Tag Archives: Loving One Another

Love is a Choice

Advent

December 19, 2021

Scripture Reading: John 1:1-14

In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God, and the Word was God. He was in the beginning with God. All things came into being through him, and without him not one thing came into being. What has come into being in him was life, and the life was the light of all people. The light shines in the darkness, and the darkness did not overcome it.

There was a man sent from God, whose name was John. He came as a witness to testify to the light, so that all might believe through him. He himself was not the light, but he came to testify to the light. The true light, which enlightens everyone, was coming into the world.

He was in the world, and the world came into being through him; yet the world did not know him. He came to what was his own, and his own people did not accept him. But to all who received him, who believed in his name, he gave power to become children of God, who were born, not of blood or of the will of the flesh or of the will of man, but of God.

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.

What does it mean to be born of God? The stories of Jesus’s birth relate the great mystery of one born of God, assumed to be a king. Jesus was born into a world full of gods of all types and purposes. The Roman kings of the first century all claim to be divine. Jesus’s being proclaimed as the Son of God was not unusual in that time and place. The unexpected element of Jesus’s ministry was having been given the power to make everyone children of God.

John reminds us that Jesus was with God at the beginning of the world when all humans were created in God’s image. John then tells us that God wants humans to choose to accept and love God. I do not believe it is possible to make anyone love someone else. Love does not love unless it comes from the heart and soul of the lover. The whole idea of free will is tied to that concept. We often interpret free will as the right to sin or not. I think John may be viewing the free will that God grants us as the right to love God by choice. What accompanies the choice to love God is the commitment and empowerment to love others as we love God. Indeed, separation from God exists when we choose not to love God, and all types of folly can follow. We are experiencing that in our world today.

Prayer: Creator God, You designed a world that functions at its most excellent efficiency when love rules, help us let go of anything that distracts us from living in 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.

Sacred Trust

Living in the Spirit

September 30, 2021

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

It was fitting that God, for whom and through whom all things exist, in bringing many children to glory, should make the pioneer of their salvation perfect through sufferings. For the one who sanctifies and those who are sanctified all have one Father. For this reason Jesus is not ashamed to call them brothers and sisters, saying,
‘I will proclaim your name to my brothers and sisters,
   in the midst of the congregation I will praise you.’ -Hebrews 2:10-12

I have a biological sister and brother, and we are markedly different, but even in that small sample, we illustrate that our differences complement one another. God created an interdependent world from the grass that feeds the cows to the rain that grows the grass. As children of God, we have been given a sacred trust to care for one another and the earth that sustains us.  Our failure to respond to that trust has landed us in a precarious place. One hundred and forty million* people live in poverty in the USA or are one major illness from living in poverty. If we do not address the challenges of climate change, we may not have an earth to sustain us. The findings of their review of more than 14,000 studies are clear: climate change is affecting nearly every part of the planet, and there is no doubt that human activities are the cause**.

My mother would describe our actions or lack of action as cutting off our noses to spite our faces. The COVID pandemic has impacted our lives in ways we could not have imagined before it struck. However, it has not caused near the damage as the pandemic of greed that has overtaken our land. In some ways, the devastation of COVID is being made worse by our greed.

Greed is an addiction and must be treated as such. First, we must recognize that most of us suffer from some level of greed. Second, we must work to remove it from our habits of life. Third, we must identify the ways it is controlling our society purging greed from our way of being and channeling the energy it burns into fulfilling the trust responsibilities God placed on all of God’s children.

Prayer: Lord, free us from the addiction of greed and open our hearts to fulfilling our sacred responsibilities to you, one another, and our earth. Amen.

*https://www.poorpeoplescampaign.org/about/jubilee-platform/

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.

Taking God For Granted

Living in the Spirit

July 28, 2021

Scripture Reading: Psalm 51:1-12 or
Psalm 78:23-29

Yet he commanded the skies above,
   and opened the doors of heaven;
he rained down on them manna to eat,
   and gave them the grain of heaven.
Mortals ate of the bread of angels;
   he sent them food in abundance.
He caused the east wind to blow in the heavens,
   and by his power he led out the south wind;
he rained flesh upon them like dust,
   winged birds like the sand of the seas;
he let them fall within their camp,
   all around their dwellings.
And they ate and were well filled,
   for he gave them what they craved. –Psalm 78:23-29

Psalm 51 is one of my favorites, and I have included the essential part for me as the prayer below. Although I have read all the Psalms many times and participated in Psalms studies, I could not recall anything about Psalm 78, which made me decide I needed to focus on it today. How much of God’s grace and abundance do we take for granted? How much do we question whether we can depend on God’s love? How does taking God’s love as a given impact our relationships with others who do not seem to share in the bounty of God’s love?

