Tag Archives: Oneness

All Together

In the Spirit

June 4, 2022

Scripture Reading:

John 14:8-17, (25-27)

Philip said to him, ‘Lord, show us the Father, and we will be satisfied.’ Jesus said to him, ‘Have I been with you all this time, Philip, and you still do not know me? Whoever has seen me has seen the Father. How can you say, “Show us the Father”? Do you not believe that I am in the Father and the Father is in me? The words that I say to you I do not speak on my own; but the Father who dwells in me does his works. Believe me that I am in the Father and the Father is in me; but if you do not, then believe me because of the works themselves. 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 will do whatever you ask in my name, so that the Father may be glorified in the Son. If in my name you ask me for anything, I will do it. –John 14:8-13

Are we doing the works that Jesus did? Indeed, Jesus came to us as God incarnate, but we were all made in the image of God and apparently gifted in some way to do some part of the works as Jesus did. Paul talks about this in 1 Corinthians 12:4-11:  

Now there are varieties of gifts, but the same Spirit; and there are varieties of services, but the same Lord; and there are varieties of activities, but it is the same God who activates all of them in everyone. To each is given the manifestation of the Spirit for the common good. To one is given through the Spirit the utterance of wisdom, and to another the utterance of knowledge according to the same Spirit, to another faith by the same Spirit, to another gifts of healing by the one Spirit, to another the working of miracles, to another prophecy, to another the discernment of spirits, to another various kinds of tongues, to another the interpretation of tongues. All these are activated by one and the same Spirit, who allots to each one individually just as the Spirit chooses.

We are not called to do everything, but we are called to do something. Jesus called us all together (1 Corinthians 27) to be the Body of Christ in the world today. Using each of our gifts to God’s service, together becomes more than the sum of our parts.

Prayer: Lord, help us to discover our gifts, and use them as our part of your Body. 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.

What is Truth

Eastertide

May 31, 2022

Scripture Reading: Genesis 11:1-9

Now the whole earth had one language and the same words. And as they migrated from the east, they came upon a plain in the land of Shinar and settled there. And they said to one another, ‘Come, let us make bricks, and burn them thoroughly.’ And they had brick for stone, and bitumen for mortar. Then they said, ‘Come, let us build ourselves a city, and a tower with its top in the heavens, and let us make a name for ourselves; otherwise we shall be scattered abroad upon the face of the whole earth.’ The Lord came down to see the city and the tower, which mortals had built. And the Lord said, ‘Look, they are one people, and they have all one language; and this is only the beginning of what they will do; nothing that they propose to do will now be impossible for them. Come, let us go down, and confuse their language there, so that they will not understand one another’s speech.’ So the Lord scattered them abroad from there over the face of all the earth, and they left off building the city. Therefore it was called Babel, because there the Lord confused the language of all the earth; and from there the Lord scattered them abroad over the face of all the earth.

I recall being taught as a child that the people involved in the above story did something wrong in the eyes of God by trying to build a tower all the way to heaven and God did not like that, so he split them up and gave them different languages. That meant to me, in my vernacular of the day, that they had gotten too big for their britches and God was putting them in their place. Later, I learned that chapter 10 indicates that the people from Babal were already encountering people from other places speaking different languages. I later learned that the Hebrew Bible includes stories about similar events told from differing perspectives. Specifically priestly authors, whose work scholars designate as “P” and “D”—for Deuteronomist. Thus, the difference between the interpretation of history between Genesis 10 and 11.

We face the same challenges today. We view all of life through the filters we inherited at our birth through our culture and the ones we add through life experiences and what we are taught. I have long valued the quote cited as Pilate’s question to Jesus in John 18:38, Pilate asked him, ‘What is truth?’ I interpret that comment to be made sarcastically meaning truth is what people make it. I hear viewpoints quoted by professed Christians that are foreign to me and I am sure those people think I am way off base in my understanding of following Christ. I am just as sure that Jesus meant it when he called us to be one. How do we do that? I think we start by finding the practices, beliefs, and ways of being on which we can agree and build the Kingdom Jesus called us to champion from that point forward.

