Tag Archives: Oneness

Family of God

Lent
March 18, 2017

Scripture Reading: John 4:5-42

A Samaritan woman came to draw water, and Jesus said to her, ‘Give me a drink’. (His disciples had gone to the city to buy food.) The Samaritan woman said to him, ‘How is it that you, a Jew, ask a drink of me, a woman of Samaria?’ (Jews do not share things in common with Samaritans.) Jesus answered her, ‘If you knew the gift of God, and who it is that is saying to you, “Give me a drink”, you would have asked him, and he would have given you living water.’ The woman said to him, ‘Sir, you have no bucket, and the well is deep. Where do you get that living water? Are you greater than our ancestor Jacob, who gave us the well, and with his sons and his flocks drank from it?’ Jesus said to her, ‘Everyone who drinks of this water will be thirsty again, but those who drink of the water that I will give them will never be thirsty. The water that I will give will become in them a spring of water gushing up to eternal life.’ The woman said to him, ‘Sir, give me this water, so that I may never be thirsty or have to keep coming here to draw water.’ –John 4:7-15

My mother was interested in genealogy and I inherited some of that interest. In graduate school, I reported to my field placement and was introduced around the office on my first day. I soon met a woman whose last name was the same as my maternal grandmother’s maiden name. As I greeted her I mentioned that fact to which she replied, “Oh, I must tell my husband he is really into genealogy.” I told her my mother did genealogy also and we soon had them corresponding with each other. They were cousins several times removed.

The Samaritan’s residing on what is now called the West Bank were similarly distant cousins of the Jews who returned from Babylon. The Samaritans were not among the ones taken into slavery. While they shared the ancestral faith-link passed down through the children of Jacob, their styles of worship and understandings of God differed from those of their distant cousins who returned from Babylon to the homeland. I am sure they both thought theirs was the right truth. Their relationship was strained to say the least.  Jews do not share things in common with Samaritans.

Jesus’ talking to an unknown woman was taboo as was conversing with a Samaritan. It is hard to break away from such long-held attitudes and perceptions. In the United States differences are subtler, but they run deep under the surface of our exterior communications. Nevertheless, all humans are cousins to some degree. Hard to imagine, isn’t it? The relatively new technique of analyzing DNA to identify heredity patterns causes us to realize how interrelated we all are. Since we were young children we have heard the story of Adam and Eve, and have taken seriously the events that led to the beginning of sin. We may not pay enough attention to the implications of the story that we are all kin.

Prayer: Creator of all, help us to see your image in each of our fellow humans. Let your presence heal the breaches that may have formed over time so that we can learn to live together as your family. 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.

World Ruled by Love

Lent
March 12, 2017

Scripture Reading: John 3:1-17

‘For God so loved the world that he gave his only Son, so that everyone who believes in him may not perish but may have eternal life.

‘Indeed, God did not send the Son into the world to condemn the world, but in order that the world might be saved through him. –John 3:16-17

John 3:16 was probably the first verse I memorized. We did a lot of memorization when I was a child. Of course, my memory work was from the King James version of the Bible. To this day, I have trouble reading the 23rd Psalm from another version stumbling over what seem to be misplaced words. I grew up in the heyday of individual salvation, the need to publicly profess my belief in Jesus as the Christ the son of God and win other souls to Christ. I readily accepted him as my personal savior following the example of my parents, siblings, and neighbors. I meant it then and still believe in the constancy of God’s love as manifested in Jesus Christ. I was schooled in a tradition that recognized that accepting God’s love and returning it should be professed not only in words but by deeds. What Paul refers to as works. It was not until adulthood that I began to understand that Christ had a much broader vision for his work. Funny, it is right there in the next verse. ‘Indeed, God did not send the Son into the world to condemn the world, but in order that the world might be saved through him. Or as Russell Westbrook says, it really does not matter to me how many triple doubles I get, what matters is winning the game. It takes a whole team to win a game and it takes a whole team to foster love throughout the world.

