Tag Archives: Oneness

Leaning on God

wells-of-salvation1Living in the Spirit
November 9, 2016

Scripture Reading: Isaiah 12

With joy you will draw water from the wells of salvation. And you will say on that day:
Give thanks to the Lord,
   call on his name;
make known his deeds among the nations;
   proclaim that his name is exalted. –Isaiah 12:3-4

I spent election day this year watching 2,000+ voters weave their way through two precincts that vote at my church. All age groups, most races, varied religions, identifiable by a Yamaka or a scarf, were represented. Knowing this was a momentous election my church decided to serve coffee and water with some muffins and cookies to make the wait to vote easier. My observation of the participants occurred during the process of filling coffee pots and answering questions. I voted in the early voting so I could be available to do this work. These voters live within a 27-block area running north and south by a ten-block area running east and west. I live in a city. Most of my family live in rural areas lacking the same degree of diversity that is my everyday experience. Those differences it seems, have come to a head in this election.

The rural/urban divergence is just one of the challenges our nation and our churches face in which the nation must address the Common Good; the church must become one in Christ Jesus. When considering the magnitude of these differences, I am left feeling rather hopeless that either of this desired outcomes, Common Good, and oneness, will every become a reality. A simple reading of Isaiah describes in many places exactly what I am feeling now. In our scripture today, Isaiah leans on God’s wellspring of salvation as the very source of the hope I am lacking.

I want with all my heart to be so in sync with God that my being reflects my faith. Often, I get caught in the web of having nowhere else to turn but to God before I lean into God’s salvation. I do thank God for understanding my stubborn bent to be independent, and I thank God for always being my Savior when I finally seek God’s salvation.

Prayer: Give me the courage to lean on you in all ways always. 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 American. Used by permission. All rights reserved.

Wholeness Leads to Oneness

spirits-tetherLiving in the Spirit
November 4, 2016

Scripture Reading: Romans 13:11-14

Besides this, you know what time it is, how it is now the moment for you to wake from sleep. For salvation is nearer to us now than when we became believers; the night is far gone, the day is near. Let us then lay aside the works of darkness and put on the armor of light; let us live honorably as in the day, not in reveling and drunkenness, not in debauchery and licentiousness, not in quarreling and jealousy. Instead, put on the Lord Jesus Christ, and make no provision for the flesh, to gratify its desires.

Several years ago, high school students from around the states were invited to a huge gathering at our local civic center to hear some outstanding speakers regarding drug and alcohol abuse maybe; I cannot remember the topic. This event was inadvertently scheduled on the same day as the statewide college entrance tests. Most of the leaders or student role models did not attend the meeting opting to take the college entrance tests. The meeting was a catastrophe. The program sponsors lost control of the crowd very early.

We, as followers of Christ, choose to be the standard bearers for a way of life with a foundation of love and justice for all. Over the past forty or so years, our unity has been eaten away by one wedge issue after another. As we fight over who possesses the correct truth, we move further and further away from fulfilling our calling.

If we do nothing else following this election, we must reclaim our moral center defined by loving one another, all one another’s. We must recognize that bigotry is underdeveloped wholeness in our spiritual growth as individuals and as the church. We must delve more deeply into understanding what Jesus meant in John 10:10, the whole verse not just the second half, The thief comes only to steal and kill and destroy. I came that they may have life, and have it abundantly. And we must understand deep in our souls that the abundant life is for all and we are commissioned to work toward that reality.

Prayer: Lord, standing on the precipice of your vision is scary. Draw us in the Spirit’s tether for when humbly in your name, two or three are met together you are in the midst of them*. Let our meetings be filled with your presence. Amen.

*From Draw Us in the Spirit’s Tether, page 392, Chalice Hymnal, Chalice Press, St. Louis, Missouri, 1995.

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 American. Used by permission. All rights 
reserved.

Finding Common Ground

canstockphoto31224374Living in the Spirit
November 3, 2016

Scripture Reading: Romans 13:11-14

Besides this, you know what time it is, how it is now the moment for you to wake from sleep. For salvation is nearer to us now than when we became believers; the night is far gone, the day is near. Let us then lay aside the works of darkness and put on the armor of light; let us live honorably as in the day, not in reveling and drunkenness, not in debauchery and licentiousness, not in quarreling and jealousy. Instead, put on the Lord Jesus Christ, and make no provision for the flesh, to gratify its desires.

 When I left for college many years ago, a dear mentor of mine slipped me the words of this hymn to carry me through a time of transition.

