and thus wants the very best for each of us. We need to share in and support each other’s growth and development.

We all recently watched people rescuing people in the recovery efforts related to Hurricane Harvey’s hitting the gulf coast. A horrible disaster, yet the love that poured through that area surely gave God pleasure. Long-termed restorative care is now needed. An extension of letting our love pour through our everyday lives seems appropriate too. Disasters tend to remind us of what is important.

Ultimately, we are responsible for our behavior, and it is important that we take that responsibility seriously. As we live in community,  we meld our ways of being with others for good or for bad. Our goal is to maximize the good and minimize the bad, which means we must find common ground on which to build our society that requires the patience to understand one another and not take for granted what is reality for me is another’s reality. Finding common ground is hard work requiring us at times to leave our comfort zones and move to higher ground.

Prayer:
Lord lift me up, and let me stand
By faith on Canaan’s table land;
A higher plane than I have found
Lord, plant my feet on higher ground.* Amen.

*Chorus to hymn Higher Ground words by Johnson Outman Jr. See at https://www.hymnal.net/en/hymn/h/396

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.