While there is nothing more valuable to me than my personal relationship with God through Jesus Christ, it is as important that you and I are part of the team Jesus started building with the first disciples and continues to develop toward the creation of the Kingdom of God in our world today. I believe that Kingdom has two primary objectives, to Love God and to love our neighbors as we love ourselves including those who were once strangers that we accept as our neighbors. Eternity began with Jesus Christ.

Prayer: thank you Lord for your saving love that made us whole and continues to return us to wholeness when we forget to love ourselves as you love us. We accept your challenge to build a world based on love and ask your guidance in making it a reality. 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.

Finding Common Cause

Lent
March 13, 2017

Scripture Reading: Exodus 17:1-7

From the wilderness of Sin the whole congregation of the Israelites journeyed by stages, as the Lord commanded. They camped at Rephidim, but there was no water for the people to drink. The people quarreled with Moses, and said, ‘Give us water to drink.’ Moses said to them, ‘Why do you quarrel with me? Why do you test the Lord?’ But the people thirsted there for water; and the people complained against Moses and said, ‘Why did you bring us out of Egypt, to kill us and our children and livestock with thirst?’
–Exodus 17:1-3

What is it about people that we want what we want when we want it but often take no responsibility for making it happen? Not having water to drink is serious. Death occurs within days with continuous lack of water or water equivalent. Fear can cause people to become quarrelsome in times of peril. A long history of oppression, like the Israelites experienced in slavery under Egypt, discourages self-determination. I wonder how many of the Israelites left Egypt simply because everyone else was doing it? Not having a clear purpose stifles initiative.

The challenge with working with a group of people of differing ages, personalities, or goals in life is helping them find the common cause from which they can build a better reality. This is exactly what every church faces as it strives to do its part in being the Body of Christ in the world today. The problems differ if the group is well known to each other or very new to each other and the church is generally coordinated both circumstances.

It goes against human nature but it is always easier to deal with issues when they arise rather than letting them fester and grow. Moses addressed discord quickly in our scripture today. Introducing new ideas calls on creative skills. Most important of all is assuring that people buy-in to the mission and vision of the group. Practicing good listening skills helps too.

Practical stuff, people in business deal with every day, can more easily be determined when profit margin is the primary target of a for-profit entity. What is the primary target or focus of the church or a congregation?

Prayer: Lord, what are you calling us to do or be? Help us to become one in our mission in service to you. Help us find our niche. 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.

Free to Love

Lent
March 11, 2017

Scripture Reading: John 3:1-17

Nicodemus said to him, ‘How can anyone be born after having grown old? Can one enter a second time into the mother’s womb and be born?’ Jesus answered, ‘Very truly, I tell you, no one can enter the kingdom of God without being born of water and Spirit. What is born of the flesh is flesh, and what is born of the Spirit is spirit. Do not be astonished that I said to you, “You must be born from above.” –John 3:16-17.

I received one of those Facebook faith testing messages today that was a simple yes or no question with a big check box next to a big YES and a big check box next to a big NO. The question was “Do you believe in prayer at school?” Now I think I know where the message creator was coming from and I am pretty sure it was not the same place from whence I start. Paul advises us in 1 Thessalonians 5:16-18 to pray without ceasing. So, it follows that if one attends school one would pray at school. Jesus admonishes us in Matthew 6:6 when we pray to do it in secret. My answer to the faith testing question would be Yes, we should pray at school and anywhere else we may find ourselves and our prayers in such instances should be between God and us.

I believe with all my heart that God wants us to love God by our free choice. Jesus never forced himself on anyone. With most people, he met along the way he opened the conversation with a question or two. What do you want? What do you need? Asking how can I love you? The scripture quote above is from the conversation Jesus had with Nicodemus. We are given the free choice to follow the guidance of the Spirit or not. It makes sense to elicit the support of people who understand your vision and are excited about helping to implement it. Jesus welcomed all to join him in his quest to transform the world into the Kingdom of God through love not violence or oppression or force.