Jesus taught us that we can take God’s love and grace for granted. My experience is that life becomes chaotic when we do not. Scared, tired, hungry, and unaccustomed to managing their own lives, the Israelites craved the basics—food and water—which God provided. These were the first baby steps of transitioning from slavery to becoming a great nation. The presence of God’s love was just as significant to King David as to those escaping slaves. Problems arise when we fall into the trap of forgetting that continuing our allegiance to God is as crucial in our prosperity as in slavery. We drift toward thinking that our abundance is our own making and that if others are not reaping the same harvest, it must be their fault.

We should never take God’s love or anyone’s love for granted just because we can. Always knowing God loves us gives us the courage to love ourselves and others as we strive to be a part of creating a world ruled by love.

Prayer:
Create in me a clean heart, O God,
   and put a new and right spirit within me.
Do not cast me away from your presence,
   and do not take your holy spirit from me.
Restore to me the joy of your salvation,
   and sustain in me a willing spirit*. Amen.

*Psalm 51:10-12

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.

Baptism

Epiphany

January 10, 2021

Scripture Reading:
Mark 1:4-11
John the baptizer appeared in the wilderness, proclaiming a baptism of repentance for the forgiveness of sins. And people from the whole Judean countryside and all the people of Jerusalem were going out to him, and were baptized by him in the river Jordan, confessing their sins. Now John was clothed with camel’s hair, with a leather belt around his waist, and he ate locusts and wild honey. He proclaimed, ‘The one who is more powerful than I is coming after me; I am not worthy to stoop down and untie the thong of his sandals. I have baptized you with water; but he will baptize you with the Holy Spirit.’

In those days Jesus came from Nazareth of Galilee and was baptized by John in the Jordan. And just as he was coming up out of the water, he saw the heavens torn apart and the Spirit descending like a dove on him. And a voice came from heaven, ‘You are my Son, the Beloved; with you I am well pleased.‘

We know the story of Jesus going to the temple with his parents when he was about twelve years old that he had a special interest in God. His parents had to go back and find him. When they located him, He said to them, ‘Why were you searching for me? Did you not know that I must be in my Father’s house?’ (Luke 2:49) This response leaves us with the impression that Jesus had some indication of who he was at an early age. We only can speculate about what he did between that visit and his baptism, which solidified his identity publicly for those who were present and understood the message. Jesus’ baptism marks the start of His known among the people of Galilee and Judea.

Do you remember your baptism or confirmation? Were you surrounded by people who were well pleased with your decision to follow in the footsteps of Jesus? Have you been one of those pleased people on such an occasion? God created us to live in faith with God and in community with one another. Such interrelationships are necessary for the work of Christ’ Kingdom to not only flourish, but as Jesus says in John 14:12, Very truly, I tell you, the one who believes in me will also do the works that I do and, in fact, will do greater works than these, because I am going to the Father.

I envision God’s Kingdom like a jigsaw puzzle. When all the parts fit together, a full picture appears. Jesus started with a 12-piece puzzle, which has expanded to the potential of including everyone on earth working together, creating synergy while each is being the person God created them to be. Unfortunately, we live in a world where we do not accept some as worthy of being in our puzzle. We do not clearly understand that the world God created functions best only when all the pieces are linked as one. If we truly desire for our world to be based on God’s Kingdom vision, we must throw out all the ways we exclude others and work together to find our common ground in God.

Prayer: Lord, give us your vision and plan for making our world more like your Kingdom. 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.

Letting Our Lights Shine Together

Advent

December 12, 2020

Scripture Reading: John 1:6-8, 19-28

There was a man sent from God, whose name was John. He came as a witness to testify to the light, so that all might believe through him. He himself was not the light, but he came to testify to the light. –John 6:6-8

All Christ-followers are called to testify to the light of Christ, yet we cannot have civil discourse one with the other. How are we supposed to share the light of Christ with those who do not know him when we cannot even talk to each other? Over the Thanksgiving holiday, I heard experts’ advice to help family relationships by discussing politics or religion over dinner. Any more, it is hard to differentiate politics from religion.

