Tag Archives: Oneness

Living Love

Advent

December 15, 2021

Scripture Reading: Luke 1:39-45

In those days Mary set out and went with haste to a Judean town in the hill country, where she entered the house of Zechariah and greeted Elizabeth. When Elizabeth heard Mary’s greeting, the child leapt in her womb. And Elizabeth was filled with the Holy Spirit and exclaimed with a loud cry, ‘Blessed are you among women, and blessed is the fruit of your womb. And why has this happened to me, that the mother of my Lord comes to me? For as soon as I heard the sound of your greeting, the child in my womb leapt for joy. And blessed is she who believed that there would be a fulfilment of what was spoken to her by the Lord.’

Isn’t it wonderful to have someone we can go to whenever we need comfort or help or just some time to think? Elizabeth was such a person for Mary. She had to travel a long way to get from Nazareth in Galilee to a Judean town in the hill country. I wonder if she went by herself, did her family know she was going? Did Joseph? If we read between the lines, I think we find a lot more to Mary, mother, meek, and mild than we give her credit. I guess Charles Wesley saw the same grit in Mary’s son as Charles Wesley wrote the hymn Gentle Jesus, meek and mild, Look upon a little child**.

We, too, as Disciples of Christ, are called to be there for others when they need us and make difficult decisions in times like these. I am thankful that the gospels’ authors shared the disputes among the twelve disciples when Jesus was in their midst. So many of us today, during the holiday season, are skirting around family members and friends who interpret their faith differently than we do. In times like these, we need to seek common ground for the common good. It will make for a better Christmas dinner.

Prayer: Lord, help us let go of the things that divide and take hold of the things that will bring love into every room. Amen.

 *See the song at https://www.hymnsandcarolsofchristmas.com/Hymns_and_Carols/mary_mother_meek_and_mild.htm

**See at https://hymnary.org/text/gentle_jesus_meek_and_mild_look_upon

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.

Together as One

Advent

December 7, 2021

Scripture Reading: Malachi 3:1-4

See, I am sending my messenger to prepare the way before me, and the Lord whom you seek will suddenly come to his temple. The messenger of the covenant in whom you delight—indeed, he is coming, says the Lord of hosts. But who can endure the day of his coming, and who can stand when he appears?

For he is like a refiner’s fire and like fullers’ soap; he will sit as a refiner and purifier of silver, and he will purify the descendants of Levi and refine them like gold and silver, until they present offerings to the Lord in righteousness. Then the offering of Judah and Jerusalem will be pleasing to the Lord as in the days of old and as in former years.

I never noticed before that Malachi indicates that the Lord’s messenger is being sent to make ready the clergy, in this instance the descendants of Levi, for their role in preparing for the arrival of the Lord. Being clergy in a divide-and-conquer world is as challenging now as when the Sadducees and the Pharisees tangled with the ruling Roman government. Then, all involved were more concerned about their power and prestige than with the needs of their congregants or constituents. Sound familiar?

Recently, the “Fear Not” Scripture related to Gabriel’s meeting with Mary was considered in Sunday School, and participants were invited to share their fears. One woman stated that she feared that our government was on the precipice of failure. I, too, have felt that fear. The sad part is we are so divided that people on both sides feel that fear.

Good clergy walk a tightrope trying to lead their parishioners to a common ground by reaching for the higher ground of Jesus’s teachings on how we are to live and love. All followers of Christ need to support good examples and instructions and work together to find the actions on which all can come together. Paul brought people together, for one thing, by collecting donations for others who were suffering in a drought*. That is where Jesus also started, caring for the poor. Their working together led to the Jerusalem Council that opened the doors to gentiles being welcomed without first becoming Jews..

Prayer: Lord, bring us together one act of love at a time. Amen.

*See Acts 15 and Galatians 2

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.

