Living in the Spirit

September 7, 2023

Scripture Reading: Psalm 119:33-40
Teach me, O Lord, the way of your statutes,
   and I will observe it to the end.
Give me understanding, that I may keep your law
   and observe it with my whole heart.
Lead me in the path of your commandments,
   for I delight in it.
Turn my heart to your decrees,
   and not to selfish gain.
Turn my eyes from looking at vanities;
   give me life in your ways.
Confirm to your servant your promise,
   which is for those who fear you.
Turn away the disgrace that I dread,
   for your ordinances are good.
See, I have longed for your precepts;
   in your righteousness give me life.

In recent years, I have seen Jesus’s teachings as commentary, exploring the meaning of parts of the Hebrew Bible, like the Ten Commandments. Read the Sermon on the Mount, Mathew 5-7, and you will see that Jesus broadens the depth of some of those Commandments or other teachings. The commandments are not just a check-off list to make good grades, they describe a way of being designed to unite all people in an abundant life ruled by love.

Prayer: Lord, open our hearts as well as our minds to living your 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.

Living in the Spirit

September 6, 2023

Scripture Reading:

Ezekiel 33:7-11
So you, mortal, I have made a sentinel for the house of Israel; whenever you hear a word from my mouth, you shall give them warning from me. If I say to the wicked, ‘O wicked ones, you shall surely die’, and you do not speak to warn the wicked to turn from their ways, the wicked shall die in their iniquity, but their blood I will require at your hand. But if you warn the wicked to turn from their ways, and they do not turn from their ways, the wicked shall die in their iniquity, but you will have saved your life.

Now you, mortal, say to the house of Israel, Thus you have said: ‘Our transgressions and our sins weigh upon us, and we waste away because of them; how then can we live?’ Say to them, As I live, says the Lord God, I have no pleasure in the death of the wicked, but that the wicked turn from their ways and live; turn back, turn back from your evil ways; for why will you die, O house of Israel?

I am 100% against the death penalty. My basic reason is that the final judgment belongs to God. I support having a criminal justice system, and I believe some people who are a threat to themselves, or others may need to be sentenced to life in prison. The death penalty carries the inherent risk of executing an innocent person. Since 1973, at least 190 people who had been wrongly convicted and sentenced to death in the U.S. have been exonerated. We do not know how many innocent people have been executed. Once they are executed, no official investigation occurs to challenge the sentence.

Does God define as wicked all the things I identify as wicked? Do I see something I consider evil as evil in God’s eyes? Yes, I do think as Christ-followers, we have a responsibility to live and communicate God’s ways of being as described in the Bible, like the Ten Commandments or the Sermon on the Mount. Rather than chastise someone for something I deem is evil, I am more comfortable suggesting someone try to follow Christ’s example of living and loving that would, of necessity, rule out the behavior I have observed.

Prayer: Lord, we are your servants and are called to do your wishes. Please guide us in the best way to share your love with someone who seems to have lost their way. 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.

Living in the Spirit

September 5, 2023

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 decree.
   This is glory for all his faithful ones.
Praise the Lord!

I am left-handed, and although I have not experienced it, I have heard the stories of how my great-grandmother thought being left-handed was the mark of the devil. She had two daughters who were born left-handed. As soon as she noticed that tendency, she started tying their little left arms to their side every day until they learned to use the right hand instead of their left. My ancestor’s belief came from the story of the separation of the sheep and the goats. (See Matthew 25) The goats were labeled as the bad guys, and they were put on the left, and the sheep were good in other words obeyed Jesus’ teaching, and they were sent to the right. The truth is that goats and sheep are both valued animals. My dad’s doctor prescribed that he drink only goat’s milk. Wool comes from sheep. I understand Jesus’s point in telling the story in Matthew 25, but we humans sometimes get so caught up in the facts that we forget the meaning of what we read. Jesus also illustrated the same imagery of separating the wheat from the chaff; I do not think that story set apart any children being of the devil. (Matthew 3:12)

I do enjoy the Psalms, but many of them get caught up, like the one above, in separating, those whom we identify as not following God from the righteous that I fear sometimes leads to self-righteousness. That is not and has never been our calling. We are to live a life that invites people to know the God we love, who loves all God’s children and awaits them all with open arms tying no one’s arms to their sides.

Prayer: Lord, when we study your work, help us not get so tied up in its story that we miss its lesson.  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.