In times like these, we need a Savior
In times like these, we need an anchor
Be very sure, be very sure
Your anchor holds and grips the Solid Rock 

This Rock is Jesus, Yes, He’s the one
This Rock is Jesus, The only One
Be very sure, be very sure
Your anchor holds and grips the Solid Rock*

In all the messiness of this election year, I keep thinking we are on the cusp of taking a major step toward the realization of the Kingdom of God. This seems a little crazy even to me. The Body of Christ is so divided right now; we can all sing the same song, expecting markedly differing outcomes. The question with which we must struggle today and especially on November 9 is how do we lay aside the works of darkness and put on the armor of light when our definitions of darkness and light are so different?

We need to explore in depth the way of Jesus. We need to understand his vision of justice and how he sees it playing out in real time. We need to empty ourselves of all that holds us back from living in God’s radical love as manifested in Jesus Christ. And we need to find the pieces of God’s vision on which we can all agree and work on those together until we experience true oneness that will open wider the window of opportunity to God’s way.

Prayer: Lord, help us find the acorn of justice in which we can all share and make it the ointment that heals our collective souls. Amen.

*Selections from the hymn In Times Like These by Ruth Caye Jones http://www.allthelyrics.com/lyrics/ruth_cye_jones/in_times_like_these-lyrics-914155.html#ixzz4Orcmi2yl

 

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 American. Used by permission. All rights 
reserved.

In God’s Presence

school-on-the-prarieLiving in the Spirit
November 2, 2016

Scripture Reading: Psalm 122

I was glad when they said to me,
‘Let us go to the house of the Lord!’

Pray for the peace of Jerusalem:
‘May they prosper who love you.
Peace be within your walls,
and security within your towers.’
For the sake of my relatives and friends
I will say, ‘Peace be within you.’
For the sake of the house of the Lord our God,
I will seek your good. –Psalm 122:1, 6-9

Peace begins with entering the presence of God and endures with living in God’s presence. The Homestead Act as applied in Oklahoma allotted land based on who could get to it first and claim the stake that described the parcel. The plots were established in 160-acre lots of four to form a square mile. Every three miles a corner of one of the lots was set aside designated for a public school. My dad attended the school at the edge of my grandmother’s farm. He had a short walk. These buildings were also often used as churches on Sunday. While the school had long ago consolidated into a larger district, the building was my first church. I was very young, the church closed when I was five, and I still have fond memories of it. One stands out. Bible school held every summer was the highlight of my life. When we arrived in good weather, we played on the lawn until a hand bell rung and then we lined up with the youngest first and marched into the building singing I was Glad when the Said Unto Me Let Us Go into the House of the Lord. Even as a preschooler those words centered me in the love of God and they still do today.

The verse is a fitting introduction to a scripture encouraging us to pray for peace. With all the hubbub of the election, we sometimes lose sight of whose we are. Robert Browning may have said it best God’s in His heaven—All’s right with the world!* I prefer Jesus’ words at John 16:33, 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!’

Prayer: Lord, hold us in your peace as we go about doing your bidding to become one. Amen.

*From the poem Pippa’s Song by Robert Browning see at http://www.potw.org/archive/potw48.html

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 American. Used by permission. All rights 
reserved.

Do Not Fear

rock-that-is-higher-than-iLiving in the Spirit
October 31, 2016

Scripture Reading: Haggai 2:1-9

Who is left among you that saw this house in its former glory? How does it look to you now? Is it not in your sight as nothing? Yet now take courage, O Zerubbabel, says the Lord; take courage, O Joshua, son of Jehozadak, the high priest; take courage, all you people of the land, says the Lord; work, for I am with you, says the Lord of hosts, according to the promise that I made you when you came out of Egypt. My spirit abides among you; do not fear. –Haggai 2:3-5

Democracy is messy. Trying to negotiate agreement on best practices is difficult. Change is hard. We live in a challenging world, and as members of that world, we choose to function within a system of governance that requires our full participation. It gets uglier at some times than at other. In history, we read of the scandals of Tammany Hall in the 1780’s recurring in the 1920’s and muckraking of the 1890’s. Not having experienced them, they are not as real to us as the current political situations. They were probably just as bad.

The week before the general election in the USA is a good time to be reminded that we serve an awesome God who abides among us. God created this earth out of chaos and can surely rescue us from our self-created calamity if we abide in God. Being in a relationship with God does require self-introspection. Some, perhaps much, of our fretting and fears comes from our clinging to things of this world that have little or no relevance in God’s Kingdom. Parsing out what is of God and discerning what kind of nation we want to be is important . Not forcing our beliefs on others but letting God’s plan for our lives direct our way of being are reflected in our actions as citizens.

Prayer: Lord, cleanse me of all that inhibits my living your love in all that I do including my role as a citizen of this nation. 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 American. Used by permission. All rights 
reserved.

