Tag Archives: Loving others

Controlling Self-righteousness

Living in the Spirit

August 28, 2022

Scripture Reading: Luke 14:1, 7-14

On one occasion when Jesus was going to the house of a leader of the Pharisees to eat a meal on the sabbath, they were watching him closely.

He said also to the one who had invited him, ‘When you give a luncheon or a dinner, do not invite your friends or your brothers or your relatives or rich neighbors, in case they may invite you in return, and you would be repaid. But when you give a banquet, invite the poor, the crippled, the lame, and the blind. And you will be blessed because they cannot repay you, for you will be repaid at the resurrection of the righteous.’ –Luke 14:1, 12-14

This must be the season of fundraising for non-profits. Many were canceled over the past two years because of COVID. I think we may have decided that we just must live with the virus. Non-profits have their own personalities. Some hold lavish dinners with cocktails before and special treatment for the big givers. Others offer more modest refreshments often in touch with the service they provide.

The purpose of this scripture perhaps lives in the first verse. Jesus was going to the house of the leaders of the Pharisees. I do not think Jesus is saying we should not enjoy meals with our relatives and friends and enjoy meals when invited to their homes. No, he was addressing a group who at times got a little too caught up in self-righteousness. Eating with the poor, the crippled, the lame, and the blind might have touched the hearts of some of them to see the needs of others and not just invest their time in strictly following rules targeted at ultimately receiving the rewards they expect from their behavior. I think we can assume Jesus saw none of the groups he named represented at this dinner.

We, too, need to keep our self-righteousness in check. The challenge is to take our blinders off to see ourselves for how we treat others.

Prayer: Lord, help us to recognize that all people were made in your image and that we must see that image in each person not categorizing them by the opinions of the world. 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 Priorities

Lent

March 11, 2021

Scripture Reading: Ephesians 2:1-10
You were dead through the trespasses and sins in which you once lived, following the course of this world, following the ruler of the power of the air, the spirit that is now at work among those who are disobedient. All of us once lived among them in the passions of our flesh, following the desires of flesh and senses, and we were by nature children of wrath, like everyone else. But God, who is rich in mercy, out of the great love with which he loved us even when we were dead through our trespasses, made us alive together with Christ—by grace you have been saved— and raised us up with him and seated us with him in the heavenly places in Christ Jesus, so that in the ages to come he might show the immeasurable riches of his grace in kindness towards us in Christ Jesus. For by grace you have been saved through faith, and this is not your own doing; it is the gift of God— not the result of works, so that no one may boast. For we are what he has made us, created in Christ Jesus for good works, which God prepared beforehand to be our way of life.

Being alive in Christ is about priorities. I do not know how many times I have seen people interviewed by TV news after some sort of disaster. These victims usually say something to the effect that the family survived, which is all that mattered. In Oklahoma, that is often the sentiment when a tornado or fire destroys a home. Being alive in Christ is living what really matters and that begins and ends with our love relationship with God in Christ. God’s love for us and our love for God naturally spreads to our love for one another when we do not let the world interfere.

Regular communication with God is necessary to keep our priorities straight. Aligning our life goals with God’s requires systematic reviews of outcomes from our efforts and discerning any needs to alter our courses. As we age, our life goals in God’s service may need to be adjusted to address alterations in our world and changes in our skills and talents.

Recognizing distractions for what they are is essential.  More important is learning how to work around them. When I was in grade school, my church decided new chairs were needed at the communion table. The wooden chairs had become quite rickety. A committee was appointed to obtain the new chairs, and the war began. Some wanted upholstered chairs, others demanded that we retain the historic look of wooden seats, and some did not think we needed chairs at all. I do not remember how long this feud continued. I do not even remember what kind of chairs we finally got. We lost one family from the church because of the bruhaha, and we wasted a lot of good energy that could have been channeled to more meaningful work.

