Eastertide

April 15, 2023

Scripture Reading: John 20:19-31

When it was evening on that day, the first day of the week, and the doors of the house where the disciples had met were locked for fear of the Jews, Jesus came and stood among them and said, ‘Peace be with you.’ After he said this, he showed them his hands and his side. Then the disciples rejoiced when they saw the Lord. Jesus said to them again, ‘Peace be with you. As the Father has sent me, so I send you.’ When he had said this, he breathed on them and said to them, ‘Receive the Holy Spirit. If you forgive the sins of any, they are forgiven them; if you retain the sins of any, they are retained.’ –John 20:10-23

If someone has wronged me, as a Christ-follower, I have a responsibility to forgive the action and to deal with the residual feelings and attitudes that I must clear from my own slate, so I not only forgive but let it go. I also fully grasp that Jesus charged us to continue his work in developing the Kingdom of God on this earth with the guidance of the Holy Spirit. A large part of Jesus’s work was forgiving others. John 9:39: Jesus said, ‘I came into this world for judgment so that those who do not see may see, and those who do see may become blind.’

The above scripture, however, makes me uncomfortable. Somewhere along the way, I learned that only God could ultimately forgive sin. I think that stems from my understanding that God assigned Jesus Christ the role of judge. Forgiveness is the follow-up to judgment, and I do not feel qualified to judge anyone or, as the scriptures describe it, to know the heart of another. It also makes me uncomfortable because I see many people, leaders even, judging other people’s lives and creating laws to control their lives to meet their interpretation of what is right and what is just. Often such judgments seem to be drawn from cultural norms rather than the commandment of God to love one another and to love our neighbor as we love ourselves.

Reading the scripture more intensely, we are not necessarily called to judge others; we are to open our own and others’ eyes so that all can see their shortcomings and self-correct, receiving forgiveness from the Holy Spirit. Walking the second mile* with others is a greater challenge than creating our own system of justice, which we can apply and rather self-righteously check off as one more task to raise our brownie points with God.  I do not think that is what God is calling us to do.

Prayer: Lord, forgive us when we develop our own definitions of what is right and just. Give us the courage to open our own eyes to your righteousness and work together to build a better world ruled by love.  Amen.

*See Matthew 5:41

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.

Eastertide

April 13, 2023

Scripture Reading: 1 Peter 1:3-9
Blessed be the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ! By his great mercy he has given us a new birth into a living hope through the resurrection of Jesus Christ from the dead, and into an inheritance that is imperishable, undefiled, and unfading, kept in heaven for you, who are being protected by the power of God through faith for a salvation ready to be revealed in the last time. In this you rejoice, even if now for a little while you have had to suffer various trials, so that the genuineness of your faith—being more precious than gold that, though perishable, is tested by fire—may be found to result in praise and glory and honor when Jesus Christ is revealed. Although you have not seen him, you love him; and even though you do not see him now, you believe in him and rejoice with an indescribable and glorious joy, for you are receiving the outcome of your faith, the salvation of your souls.

A new birth into a living hope sounds good. It is ours for the taking. So why do we not take it? Why am I waking up each morning to learn where the most recent mass shooting occurred and how many were killed or injured? Why are 14.46% of Oklahoma people living in poverty, the fourth highest rate for a state in the USA?  Why is Oklahoma ranked among the states with the highest rates of incarceration? Why are we focusing on limiting the rights of individuals in what medicine they can take or even what books they can read rather than feeding the hungry, clothing the naked, caring for the sick, welcoming strangers, and restoring those wasting away in prison? The truth is that if we address with all our hearts and souls the issues Jesus commanded, these other issues with melt away.