Such discord is not new. Poor Paul had to deal with differences of opinion about how to serve God from Jerusalem to Rome.  Around 50 CE, hubbub arose among Christ-followers, most of whom were also Jews, regarding whether gentiles needed to follow all the Jewish rituals before being recognized as Christ-followers. A meeting* was held in Jerusalem where the issue was debated, and eventually, the decision was made that gentiles did not have to be circumcised to become Christians.

So, what is really going on here? Children seem to need to be affirmed by their parents for their uniqueness and how they rank among the other children. Parents must reinforce how unique each child is while assuring all the children that they are equally loved. As adults, we do not seem to totally outgrow the need for such affirmation among others and God. We miss the mark when we supplant our judgment of our worthiness for Jesus’s review. Jesus clearly indicates that he views our worth by how we love and treat one another.

Prayer: God of Love, help us find ways to communicate with others so that your light shines forth from all who love you together. Amen.

*See Acts of the Apostles 15.1-41

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.

Judge Jesus

Living in the Spirit

November 22, 2020

Scripture Reading:
Matthew 25:31-46
‘When the Son of Man comes in his glory, and all the angels with him, then he will sit on the throne of his glory. All the nations will be gathered before him, and he will separate people one from another as a shepherd separates the sheep from the goats, and he will put the sheep at his right hand and the goats at the left. Then the king will say to those at his right hand, “Come, you that are blessed by my Father, inherit the kingdom prepared for you from the foundation of the world; for I was hungry and you gave me food, I was thirsty and you gave me something to drink, I was a stranger and you welcomed me, I was naked and you gave me clothing, I was sick and you took care of me, I was in prison and you visited me.” Then the righteous will answer him, “Lord, when was it that we saw you hungry and gave you food, or thirsty and gave you something to drink? And when was it that we saw you a stranger and welcomed you, or naked and gave you clothing? And when was it that we saw you sick or in prison and visited you?” And the king will answer them, “Truly I tell you, just as you did it to one of the least of these who are members of my family, you did it to me.” Then he will say to those at his left hand, “You that are accursed, depart from me into the eternal fire prepared for the devil and his angels; for I was hungry and you gave me no food, I was thirsty and you gave me nothing to drink, I was a stranger and you did not welcome me, naked and you did not give me clothing, sick and in prison and you did not visit me.” Then they also will answer, “Lord, when was it that we saw you hungry or thirsty or a stranger or naked or sick or in prison, and did not take care of you?” Then he will answer them, “Truly I tell you, just as you did not do it to one of the least of these, you did not do it to me.” And these will go away into eternal punishment, but the righteous into eternal life.’

I had an AHA! moment some years ago when I finally realized that God appointed Jesus to be my judge and everyone else’s judge, too. He even took the time to tell us ahead what his judgment criteria would be:

  1. Feed the hungry
  2. Provide water for the thirsty,
  3. Welcome the stranger
  4. Clothe the naked
  5. Care for the sick
  6. Restore the prisoner

The first thing that seems to be missing here is failure to obey laws. While there are laws in the Hebrew Bible that address each of these to one degree or another, Jesus is making the point that we will be judged on our active behavior regarding others, not on how we obey laws or even on how many times we worship or pray or study the Bible. Indeed, all these activities are necessary to support the work that we are called to do but they are not the work. There is also no hint of comparing any of us to anyone else. God knows our hearts and the potential that was instilled in each of us at our creation. We will be judged on how well we fulfilled that potential in loving one another.

Prayer: Lord, help us to honor you by following your example as you loved 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.

Bearing Fruit in God’s Service

Living in the Spirit

September 27, 2020

Scripture Reading:
Matthew 21:23-32

‘What do you think? A man had two sons; he went to the first and said, “Son, go and work in the vineyard today.” He answered, “I will not”; but later he changed his mind and went. The father went to the second and said the same; and he answered, “I go, sir”; but he did not go. Which of the two did the will of his father?’ They said, ‘The first.’ Jesus said to them, ‘Truly I tell you, the tax-collectors and the prostitutes are going into the kingdom of God ahead of you. For John came to you in the way of righteousness and you did not believe him, but the tax-collectors and the prostitutes believed him; and even after you saw it, you did not change your minds and believe him.