Prayer:
Lord, make me an instrument of thy peace.
Where there is hatred, let me sow love;
Where there is injury, pardon;
Where there is doubt, faith;
Where there is despair, hope;
Where there is darkness, light;
Where there is sadness, joy. 

O Divine Master,
Grant that I may not so much seek
To be consoled as to console;
To be understood, as to understand;
To be loved, as to love. 

For it is in giving that we receive;
It is in pardoning, that we are pardoned;
It is in dying that we are born to eternal life*. Amen

*Prayer of St. Francis of Assisi

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.

Faith and Works

Lent
March 10, 2017

Scripture Reading: Romans 4:1-5, 13-17

For the promise that he would inherit the world did not come to Abraham or to his descendants through the law but through the righteousness of faith. If it is the adherents of the law who are to be the heirs, faith is null and the promise is void. For the law brings wrath; but where there is no law, neither is there violation. –Romans 4:13-15

In their book The First Paul, Borg and Crossan indicate it is not possible to have faith without works. It is possible to have works without faith. Why do we do what we do? The answer to the question matters. The what-is-in-it-for-me discourse requires the establishment of some sort of tit for tat arrangement.  God’s call to love our neighbors reflects gifts freely received and freely given.

I once thought our public welfare programs largely served to stifle anarchy. While they were begun During the Great Depression, they were expanded following the riots occurring primarily in inner-cities throughout the country during the 1960’s. Some of the initial programs were very good, designed to help disadvantaged even oppressed citizens move from poverty to self-sufficiency. The War on Poverty quickly turned into structures to prohibit fraud, waste, and abuse. I use to note at the time we fought a war in Vietnam that was never declared and the War on Poverty that was declared but never fought. Both demanded great works neither was necessarily graced by faith.

The history of God is one that welcomes free expression of our love for God. Would you want to be loved by someone forced to love you? Is that even possible? God wants us to love God and out of the abundance of that shared love work toward a world where all know love.

Prayer: Lord we have willing hands and feet to help you in any way we can to make your Kingdom a reality for all your children. Show us the way. Amen.

*The First Paul by Marcus J. Borg and John Dominic Crossan. Harper One, 2009.

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.

Faith Reckoned as Righteousness

Lent
March 9, 2017

Scripture Reading: Romans 4:1-5, 13-17

What then are we to say was gained by Abraham, our ancestor according to the flesh? For if Abraham was justified by works, he has something to boast about, but not before God. For what does the scripture say? ‘Abraham believed God, and it was reckoned to him as righteousness.’ Now to one who works, wages are not reckoned as a gift but as something due. But to one who without works trusts him who justifies the ungodly, such faith is reckoned as righteousness. –Romans 4:1-5

“Daddy, Daddy look what I did! I tied my shoes today all by myself. Watch see how I can do it!” This young girl is on the road to becoming fully the person God created her to be. God expects that of all of us and it has nothing whatsoever to do with earning God’s love. In our “what’s in it for me” world that is a little hard to understand.

Doing something because it is simply the right thing to do seems to be in short supply today. At times, it appears some feel they have a license to do whatever evil crosses their minds. I am sure most of us experience a flash of anger, perhaps based on fear, when someone cuts us off while driving but we do not chase them down and kill them for it. On the other hand, many are blessed while having a bad day by a saint who simply holds a door for us or picks up a package we have dropped. There is a bit of righteousness in both not responding in kind or worse to evil and in developing the art of kindness in everything we do.

There is a story of hell and heaven, The Allegory of the Long Spoons, where a person is given a tour of both. In hell, he sees people starving while setting before a banquet table full of food. The problem was their spoons were too long for them to bring the food to their mouths. In heaven, he sees the same scene where all are well fed. Using the same sized spoons, each person feeds the neighbor across from him or her.

God’s grace is not only a gift for all God’s children, it is a model for our way of being.