Prayer: Lord, help us put the things that divide your followers away for a time and guide us in working together on the things we can find agreement in your example of love. Amen.

All scriptures are quoted from the New Revised Standard Version Bible: Anglicized Edition, copyright 1989, 1995, Division of Christian Education of the National Council of Churches of Christ in the United States of America. Used by permission. All rights are reserved.

Oneness through Christ

Eastertide

May 28, 2022

Scripture Reading:

John 17:20-26

‘I ask not only on behalf of these, but also on behalf of those who will believe in me through their word, that they may all be one. As you, Father, are in me and I am in you, may they also be in us, so that the world may believe that you have sent me. The glory that you have given me I have given them, so that they may be one, as we are one, I in them and you in me, that they may become completely one, so that the world may know that you have sent me and have loved them even as you have loved me. Father, I desire that those also, whom you have given me, may be with me where I am, to see my glory, which you have given me because you loved me before the foundation of the world.

‘Righteous Father, the world does not know you, but I know you; and these know that you have sent me. I made your name known to them, and I will make it known, so that the love with which you have loved me may be in them, and I in them.’

Jesus prayed it forward for all of us as he called on us to be one together spreading his love throughout the world. Are we failing him completely? Hate is strong throughout our land, often governed by greed. Faith leaders are more interested in sex, policing everyone but themselves, than they are in feeding the hungry, housing the homeless, or educating children in a safe environment. Is evil so strong we cannot break its bonds? We are the ones being broken by divide and conquer techniques that not only separate us from one another but also from God. I have never thought of Benjamin Franklin being a strongly religious man, but he may have picked up some wisdom from the above-quoted scripture. At least some form of it may have arisen from deep in his mind when he said, We must, indeed, all hang together or, most assuredly, we shall all hang separately.

Prayer: Lord, help us all find some common sense for our Common Good as we wrestle with the evils that confront our 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.

Community of Faith

Eastertide

May 18, 2022

Scripture Reading: Psalm 67

May God be gracious to us and bless us
   and make his face to shine upon us,
that your way may be known upon earth,
   your saving power among all nations.
Let the peoples praise you, O God;
   let all the peoples praise you.

Let the nations be glad and sing for joy,
   for you judge the peoples with equity
   and guide the nations upon earth.
Let the peoples praise you, O God;
   let all the peoples praise you.

The earth has yielded its increase;
   God, our God, has blessed us.
May God continue to bless us;
   let all the ends of the earth revere him.

 Judgment of our behavior threads through the entire Bible. In the above verse, the poet wrote for you judge the peoples with equity.  I do not know which of our theological ancestors in faith emphasized personal, individual judgment as our primary concern, but we seem to miss that we are also judged as a people.  How we work together for the good is of concern to God. In the US right now God’s greater concern may be that we do not work well together at all even as we claim to be acting in God’s will. Matthew 25:31-32 states, ‘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. Later in that same chapter, Jesus outlines the specific acts on which we as a people will be judged—feeding the hungry, clothing the naked, caring for the sick, welcoming the stranger, and restoring the prisoner.

How do we influence others? How do others influence us? It takes a lot of guts to go against societal norms. We in the US claim to have a government of the people, by the people, for the people, but we seem to cater to the desires of the wealthy more than the needs of those in poverty. How many of us sit silently uncomfortably in the presence of people expressing views contrary to anything we have ever believed. In times like these, we indeed need a Savior to make us whole and make us one.

Prayer: Lord, help us be a people who add value to each other in our service to 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.

Living our Love

Eastertide

May 15, 2022

Scripture Reading: John 13:31-35

When he had gone out, Jesus said, ‘Now the Son of Man has been glorified, and God has been glorified in him. If God has been glorified in him, God will also glorify him in himself and will glorify him at once. Little children, I am with you only a little longer. You will look for me; and as I said to the Jews so now I say to you, “Where I am going, you cannot come.” I give you a new commandment, that you love one another. Just as I have loved you, you also should love one another. By this everyone will know that you are my disciples, if you have love for one another.’

