Tag Archives: Loving Like Jesus

Rewarded with Joy

Living in the Spirit

June 28, 2020

Scripture Reading:
Matthew 10:40-42
‘Whoever welcomes you welcomes me, and whoever welcomes me welcomes the one who sent me. Whoever welcomes a prophet in the name of a prophet will receive a prophet’s reward; and whoever welcomes a righteous person in the name of a righteous person will receive the reward of the righteous; and whoever gives even a cup of cold water to one of these little ones in the name of a disciple—truly I tell you, none of these will lose their reward.’

Someone just posted on my Facebook, a group of pictures of President Obama with children and elderly people during his presidency. They are lovely pictures of the kids and the seniors, but the person who is enjoying the encounters the most is the President. His face reflects absolute joy.  Seeing those pictures just before reading the above scripture made me wonder what Jesus found to be rewarding. I have seen artistic renderings of Jesus laughing and playing with children.

The word reward implies correct compensation for services rendered. Years ago, an elder in my church said in a class that his goal for doing good was to earn a higher spot in heaven, and he meant it. I was much younger at the time and confess I was taken aback and spent some time considering that idea. I come from the viewpoint that my relationship with Christ started when I accepted him as my Savior, and that relationship continues through eternity.  God loves me and desires for me, whatever is best for me.

I think that is a very freeing relationship. It opens the door to explore and find all the opportunities that await each of us to be of service to God in areas that bring us joy. What brings us joy, not happiness or thrills, but deep, lasting joy? Is it seeing a toddler stacking the colored rings on a post for the first time? Perhaps it is watching an amputee take his first step with a prosthesis. Maybe it is seeing the new owner receive the keys to a Habitat for Humanities house you helped build. In 1991, I felt joy hearing that the Governor had signed a bill supporting improved childcare in Oklahoma, after working for ten years to craft and pass such a law.

A lot of hard work went into all these accomplishments. Setbacks and restarts were the norms, but working together with people who share God’s vision for our world is one of the greatest joys we can experience. We are all called to live in the joy of loving like Jesus.

Prayer: Lord, thank you for sharing your joy with us and for being with us during the frustrating times we spend building joy. 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.

Family of God

Living in the Spirit

June 21, 2020

Scripture Reading: Matthew 10:24-39

‘Do not think that I have come to bring peace to the earth; I have not come to bring peace, but a sword.
For I have come to set a man against his father,
and a daughter against her mother,
and a daughter-in-law against her mother-in-law;
and one’s foes will be members of one’s own household.
Whoever loves father or mother more than me is not worthy of me; and whoever loves son or daughter more than me is not worthy of me; and whoever does not take up the cross and follow me is not worthy of me. Those who find their life will lose it, and those who lose their life for my sake will find it.  –Matthew 10:34-39

I said yesterday, Jesus spoke some challenging words. Quoted above are some more of them. Jesus came to earth to stir us from the complacency of accepting what is standard in our society as just when it is not righteous in God’s ways. As students of the Bible, we must judge what is righteous, based on God’s rules of love. That is not an easy task.

Over time, I have come to accept that people’s relationship with God is driven by who they are regarding the importance of scripture. Some flourish in knowing a set of rules to follow; others build their life based on the model of Christ’s life. In both instances we must commit ourselves to to delving deeply into the Spiritual Disciplines to understand Christ’s ways better. Christ is the only one who knows each and all of us well enough to see if we are aligned with God’s ways.

I find it interesting that people can be raised by the same parents with the same ancestors and see how totally different they think. Jesus and his brother James are good examples. While James did eventually come around to recognize Jesus as the Messiah, he continued his intense need to follow the traditions of his Jewish faith. Even in life, Jesus translated scriptures as what was the best benefit for God’s mission and God’s people, like plucking wheat to eat on the Sabbath.