Living in the Spirit

September 4, 2023

Scripture Reading:

Exodus 12:1-14
The Lord said to Moses and Aaron in the land of Egypt: This month shall mark for you the beginning of months; it shall be the first month of the year for you. Tell the whole congregation of Israel that on the tenth of this month they are to take a lamb for each family, a lamb for each household. If a household is too small for a whole lamb, it shall join its closest neighbor in obtaining one; the lamb shall be divided in proportion to the number of people who eat of it. Your lamb shall be without blemish, a year-old male; you may take it from the sheep or from the goats. You shall keep it until the fourteenth day of this month; then the whole assembled congregation of Israel shall slaughter it at twilight. They shall take some of the blood and put it on the two doorposts and the lintel of the houses in which they eat it. They shall eat the lamb that same night; they shall eat it roasted over the fire with unleavened bread and bitter herbs. Do not eat any of it raw or boiled in water, but roasted over the fire, with its head, legs, and inner organs. You shall let none of it remain until the morning; anything that remains until the morning you shall burn. This is how you shall eat it: your loins girded, your sandals on your feet, and your staff in your hand; and you shall eat it hurriedly. It is the Passover of the Lord. For I will pass through the land of Egypt that night, and I will strike down every firstborn in the land of Egypt, both human beings and animals; on all the gods of Egypt, I will execute judgments: I am the Lord. The blood shall be a sign for you on the houses where you live: when I see the blood, I will pass over you, and no plague shall destroy you when I strike the land of Egypt.

This day shall be a day of remembrance for you. You shall celebrate it as a festival to the Lord; throughout your generations, you shall observe it as a perpetual ordinance.

I watch the Dark Winds series when it is available, based on Tony Hillerman’s books telling stories of the Navaho people woven into a storyline of combating crime. I have read all the books, and the series brings to life the Navaho culture, which is alive too in the books, but it is nice to see that it can be displayed well in video. I fear we are missing the importance of understanding our culture and how it can relate well to our faith or not. I might even ask if we have a culture. Is our world moving so fast that we no longer have time to understand how we are living and if how we are living is congruent with how Christ calls us to live? I do not know where I am going with this. I wonder if we need to consider what we have lost or gained from losing our connections with our faith’s history and traditions.

Prayer: Lord, guide us in our studies of both scriptures and the history of our faith since those scriptures were written. What do we need to keep what is it time to let some go.   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.

Living in the Spirit

September 2, 2023

Scripture Reading: Psalm 98:1-5
O sing to the Lord a new song,
   for he has done marvelous things.
His right hand and his holy arm
   have gained him victory.
The Lord has made known his victory;
   he has revealed his vindication in the sight of the nations.
He has remembered his steadfast love and faithfulness
   to the house of Israel.
All the ends of the earth have seen
   the victory of our God.

Make a joyful noise to the Lord, all the earth;
   break forth into joyous song and sing praises.
Sing praises to the Lord with the lyre,
   with the lyre and the sound of melody.

I awoke this morning with good around me, and I had not realized that that had not been my norm for a while. Usually, the news tells me how many people were shot in Oklahoma City overnight, where horrible fires, hurricanes, or tornadoes are destroying homes, and Russia is bombing Ukraine, driving Ukraine to hit back, COVID-19 deaths are rising again, and child sex trafficking is rampant.  The news programs are apparently tired of bad news, too. Many always look for some good news to share. For example, this morning, I heard of the schoolteacher who worked with her community to ensure that all the children in her school had food to eat and clothing to wear. God is still working God’s purpose out, and we are each a member of God’s staff implementing God’s purpose.

Prayer: Thank you for the examples of good people doing good things toward establishing your Kingdom on earth. 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.

Living in the Spirit

September 1, 2023

Scripture Reading: Numbers 21:4b-9
From Mount Hor they set out by the way to the Red Sea, to go around the land of Edom; but the people became impatient on the way. The people spoke against God and against Moses, ‘Why have you brought us up out of Egypt to die in the wilderness? For there is no food and no water, and we detest this miserable food.’ Then the Lord sent poisonous serpents among the people, and they bit the people, so that many Israelites died. The people came to Moses and said, ‘We have sinned by speaking against the Lord and against you; pray to the Lord to take away the serpents from us.’ So Moses prayed for the people. And the Lord said to Moses, ‘Make a poisonous serpent, and set it on a pole; and everyone who is bitten shall look at it and live.’ So Moses made a serpent of bronze, and put it upon a pole; and whenever a serpent bit someone, that person would look at the serpent of bronze and live.

The ancients seem to see a direct connection between catastrophe and sin. Jesus said that it rains on the just and the unjust (Matthew 5:45) Today, we have books such as Bad Things Happen to Good People by Harold S. Kushner, grappling with the relationship of our behavior and its outcomes and the realities of the world in which we live. All three statements are true. Sin can result in catastrophe, but not always. It raining on the just and the unjust can be good or bad. Rain in times of drought is a welcomed gift from God, floods are not. The lesson in each of these outcomes is that God is always with us through all of life’s trials and joys, and when we are always with God, we understand that God is always working God’s purpose out including whatever role God has for each of us and all of us to create a world ruled by love.

