Tag Archives: Oneness

Hope and God’s Peace

Living in the Spirit

August 8, 2021

Scripture Reading:
John 6:35, 41-51
Jesus said to them, ‘I am the bread of life. Whoever comes to me will never be hungry, and whoever believes in me will never be thirsty.

Then the Jews began to complain about him because he said, ‘I am the bread that came down from heaven.’ They were saying, ‘Is not this Jesus, the son of Joseph, whose father and mother we know? How can he now say, “I have come down from heaven”?’ Jesus answered them, ‘Do not complain among yourselves. No one can come to me unless drawn by the Father who sent me; and I will raise that person up on the last day. It is written in the prophets, “And they shall all be taught by God.” Everyone who has heard and learned from the Father comes to me. Not that anyone has seen the Father except the one who is from God; he has seen the Father. Very truly, I tell you, whoever believes has eternal life. I am the bread of life. Your ancestors ate the manna in the wilderness, and they died. This is the bread that comes down from heaven, so that one may eat of it and not die. I am the living bread that came down from heaven. Whoever eats of this bread will live forever; and the bread that I will give for the life of the world is my flesh.’

When I hear the word flesh, I think of skin. The Greek word, sarx*, translated flesh above, has a much broader meaning, the physical body. Thus, when Jesus says, and the bread that I will give for the life of the world is my flesh.’ He is foreshadowing his bodily death on the cross. This whole scripture is a discourse on things spiritual and carnal. He is talking to first-century people who probably are more comfortable with separating the two than perhaps our generation is. Their minds went immediately to the story in the Hebrew Bible about God providing the manna from heaven for the Israelites who found themselves in the desert with no food after fleeing Egypt. When Jesus states that he is the bread that came down from heaven, he essentially says that he is the people’s savior. That was a significant threat to the religious leaders of that time, but words of hope to the people hearing it.

Hope seems in short supply as we grimace that the Delta variant is causing COVID to spread more rapidly. People tend to respond to such threats in ways that are not necessarily helpful. We are seeing a lot of denial with people still not getting vaccinations. Careless behavior is cropping up again with large gatherings, no masks, and no space for social distancing. We must never forget that God is always with us, Jesus is the source of all hope, and the Holy Spirit can and will calm our beings to face whatever comes to us with the grace of God’s Peace.

Prayer: Lord, we are scared and frustrated that all we can do is take a shot or two, wear masks, socially distance, and wash our hands. We are somewhat like the Israelites leaving Egypt. Help us remember that you provided for them just as you can and will conquer our anguish and help us make good decisions not only for ourselves but for all the people with whom we come into contact. Amen.

*https://biblehub.com/greek/4561.htm

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

Imitating Christ

Living in the Spirit

August 6, 2021

Scripture Reading:

Ephesians 4:25-5:2
So then, putting away falsehood, let all of us speak the truth to our neighbors, for we are members of one another. Be angry but do not sin; do not let the sun go down on your anger, and do not make room for the devil. Thieves must give up stealing; rather let them labor and work honestly with their own hands, so as to have something to share with the needy. Let no evil talk come out of your mouths, but only what is useful for building up, as there is need, so that your words may give grace to those who hear. And do not grieve the Holy Spirit of God, with which you were marked with a seal for the day of redemption. Put away from you all bitterness and wrath and anger and wrangling and slander, together with all malice, and be kind to one another, tender-hearted, forgiving one another, as God in Christ has forgiven you. Therefore be imitators of God, as beloved children, and live in love, as Christ loved us and gave himself up for us, a fragrant offering and sacrifice to God.

I have been appalled at some of the hateful, hurtful things I have read on social media written in support of the author’s understanding of God and Christ. What makes people feel the need to express themselves like this? What message does it send others about God and Christ? Is anyone surprised that the number of people in the USA who identify as Christian is dropping? I wonder when and why these writers became so disillusioned in a faith founded on love grounded in the knowledge that Christ loved us so much he gave himself for us.

There were many false prophets in the first century when Paul was sharing the love of God among people who had never heard of Christ. Unfortunately, people still use Christ for their ends, whatever they may be—wealth or power or self-aggrandizement. As followers of Christ, one test we might use to help us represent our faith well is to imagine Jesus’ writing or saying what we want to share with others. If we cannot imagine Jesus using those thoughts and words addressing anyone that might stumble on to them, we need to find a new way to represent our faith. Remember, what we write on social media will be read by many people that have nothing to do with what upsets us in the first place.

