Tag Archives: Kingdom of God

A New Thing

Advent

December 5, 2021

Scripture Reading: Luke 3:1-6

In the fifteenth year of the reign of Emperor Tiberius, when Pontius Pilate was governor of Judea, and Herod was ruler of Galilee, and his brother Philip ruler of the region of Ituraea and Trachonitis, and Lysanias ruler of Abilene, during the high-priesthood of Annas and Caiaphas, the word of God came to John son of Zechariah in the wilderness. He went into all the region around the Jordan, proclaiming a baptism of repentance for the forgiveness of sins, as it is written in the book of the words of the prophet Isaiah,
‘The voice of one crying out in the wilderness:
“Prepare the way of the Lord,
   make his paths straight.
Every valley shall be filled,
   and every mountain and hill shall be made low,
and the crooked shall be made straight,
   and the rough ways made smooth;
and all flesh shall see the salvation of God.”

Wilderness: érēmos – properly, an uncultivated, unpopulated place; a desolate (deserted) area; (figuratively) a barren, solitary place that also provides needed quiet (freedom from disturbance).

In Scripture, a “desert” (2048 /érēmos) is ironically also where God richly grants His presence and provision for those seeking Him. The limitless Lord shows Himself strong in the “limiting” (difficult) scenes of life*.

My parents retired from the farm and moved to a bungalow in a nearby town with a nice small backyard. Except when he served in the army, my Dad had never lived in town. Furthermore, his parent’s farms and our farm were located on the Great Plains, flat land with a few rolling hills and native trees near streams.  My Dad suffered from location claustrophobia if that is possible. So he began to search for a place with more space, and he found it. In February, I did not consider what I might find when I followed the directions to the new location and gasped in shock when I turned into the driveway and saw an in-town wilderness. The home had been vacant for some time. It set at the edge of town a dirt row separated it from a creek that flowed behind. The place was two acres of overgrown brush and weeds. The house still had the furniture and other belongings of the previous owner, and its most recent occupants were varments. I thanked God they were still living in the bungalow and prayed that they would realize the calamity of this decision. My Mom was an avid gardener, and my Dad had worked as a carpenter before serving in the army and then buying the farm.

I did not see this wilderness again until the end of March. I turned into a curving, well-graveled driveway lined on one side by rows of daffodils and irises. Their bulbs had been there all along. Mom just gently discovered them and nurtured them.  Rose bushes surrounded the garage door. Cuttings from the boxwood bushes that originated in Tennessee before the Civil War were taken to Arkansas, and then to Oklahoma were planted on either side of the front steps. The lawn was mowed neatly; the back yard was now a well-laid planned vegetable garden. There were also two paper shell pecan trees and one native pecan. The house was repaired where necessary and spotlessly clean.

Our world feels like a wilderness now For hate is strong and mocks the song Of peace on Earth, good will to men**. But God is with us and will guide us to do a new thing in us*** if we are willing to invest our lives in the work of loving and nurturing one another.

Prayer:
Lord, renew us again as we await the coming of the Christ child and the fulfillment of this promise
I am about to do a new thing;
   now it springs forth, do you not perceive it?
I will make a way in the wilderness
   and rivers in the desert***. Amen.

*https://biblehub.com/greek/2048.htm
**From sixth verse of Christmas Bells by Henry Wadsworth Longfellow,  See at https://poets.org/poem/christmas-bells
***See Isaiah 43:19

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.

The Word

Living in the Spirit

October 1, 2021

Scripture Reading: Hebrews 1:1-4, 2:5-12

Long ago God spoke to our ancestors in many and various ways by the prophets, but in these last days he has spoken to us by a Son, whom he appointed heir of all things, through whom he also created the worlds. He is the reflection of God’s glory and the exact imprint of God’s very being, and he sustains all things by his powerful word. When he had made purification for sins, he sat down at the right hand of the Majesty on high, having become as much superior to angels as the name he has inherited is more excellent than theirs. –Hebrews 1:1-4

And the Word became flesh and lived among us, and we have seen his glory, the glory as of a father’s only son, full of grace and truth. (John 1:14)

The Word with a capital “W” is dynamically alive. We value words recorded and passed down over the centuries to expand our understanding of the Word of God, who was and is God’s Son, Jesus the Christ. Described in the above scripture as being present at creation, I have wondered if the mysterious Melchizedek was the Christ. There are not enough trees on earth to create the amount of paper required to tell the story of God with Us or gigabytes of storage to contain it. Yet, I do not remember a time in my life when my friend Jesus was not available to me, if I sought him.

