Tag Archives: Kingdom Building

Kingdom Building

Living in the Spirit
October 6, 2017

Scripture Reading: Philippians 3:4b-14

Not that I have already obtained this or have already reached the goal; but I press on to make it my own, because Christ Jesus has made me his own. Beloved, I do not consider that I have made it my own; but this one thing I do: forgetting what lies behind and straining forward to what lies ahead, I press on towards the goal for the prize of the heavenly call of God in Christ Jesus. –Philippians 3:12-14

Paul cuts us some slack recognizing how hard it is to change habits of the heart. We must face the fact that what is good for us and others will in many cases be hard for us to effect. In 1991, I staffed a legislative study regarding child care which entailed holding public hearing all around the state. I drove the State Senator who was the sponsor of the project to a public hearing in Tulsa. It lasted longer than expected, was contentious, and sapped both of us of energy. We had neither one eaten before the meeting which ran well past the dinner hour. We stopped at a fast food place to grab a sandwich on our way out of town. The Senator walked in front of me to the counter. The teen behind the counter met my eyes as second in line asking what I wanted. I said she was before me. She said go ahead. He said to me what can I get for you. Clueless, and thinking do you know who she is, I said I need to look at the menu a little longer, and he finally took her order. At that point, I realized what was happening. She is black, and I am white. Why was I so slow to understand? It takes intentionality to live and love like Jesus.

Ushering in the Kingdom of God is a fulltime, full-life project. It involves every aspect of how we function in the world from reducing our carbon footprint to feeding the hungry to working toward God’s justice for all. We must press on towards the goal for the prize of the heavenly call of God in Christ Jesus.

Prayer: Our Father in heaven,
   hallowed be your name.
   Your kingdom come.
   Your will be done,
     on earth as it is in heaven.
   Give us this day our daily bread.
   And forgive us our debts,
     as we also have forgiven our debtors.
   And do not bring us to the time of trial,
     but rescue us from the evil one. * Amen.

*Matthew 6:9–13

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 Just?

Eastertide
May 16, 2017

Scripture Reading: Acts 17:22-31

For “In him we live and move and have our being”;[*] as even some of your own poets have said,
“For we too are his offspring.”

Since we are God’s offspring, we ought not to think that the deity is like gold, or silver, or stone, an image formed by the art and imagination of mortals. While God has overlooked the times of human ignorance, now he commands all people everywhere to repent, because he has fixed a day on which he will have the world judged in righteousness by a man whom he has appointed, and of this he has given assurance to all by raising him from the dead.’ –Acts 17:28-31

The coming of Jesus initiated a season of human responsibility. At least that seems to be what Paul is saying. The time has passed when humans can blame gods of metal or stone for good or bad. We are responsible for our well-being and the well-being of one another. We are after all God’s offspring endowed by our Creator with abilities the Creator expects us to use but not use in any namby-pamby way. God sent prophets and teachers and finally sent Jesus Christ to share with us God’s vision of righteousness. We do not judge our work results ourselves nor are we assigned the task of judging others. Jesus drew the assignment of judge. The risen Lord enables our work toward righteousness or justice through the acts of the Holy Spirit. After reading our scripture today, we perhaps should sing Called as Partners in Christ’s Service with a little more seriousness if not fear and trembling.

Righteousness and justice are threatened all around us. In the first place, we cannot even agree on what is right and what is just. I fear in many instances our disagreements stem from the desire to reshape God’s definition of justice to fit our lifestyles. Thus each group has its particular set which they defend in discord with the other.

How do we bring God back into the picture?

Prayer: God of Justice, plant seeds of righteousness in each of our hearts make them flourish enabling our discernment of justice and making us seekers of its fruition. Amen.

*Quote from Aratus, (flourished c. 315–c. 245 bc, Macedonia), Greek poet of Soli in Cilicia

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.

Old as Time, New as Tomorrow

he-loves-usAdvent
December 7, 2016

Scripture Reading: Psalm 146:5-10
Happy are those whose help is the God of Jacob,
whose hope is in the Lord their God,
who made heaven and earth, the sea,
and all that is in them;
who keeps faith for ever;
who executes justice for the oppressed; who gives food to the hungry.  

The Lord sets the prisoners free;
the Lord opens the eyes of the blind.
The Lord lifts up those who are bowed down;
   the Lord loves the righteous.
The Lord watches over the strangers;
   he upholds the orphan and the widow,
   but the way of the wicked he brings to ruin.  