Prayer:
Lord, Let the words of my mouth and the meditation of my heart
   be acceptable to you,
   O Lord, my rock and my redeemer*. Amen.

*Psalm 19:14

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.

Discouraged

Living in the Spirit

Matthew 11:28-30 ESV.

August 3, 2021

Scripture Reading:
1 Kings 19:4-8

But [Elijah] himself went a day’s journey into the wilderness, and came and sat down under a solitary broom tree. He asked that he might die: ‘It is enough; now, O Lord, take away my life, for I am no better than my ancestors.’ Then he lay down under the broom tree and fell asleep. Suddenly an angel touched him and said to him, ‘Get up and eat.’ He looked, and there at his head was a cake baked on hot stones, and a jar of water. He ate and drank, and lay down again. The angel of the Lord came a second time, touched him, and said, ‘Get up and eat, otherwise the journey will be too much for you.’ He got up, and ate and drank; then he went in the strength of that food for forty days and forty nights to Horeb the mount of God. At that place he came to a cave, and spent the night there.

I am deeply concerned about many issues facing our nation. The pandemic has to be at the top of the list. I had just started to not wear a mask in places where I know everyone has received the vaccine. Now I understand that even if I do not get sick I can carry the disease to others. I walked up to a store today and saw a sign asking customers to wear masks, returning to my car to get one, I wondered how much longer is this going to continue?

Also, I recognize that assuring all who work earn a living wage would solve many issues in our society. I have been working with others to reach for that reality by raising the minimum wage to $15 an hour. In all honesty that is only a beginning step toward addressing the poverty that is ravaging our nation, but it is an important step. What we who are trying to champion this goal are finding is that many do not care. One of my US Senators locked the elevator to his office and the door at the top of the stairs leaving a sign that said they were not seeing visitors. I thought he was supposed to represent us.

My discouragement is not as serious as Elijah’s was, but I have experienced a hint of what he felt. I thank God for the angels with whom I work who lift my spirits when I get down. I also think it is even more important in times like these that we deepen our prayer relationship with the Lord for indeed his yoke is easy and his burden is light* when we are aligned with his vision of a world ruled by love.

Prayer: Lord, grant us the strength to champion your desires for all your people. Keep us on the right path in all we do. Amen.

*Matthew 11:30

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.

Parenting In Times of Trial

Living in the Spirit

August 2, 2021

Scripture Reading:
2 Samuel 18:5-9, 15, 31-33
The king gave orders to Joab and Abishai and Ittai, saying, ‘Deal gently for my sake with the young man Absalom.’ And all the people heard when the king gave orders to all the commanders concerning Absalom.

So the army went out into the field against Israel; and the battle was fought in the forest of Ephraim. The men of Israel were defeated there by the servants of David, and the slaughter there was great on that day, twenty thousand men. The battle spread over the face of all the country; and the forest claimed more victims that day than the sword.

Absalom happened to meet the servants of David. Absalom was riding on his mule, and the mule went under the thick branches of a great oak. His head caught fast in the oak, and he was left hanging between heaven and earth, while the mule that was under him went on. And ten young men, Joab’s armour-bearers, surrounded Absalom and struck him, and killed him.

Then the Cushite came; and the Cushite said, ‘Good tidings for my lord the king! For the Lord has vindicated you this day, delivering you from the power of all who rose up against you.’ The king said to the Cushite, ‘Is it well with the young man Absalom?’ The Cushite answered, ‘May the enemies of my lord the king, and all who rise up to do you harm, be like that young man.’

The king was deeply moved, and went up to the chamber over the gate, and wept; and as he went, he said, ‘O my son Absalom, my son, my son Absalom! Would that I had died instead of you, O Absalom, my son, my son!’

What would make a son revolt against his father? Who determines the one who is right and the wrong one? In Absalom’s case, the rebellion may have been simply lust for power or fear that he would not be the chosen heir. Life experience coupled with parents feeling their way through the challenge of raising a child can create unexpected results. My Dad’s father died suddenly and unexpectedly when Dad was ten years old in 1928. The following year marked the beginning of the Great Depression. Both events, I am sure, shaped his life in ways no one could have predicted.