We rarely take the time to seek the underlying causes of people’s responses. Most people like to be respected for their ideas. Loving one another is like loving God. It works best when we get to know God and one another better.

Prayer: Lord, help us first look for your image in others as we learn to love all your children enabling each other’s skills and talents as we work together toward building the Kingdom of God. 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.

Law, Life, and Love

Advent
December 22, 2018

Scripture Reading: Hebrews 10:5-10

When he said above, ‘You have neither desired nor taken pleasure in sacrifices and offerings and burnt-offerings and sin-offerings’ (these are offered according to the law), then he added, ‘See, I have come to do your will.’ He abolishes the first in order to establish the second. And it is by God’s will that we have been sanctified through the offering of the body of Jesus Christ once for all. –Hebrews 10:8-10

What is the difference in following the laws of God and doing God’s will? Shouldn’t they be the same? Do any of God’s laws supersede God’s other laws? Who decides? How do we know we are following God’s will? Our world today is entangled in legalese regarding how we interpret civic law and therein is one problem.

The Jewish tradition includes a long history of study and publications of finding regarding the interpretation of God’s law with differing outcomes and how to interpret ancient laws as they relate to modern application.

Jesus, in answering a question, established a baseline for interpreting God’s laws when he said, “you shall love the Lord your God with all your heart, and with all your soul, and with all your mind, and with all your strength.” The second is this, “You shall love your neighbor as yourself.” There is no other commandment greater than these.’” (Mark 12:30-31) This scripture is now known as the Great Commandment for which Jesus’ life and ministry provided interpretations. His death and resurrection provided the ultimate gift of love to show us the way we are to live and die and provided the source of grace that fills the gaps when we miss the mark as we attempt to live Jesus’ love and continuously communing with God who guides us in our quest to fulfill God’s vision.

Loving like Jesus requires an intentional effort to see the Christ in every human as we desire the very best for all. We do not decide what is best for the other; we introduce them to Christ and trust Christ to guide them as he guides us.

Coming to live among us as a baby demonstrated God’s commitment to experiencing all aspects of life from the womb to the tomb. We most often have difficulty loving another when we cannot comprehend their situation. Imagining ourselves living the life of another is one way of loving like Jesus. We might become less judgmental and more understanding enabling loving.

Prayer: Lord, free us from any bigotry or prejudice that limits our ability to love 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.

Loving Self

Living in the Spirit
July 29, 2018

Scripture Reading: John 6:1-21

Jesus said, ‘Make the people sit down.’ Now there was a great deal of grass in the place; so they sat down, about five thousand in all. Then Jesus took the loaves, and when he had given thanks, he distributed them to those who were seated; so also the fish, as much as they wanted. When they were satisfied, he told his disciples, ‘Gather up the fragments left over, so that nothing may be lost.’ So they gathered them up, and from the fragments of the five barley loaves, left by those who had eaten, they filled twelve baskets. When the people saw the sign that he had done, they began to say, ‘This is indeed the prophet who is to come into the world.’—John 6:10-14

For some reason, the phrase ‘Make the people sit down’ bothers me when I imagine it coming from Jesus’ mouth. The polite thing to say in English would be something like ‘Have the people be seated’. I looked up the word in the Greek and it seems to imply something more mechanical than what I at first perceived as an order. Jesus was not heavy into giving orders to anyone. He drove out the money changers from the temple, I suppose that embodies making someone do something. He gave instructions to disciples to go and do certain things, but he did so as if he were speaking to people already willing and able to help.  Go into all the world. . .* One also would not think it necessary to make hungry people eat. Perhaps it was a way of assuring order in serving the food.

How do we best gain people’s attention today to share with them the nourishing Good News of Jesus Christ? How do we spread the love of God without being authoritarian, condescending, or patronizing? How do we interact with others whose previous encounters regarding God were very negative? How do we love like Jesus loves?

