Tag Archives: Loving Like Jesus

Listening and Hearing

Ordinary Time

February 18, 2023

Scripture Reading:

Matthew 17:1-9
Six days later, Jesus took with him Peter and James and his brother John and led them up a high mountain, by themselves. And he was transfigured before them, and his face shone like the sun, and his clothes became dazzling white. Suddenly there appeared to them Moses and Elijah, talking with him. Then Peter said to Jesus, ‘Lord, it is good for us to be here; if you wish, I will make three dwellings here, one for you, one for Moses, and one for Elijah.’ While he was still speaking, suddenly a bright cloud overshadowed them, and from the cloud a voice said, ‘This is my Son, the Beloved; with him I am well pleased; listen to him!’ When the disciples heard this, they fell to the ground and were overcome by fear. But Jesus came and touched them, saying, ‘Get up and do not be afraid.’ And when they looked up, they saw no one except Jesus himself alone.

As they were coming down the mountain, Jesus ordered them, ‘Tell no one about the vision until after the Son of Man has been raised from the dead.’

Let us consider this phrase from the above scripture.  ‘This is my Son, the Beloved; with him I am well pleased; listen to him!’

The Greek word for listen is 191 akoúō – properly, to hear (listen); (figuratively) to hear God’s voice which prompts Him to birth faith within (cf. Ro 10:17)

Romans 10:17—So faith comes from what is heard, and what is heard comes through the word of Christ.

Also, the word for hear has an additional meaning, 189 akoḗ – properly, hearing; used of inner (spiritual) hearing that goes with receiving faith from God (Ro 10:17), i.e. spiritual hearing

And discerning God’s voice; Galatians 3:2,5—The only thing I want to learn from you is this: Did you receive the Spirit by doing the works of the law or by believing what you heard? Well then, does God supply you with the Spirit and work miracles among you by your doing the works of the law, or by your believing what you heard?

And finally, Jesus said, Matthew 13:14: With them indeed is fulfilled the prophecy of Isaiah that says: “You will indeed listen, but never understand, and you will indeed look, but never perceive.

We will never be able to understand fully others we are called to love if we do not take the time to listen to the voice of God’s Son, the Beloved, and learn from his Word.

Prayer: Lord, help invest more time in listening with understanding in our communication with you and with one another. 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.

Working Toward the Common Good

Ordinary Time

February 15, 2023

Scripture Reading: Psalm 2
Why do the nations conspire,
   and the peoples plot in vain?
The kings of the earth set themselves,
   and the rulers take counsel together,
   against the Lord and his anointed, saying,
‘Let us burst their bonds asunder,
   and cast their cords from us.’

He who sits in the heavens laughs;
   the Lord has them in derision.
Then he will speak to them in his wrath,
   and terrify them in his fury, saying,
‘I have set my king on Zion, my holy hill.’

I will tell of the decree of the Lord:
He said to me, ‘You are my son;
   today I have begotten you.
Ask of me, and I will make the nations your heritage,
   and the ends of the earth your possession.
You shall break them with a rod of iron,
   and dash them in pieces like a potter’s vessel.’

Now therefore, O kings, be wise;
   be warned, O rulers of the earth.
Serve the Lord with fear,
   with trembling kiss his feet,
or he will be angry, and you will perish in the way;
   for his wrath is quickly kindled.

Happy are all who take refuge in him.

This was an interesting scripture to read in the beginning days of the Oklahoma Legislature’s 2023 Session. It always starts with many bills designed more to get legislators’ names in the news about hot-button issues rather than the difficult task of seeking common ground to provide the Common Good. Once the dust has settled, those 3,000 or so introduced bills will be culled down to a few hundred that each can make a major difference in our lives. I invite you to join me in praying for our elected officials as they move through this process.

Prayer: Lord, guide your people in working toward the Beloved Community as we participate in our civic duties working toward governance that provides for the Good of All.  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.