So, where does that leave us in meshing our faith with family members, friends, and sisters and brothers in Christ? Listening to not only words said in dialogue but also the driving intent behind them is essential. Listening to another’s responses after expressing ourselves rather than planning our next response also helps. Building any discussion based on first acknowledging to ourselves that the person with whom we are communicating is a person we love is vital. We must remember we are called to love all our brothers and sisters in life and in Christ as we interact with them.

Prayer: Lord, help us be Spirit-led in all our interactions 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.

Doing God’s Word

Living in the Spirit

June 20, 2020

Scripture Reading: Matthew 10:24-39

‘So have no fear of them; for nothing is covered up that will not be uncovered, and nothing secret that will not become known. What I say to you in the dark, tell in the light; and what you hear whispered, proclaim from the housetops. Do not fear those who kill the body but cannot kill the soul; rather fear him who can destroy both soul and body in hell. Are not two sparrows sold for a penny? Yet not one of them will fall to the ground unperceived by your Father. And even the hairs of your head are all counted. So do not be afraid; you are of more value than many sparrows.

‘Everyone therefore who acknowledges me before others, I also will acknowledge before my Father in heaven; but whoever denies me before others, I also will deny before my Father in heaven. –Matthew 10:26-33

Jesus spoke some challenging words. Read the whole scripture for today. It is tough. The world was tough then; it is tough today. Do not fear those who kill the body but cannot kill the soul;. rather fear him who can destroy both soul and body in hell.

I love history and have found myself watching more TV then usual as I shelter in place. I have found some interesting history pieces to watch. The American West is a rerun about the settling of the West in the USA following the Civil War. I have enjoyed watching it but knew most of the history it covers. I did not know that Henry McCarty was from New York or that he did not know who his father was. His mother brought him to live in the New Mexico area where she died when he was a teen leaving him to raise himself. He spent his time sharpening his skills with guns and supported himself stealing cattle.  An  encounter with a rancher whose cattle he was attempting to steal resulted in the rancher hirng him. This first father figure was very important to him. When the rancher was murdered, Billy the Kid was born.

We who are privileged need to search our hearts to determine where we as a society are killing peoples souls, seek forgiveness for our sin, and repent of our actions that are discriminatory, demeaning, and demoralizing.

Prayer: Lord, open our eyes to see how the systemic injustice that is rampant in our world. Once our eyes are open, makeus doers of your word* to love our neighbors as we love ourselves.

*See James 1:22

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.

Filling the World with Love

Life in the Spirit

June 2, 2020

Scripture Reading:
Acts 2:1-21 or Numbers 11:24-30

So Moses went out and told the people the words of the Lord; and he gathered seventy elders of the people, and placed them all around the tent. Then the Lord came down in the cloud and spoke to him, and took some of the spirit that was on him and put it on the seventy elders; and when the spirit rested upon them, they prophesied. But they did not do so again.

Two men remained in the camp, one named Eldad, and the other named Medad, and the spirit rested on them; they were among those registered, but they had not gone out to the tent, and so they prophesied in the camp. And a young man ran and told Moses, ‘Eldad and Medad are prophesying in the camp.’ And Joshua son of Nun, the assistant of Moses, one of his chosen men, said, ‘My lord Moses, stop them!’ But Moses said to him, ‘Are you jealous for my sake? Would that all the Lord’s people were prophets, and that the Lord would put his spirit on them!’ And Moses and the elders of Israel returned to the camp.

God, the Creator, Jesus the Christ, and the Holy Spirit have been engaged in growing us and guiding us since the beginning of the world. Made in the very image of God, we are fully capable of loving like God. We were provided a role model in Jesus and salvation in his death and resurrection so that we can love and be loved as we strive to develop the Kingdom God envisioned in creation. We, like are ancestors in faith worshipping God in a tent in the desert, are gifted with the Holy Spirit serving as our advocate and our guide.

