Tag Archives: Oneness

Finding Common Ground

Living in the Spirit

Scripture Reading:
Ezekiel 33:7-11

So you, mortal, I have made a sentinel for the house of Israel; whenever you hear a word from my mouth, you shall give them warning from me. If I say to the wicked, ‘O wicked ones, you shall surely die’, and you do not speak to warn the wicked to turn from their ways, the wicked shall die in their iniquity, but their blood I will require at your hand. But if you warn the wicked to turn from their ways, and they do not turn from their ways, the wicked shall die in their iniquity, but you will have saved your life. –Ezekiel 33:7-9

I wrote my book Houses Divided: A Letter to the Churches of the USA on Church and State, published in 2013, because I had too. While my illustrations are out-of-date, I think the truth in it still applies. I did not realize I was addressing the same type of divisions among God’s followers that Ezekiel and other prophets did. Evil had severed God-followers. I do not know if the book is worth anything or not because few were read. I did not send it to what is called “evangelical” publishers because I knew they would not publish anything that included some of my ideas. I got nearly the same rejection from all the “progressive” publishers. Each basically said, “We do not publish in this genre.”  I guessed that meant it was a too sticky wicket for them. So, I published it myself.  I wrote it for everyday people in pews, not academics. I do not think my time was wasted as it helped me get my personal theology in order. I am sorry it did not fill that purpose for others.

So, today I read Ezekiel, where he says that the wicked will have to deal with their wickedness when they die, but if we do not warn them to turn from their ways, their blood will also be on our hands. The problem, of course, is that although our systems of belief are markedly different, both sides just know they are right. Evil is good at creating just such a scenario. It is being played out daily in media reports regarding our world today and the upcoming election.

There is no easy answer. Repenting and acknowledging we ever do anything wrong is hard and embarrassing and counter to our culture. Here are a few things I think are worth trying:

  • Remind ourselves when we are confronted by someone with different viewpoints that they were created by God and made in the image of God just like each of us was.
  • Practice empathy in our heads while listening, really listening to what another is saying. What is it like to see this world in their skin, gender, income bracket, education, social status?
  • Seek any common ground.
  • And, most importantly, listen for God’s guidance.

Prayer:
Dear Lord and Father of mankind,
Forgive our foolish ways!
Reclothe us in our rightful mind,
In purer lives Thy service find,
In deeper reverence, praise*. Amen.

First verse of Dear Lord and Father of mankind by John Greenleaf Whittier https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Dear_Lord_and_Father_of_Mankind

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.

Renewing Our Minds

Living in the Spirit

August 21, 2020

Scripture Reading: Romans 12:1-8
I appeal to you therefore, brothers and sisters, by the mercies of God, to present your bodies as a living sacrifice, holy and acceptable to God, which is your spiritual worship. Do not be conformed to this world, but be transformed by the renewing of your minds, so that you may discern what is the will of God—what is good and acceptable and perfect.

For by the grace given to me I say to everyone among you not to think of yourself more highly than you ought to think, but to think with sober judgement, each according to the measure of faith that God has assigned. For as in one body we have many members, and not all the members have the same function, so we, who are many, are one body in Christ, and individually we are members one of another. We have gifts that differ according to the grace given to us: prophecy, in proportion to faith; ministry, in ministering; the teacher, in teaching; the exhorter, in exhortation; the giver, in generosity; the leader, in diligence; the compassionate, in cheerfulness.

Differentiating what is of the world from what is of God is the challenge in not conforming to the world. The wheat and the weeds do grow in the same field*. As a child going to the garden with my mother, I am sure I was carefully taught what was a weed to pull and what was a plant to nurture and allow to develop. I do not recall those lessons; I also do not remember being unable to differentiate between weeds and plants. Such experiences become a part of our being. What happens when what we learned was wrong or changed over time?

Constant work in the renewing of our minds is necessary to discern the will of God. That is complicated by our discerning what of the world is neutral to God and what is fundamentally different from God’s will. I do not believe God cares whether we dye our hair blue or wear sneakers to church or celebrate the Fourth of July. I do think God cares if any of our actions from the world grow into idol worship. And God cares if our actions denigrate any of God’s other children.

All of us, since birth, are subtly influenced by culturally differing statuses of the worth of other people. Such attitudes are so ingrained in our culture, we may not recognize them as separate from the will of God. Others learned direct discrimination. God calls us to love one another—all others and to appreciate them for their gifts just as they are–our brothers and sisters in Christ. We must dig deep into our beings and do the introspection necessary to cull out those weeds of bigotry that impact the fulfillment of God’s Kingdom becoming a reality in our world now.