I fear people who identify as Christian in our world today are not always recognized for their love.  Whether we like it or not some link the people who openly identify as Christian with privilege, exclusion, bigotry, and nationalism. All are not welcome at their table even though they may identify that table as the Lord’s. Heartbreaking posts have appeared on social media reporting that people have been asked to leave a church because they do not support specific government officials or candidates.  Refusing to wear masks and otherwise follow common sense health protection, protects not only the individual but also is an act of loving one’s neighbor. Most of the outrage issues that frequent our media are designed to divide and conquer us so that we do not notice when we are being assaulted by greed and lust for power.  Most of those outrage issues have simple solutions which we choose to ignore.

We are no different than our ancestors in faith who tried to create God in the image they desired and learned the hard way that God meant it when he commanded us to love God and love our neighbors as we love ourselves. The Lord allowed God’s followers to suffer the consequences of missing God’s mark set for us.

Prayer: Lord, forgive us when we stubbornly ignore your commands regarding living your love to our own downfall. Lead us to 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.

Ethnocentricity

Eastertide

May 9, 2022

Scripture Reading: Acts 11:1-18

Now the apostles and the believers who were in Judea heard that the Gentiles had also accepted the word of God. So when Peter went up to Jerusalem, the circumcised believers criticized him, saying, ‘Why did you go to uncircumcised men and eat with them?’ Then Peter began to explain it to them, step by step, saying, ‘I was in the city of Joppa praying, and in a trance I saw a vision. There was something like a large sheet coming down from heaven, being lowered by its four corners; and it came close to me. As I looked at it closely I saw four-footed animals, beasts of prey, reptiles, and birds of the air. I also heard a voice saying to me, “Get up, Peter; kill and eat.” But I replied, “By no means, Lord; for nothing profane or unclean has ever entered my mouth.” But a second time the voice answered from heaven, “What God has made clean, you must not call profane.” This happened three times; then everything was pulled up again to heaven. –Acts 11:1-10

One of the words I learned in Sociology 103 was Ethnocentricity. According to Mirriam-Webster, it means:
One of the words I learned in Sociology 103 was Ethnocentricity. According to Mirriam-Webster, it means:
a: inclined to regard one’s own race or social group as the center of culture
<any profession … is somewhat ethnocentric regarding outsiders — L. W. Doob>
b: exhibiting an incapacity for viewing foreign cultures dispassionately
<the ethnocentric view that the rest of the world must become worthy of us by … imitating our way of life–G.E. Taylor>

How do we react when someone approaches us saying, “My group’s way is the only way and if you do not adopt it you will suffer extreme consequences.” Jesus’s example was to share meals with people, get to know them, love them, and when they experienced his love, they felt comfortable loving him back.

One of the greatest blessings of living in the US is the breadth and depth of learning from people with differing backgrounds—wonderful music, delicious food, differing life experiences, and amazingly similar ordeals.  Many came to our country due to starvation and famine, escaping war, some came against their will, others were just adventuresome, and some had been here for hundreds of years before these new people arrived. All were created in the image of God.

Prayer: Lord, lead us in understanding others and help us to see them as you see them. 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.

Privilege

Eastertide

May 8, 2022

Scripture Reading:

John 10:22-30

At that time the festival of the Dedication took place in Jerusalem. It was winter, and Jesus was walking in the temple, in the portico of Solomon. So the Jews gathered around him and said to him, ‘How long will you keep us in suspense? If you are the Messiah, tell us plainly.’ Jesus answered, ‘I have told you, and you do not believe. The works that I do in my Father’s name testify to me; but you do not believe, because you do not belong to my sheep. My sheep hear my voice. I know them, and they follow me. I give them eternal life, and they will never perish. No one will snatch them out of my hand. What my Father has given me is greater than all else, and no one can snatch it out of the Father’s hand. The Father and I are one.’

