Tag Archives: Judgment

Much Ado About Nothing

tvLiving in the Spirit
September 12, 2016

Scripture Reading: Jeremiah 8:18-9:1

My joy is gone, grief is upon me,
   my heart is sick.
Hark, the cry of my poor people
   from far and wide in the land:
‘Is the Lord not in Zion?
   Is her King not in her?’ –Jeremiah 8:18-19

William Shakespeare wrote Much Ado About Nothing in 1598-99, a comedy about court politics. It seems not much has changed. We live in serious times needing serious attention. In search of information on which to base our judgments, we seem to thrive on character assassination. A larger than life reality show has taken over our media. I fear it will continue as long as it makes the large media companies money.

Jeremiah’s lament relates to serious times ignored for reasons of power and greed. We live in a nation proclaimed as having a Government of the people, by the people, for the people about which Abraham Lincoln proclaimed shall not perish from the Earth*.

 The privilege of participative government depends on our willingness to take responsibility for it. We are not living in a reality show where at the end we can push the off button and not worry about the outcome. What we do matters not just for us but for the generations to come.

Prayer: Lord, give us the wisdom of a Jeremiah. Help us perceive the difference between information and manipulation. Guide us not to back away from our civic duties but to search for the truth and demand governance targeted at assuring the Common Good for all. Amen.

*From the Gettysburg Address. See at http://www.abrahamlincolnonline.org/lincoln/speeches/gettysburg.htm

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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.

Praising God

WeatherChristmas
December 30, 2015

 Scripture Reading: Psalm 147:12-20

Praise the Lord, O Jerusalem!
   Praise your God, O Zion!
For he strengthens the bars of your gates;
   he blesses your children within you.
He grants peace within your borders;
   he fills you with the finest of wheat.
He sends out his command to the earth;
   his word runs swiftly.
He gives snow like wool;
   he scatters frost like ashes.
He hurls down hail like crumbs—
   who can stand before his cold? –Psalm 147:12-17

As I sat down to write this morning, I truly was not ready for a Psalm that praises God because of God’s control of the weather. Oklahoma was besieged by the weather over the past several days, which is now moving toward the east coast including blizzards and floods, tornados and black ice. I awoke this morning at 5:28 am being rocked in my bed by a 4.3 earthquake whose epicenter was ten or so miles north of me. Felt the 3.5 aftershock too. While some believe we are being punished for what they construe as our sinful behaviors, others believe that we are suffering from our own failed care of the earth causing global warming and greed-driven wastewater disposal processes that cause earthquakes.

In both cases our priorities are off point. We are called to live a life driven by love and such a way of being demands moral imperatives of respect for ourselves and others in all aspects of life. We have never, however, been given the assignment of assessing ultimate judgment on ourselves or others and certainly not making our judgments litmus tests for our love. I do not think it is possible to love the person and hate what we perceived to be their sin. We must work out your own salvation with fear and trembling; for it is God who is at work in [us], enabling [us] both to will and to work for his good pleasure. (Philippians 2:12b-13) And we must allow others the same opportunity while loving them completely just as they are and trusting that God will use our love in God’s work with both us and them.

And in like manner the need to establish blame never solves a problem and may impede identifying causes. Global warming and earthquakes are now realities. If identifying causes and implementing changes in our behaviors are necessary toward our meeting God’s charge to care for the earth, we need to do so with all due haste. It will require all of us to repent from the lifestyles to which we have become accustomed and to learn new, more responsible ways to live our praise to the Lord.

Prayer: Lord, order our lives so that our acts of love and care of the earth may being pure praise to 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 American. Used by permission. All rights 
reserved.

Condemnation

No condemnationLiving in the Spirit
May 31, 2015

Scripture Reading: John 3:1-17

Indeed, God did not send the Son into the world to condemn the world, but in order that the world might be saved through him. –John 3:17

There is a lot of condemnation going around in the world right now no more apparent than in the church where it has no place at all according to the scripture today. Why do humans have a need to condemn?

There was a man where I worked many years ago with whom I did not get along. He was in a powerful position and frankly, he was of the opinion women should be seen and not heard at least certainly not in the work place. His main tactic to keep me in my place was to withhold vital information from me that impacted the work I did and then casually toss it into the dialogue in meetings with our superiors rendering whatever I had presented useless or at least naive.  In one meeting while I was presenting a major new program he kept getting up and pacing about the room like he was bored to death. It was very distracting and I final called him by name and said in I am sure an exasperated voice, “Would you please sit down.” He did and I completed my presentation. My immediate supervisor was in the room, was very aware of this person’s treatment of me, and had actually come to my aide in the past. After the meeting the supervisor told me that this was my advisories first day back from having had hemorrhoid surgery and he probably was having problems sitting.