If the world is going to be that Kingdom, we are the ones who must make it happen. We can no longer let the lesser gods of the world rule our world. The idols of greed and lust for power are the root causes of the strife and divisiveness pandemic among us today. They rear their ugly heads in racism and classism and violence. Mighty armies cannot rid us of such evil. Only God can do that. God has chosen repeatedly to deliver the message to God’s followers that we must be a part of the overthrow of evil. Today let us renew our commitment to that calling.

Prayer: Lord, strengthen our feeble arms and weak knees* as we move out into the world spreading so much love there is no longer space for evil. Amen.

*See Hebrews 12:12

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.

Finding God’s Justice

Eastertide

May 30, 2020

Scripture Reading: Luke 1:39-57

In those days Mary set out and went with haste to a Judean town in the hill country, where she entered the house of Zechariah and greeted Elizabeth. When Elizabeth heard Mary’s greeting, the child leapt in her womb. And Elizabeth was filled with the Holy Spirit and exclaimed with a loud cry, ‘Blessed are you among women, and blessed is the fruit of your womb. And why has this happened to me, that the mother of my Lord comes to me? For as soon as I heard the sound of your greeting, the child in my womb leapt for joy. And blessed is she who believed that there would be a fulfilment of what was spoken to her by the Lord.’ –Luke 1:39-45

Isn’t it wonderful when we have a cousin, other relatives, friend, or pastor that we can go to in times of trouble and know we will be welcomed with open, loving arms? Elizabeth was such a person to the young scared Mary, pregnant and unsure of the future even though she has received God’s assurance of God’s support and purpose in her situation.

I fear we judge too soon too often before we fully understand the situations of the people we encounter in our world. I was glad I received a social media post forwarded to me written by a young black minister calling all who care about justice to continue every effort to make our world a better place while practicing God’s love and forgiveness. I am old enough to remember the Watts riots watching them on TV. Our world was already a powder keg then because of the Vietnam War. Our powder keg now is a virus over which we have little or no control, and people, out of work, scared, with family and friends dying, are at varying degrees of anxiety. Some voices are making matters worse. Others, like the young minister, are speaking God’s truth to the forces of evil in our society. I thank God for such a man as this. He is the future of our nation and the coming of the Kingdom of God.

Watching those riots in 1965 a few months after I graduated from high school changed my life forever. The events happening in our land today are changing lives too. We have choices to make whether those changes will be driven by the love and justice of God or the forces of evil that inflame them.

Prayer: Lord, we live in troubled times. Help us understand your justice and how to make it a reality. 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.

Afflicting the Comfortable

Eastertide

May 26, 2020

Scripture Reading:
1 Samuel 2:1-10

The Lord kills and brings to life;
   he brings down to Sheol and raises up.
The Lord makes poor and makes rich;
   he brings low, he also exalts.
He raises up the poor from the dust;
   he lifts the needy from the ash heap,
to make them sit with princes
   and inherit a seat of honor.
For the pillars of the earth are the Lord’s,
   and on them he has set the world.
‘He will guard the feet of his faithful ones,
   but the wicked shall be cut off in darkness;
   for not by might does one prevail.
The Lord! His adversaries shall be shattered;
   the Most High will thunder in heaven.
The Lord will judge the ends of the earth;
   he will give strength to his king,
   and exalt the power of his anointed.’ –1 Samuel 2:6-20

I confess my first desire when I read a scripture that says things like the Lord kills is to skip it. I then go through a mental exercise of trying to reshape the phrases that conflict with my concepts of God, reading into them more comfortable interpretations. I rationalize that the worldview of our ancient ancestors-in-faith markedly differs from our modern perspectives. But I am struck that we still have life and death we still have poor and rich, we still grapple with what is just in the eyes of God, and we still accept that the Lord will judge the ends of the earth. People are still people.

Being uncomfortable often brings growth. Jesus illustrates that in the story of his encounter with the Syro-Phoenician woman* who challenges Jesus to heal her daughter, a foreigner. She said that even the dogs get the eat the crumbs that fall to the floor. And Jesus healed her modeling for us what he meant by both loving our neighbors and welcoming strangers.

