Tag Archives: Justice

Total Commitment

Kingdom Building

September 7, 2019

Scripture Reading: Luke 14:25-33

Now large crowds were travelling with him; and he turned and said to them, ‘Whoever comes to me and does not hate father and mother, wife and children, brothers and sisters, yes, and even life itself, cannot be my disciple. Whoever does not carry the cross and follow me cannot be my disciple. For which of you, intending to build a tower, does not first sit down and estimate the cost, to see whether he has enough to complete it? Otherwise, when he has laid a foundation and is not able to finish, all who see it will begin to ridicule him, saying, “This fellow began to build and was not able to finish.” –Luke 14:25-30

Tough language consistent with other words Jesus said about taking discipleship seriously. There is no such thing as a lukewarm Christ follower. There are times, whether we like it or not, when people have had to choose between following Christ or continuing relationships with others.  There are people who have sacrificed their lives for their faith. I do not think Jesus is emphasizing such situations in this scripture. I think he is saying that serving God comes first in all disciples lives and everything else is ordered within that context. Most of us are probably Christ followers today because a parent or spouse introduced us to the Christ.

The idea I think Jesus is trying to make clear is we need to understand and grow in the understanding of what it means to be a Christ follower. He shared similar thoughts in the telling of the parable of the sower*.  The sower spread seeds on all kinds of ground but the seeds only sprouted plants when sprinkled on land ready to accept it fully and completely.  In our scripture today Jesus compares being his disciple to building a building which requires planning and setting aside resources to pay for the land and building materials. Regarding being his disciple, he is talking about making a commitment for the long haul as we strive to build the Kingdom of God on earth.

As I write this the USA East coast and the Bahamas are suffering the consequences of a hung hurricane, another mass shooting just occurred in Texas, thousands of refugees are fleeing terror in their homelands searching for safety not only at our southern border but at several borders all over the world. Addressing the needs Jesus outlines in Matthew 25 of feeding the hungry, clothing the naked, caring for the sick, restoring the prisoner, and welcoming the stranger, is not for the faint of heart. It is the way to create a world ruled by love where everyone has enough, and we are the disciples called to make it happen with the help of God, the model of Jesus, and the support of the Spirit.

Prayer Creator God, you made us a little lower than you** and equipped us with skills and talents that we may not even know we have for the facing of this hour. Guide us as we make plans and develop resources to fulfill your call to building a Kingdom ruled by love. Amen.

*See Matthew 13:1-23, Mark 4:1-20, and Luke 8:4-15
**Derived from Psalm 8:5

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.

Going the Second Mile

Kingdom Building

Kingdom Building

September 6, 2019

Scripture Reading: Philemon 1:1-21

For this reason, though I am bold enough in Christ to command you to do your duty, yet I would rather appeal to you on the basis of love—and I, Paul, do this as an old man, and now also as a prisoner of Christ Jesus. I am appealing to you for my child, Onesimus, whose father I have become during my imprisonment. Formerly he was useless to you, but now he is indeed useful both to you and to me. I am sending him, that is, my own heart, back to you. I wanted to keep him with me, so that he might be of service to me in your place during my imprisonment for the gospel; but I preferred to do nothing without your consent, in order that your good deed might be voluntary and not something forced. Perhaps this is the reason he was separated from you for a while, so that you might have him back for ever, no longer as a slave but as more than a slave, a beloved brother—especially to me but how much more to you, both in the flesh and in the Lord. –Philemon 1:8-16

One of my favorite C.S. Lewis stories tells of a neighbor who regularly got on his nerves*. He tried to avoid her most of the time but there were occasions when that was impossible. He considered his relationship with her when studying about the need to love one’s neighbor as one loves oneself. He determined that he could not make himself love her, but he could treat her as if he loved her by being gracious to her and not trying to avoid her. One day after an encounter with her as he walked away, he realized he had come to love her, to want the best for her.

Paul speaks of his ability to command Philemon to do his duty toward Onesimus. I presume he takes that stance as the leader of the church but says he would prefer that Philemon do what is right out of love. Perhaps doing what is right leads to love. At least I think that is what C.S. Lewis was saying in his story.

The greatest challenge facing us today is discerning what is right, what is just. We tend to do that antagonistically defining right within the limitations of laws.  Jesus discusses this idea of discerning what is right at length in his Sermon on the Mount found in Matthew 5-7. He particularly encourages his followers to go the second mile even when forced to go the first mile. (Matthew 5:41) When I was in college, I was a member of a club called The Second Mile Club. Its whole purpose was to do something for others that went beyond meeting basic needs. We volunteered at the local institution for persons with Development Disabilities and worked with the elderly at a nursing home that was once the poor farm in the town and still served the poorest of the poor. There are no boundaries in doing what is right in God’s world. We might all be surprised what a wonderful world we have, if we practiced going that second mile. Paul was calling on both Onesimus and Philemon to go the second mile.