A New Thing

Advent

December 5, 2021

Scripture Reading: Luke 3:1-6

In the fifteenth year of the reign of Emperor Tiberius, when Pontius Pilate was governor of Judea, and Herod was ruler of Galilee, and his brother Philip ruler of the region of Ituraea and Trachonitis, and Lysanias ruler of Abilene, during the high-priesthood of Annas and Caiaphas, the word of God came to John son of Zechariah in the wilderness. He went into all the region around the Jordan, proclaiming a baptism of repentance for the forgiveness of sins, as it is written in the book of the words of the prophet Isaiah,
‘The voice of one crying out in the wilderness:
“Prepare the way of the Lord,
   make his paths straight.
Every valley shall be filled,
   and every mountain and hill shall be made low,
and the crooked shall be made straight,
   and the rough ways made smooth;
and all flesh shall see the salvation of God.”

Wilderness: érēmos – properly, an uncultivated, unpopulated place; a desolate (deserted) area; (figuratively) a barren, solitary place that also provides needed quiet (freedom from disturbance).

In Scripture, a “desert” (2048 /érēmos) is ironically also where God richly grants His presence and provision for those seeking Him. The limitless Lord shows Himself strong in the “limiting” (difficult) scenes of life*.

My parents retired from the farm and moved to a bungalow in a nearby town with a nice small backyard. Except when he served in the army, my Dad had never lived in town. Furthermore, his parent’s farms and our farm were located on the Great Plains, flat land with a few rolling hills and native trees near streams.  My Dad suffered from location claustrophobia if that is possible. So he began to search for a place with more space, and he found it. In February, I did not consider what I might find when I followed the directions to the new location and gasped in shock when I turned into the driveway and saw an in-town wilderness. The home had been vacant for some time. It set at the edge of town a dirt row separated it from a creek that flowed behind. The place was two acres of overgrown brush and weeds. The house still had the furniture and other belongings of the previous owner, and its most recent occupants were varments. I thanked God they were still living in the bungalow and prayed that they would realize the calamity of this decision. My Mom was an avid gardener, and my Dad had worked as a carpenter before serving in the army and then buying the farm.

I did not see this wilderness again until the end of March. I turned into a curving, well-graveled driveway lined on one side by rows of daffodils and irises. Their bulbs had been there all along. Mom just gently discovered them and nurtured them.  Rose bushes surrounded the garage door. Cuttings from the boxwood bushes that originated in Tennessee before the Civil War were taken to Arkansas, and then to Oklahoma were planted on either side of the front steps. The lawn was mowed neatly; the back yard was now a well-laid planned vegetable garden. There were also two paper shell pecan trees and one native pecan. The house was repaired where necessary and spotlessly clean.

Our world feels like a wilderness now For hate is strong and mocks the song Of peace on Earth, good will to men**. But God is with us and will guide us to do a new thing in us*** if we are willing to invest our lives in the work of loving and nurturing one another.

Prayer:
Lord, renew us again as we await the coming of the Christ child and the fulfillment of this promise
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***. Amen.

*https://biblehub.com/greek/2048.htm
**From sixth verse of Christmas Bells by Henry Wadsworth Longfellow,  See at https://poets.org/poem/christmas-bells
***See Isaiah 43:19

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

Taking Joy in the Service of Others

Advent

November 25, 2021

Scripture Reading:
1 Thessalonians 3:9-13

How can we thank God enough for you in return for all the joy that we feel before our God because of you? Night and day we pray most earnestly that we may see you face to face and restore whatever is lacking in your faith.

Now may our God and Father himself and our Lord Jesus direct our way to you. And may the Lord make you increase and abound in love for one another and for all, just as we abound in love for you. And may he so strengthen your hearts in holiness that you may be blameless before our God and Father at the coming of our Lord Jesus with all his saints.

When Richard Rodgers and Oscar Hammerstein II, writers of the musical Oklahoma, wrote the line Oklahoma, where the wind comes sweepin’ down the plain, they clearly had direct knowledge of the weather in Oklahoma. I just returned from a graveside service in a cemetery on that plain where it was 60 degrees, and the winds were blowing 23 miles an hour with much higher gusts. The person whose life was being celebrated was a member of my church. Two women and one man I expected to see were there. They are always there when needed, quietly serving, hugging the family, sharing favorite memories, loving like Jesus. One shared with the daughter of the deceased that she received the call about her mother’s death just after the woman had finished baking the mother’s favorite bread; with no sugar, she could not have sugar. I walked to my car with the other woman I knew would be there, who said since she was out this way, she thought she would visit another lady from the church who lived in a nearby assisted living facility. That lady had just lost her brother. The behavior of these women is as much a part of their being as breath itself.