It is paradoxical, but I think it is true we must first love ourselves like Jesus loves us before we can love others. Jesus said it in Mark 12:30-31, you shall love the Lord your God with all your heart, and with all your soul, and with all your mind, and with all your strength.” The second is this, “You shall love your neighbor as yourself.” There is no other commandment greater than these.’ When we are full of self-loathing we cannot help but project that on others particularly when we are unaware of our self-assessments. Our self-assessments probably were passed to use from others trying to love us the best way they could. If we only see hurtful negatives in others rather than the image of God in which they were created, we cannot love them as Jesus does.

Accepting the love of Jesus Christ is the starting point of healing broken souls and enabling us to love in the same way he does.

Prayer: Thank you Lord for making me whole each day and always. Amen.

*Mark 16:15, Luke 14:23, Matthew 28:19-20, Acts 1:7-8

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.

Tabernacling with God

Advent
December 18, 2017

Scripture Reading: 2 Samuel 7:1-11, 16

Now when the king was settled in his house, and the Lord had given him rest from all his enemies around him, the king said to the prophet Nathan, ‘See now, I am living in a house of cedar, but the ark of God stays in a tent.’ Nathan said to the king, ‘Go, do all that you have in mind; for the Lord is with you.’

 But that same night the word of the Lord came to Nathan: Go and tell my servant David: Thus says the Lord: Are you the one to build me a house to live in? I have not lived in a house since the day I brought up the people of Israel from Egypt to this day, but I have been moving about in a tent and a tabernacle. Wherever I have moved about among all the people of Israel, did I ever speak a word with any of the tribal leaders of Israel, whom I commanded to shepherd my people Israel, saying, ‘Why have you not built me a house of cedar?’ Now therefore thus you shall say to my servant David: Thus says the Lord of hosts: I took you from the pasture, from following the sheep to be prince over my people Israel; and I have been with you wherever you went, and have cut off all your enemies from before you; and I will make for you a great name, like the name of the great ones of the earth. –2 Samuel 7:1-9

Sharing a tent with others is a more intimate experience than sleeping in separate rooms in a house. The Greek word for tent is skénoó * used in John 1:14 regarding the word being made flesh translated as and lived among us.  A variant of the word skēnōsei appears in Revelation 21:3 translated as He will dwell with them following Christ’s return. A more exacting translation is he will tabernacle with them. All this is to say that the word tabernacle means more than just a tent. It describes dwelling in intimate communion with the resurrected Christ. God’s communion with Nathan in our scripture above is also expressing this relationship with God from the Hebrew perspective.

Nathan reports to David that memorializing God with a fine structure is not God’s greatest desire. God’s greatest desire is living intimately with each of God’s children. Relationship matters.

Setting aside time in our lives to spend with God assures God of our love but also allows us the opportunity to grow and learn from God’s wisdom. Read Nathan’s and God’s dialogue provided above again. How can we structure our alone time with God to enrich our relationship with God? Do we listen at least as much as we talk? I find it very difficult to shut the world totally out. It helps me to do physical exercises that require me to count the number of steps or repetitions. I find I can be still and know that God is God easier following this kind of distraction. If you cannot be still on your own,  you might want to try this. I will confess I have walked a lot of extra uncounted steps because the world can interfere even with my counting.

Prayer: God of Love, help us understand that what may be missing when we fill empty is you. Infuse us with your love so that we might love you more dearly and others more nearly. Amen.

http://biblehub.com/greek/4637.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.

Prioritizing Love

Living in the Spirit
November 25, 2017

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.” –Matthew 25:31-40

One would think upon reading Matthew 25:31-46 that followers of Christ would place the actions listed as top priority. The list is straightforward and does not require any of us to shape a belief in them to do them. Even if we felt the need to judge those we serve to determine who is worthy and who is not, we surely could find enough who meet our criteria to keep us busy for the rest of our lives. Of course, the scripture does not provide for such judgmental exceptions. A lot of us who claim to model our lives after Christ, center our faith in what we believe not how we love and serve others. Why do we suppose that is?