I read the story of Chicken Little as a child. Based on the English tale of one Henny Penny, its moral cautions us of the danger that people trying to incite panic can result in opportunists like Foxy-woxy doing real harm*. Unfortunately, there is a lot of that going on around us today. We need to stop being used for nefarious purposes and recognize that panic does not help and is unnecessary because God with Us has graced us with the life of his Son, Jesus the Christ, who has already overcome the world**.

I serve a risen Savior
  He’s in the world today.
I know that He is living,
  Whatever men may say.
I see His hand of mercy;
  I hear His voice of cheer;
And just the time I need Him
  He’s always near.
               He lives, He lives, Christ Jesus lives today!
He walks with me and talks with me along life’s narrow way.
He lives, He lives, salvation to impart!
You ask me how I know He lives?
    He lives within my heart***.

Prayer: Lord, forgive us when we get caught up in the frenzy of the world’s panic. Grant us your shalom to carry us through such distractions from working for you in building your Kingdom. Amen.

* https://americanliterature.com/childrens-stories/henny-penny-the-sky-is-falling

**John 16:33

***First Verse and Chorus of the hymn He Lives by Alfred Henry Ackley see at https://www.hymnal.net/en/hymn/h/503

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.

The Future

Living in the Spirit

September 29, 2021

Scripture Reading: Psalm 8
O Lord, our Sovereign,
how majestic is your name in all the earth!

When I look at your heavens, the work of your fingers,
   the moon and the stars that you have established;
what are human beings that you are mindful of them,
   mortals that you care for them?

Yet you have made them a little lower than God
   and crowned them with glory and honor.
You have given them dominion over the works of your hands;
   you have put all things under their feet,
all sheep and oxen,
   and also the beasts of the field,
the birds of the air, and the fish of the sea,
   whatever passes along the paths of the seas.

O Lord, our Sovereign,
   how majestic is your name in all the earth!

What are human beings that you are mindful of them, mortals that you care for them? God loves each of us and all of us. God’s Love is so powerful that it comes to us uniquely and gains synergy, greater power, in communion with one another. We live in a time when we need to harness that power for the good, leaving no room for what divides and conquers. I was reminded of a song included on Barbra Streisand’s Album Higher Ground. The song is entitled At the Same Time*.  It talks about diversity, change, and hope for the future.

The USA has become a great empire. Most historic great empires have failed, primarily rotting from within. Our challenge is to be the first that overcomes the forces that divide us and work toward a world where all have enough, acting together for the betterment of everyone. That can be done in as many ways as there are nations and cultures within our world. We do not contribute to success when we capture ideas and ideals and use them as ammunition to kill the very heart of positive progress. Socialism is not a bullet; capitalism is not a knife. They are no longer economic ideas; they have been hijacked by those caught in greed and lust for power as ammunition, distracting us as their means to divide and conquer.

God knows us better than we know ourselves. God knows we can live into the vision of creation. Jesus knew the way when he called us to be one in his prayer** before his crucifixion. Let it be so.

Prayer: Lord, make us whole, make us one with justice for all. Amen.

*The lyrics can be seen at https://www.azlyrics.com/lyrics/barbrastreisand/atthesametime.html

**See John 17

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.

The Righteous One

Living In the Spirit

Living in the Spirit

September 14, 2021

Scripture Reading:
Wisdom of Solomon 1:16-2:1, 12-22
But the ungodly by their words and deeds summoned death;
considering him a friend, they pined away
and made a covenant with him,
because they are fit to belong to his company.


