Living in the Spirit

September 28, 2023

Scripture Reading: Jonah 3:10-4:11
When God saw what they did, how they turned from their evil ways, God changed his mind about the calamity that he had said he would bring upon them; and he did not do it.

But this was very displeasing to Jonah, and he became angry. He prayed to the Lord and said, ‘O Lord! Is not this what I said while I was still in my own country? That is why I fled to Tarshish at the beginning; for I knew that you are a gracious God and merciful, slow to anger, and abounding in steadfast love, and ready to relent from punishing. And now, O Lord, please take my life from me, for it is better for me to die than to live.’ And the Lord said, ‘Is it right for you to be angry?’ Then Jonah went out of the city and sat down east of the city, and made a booth for himself there. He sat under it in the shade, waiting to see what would become of the city.

The Lord God appointed a bush, and made it come up over Jonah, to give shade over his head, to save him from his discomfort; so Jonah was very happy about the bush. But when dawn came up the next day, God appointed a worm that attacked the bush, so that it withered. When the sun rose, God prepared a sultry east wind, and the sun beat down on the head of Jonah so that he was faint and asked that he might die. He said, ‘It is better for me to die than to live.’

But God said to Jonah, ‘Is it right for you to be angry about the bush?’ And he said, ‘Yes, angry enough to die.’ Then the Lord said, ‘You are concerned about the bush, for which you did not labor and which you did not grow; it came into being in a night and perished in a night. And should I not be concerned about Nineveh, that great city, in which there are more than a hundred and twenty thousand people who do not know their right hand from their left, and also many animals?’

What an appropriate scripture to read in times like these where everyone thinks they are right. We have a battle in Oklahoma right now on who is indoctrinating whom in our public education system, primarily over the history being taught.  History has always been perceived through the eye of the beholder. That is why studying history must take a broad-brush approach analyzing all sides of the studied issues. Indeed, I am sure slaves in America viewed their plight markedly differently from how their owners saw it.  We probably learn more from understanding our mistakes than our successes.

Jonah was sent to warn the people of Nineveh that their destructive ways would be their downfall. He did a good job. The people saw the truth in what Jonah said and changed their ways accordingly. Yet, Jonah was disappointed that God forgave the people and did not punish them. I guess Jonah thought God not punishing the people made Jonah look bad when he told them that God would punish them. How do we restore community when disagreement has led to separation?  How do we follow Jesus’s demand to be One (John:17:21)?

Prayer: Lord, forgive us when we cannot forgive others. Instead enable us to love one another enough to learn from our mistakes and move forward from 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.

Living in the Spirit

September 27, 2023

Scripture Reading: Psalm 105:1-6, 37-45

O give thanks to the Lord, call on his name,
   make known his deeds among the peoples.
Sing to him, sing praises to him;
   tell of all his wonderful works.
Glory in his holy name;
   let the hearts of those who seek the Lord rejoice.
Seek the Lord and his strength;
   seek his presence continually.
Remember the wonderful works he has done,
   his miracles, and the judgments he has uttered,
O offspring of his servant Abraham,
   children of Jacob, his chosen ones. –Psalm 105:1-6

I needed to be reminded to recognize God in my life. I read scripture every day. Co-teach an adult Sunday school class, and facilitate an adult Bible study, but where do I make time just to communion with God? I wrestle with God at times, usually in the wee hours of the morning, when I am struggling to determine what is right and what is wrong in some venture that is before me. That is not just being with God. I have experienced it. I remember sitting on a huge rock when I was traveling in Maine that overlooked the ocean with the water lapping against the rocks below me, and God was there. I need to find more times to not bother God but just to be with God. Do you?

Prayer: Forgive me when I do not just take time to be with you. Help me clear the chaos of my life and just spend time in your presence. 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 in the Spirit

September 26, 2023

Scripture Reading: Exodus 16:2-15

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 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.” ’

In the evening quails came up and covered the camp; and in the morning there was a layer of dew around the camp. When the layer of dew lifted, there on the surface of the wilderness was a fine flaky substance, as fine as frost on the ground. When the Israelites saw it, they said to one another, ‘What is it?’ For they did not know what it was. Moses said to them, ‘It is the bread that the Lord has given you to eat. –Exodus16:2-3, 9-15

How do we think we would respond if we were freed from a lifetime of slavery with no understanding of how to live except what we were told to do? The poor make a similar journey trying to climb out of poverty. Some make it; others do not. The programs designed to help people become self-sufficient and self-supporting have been redesigned to benefit the wealthy more than the poor. I just read that only 22%* of Temporary Assistance for Needy Families payments make it into the hands of the one in need. Here in Oklahoma, we spent $70 million to out-of-state companies to provide marriage classes and counseling that did not reduce either the divorce rate or the poverty rate.