Believing is a passive activity. Now I must tell you I enjoy a good theological discussion as much as anyone and I think it is good for us to challenge our assumptions. Jesus did parry words with religious leaders caught in establishing their self-righteousness and condemning what they perceived as his straying from the fold. Such activities were not his priority nor did he set them as ours.

Until we can love the least of these, we will never understand God’s unconditional love. God loves all the folks we consider unworthy, and he still loves us too.

Prayer: Lord, order our lives to address your priorities. Enable us to love as you 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.

Evil in Sight

Living in the Spirit
November 13, 2017

Scripture Reading: Judges 4:1-7

The Israelites again after Ehud died. So the Lord sold them into the hand of King Jabin of Canaan, who reigned in Hazor; the commander of his army was Sisera, who lived in Harosheth-ha-goiim. Then the Israelites cried out to the Lord for help; for he had nine hundred chariots of iron, and had oppressed the Israelites cruelly for twenty years. –Judges 4:1-3

When will we ever learn? I wonder how many times the Bible records something similar to The Israelites again did what was evil in the sight of the Lord. While theologians may debate whether God rains punishment down on God’s people, there is no question that we all must suffer the consequences of our own actions even when God forgives us. Are our memories so short that when good times abound we forget what we did to cause the bad times?

God gave us standards from the beginning to understand how to thrive in the world God created. The overall primary standard is to love God and love our neighbors as we love ourselves. God sent prophets to warn us of our misdeeds and ultimately sent Jesus Christ to redeem us. And still, our eyes glass over, only seeing what we want to see and doing only what we want to do. Many of us justify our actions projecting them as God-given. They may be self-righteous but do not meet God’s standard of righteousness. Racism will never pass God’s test of love.

We live in a time when some deep soul searching is needed. Some beautiful examples of sharing God’s love exist, caring for hurricane victims and the victims of recent gun violence, alongside some very ugly rhetoric. We need a lot more of the former and a lot less of the latter.

Prayer: Lord, guard our tongues to be uplifting now down-putting. Let the light of our love wash out the dark of hatred and bigotry. 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.

Caring for the Gospel

Living in the Spirit
October 27, 2017

Scripture Reading: 1Thessalonians 2:1-8

As you know and as God is our witness, we never came with words of flattery or with a pretext for greed; nor did we seek praise from mortals, whether from you or from others, though we might have made demands as apostles of Christ. But we were gentle among you, like a nurse tenderly caring for her gospel of God but also our own selves, because you have become very dear to us. –1 Thessalonians 2:4-8

What an interesting example of taking the story of God to others, Paul compares it to a nurse tenderly caring for her gospel of God. I worked as a nurse’s aide in one nursing home when in high school and another in college. Working the day shift, I was responsible for bathing my assigned patients. Frail elderly persons often have dry paper-thin skin that required the gentle touches. For most patients, the feel of the warm washcloth brought them comfort and renewal. Throughout the day, I fed many patients who could not feed themselves. Feeding another is an art, learning to understand what they like and do not like when they cannot tell you. Different from feeding a baby who is learning new taste, the elderly already know what they like and have lost control over their choices of eating unless the person doing the feeding cares enough to grasp the reactions they have to the food offered.

Church experiences earlier in some people’s lives left them scared. Others glean opinions of faith from the diversity of practices they observe from the outside, which in our world today is bound to confuse. Loving the other enough to take the time to get to know them and let them get to know us is crucial as we attempt to share the love of God with them.

Prayer: Lord, make us gentle nurses tenderly caring for the gospel of God as we share it 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.

 

Living Examples

Living in the Spirit
September 16, 2017

Scripture Reading: Matthew 18:21-35

Then Peter came and said to him, ‘Lord, if another member of the church sins against me, how often should I forgive? As many as seven times?’ Jesus said to him, ‘Not seven times, but, I tell you, seventy-seven times.
–Matthew 18:21-22

The Greek word translated here as church in other translations appears as brother. It means coming from the same womb and does refer not only to biological siblings but also people who share the same religious family.  My first reaction is to wonder should this instruction apply to all relationships?  I think it should, but the point may be that our life in Christ calls us to set an example for others to help them see the ways of Christ in action.