We are in a pandemic of people being told truth who chose not to believe it because it was not what they wanted to hear. As I read the above-quoted scripture, I wondered if that was the problem with the religious leaders in this story. The Jews had been waiting for the Messiah for years, but would the Messiah’s presence disturb their leadership, their power, their privilege?  

A new divide and conquer issue arises almost weekly in the US now with no one willing to look at the realities of the issues or seek common ground for the Common Good. The bathroom issue is currently catching fire in Oklahoma. While schools and other governmental entities are dealing with the war over the issue, I have noticed that many restaurants have taken down the signs designating gender allowing anyone to use whichever facility they choose. In Sweden, bathrooms were built for privacy and none were designated.

Bathrooms are not the issue. The problem we are dealing with is fearing the loss of our privilege like the leaders of the temple in Jesus’ day feared would happen if Jesus really was the Messiah. They killed him because of it. The sad thing is, that Jesus’ coming was a gift of abundant life for all. No one needs to be better than anyone else to be a person of worth to God. God created all of us in God’s image and loves all of us.

Prayer: Lord, open our hearts to love all your children as you love all of us. 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.

Bread of Life

Eastertide

May 7, 2022

Scripture Reading: John 10:22-30

At that time the festival of the Dedication took place in Jerusalem. It was winter, and Jesus was walking in the temple, in the portico of Solomon. So the Jews gathered around him and said to him, ‘How long will you keep us in suspense? If you are the Messiah, tell us plainly.’ Jesus answered, ‘I have told you, and you do not believe. The works that I do in my Father’s name testify to me; but you do not believe, because you do not belong to my sheep. My sheep hear my voice. I know them, and they follow me. I give them eternal life, and they will never perish. No one will snatch them out of my hand. What my Father has given me is greater than all else, and no one can snatch it out of the Father’s hand. The Father and I are one.’

During our spring session, my Bible study group studied the Apocrypha*, which we discovered most of us had barely even read. Though it was not canonized in the Hebrew Bible, it fills a gap of understanding between the exile and the coming of Jesus, who had read at least some of the Apocrypha even quoting it.

The Feast of Dedication mentioned in the scripture above is another name for Hanukkah, an eight-day Jewish festival that commemorates the rededication of the Jewish Temple in Jerusalem in the 2nd-century BCE. It is a happy celebration of God’s care for God’s people when their situation seemed hopeless. I thought of that today as I watched a few people being rescued from the Mariupol steel plant in Ukraine. Still, others remain.

I also heard on the news that the cost of bread around the world will go up because Ukraine and Russia are primary providers of the grains needed to make bread. Neither country can to the degree necessary farm and fight a war simultaneously.

I do not think Jesus was just talking about the Jews present when he answered the question of whether he was the Messiah, and he said he had already told them.  I think he is talking to all of us today telling us that we need to get our act together and become one, not just in our houses of worship but all people worldwide are called to be One, assuring that no one’s bread bin is ever empty.

Prayer: Lord, forgive us for not recognizing that your abundance is for everyone. Amen.

*We used the book The Apocrypha by David A. deSilva

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.

Those Who Serve Others

Eastertide

May 3, 2022

Scripture Reading: Acts 9:36-43

Now in Joppa there was a disciple whose name was Tabitha, which in Greek is Dorcas. She was devoted to good works and acts of charity. At that time she became ill and died. When they had washed her, they laid her in a room upstairs. Since Lydda was near Joppa, the disciples, who heard that Peter was there, sent two men to him with the request, ‘Please come to us without delay.’ So Peter got up and went with them; and when he arrived, they took him to the room upstairs. All the widows stood beside him, weeping and showing tunics and other clothing that Dorcas had made while she was with them. Peter put all of them outside, and then he knelt down and prayed. He turned to the body and said, ‘Tabitha, get up.’ Then she opened her eyes, and seeing Peter, she sat up. He gave her his hand and helped her up. Then calling the saints and widows, he showed her to be alive. This became known throughout Joppa, and many believed in the Lord. Meanwhile he stayed in Joppa for some time with a certain Simon, a tanner.