Indeed, how can we thank God enough for people like that in return for all the joy that we feel before our God because of them?

Prayer: Lord, we thank you for wonderful role models that model their lives after yours. 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.

Maturing in Love

Living in the Spirit

November 11, 2021

Scripture Reading:
Hebrews 10:11-14, (15-18), 19-25

And every priest stands day after day at his service, offering again and again the same sacrifices that can never take away sins. But when Christ had offered for all time a single sacrifice for sins, ‘he sat down at the right hand of God’, and since then has been waiting ‘until his enemies would be made a footstool for his feet.’ For by a single offering he has perfected for all time those who are sanctified. And the Holy
Spirit also testifies to us, for after saying,
‘This is the covenant that I will make with them
   after those days, says the Lord:
I will put my laws in their hearts,
   and I will write them on their minds’,
he also adds,
‘I will remember their sins and their lawless deeds no more.’
Where there is forgiveness of these, there is no longer any offering for sin.—Hebrews 10:11-14

Love is not something anyone can command. Love of self, love of family, love of God must be a choice. The words “free will” are not included in the above scripture, but they are present between the lines. The greatest gift God gave us in creating us was the right to choose who and how we love. That gift was given from the One who is love and, in creating humans in that One’s image, freely chose to love each of us no matter what. God’s love and Christ were present at the creation and continued through the many acts of rescuing and reframing of God’s people described in the Hebrew Bible. God enabled those who chose to love him, Abraham, Moses, Ruth, Esther, and many prophets, to provide guidance and opportunities to live the better way of life ruled by love. God even wrote those laws on human hearts, making them readily accessible. Humans, however, proved to be malleable to the temptations of other gods, drawing away from the One who created them. God never gives up. God came to dwell among us in the person of Jesus, who taught us by his life and his words and ultimately gave his life for our salvation. However, God is God, and crucifixion was not the last word. Jesus, the Christ, arose and dwells with us still in the Holy Spirit. His act of love granted us the grace we needed to live in God’s house forever as we strive toward perfecting our ability to love.

At times our growing pains are palpable. We now, unfortunately, live in such a time as this. In many ways, we are acting like a two-year-old transitioning from infancy to childhood. Greed, lust for power, and self-righteousness have replaced justice and God’s righteousness, as we worship gods of our design. Continuing down this path has never worked before and will not work this time. Our world was created to function at its best when it is ruled by love, and we are suffering from not accepting that reality. The time is now to turn around and refocus our lives on God’s way of being, individually and collectively, until we are all one in God.

Prayer: Lord, forgive us for our foolish ways. We invite your Spirit into our lives to restore our souls individually and collectively as we strive to become one in 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.

Changing for the Better

Living in the Spirit

November 3, 2021

Scripture Reading:
Psalm 24

The earth is the Lord’s and all that is in it,
   the world, and those who live in it;
for he has founded it on the seas,
   and established it on the rivers.

Who shall ascend the hill of the Lord?
   And who shall stand in his holy place?
Those who have clean hands and pure hearts,
   who do not lift up their souls to what is false,
   and do not swear deceitfully.
They will receive blessing from the Lord,
   and vindication from the God of their salvation.
Such is the company of those who seek him,
   who seek the face of the God of Jacob. Psalm 24:1-6

The indigenous peoples of the Americas did not recognize individual land ownership. They believed that the earth was created for and shared by all peoples, much as the above scripture describes. This idea differed markedly from the European culture when they came to occupy the Americas. The Europeans not only practiced land ownership but used it as a definer of ones worth. This collision of culture laid the groundwork for much misunderstanding and wars. I am not acquainted enough with world history to know where the Europeans developed their land ownership philosophy. Basic laws regarding land were laid out following the Norman invasion of 1066.

