Eastertide

April 26, 2023

Scripture Reading: Psalm 23
The Lord is my shepherd, I shall not want.
   He makes me lie down in green pastures;
he leads me beside still waters;
   he restores my soul.
He leads me in right paths
   for his name’s sake.

Even though I walk through the darkest valley,
   I fear no evil;
for you are with me;
   your rod and your staff—
   they comfort me.

You prepare a table before me
   in the presence of my enemies;
you anoint my head with oil;
   my cup overflows.
Surely goodness and mercy shall follow me
   all the days of my life,
and I shall dwell in the house of the Lord
   my whole life long.

Finding the right paths in life is one of our greatest challenges. Of course, we must decide the big thing, like what we would do with our lives. Sometimes though, the small things we do complicate our lives the most. Several years ago, a good friend and co-worker suddenly started avoiding me and seemed offended about something. I asked if something was wrong. She said no and walked away. A few months later, she came into my office almost in tears. Someone had told her a lie about me, I never knew what it was, that hurt her to her core. She had learned from a reliable source that what she was told was untrue. She came to apologize for believing what she was told in the first place. We reconciled our relationship, but it was never the same.

I have found this particularly in interpersonal relationships, but also in how we understand ourselves; having a close relationship with God where we share our troubles, and plan our actions, and reactions, makes us better able to find the right path before we step out in faith to do the right thing.

Prayer: Thank you, Lord, for your wise counsel in finding the right path in all we do and say. 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.

Eastertide

April 25, 2023

Scripture Reading: Acts 2:42-47
They devoted themselves to the apostles’ teaching and fellowship, to the breaking of bread and the prayers.

Awe came upon everyone, because many wonders and signs were being done by the apostles. All who believed were together and had all things in common; they would sell their possessions and goods and distribute the proceeds to all, as any had need. Day by day, as they spent much time together in the temple, they broke bread at home and ate their food with glad and generous hearts, praising God and having the goodwill of all the people. And day by day the Lord added to their number those who were being saved.

This scripture reminds me of the family reunions we once had each year on my father’s side of the family. My dad came from a yours-mine-and-ours family. My grandfather and his first wife had nine children. Seven lived to adulthood. My grandmother and her first husband had six children. Five of them lived to adulthood. After both of my grandparents’ first spouses died, they met, married, and had three children, including my father. We had to rent one of the buildings at the fairground for our annual reunion. All of that generation is now gone. I still have fond memories of those gatherings. Everyone brought food, and we ate and laughed and played. At the end of the day, all returned to their life that involved work and school and practicing their faith.

The Christian Church (Disciples of Christ) is holding its General Assembly this summer, much like a family reunion. It is a time of renewal. We conduct some business, spend more time in seminars, and have opportunities for growth and discernment. Most of all, we eat and visit and reconnect. Like the first century’s disciples, we will join in word and deed to prepare ourselves to return to a world in desperate need of being filled with the Spirit of love and grace God provides as we strive to create a world ruled by love.

Prayer:

Consecrate [us] now to Thy service, Lord,
By the pow’r of grace divine;
Let my soul look up with a steadfast hope,
And my will be lost in Thine*. Amen.

*Second verse of the hymn I Am Thine O Lord, by Fanny Crosby, see at https://hymnary.org/text/i_am_thine_o_lord_i_have_heard_thy_voice

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.

Eastertide

April 24, 2023

Scripture Reading: Acts 2:42-47
They devoted themselves to the apostles’ teaching and fellowship, to the breaking of bread and the prayers.

Awe came upon everyone, because many wonders and signs were being done by the apostles. All who believed were together and had all things in common; they would sell their possessions and goods and distribute the proceeds to all, as any had need. Day by day, as they spent much time together in the temple, they broke bread at home and ate their food with glad and generous hearts, praising God and having the goodwill of all the people. And day by day the Lord added to their number those who were being saved.

