Tag Archives: Justice

Garden of Love and Caring

Living in the Spirit

August 8, 2022

Scripture Reading: Isaiah 5:1-7

Let me sing for my beloved
   my love-song concerning his vineyard:
My beloved had a vineyard
   on a very fertile hill.
He dug it and cleared it of stones,
   and planted it with choice vines;
he built a watch-tower in the midst of it,
   and hewed out a wine vat in it;
he expected it to yield grapes,
   but it yielded wild grapes.

And now I will tell you
   what I will do to my vineyard.
I will remove its hedge,
   and it shall be devoured;
I will break down its wall,
   and it shall be trampled down.
I will make it a waste;
   it shall not be pruned or hoed,
   and it shall be overgrown with briers and thorns;
I will also command the clouds
   that they rain no rain upon it.  –Isaiah5:1-2, 5-6

I must confess I like wild grapes. They grew on the trees that skirted the creek running through our farm. I have a taste for sour and they are indeed sour. My memory is fuzzy, but I think we only gathered and ate them once a year and I do not remember my mother making preserves of them. Don’t think I inherited my taste for sour from her. My mother was a dedicated gardener. The first verse of the above scripture describes my mother well, although she had a garden, not a vineyard and she canned and froze produce rather than making wine.  

This scripture is an allegory. Isaiah is warning the people that God created and provided us with not only the good earth but also a way of being that required us to care for and cherish the gifts of God’s earth but also his love which sets an example for the way we could thrive if we followed the path of God’s love and righteousness.

During the summer in the cool of the morning, my mother would most often be found planting seeds and then hoeing weeds from the garden and gathering ripe vegetables. While for me the wild grapes were a treat for a few days, mom’s garden fed us year-round.

Prayer: Lord, teach us to love and care for one another as a way of being. 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.

Implementing the Beloved Community

Living in the Spirit

August 7, 2022

Scripture Reading: Luke 12:32-40

‘Be dressed for action and have your lamps lit; be like those who are waiting for their master to return from the wedding banquet, so that they may open the door for him as soon as he comes and knocks. Blessed are those slaves whom the master finds alert when he comes; truly I tell you, he will fasten his belt and have them sit down to eat, and he will come and serve them. If he comes during the middle of the night, or near dawn, and finds them so, blessed are those slaves.

‘But know this: if the owner of the house had known at what hour the thief was coming, he would not have let his house be broken into. You also must be ready, for the Son of Man is coming at an unexpected hour.’ –Luke 12:35-40

Life is not waiting around for Christ to return and make everything right resting on the laurels of our self-righteousness. I think Christ would be perfectly happy to return to a world where we love one another, and everyone has enough to eat, clothing to wear, good health, and no crime. Where safe water is abundant, and the air is clean to breathe.  Where when Christ returns he brings a banquet to celebrate the realization of his beloved community throughout the world.

Prayer: Lord, open our hearts and minds to find and implement our roles in implementing his beloved community.  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.

What is in your Purse

Living in the Spirit

August 6, 2022

Scripture Reading: Luke 12:32-40

‘Do not be afraid, little flock, for it is your Father’s good pleasure to give you the kingdom. Sell your possessions, and give alms. Make purses for yourselves that do not wear out, an unfailing treasure in heaven, where no thief comes near and no moth destroys. For where your treasure is, there your heart will be also. –Luke 12:32-34

My paternal grandmother died when I was five. While I remember her, I did not know her as an adult. For example, I did not know that it was forbidden for anyone to get into her purse but her. So forbidden that after her death the last purse she had was stored on a shelf at our house never to be opened for many years. I do not remember the details of the great opening, but I was present when we did open it and discovered it was filled mostly with the mundane items that most women might carry. It contained very old and dried-up lipstick for one, a handkerchief, paper tissues that did not exist then, a coin purse with a few cents in it, and so on. The one thing I did find that surprised me was an official mortgage using one cow as collateral rendered to buy groceries. There was more than one of these. They were all marked paid. They were written during the depression before public assistance or social security existed. My grandfather died suddenly and unexpectedly in 1928 when my dad was ten and became the breadwinner running the farm for the family with his younger brother. Her children were my grandmother’s treasure, and she took care of them in the best way she could. I did wonder why she kept those receipts for so many years. To remind her of the hard times, maybe. I am glad I broke her rule and opened the purse. It shed a lot of light on a grandmother I barely knew.