We do not know what God does about anyone. We do no good by condemning anyone for behavior we may or may not understand. Our assigned duty is to love them, welcome them, and let God deal with anything that might need to be addressed.

Prayer: Lord, guard me from letting my insecurities overpower my ability to love as Jesus loved. 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.

Ways Differing

paradigmEastertide
May 4, 2015

Scripture Reading: Acts 10:44-48

While Peter was still speaking, the Holy Spirit fell upon all who heard the word. The circumcised believers who had come with Peter were astounded that the gift of the Holy Spirit had been poured out even on the Gentiles, for they heard them speaking in tongues and extolling God. Then Peter said, ‘Can anyone withhold the water for baptizing these people who have received the Holy Spirit just as we have?’ So he ordered them to be baptized in the name of Jesus Christ. Then they invited him to stay for several days.

What matters more outward signs or inward change? I do not believe that it is possible to hate the sin and love the sinner. I think that is why God through Jesus Christ relieved us of the responsibility of making judgment calls related to other people’s salvation. Actually that is stated in Acts just a few verses before our scripture today: Acts 10:32, He commanded us to preach to the people and to testify that he is the one ordained by God as judge of the living and the dead.  To love someone, we must love them as they are. The healing touch of love comes in that acceptance. C. S. Lewis suggest that we are the ones who need to change in order to be the conduits of God’s love. He says, Do not waste time bothering whether you ‘love’ your neighbor; act as if you did. As soon as we do this we find one of the great secrets. When you are behaving as if you loved someone, you will presently come to love him.

Gentiles were unclean to the Jews. They were not marked with the ancient sign of Abraham’s covenant. To the Jews, gentiles were outside God, and then they were not. This whole question of circumcision seems pretty irrelevant to us today, a medical procedure usually recommended, but performed or not performed by the choice of the parent. It was not irrelevant to the people of the first century. Following this scripture in Acts, dealing with circumcision is dotted through chapter after chapter of Paul’s letters back to the cities of Asia Minor. Our rituals and culture give us a standard that is important in defining who and what we are. When these patterns, paradigms of life are challenged or changed, we must decide who we are and who God wants us to be without the comfort of these preexisting standards. In some instances such standards have lost their relevance for us and accepting such change comes easily. Sometimes though, these patterns of life have become our accepted definition of ourselves and we do not want to let them go.

The issue being dealt with here is our need to define our standards for ourselves as God’s standards for everyone and that is not our job.

Prayer: Lord, forgive me when I am guilty of judging my worth by any standard that devalues the worth of another. Help me to accept that your love for me is as unconditional as your love for 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 American. Used by permission. All rights reserved.

 

A Relenting God

JonahEpiphany
Celebration of God
Manifested in the World
January 20, 2015

 Scripture Reading: Jonah 3:1-5, 10

When God saw what they did, how they turned from their evil ways, God changed his mind about the calamity that he had said he would bring upon them; and he did not do it.  — Jonah 3:10

The verse above gives me great hope that God not only forgives but may alleviate some of the suffering we bring upon ourselves. The interesting thing is the rest of the story, not included in our scripture today. Jonah was angry at God for relenting. Jonah had told the people of Nineveh to expect calamity and calamity they should get. He says, O Lord! Is not this what I said while I was still in my own country? That is why I fled to Tarshish at the beginning; for I knew that you are a gracious God and merciful, slow to anger, and abounding in steadfast love, and ready to relent from punishing. And now, O Lord, please take my life from me, for it is better for me to die than to live.’ (Jonah 4:2-3) Jonah thought God made Jonah look bad.

In Deuteronomy 32:25 the Lord is quoted as saying: Vengeance is mine, and recompense, for the time when their foot shall slip; because the day of their calamity is at hand, their doom comes swiftly. And Jesus said in Matthew 7:1-3 ‘Do not judge, so that you may not be judged. For with the judgment you make you will be judged, and the measure you give will be the measure you get. Why do you see the speck in your neighbor’s eye, but do not notice the log in your own eye?

I don’t believe God has a ranking of God’s followers, which is best left to sports. We too should celebrate when anyone turns around and finds his or her path to wholeness. Our celebration in such situations is a reflection of our own wholeness in God.

Prayer: O God who Relents, open my heart to rejoice in those who have found a better way and let their example be a stepping stone toward my growing relationship 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 American. Used by permission. All rights reserved.