Prayer: Lord, thank you for the gift of your grace. Infuse us with your love so that we can be graceful toward others. Amen.

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

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.

Love Caste Out All Fear

Lent
March 3, 2017

Scripture Reading: Romans 5:12-19

Therefore just as one man’s trespass led to condemnation for all, so one man’s act of righteousness leads to justification and life for all. For just as by the one man’s disobedience the many were made sinners, so by the one man’s obedience the many will be made righteous. –Romans 5:18-19

What does it mean to be made righteous? Strong’s Concordance defines the Greek word translated as righteous in our scripture above as just in the eyes of God—describes what is in conformity to God’s own being*. A word we use to foster comfort in personal salvation, grace, seems to be tied to our relationships with others. Can justice exist outside of community?

Laws exist to standardize structures and processes related to human interaction. The rightness or justness of laws is based on the impartial facts of a given situation which demonstrates whether the issue is fair; whether it possesses the qualities of equity—a free and reasonable conformity to accepted standards of natural right, law, and justice without prejudice, favoritism, or fraud and without rigor entailing undue hardship:  justice according to natural law or right**. Jesus said he did not come to abolish the law but to fulfill it. (Matthew 5:17) When we practice his way of being based on loving God and loving others the law is fulfilled because the very nature of love results in justice.

The law became brittle in various times in the history of God including in first century Galilee and Judea. Hardened and no longer malleable to the world’s growth and progress, the law became a path to self-righteousness for some and a stumbling block for others in search of God. Jesus reset the paradigm placing rules in their proper order joined with the imperative of always living one’s love.

Fear is often the cause of the breakdown in the connection between rules and love. Fear of change is often the culprit. To be honest, it is probably easier to follow a whole book full of rules than engage with other humans toward living together in harmony. This is particularly true when we or our group believe we have the only correct interpretation of the rules. 1 John 4:18 assures us, There is no fear in love, but perfect love casts out fear; for fear has to do with punishment, and whoever fears has not reached perfection in love.

Prayer: God of Justice who is Love, calm our fears, embolden our love so that your justice may rule our lives. Amen.

*http://biblehub.com/greek/1342.htm

**http://unabridged.merriam-webster.com/unabridged/equity

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.

Mentors

Epiphany
February 10, 2017

Scripture Reading: 1 Corinthians 3:1-9

What then is Apollos? What is Paul? Servants through whom you came to believe, as the Lord assigned to each. I planted, Apollos watered, but God gave the growth. So neither the one who plants nor the one who waters is anything, but only God who gives the growth. The one who plants and the one who waters have a common purpose, and each will receive wages according to the labor of each. For we are God’s servants, working together; you are God’s field, God’s building. –1 Corinthians 3:5-9

I find word usage interesting and, thus, on reading What then is Apollos? What is Paul? I was curious about the word translated “What” rather than “Who”. Is the translation important to the understanding of the text? This quote is from the New Revised Standard Version. Other more recent translations consistently use “What”; the King James translation uses “Who”. It makes a difference because “what” describes perhaps a role a person holds; “who” refers to the person. Strong’s Concordance indicates the Greek word tis could mean who, which, what, why*. This information gave me a greater appreciation of translators and made me very glad I was not one. Knowing that I am swimming dangerously in unknown waters, I think that the use of “What” is intended to connote the role of spokesperson, preacher, perhaps apostle.

It is the season for drafting various high school students into college athletic programs. In such instances while we are watching wonderful players on good teams working hard to get to championships, their replacements are already being identified and groomed. Jesus invested much time in grooming his followers together to become his Body carrying out his mission. While our responsibilities in fulfilling our “what” callings are important, it is just as important that we groom and mentor our replacements. We are each uniquely and wonderfully made, which means there will never be another you or me, making our contributions critical; and there will always be another her or him to carry on the work of a loving God.

Prayer: Loving God, make us each good role models and mentors, teachers and facilitators for those who strive with us and will follow us in your service. Amen.