Communicating with Others

Ordinary Time

February 11, 2023

Scripture Reading:

Matthew 5:21-37

You have heard that it was said to those of ancient times, “You shall not murder”; and “whoever murders shall be liable to judgment.” But I say to you that if you are angry with a brother or sister, you will be liable to judgment; and if you insult a brother or sister, you will be liable to the council; and if you say, “You fool”, you will be liable to the hell of fire. So when you are offering your gift at the altar, if you remember that your brother or sister has something against you, leave your gift there before the altar and go; first be reconciled to your brother or sister, and then come and offer your gift. Come to terms quickly with your accuser while you are on the way to court with him, or your accuser may hand you over to the judge, and the judge to the guard, and you will be thrown into prison. Truly I tell you, you will never get out until you have paid the last penny. –Matthew 5:21-37

I have been working on a document,” How to Talk to a Legislator,” and I realized that there is no difference in how we talk to a legislator as there is to talk to anyone. First, we must recognize who and what they are. We speak differently to a child than to an adult, to a person who is hard of hearing, and to someone whose expertise is different from ours.  

Anger has its place; Jesus ran the moneychangers out of the Temple area with a whip (John 2:15). In most discussions, anger can be more destructive than helpful in discourse. Our messages are better received when we tell our story succinctly and personally. My niece is pregnant, and the hospital in her hometown has told her there will be no room for her to deliver her baby when it is due. The next closest hospital is 30 miles away. In fact, I know people who must travel over 100 miles to find a hospital for any service. We, the people, through our legislative process, really need to address the lack of health care in rural areas to provide for the Common Good.

Our discourse as a people has turned raw. We do not listen or hear what is trying to be shared. Too often, we lack the understanding and care about what another is trying to communicate, which can end up in violence and even murder.

Prayer: Open our hearts to hearing and understanding the needs of people. Help us express our own needs to be better understood, and help us to strive for common ground to provide for the Common Good. 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.

Salt and Light

Ordinary Time

Ordinary Time

February 4, 2023

Scripture Reading:

Matthew 5:13-20
‘You are the salt of the earth; but if salt has lost its taste, how can its saltiness be restored? It is no longer good for anything, but is thrown out and trampled underfoot.

‘You are the light of the world. A city built on a hill cannot be hidden. No one after lighting a lamp puts it under the bushel basket, but on the lampstand, and it gives light to all in the house. In the same way, let your light shine before others, so that they may see your good works and give glory to your Father in heaven.

‘Do not think that I have come to abolish the law or the prophets; I have come not to abolish but to fulfill. For truly I tell you, until heaven and earth pass away, not one letter, not one stroke of a letter, will pass from the law until all is accomplished. Therefore, whoever breaks one of the least of these commandments, and teaches others to do the same, will be called least in the kingdom of heaven; but whoever does them and teaches them will be called great in the kingdom of heaven. For I tell you, unless your righteousness exceeds that of the scribes and Pharisees, you will never enter the kingdom of heaven.

Salt literally saved people from disease by preserving food. We are cautioned today about eating too much salt, but we must have some salt to live. Being the salt of the earth in service to Christ, in essence, means providing life-giving faith, hope, and love to others to sustain their very lives.

The hard part about letting one’s light shine is not getting in the way of one’s own light. If we get full of ourselves and think we are better than others, we reduce the worth of any illumination we may cast. That was part of the problem with some of the scribes and Pharisees.  That said, we are called to be models of Christ’s love in the world today.

Prayer: Lord, enrich us with both salt and light in the exact amount needed to share your love with others. 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.

Spirit Led

Ordinary Time

February 3, 2023

Scripture Reading:

1 Corinthians 2:1-12 (13-16)

Yet among the mature we do speak wisdom, though it is not a wisdom of this age or of the rulers of this age, who are doomed to perish*. But we speak God’s wisdom, secret and hidden, which God decreed before the ages for our glory. None of the rulers of this age understood this; for if they had, they would not have crucified the Lord of glory. But, as it is written,
‘What no eye has seen, nor ear heard,
   nor the human heart conceived,
what God has prepared for those who love him’—**
these things God has revealed to us through the Spirit; for the Spirit searches everything, even the depths of God. For what human being knows what is truly human except the human spirit that is within? So also no one comprehends what is truly God’s except the Spirit of God. Now we have received not the spirit of the world, but the Spirit that is from God, so that we may understand the gifts bestowed on us by God. And we speak of these things in words not taught by human wisdom but taught by the Spirit, interpreting spiritual things to those who are spiritual. –1 Corinthians 2:1-13