Prayer: Lord, changing the way we have always perceived the world is hard work. Give us the courage and commitment to work this work in your name. Amen.

*See Matthew 13.

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 the Way We Have Always Done It

Living in the Spirit

August 16, 2020

Scripture Reading:
Matthew 15:21-28

Jesus left that place and went away to the district of Tyre and Sidon. Just then a Canaanite woman from that region came out and started shouting, ‘Have mercy on me, Lord, Son of David; my daughter is tormented by a demon.’ But he did not answer her at all. And his disciples came and urged him, saying, ‘Send her away, for she keeps shouting after us.’ He answered, ‘I was sent only to the lost sheep of the house of Israel.’ But she came and knelt before him, saying, ‘Lord, help me.’ He answered, ‘It is not fair to take the children’s food and throw it to the dogs.’ She said, ‘Yes, Lord, yet even the dogs eat the crumbs that fall from their masters’ table.’ Then Jesus answered her, ‘Woman, great is your faith! Let it be done for you as you wish.’ And her daughter was healed instantly.

I am so glad this story made it into the book of Matthew. Jesus is many things to many people, but one of his primary roles is being a model for how we can live our faith. Jesus is quoted as saying, ‘I was sent only to the lost sheep of the house of Israel.’ I hear that as saying your problem is not my problem or you are asking for something that is not in my job description. Of scriptures in the gospels that attest to the fact that Jesus was fully human, this is one of the best. How many times do we think or say that is not my job?

The Canaanite women did not let Jesus get away with his dodge. He realized his error and healed her daughter.

We all carry with us the way we have always done lots of things. Among them are attitudes and behaviors that now bring the descriptors of racists, misogynistic, white privilege, which unnerve us. We think they have nothing to do with us, but they do.

I know two people who came to the USA who shared the same experience with me. One came many years ago from Germany following World War II. The other was here from China working on a graduate degree. They both told me that for the longest time, they had to think about what they were going to say in their native language and then translate it in their heads into English before speaking. By the time I knew them, they both seemed comfortable with English, but it was a challenge to get to that point.  I think that process is what many of us must practice as we discern patterns of our behavior or speech that contribute to a lack of understanding among the diverse peoples of our world. It is awkward at first, but if we invest in recognizing those things we have always done but now know are not appropriate, we can review them in our heads and control acting inappropriately. Some day it will seem like we have always done it that way.

Prayer: Lord, help us to model Jesus in recognizing that all God’s children need our love and compassion. 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.

Singing a New Song

Living in the Spirit

August 14, 2020

Scripture Reading: Romans 11:1-2a, 29-32

I ask, then, has God rejected his people? By no means! I myself am an Israelite, a descendant of Abraham, a member of the tribe of Benjamin. God has not rejected his people whom he foreknew. Do you not know what the scripture says of Elijah, how he pleads with God against Israel? for the gifts and the calling of God are irrevocable. Just as you were once disobedient to God but have now received mercy because of their disobedience, so they have now been disobedient in order that, by the mercy shown to you, they too may now receive mercy. For God has imprisoned all in disobedience so that he may be merciful to all.

In her later years, my mother went to the early service at her church because it was the “traditional” service. She still said to me once that she liked the new songs, but she did wish that they would sing some of the old songs occasionally. I went to a memorial service at my church yesterday, where the congregation was led in singing The Little Brown Church in the Vale. It was one of my favorite songs as a child, and I doubt that I have heard it since my childhood. The song is more sentimental than theological. I googled it and discovered it had a verse I do not remember ever singing, and we did not sing that verse at the service, but I think it was meant to be consoling comfort for her family and friends.

There, close by the church in the valley
Lies one that I loved so well
She sleeps, sweetly sleeps, ‘neath the willow
Disturb not her rest in the vale

Progress in faith is as vital as it is in all aspects of life. We do need to work toward growing in wisdom and truth. Paul talks about maturing, like children. I fed you with milk, not solid food, for you were not ready for solid food. Even now you are still not ready, (1 Corinthians 3.2) Paul, in the scripture above, assures the descendants of Abraham that God has not rejected them. If we review all of chapter 11, we learn that Paul is making a case for the inclusion of Gentiles in the faith just as they are. Remember that Christ’s followers, during Paul’s ministry, were another sect of the Jewish religion. I cannot imagine the challenge of dealing with the life, death, and resurrection of Jesus had on dedicated members of the Jewish faith, much less expecting them to accept people they basically considered unclean.