A Different Perspective

housing_readinessLiving in the Spirit
September 21, 2016

Scripture Reading: Luke 19:1-10

So [Zacchaeus] hurried down and was happy to welcome him. All who saw it began to grumble and said, ‘He has gone to be the guest of one who is a sinner.’ Zacchaeus stood there and said to the Lord, ‘Look, half of my possessions, Lord, I will give to the poor; and if I have defrauded anyone of anything, I will pay back four times as much.’ Then Jesus said to him, ‘Today salvation has come to this house, because he too is a son of Abraham. For the Son of Man came to seek out and to save the lost.’ –Luke 19:6-10

Feeling loved and respected changes a person’s perspective. The way of Jesus depends on that premise. Zacchaeus’ life changed because he felt accepted.

A new way of dealing with the homeless has evolved over the past few years that is making a major positive difference. Called housing first, the program transitions a homeless person from living on the street to having a small apartment or house provisioned with the basics of furniture, dishes, etc. Once in their new home, participants are surrounded by whatever help they might need to become self-sufficient and self-supportive. Many have some untreated mental illness including addictions of all kinds. Others lack basic skills to work. Some have such bad teeth that no one would hire them to work with the public. Others do not have the appropriate clothing for work. This is the Jesus way. Love first followed by help. These programs are amazingly successful compared to previous attempts to reduce homelessness.

It is ironic to think that some who are wealthy and have the world at their command like Zacchaeus are in great need of this love first approach also. We do well to remember that a wealthy slave trader wrote Amazing Grace*.

Amazing grace! How sweet the sound
That saved a wretch like me!
I once was lost, but now am found;
Was blind, but now I see*.

Prayer: Lord, enable us to love first. Amen.

First verse of Amazing Grace, words by John Newton see at http://library.timelesstruths.org/music/Amazing_Grace/

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 American. Used by permission. All rights 
reserved.

Worthy of God’s Call

new-bedford-low-voter-turnout-354x216Living in the Spirit
October 28, 2016

Scripture Reading:
2 Thessalonians 1:1-4; 11-12

To this end we always pray for you, asking that our God will make you worthy of his call and will fulfil by his power every good resolve and work of faith, that the name of our Lord Jesus may be glorified in you, and you in him, according to the grace of our God and the Lord Jesus Christ. –2 Thessalonian 1:11-12

What does it mean to be made worthy of Jesus’ call? The word translated worthy means matching value to actual substance*. The meaning seems to suggest that we are considered valuable to God no matter what. Do our contributions to the development of God’s kingdom amount to the value granted us?

We might illustrate being made worthy by comparing the success of any nation particularly one that claims to be a nation of the people, by the people, and for the people with the actual substance provided by its populace. While we wring our hands and lament the failures of our government, few look in the mirror and try to determine what role we have played in its shortcomings. In the last major election in Oklahoma only 33% of registered voters voted, which does not include those eligible to vote who were not registered. Having a government work productively at meeting its goal to form a more perfect Union, establish Justice, insure domestic Tranquility, provide for the common defence (sic), promote the general Welfare, and secure the Blessings of Liberty to ourselves and our Posterity** requires all its valuable citizens to contribute to its success. It further requires us to figure out how to do that as one nation. At times, it seems we are more dedicated to destroying it.

Think about that same idea in the furtherance of God’s kingdom. God expects all of us to match the value we are to the substance we contribute to God’s vision of loving God and loving our neighbors as we love ourselves. Perhaps rather than trying to force our faith on others through civil law, we should consider modeling inclusion and acceptance of the value of all God’s children in our work for God’s Kingdom as an example of how oneness can work.

Prayer: God of Justice and Mercy, make us worthy of your call. Amen.

*http://biblehub.com/greek/515.htm
**http://constitutionus.com/

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 American. Used by permission. All rights 
reserved.

Living Cloud of Witnesses

befunky_love-like-jesus-bible-quoteLiving in the Spirit
October 27, 2016

Scripture Reading: 2 Thessalonians 1:1-4; 11-12

We must always give thanks to God for you, brothers and sisters, as is right, because your faith is growing abundantly, and the love of every one of you for one another is increasing. Therefore we ourselves boast of you among the churches of God for your steadfastness and faith during all your persecutions and the afflictions that you are enduring. –2 Thessalonians 1:3-4

I sat down with several women from my church recently and said and meant, “What a wonderful crowd of witnesses!” To which one replied, “I’m not dead yet!” I think that rather proved my point as she is obviously a Bible student. The reference was to Hebrews 12:1 referring to all the saints who had died and paved the way for our service today. I think the writer of 2 Thessalonians, using Paul’s standard salutation in our scripture today, would agree that we also should equally praise those actively serving God in real time and that they too are a great crowd of witnesses.