Prayer: Lord, forgive us for looking for answers to problems in our society in all the wrong places. Instill in us the courage to grasp and live into your way of being ruled by 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 11, 2023

Scripture Reading: Acts 2:14a, 22-32

‘Fellow Israelites, I may say to you confidently of our ancestor David that he both died and was buried, and his tomb is with us to this day. Since he was a prophet, he knew that God had sworn with an oath to him that he would put one of his descendants on his throne. Foreseeing this, David spoke of the resurrection of the Messiah, saying,
“He was not abandoned to Hades,
   nor did his flesh experience corruption.”
This Jesus God raised up, and of that all of us are witnesses. –Acts 2:29-32

We live in a scary world. When I wrote my book Houses Divided ten years ago, the divisiveness in our society was bad, and it has only worsened. While we almost worship our piety, we seem to have lost touch with our faith. King David died in 970 BCE, filled with the faith that his descendant, Messiah, would bring salvation to the world.  A thousand years later, David’s descendant, Jesus, came to dwell among us filled with wisdom and the favor of God (Luke 2:40). Jesus modeled and taught the way of being necessary to fulfill God’s vision for the world. It cost him his life. That, however, was not the end of the story. God resurrected Jesus Christ, Messiah, to fulfill his promise to David and to us today that faith and hope are fostered by love. There is no reason for division, violence, or bigotry when we all recognize that we are uniquely and cooperatively members of a beloved community fueled by love, freeing us from the evil that divides us.

Recently, there was a serious live shooter scare on the University of Oklahoma campus. Such actions have been multiplying, and the response by police and others was immediate and vast. I saw in the newspaper yesterday that the report of the shooter’s presence came from a phone number from a foreign country. Evil does not give up easily; we must not either. Fortified by God, we can withstand anything that works to divide and conquer as we strive to build that Beloved Community.

Prayer: Lord, forgive us when we allow evil to disrupt our faith. Protect us from being caught in the net of evil as we see evil’s presence seeking to destroy us. At times when we are tempted to fight evil with evil, guide us to rely on your 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.

Easter

April 9, 2023

Scripture Reading: Luke 24:13-49

Now on that same day two of them were going to a village called Emmaus, about seven miles from Jerusalem, and talking with each other about all these things that had happened. While they were talking and discussing, Jesus himself came near and went with them, but their eyes were kept from recognizing him. And he said to them, ‘What are you discussing with each other while you walk along?’ They stood still, looking sad. Then one of them, whose name was Cleopas, answered him, ‘Are you the only stranger in Jerusalem who does not know the things that have taken place there in these days?’ He asked them, ‘What things?’ They replied, ‘The things about Jesus of Nazareth, who was a prophet mighty in deed and word before God and all the people, and how our chief priests and leaders handed him over to be condemned to death and crucified him. But we had hoped that he was the one to redeem Israel. Yes, and besides all this, it is now the third day since these things took place. Moreover, some women of our group astounded us. They were at the tomb early this morning, and when they did not find his body there, they came back and told us that they had indeed seen a vision of angels who said that he was alive. Some of those who were with us went to the tomb and found it just as the women had said; but they did not see him.’ Then he said to them, ‘Oh, how foolish you are, and how slow of heart to believe all that the prophets have declared! Was it not necessary that the Messiah should suffer these things and then enter into his glory?’ Then beginning with Moses and all the prophets, he interpreted to them the things about himself in all the scriptures.

As they came near the village to which they were going, he walked ahead as if he were going on. But they urged him strongly, saying, ‘Stay with us, because it is almost evening and the day is now nearly over.’ So he went in to stay with them. When he was at the table with them, he took bread, blessed and broke it, and gave it to them. Then their eyes were opened, and they recognized him; and he vanished from their sight. They said to each other, ‘Were not our hearts burning within us while he was talking to us on the road, while he was opening the scriptures to us?’ That same hour they got up and returned to Jerusalem; and they found the eleven and their companions gathered together. They were saying, ‘The Lord has risen indeed, and he has appeared to Simon!’ Then they told what had happened on the road, and how he had been made known to them in the breaking of the bread. –Luke 24:13-35

And so it begins. The Resurrection initiated the next steps in developing the Kingdom of God on earth, building the Beloved Community. Are you ready? Let’s go.

Prayer: Lord, our world seems to be short on love and full of fear, violence, and greed. Make us whole, make us one, make us just. 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.