Several reports have been issued recently about the reduction of people participating in religious practices. According to the Pew Research Center* those who identify as Christian dropped from 78% in 2007 to 65% in 2019. There are more people who identify as spiritual but not religious. I fear our combining our faith with our worldview has turned people away in some instances and strengthen some peoples’ hold on being the definers of Christianity in other cases. We are indeed seeing the results of a house divided cannot stand. (Matthew 25:12)

The example of the birth of the Christian faith described in the above scripture is one we need to take to heart. The informality of the awakening did eventually require some organization, but it might be a great example for us to follow today as we strive for the building of the Beloved Community Christ envisioned. Pentecost awaits. It is time we get our act together and become the Body of Christ in the world today.

The refrain of the song Day by Day follows a prayer ascribed to the 13th-century English bishop Saint Richard of Chichester:

May I know Thee more clearly,
Love Thee more dearly,
Follow Thee more nearly.**

Prayer: Lord, strengthen us in serving your vision more nearly.  Amen.

*See at https://www.pewresearch.org/religion/2019/10/17/in-u-s-decline-of-christianity-continues-at-rapid-pace/

**Philip H. Pfatteicher (2008). New Book of Festivals and Commemorations: A Proposed Common Calendar of Saints. Fortress Press. p. 159. ISBN 978-0-8006-2128-5.

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.

Eastertide

April 22, 2023

Scripture Reading: John 10:1-10

‘Very truly, I tell you, anyone who does not enter the sheepfold by the gate but climbs in by another way is a thief and a bandit. The one who enters by the gate is the shepherd of the sheep. The gatekeeper opens the gate for him, and the sheep hear his voice. He calls his own sheep by name and leads them out. When he has brought out all his own, he goes ahead of them, and the sheep follow him because they know his voice. They will not follow a stranger, but they will run from him because they do not know the voice of strangers.’ Jesus used this figure of speech with them, but they did not understand what he was saying to them.

So again Jesus said to them, ‘Very truly, I tell you, I am the gate for the sheep. All who came before me are thieves and bandits; but the sheep did not listen to them. I am the gate. Whoever enters by me will be saved, and will come in and go out and find pasture. The thief comes only to steal and kill and destroy. I came that they may have life, and have it abundantly.

This scripture is somewhat confusing. Is Jesus the shepherd or the gate or both? Animals do know their leader by voice, but humans are more complex than animals. The gift of free will makes us responsible for where we obtain our guidance. God understands us completely if we choose to commit ourselves to commune with God. I love Romans 8:26-27: Likewise the Spirit helps us in our weakness; for we do not know how to pray as we ought, but that very Spirit intercedes with sighs too deep for words. And God, who searches the heart, knows what is the mind of the Spirit, because the Spirit intercedes for the saints according to the will of God.

Communication problems with God occur when we are drawn away from God by the world’s messages specifically designed to distract us from God’s leadership. Oklahoma was struck by multiple tornados and a hailstorm of huge hailstones, damaging many homes.  A warning on TV started immediately after the storm telling people not to be taken in by people knocking on their doors offering them too-good-to-be-true deals to fix their homes. They will take your money and run.

In the scripture above, Jesus warns of the folly of falling into such traps regarding temptations that pull us away from following God. Jesus set the example when we are told by scripture the many times he withdrew to pray. We would do well to follow his example.

Prayer: Lord, protect us from the distractions of the world that lead us away from you. 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.

Eastertide

April 21, 2023

Scripture Reading: 1 Peter 1:17-23
If you invoke as Father the one who judges all people impartially according to their deeds, live in reverent fear during the time of your exile. You know that you were ransomed from the futile ways inherited from your ancestors, not with perishable things like silver or gold, but with the precious blood of Christ, like that of a lamb without defect or blemish. He was destined before the foundation of the world, but was revealed at the end of the ages for your sake. Through him you have come to trust in God, who raised him from the dead and gave him glory, so that your faith and hope are set on God.

Now that you have purified your souls by your obedience to the truth so that you have genuine mutual love, love one another deeply from the heart. You have been born anew, not of perishable but of imperishable seed, through the living and enduring word of God.

I am a member of the Poor People’s Campaign, A National Call for Moral Revival, working to build the Third Reconstruction.

Drawing on the transformational history of the First Reconstruction following the Civil War and the Second Reconstruction of the civil rights struggles of the 20th century, the Third Reconstruction is a revival of our constitutional commitment to establish justice, provide for the general welfare, end decades of austerity, and recognize that policies that center the 140 million poor and low-income people in the country are also good economic policies that can heal and transform the nation*.