As the world progresses, people make changes to accommodate new ways of living. Horse and buggies changed to cars. I read an interesting discussion about the observance of not working on the Sabbath regarding electric lights. Did flipping a switch constitute work? That was the question that arose with the introduction of electric lights. Our culture deals daily with new ways of living as we communion with many diverse cultures. Our challenge is determining how we insert these changes into our lives while discerning how they mesh with our faith. The Psalm above handles that self-examination by asking Who shall ascend the hill of the Lord?  And who shall stand in his holy place? The Psalmist is challenging us to act with intentionality in all we do to assure that we are in sync with the Lord we serve. We should never assume that our way is always the better way. And better ways should not be the source of greed and discrimination which are never in sync with God’s plan.

Prayer: Open our hearts to grow from the diversity of the world you created for all. 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.

Seeing

Living in the Spirit

October 24, 2021

Scripture Reading: Mark 10:46-52

They came to Jericho. As he and his disciples and a large crowd were leaving Jericho, Bartimaeus son of Timaeus, a blind beggar, was sitting by the roadside. When he heard that it was Jesus of Nazareth, he began to shout out and say, ‘Jesus, Son of David, have mercy on me!’ Many sternly ordered him to be quiet, but he cried out even more loudly, ‘Son of David, have mercy on me!’ Jesus stood still and said, ‘Call him here.’ And they called the blind man, saying to him, ‘Take heart; get up, he is calling you.’ So throwing off his cloak, he sprang up and came to Jesus. Then Jesus said to him, ‘What do you want me to do for you?’ The blind man said to him, ‘My teacher, let me see again.’ Jesus said to him, ‘Go; your faith has made you well.’ Immediately he regained his sight and followed him on the way.

We all have collected life filters we carry that shape how we intake information into our being. I inherited my love of listening to the news from my Dad morning, noon, evening, and night. A few years ago, Dad’s local station of preference played a tribute segment on the late-night news when their long-time noon news anchor died. Just hearing this voice from my childhood made me hungry. I listened to his voice every day just before lunch. That connection that filter was still resident somewhere deep in my mind. Filters are neither good nor bad. However, they can wear out their usefulness, and they may lose their truthfulness. In those instances, we need to identify those that stagnate our faith, clear them out, and refresh our hearts and minds with filters drawn from our faith.

Our scripture today talks about the life filter of being physically blind. Still, I also think it speaks to the reality that we do not see the attitudes and practices harming our ability to love God and love our neighbors as we love ourselves. We are easily distracted by issues that divide us and fail to find ways to work toward the oneness Christ calls us to be. We must let the Spirit guide us out of cultural blindness and reclaim the loving ways set for us by God when he sent his Son, Jesus.

Prayer:

 Open my eyes that I may see
glimpses of truth thou hast for me.
Place in my hands the wonderful key
that shall unclasp and set me free.
Silently now I wait for thee,
ready, my God, thy will to see.
Open my eyes, illumine me,
Spirit divine*! Amen.

*First verse of the hymn Open My Eyes That I may See by Clara H. Scott. See at https://hymnary.org/text/open_my_eyes_that_i_may_see

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.

Learn From History

Living in the Spirit

October 18, 2021

Scripture Reading: Jeremiah 31:7-9

For thus says the Lord:
Sing aloud with gladness for Jacob,
   and raise shouts for the chief of the nations;
proclaim, give praise, and say,
   ‘Save, O Lord, your people,
   the remnant of Israel.’
See, I am going to bring them from the land of the north,
   and gather them from the farthest parts of the earth,
among them the blind and the lame,
   those with child and those in labor, together;
   a great company, they shall return here.
With weeping they shall come,
   and with consolations I will lead them back,
I will let them walk by brooks of water,
   in a straight path in which they shall not stumble;
for I have become a father to Israel,
   and Ephraim is my firstborn.

After the death of King Solomon (sometime around 930 B.C.), the Kingdom of Israel split into a northern kingdom, which retained the name Israel and a southern domain called Judah, so named after the tribe of Judah that dominated the Kingdom. Assyria overthrew the Kingdom of Israel in 721 B.C. The people, representing ten of the 12 tribes of Israel, were taken into captivity and eventually were dispersed. Babylon seized Judah in 567 B.C. Jeremiah was born in 650 B.C. and died in 570 B.C. In 538 B.C. King Cyrus, who had overthrown Babylon, made a public declaration granting the Jews the right to return to Judah and rebuild the Temple in Jerusalem.