Maundy Thursday

April 6, 2023

Scripture Reading: Hebrews 9:11-15
But when Christ came as a high priest of the good things that have come, then through the greater and perfect tent (not made with hands, that is, not of this creation), he entered once for all into the Holy Place, not with the blood of goats and calves, but with his own blood, thus obtaining eternal redemption. For if the blood of goats and bulls, with the sprinkling of the ashes of a heifer, sanctifies those who have been defiled so that their flesh is purified, how much more will the blood of Christ, who through the eternal Spirit offered himself without blemish to God, purify our conscience from dead works to worship the living God!

For this reason he is the mediator of a new covenant, so that those who are called may receive the promised eternal inheritance, because a death has occurred that redeems them from the transgressions under the first covenant.

I just saw a news report focusing on the three policemen who were first on-site at the recent school shooting in Nashville, Tennessee. Three children and three adults were killed. These three policemen most likely saved many lives in that school, even as they had to kill the woman doing the shooting. In answer to a question, one of them said something to the effect that, as a policeman, he had to put his own life at risk and his family. The Book of Hebrews stresses that Christ gave his life for us and that the nature of that act calls us to further his work in building our world into the Kingdom of God, ruled by love.

I heard on the news this morning that school had been canceled today in one town in Oklahoma as authorities are investigating a shooting threat against the school. Copycat reactions to violence are becoming routine. Doing justice, protecting others, and developing a restorative justice system are each of our responsibilities. We cannot solve the whole problem as individuals and groups, but we can do something. We must find our niche and fulfill our calling.

Prayer: Lord, guide us to find what we can do toward creating the Beloved Community. 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.

Wednesday of Holy Week

April 5, 2023

Scripture Reading: Psalm 36:5-11
Your steadfast love, O Lord, extends to the heavens,
   your faithfulness to the clouds.
Your righteousness is like the mighty mountains,
   your judgments are like the great deep;
   you save humans and animals alike, O Lord.

How precious is your steadfast love, O God!
   All people may take refuge in the shadow of your wings.
They feast on the abundance of your house,
   and you give them drink from the river of your delights.
For with you is the fountain of life;
   in your light we see light.

O continue your steadfast love to those who know you,
   and your salvation to the upright of heart!
Do not let the foot of the arrogant tread on me,
   or the hand of the wicked drive me away.

The steadfast love of God is my mainstay, and perseverance does pay.  I tire of all the disinformation that surrounds us today. The hand of the wicked is truly trying to drive us from our mission of building the beloved community. The dark ads during the recent political campaigns were sickening, and the rhetoric that has followed in the political sphere is just as bad. The last line of this Psalm today hit home. It is hard to discern when walking away is the best way. How long do we, preserver?

Perhaps we need to rethink and reshape our perseverance. We need to give heed to Isaiah 43:18-19

Do not remember the former things,
   or consider the things of old.
I am about to do a new thing;
   now it springs forth, do you not perceive it?
I will make a way in the wilderness
   and rivers in the desert.

Perhaps our prayers need to ask for eyes to see and ears to hear what that new thing is. Surely if Isaiah says it, the focus is on the One whom he saw was coming that we recognize as Jesus Christ. His prime directive was to Love God and to love our neighbors as we love ourselves. Perhaps we need to focus for a time on whether we do love ourselves. In God’s opinion, what does it mean to love oneself? Surely it partially means fulfilling the capacities with which we were created, becoming fully the persons God created us to be. My guess is that all of us have experienced something in life that has caused us to back away from such a fullness of being. I loved to sing as a child.  While rehearsing a song for a school program, all the girls in the class were practicing. My teacher stopped us and said, “Marilynn, don’t sing; just mouth the words.” My public singing ended right then. As an adult, the choir director at my church invited me to join the choir. I said I could not sing, and he said yes, you can try it. I did and enjoyed it.  When I told him that story. He told me that I probably had a more mature voice than the other girls at that age, and I was drowning them out. I wonder what would have happened if my teacher had said Marilynn see if you can sing as softly as the other or sing softly enough that you can hear the person standing next to you. There is a lesson here in learning to love oneself and avoiding behaviors that kill people’s souls, perhaps because we do not have enough faith in ourselves, or love of self to care about others.

Prayer: Lord, we open our hearts to doing a new thing in you and ask that you heal any damages in our beings that keep us from loving others as we love ourselves. 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.