The Lord will reign for ever,
   your God, O Zion, for all generations.
Praise the Lord!

Ever wonder where Jesus turned in search of truth? Consider the Psalms. Read through our scripture today and then flip over and read Matthew 25:31-46. God’s purpose and desire for us were available from the beginning of time, is available to us today, and will ever be our guide. My sister and I sang a duet as children of a popular faith-based song of the day, It Is No Secret What God Can Do. God’s way has never been a secret; there is no password, no magic incantation, or proof of purity for his followers. God created us, knows what talents and skills we possess, knows exactly where our contribution fits in with each and all of God’s other children. God takes us just as we are when we finally recognize God’s presence in our lives and working within and through us makes us far more than we ever dreamed we could be.

The Robe was the first movie I ever remember seeing. It is a rather fanciful story of the centurion who won Jesus’ robe at the foot of his cross while he was dying. The centurion is rather haunted by the Robe and the whole business of the crucifixion as he sets out on a journey to make sense of it. In one scene, he encounters a beautiful young woman who is crippled and cannot walk. She is gloriously singing about Jesus’ healing her when the centurion confronts her asking why she is so happy the Jesus obviously did not cure her bent and useless legs. She response that Jesus cured her of the self-pity and resentfulness she carried for so long. Most of our contributions to the building of the Kingdom of God will not make a brief story on the 20th page of the paper. When we commit to living our lives in sync with Jesus Christ the small things, we do each day will make more difference than we may ever know.

Prayer: Lord, open my whole being to your purpose and weave it throughout my desires. 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.

Power of God’s Love

love-never-failsAdvent
November 22, 2016

 Scripture Reading: Isaiah 2:1-5

He shall judge between the nations,
   and shall arbitrate for many peoples;
they shall beat their swords into ploughshares,
   and their spears into pruning-hooks;
nation shall not lift up sword against nation,
   neither shall they learn war any more.
O house of Jacob,
   come, let us walk
   in the light of the Lord! –Isaiah 2:4-5

I quote John 16:33 to myself often because it speaks a reminder I need not only to hear but to internalize:   I have said this to you, so that in me you may have peace. In the world you face persecution. But take courage; I have conquered the world!’ Jesus Christ speaks this truth for yesterday as with our ancestor in faith Isaiah; to today as we live our love every day rain or shine; and particularly to tomorrow as we continue to pull together with Christ the yoke of Kingdom building. Isaiah foresaw the impossible and called the people to walk in the light of the Lord toward making it a reality. God through Christ calls us to the same mission today.

Prayer: Lord, you have gifted us with the honor of experiencing the greatest power on earth, your love. We thank you for sharing it with us. Help us to pass it on. 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.

What’s Next

What-is-nextLent
March 22, 2016

Scripture Reading: Acts 10:34-43

Then Peter began to speak to them: ‘I truly understand that God shows no partiality, but in every nation anyone who fears him and does what is right is acceptable to him. You know the message he sent to the people of Israel, preaching peace by Jesus Christ—he is Lord of all. That message spread throughout Judea, beginning in Galilee after the baptism that John announced: how God anointed Jesus of Nazareth with the Holy Spirit and with power; how he went about doing good and healing all who were oppressed by the devil, for God was with him. We are witnesses to all that he did both in Judea and in Jerusalem. They put him to death by hanging him on a tree; but God raised him on the third day and allowed him to appear, not to all the people but to us who were chosen by God as witnesses, and who ate and drank with him after he rose from the dead. 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. All the prophets testify about him that everyone who believes in him receives forgiveness of sins through his name.’

While the death and resurrection of Jesus is observed and celebrated each year, these events are always followed by the question: What’s next? The scripture lesson above describes the first disciples’ experience of what was next for them and we have the same calling, the same challenge today.

One of the things that we learn from sports, as we find ourselves in March Madness usually during the Lenten season, it is important that a team not get too caught up in a game just won or lost but to learn any lessons they can for the last game as they prepare for the next game. They also often find out the hard way that if they come in thinking they are destined for the championship game, there is a Cinderella team just waiting to prove them wrong no matter how good they are or think they are.

So let us withdraw for this Holy Week, let our injuries heal, nourish our souls and our bodies for the work ahead, and prepare us for the day after Easter to move swiftly forward with all our hearts, minds, strength and spirits to what’s next.

Prayer: Lord, help us incorporate the lessons we have learned from our time of study and meditation through Lent into our work on what is next in your call for our service. 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.