For they reasoned unsoundly, saying to themselves,
‘Short and sorrowful is our life,
and there is no remedy when a life comes to its end,
and no one has been known to return from Hades.
‘Let us lie in wait for the righteous man,
because he is inconvenient to us and opposes our actions;
he reproaches us for sins against the law,
and accuses us of sins against our training.
He professes to have knowledge of God,
and calls himself a child of the Lord.
He became to us a reproof of our thoughts;
the very sight of him is a burden to us,
because his manner of life is unlike that of others,and his ways are strange.
We are considered by him as something base,
and he avoids our ways as unclean;
he calls the last end of the righteous happy,
and boasts that God is his father.
Let us see if his words are true,
and let us test what will happen at the end of his life;
for if the righteous man is God’s child, he will help him,
and will deliver him from the hand of his adversaries. –Wisdom of Solomon 1:16-2:1, 12-18

The Above segment of Scripture is described as the Speech of the Wicked in the New Interpreter’s Bible* which continues by outlined four major parts: 1) The temporary nature of life, 2) thus creating a despairing drive toward pleasure, 3) a similar drive toward power, 4) opposition to the righteous one. These four items sound so hopeless, so faithless, so without love. Jesus asks in Matthew 16:26, For what will it profit them if they gain the whole world but forfeit their life? Or what will they give in return for their life? Jesus brought a message of support for the Righteous One as being the only way to find wholeness in this life. So he describes it in John 10:10b, I am come that they might have life, and that they might have it more abundantly.

I tend to be dedicated to living life now following the ways of Christ, which is and can be the fulfillment of God’s abundant life. It involves living into the full actualization of the Kingdom of God now and in whatever way God’s eternity becomes real.

Prayer: God of Grace, shield us from forces tempting us to oppose the righteous one. Amen.

*The New Interpreter’s Bible Volume V, Wisdom, Abingdon Press, page 459

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.

Out of Control

Living in the Spirit

Living in the Spirit

September 10, 2021

Scripture Reading: James 3:1-12

How great a forest is set ablaze by a small fire! And the tongue is a fire. The tongue is placed among our members as a world of iniquity; it stains the whole body, sets on fire the cycle of nature, and is itself set on fire by hell. For every species of beast and bird, of reptile and sea creature, can be tamed and has been tamed by the human species, but no one can tame the tongue—a restless evil, full of deadly poison. With it we bless the Lord and Father, and with it we curse those who are made in the likeness of God. From the same mouth come blessing and cursing. My brothers and sisters, this ought not to be so. Does a spring pour forth from the same opening both fresh and brackish water? Can a fig tree, my brothers and sisters, yield olives, or a grapevine figs? No more can salt water yield fresh. –James 3:5b-12

If no person can tame the tongue, then we must rely on God’s saving grace to guide our words and still the uproar within our being that allows our mouths to spew forth venom. Once hurtful words get out, they can never be erased. Often such words exponentially grow as they draw on responses, either in support or in angry opposition.

The COVID pandemic has brought out the worst in many instances when frustration has led to harm-filled shouting and placing blame while not accepting responsibility for one’s own actions. Experiencing helplessness can cause such behavior. We are never alone in any situation, good or bad. The Spirit of God is present. An old hymn, we rarely sing probably because the music is so slow and ponderous, informs our faith,

God is working this purpose out,
as year succeeds to year;
God is working this purpose out,
and the time is drawing near;
nearer and nearer draws the time,
the time that shall surely be:
when the earth shall be filled with the glory of God
as the waters cover the sea*.

In times like these, we need to be reminded of God’s Love for us and continuous work to bring about God’s Kingdom. I do not believe God sends pandemics or storms or fires to punish us, but he does allow them to happen. Our negligence in caring for the earth and its people is often a direct or indirect cause of such calamity. Therefore, we would do well to work toward a better perspective of what is happening and what we need to change in our lives and society to work toward oneness in Love.

Prayer: Lord, forgive us when we let the world’s fears and frustrations supersede your plan for our lives. Open our hearts and minds to work with you toward gaining your purpose. Amen.

*First verse of God Is Working His Purpose Out by Arthur Campbell Ainger see at https://hymnary.org/text/god_is_working_his_purpose_out#Author

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.

Mirroring Christ

Living in the Spirit

August 25, 2021

Scripture Reading: Psalm 15
O Lord, who may abide in your tent?
   Who may dwell on your holy hill?
Those who walk blamelessly, and do what is right,
   and speak the truth from their heart;
who do not slander with their tongue,
   and do no evil to their friends,
   nor take up a reproach against their neighbors;
in whose eyes the wicked are despised,
   but who honor those who fear the Lord;
who stand by their oath even to their hurt;
who do not lend money at interest,
   and do not take a bribe against the innocent.
Those who do these things shall never be moved.