Perhaps what we all need to do is examine our lives to identify the culturally accepted themes we are incorporating into our fundamental belief systems. Holding them to the light of God’s love as modeled by Jesus, we can discern those that do not meet that test.

Prayer: Lord, help us grow in wisdom and truth through our study as it is reflected in our actions. Amen.

*See at Mark 7:24-30 and Matthew 15:21-28

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 Ourselves

Eastertide

May 25, 2020

Scripture Reading:
1 Samuel 2:1-10

Hannah prayed and said,
‘My heart exults in the Lord;
   my strength is exalted in my God.
My mouth derides my enemies,
   because I rejoice in my victory.
‘There is no Holy One like the Lord,
   no one besides you;
   there is no Rock like our God.
Talk no more so very proudly,
   let not arrogance come from your mouth;
for the Lord is a God of knowledge,
   and by him actions are weighed.
The bows of the mighty are broken,
   but the feeble gird on strength.
Those who were full have hired themselves out for bread,
   but those who were hungry are fat with spoil.
The barren has borne seven,
   but she who has many children is forlorn.—1 Samuel 2:1-5

Hannah’s Prayer is her thanksgiving for the ending of her barrenness and the gift of her son Samuel. She continues in a plea for justice by sharing various dichotomies illustrating mutual exclusion—barrenness and birth, oppression and overthrow of oppression, gluttony and hunger.

The Kingdom of God is a society where everyone has enough and everyone is a person of worth. We probably first think of money when considering what is enough but the idea covers a much broader spectrum. Indeed, having one’s basic needs met is the foundation of being. The ultimate goal in Maslow’s hierarchy of needs model is self-actualization, which cannot be attained without those basic needs,  safety, love and belonging, and esteem. How we love one another, always treating each one as a person of worth, wherever they may be on that continuum of development, is what gives them the initiative and even the courage to reach the ideal of self-actualization.

Jesus made it very clear in his teachings that our ability to love others requires us to love ourselves as we are loved by God. I think many of the problems we have in this world result from our inabilities to love ourselves. Hannah is rejoicing. She has learned to love herself, having spent many years in disdain for her very being because she could not have children. We each need to examine our own attitudes or heartaches that are holding us back from loving ourselves. With God’s help, we can clear them from our lives and learn to love like Jesus.

Prayer: Lord, help us identify and rectify those things that are holding us back from loving like Jesus. 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.

Tested

Eastertide

May 21, 2020

Scripture Reading:
1 Peter 4:12-14; 5:6-11

Beloved, do not be surprised at the fiery ordeal that is taking place among you to test you, as though something strange were happening to you. But rejoice in so far as you are sharing Christ’s sufferings, so that you may also be glad and shout for joy when his glory is revealed. If you are reviled for the name of Christ, you are blessed, because the spirit of glory, which is the Spirit of God, is resting on you. –1 Peter 4:12-14

While I do not think we are going through anything like what the first Disciples experienced, I do believe every generation is tested. We face the decision of how to be in the world but not of the world* every day. the multi-faceted side effects of the COVID 19 virus on the graduating classes of 2020 impact them far beyond direct health concerns. One graduating high school senior noted on the news that most in her class were born shortly after the 9-11 bombings which also reshaped their lives. Such challenges rise and fall through the generations. How we deal with them matters.

We seem caught in a great battle between the God of love and the gods of greed, power, and privilege. It started well before the virus began to spread across our lands. Climate change may have contributed to the increasing incidents of various viruses over several years. Not doing our duty as a country to provide for the Common Good is costing us far more than providing appropriate civil services to support our economy and protect our people all the time. We are suddenly realizing that all God’s children are important for our world to work well.

Perhaps the best thing to come out of these recent tests is that we work to follow God’s guidance and not chase after the temptations of the world. Perhaps those 2020 graduates will lead the way.