Prayer: Lord, forgive us when we turn away from you and get caught in our misery. We thank you for always being with us as we strive to always be 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.

Living in the Spirit

August 30, 2023

Scripture Reading: Psalm 26:1-8
Vindicate me, O Lord,
   for I have walked in my integrity,

   and I have trusted in the Lord without wavering.
Prove me, O Lord, and try me;
   test my heart and mind.
For your steadfast love is before my eyes,
   and I walk in faithfulness to you.

I do not sit with the worthless,
   nor do I consort with hypocrites;
I hate the company of evildoers,
   and will not sit with the wicked.

I wash my hands in innocence,
   and go around your altar, O Lord,
singing aloud a song of thanksgiving,
   and telling all your wondrous deeds.

O Lord, I love the house in which you dwell,
   and the place where your glory abides.

I must confess this scripture hit me in all the wrong places. I was OK with the first two segments, but when I reached, I do not sit with the worthless I felt a negative reaction through my whole being. No one is worthless, and we all have experienced our battle with hypocrisy. Why is it that humans tend to establish their worth in comparison to being better than others? I am not an athlete, but I appreciate the ones I watch who only seem to work to improve themselves.

I fear when we put so much emphasis on being better than others, we begin to feel unworthy, which brings us down. When we work to become the best person we can be in whatever areas God has graced us with skills, we learn to appreciate the skills and talents of others and help them feel worthy.

Prayer: Lord, forgive us when we feel our worth is based on someone else’s lack of worth. Help us to live lives that celebrate everyone’s worth. 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.

Living in the Spirit

August 29, 2023

Scripture Reading:

Jeremiah 15:15-21

Therefore, thus says the Lord:
If you turn back, I will take you back,
   and you shall stand before me.
If you utter what is precious, and not what is worthless,
   you shall serve as my mouth.
It is they who will turn to you,
   not you who will turn to them.
And I will make you to this people
   a fortified wall of bronze;
they will fight against you,
   but they shall not prevail over you,
for I am with you
   to save you and deliver you,
says the Lord.
I will deliver you out of the hand of the wicked,
   and redeem you from the grasp of the ruthless. –Jerimiah 15:19-21

I was raised in a family that watched the news morning, noon, evening, and night and I inherited that habit. In all honesty, my dad, a farmer, and my mother, an ardent gardener, were at least as interested in the weather as the news, but they did keep up with what was happening in the world. I am picky about the news I watch, and I also read more than one newspaper. I, however, am growing weary of the venom our leaders spew out, keeping everyone unnecessarily riled up over things that push the important issues of our time that really need to be addressed to the back burner. It is my observation that many of the issues these leaders are accusing others of doing are behaviors they have done or are doing themselves. Newspapers now have had to add segments that fact-check what our leaders say. This phrase in the above scripture, If you utter what is precious, and not what is worthless, seems to strike at the center of the changes we need to make in our own lives, and what we need to demand from our leaders.

Prayer: Lord, forgive us when we give in to the vitriol of our world, help us to hold precious the things that really matter, and hold our leaders to that same responsibility. 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.

Living in the Spirit

August 28, 2023

Scripture Reading: Psalm 105:1-6, 23-26, 45b

O give thanks to the Lord, call on his name,
   make known his deeds among the peoples.
Sing to him, sing praises to him;
   tell of all his wonderful works.
Glory in his holy name;
   let the hearts of those who seek the Lord rejoice.
Seek the Lord and his strength;
   seek his presence continually.
Remember the wonderful works he has done,
   his miracles, and the judgments he has uttered,
O offspring of his servant Abraham,
   children of Jacob, his chosen ones.

He sent his servant Moses,
   and Aaron whom he had chosen.
that they might keep his statutes
   and observe his laws.
Praise the Lord!—Psalm 105:1-6, 45b

Another shooting, this time at a football game, where a 16-year-old boy was killed and others injured. All those in attendance were changed forever. Who will God send to lead us out of our trials and tribulations? Where is our Moses, our Aaron? Who will save the children? Isaiah addresses that question: Isaiah 6:8: Then I heard the voice of the Lord saying, ‘Whom shall I send, and who will go for us?’ And I said, ‘Here am I; send me!’

We are not all called to be a Moses or an Isaiah, whose names and responses are recorded for posterity. We are all, however, called to answer, “Here am I; send me!” to do whatever we need to do to build the Beloved Community where children can play without fear.

Prayer: Lord, be present with all who were impacted by the misguided actions of those who use violence to solve their problems. Guide us in addressing the causes of mass shootings and give us the courage to take the necessary actions to stop 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.