One of the beautiful things about Christ-followers is we never work alone. Of course, we are blest with the constant presence of the Holy Spirit, but when needed someone like Simon, the tanner is there to support the work of the Lord. Indeed, Tabitha was also just that sort of person. We are all uniquely blest with special talents and each of our contributions is necessary and important.

I have been exceedingly busy for a few weeks dealing with planned work and unplanned interruptions. I got a new printer a few weeks ago but have not had time to set it up. My old printer can still produce copies of single sheets of regular paper but that is about it. When I tried to hook up the new printer, I got a message that it did not come with a print head. That made no sense to me, but I did not have time to mess with it. I had to get 200 copies of a very important flyer printed by the next morning. I took a deep breath, calmed down, and drove to the nearby Office Depot where a wonderful young woman was my Tabitha for the day. She completed the print job in 15 minutes. I came home, got a good night’s sleep, and handed out my flyers with joy the next day.

Prayer: Lord, thank you for all the Tabithas and Simons who serve very important roles as we work as one in Christ toward the fruition of the Kingdom of God 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.

Diversity and Inclusion

Eastertide

April 26, 2022

Scripture Reading:

Acts 9:1-6, (7-20)

Now there was a disciple in Damascus named Ananias. The Lord said to him in a vision, ‘Ananias.’ He answered, ‘Here I am, Lord.’ The Lord said to him, ‘Get up and go to the street called Straight, and at the house of Judas look for a man of Tarsus named Saul. At this moment he is praying, and he has seen in a vision a man named Ananias come in and lay his hands on him so that he might regain his sight.’ But Ananias answered, ‘Lord, I have heard from many about this man, how much evil he has done to your saints in Jerusalem; and here he has authority from the chief priests to bind all who invoke your name.’ But the Lord said to him, ‘Go, for he is an instrument whom I have chosen to bring my name before Gentiles and kings and before the people of Israel; I myself will show him how much he must suffer for the sake of my name.’ So Ananias went and entered the house. He laid his hands on Saul and said, ‘Brother Saul, the Lord Jesus, who appeared to you on your way here, has sent me so that you may regain your sight and be filled with the Holy Spirit.’ And immediately something like scales fell from his eyes, and his sight was restored. Then he got up and was baptized, and after taking some food, he regained his strength.

For several days he was with the disciples in Damascus, and immediately he began to proclaim Jesus in the synagogues, saying, ‘He is the Son of God.’ –Acts 9:10-20

I am currently reading N. T. Wright’s Paul: A Biography where Wright picks out what the Bible tells us about Paul, reads a bit between the lines of Paul’s letters, and tosses in some history of the times Paul wrote. It is very good. Paul started out life as, Saul of Tarsus who already had a reputation of being tough on Christians, who at that time were considered part of the Jewish religion. Saul, indeed, had the blessings of the official Jewish faith leaders of the time to correct the erring ways of this group. One cannot blame Ananias for being hesitant to help Saul. Yet, the Lord assured Ananias it was necessary and so it was.

As I read the above scripture and considered Paul’s biography, I realized how much we share some of the same challenges Paul dealt with in introducing Jesus Christ to the gentiles. I am reminded of the varied systems of belief among those who Identify as Christians today. Indeed, we have had 2000 years on which to build our faith, but we remain miles apart when turning our faith into action. Two thoughts come to mind. First diversity and inclusion are necessary, not contradictory. Second, evil is still striving to break the strength of being one in God by using the divide and conquer method aimed at breaking the bonds of love celebrated in diversity and inclusion.

Prayer: Lord, strengthen our whole beings to stand against divide and conquer strategies used to separate us from 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.