There is only one Kingdom of God. While we have many understandings of God’s Kingdom, in the final analysis, all of God’s followers will be there together. I wonder why we do not invest more time and energy in learning to live together now in God’s Shalom?

The above Psalm is attributed to David. He outlines what God expects of us. Few of us can claim to walk blamelessly. I fear truth has lost its luster as we no longer know what to believe or who to believe.  Slander is commonplace. And the love of money still holds precedence in our world.

1 Peter 2:9 describes Christ-followers as being readily recognizable by our actions.

 But you are a chosen race, a royal priesthood, a holy nation, God’s own people, in order that you may proclaim the mighty acts of him who called you out of darkness into his marvelous light.

We need to remember that every action we take when we proclaim our alliance to Christ is perceived by others as reflections of Christ. Therefore, we must be very sure when we look at ourselves; we see Christ in our words and deeds.

Prayer: Clear our vision, O Lord, so that we see you in our behavior. 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.

Building the Kingdom of God

Living in the Spirit

June 7, 2021

Scripture Reading: Ezekiel 17:22-24
Thus says the Lord God:
I myself will take a sprig
   from the lofty top of a cedar;
   I will set it out.
I will break off a tender one
   from the topmost of its young twigs;
I myself will plant it
   on a high and lofty mountain.
On the mountain height of Israel
   I will plant it,
in order that it may produce boughs and bear fruit,
   and become a noble cedar.
Under it every kind of bird will live;
   in the shade of its branches will nest
   winged creatures of every kind.
All the trees of the field shall know
   that I am the Lord.
I bring low the high tree,
   I make high the low tree;
I dry up the green tree
   and make the dry tree flourish.
I the Lord have spoken;
   I will accomplish it.

After the ice storm struck Oklahoma in October, my immediate concern was the lack of electricity and internet. The city had major electrical stations down, and my connections to the city’s power were ripped from my house by felled trees in my backyard. I was responsible for restoring those connections, and that could not be done until the trees, twisted and broken, were removed. The man who takes care of my yard came within two days to clear out the trees. The electrician arrived the next day.  I was fortunate. I have a friend who had her yard work completed in May. Ezekiel uses trees and their care as a metaphor for God’s Kingdom. It takes continuous and careful effort to maintain society to attain God’s vision for all God’s people. It begins with that shared goal.

Prayer: Lord, bring us together to be your helpers in accomplishing building a world ruled by your love. 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.

God’s Heirs

Living in the Spirit

May 27, 2021

Scripture Reading:

Romans 8:12-17

So then, brothers and sisters, we are debtors, not to the flesh, to live according to the flesh— for if you live according to the flesh, you will die; but if by the Spirit you put to death the deeds of the body, you will live. For all who are led by the Spirit of God are children of God. For you did not receive a spirit of slavery to fall back into fear, but you have received a spirit of adoption. When we cry, ‘Abba! Father!’ it is that very Spirit bearing witness with our spirit that we are children of God, and if children, then heirs, heirs of God and joint heirs with Christ—if, in fact, we suffer with him so that we may also be glorified with him.

I dubbed my mother the great egalitarian many years ago when I first became acquainted with the word. I do not ever remember calling her that to her face, but my brother and sister agreed it was an apt descriptor. Treating others equally was in her bones. I think it came directly from the Bible, which she studied ardently. She acknowledged and practiced the words of Paul that we are children of God and thus all heirs.

Besides the world and all that is in it, what have we inherited from God? First and foremost, we have received the gift of unconditional love. Having been made in the image of God, we, too, can love unconditionally. God with us in the person of Jesus modeled for us God’s love even going to the cross. In creating each of us in God’s image, we were given skills to make God’s world a place of shalom–completeness, soundness, welfare, peace. We, in turn, must want that type of existence and dedicate our lives to attaining it.

That sounds cut and dried, but it is not. To maximize our skills and contribution to making that vision a reality, we must not only do all we can to realize God’s Kingdom but also help everyone reach their highest potential as we work together. And that is the truth my mother gleaned from her Bible study.