Prayer: God of love, we thank you for the leadership of those entering adulthood. Help us all work to assure the Common Good as we care for one another. Amen.

*See John 15:19, John 17:14-16, Romans 12:2, Ephesians 4:22-24, and 1 Thessalonians 4:1

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.

Putting the Puzzle Together

Eastertide

May 9, 2020

Scripture Reading:
John 14:1-14

‘Do not let your hearts be troubled. Believe in God, believe also in me. In my Father’s house there are many dwelling-places. If it were not so, would I have told you that I go to prepare a place for you? And if I go and prepare a place for you, I will come again and will take you to myself, so that where I am, there you may be also. And you know the way to the place where I am going.’ Thomas said to him, ‘Lord, we do not know where you are going. How can we know the way?’ Jesus said to him, ‘I am the way, and the truth, and the life. No one comes to the Father except through me. If you know me, you will know my Father also. From now on you do know him and have seen him.’ –John 14:1-7

We are created as unique individuals with equally diverse life experiences that mold us into the persons we are and are becoming. The most miraculous aspect of that idea is like a puzzle, we are all crafted to become one beautiful picture reflecting the love of God. For some reason, I have little or no concern about what happens after death. Scriptures like the one above, assure me that I will be with God, and in my way of thinking that is all that matters. Our energies as people of faith need to be focused on doing our part in putting God’s great mosaic together. In times like these, such a commission is imperative.

Evil thrives in dividing and conquering; Christ invites us to sit at his table and break bread together. It is an opportunity to learn we have far more in common than that which divides us. Calling a  moratorium on divisiveness seems appropriate. What if we designated one day and challenged ourselves to politely and graciously introduce a new outlook when we are confronted by that which divides us? What if we identify those issues for which no common ground seems possible and set them aside while we invest our energies in solving common interests? Finding success in addressing less volatile concerns could pave the way for identifying creative methods of dealing with more challenging differences.

Prayer: Lord, broaden our vision of how to address the problems we face so that our solutions reflect your way of 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.

The Lord is Good

Eastertide

May 7, 2020

Scripture Reading: 1 Peter 2:2-10

Like newborn infants, long for the pure, spiritual milk, so that by it you may grow into salvation— if indeed you have tasted that the Lord is good.

Come to him, a living stone, though rejected by mortals yet chosen and precious in God’s sight, and like living stones, let yourselves be built into a spiritual house, to be a holy priesthood, to offer spiritual sacrifices acceptable to God through Jesus Christ. –1 Peter 2:2-5

Are we nurturing others with our lives through action and words illustrating that the Lord is good?

My mother was born in 1908 during the heyday of hell, fire, and damnation preaching. Children of all ages were expected to attend worship and behave or suffer a spanking. She shared that when she was a little girl, Mom would run as fast as she could to and from the outhouse, particularly after dark. She feared that the devil was going to reach up, grab her by the leg, and pull her straight down to hell.

I cut my teeth singing Jesus Loves Me This I Know, Jesus Love All the Children of the World, and What a Friend We Have in Jesus. Children were required to attend worship and behave. One Sunday, a good friend and I sitting on the front row of the church spent the entire sermon practicing the sign language we had learned in school that week. At the close of the sermon, Dr. Keller, our pastor, announced that he would like to have Peggy and Marilynn take up the offering, and we immediately knew we were caught. We did take up the offering, nothing else was ever said, and we never practice sign language or anything similar in church again.

What messages are we sending to our children and others for whom Christ is a new thing? A colleague shared with me how stunned she was when her sister-in-law asked her to explain the worship aspects of her mother’s funeral to her eight-year-old nephew because he had never been in church, and his mother feared he might not understand all that was happening. For many, I fear, in our culture, Christ is just another pawn in the game of politics. They have never tasted that the Lord is good.

Prayer: Lord, create in us clean hearts so that what others see in us is the love of God as exemplified in the life of Jesus Christ. 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.