We live in precarious times amid a stubborn pandemic that began in an already tumultuous political environment. Our call as Christ-followers is to dig even deeper into the well of Jesus’s teachings, letting them shape our lives rather than being shaped by the world about us. Loving and taking care of ourselves and our neighbors is the best starting point.

Prayer: Lord, let your love be our guide as we try to survive and thrive against the plagues that confront us. Please give us the courage to follow your course, not the world.  Amen.

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

Simply Love

Living in the Spirit

July 31, 2021

Scripture Reading: John 6:24-35
So when the crowd saw that neither Jesus nor his disciples were there, they themselves got into the boats and went to Capernaum looking for Jesus.

When they found him on the other side of the lake, they said to him, ‘Rabbi, when did you come here?’ Jesus answered them, ‘Very truly, I tell you, you are looking for me, not because you saw signs, but because you ate your fill of the loaves. Do not work for the food that perishes, but for the food that endures for eternal life, which the Son of Man will give you. For it is on him that God the Father has set his seal.’ Then they said to him, ‘What must we do to perform the works of God?’ Jesus answered them, ‘This is the work of God, that you believe in him whom he has sent.’ So they said to him, ‘What sign are you going to give us then, so that we may see it and believe you? What work are you performing? Our ancestors ate the manna in the wilderness; as it is written, “He gave them bread from heaven to eat.” ’ Then Jesus said to them, ‘Very truly, I tell you, it was not Moses who gave you the bread from heaven, but it is my Father who gives you the true bread from heaven. For the bread of God is that which comes down from heaven and gives life to the world.’ They said to him, ‘Sir, give us this bread always.’

Jesus said to them, ‘I am the bread of life. Whoever comes to me will never be hungry, and whoever believes in me will never be thirsty.

We are very much like our ancestors in faith. We want to know what is in it for us.  We, too, long for absolutes in a world constantly changing. Viruses mutate to catch us off guard. We get frustrated with scientists trying to keep a step ahead of the virus, changing their recommendations to at least match but preferably to win the race against the virus. We thus become our own worst enemies refusing to do the most straightforward actions that might save our lives and the lives of those around us.

In the story above, Jesus recognizes that human nature is not hearing what he is teaching. Jesus did not come to help us get rich quickly or overindulge. He came to bring us life and bring it more abundantly*. His abundance is not related to material wealth. He is trying to help us understand that abundant life is a life where our love of God, ourselves, and all others brought together in oneness results in the best outcomes for everyone in all aspects of life.  It perhaps is too easy. Thus, it becomes too hard when we must give up the ways of the world to attain shalom and justice for all.

Prayer: Lord, open our hearts and minds to accept the simplicity of living in our love of you, ourselves, and one another. Amen.

*John 10:10

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.

When Good People Do Nothing

Living in the Spirit

July 29, 2021

Scripture Reading: Ephesians 4:1-16

I therefore, the prisoner in the Lord, beg you to lead a life worthy of the calling to which you have been called, with all humility and gentleness, with patience, bearing with one another in love, making every effort to maintain the unity of the Spirit in the bond of peace. There is one body and one Spirit, just as you were called to the one hope of your calling, one Lord, one faith, one baptism, one God and Father of all, who is above all and through all and in all.

But each of us was given grace according to the measure of Christ’s gift.

In my lifetime, the correspondence from prison that left the most significant impression on me was Martin Luther King, Jr.’s Letter from the Birmingham Jail. I wonder when he thought to compose it if he had just read Paul’s letter from the jail in Ephesus. While nearly 2000 years separate the two letters, the call for oneness fed by humility and love still flows through our world. We Christ-followers have a special calling to maintain the unity of the Spirit in the bond of peace, while working continuously toward justice for all. I learned in a recent Bible study that the prisons in Paul’s time did not provide food. Prisoners were one relative or friend away from sickness, even starvation if their sentences were long. Paul thanked those who cared for him while he was in prison (Philippians. 1:3-11). Had they not taken care of him, we, today, most likely would not have been blessed with his writings.

“We will have to repent in this generation not merely for the hateful words and actions of the bad people but for the appalling silence of the good people.” ― Martin Luther King Jr., Letter from the Birmingham Jail

While we might not be willing to go to jail for our faith, we can do much to further the cause of justice in this world. Writing our elected officials and firmly stating our support of just legislation is one way. Helping people legally eligible to vote who cannot because of barriers to their access is another. Let us not be among the appalling silence of the good people.