*so he shall startle many nations;
   kings shall shut their mouths because of him;
for that which had not been told them they shall see,
   and that which they had not heard they shall contemplate. (Isaiah 52:15)

**From ages past no one has heard,
   no ear has perceived,
no eye has seen any God besides you,
   who works for those who wait for him. (Isaiah 64:4)

I can imagine Paul engrossed in the scriptures of his time; the Hebrew Bible has one Aha! Moment after another, following his encounter on the road to Damascus, seeing and perceiving the scriptures meaning that he had never understood before. I appreciate the New Interpreter’s Study Bible for reporting the source of scriptures quoted in the New Testament from the Hebrew Bible. I was memorizing scripture as a preschooler, yet I learn something new every time I am informed of the wholeness of scripture. I am equally amazed at the frequency of times I hear the Bible being used to support ideologies that I cannot find in the Bible, but that is a subject for a different time.

The Spirit is real, but it is hard for me hard to wrap my head around. Perhaps that is because the Spirit communicates as much through the ancient understanding of the heart or gut as the mind. We are, after all, organisms. While we today perceive are bodies in more scientific forms—hearts as pumps maintain our living, and guts distribute the good and the bad food we take in to keep our minds and hearts working. But what drives us to choose the good over the bad food and love over hate? Is it the Spirit of God interfacing with us that makes us whole, tugging at us to care for ourselves and others?

Prayer:
Spirit of the Living God,
Fall afresh on me,
Spirit of the Living God,
Fall afresh on me.
Break me, melt me, mold me, fill me.
Spirit of the Living God,
Fall afresh on me. ***Amen.

***Chorus Spirit of the Living God by Daniel Iverson, see at https://hymnary.org/text/spirit_of_the_living_god_fall_iverson#Author__st__1_

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.

Maturing in Faith

Ordinary Time

February 2, 2023

Scripture Reading:

1 Corinthians 2:1-12 (13-16)

When I came to you, brothers and sisters, I did not come proclaiming the mystery of God to you in lofty words or wisdom. For I decided to know nothing among you except Jesus Christ, and him crucified. And I came to you in weakness and in fear and in much trembling. My speech and my proclamation were not with plausible words of wisdom, but with a demonstration of the Spirit and of power, so that your faith might rest not on human wisdom but on the power of God. –1 Corinthians 2:1-5

My impression of Saul of Tarsus is that he was pretty sure of himself. He had been raised in wealth, the son of a Pharisee, groomed in his faith, and zealous about converting others to his beliefs* to the point of persecuting those who were following  Jesus. That does not sound like the description he gave of himself in the scripture above. He even went so far as to change his name to Paul after his encounter with Jesus Christ on his trip to Damascus, where he was headed to continue his persecution. After encounters in Damascus with Christ-followers and receiving their fearful welcome because his previous behavior preceded him, he withdrew to the mountains for three years to delve into what had happened to him and, more importantly, what he was to do about it.

And so, this same very confident man came to the people of Corinth in weakness and in fear and in much trembling. While his sense of surety remained, his relationship with God had blossomed and matured. He no longer needed to be overbearing but humbly became the conduit for God’s love to spread throughout the known world.

Our world today needs all Christ-followers to open ourselves to being the conduit of God’s love as we live in a world challenged by change. To do that, we must open ourselves to God’s examination and gain an understanding and relationship with God to make that transition for the betterment of all. We, too, must be willing to let the Spirit of God guide us and not assume that carrying out our way of being faithful is still appropriate in our world today.

Prayer: Lord, remove the beam from our eyes so that we can better serve you among all people guided by your love. Amen.

*Philippians 3:2-6  For it is we who are the circumcision, who worship in the Spirit of God and boast in Christ Jesus and have no confidence in the flesh— even though I, too, have reason for confidence in the flesh.