Everyday Christians go about the business of feeding the hungry, clothing the naked, visiting those in prison, helping the sick, and welcoming the stranger as a normal part of their lives. Most Sunday mornings, I see a 90+-year-old man drop a sack of canned goods in the cart at the entrance of our church for distribution at a food closet with whom we partner. Every Thursday volunteers cook and deliver with love mobile meals to 30 or so homebound elderly and disabled people. The school for which we have been providing mittens, gloves, and hats each year let us know they have enough from last year to meet their needs. This year we will be targeting our donations toward gloves and hats for the homeless at a local shelter that we already help with steel-toed boots to enable their participants to work. Join with me in being thankful for these acts of love engrained in these witnesses’ faith DNA.

Prayer: Lord, when we as your followers each do our part in your service, all have an opportunity to experience your abundant life. Thank you for the gift of service. 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 American. Used by permission. All rights 
reserved.

Brutal Honesty

lordtrustLiving in the Spirit
October 26, 2016

Scripture Reading: Psalm 119:137-144 

You are righteous, O Lord,
   and your judgements are right.
You have appointed your decrees in righteousness
   and in all faithfulness.
My zeal consumes me
   because my foes forget your words. –Psalm 119:137-139

The Psalms are brutally honest, putting words to thoughts we probably would deny ever thinking, but there they are in print. A brazen assumption exists in this scripture. The author thinks he remembers God’s words better than the people who are against him remember them. He may well have been right. Ever felt that way? There is much division in our faith world today. Feeling anger at differing interpretations of our common faith is not unusual. Have we ever been like Saul so sure of our theology, which we consider as the theology, we want to persecute others who followed a different understanding only finding out later that we were wrong? I remember some years ago a dear Christian man in my church spoke strongly against admitting women to the diaconate. The measure passed. I was a member of the second class of females elected deacons. Following the first worship in which I served communion, he came to me, took my hand in his, patted the top of that hand with his other hand, and with tears in his eyes said, “I was wrong voting against women being deacons.”

The Psalms record conversations between their writers and God. I believe that is the correct place to be brutally honest. Having opened our hearts to God including any shame-filled thoughts, egotistical bluster, or pain at seeing another who seems to be missing the mark, we are freed by God to make a wiser decision about how to deal with the issue at hand. On those occasions when we are the ones who miss the mark, God will guide us back to his way, when we continue to keep the lines of communication opened to God.

Prayer: God of poets, you have blessed us with examples of one-on-one relationships with you in your gifts of the Psalms. Let the be a guide to our spiritual development. 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 American. Used by permission. All rights 
reserved.

Running toward a Vision

reading-on-the-runLiving in the Spirit
October 25, 2016

Scripture Reading: Habakkuk 1:1-4; 2:1-4

I will stand at my watch-post,
   and station myself on the rampart;
I will keep watch to see what he will say to me,
   and what he will answer concerning my complaint.
Then the Lord answered me and said:
Write the vision;
   make it plain on tablets,
   so that a runner may read it.
For there is still a vision for the appointed time;
   it speaks of the end, and does not lie.
If it seems to tarry, wait for it;
   it will surely come, it will not delay.
Look at the proud!
   Their spirit is not right in them,
   but the righteous live by their faith. –Habakkuk 2:1-4

Physically running is not very often a part of my life with one bum knee and the other stainless steel though I get what Habakkuk is saying here. It feels like I am always running to catch up with myself going to a meeting here, facilitating a Bible study there, shopping and preparing food for the homeless. Retirement, as well as work or raising a family, is good but busy. God instructed Habakkuk to write God’s message large, plain enough so a runner can read it when he or she passes. While God might be referring to people in a race, this instruction is targeted more at people like me and perhaps you who get so caught up in doing, even doing good, that we do not take the time to remind ourselves of the vision we are running to attain.

Keeping our eye on the vision provides substance for the establishment of our priorities. For example, if our vision is for every child to be wanted and loved by nurturing parents, our priorities must align with reducing poverty, providing for quality education, assuring adequate and accessible health care and child care, and postponing teen pregnancy. Such realities can occur in many and varying ways in homes, churches, by non-profits and, yes, by the government. Discerning the best way to enable this vision requires negotiation, compromise, trial and error, more negotiations, and more compromise. Standoffs claiming one way is the only way exacerbates the problem.

Prayer: Lord, hone our discernment and communication skills so that we can further your vision of a world ruled by love. Amen.

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