*http://biblehub.com/greek/5101.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.

Wellsprings of Hope

Epiphany
February 9, 2017

Scripture Reading: 1 Corinthians 3:1-9

And so, brothers and sisters, I could not speak to you as spiritual people, but rather as people of the flesh, as infants in Christ. I fed you with milk, not solid food, for you were not ready for solid food. Even now you are still not ready, for you are still of the flesh. For as long as there is jealousy and quarreling among you, are you not of the flesh, and behaving according to human inclinations? For when one says, ‘I belong to Paul’, and another, ‘I belong to Apollos’, are you not merely human? –1 Corinthians 3:1-4

Because Abraham Lincoln quoted the phrase “a house divided against itself cannot stand”, many think it originated with him. Jesus initiated the saying as reported in both Matthew 12:22-28 and Mark 3:24. I am glad that President Lincoln used it as philosophical glue to hold our country together during the Civil War. I fear politicians today thrive on division. Paul realized the harm in taking sides, one follower of Christ against another, and strongly urged the new communities of faith to avoid such behavior. I firmly believed that God created diversity because no individual or single group has all the answers to life’s challenges. We all must work together to make the Kingdom of God reality.

Ruby Payne* in her work addressing poverty, particularly as it impacts education, points out that people at various income levels have markedly differing life views. I was surprised when I took the tests included in her work to realize I knew little if anything about surviving in poverty (even though I had worked with poverty programs for years at the time) and knew even less about being wealthy. I scored well on being middle class.

Robert Kennedy, raised in wealth, advocated eloquently for the poor. How did he gain the insights needed to champion the cause of the poor? He dwelt among them. He traveled through the worst impoverished areas in the USA, played with the children, talked with the parents, and got a gut full of the horrors of malnutrition and hopelessness.

It takes effort, persistence, and patience to work with diverse opinions, but unity, oneness is the only thing that does work.

Prayer: Lord, help us to see the beauty in all your children, make us wellsprings of hope as we work to be one in your love. Amen.

*See A Framework for Understanding Poverty: A Cognitive Approach by Ruby Payne and Bridges Out of Poverty by Ruby Payne and others with information at http://www.ahaprocess.com/solutions/community/

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.

Welcome the Stranger

Epiphany
February 6, 2017

Scripture Reading: Deuteronomy 30:15-20

See, I have set before you today life and prosperity, death and adversity. If you obey the commandments of the Lord your God that I am commanding you today, by loving the Lord your God, walking in his ways, and observing his commandments, decrees, and ordinances, then you shall live and become numerous, and the Lord your God will bless you in the land that you are entering to possess. But if your heart turns away and you do not hear, but are led astray to bow down to other gods and serve them, I declare to you today that you shall perish; you shall not live long in the land that you are crossing the Jordan to enter and possess. –Deuteronomy 30:15-18

Moses is addressing a community as he relays God’s agreement with God’s people. Follow God’s plan and God blesses. Do not follow God’s plan and the community must deal with the consequences. Sometime in the 1800’s our faith was individualized. Personal salvation became the focus of our faith practices. The Bible as a source of the history of God makes our responsibility for each other paramount. While perhaps our activities are driven by our individual relationships with God, we are called to share collectively in concern for one another.

How do we live in community with our diverse neighbors? How do we get to know people with whom we have little in common? With advanced communications and transportation in a few hours, we can be anywhere in the world. Two years ago, I had the chance to tour Turkey. I encountered a wonderfully hospitable people and mourned with them when a bomb recently exploded killing several innocent people in Istanbul. I had walked down the streets I saw in those television reports. The people of Turkey are no longer strangers, they are my neighbors.

We cannot walk the streets of every community in the world. We can focus our love on every community acknowledging our responsibility to love all of God’s children and to recognize that they are people just like us.

Prayer: God grant us the courage to love the stranger until we can recognize that they are really our neighbors. 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.