God was with the Israelites, and I believe God is with the poor. Will it take us  40 years to recover from our greed that helps the rich become richer and the poor poorer?

Prayer: Lord, forgive us for letting greed lead us down the wrong paths. Guide us toward building the Kingdom of God you challenged us to create where you will live among us. Amen.

*See Poverty, by America by Matthew Desmond

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 in the Spirit

September 25, 2023

Scripture Reading: Matthew 18:21-35
Then Peter came and said to him, ‘Lord, if another member of the church sins against me, how often should I forgive? As many as seven times?’ Jesus said to him, ‘Not seven times, but, I tell you, seventy-seven times.

‘For this reason the kingdom of heaven may be compared to a king who wished to settle accounts with his slaves. When he began the reckoning, one who owed him ten thousand talents was brought to him; and, as he could not pay, his lord ordered him to be sold, together with his wife and children and all his possessions, and payment to be made. So the slave fell on his knees before him, saying, “Have patience with me, and I will pay you everything.” And out of pity for him, the lord of that slave released him and forgave him the debt. But that same slave, as he went out, came upon one of his fellow-slaves who owed him a hundred denarii; and seizing him by the throat, he said, “Pay what you owe.” Then his fellow-slave fell down and pleaded with him, “Have patience with me, and I will pay you.” But he refused; then he went and threw him into prison until he should pay the debt. When his fellow-slaves saw what had happened, they were greatly distressed, and they went and reported to their lord all that had taken place. Then his lord summoned him and said to him, “You wicked slave! I forgave you all that debt because you pleaded with me. Should you not have had mercy on your fellow-slave, as I had mercy on you?” And in anger his lord handed him over to be tortured until he should pay his entire debt. So my heavenly Father will also do to every one of you, if you do not forgive your brother or sister from your heart.

Our society is broken. I have blamed it on greed and lust for power. I have blamed it on the 9/11 bombing, where we got a taste of not being fully in charge of our national safety. Those realities in our world are just the outcomes of our failure to love God and love our neighbors as we love ourselves. Amassing great wealth while others are starving is not the way we want to be treated and not the way we should treat others.  Living through the first stages of Climate Change, where homes have been destroyed, and people have been killed, is just the beginning of the challenges we face as our world gets hotter. Still, we strive for the last ounce of riches that we will never be able to use because we have destroyed ourselves, worshipping the gods of greed and power. We cannot say we were not warned, you shall have no other gods before me—Exodus 20:1b.

God, who created this world, designed it to be interdependent. It just will not work if we cannot live into that interdependence caring for the earth and all of God’s children.

Prayer: Lord, forgive us for our selfish ways, make us whole, make us one. 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 in the Spirit

September 24, 2023

Scripture Reading:

Matthew 18:21-35

Then Peter came and said to him, ‘Lord, if another member of the church sins against me, how often should I forgive? As many as seven times?’ Jesus said to him, ‘Not seven times, but, I tell you, seventy-seven times. –Matthew 18:21-22

What does it mean to forgive? When I looked it up in the Merriam-Webster Unabridged Dictionary*, I was surprised to see that the examples given were Biblical quotes.

Forgive means:

1. to cease to feel resentment against on account of wrong committed:  give up claim to requital from or retribution upon (an offender): absolve, pardon

<Father, forgive them, for they do not know what they are doing — Luke 23:34 (New Catholic Edition)>

•  to give up resentment of or claim to requital for (an offense or wrong): remit the penalty of

<and their sins should be forgiven them — Mark 4:12 (King James Version)

The Greek word aphiémi translated as forgive in the above scripture, means to send away; release (discharge) to let it go**.

Forgiving someone is as much or more about ourselves as it is the person we are forgiving. Can we let go of whatever causes the need for forgiveness? I once worked with someone I considered a friend besides being a coworker, but for no reason that I could ascertain, she withdrew from me. I had no idea what was wrong and went to her to ascertain what had caused the breach between us, tears came into her eyes as she said there was nothing wrong, and she dismissed me. This situation did not impact our work production, but our relationship was broken. Over a year later, she walked into my office, sat on the edge of the chair that was in front of my desk, and said, “I just discovered that someone told me a terrible lie about something they said you had done, and it hurt me deeply. I am sorry, I should have realized it was not true.” She never told me what she was told or who told her. I said I knew something was wrong and was sorry we had not worked it out earlier.  Shortly after that conversation, she changed jobs, and I lost contact. I hope and pray that she was able to let it go.

Prayer: Lord, heal our brokenness in relationships and do not let them hinder our working together to build your beloved community. Amen.