Who do we identify in our world today as unclean, although we would never use that word to describe them? How much of that do we justify by our faith? I, too, love to sing the old songs, but now is a time to learn a new song, of love and acceptance of all of God’s people.

O sing to the Lord a new song;
   sing to the Lord, all the earth. Psalm 96:1

Prayer: Lord, help us all lift every voice and sing* in support of justice and mercy for all as we grow in the wisdom and truth of your love. Amen.

*From Lift Every Voice and Sing by J. Rosamond Johnson anf James Johnson

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.

God’s Vision of the World

Living in the Spirit

August 13, 2020

Scripture Reading:
Psalm 67
May God be gracious to us and bless us
   and make his face to shine upon us,
          Selah
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.
          Selah
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.

The Hebrew word, mishor, translated equity in the above scripture is anchored in the idea of a level place, uprightness. I like the phrase all things considered in thinking about equity. We judge children using equity. The Child Development Center at my church has a series of outcomes for each age group that measures if a child is on track within the expected range for various developmental skills. Teachers will pay attention to these measures as they direct play and other learning opportunities. While I was never in childcare, I have no doubt my mother worked on my eye/hand coordination and my bet is it still ranks in the lower percentile of normal to this day. I, however, cannot remember being unable to read and comprehend, and much was expected of me in those areas as a student.

God knows each of us better than anyone, even ourselves. God knows what talents and skills we were endowed with at our creation and knows whether we are developing and using them to their highest level. We have a responsibility to test ourselves, try new things, and become fully the person God created us to be. Beyond that, though, we are called to assure that every one of God’s children can do the same. That is not happening in our world today, and we as a world, nation, state, city, and neighborhood are poorer in all aspects of life for it. The Kingdom of God will not flourish until all of God’s children are enabled to contribute their worth.

Such empowerment begins with

  • quality prenatal and ongoing health care;
  • adequate food, clothing, and shelter;
  • quality educations targeted toward enhancing each child’s talents and skills;
  • development of an economy that puts people first; and
  • enrichment of values centered in loving God and loving our neighbors as we love ourselves.

Such empowerment flows through all aspects of societies, from our health care system to governments to faith-based communities. God’s values can thrive in differing forms of governments and faith-based entities if we share God’s vision of the world.

Prayer: Parent of all People, bless us with your insight in seeing what kind of a society we can be if we start with loving ourselves and all others. Amen.

*https://biblehub.com/hebrew/4334.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.

Overcoming Evil with Love

Living in the Spirit

August 8, 2020

Scripture Reading: Matthew 14:22-33
Immediately he made the disciples get into the boat and go on ahead to the other side, while he dismissed the crowds. And after he had dismissed the crowds, he went up the mountain by himself to pray. When evening came, he was there alone, but by this time the boat, battered by the waves, was far from the land, for the wind was against them. And early in the morning he came walking towards them on the lake. But when the disciples saw him walking on the lake, they were terrified, saying, ‘It is a ghost!’ And they cried out in fear. But immediately Jesus spoke to them and said, ‘Take heart, it is I; do not be afraid.’

Peter answered him, ‘Lord, if it is you, command me to come to you on the water.’ He said, ‘Come.’ So Peter got out of the boat, started walking on the water, and came towards Jesus. But when he noticed the strong wind, he became frightened, and beginning to sink, he cried out, ‘Lord, save me!’ Jesus immediately reached out his hand and caught him, saying to him, ‘You of little faith, why did you doubt?’ When they got into the boat, the wind ceased. And those in the boat worshipped him, saying, ‘Truly you are the Son of God.’

My hope, my prayer, is that I do not read something into scripture that is not there. That said, when I read the scripture above today, I could not help wondering if the “wind” translation used here is the same as the “wind” that can also be translated as breath or spirit. I am not a Greek scholar and thus am dependent on what I consider to be a good source, Strong’s Concordance. I was surprised in a totally different way when I read the following definition of the Greek word translated as wind in this scripture:

417 ánemos – properly, a gust of air (wind); (figuratively) something with gusting, storm-like force, like someone bent in a particular direction–applied to empty doctrines*

In my part of the world, the word “windy” can describe one who tells tall tales. Most of that is done with a sense of fun. Being blown around by empty doctrines is a much more severe situation. I feel blown about by empty doctrines every time I listen to the news or read the paper. My sense is that others think the same thing when they hear what is coming out of my mouth. We are all asking the question, how those others, how can they possibly believe something like they are supporting? We are all being tossed about by evil winds seeking to destroy our faith by bending us all in the particular direction of its empty doctrines.