God cares for each and all of us and we are God’s treasures. We must never forget that as we return God’s love through our lives.

Prayer: Thank you, Lord, for those who love us as you love them. 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.

Sharing God’s Great Earth

Living in the Spirit

August 5, 2022

Scripture Reading:

Hebrews 11:1-3, 8-16

By faith Abraham obeyed when he was called to set out for a place that he was to receive as an inheritance; and he set out, not knowing where he was going. By faith he stayed for a time in the land he had been promised, as in a foreign land, living in tents, as did Isaac and Jacob, who were heirs with him of the same promise. For he looked forward to the city that has foundations, whose architect and builder is God. By faith he received power of procreation, even though he was too old—and Sarah herself was barren—because he considered him faithful who had promised. Therefore from one person, and this one as good as dead, descendants were born, ‘as many as the stars of heaven and as the innumerable grains of sand by the seashore.’

All of these died in faith without having received the promises, but from a distance they saw and greeted them. They confessed that they were strangers and foreigners on the earth, for people who speak in this way make it clear that they are seeking a homeland. If they had been thinking of the land that they had left behind, they would have had opportunity to return. But as it is, they desire a better country, that is, a heavenly one. Therefore God is not ashamed to be called their God; indeed, he has prepared a city for them. –Hebrews 11:8-16

On July 4, 2003, the USA government procured the Louisiana Purchase from France. The land in general was west of the Mississippi River. Most of that land was inhabited by indigenous people so what we bought was the “preemptive” right to obtain “Indian” lands by treaty or by conquest, to the exclusion of other colonial powers*. Some of those indigenous people thought the land east of the Mississippi was still theirs. In 1832 the Sauk Warrior Chief Black Hawk led raids to retake parts of what is now Illinois but was eventually run back across the Mississippi River. In 1843, my third great grandfather, John William Knott, with other relatives and friends claimed land in Illinois as a land grant offered by the federal government. I never saw any records of interactions of any kind he had with indigenous people, and he most likely did not consider the people that were displaced so he could have his farm. I did find a record that said the first worship service in that area was conducted in his home.

I thought of him when I read about Abraham’s migration described above. He, too, moved to a land already inhabited. His story tells the negotiations he had with those who were there first. That was followed by fighting that to some extent continues today. We often study history written to our advantage. Manifest Destiny as land procurement was deemed to be God’s design for the New World, in most instances, to the loss of the “savages” inhabiting at the time. There indeed may have been enough land for the indigenous people and the migrants from mainly Europe. Many of those people were fleeing religious persecution or famine or poverty. We have some, but too few, instances when land-sharing was negotiated. Otherwise, we used God to justify our privilege to take whatever we wanted no matter how it impacted others. We are still doing that today.

Prayer: Lord, forgive us when we let greed lead us across the line of loving others as we love ourselves. Amen.

*https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Louisiana_Purchase

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 Righteousness

Living in the Spirit

August 2, 2022

Scripture Reading: Genesis 15:1-6

After these things the word of the Lord came to Abram in a vision, ‘Do not be afraid, Abram, I am your shield; your reward shall be very great.’ But Abram said, ‘O Lord God, what will you give me, for I continue childless, and the heir of my house is Eliezer of Damascus?’ And Abram said, ‘You have given me no offspring, and so a slave born in my house is to be my heir.’ But the word of the Lord came to him, ‘This man shall not be your heir; no one but your very own issue shall be your heir.’ He brought him outside and said, ‘Look towards heaven and count the stars, if you are able to count them.’ Then he said to him, ‘So shall your descendants be.’ And he believed the Lord; and the Lord reckoned it to him as righteousness.