 

Sins of Omission

Sins of OmissionLiving in the Spirit
November 23, 2014

Scripture Reading: Matthew 25:31-46

Then he will say to those at his left hand, “You that are accursed, depart from me into the eternal fire prepared for the devil and his angels; for I was hungry and you gave me no food, I was thirsty and you gave me nothing to drink, I was a stranger and you did not welcome me, naked and you did not give me clothing, sick and in prison and you did not visit me.” Then they also will answer, “Lord, when was it that we saw you hungry or thirsty or a stranger or naked or sick or in prison, and did not take care of you?” Then he will answer them, “Truly I tell you, just as you did not do it to one of the least of these, you did not do it to me.” And these will go away into eternal punishment, but the righteous into eternal life.’ — Matthew 25:41-46

Following parables about the Kingdom of God, Jesus closes out what is now designated as Matthew 25 with a discourse on sins of omission. Our society, particularly the church, tends to emphasize sins that we commit. Now don’t get me wrong, I do not think Jesus wants us to intentionally do things that separate us from God. What Jesus might be saying here is that the things that separate us most from God are the things that separate us most from each other. If we choose to target our lives at doing what we consider to be right by our own definitions without regard to others in the hopes of winning a place of honor in God’s Kingdom, we may be missing the mark.

I am writing this while printing gift cards for the people at my church to purchase to give as Christmas presents to those people who would be most honored by receiving such a card that says a contribution has been given in their honor to a mission project thousands of miles away.  The program Caminante, in Boca Chica, Dominican Republic is designed to help street children learn and grow into self-sustaining, whole adults. It is a wonderful program, locally operated and lovingly supported by the people who see the good that it does.

This is just one tiny way of acknowledging the vast diversity of people we are called to love who are citizens in the Kingdom of God. I am sure there are more ways than any of us could even imagine to give clean water to the thirsty, feed the hungry, clothe the naked, help the sick, provide restorative help for those in prison, and yes, welcome the stranger for they are strangers no more in the Kingdom of God, but they are our brothers and sisters in Christ.

Prayer: Lord, make us cognizant of our sins of omission and open channels of service to us that will help us turn them into commissions of service. Amen.

The quote in the picture above is by 18th century Irish political philosopher Edmond Burke.

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.

 

Does God Know You?

God knows YOuLiving in the Spirit
November 9, 2014

Scripture Reading: Matthew 25:1-13

But he replied, “Truly I tell you, I do not know you.” Keep awake therefore, for you know neither the day nor the hour. –Matthew 25:12-13

This quote from scripture is probably the saddest words we could ever hear. God created each of us, knew every atom in our being from our start, and sent us forth into the world with the freedom to take advantage of the talents and skills God invested in us for good or evil, or not use them at all. So, how is it that we could reach a point in life when God could truly say I do not know you? The best definition of sin with which I can identify is that sin is being separated from God whether on purpose or by neglect.

We, who call ourselves Christian, try really hard to define sin as behaviors, most often someone else’s, or specific beliefs that do not pass our judgment of what it means to follow Christ or live a moral life. Indeed, there is no question that Jesus called on us to love one another and share our experiences and knowledge of God with others. He never said we got to select the ones we are to love by their behaviors or cram what we believe down another’s throat. In fact, it seems to me we may have created some role reversal in our attempt to make disciples. We somehow turned that into a theme of advancing personal salvation based on our standards when it was God all along who longed for a personal relationship with each of God’s children and we were actually called to be a community of faith, helping each other grow and flourish in the all-inclusive family of God.

I walked into my mother’s room and took her hand as she lay in her hospital bed. She smiled at me and said, “Marilynn is coming to see me today.” In fact, I was the one who told her that just a few days earlier. I replied, “Mom, I am Marilynn.” She studied me hard and finally said, “No you are not; you are too old.” I said, “I am sorry to have to tell you this but you have a daughter that is as old as me.” She looked again, and kind of grinned, while she had not recognized this old woman setting in front of her, she knew that personality. God wants us to live our lives in such a way that although we may have white hair and wrinkles, when God sees our hearts, God can say, “Welcome home my child.”

Prayer: Just a closer walk with Thee,
              Grant it, Jesus, is my plea,
              Daily walking close to Thee,
              Let it be, dear Lord, let it be. Amen.

* http://library.timelesstruths.org/music/Just_a_Closer_Walk_with_Thee/

 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.

