Tag Archives: Living our Faith

Faith Mentor

Living in the Spirit

June 21, 2022

Scripture Reading:

1 Kings 19:15-16, 19-21

Then the Lord said to him, ‘Go, return on your way to the wilderness of Damascus; when you arrive, you shall anoint Hazael as king over Aram. Also you shall anoint Jehu son of Nimshi as king over Israel; and you shall anoint Elisha son of Shaphat of Abel-meholah as prophet in your place.

 So he set out from there, and found Elisha son of Shaphat, who was ploughing. There were twelve yoke of oxen ahead of him, and he was with the twelfth. Elijah passed by him and threw his mantle over him. He left the oxen, ran after Elijah, and said, ‘Let me kiss my father and my mother, and then I will follow you.’ Then Elijah said to him, ‘Go back again; for what have I done to you?’ He returned from following him, took the yoke of oxen, and slaughtered them; using the equipment from the oxen, he boiled their flesh, and gave it to the people, and they ate. Then he set out and followed Elijah, and became his servant.

I did not realize the lectionary had prequels. Yesterday we remembered Elisha taking over the role of Elijah as he was whisked to the heavens on a chariot of fire and horses of fire. Today we go back to Elisha’s entry into being a prophet. The role of faith mentor is crucial. Jesus was the living example of a faith mentor. We are all called to be faith mentors. The smallest child senses when their presence in church is welcomed—even celebrated.  Hebrews 11:1-3, describes it thusly, Now faith is the assurance of things hoped for, the conviction of things not seen. Indeed, by faith our ancestors received approval. By faith we understand that the worlds were prepared by the word of God, so that what is seen was made from things that are not visible.

Living your faith will be the best sermon you will ever preach.

Prayer: Thank you Lord for modeling for us how to live our faith. 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.

Seeking Greater Heights

Eastertide

May 13, 2022

Scripture Reading:

Revelation 21:1-6

Then I saw a new heaven and a new earth; for the first heaven and the first earth had passed away, and the sea was no more. And I saw the holy city, the new Jerusalem, coming down out of heaven from God, prepared as a bride adorned for her husband. And I heard a loud voice from the throne saying,‘See, the home of God is among mortals.
He will dwell with them;
they will be his peoples,
and God himself will be with them;
he will wipe every tear from their eyes.
Death will be no more;
mourning and crying and pain will be no more,
for the first things have passed away.’

And the one who was seated on the throne said, ‘See, I am making all things new.’ Also he said, ‘Write this, for these words are trustworthy and true.’ Then he said to me, ‘It is done! I am the Alpha and the Omega, the beginning and the end. To the thirsty I will give water as a gift from the spring of the water of life.

The book of Revelation begins and ends with the statement above, I am the Alpha and the Omega, the beginning and the end. Revelation 1:8 adds the phrase who is and who was and who is to come, the Almighty. The future is ours through Christ. His hope eternal is that we realize the wonder and grace of that and make the most of it. But how do we measure “the most.” Our world seems to value the most power and money. Neither ever seemed important to Jesus when he interned on earth. He possessed ultimate power but used it sparingly usually to help others, probably meant to set an example for us. He paid his taxes out of money taken from the mouth of a fish (Matthew 17:27) and recognized the separation of church and state by saying ‘Give therefore to the emperor the things that are the emperor’s, and to God the things that are God’s.’ (Matthew 22.1-21b) Jesus drove the money changers out of the temple (Matthew 21:12) and was betrayed by the price of 30 pieces of silver. (Matthew 26:15) The other gospels share the same or similar stories.

Jesus measured” the most” in faith, hope, and love. His relationship with God fed the hope and love he gifted to us. We seem to be at a crossroads in our world today. Are we going to grow in worshipping power and money or are we going to ascend to greater heights through faith, hope, and love?

Prayer: Lord, thank you for the gift Jesus and the example he set for us. Help us to attain his higher ground. 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 Lent

Lent
February 15, 2018

Scripture Reading: 1 Peter 3:18-22

For Christ also suffered for sins once for all, the righteous for the unrighteous, in order to bring you to God. He was put to death in the flesh, but made alive in the spirit, in which also he went and made a proclamation to the spirits in prison, who in former times did not obey, when God waited patiently in the days of Noah, during the building of the ark, in which a few, that is, eight people, were saved through water. –1 Peter 3:18-20

Lent has begun, and I seem to see it all around. I watch PBS’s new series; We’ll Meet Again, that tells the stories of people whose lives intersect in meaningful ways after which they lose contact. Years later one seeks the other out to reconnect. In one story involving the Mt. St. Helen volcanic eruption, a scientist on the mountain emphatically orders a young intern to leave as he deemed it unsafe and she did. He chose to stay and continue to relay information about the volcanic activity and was killed. The information he provided probably saved many lives besides hers. The intern wanted to connect with his family thanking them for his saving her life.

My church book club is currently reading, Beneath a Scarlet Sky by Mark Sullivan. The true story of a teenager in Italy during World War II sent to his church’s camp to get him out of harm’s way while his hometown was bombed. He was born to ski, and the camp was in the mountains. Sent there to be safe, he was soon escorting Jewish refugees and downed pilots over the mountains to safety. He not only risked his life taking mountain novices over treacherous land, he also faced certain death if the Nazis caught him and that is just the start of his story. He lived to tell it though as his memories were the basis for the book. A cradle Christian his teen years introduced him to living as part of the body of Christ in very real ways.

Lent is a time when we walk with Jesus and his first Disciples down the road to the cross as he offers his life for our salvation. Living fully as a part of the Body of Christ is our walk toward creating wholeness following the example of Jesus in a fragmented world.

Prayer: Lord, open our hearts and minds to experiences of Lent as we relive Jesus walking closer and closer to the cross. 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.