The scripture leading to this quote tells of Abram negotiating with the King of Sodom. The King offers Abram riches in exchange for the people who came with him. Abram turned him down and retain his followers. He thus crossed a major ruler. Following that encounter, Abram has a vision where God tells him not to be afraid and that his reward would be very great. Having an heir in that culture was required even if one had to designate a slave. So, God’s promise that Abram would have a son was important. God saw that Abram was a man of righteousness and chose him as a helper in God’s plans.

Our goal in life is to act so that God sees us as righteous people who are dedicated to God’s vision for the world he created. We are called to be people on whom God can count.

We live in a challenging world where the powers that be try to reshape righteousness to their own causes. Abram could have taken the riches and lived the high life until the riches were gone. He chose the better path and was thus chosen to be a partner in God’s Kingdom.

Prayer: Lord, teach us your righteousness so that we might also partner with you in realizing the beloved community you desire. 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.

Doing Justice

Living in the Spirit

July 27, 2022

Scripture Reading: Psalm 49:1-12
Hear this, all you peoples;
   give ear, all inhabitants of the world,
both low and high,
   rich and poor together.
My mouth shall speak wisdom;
   the meditation of my heart shall be understanding.
I will incline my ear to a proverb;
   I will solve my riddle to the music of the harp.

Why should I fear in times of trouble,
   when the iniquity of my persecutors surrounds me,
those who trust in their wealth
   and boast of the abundance of their riches?
Truly, no ransom avails for one’s life,
   there is no price one can give to God for it.
For the ransom of life is costly,
   and can never suffice,
that one should live on forever
   and never see the grave.

When we look at the wise, they die;
   fool and dolt perish together
   and leave their wealth to others.
Their graves are their homes forever,
   their dwelling-places to all generations,
   though they named lands their own.
Mortals cannot abide in their pomp;
   they are like the animals that perish.

Benjamin Franklin said, Our new Constitution is now established, everything seems to promise it will be durable; but, in this world, nothing is certain except death and taxes. I understand that to mean that our democracy’s success lies in our hands and our ability to carry it forward into a constantly changing world. I hear daily news reporters asking the question what is the President going to do about this crisis? How will Congress solve a specific issue on which they are deadlocked?  We must let our elected officials know where we stand on the problems we face today. More than that we need to delve into the issue and understand the ramifications of our positions and not just follow the crowd responding to hot-button issues that are distractions to dealing with serious problems.

Prayer: Lord, help us understand our role as citizens working for the justice you have called us to foster. 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.

Healing of the Nations

Living in the Spirit

July 25, 2022

Scripture Reading:

Psalm 107:1-9, 43
O give thanks to the Lord, for he is good;
   for his steadfast love endures forever.
Let the redeemed of the Lord say so,
   those he redeemed from trouble
and gathered in from the lands,
   from the east and from the west,
   from the north and from the south.

Some wandered in desert wastes,
   finding no way to an inhabited town;
hungry and thirsty,
   their soul fainted within them.
Then they cried to the Lord in their trouble,
   and he delivered them from their distress;
he led them by a straight way,
   until they reached an inhabited town.
Let them thank the Lord for his steadfast love,
   for his wonderful works to humankind.
For he satisfies the thirsty,
   and the hungry he fills with good things.

Let those who are wise give heed to these things,
   and consider the steadfast love of the Lord.

My mind switched from one picture to another drawn from recent news reports as I read this scripture. I recalled people in Africa living in danger due to famine partially caused by the cut-off of grain exports from Ukraine and fertilizer from Russia. Destroyed buildings throughout Ukraine surrounded the body of a little girl dead in the street. A conference table in Turkey where an agreement was reached to let the grain and fertilizer be exported. More people will survive but the delivery will be too late for some and not enough for many.