If anyone else has reason to be confident in the flesh, I have more: circumcised on the eighth day, a member of the people of Israel, of the tribe of Benjamin, a Hebrew born of Hebrews; as to the law, a Pharisee; as to zeal, a persecutor of the church; as to righteousness under the law, blameless.

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 of God

Ordinary Times

January 30, 2023

Scripture Reading: Malachi 3:1-4

See, I am sending my messenger to prepare the way before me, and the Lord whom you seek will suddenly come to his temple. The messenger of the covenant in whom you delight—indeed, he is coming, says the Lord of hosts. But who can endure the day of his coming, and who can stand when he appears?

But who can endure the day of his coming, and who can stand when he appears? Most of those of us who claim to be Christ-followers generally think we are following the ways of Jesus Christ. The interesting thing is that we have a very broad spectrum of interpretations of what those ways are and how we emulate them in our lives today. First, we must trust the stories of Jesus passed down by our faith ancestors. Even in the first century, we have the beginnings of different interpretations. We also must glean our understanding of Jesus Christ through stories all originally written in languages other than those we speak. Finally, we have over 2000 years of life experiences that have shaped our understanding of God. The truth is, we probably all interpret God’s path through our personal preferences, reading and following the scriptures with which we are most comfortable.

John, the latest gospel written, addressed that issue in the first sentence of that book, John 1:1, In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God, and the Word was God.

Jesus Christ can never be fully understood through the written word. He is the Word, and we meet him through a combination of studying the Bible, sharing discussions with other God-followers, and, most importantly, developing a personal relationship with God through practicing spiritual disciplines that keep us in sync with God. Jesus even modeled that himself—going up the mountain to meditate and pray, throwing his body to the ground in the Garden of Gethsemane, asking God to take what he was facing from him (Luke 22:42); and in the end, hanging on the cross reporting to God that he has finished the work he was sent to complete (John 19:30).

Hebrews 4:12 states that Indeed, the word of God is living and active, sharper than any two-edged sword, piercing until it divides soul from spirit, joints from marrow; it is able to judge the thoughts and intentions of the heart. And it is in that reckoning that we find the truth and work toward the maturity in faith to find the oneness among all Christ-followers that will be the Kingdom of God.

Prayer: Lord, examine each of us and help us to find the best way we can do our part in oneness with all people. 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.

The Times They are a Changin’*

Ordinary Time

January 29, 2023

Scripture Reading: Matthew 5:1-12
When Jesus saw the crowds, he went up the mountain; and after he sat down, his disciples came to him. Then he began to speak, and taught them, saying:
‘Blessed are the poor in spirit, for theirs is the kingdom of heaven.
‘Blessed are those who mourn, for they will be comforted.
‘Blessed are the meek, for they will inherit the earth.
‘Blessed are those who hunger and thirst for righteousness, for they will be filled.
‘Blessed are the merciful, for they will receive mercy.
‘Blessed are the pure in heart, for they will see God.
‘Blessed are the peacemakers, for they will be called children of God.
‘Blessed are those who are persecuted for righteousness’ sake, for theirs is the kingdom of heaven.
‘Blessed are you when people revile you and persecute you and utter all kinds of evil against you falsely on my account. Rejoice and be glad, for your reward is great in heaven, for in the same way they persecuted the prophets who were before you.

Our world is entering a new worldview similar to the Renaissance or the Industrial Revolution, causing us to struggle with what was and deal with what is as we prepare for the future. The result is people trying to find stability in an unstable environment as our worldview is changing rapidly. Thus we are experiencing a steady stream of grasping for anything that can make us feel grounded.

Homeostasis is a word that describes a tendency toward maintenance of relatively stable social conditions among groups with respect to various factors and to competing tendencies and powers within the body politic, to society, or to culture among [people]**.