Prayer: Lord, help us dedicate our lives to reaching our potential while enabling all to meet theirs. 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

Greed vs Love

May 25, 2021

Scripture Reading: Isaiah 6:1-8
In the year that King Uzziah died, I saw the Lord sitting on a throne, high and lofty; and the hem of his robe filled the temple. Seraphs were in attendance above him; each had six wings: with two they covered their faces, and with two they covered their feet, and with two they flew. And one called to another and said:
‘Holy, holy, holy is the Lord of hosts;
the whole earth is full of his glory.’
The pivots on the thresholds shook at the voices of those who called, and the house filled with smoke. And I said: ‘Woe is me! I am lost, for I am a man of unclean lips, and I live among a people of unclean lips; yet my eyes have seen the King, the Lord of hosts!’ –Isaiah 6:1-5

Where is love?
Does it fall from skies above?
Is it underneath the willow tree
That I’ve been dreaming of?*

The orphan Oliver is cast out of the orphanage into a frightening world where he feels no one cares what happens to him. I sense that many of us may be feeling that way about our relationship with God. The last year has not been easy. Loved ones were gravely ill; others died. Work and earning a living were turned upside down. Some switched from an office to a computer at home and never lost any income. Others lost their jobs. Children fell behind in their learning, and many parents found themselves staying home from work not only to care for their children but to be their teachers, too. As an active retiree, I felt relatively worthless during those first few months of the pandemic when the best help I could give was to stay home, wear a mask, and socially distance. If God indeed is love, then where is love in times like these?

When I read the above scripture, I thought of Oliver in the first stages of shock from feeling he was without anyone who cared about whether he lived or died. And, yes, I too think that was a rather odd reaction to this scripture. After pondering, I do no longer think it is strange. Isaiah saw the need for change in his people’s ways of being because of the situation in which they found themselves. They were a tribe of people who Keep listening, but do not comprehend** Jesus quoted this scripture in Matthew 13:13, and it describes us today.

We live in a world where the rich are getting richer, as the number of people grows who do not have enough resources to meet basic needs. That does not reflect a world ruled by God’s love. It does mirror a people putting greed over God.  Exile was where the Israelites landed. Where are we headed?

Denial of the need to correct our courses is a typical reaction. Being bound in that attitude only makes matters worse. Seeking God’s guidance, listening, hearing, and restoring our commitment to God’s plan is the path to fulfilling God’s vision of a Kingdom ruled by love.

Prayer: Lord, open our ears to hear your wisdom and give us the courage to follow it. Amen.

*Lines from musical Oliver from the song Where is Love?  See at https://www.lyrics.com/lyric/3270758/Mark+Lester/Where+Is+Love%3F+%5BFrom+Oliver%21%5D
**From Isaiah 6:9

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 Faith

Eastertide

May 7, 2021

Scripture Reading: 1 John 5:1-6
Everyone who believes that Jesus is the Christ has been born of God, and everyone who loves the parent loves the child. By this we know that we love the children of God, when we love God and obey his commandments. For the love of God is this, that we obey his commandments. And his commandments are not burdensome, for whatever is born of God conquers the world. And this is the victory that conquers the world, our faith. Who is it that conquers the world but the one who believes that Jesus is the Son of God?

This is the one who came by water and blood, Jesus Christ, not with the water only but with the water and the blood. And the Spirit is the one that testifies, for the Spirit is the truth.

What is faith? Hebrews 11:1 says, Now faith is the assurance of things hoped for, the conviction of things not seen.  Faith is trusting in the advice of a valued source that has passed the test of time. Jesus Christ demonstrated his value in his sojourn on earth. He went so far as dying on a cross to save us from ourselves and the evil that distracts us. He conquered the world in his resurrection and the subsequent gift of the Holy Spirit to guide us. If Jesus proclaims that loving God and loving one another is the way to fulfill God’s Kingdom, we can count on it being the way, the truth, and the life. (See John 14:6)

Why do we make life so hard? Have we ever tried loving like Jesus 24/7? I have been trying to change my everyday habits, like washing my dishes immediately after my meal instead of leaving them in the sink until the next meal. Living alone opens doors of opportunity to be untidy, particularly during the pandemic. I am trying to add one better habit at a time. I think we all might want to dedicate our post-pandemic year to practice loving like Jesus until it becomes a habit. That first will require us to review and learn anew how Jesus loved. We then need to discern the areas we are already doing reasonably well and target the areas that need improvement. We might start with a few simple things. I am a terrible card sender, but I cannot tell you how wonderful it is to get a card in the mail sometimes, just to say I hope you are doing well.

Prayer: Lord, help us see the opportunities we have to love like 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.