Prayer: Lord, help us build not just a just world but a world that exceeds justice. Amen.

*I think that story comes from Lewis’ book The Four Loves, but I cannot promise that is correct.

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.

Dystopia

Kingdom Building

September 3, 2019

Scripture Reading: Jeremiah 18:1-11

Then the word of the Lord came to me: Can I not do with you, O house of Israel, just as this potter has done? says the Lord. Just like the clay in the potter’s hand, so are you in my hand, O house of Israel. At one moment I may declare concerning a nation or a kingdom, that I will pluck up and break down and destroy it, but if that nation, concerning which I have spoken, turns from its evil, I will change my mind about the disaster that I intended to bring on it. And at another moment I may declare concerning a nation or a kingdom that I will build and plant it, but if it does evil in my sight, not listening to my voice, then I will change my mind about the good that I had intended to do to it. Now, therefore, say to the people of Judah and the inhabitants of Jerusalem: Thus says the Lord: Look, I am a potter shaping evil against you and devising a plan against you. Turn now, all of you from your evil way, and amend your ways and your doings. –Jeremiah 18:5-11

Dystopia: an imaginary place which is depressingly wretched and whose people lead a fearful existence*

I rarely read books classified as dystopian. I tend to see the depressingly wretched side of life without any help from fiction. There are a lot of dystopian fiction books being written that barely mask how closely they relate to the reality of our world we do not want to see. I just downloaded a recently published dystopian book dealing with an unfamiliar subject to me, thinking perhaps I need to broaden my field of understanding.

Jeremiah and the other prophets would probably have been classified as dystopian writers in their day. We have the advantage of hindsight to know that what they predicted in general  came true. So why are we not doing something to counter the evil currently being described? Are we also caught up in evil’s enticements even to our detriment? Are we being distracted by fear and hate mongers so that we do not pay attention to the greed and lust for power that is infesting our land?

And at another moment I may declare concerning a nation or a kingdom that I will build and plant it, but if it does evil in my sight, not listening to my voice, then I will change my mind about the good that I had intended to do to it. –Jeremiah 18:9-10

Prayer: Lord forgive us for ignoring your wisdom. Help us see the light of your ways. Help us Turn now, all of you from your evil way, and amend your ways and your doings (Jeremiah 18:11b) Amen

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

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.

Do Overs

Kingdom Building

September 2, 2019

Scripture Reading: Jeremiah 18:1-11

The word that came to Jeremiah from the Lord: ‘Come, go down to the potter’s house, and there I will let you hear my words.’ So I went down to the potter’s house, and there he was working at his wheel. The vessel he was making of clay was spoiled in the potter’s hand, and he reworked it into another vessel, as seemed good to him. –Jeremiah 18:1-4

Have you every been involved in a major do over? My Mom was one of the best do-over people I have known. She was a young adult of the Depression working in West Virginia as a Deaconess for the Methodist church. I think she probably always had an eye for making something out of what appeared to be nothing, but I know she honed that skill in those Appalachians Mountains. I remember our neighbor once gave Mom some clothing her teenage daughters had outgrown. My sister and I were in grade school and the clothing was to big for us. She careful dismantled a dress or skirt or whatever avoiding any worn spots and laid patterns for our clothing on them until she had a new garment. She was good at math and geometry.

I would probably do better with a ball of clay like the potter described above. If I messed something up the first time, rolling it back up and trying again would make more sense to me. We all need to develop skills to recognize when something is not right and is never going to be right and starting over again. The problem is that we never ever get to start with a clean slate. We have history and our histories cloud our discernment at times. That is the problem with privilege. We do not see when we are privileged because it is our norm. it is very clear to others. I joked with other women where I once worked that the women did the work and the men got the salaries. I drew the assignment of analyzing the imbalance among women at that workplace and was stunned to learn that the woman who ran the place made $20,000 less a year than her male job equivalents even though she had more education and experience and a lot more responsibility. That study was made possible by men who were not afraid to roll the clay back into a ball and start over again.

We live in a nation that is dealing with major turmoil as we transition to a more diverse population in an upside-down economy. Like our ancestors in faith, the Israelites, we can bury our heads in the sand and ignore the situation or we can work together to find common ground that values all God’s children.