Peter wanted some proof that the apparition he was seeing was indeed Jesus. He stepped out with great courage and walked a few steps but became aware of the mighty winds blowing about him and began to sink. Jesus caught him and saved him.

We do not need to get caught up in the whirlwind of evil that is storming through our world. We need to recognize it for its emptiness. In my experience, evil increases when it sees the threat of love overtaking it. We need to increase our love for one another to overcome evil.

Now we know that you know all things, and do not need to have anyone question you; by this we believe that you came from God.’ Jesus answered them, ‘Do you now believe? The hour is coming, indeed it has come, when you will be scattered, each one to his home, and you will leave me alone. Yet I am not alone because the Father is with me. I have said this to you, so that in me you may have peace. In the world you face persecution. But take courage; I have conquered the world!’ John 16:30-33

Prayer: Lover of our souls, help us love one another as we plumb more deeply into understanding our differences and build on our common ground. Amen.

*https://biblehub.com/greek/417.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.

Salvation is a Beginning

Living in the Spirit

August 7, 2020

Scripture Reading: Romans 10:5-15

But what does it say?
‘The word is near you,
   on your lips and in your heart’

(that is, the word of faith that we proclaim); because if you confess with your lips that Jesus is Lord and believe in your heart that God raised him from the dead, you will be saved. For one believes with the heart and so is justified, and one confesses with the mouth and so is saved. The scripture says, ‘No one who believes in him will be put to shame.’ For there is no distinction between Jew and Greek; the same Lord is Lord of all and is generous to all who call on him. For, ‘Everyone who calls on the name of the Lord shall be saved.’

But how are they to call on one in whom they have not believed? And how are they to believe in one of whom they have never heard? And how are they to hear without someone to proclaim him? And how are they to proclaim him unless they are sent? As it is written, ‘How beautiful are the feet of those who bring good news!’’ –Romans 10: 8-15

Accepting Jesus as Lord is not a final act, it marks the beginning of a new life in service to God. Accepting Jesus as Lord does not immediately result in perfection but institutes our journey toward Christ’s wisdom and truth.  Accepting Jesus as Lord casts out exclusion and demands the inclusion of all of God’s children as all are created in God’s image.

Think about a person in your history that routinely drove you to distraction. The one you moved across to the other side of the room in avoidance when they entered. This is the one you must love. Consider what in your life caused you to shun them. Consider what in their being created the behavior you want to avoid as you learn to love them. As people of God, we must consider what made us the way we are and compare that to the way God calls us to be allowing God to create in us clean hearts and right spirits*, as we work together to build the Kingdom of God. These are the ones with whom we must seek common ground for the Common Good.

Prayer: Lord, our world in chaos and needs the power of your love to save it. Let your love flow through us as we strive to love like you. Amen.

*See Psalm 51:10

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.

What is the Kingdom of Heaven Like?

Living in the Spirit

July 26, 2020

Scripture Reading: Matthew 13:31-33, 44-52

He put before them another parable: ‘The kingdom of heaven is like a mustard seed that someone took and sowed in his field; it is the smallest of all the seeds, but when it has grown it is the greatest of shrubs and becomes a tree, so that the birds of the air come and make nests in its branches.’

He told them another parable: ‘The kingdom of heaven is like yeast that a woman took and mixed in with three measures of flour until all of it was leavened.’

‘The kingdom of heaven is like treasure hidden in a field, which someone found and hid; then in his joy he goes and sells all that he has and buys that field.

‘Again, the kingdom of heaven is like a merchant in search of fine pearls; on finding one pearl of great value, he went and sold all that he had and bought it.

‘Again, the kingdom of heaven is like a net that was thrown into the sea and caught fish of every kind; when it was full, they drew it ashore, sat down, and put the good into baskets but threw out the bad. So it will be at the end of the age. The angels will come out and separate the evil from the righteous and throw them into the furnace of fire, where there will be weeping and gnashing of teeth.

‘Have you understood all this?’ They answered, ‘Yes.’ And he said to them, ‘Therefore every scribe who has been trained for the kingdom of heaven is like the master of a household who brings out of his treasure what is new and what is old.’

The Kingdom of Heaven:

  • Provides a home for every kind of bird.
  • Is more valuable than any treasure we otherwise might invest our time and energy to gain, including beautiful jewels.
  • Is diverse and inclusive with God’s angels, not us, as the judges in the final analysis.