We never had a vineyard on our farm, but we had a lot of work to do. I love animals and had no problem feeding chickens and milking cows. I hated working in the garden and always trudged dragging my feet and probably whining all the way to planting, hoeing weeds, and harvesting the crops. I did fully appreciate the fruits of our labor.

Truth is, prostitutes and the tax-collectors were probably accustomed to being shunned rather than invited into good company. Having not been welcomed by others, they rightfully were reluctant to accept the invitation to work in an acceptable occupation. Yet, the chance to better their lives won out over their fears of being considered unacceptable, and they discovered the wonder and worth of the fruits of their labor.

Those acknowledged by their community as acceptable may say all the right words but not follow through on their call to do the right thing. Worse yet, they are blind to the hypocrisy of their actions as the weeds overtake the production of fruit.

God’s vineyard requires constant attention by those who agree to bring it to full fruition. The good thing about God’s vineyard is there is such a diversity of work needed, there is a niche that is just right for all of us. All those jobs will include pulling some weeds, but in the harvest, there is enough produce for all to have enough. And God’s primary crop is love.

Prayer: Lord, help us see and understand the hypocrisy of any of our cultural norms regarding the worth of one another that separates us from fulfilling your purpose for our lives and your commandment to always love 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.

Finding Common Ground

Living in the Spirit

Scripture Reading:
Ezekiel 33:7-11

So you, mortal, I have made a sentinel for the house of Israel; whenever you hear a word from my mouth, you shall give them warning from me. If I say to the wicked, ‘O wicked ones, you shall surely die’, and you do not speak to warn the wicked to turn from their ways, the wicked shall die in their iniquity, but their blood I will require at your hand. But if you warn the wicked to turn from their ways, and they do not turn from their ways, the wicked shall die in their iniquity, but you will have saved your life. –Ezekiel 33:7-9

I wrote my book Houses Divided: A Letter to the Churches of the USA on Church and State, published in 2013, because I had too. While my illustrations are out-of-date, I think the truth in it still applies. I did not realize I was addressing the same type of divisions among God’s followers that Ezekiel and other prophets did. Evil had severed God-followers. I do not know if the book is worth anything or not because few were read. I did not send it to what is called “evangelical” publishers because I knew they would not publish anything that included some of my ideas. I got nearly the same rejection from all the “progressive” publishers. Each basically said, “We do not publish in this genre.”  I guessed that meant it was a too sticky wicket for them. So, I published it myself.  I wrote it for everyday people in pews, not academics. I do not think my time was wasted as it helped me get my personal theology in order. I am sorry it did not fill that purpose for others.

So, today I read Ezekiel, where he says that the wicked will have to deal with their wickedness when they die, but if we do not warn them to turn from their ways, their blood will also be on our hands. The problem, of course, is that although our systems of belief are markedly different, both sides just know they are right. Evil is good at creating just such a scenario. It is being played out daily in media reports regarding our world today and the upcoming election.

There is no easy answer. Repenting and acknowledging we ever do anything wrong is hard and embarrassing and counter to our culture. Here are a few things I think are worth trying:

  • Remind ourselves when we are confronted by someone with different viewpoints that they were created by God and made in the image of God just like each of us was.
  • Practice empathy in our heads while listening, really listening to what another is saying. What is it like to see this world in their skin, gender, income bracket, education, social status?
  • Seek any common ground.
  • And, most importantly, listen for God’s guidance.

Prayer:
Dear Lord and Father of mankind,
Forgive our foolish ways!
Reclothe us in our rightful mind,
In purer lives Thy service find,
In deeper reverence, praise*. Amen.

First verse of Dear Lord and Father of mankind by John Greenleaf Whittier https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Dear_Lord_and_Father_of_Mankind

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.