Prayer: God of Justice and Mercy, forgive us for ignoring what is right in front of us. Remold and remake us like thee divine*. Amen.

*derived from Are Ye Able by Earl Marlatt see at https://www.hymnsite.com/lyrics/umh530.sht

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.

No Quid Pro Quo

September 1, 2019

Scripture Reading: Luke 14:1, 7-14

He said also to the one who had invited him, ‘When you give a luncheon or a dinner, do not invite your friends or your brothers or your relatives or rich neighbors, in case they may invite you in return, and you would be repaid. But when you give a banquet, invite the poor, the crippled, the lame, and the blind. And you will be blessed, because they cannot repay you, for you will be repaid at the resurrection of the righteous.’ –Luke 14:12-14

One of the hardest lessons to learn as a Christ follower is that there is no quid pro quo in God’s Kingdom (you scratch my back; I will scratch yours). I think that is so hard to grasp because it is such a prevalent value in most societies. Being popular does not make anything right. God’s love is given 100% with no strings attached. Jesus died on the cross in our name with no strings attached. God’s grace is given with no strings attached. We can turn our backs on God, but God never turns God’s back on us. The hope and faith of love is that such generosity will be mirrored in our lives. Our loving one another is the greatest gift we can give God.

We get caught in traps of trying to define by rules the depth and breadth of our love and thus God’s love. We cannot set limits on something that has no boundaries. God provided us with basic guidance’s in how to live our lives resulting in our working hard drilling down to the least we must do to meet the expected behavior. This stretches all the way back to Cain asking, Am I my brother’s keeper? (Genesis 4:9) and appears again in the story of the Good Samaritan (Luke 10:25-37).

Unlike the world’s banquet table, Christ’s banquet table is open to all. We are called to not only desire having our basic needs met but also the basic needs of families fleeing terror in their homelands, the families of our economic competitors in China, and the child labors in Sri Lanka. And not just meeting basic needs but also introducing the whole world to God’s abundant life that is being stolen from so many in our world.

The thief comes only to steal and kill and destroy. I came that they may have life, and have it abundantly. –John 10:10

Prayer: Thank you, Lord for your great love. Help me mirror your love in my life. Amen.

All scriptures are quoted from the New Revised Standard Version Bible: Anglicized Edition, copyright 1989, 1995, Division of Christian Education of the National Council of Churches of Christ in the United States of America. Used by permission. All rights are reserved.

Loving across Boundaries

Kingdom Building

August 30, 2019

Scripture Reading: Hebrews 13:1-8, 15-16

Remember your leaders, those who spoke the word of God to you; consider the outcome of their way of life, and imitate their faith. Jesus Christ is the same yesterday and today and for ever. Through him, then, let us continually offer a sacrifice of praise to God, that is, the fruit of lips that confess his name. Do not neglect to do good and to share what you have, for such sacrifices are pleasing to God. –Hebrews 13:8, 15-16

Are we living our faith in ways we would want to be imitated? If we are unhappy with the way things are going right now, we may be harvesting what we sowed. Is our primary purpose in being the church to share God’s love throughout the world, to love our neighbors as we love ourselves, to do justice? Are we building the Kingdom of God for all people not just people who look and act like us and in the way,  God envisioned the Kingdom not by our blueprint?

Yes, buildings require upkeep, children and adults must be taught, music is important for worship. A lot of our faith work is routine, opening the church for services, ordering study materials, filling communion cups, maintaining the church bus, mowing the lawn, weeding the flower beds, providing hospitality to each other and to strangers. Is our motivation for doing these chores adding to our purpose?

We certainly have a responsibility to care for each other, as we minister to those in grief, the sick, the lonely and sometimes that feels like a full-time job. We always need to find some time to reach beyond our walls into our neighborhoods and to the ends of the earth. We do not need to do everything. We do need to do something.

Where cross the crowded ways of life,
where sound the cries of race and clan,
above the noise of selfish strife,
we hear your voice, O Son of Man.

In haunts of wretchedness and need,
on shadowed thresholds fraught with fears,
from paths where hide the lures of greed,
we catch the vision of your tears.

From tender childhood’s helplessness,
from human grief and burdened toil,
from famished souls, from sorrow’s stress,
your heart has never known recoil*.

Prayer: Lord help us to find our something to do as we reach beyond our walls into the larger world. Amen.

*First three verses of Where Cross the Crowded Ways of Life by Frank Mason North see at https://hymnary.org/text/where_cross_the_crowded_ways_of_life

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.