Years ago, my roommate and I invited two guys over to play cards at our apartment. The day before, our dishwasher stopped working, and the apartment manager had not yet sent anyone to fix it. Our dirty dishes were stacked all over the counter. When our friends arrived and saw the mess and heard our plight, one of them walked over to the sink, put his hands on each side of it, looked at us, and said, “In ancient days, people washed dishes in this appliance using their hands, dish soap, washcloths, and towels.” Neither my roommate nor I had even considered doing such a thing. We were caught in homeostasis. We were programmed to do dishes the way we had always done them. Of course, our always was a short time earlier because we were raised in homes without dishwashers.

We live in a time when we no longer have a relatively stable social condition. The world is changing around us, and we have lost our grip on stability. In the first century, one of those changes that literally impacted the whole world was the life, death, and resurrection of Jesus Christ and the movement that was formed to spread its worth throughout the world. The Sermon on the Mount prepared the members of that movement to deal with the impact of such change. Two thousand years later, we must recall this advice as we strive to build Christ’s beloved community in a world in the chaos of change.

Prayer: Lord, thank you for the wisdom of the Sermon on the Mount describing how to spread your love in the changing worldview in which we live.  Amen.

*Title of a song by Bob Dylan

**https://unabridged.merriam-webster.com/unabridged/homeostasis

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.

Sermon on the Mount

Ordinary Time

January 28, 2023

Scripture Reading: Matthew 5:1-12
When Jesus saw the crowds, he went up the mountain; and after he sat down, his disciples came to him. Then he began to speak, and taught them, saying:
‘Blessed are the poor in spirit, for theirs is the kingdom of heaven.
‘Blessed are those who mourn, for they will be comforted.
‘Blessed are the meek, for they will inherit the earth.
‘Blessed are those who hunger and thirst for righteousness, for they will be filled.
‘Blessed are the merciful, for they will receive mercy.
‘Blessed are the pure in heart, for they will see God.
‘Blessed are the peacemakers, for they will be called children of God.
‘Blessed are those who are persecuted for righteousness’ sake, for theirs is the kingdom of heaven.
‘Blessed are you when people revile you and persecute you and utter all kinds of evil against you falsely on my account. Rejoice and be glad, for your reward is great in heaven, for in the same way they persecuted the prophets who were before you.

The Sermon on the Mount is one of the foundational scriptures of Christianity. Jesus is quoted as outlining the breadth of God’s love and thus sets the standard for our love of others. He recognizes we are all subject to challenges for which he is always with us. He describes both our need to be meek* as well as to answer our call to do justice. He opens the door to our striving to interact with others on the higher ground of mercy, purity of heart, and peacemaking. Finally, he reminds us that we are called to love like him in the storm of evil, working its will throughout the earth, yet we remain in the shelter of his blessings.

Prayer: Thank you, Lord, for coming among us to help us humans live in your love. Amen.

*Meek refers to exercising God’s strength under His control – i.e. demonstrating power without undue harshness. See at https://biblehub.com/greek/4239.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.

Being Strategic

Ordinary Time

January 21, 2023

Scripture Reading:

Matthew 4:12-23

Now when Jesus heard that John had been arrested, he withdrew to Galilee. He left Nazareth and made his home in Capernaum by the lake, in the territory of Zebulun and Naphtali, so that what had been spoken through the prophet Isaiah might be fulfilled:
‘Land of Zebulun, land of Naphtali,
   on the road by the sea, across the Jordan, Galilee of the Gentiles—
the people who sat in darkness
   have seen a great light,
and for those who sat in the region and shadow of death
   light has dawned.’
From that time Jesus began to proclaim, ‘Repent, for the kingdom of heaven has come near.’ –Matthew 4:12-17

Jesus moved strategically throughout his ministry until he didn’t. He probably thought he could be next to be arrested when he relocated to Capernaum. From the beginning, he had a mission, and he could not complete it by sitting in jail or, worse, being beheaded. I wonder why he waited around when he was called to save a sick Lazarus; I do not think he wanted Lazarus to die so he could raise him, but I do think there was a reason.  

We, too, are called to be strategic in answering our call to being a servant of God. The maintenance of close communion with God is essential to avoiding responses that set back our progress. Learning from our mistakes is also important. We must hone our spiritual muscle memory.  

 Prayer: Lord, help us be intentional in our growth in serving you more nearly. 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.