Honing our Instincts to Love

Living in the Spirit

August 31, 2020

Scripture Reading: Exodus 12:1-14

The Lord said to Moses and Aaron in the land of Egypt: This month shall mark for you the beginning of months; it shall be the first month of the year for you. Tell the whole congregation of Israel that on the tenth of this month they are to take a lamb for each family, a lamb for each household. If a household is too small for a whole lamb, it shall join its closest neighbour in obtaining one; the lamb shall be divided in proportion to the number of people who eat of it. Your lamb shall be without blemish, a year-old male; you may take it from the sheep or from the goats. You shall keep it until the fourteenth day of this month; then the whole assembled congregation of Israel shall slaughter it at twilight. They shall take some of the blood and put it on the two doorposts and the lintel of the houses in which they eat it. They shall eat the lamb that same night; they shall eat it roasted over the fire with unleavened bread and bitter herbs. Do not eat any of it raw or boiled in water, but roasted over the fire, with its head, legs, and inner organs. You shall let none of it remain until the morning; anything that remains until the morning you shall burn. This is how you shall eat it: your loins girded, your sandals on your feet, and your staff in your hand; and you shall eat it hurriedly. It is the passover of the Lord. For I will pass through the land of Egypt that night, and I will strike down every firstborn in the land of Egypt, both human beings and animals; on all the gods of Egypt I will execute judgements: I am the Lord. The blood shall be a sign for you on the houses where you live: when I see the blood, I will pass over you, and no plague shall destroy you when I strike the land of Egypt.

This day shall be a day of remembrance for you. You shall celebrate it as a festival to the Lord; throughout your generations you shall observe it as a perpetual ordinance.

There are times in our lives that we must run on instinct. We see that in the people trying to respond and recover from the hurricanes that are striking the USA. Do we grab what we need and get out or stay and ride out the storm?  The scripture above is much like a weather forecast. The storm is coming, here is what you need to do to get ready for it. We are also dealing with COVID-19. Do we worship at church or live stream? How are we going to handle delivering mobile meals?  How do we bury the dead? And how do we deal with a nation that is so divided, we have lost our way in loving our neighbors as we love ourselves? We will remember the year 2020 for decades to come.

Succeeding at running on instinct happens only when we are well-grounded in our life’s priorities. Is God the driving force at the center of our lives? Is loving others our primary purpose?  Are we being led astray by the many lesser gods of the world to the extent that we have little or no concern about anyone but ourselves, our family, our church and only people who look like us?

Prayer: Lord, forgive us when we drop the ball on loving one another. Help us see the danger that comes from division and seek common ground 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.

Government of the People

Living in the Spirit

July 23, 2020

Scripture Reading:
1 Kings 3:5-12

At Gibeon the Lord appeared to Solomon in a dream by night; and God said, ‘Ask what I should give you.’ And Solomon said, ‘You have shown great and steadfast love to your servant my father David, because he walked before you in faithfulness, in righteousness, and in uprightness of heart towards you; and you have kept for him this great and steadfast love, and have given him a son to sit on his throne today. And now, O Lord my God, you have made your servant king in place of my father David, although I am only a little child; I do not know how to go out or come in. And your servant is in the midst of the people whom you have chosen, a great people, so numerous they cannot be numbered or counted. Give your servant therefore an understanding mind to govern your people, able to discern between good and evil; for who can govern this your great people?’ –1 Kings 3:5-10

What part does “the people” a leader serves play in how the leader rules? Politicians often win because they say what they discern the people want to hear whether they act on it in office or not. Sometimes our elected leaders legislate what the people want when it is not the best thing for either the people or society in general. It takes a brave office holder to explain the reality of what is desired against what the outcome might be. During the current pandemic, I have heard the unemployment office being criticized for having an antiquated computer system that cannot handle the volume of work required with all the layoffs. Health departments are being criticized for having out-of-date systems so we can have the latest data regarding COVID-19. I can assure you that neither state nor federal agencies wanted to work with old systems. In Oklahoma, the failure to maintain adequate infrastructure is the result of years of tax cuts backed by the people who now do not understand why they are standing in line for hours to get unemployment.  

Solomon asked God for an understanding mind to govern your people, able to discern between good and evil; for who can govern this your great people? Perhaps Solomon’s wisdom was seeing the difficulty of the task. Transparency and truth are the keys to a successful community. In the final analysis, government is a formalization of communities at every level. God calls us to a society where we not only consider what is best for ourselves but what is best for all God’s children. Ultimately what is right for others is also good for ourselves when we can see the bigger picture of a righteous and just world.

Prayer: Lord, we too ask for understanding minds to discern between good and evil, which will help us support our government officials who work for righteousness and justice. 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.