The scripture above describes a similar call when it says we have been born anew, given a second chance to correct the moral failures of our lives. We humans tend to reshape that word moral , which simply means what is right or good to definitions that support our worldview, what is right for people like me not all of God’s people.

The Papal Bull “Inter Caetera,” issued by Pope Alexander VI on May 4, 1493, is an excellent example of that. The Bull stated that any land not inhabited by Christians was available to be “discovered,” claimed, and exploited by Christian rulers and declared that “the Catholic faith and the Christian religion be exalted and be everywhere increased and spread, that the health of souls be cared for and that barbarous nations be overthrown and brought to the faith itself**. On March 30, 2023, the Vatican responded to Indigenous demands and formally repudiated the “Doctrine of Discovery,” the theories backed by 15th-century “papal bulls” that legitimized the colonial-era seizure of Native lands and form the basis of some property laws today.

The scars from our human tendency to define morality to our benefit continue in many ways today. I fear evil temptations often define what we consider to be moral. It is only through our deepest desire guided by the Holy Spirit to follow what God describes as right will we ever be able to unchain ourselves from worldviews of greed that eventually always destroy us.

Prayer: Lord, guide us in living your righteousness and your goodness adapting them to be our own in all we do. Amen.

*See at https://www.poorpeoplescampaign.org/join-us-as-we-build-the-third-reconstruction/

** See at https://www.gilderlehrman.org/sites/default/files/inline-pdfs/04093_FPS.pdf

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.

Eastertide

April 20, 2023

Scripture Reading:

1 Peter 1:17-23
If you invoke as Father the one who judges all people impartially according to their deeds, live in reverent fear during the time of your exile. You know that you were ransomed from the futile ways inherited from your ancestors, not with perishable things like silver or gold, but with the precious blood of Christ, like that of a lamb without defect or blemish. He was destined before the foundation of the world, but was revealed at the end of the ages for your sake. Through him you have come to trust in God, who raised him from the dead and gave him glory, so that your faith and hope are set on God.

Now that you have purified your souls by your obedience to the truth so that you have genuine mutual love, love one another deeply from the heart. You have been born anew, not of perishable but of imperishable seed, through the living and enduring word of God.

The news is flooded at this writing with stories of questionable judgments. A man who has spent 19 years for a murder he did not commit, was freed by one court but the appeals court sent him back for what reason I could not understand except that someone did not cross all the t’s or dot all the I’s, hardly impartial judgment. Dominion Voting System sued Fox News because of lies Fox News kept repeating about the 2020 election that could have destroyed Dominion, but more than that permanently had a negative impact on our election and the candidates running for office. Money was the decisive factor in that case, not impartiality.

We are called to live our lives not as our culture judges us or our wealth, but as God’s impartial love judges us. When we examine ourselves in our daily communion with God, we have the opportunity to make vital corrections that can help us maintain the higher ground Christ called us to embrace in search of the Beloved Community God envisions for all.

Prayer: Lord, help me to differentiate what is your judgment criteria from that of the world and help me align with your guidance and 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.

Eastertide

April 19, 2023

Scripture Reading:

Psalm 116:1-4, 12-19

I love the Lord, because he has heard
   my voice and my supplications.
Because he inclined his ear to me,
   therefore I will call on him as long as I live.
The snares of death encompassed me;
   the pangs of Sheol laid hold on me;
   I suffered distress and anguish.
Then I called on the name of the Lord:
   ‘O Lord, I pray, save my life!’

What shall I return to the Lord
   for all his bounty to me?
I will lift up the cup of salvation
   and call on the name of the Lord,
I will pay my vows to the Lord
   in the presence of all his people.
Precious in the sight of the Lord
   is the death of his faithful ones.
O Lord, I am your servant;
   I am your servant, the child of your serving-maid.
   You have loosed my bonds.
I will offer to you a thanksgiving sacrifice
   and call on the name of the Lord.
   will pay my vows to the Lord
   in the presence of all his people,
in the courts of the house of the Lord,
   in your midst, O Jerusalem.
Praise the Lord!