Prayer:
For the healing of the nations,
Lord, we pray with one accord;
For a just and equal sharing
of the things that earth affords.
To a life of love in action
help us rise and pledge our word.

Lead us, Spirit, into freedom,
from despair your world release;
That, redeemed from war and hatred,
All may come and go in peace.
Show us how through care and goodness
fear will die and hope increase. Amen.

First two verses of For the healing of the nations by F. Kaan/R. Lloyd see at https://pilgrimwr.unitingchurch.org.au/wp-content/uploads/2012/08/Social-Services-Sunday-various-songs.pdf

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 Our Love

Living in the Spirit

Living in the Spirit

July 21, 2022

Scripture Reading:

Colossians 2:6-15, (16-19)

As you therefore have received Christ Jesus the Lord, continue to live your lives in him, rooted and built up in him and established in the faith, just as you were taught, abounding in thanksgiving.

See to it that no one takes you captive through philosophy and empty deceit, according to human tradition, according to the elemental spirits of the universe, and not according to Christ. For in him the whole fullness of deity dwells bodily, and you have come to fullness in him, who is the head of every ruler and authority. In him also you were circumcised with a spiritual circumcision, by putting off the body of the flesh in the circumcision of Christ; when you were buried with him in baptism, you were also raised with him through faith in the power of God, who raised him from the dead. And when you were dead in trespasses and the uncircumcision of your flesh, God made you alive together with him, when he forgave us all our trespasses, erasing the record that stood against us with its legal demands. He set this aside, nailing it to the cross. He disarmed the rulers and authorities and made a public example of them, triumphing over them in it. –Colossians 2:6-15

When Jesus answered the question, ‘Teacher, which commandment in the law is the greatest?’ He said to him, ‘“You shall love the Lord your God with all your heart, and with all your soul, and with all your mind.” This is the greatest and first commandment. And a second is like it: “You shall love your neighbor as yourself.” On these two commandments hang all the law and the prophets.’ (Matthew 22:36-40) I think Jesus set the plumbline for determining what is right and what is wrong, what is just and what is unjust. If an action, a belief, or a way of being is not of love, it is not of God.

Paul wrestled with defining love in 1 Corinthians 13:4-8a, by defining its characteristics, Love is patient; love is kind; love is not envious or boastful or arrogant or rude. It does not insist on its own way; it is not irritable or resentful; it does not rejoice in wrongdoing, but rejoices in the truth. It bears all things, believes all things, hopes all things, endures all things. Love never ends.

We live in challenging times where ideas and philosophies, especially empty deceits and human traditions try to define our faith based on those elemental spirits of the universe. We must always assess such ideas against the test of God’s love and live our lives accordingly.

Prayer: Lord, guide us in doing our best to present ourselves to God as one approved by him, a worker who has no need to be ashamed, rightly explaining the word of truth*. Amen.

*Derived from 2 Timothy 2:15

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.

Being a Person of Faith and a Citizen

Living in the Spirit

July 19, 2022

Scripture Reading: Genesis 18:20-32

Then the Lord said, ‘How great is the outcry against Sodom and Gomorrah and how very grave their sin! I must go down and see whether they have done altogether according to the outcry that has come to me; and if not, I will know.’

So the men turned from there, and went towards Sodom, while Abraham remained standing before the Lord. Then Abraham came near and said, ‘Will you indeed sweep away the righteous with the wicked? Suppose there are fifty righteous within the city; will you then sweep away the place and not forgive it for the fifty righteous who are in it? Far be it from you to do such a thing, to slay the righteous with the wicked, so that the righteous fare as the wicked! Far be that from you! Shall not the Judge of all the earth do what is just?’ And the Lord said, ‘If I find at Sodom fifty righteous in the city, I will forgive the whole place for their sake.’ Abraham answered, ‘Let me take it upon myself to speak to the Lord, I who am but dust and ashes. Suppose five of the fifty righteous are lacking? Will you destroy the whole city for lack of five?’ And he said, ‘I will not destroy it if I find forty-five there.’ Again he spoke to him, ‘Suppose forty are found there.’ He answered, ‘For the sake of forty I will not do it.’ Then he said, ‘Oh do not let the Lord be angry if I speak. Suppose thirty are found there.’ He answered, ‘I will not do it, if I find thirty there.’ He said, ‘Let me take it upon myself to speak to the Lord. Suppose twenty are found there.’ He answered, ‘For the sake of twenty I will not destroy it.’ Then he said, ‘Oh do not let the Lord be angry if I speak just once more. Suppose ten are found there.’ He answered, ‘For the sake of ten I will not destroy it.’