We are called to be those scribes trained to yield a world using God’s design encompassing the richness of the past acts of God, and the newness of innovation as the Spirit leads us. We are to tend our fields growing wholeness, oneness, and justice and discovering and enabling the hidden treasures within ourselves and all our neighbors. I believe God would be overjoyed at the end of the age if God’s angels went forth to separate the evil from the righteous and found nothing to throw away because we had done our job well.  

Prayer: Lord, enable us as scribes trained to do our part in building the Kingdom of Heaven. 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.

Hope that is Seen

Living in the Spirit

July 18, 2020

Scripture Reading: Romans 8:12-25

I consider that the sufferings of this present time are not worth comparing with the glory about to be revealed to us. For the creation waits with eager longing for the revealing of the children of God; for the creation was subjected to futility, not of its own will but by the will of the one who subjected it, in hope that the creation itself will be set free from its bondage to decay and will obtain the freedom of the glory of the children of God. We know that the whole creation has been groaning in labour pains until now; and not only the creation, but we ourselves, who have the first fruits of the Spirit, groan inwardly while we wait for adoption, the redemption of our bodies. For in hope we were saved. Now hope that is seen is not hope. For who hopes for what is seen? But if we hope for what we do not see, we wait for it with patience. –Romans 8:18-25

Hope that is seen is not hope. Is hope not seen being out of touch with reality? I do not know how many times I have seen the illustration of face masks worn and not worn and the percentage chance of someone getting Covid-19 based on whether a person wears a masked and all other people wear a  mask. I have heard from a few people that they think masks are hot and uncomfortable. These people wear them as rarely as possible. The complaint that seems out of touch with reality to me is the person who says, “You cannot tell me what to do.” We see the numbers of people getting COVID-19, and the number dying from it that is painfully real and all the hoping in the world will not change that unless we change our behavior.

Hope means to cherish a desire with expectation*. Our NBA team members are hoping to win the playoff, but they are first hoping to get to play toward winning the playoffs. In the first instance, they work every day, keeping their bodies in shape, developing new skills, and honing old ones. In the second instance, they are quarantined to avoid getting COVID-19, wear masks, wash their hands, and even practice basketball while social distancing. Hope is the opposite of giving up. Hope is the catalyst for doing the hard work to change that which needs to be changed or attain that which creates a better world.

Prayer: Lord, enrich our hope to drive us to heal the world not only of a virulent virus but also of apathy and selfishness. Amen.

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

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.

Nurturing Love

Living in the Spirit

July 11, 2020

Scripture Reading: Matthew 13:1-9, 18-23

That same day Jesus went out of the house and sat beside the lake. Such great crowds gathered around him that he got into a boat and sat there, while the whole crowd stood on the beach. And he told them many things in parables, saying: ‘Listen! A sower went out to sow. And as he sowed, some seeds fell on the path, and the birds came and ate them up. Other seeds fell on rocky ground, where they did not have much soil, and they sprang up quickly, since they had no depth of soil. But when the sun rose, they were scorched; and since they had no root, they withered away. Other seeds fell among thorns, and the thorns grew up and choked them. Other seeds fell on good soil and brought forth grain, some a hundredfold, some sixty, some thirty. Let anyone with ears listen!’ –Matthew 13:1-9

The first thing we must note from this scripture is that no farmer would just toss good seed around and let it land where it lands and expect to reap a bumper crop. A seed is valuable, not something to waste. One seed planted in good soil and cared for correctly can reproduce itself many times over.

Jesus came into a world composed of a mixed bag of people some rich some poor, some healthy some sick, some old and some young, some wise and some foolish. Yet he readily shared God’s love and vision for a better world with all he encountered. Why? I think it is because Jesus understood that all people are made in the image of God, and thus all people have the potential to be a productive, contributing part of the Kingdom God desires for all. We are now called to see that potential and nurture it in ourselves and all others.

Some time back, I saw a story on the news about a prison that started a program with prisoners serving sentences of life without parole. The prison brought in rescued dogs, probably targeted for euthanasia, and taught the prisoners how to train them to be service dogs. The prisoners were incredibly good at the task, enjoyed being outside in the prison yard in the sunshine. Some of them experienced, for the first time, unconditional love at which dogs are excellent. The prisoners also passed on unconditional love by providing a service dog for a stranger enabling them to participate more fully in life.

Prayer: During these times of trial, help us to look for the image of God in each person we encounter and God, help us to be a source of nurture to 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.