*https://unabridged.merriam-webster.com/unabridged/Forgive

**https://biblehub.com/greek/863.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.

Living in the Spirit

September 23, 2023

Scripture Reading: Romans 14:1-12
Welcome those who are weak in faith, but not for the purpose of quarreling over opinions. Some believe in eating anything, while the weak eat only vegetables. Those who eat must not despise those who abstain, and those who abstain must not pass judgment on those who eat; for God has welcomed them. Who are you to pass judgment on servants of another? It is before their own lord that they stand or fall. And they will be upheld, for the Lord is able to make them stand.

Some judge one day to be better than another, while others judge all days to be alike. Let all be fully convinced in their own minds. Those who observe the day, observe it in honor of the Lord. Also those who eat, eat in honor of the Lord, since they give thanks to God; while those who abstain, abstain in honor of the Lord and give thanks to God.

We do not live to ourselves, and we do not die to ourselves. If we live, we live to the Lord, and if we die, we die to the Lord; so then, whether we live or whether we die, we are the Lord’s. For to this end Christ died and lived again, so that he might be Lord of both the dead and the living.

Why do you pass judgment on your brother or sister? Or you, why do you despise your brother or sister? For we will all stand before the judgment seat of God. For it is written,
‘As I live, says the Lord, every knee shall bow to me,
   and every tongue shall give praise to God.’
So then, each of us will be accountable to God.

I am the descendant of both Pilgrims and Puritans. The Pilgrims were escaping the rule of the English King.  The Puritans had an official charter from the King of England to establish a colony. That was the beginning of the need for our Constitution to provide in the First Amendment that Congress make no law respecting an establishment of religion or prohibiting its free exercise. As I read the above scripture, I wondered if our founders referred to this scripture to help them provide for the freedom of religious practices along with the protections that one faith group could not use the government to force their beliefs on everyone else, when we try to abridge these rights we forget that we are not the judge. God is the ultimate judge.

Prayer: Lord, instruct us and teach us the way we should go*. Amen.

*Derived from Psalm 32:8

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 in the Spirit

September 22, 2023

Scripture Reading: Psalm 103:(1-7), 8-13

Bless the Lord, O my soul,
   and all that is within me,
   bless his holy name.
Bless the Lord, O my soul,
   and do not forget all his benefits—
who forgives all your iniquity,
   who heals all your diseases,
who redeems your life from the Pit,
   who crowns you with steadfast love and mercy,
who satisfies you with good as long as you live
   so that your youth is renewed like the eagle’s. –Psalm 103, 1-5

What is a pit? A pit is an opening, most often used to describe a hole in the ground.  A pit is often a place one cannot escape without help if it is deep enough.  It also refers to destruction. The scripture above assures us that the Lord redeems us when we fall into a pit, whether from our behavior or the acts of others.  The USA recently negotiated the release of five men from Iran who were being held in prison, a different kind of pit. They were redeemed by releasing some of Iran’s money that had been held as a sanction against actions against others. The funds were only made available for food and other humanitarian needs. I feel confident those five men felt they had been rescued from destruction.

Do we create pits for our destruction? Addiction of any kind could probably be described in that way. What about greed and lust for power that always results in someone else being hurt? I do not think most would view these actions as self-destructive, but they are.

I grew up listening to country and western music. One thing about those songs is they deal with truth. The one that came to my mind as I read the above scripture was Porter Wagner’s song A Satisfied Mind. Here is the first verse:

How many times have you heard someone say
“If I had his money, I could do things my way?”
But little they know that it’s so hard to find
One rich man in ten with a satisfied mind*

Prayer:  Thank you, Lord, for your guidance in living and your forgiveness when we stray. Amen.

*See at https://www.google.com/search?q=there+is+not+a+rich+man+in+ten+with+a+satisfied+mind+song+lyrics&sca_esv=567611878&rlz=1C1VDKB_enUS987US987&biw=1280&bih=563&sxsrf=AM9HkKnSSqGGEFxrGSG2s0T2RrRheFlNxw%3A1695398192098&ei=MLkNZYW5BfGiqtsPwseZgA4&ved=0ahUKEwiFkfi3yr6BAxVxkWoFHcJjBuAQ4dUDCBA&uact=5&oq=there+is+not+a+rich+man+in+ten+with+a+satisfied+mind+song+lyrics&gs_lp=Egxnd3Mtd2l6LXNlcnAiQHRoZXJlIGlzIG5vdCBhIHJpY2ggbWFuIGluIHRlbiB3aXRoIGEgc2F0aXNmaWVkIG1pbmQgc29uZyBseXJpY3NIAFAAWABwAHgBkAEAmAEAoAEAqgEAuAEDyAEA-AEB4gMEGAAgQQ&sclient=gws-wiz-serp

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 in the Spirit

September 21, 2023

Scripture Reading: Genesis 50:15-21
Realizing that their father was dead, Joseph’s brothers said, ‘What if Joseph still bears a grudge against us and pays us back in full for all the wrong that we did to him?’ So they approached Joseph, saying, ‘Your father gave this instruction before he died, “Say to Joseph: I beg you, forgive the crime of your brothers and the wrong they did in harming you.” Now therefore please forgive the crime of the servants of the God of your father.’ Joseph wept when they spoke to him. Then his brothers also wept, fell down before him, and said, ‘We are here as your slaves.’ But Joseph said to them, ‘Do not be afraid! Am I in the place of God? Even though you intended to do harm to me, God intended it for good, in order to preserve a numerous people, as he is doing today. So have no fear; I myself will provide for you and your little ones.’ In this way he reassured them, speaking kindly to them.