I am uncomfortable with the consideration that we are called to deal with our fellow Christian differently than we deal with all people. Granted Peter’s question does not directly deal with the issue of worldview. Perhaps his question arose from a specific incident involving fellow disciples. In any case we cannot escape the fact that how we treat each other is a reflection on how non-Christians perceive Christ.

With all the natural  disasters that have hit the world and particularly the Americas in the last few weeks, those who see God’s justice descending in such calamities are making the case for this system of belief falling back on their primary concerns of sins in our society related to things like no prayer in school and what they consider sexual deviations. I do believe that it rains on the just and the unjust. (See Matthew 5:45) I also think we all must face the consequences of our own actions or lack of actions such as ignoring our responsibility for care of the earth. But I think it is a little too convenient to cast dispersions on what we perceive to be the sins of others, certainly not our own, while we support cutting off millions of people from adequate health care, making profit from warehousing prisoners, and walling out strangers. We might do well to review Jesus’ criteria for judgment found in Matthew 25.

Prayer: Guide us, O God, in living lives worthy of representing you well to those who have not yet encountered you or perhaps were not introduced to you in a positive manner. 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.

Modeling Love

Living in the Spirit
September 17, 2017

Scripture Reading: Matthew 18:21-35

‘For this reason the kingdom of heaven may be compared to a king who wished to settle accounts with his slaves. When he began the reckoning, one who owed him ten thousand talents was brought to him; and, as he could not pay, his lord ordered him to be sold, together with his wife and children and all his possessions, and payment to be made. So the slave fell on his knees before him, saying, “Have patience with me, and I will pay you everything.” And out of pity for him, the lord of that slave released him and forgave him the debt. But that same slave, as he went out, came upon one of his fellow-slaves who owed him a hundred denarii; and seizing him by the throat, he said, “Pay what you owe.” Then his fellow-slave fell down and pleaded with him, “Have patience with me, and I will pay you.” But he refused; then he went and threw him into prison until he should pay the debt. When his fellow-slaves saw what had happened, they were greatly distressed, and they went and reported to their lord all that had taken place. Then his lord summoned him and said to him, “You wicked slave! I forgave you all that debt because you pleaded with me. Should you not have had mercy on your fellow-slave, as I had mercy on you?” And in anger his lord handed him over to be tortured until he should pay his entire debt. So my heavenly Father will also do to every one of you, if you do not forgive your brother or sister from your heart.’—Matthew 18:23-35

It is funny, but we waste a lot of time and effort trying to change someone else when the only person over which we have any control to change is ourselves. The paradox is how we respond to others often may result in a shift in their attitude. I worked in a building that housed a separate business from mine, but I met its staff on a regular basis coming and going from the facility. I did not know any of the staff, but we routinely greeted each other except for one woman who never responded to a “Good Morning” or “Have a nice evening.” In fact, she would never even look at me. I did not know what to make of her but just kept smiling and making common greetings when one day she began looking at me and a few days later shyly returned my greeting. Our exchanges continued until she was suddenly not there anymore.

Jesus modeled a way of being in the short time he walked the earth. In the parable today he calls us to forgive as he has forgiven us. It is, of course, futile to send someone to prison to make them pay a debt. If one cannot work, how can he or she earn any money? What difference do you think it would have made in the life of the second slave had the first slave said to him, “The master has forgiven me my debt, so I forgive you the debt you own me?” What difference would it make in the life of one we judge to be a sinner if we simply loved them for who he or she was anyway?

Prayer: God of Grace, give us each the self-confidence to love as you love. Enable loving behavior to be like yeast throughout our land. 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.