I have observed that religions identify hierarchies of sins and find that the worst sins are behaviors they would never do. I have learned that in many instances, the ones raving the most against some sins are the practitioners of those sins behind closed doors. I was thus surprised that the lectionary writers chose to leave out the description of the sins that caused the discussion in the above scripture. They carefully opened the door that all of us must consider all aspects of our lives that may separate us from God and address those issues.

Politicians have recognized this tendency and instead of campaigning on their vision for the wellbeing of their constituents, they work to get your vote by highlighting divisive issues repugnant to many. As with our Supreme Court Justices, these same politicians soon forget what they promised regarding real problems in our society after they take office. I recommend we each take some time to identify the issues impacting our lives or the life of our friends and find out how candidates plan to address them. Can you afford the medication you or a loved one is prescribed? Do you have the internet access your children need to succeed in school? Have you lost a home or suffered other ill effects from the weird weather that we are experiencing due to climate change? Does your family’s income add up to a living wage (see https://livingwage.mit.edu/)? After you complete your list find out who the candidates are running for office where you live. See what you can find out about each candidate’s positions regarding your concerns. Your local library might be a good place to start. Make a list of the candidates you pick and take the list to the polls with you. Now, ensure you are registered to vote and learn where you can vote. Plan on how you will get to the polls or access absentee voting. Oklahoma City in the past has not charged bus fees for people going to vote. Many groups offer rides to vote if you need help reach out for it. Finally, vote. Your vote matters.

Prayer: Lord, open our hearts and minds to assuring that we are loving you and our neighbors as ourselves in our role as citizens. 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.

How to Pray

Living in the Spirit

July 16, 2022

Scripture Reading:

Luke 11:1-13

He was praying in a certain place, and after he had finished, one of his disciples said to him, ‘Lord, teach us to pray, as John taught his disciples.’ He said to them, ‘When you pray, say:
Father, hallowed be your name.
   Your kingdom come.
   Give us each day our daily bread.
   And forgive us our sins,
     for we ourselves forgive everyone indebted to us.
   And do not bring us to the time of trial.’ –Luke 11:1-4

Luke simplifies Jesus’s instructions on how to pray compared to Matthew’s version—the one most of us memorized. The message is the same. It recognizes God’s supremacy and the great desire for his kingdom to become the standard for the world. He stresses the need for all people to be fed while forgiving those who are indebted to us.

Matthew writes the next line, lead us not into temptation but deliver us from evil (Matthew 6:13). Luke asked to not bring us to the time of trial or put us to the test in some versions. Theologians have long struggled with this, asking whether God could lead us into temptation or put us to the test. I have never gotten caught up in that fray as I think the world does enough to lead us astray that God does not need to waste time in that manner. I tend to sin more in areas of omission than commission, although I am capable of that also. My battles are pushing myself to do what is right when what is right is not accepted well in our culture. Going along to get along is the easy way out, and, anyway, how could my meager actions make a difference. I am then reminded of Margaret Mead’s quote, Never doubt that a small group of thoughtful, committed citizens can change the world; indeed, it’s the only thing that ever has. I am reminded of those all too human twelve disciples who followed Jesus’s instructions and changed the world.

Prayer: Lord, grant us the courage to do what is right. 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.