I have said the Lord’s Prayer so many times in various ways. When I am visiting a church new to me, I try to wait and see what the congregation says regarding the line related to forgiveness. My congregation, a few years ago, started printing the Lord’s Prayer in the bulletin to help visitors. It is hard not to say the word we normally use.

The Greek word opheiléma means debt, offense, or sin. It focuses on the after-effects of an obligation*.

Forgive us our trespasses as we forgive those who trespass against us. I do not know the history of the use of the word trespass. It is not in Strong’s definition.

Forgive us our sins as we forgive those who sin against us. Sin is described as missing the mark or being separated from God.

Forgive us our debts as we forgive our debtors. The Use of debt is included in the definition. Is it a part of human nature to liken behavior to money? Greed saved Joseph’s life when his brothers saw the opportunity to sell him into slavery. He was worthless to them up to that point. Of course, selling him did not make it right. The brother’s greed brought them back to beg forgiveness. They assumed that when their father died, Joseph would seek revenge against his brothers, and that assumed a financial loss.  Instead, Joseph saw their actions as a means of him fulfilling his God-given purpose in life, to save people from famine.

Greed is a pandemic in our land now and getting worse. Christ-followers need to recognize its danger and our purpose in life to save our people from growing poverty and the destruction of climate change.

Prayer: Lord, Forgive us our sins. Amen.

*https://biblehub.com/greek/3783.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.

Living in the Spirit

September 20, 2023

Scripture Reading:

Exodus 15:1b-11, 20-21

Then Moses and the Israelites sang this song to the Lord:
‘I will sing to the Lord, for he has triumphed gloriously;
   horse and rider he has thrown into the sea.
The Lord is my strength and my might,
   and he has become my salvation,
this is my God, and I will praise him,
   my father’s God, and I will exalt him.|
The Lord is a warrior
    the Lord is his name. –Exodus 15:1-3

I cut my teeth on music. I thought every father played the guitar and sang every night after their children went to bed until I had my first sleepover with a friend, and there was no bedtime music. I just returned from a retreat where each evening, the program closed with vespers where we sang several songs, I forgot I knew. Songs are poetry set to music, and the people we meet when we read the Bible recall their history with God as they sing their songs like the ones above. They remind us that we can recover from trauma, mourn the loss of a loved one, celebrate sharing the bounty of a harvest, and recognize God’s love is enduring. Let us make a joyful until the Lord with all our hearts.

Prayer:

 Joyful, joyful, we adore You,
God of glory, Lord of love;
Hearts unfold like flow’rs before You,
Op’ning to the sun above.
Melt the clouds of sin and sadness;
Drive the dark of doubt away;
Giver of immortal gladness,
Fill us with the light of day*! Amen.

The first verse of Joyful, Joyful, We Adore You by Henry Van Dyke see at https://hymnary.org/text/joyful_joyful_we_adore_thee

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 in the Spirit

September 19, 2023

Scripture Reading: Psalm 114
When Israel went out from Egypt,
   the house of Jacob from a people of strange language,
Judah became God’s sanctuary,
   Israel his dominion.

The sea looked and fled;
   Jordan turned back.
The mountains skipped like rams,
   the hills like lambs.

Why is it, O sea, that you flee?
   O Jordan, that you turn back?
O mountains, that you skip like rams?
   O hills, like lambs?

Tremble, O earth, at the presence of the Lord,
   at the presence of the God of Jacob,
who turns the rock into a pool of water,
   the flint into a spring of water.

Some stories just require the poet’s touch. The escape from Egypt is one of them. That may be true of our south-of-the-border neighbors who are caught in such desperation all they can think about is leaving. Most of us do not have a clue what that feels like. Oklahoma was one of the states that answered the Texas Governor’s call to send National Guard troops to guard the border between Texas and Mexico. When they came back, I heard very few reports of what they experienced, except one soldier saying on the news that he saw desperate people trying to survive. Perhaps what we need is more witnesses and less hyperbole.

Prayer: Lord, guide our leaders as they struggle to find the right responses to the plight of our neighbors trying to flee oppression. 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.