I appreciate the hymn Called as Partners in Christ’s Service*. It reminds us that our relationship with God is a two-way exchange. We are called to make the world a place ruled by love. We are called to follow God’s guidance in our own lives, but we are also expected to expand the ways of God in all aspects of life. The first segment of this Psalm thanks God for doing God’s part. The second part of the Psalm is the writer’s response to receiving the love of God.

Prayer: Thank you, Lord, for blessing us with your love. Open our hearts to ways we can further your love among all people. Amen.

*See at https://digitalsongsandhymns.com/songs/6113

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.

Eastertide

April 18, 2023

Scripture Reading: Acts 2:14a, 36-41
But Peter, standing with the eleven, raised his voice and addressed them: ‘Men of Judea and all who live in Jerusalem, let this be known to you, and listen to what I say.

Therefore let the entire house of Israel know with certainty that God has made him both Lord and Messiah, this Jesus whom you crucified.’

Now when they heard this, they were cut to the heart and said to Peter and to the other apostles, ‘Brothers, what should we do?’ Peter said to them, ‘Repent, and be baptized every one of you in the name of Jesus Christ so that your sins may be forgiven; and you will receive the gift of the Holy Spirit. For the promise is for you, for your children, and for all who are far away, everyone whom the Lord our God calls to him.’ And he testified with many other arguments and exhorted them, saying, ‘Save yourselves from this corrupt generation.’ So those who welcomed his message were baptized, and that day about three thousand persons were added.

I subscribe to a grammar and spell checker that is very helpful for one who was raised in the era of not teaching phonics and who has not been back in school to keep up primarily with the changes in the use of commas. I do not always agree with the recommendations, but they have been most helpful. It also checks the grammar in the scriptures I include daily, and I do not change them or any other direct quotes. I had to laugh, however, today because every line on the above scriptural quote has grammar corrections. Yesterday in Sunday School, I read a segment from the book of Acts, and one of the other participants asked what version I was reading from.  I said the NIV.  She was trying to follow along using the NRSV. It was markedly different, not in the meaning of the scripture but in how it was worded. I like to read from different translations because it makes me think about what I am reading. I also like to check out the meaning of words used in the Bible because Hebrew and Greek use words with multiple meanings that are sometimes hard to match in English.

We have been blessed with dedicated scholars who have diligently translated the words to help our understanding. That is all lost when we do not translate these same words into living them.

Prayer: Lord, guide us as we study the words passed down to us of your deeds and instruction, and open our minds to understanding them fully for our use in living your love in our world today. 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.

Eastertide

April 17, 2023

Scripture Reading: Acts 2:14a, 36-41
But Peter, standing with the eleven, raised his voice and addressed them: ‘Men of Judea and all who live in Jerusalem, let this be known to you, and listen to what I say.

Therefore let the entire house of Israel know with certainty that God has made him both Lord and Messiah, this Jesus whom you crucified.’

Now when they heard this, they were cut to the heart and said to Peter and to the other apostles, ‘Brothers, what should we do?’ Peter said to them, ‘Repent, and be baptized every one of you in the name of Jesus Christ so that your sins may be forgiven; and you will receive the gift of the Holy Spirit. For the promise is for you, for your children, and for all who are far away, everyone whom the Lord our God calls to him.’ And he testified with many other arguments and exhorted them, saying, ‘Save yourselves from this corrupt generation.’ So those who welcomed his message were baptized, and that day about three thousand persons were added.

I do not think I have ever thought much about how those folks who shouted for Jesus’s crucifixion felt if and when they realized who he was and what they had done to him. Of course, we are told what Judas did. Committing suicide was a drastic response making me wonder if Judas ever realized who Jesus was, how Jesus loved him anyway, and would have forgiven him. Perhaps Jesus did forgive him and others when he said from the cross, “Forgive them for they know not what they do.”  (Luke 23:34).

The Disciples, in general, could reach out to those same people who called for Jesus’s crucifixion because they, too, had their moments of weakness. Peter denied Jesus three times. Thomas demanded proof of the resurrection.

We are Jesus’s disciples in the world today, called to build the Beloved Community, which he envisioned for us in his sojourn while on earth. Much work must be done, and we must lean heavily on God in all of God’s connections to strengthen our work.

Prayer: Lord, enable us to lift our drooping hands and strengthen our weak knees* as we work to build that Beloved Community. 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.