Sustainable Earth

Kingdom Building

August 26, 2019

Scripture Reading: Jeremiah 2:4-13

Hear the word of the Lord, O house of Jacob, and all the families of the house of Israel. Thus says the Lord:
What wrong did your ancestors find in me
   that they went far from me,
and went after worthless things, and became worthless themselves?
They did not say, ‘Where is the Lord
   who brought us up from the land of Egypt,
who led us in the wilderness,
   in a land of deserts and pits,
in a land of drought and deep darkness,
   in a land that no one passes through,
   where no one lives?’
I brought you into a plentiful land
  to eat its fruits and its good things.
But when you entered you defiled my land,
   and made my heritage an abomination.
The priests did not say, ‘Where is the Lord?’
   Those who handle the law did not know me;
the rulers transgressed against me;
   the prophets prophesied by Baal,
   and went after things that do not profit. –Jeremiah 2:4-8

The Amazon rain forest is burning out of control and is otherwise shrinking from corporate farmers claiming the land to grow more crops. The Amazon rain forest produces 20 percent of the oxygen in our planet’s atmosphere*. We are defiling the land to our world’s detriment. We cannot sustain life without oxygen.

God gifted us with a plentiful land over which God gave us dominion and we are not doing our part to sustain it. Dominion means a supremacy in determining and directing the actions of others or in governing politically, socially, or personally**. When we chose to define dominion as license to do whatever meets our greed-driven desires, we have only ourselves to blame for the consequences of our actions.

Prayer: Creator God, forgive us for turning our backs on the grace of your gifts. Guide us to a clearer understanding of our responsibility for the care of the earth and give us the courage to give up our greed-driven desires as we work for a sustainable earth. Amen.

*https://www.sciencealert.com/the-amazon-is-burning-at-a-record-rate-and-parts-were-intentionally-set-alight
**http://unabridged.merriam-webster.com/unabridged/Dominion

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 on the Sabbath

Kingdom Building

August 25, 2019

Scripture Reading: Luke 13:10-17

But the leader of the synagogue, indignant because Jesus had cured on the sabbath, kept saying to the crowd, ‘There are six days on which work ought to be done; come on those days and be cured, and not on the sabbath day.’ But the Lord answered him and said, ‘You hypocrites! Does not each of you on the sabbath untie his ox or his donkey from the manger, and lead it away to give it water? And ought not this woman, a daughter of Abraham whom Satan bound for eighteen long years, be set free from this bondage on the sabbath day?’ When he said this, all his opponents were put to shame; and the entire crowd was rejoicing at all the wonderful things that he was doing. –Luke 13:14-17

The word sabbath, a day of rest ascribed in the Jewish faith, derives from the word sabath which means to cease, desist, rest, take an intermission*. The Sabbath Day’s origin lies in the example set by God in the story of creation found in Genesis when God worked for six days creating the world and on the seventh day rested. We know the wisdom of this advice because we live it. Our bodies and minds can only take so much use before they start to falter and need a good night’s sleep and a change of pace from constant work. The leader of the synagogue in our scripture above is calling Jesus out for breaking the requirements of sabbath by healing a woman.

Jesus’ healing of the woman is secondary to the discussion of what is important in our relationship with God. Indeed, healing others is very important to God, but that is not the primary focus of this scripture. The story seems to answer the question posed in Micah 6:8: what does the Lord require of you?

The Commandment to keep the Sabbath day Holy, to be set apart, consecrated; is the fourth of the Ten Commandments serving as a segue between our relationship with God (to have no other god’s before God, to worship no idols, to not use the name of God wrongfully) and our relationship with others (honor your father and mother, do not commit murder, do not commit adultery, etc.) To be whole we need a relationship with God that establishes our life priorities. We take the time of sabbath to remember who we are and whose we are which is necessary for us to treat our fellow human beings with the justice God prescribes for us.

The Ten Commandments are telling us what not to do. Jesus in the scripture above is showing us what to do. Jesus models for us many instances described in other scriptures of withdrawing to pray, caring for ourselves so we can care for one another. In this scripture Jesus is modeling loving our neighbors as we love ourselves, which sometimes means our sabbath must be rescheduled.

Prayer: Creator God, help us not get so caught up in the rules we live by that we cannot see and meet the needs of others we meet along the way. Amen.

*https://biblehub.com/hebrew/7673.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.