History is only essential if we learn from it. For example, Joseph taught the Egyptians to save up grain for the possibility of a famine. Seven years later, they reaped the benefits of that action. Unfortunately, Israel did not ever seem to learn from its mistakes until it was too late. When the rulers and upper class reached the point of self-sufficiency, they basked in it, grew their wealth, and lost their connectivity to God. Jeremiah reminds his people that their cousins were scattered across the earth. The same thing could happen to the people of Judah if they did not consider what happened to those relatives and return to God. He was right.

We, too, can learn from their history and our own.

Prayer: Lord, help us examine ourselves to see where we are straying from your path and correct our life plans. 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.

The Gift of Hope

Living in the Spirit

October 16, 2021

Scripture Reading:

Mark 10:46-52

They came to Jericho. As he and his disciples and a large crowd were leaving Jericho, Bartimaeus son of Timaeus, a blind beggar, was sitting by the roadside. When he heard that it was Jesus of Nazareth, he began to shout out and say, ‘Jesus, Son of David, have mercy on me!’ Many sternly ordered him to be quiet, but he cried out even more loudly, ‘Son of David, have mercy on me!’ Jesus stood still and said, ‘Call him here.’ And they called the blind man, saying to him, ‘Take heart; get up, he is calling you.’ So throwing off his cloak, he sprang up and came to Jesus. Then Jesus said to him, ‘What do you want me to do for you?’ The blind man said to him, ‘My teacher, let me see again.’ Jesus said to him, ‘Go; your faith has made you well.’ Immediately he regained his sight and followed him on the way.

Jesus’s healing stories are all mini-sermons delivering the message that life does not have to be the way of defeat and acceptance of inevitability. In situations that seem hopeless, God always plants a seed of hope. God calls all of us to see the possibilities in each of us. My childhood example of that was Helen Keller and her teacher, Anne Sullivan.   Today we have the story of Temple Grandin* born autistic without speech, she was destined for an institution, but her mother would not accept that. Dr. Grandin now has a Ph.D. and is a leading authority on maximizing the skills and talents of children with autism. Miracles result from seeing higher truths about people, life, love, hope, and faith, all of which we are empowered to use with the guidance of the Holy Spirit.

Prayer: God of Hope, plant the seeds in each of us to always have hope when all seems lost. Amen.

*See her book Navigating Autism: 9 Mindsets for Helping Kids on the Spectrum

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.

Ruled by Love

Living in the Spirit

October 11, 2021

Scripture Reading: Isaiah 53:4-12

Surely he has borne our infirmities
   and carried our diseases;
yet we accounted him stricken,
   struck down by God, and afflicted.
But he was wounded for our transgressions,
   crushed for our iniquities;
upon him was the punishment that made us whole,
   and by his bruises we are healed.
All we like sheep have gone astray;
   we have all turned to our own way,
and the Lord has laid on him
   the iniquity of us all. –Isaiah 53:4-6

The above scripture, written most likely in the 6th century B.C.E., is often interpreted by Christians as describing the death of Jesus. That said, sin seems to rear its ugly head cyclically as humans start going astray often when greed and power overcome their worldly desires to base their lives on their relationship with God.

Our greatest challenge in maturing our faith is accepting that the love of God, our loving God, and loving our neighbors as we love ourselves are more precious than worldly riches and more satisfying than being a powerbroker.  

What would such a world look like? First, each person would be loved and encouraged to realize their full potential.  All people would be appropriately educated, well-nourished and healthy, and capable of self-sufficiency. Servant leaders would measure their worth by the accomplishments of their team members. All would strive for the oneness Jesus called us to in John 17.  Such a world might actually have a government of the people, by the people, and for the people.

Prayer: Lord, guide us in self-awareness before we fall into the traps of greed and lust for power. Show us the better way. 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.