Prayer: Lord, open our eyes that we might see where our silence is hurting others. Empower us to do justice. 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.

Leaving the Familiar for a Strange New World

Living in the Spirit

July 27, 2021

Scripture Reading: Exodus 16:2-4, 9-15

The whole congregation of the Israelites complained against Moses and Aaron in the wilderness. The Israelites said to them, ‘If only we had died by the hand of the Lord in the land of Egypt, when we sat by the fleshpots and ate our fill of bread; for you have brought us out into this wilderness to kill this whole assembly with hunger.’

Then the Lord said to Moses, ‘I am going to rain bread from heaven for you, and each day the people shall go out and gather enough for that day. In that way I will test them, whether they will follow my instruction or not.

Then Moses said to Aaron, ‘Say to the whole congregation of the Israelites, “Draw near to the Lord, for he has heard your complaining.” ’ And as Aaron spoke to the whole congregation of the Israelites, they looked towards the wilderness, and the glory of the Lord appeared in the cloud. The Lord spoke to Moses and said, ‘I have heard the complaining of the Israelites; say to them, “At twilight you shall eat meat, and in the morning you shall have your fill of bread; then you shall know that I am the Lord your God.”’ –Exodus 16:2-4, 9-12

Once I worked with people receiving public assistance, helping them transition from dependence to being self-sustaining. One of the most significant challenges I faced was helping them deal with leaving the desperate situation in which they live for the scary new world of work and self-support. Many people denigrate the poor for their condition. How would you feel if you were without income or support systems like a family that will come to your rescue? Would you have the knowledge or strength to do what it takes to ensure your children have food to eat and clothing to wear? Can you imagine living in a family where no one ever worked?

The Israelites had been slaves for some 400 years, generations of a way of being that robbed them of all sense of self-sufficiency where they were dependent on their slave masters. Freedom was a scary proposition. It took forty years of wandering in the wilderness before these people were ready to follow Joshua into the Promise Land, at least two generations. As we attempt to address the wellbeing of the homeless and the poor, we must exercise some empathy before we, like Moses and Aaron, walk with them out of the wilderness, in which they find themselves.

Prayer: Lord, grant us the gift of empathy as we walk with those moving to self-sufficiency. 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.

Caste Systems

Living in the Spirit

July 23, 2021

Scripture Reading:

Ephesians 3:14-21
For this reason I bow my knees before the Father, from whom every family in heaven and on earth takes its name. I pray that, according to the riches of his glory, he may grant that you may be strengthened in your inner being with power through his Spirit, and that Christ may dwell in your hearts through faith, as you are being rooted and grounded in love. I pray that you may have the power to comprehend, with all the saints, what is the breadth and length and height and depth, and to know the love of Christ that surpasses knowledge, so that you may be filled with all the fullness of God.

Now to him who by the power at work within us is able to accomplish abundantly far more than all we can ask or imagine, to him be glory in the church and in Christ Jesus to all generations, forever and ever.

This prayer is an astounding commentary on a world ruled by people whose fragile self-worth teeters tenuously on their place in the caste system they let define them. Caste systems are human creations contrived for evil gain and passed to generation after generation, accepting them as the norm. We are all God’s children, loved and cherished for who we are and what we can become. Paul states it this way: For this reason. I bow my knees before the Father, from whom every family in heaven and on earth takes its name.

God’s original design of the world was based on this premise. Whenever we chose to alter this vision of oneness chaos always ensues. God created us with the ability to live in oneness. God gifted us with God’s love and the ability to Love others. Indeed, we are never alone in striving to live God’s love. We will never find any shortcuts or rationales in the ways of the world that will ever supersede God’s design. We do waste a lot of time and energy trying.

Prayer: I pray that, according to the riches of his glory, he may grant that you may be strengthened in your inner being with power through his Spirit, and that Christ may dwell in your hearts through faith, as you are being rooted and grounded in love. I pray that you may have the power to comprehend, with all the saints, what is the breadth and length and height and depth, and to know the love of Christ that surpasses knowledge, so that you may be filled with all the fullness of God.. Amen.