Complacency and Greed

Kingdom Building

August 23, 2019

Scripture Reading: Hebrews 12:18-29

See that you do not refuse the one who is speaking; for if they did not escape when they refused the one who warned them on earth, how much less will we escape if we reject the one who warns from heaven! At that time his voice shook the earth; but now he has promised, ‘Yet once more I will shake not only the earth but also the heaven.’ This phrase ‘Yet once more’ indicates the removal of what is shaken—that is, created things—so that what cannot be shaken may remain. Therefore, since we are receiving a kingdom that cannot be shaken, let us give thanks, by which we offer to God an acceptable worship with reverence and awe; for indeed our God is a consuming fire. –Hebrews 12:25-29

Fire possesses a consuming finality that cannot be undone. I am not sure what we call our damaging fires in Oklahoma whether they are forest fires, as they are often the result of red cedar trees exploding and expanding the carnage, or prairie fires. We do have a lot of prairie. Such fires seem to destroy everything in sight. Grass turns into black sticks, farm machinery melts into quirky modern sculptures, and the smell of death hangs in the air from animals that could not escape.

Following a cold winter that looks bleaker against the blackened burnt earth, new grass grows, tiny green sprouts begin to pop out of the earth with the birth of new trees, and the songs of wild birds echo through the air as squirrels and rabbit begin to scamper about in search of food. God’s all-consuming fire is the source of renewal.

Complacency tied to greed may be our most prevalent act that separates us from God. Indeed, that is an apt description of white privilege or wealth privilege or any attitude that is so ingrained it becomes a part of us and we mistake it for God’s will when it is not. God calls us to constant and consistent work toward making a better world for all God’s children. Let me give you an example of such work gone awry. Insulin was first used to treat diabetes on January 11, 1922. Prior to that time type 1 diabetes was a death sentence. Today drug companies are exploiting that wonderful discovery to enrich their stockholders and themselves increasing the number of deaths among diabetics because they cannot afford to buy the insulin, that would save them.

God does not have a history of patience with such behavior. God sent warnings through the prophets, but God’s followers did not heed their messages. We can learn from their mistakes.

Prayer: God, forgive us for our complacency and greed burning them out of our being. Renew our hearts and minds to shape a world that matches your vision. 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.

Light over Darkness

Kingdom Building

August 22, 2019

Scripture Reading: Hebrews 12:18-29

You have not come to something that can be touched, a blazing fire, and darkness, and gloom, and a tempest, and the sound of a trumpet, and a voice whose words made the hearers beg that not another word be spoken to them. (For they could not endure the order that was given, ‘If even an animal touches the mountain, it shall be stoned to death.’ Indeed, so terrifying was the sight that Moses said, ‘I tremble with fear.’) But you have come to Mount Zion and to the city of the living God, the heavenly Jerusalem, and to innumerable angels in festal gathering, and to the assembly of the firstborn who are enrolled in heaven, and to God the judge of all, and to the spirits of the righteous made perfect, and to Jesus, the mediator of a new covenant, and to the sprinkled blood that speaks a better word than the blood of Abel. –Hebrews 12:18-24

The author of Hebrews draws pictures to aid our imagination regarding the Kingdom of God. I see them in movie format. The author, we do not know who he or she was, portrays a terrifying picture of darkness and blazing fire and trumpets and death when describing Moses’ experience on Mount Sinai. I imagine light as I read about the once and future Kingdom of God with angels in a festal gathering at Mount Zion. This picture illustrates the judge of all not at all threatening among the spirits of the righteous made perfect. A new covenant mediated by Jesus brings about justice even greater than the justice that Abel deserved after his death at his brother’s hand. It is this kingdom we are charged to live into in the here and now with the promise of its attainment.

The early Christians suffered much persecution and that promise meant a lot to them I am sure as it does for us today. It is not the promise that if we are good, we will get a treat. It is the promise that good will overcome evil and God’s justice will reign on throughout the lands. We live in a dark, sometimes gloomy uncertainty at times where we may lose sight of the promise of justice made real. Our part is to live God’s love no matter what and God is taking care of the rest. When we get discouraged, we should remember what Margaret Mead said: Never doubt that a small group of thoughtful, committed citizens can change the world; indeed, it’s the only thing that ever has. I always think of Jesus’ disciples when I read that. We are those disciples today.

It only takes a spark
 To get a fire going 
 And soon all those around
 Can warm up in its glowing
 That’s how it is with God’s love
 Once you’ve experienced it
 You spread His love to ev’ryone
 You want to pass it on*

Prayer: Lord, help us see the light that supersedes all darkness as we strive toward your vision for our world. Amen.

*First verse of Pass it On see at https://www.worshiptogether.com/songs/pass-it-on/

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.