 

Sin and Evildoing

Living in the Spirit
July 20, 2014

 Scripture Reading: Matthew 13:24-30, 36-43 

The Son of Man will send his angels, and they will collect out of his kingdom all causes of sin and all evildoers, and they will throw them into the furnace of fire, where there will be weeping and gnashing of teeth. Then the righteous will shine like the sun in the kingdom of their Father. Let anyone with ears listen! — Matthew 13:41-43

I was overdosed on the second coming as a child to the extent that for many years I did not want to read or hear anything that remotely related to it. I have since attended a seminary class on Revelation and facilitated a study of the book of Daniel in my Sunday School Class. What brought about that change? A wise seminary professor said to me that such works have a lot more to say to us than my limited experience had taught. It was a struggle because I started with a serious negative bias. One of the joys of plunging into this literature was finding that it is the source of the words for some of the most beautiful music ever written. Sometimes we need to let the arts say what we cannot adequately describe in words, but that is for another devotion.

Matthew in our scripture today says at that end time Christ will send angels to pluck out and destroy all sin and all evildoers. This is good news for we all engage in practices that we call sin, those things that makes us miss the mark toward which we along with Christ are striving or become separated from God. But what or who are evildoers? Is that different from being a sinner?

The Greek word translated in the NRSV as evildoer means, very simply put, having no law.* Now for those of us who accept Jesus as the Christ, we also accept his statement that he came not to abolish the law but to fulfill the law. (Matthew 5.17) I take that to mean that he is not as interested in our ridged obedience to the letter of the law as much as he is to our being ever vigilante to the intent of the law. Laws are not for individuals; they are created to provide order to the interactions in community. Thus, loving God is intrinsically intertwined with loving our neighbors as we love ourselves. Sin may indeed deal with our separation from God. Evildoing, it would seem, relates to our failure to love our neighbors. Evildoing indeed is a sin as it surely separates us from God, but it apparently is to be dealt with in its own right in the final judgment. It indeed is our interactions in community that Jesus highlights in Matthew 25 when he talks about separating the sheep from the goats.

Prayer: Father, forgive me when I become self-righteous in law and when I fail to love my neighbor as myself. Amen

*Kittle, Gerhard and Friedrich, Gerhard Editors, Theological Dictionary of the New Testament, Abridged in One Volume by Geoffrey W. Bromiley, Will B. Eerdmans Publishing Company, 2000.

 

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.

Shadow Side of Faith

Living in the Spirit
July 16, 2014

 Scripture Reading: Psalm 139

O that you would kill the wicked, O God,
   and that the bloodthirsty would depart from me—
those who speak of you maliciously,
    and lift themselves up against you for evil!
Do I not hate those who hate you, O Lord?
    And do I not loathe those who rise up against you?
I hate them with perfect hatred;
   I count them my enemies. — Matthew 11:19-22 

Memorization is not in vogue as a learning tool in our digital society today, but if ever there was a prayer that cries out to be memorized and repeated daily, it is Psalm 139. It gives me great comfort when I feel alone or disheartened, it urged me to seek forgiveness when I have moved away from God, and it even helps me deal with others whom I perceive to be enemies of God. This last one may be the most important as we work for wholeness, oneness, and justice. I think it is interesting that the lectionary does not include verses 13-22, because I think the Psalmist knows humans very well and these verses deal with the shadow side of our faith. So, just for today, I have stepped out of the lectionary and into that shadow.

Hate by definition is intense hostility toward an object (as an individual) that has frustrated the release of an inner tension (as of a biological nature)* I was sitting outside in our glider under a shade tree with my Mom when my brother brought her the mail that had just been delivered. She opened and read a letter from someone in her family and with tears in her eyes she said out loud, “God damn them.” It was a prayer, and I knew she meant it. I do not to this day remember what the letter said or who “them” were. I was so shocked at hearing my mother use swear words, I lost the rest of the story. She knew her intense, immediate response had been something she later needed to address with her children and she did. We talked about the existence of evil in the world and the harm that it can do. We talked about the fact that Jesus was the only one who could pass final judgment on anyone and that we never, ever have full knowledge about anyone, but God does. And she told us that when we are overcome with hate we need to share that with God as God is the only one that can mitigate our hatred and turn it into love and ultimately the only one whose love will deal with the object of our hatred.

Prayer: Search me, O God, and know my heart;
                  test me and know my thoughts.
              See if there is any wicked way in me,
                  and lead me in the way everlasting. Amen. –Psalm 139:23-24

* http://unabridged.merriam-webster.com/unabridged/Hate

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.