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

Chosen to Serve

Living in the Spirit

July 19, 20219

Scripture Reading:
2 Samuel 11:1-15

In the morning David wrote a letter to Joab, and sent it by the hand of Uriah. 15In the letter he wrote, ‘Set Uriah in the forefront of the hardest fighting, and then draw back from him, so that he may be struck down and die.‘ –2 Samuel 11:14-15

I chose not to include the entire scripture that describes the sordid details of David’s dalliance with Bathsheba. The scripture reference is cited above if you wish to read it. The affair itself was bad enough. Having her husband killed to cover up David’s behavior went beyond the pale in the world, and he knew that. With no respect for life, he moved to protect his public image as king. I do not see God anywhere in this story. I do see the presence of politics and ego. I see the desire to check piety off the resume’ one presents to the public. I fear that describes for many the primary purpose of our faith.

The sad part of this story is that David had walked with the Lord from childhood, maintaining a close relationship throughout his life as it has been described to us. After this incident, he eventually sought forgiveness and returned to his faithful practices. So how does evil pressure even someone like David, like all of us, rushing into lust and murder? Following a restless stroll across the balcony of his palace, he sees a woman bathing on her rooftop and decides he wants her. He apparently was bored and missing the excitement of battle since he had turned the army over to his generals.

A lot of people are now caught up in all the varied responses resulting from COVID. Being told that the best thing I could do to help address the pandemic was to stay home, wash my hands, and wear a mask was challenging to one who wants to fix wrong things. I have wondered if some people’s reluctance to get the vaccine is an in-your-face response to the disease, saying, “You cannot rule my life.” Even though it can. This type of tragedy does not routinely impact many of our lives directly. We think we are the chosen people of God. Thus, our sense of selectness is challenged when disasters touch us. I accept that it rains on the just and the unjust*. And I believe that when we open our hearts to God, we do become a part of God’s workforce, chosen to take God’s Kingdom to higher plains. That is what I think it means to be chosen. We need not let boredom, fear, or a sense of lost value drive us to let evil influence us.

Prayer: Lord, forgive us when we get caught up in the ways of the world and forget for whom we work. Amen.

*Matthew 5:45

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.

Being One

Living in the Spirit

Living in the Spirit

July 16, 2021

Scripture Reading: Ephesians 2:11-22

So then, remember that at one time you Gentiles by birth, called ‘the uncircumcision’ by those who are called ‘the circumcision’—a physical circumcision made in the flesh by human hands—remember that you were at that time without Christ, being aliens from the commonwealth of Israel, and strangers to the covenants of promise, having no hope and without God in the world. But now in Christ Jesus you who once were far off have been brought near by the blood of Christ. For he is our peace; in his flesh he has made both groups into one and has broken down the dividing wall, that is, the hostility between us. He has abolished the law with its commandments and ordinances, so that he might create in himself one new humanity in place of the two, thus making peace, and might reconcile both groups to God in one body through the cross, thus putting to death that hostility through it. So he came and proclaimed peace to you who were far off and peace to those who were near; for through him both of us have access in one Spirit to the Father. So then you are no longer strangers and aliens, but you are citizens with the saints and also members of the household of God, built upon the foundation of the apostles and prophets, with Christ Jesus himself as the cornerstone. In him the whole structure is joined together and grows into a holy temple in the Lord; in whom you also are built together spiritually into a dwelling-place for God.

In John 17:20–23, Jesus called us to be one. Paul picks up this theme in both Ephesus and Galatians. Yet, we still cannot even find ways to be one among the groups that consider themselves to be Christ-followers. We are driving people away from Christ, not introducing them to him.

We humans pick out the strangest things about which to disagree. My faith community split the first time over whether the bible supported the use of organs in worship. This group was founded on the belief that we had no creed but Christ. I guess some folks had some other doctrines. My guess is some were concerned about their members moving toward the high church type worship from which their ancestors moved to the New World to escape. The problem presented is rarely the concern needing to be addressed.

Here in 2021, we are farther away from being one, as our ancestors in faith were when they fled religious oppression. Instead, we are following a well-established worldly competitive attitude that my god is better than your god. But, of course, often in such discourses, the god of choice is the one projected from our image. So, how did we get to this point? But, more importantly, how can we turn around from this place and seek God’s Kingdom where all people are capable of loving and being loved in return?

Prayer: Lord, fill us with your love to the extent that we can love ourselves and one another without question or dispute. Make us one, O Lord, Make us one. Amen.

 *https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Christian_churches_and_churches_of_Christ

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.