Tag Archives: Oneness

Riches

where-your-treasure-isLiving in the Spirit
September 23, 2016

Scripture Reading: 1 Timothy 6:6-19

As for those who in the present age are rich, command them not to be haughty, or to set their hopes on the uncertainty of riches, but rather on God who richly provides us with everything for our enjoyment. They are to do good, to be rich in good works, generous, and ready to share, thus storing up for themselves the treasure of a good foundation for the future, so that they may take hold of the life that really is life. –1 Timothy 6:17-19

Are we rich? How many dollars must we possess to classify us as rich? What does it mean to be rich? Richness comes in all kinds of packages not all wrapped in money. The writer of 1 Timothy notes the richness of doing good works, being generous, and providing positive futures for coming generations.

Generosity with money usually follows generosity with time and talent. Seeing hungry children compels generosity with food. Understanding the economic system that resulted in the hunger drives the creation of an economy that provides enough for all. Putting our hearts in the right place results in our money going there, no matter how much money we possess. The widow’s mite* propelled change.

Prayer: Lord, you have dealt abundantly with each of your children with material wealth as well as with talent and time. Makes us one in our generosity toward addressing needs now and providing for positive tomorrows. Amen.

*See Luke 21:1-4 and Mark 12:41-44

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.

Love vs. Fear

perfect-loveLiving in the Spirit
September 21, 2016

Scripture Reading: Psalm 91:1-6, 14-16

You who live in the shelter of the Most High,
   who abide in the shadow of the Almighty,
will say to the Lord, ‘My refuge and my fortress;
   my God, in whom I trust.’
For he will deliver you from the snare of the fowler
   and from the deadly pestilence;
he will cover you with his pinions,
   and under his wings you will find refuge;
   his faithfulness is a shield and buckler.
You will not fear the terror of the night,
   or the arrow that flies by day,
or the pestilence that stalks in darkness,
   or the destruction that wastes at noonday. –Psalm 91:1-6

Truth cries out in our scripture today. We do serve an awesome God who loves us and thus wants the very best for us. We do live in a scary world where bullies try to bring us to our knees. The bullies do not realize that the best place for God-lovers in times of stress is literally or figuratively on our knees humbling ourselves before God. God is our refuge and strength, a very present help in trouble. (Psalm 46:1) This truth particularly resonates in our lives when evil seems to be all about us.

Our world is complex. Hate and fear beget hate and fear. What we must remember and grasp is love overcomes hate and fear. God never promised it would be easy. God does promise that our love exponentially increases as it joins with God’s love. The love of God combined with the love of all God-lovers far exceeds the power manifested by hate and fear. The question, the challenge is when will we ever have the faith to let love do its work through us as God seems to will?

Prayer: Strengthen us to humble ourselves enough to be your conduit of 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.

Fear, Faith, Love

woven-together-in-loveLiving in the Spirit
September 20, 2016

Scripture Reading: Jeremiah 32:1-3a, 6-15

Jeremiah said, The word of the Lord came to me: Hanamel son of your uncle Shallum is going to come to you and say, ‘Buy my field that is at Anathoth, for the right of redemption by purchase is yours.’ Then my cousin Hanamel came to me in the court of the guard, in accordance with the word of the Lord, and said to me, ‘Buy my field that is at Anathoth in the land of Benjamin, for the right of possession and redemption is yours; buy it for yourself.’ Then I knew that this was the word of the Lord. –Jeremiah 6-8

The history of the church I attend stunned me when I first heard it. Located in Oklahoma City, the church was founded in 1931. Who would start a new church in the midst of the Great Depression, in a state that three years later dealt with the disaster of the first of three waves of the Dust Bowl? Crown Heights Christian Church was built on faith and the fortitude of its founders. I was privileged to worship with a few of those charter members and several of their children. I learned this history after becoming a member. I joined because of a good minister, friendly members, dedicated mission work, and great music, the legacy of those early leaders.

Jeremiah had the audacity to claim property in his native land when he knew for certain that his country would soon be taken over by the Babylonians. He had planned his return before he left. Do we live that kind of faith? Do we trust God more than anything else?

Fear is our number one sin; faith is its cure. Love is the tool faith uses to extend its reach to the whole world.

Prayer: Lord, forgive my knocking knees when I give in to fear. Strengthen me in answering your call to love. Weave me together with all your children to form a bond so loving it overcomes fear. 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.

Serving God Not Wealth

influence-worldLiving in the Spirit
September 18, 2016

Scripture Reading: Luke 16:1-13

No slave can serve two masters; for a slave will either hate the one and love the other, or be devoted to the one and despise the other. You cannot serve God and wealth.’ –Luke 16:13

Pretty straightforward, don’t you think? It is a lot easier said than done. “The wide world is all about you: you can fence yourselves in, but you cannot for ever fence it out.” J.R.R. Tolkien wrote in The Fellowship of the Ring. We must live in the world but not be of the world. Jesus prayed in John 17:15-17, I am not asking you to take them out of the world, but I ask you to protect them from the evil one. They do not belong to the world, just as I do not belong to the world. Sanctify them in the truth; your word is truth.

Who or what rules our lives? How many decisions do we make just to get alone? When does that matter? At what point do we slip over that invisible line from being in the world to being of the world? And what is this “world” anyway? The Greek word translated as “world” in John 17 is kosmos meaning something ordered*. Our physical world is “ordered” by gravity, by the alignment of the planets, stars, and the moon and God said that it was good (Genesis 1). There are social, cultural orders to the world that may be good, bad, or even neutral. Strong’s calls them worldly affairs*. Making our way through these orders requires us to discern what is and is not of God. Jesus prays that we be protected from being led into evil. Here the Greek is described as evil, bad, wicked, malicious, slothful**. I think of evil as not being in synch with God, anti-love.

We have to love ourselves enough not to get caught up in evil, and that shows forth in our lives through our love of our neighbor.

Prayer: Order our lives, Lord, make us whole make us one as we partner with you to overcome the world. Amen.

*From Strong’s Concordance see at http://biblehub.com/greek/2889.htm
**From Strong’s Concordance see at http://biblehub.com/greek/4190.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 American. Used by permission. All rights 
reserved.

The Sky is Not Falling

right-pathLiving in the Spirit
September 16, 2016

Scripture Reading: 1 Timothy 2:1-7

For there is one God;
   there is also one mediator between God and humankind,
Christ Jesus, himself human,
who gave himself a ransom for all —this was attested at the right time. For this I was appointed a herald and an apostle (I am telling the truth, I am not lying), a teacher of the Gentiles in faith and truth. –1 Timothy 2:4-7

Have we not all been appointed as heralds spreading the news of the awesome love of God coming to us in human form? Jesus came modeling for us God’s love. He even gave his life to demonstrate the level of God’s love. I find myself occasionally clucking around like Chicken Little*, “The Sky is falling, the sky is falling.” When I should be doing everything I can to reassure the world that fear has no place in the Kingdom of God. And I should be doing everything a can to assure love rules our world.

Remember the story, Chicken Little and her friends, in all their panic caused by an acorn falling on her head, rush to find the king to save them. They eventually run right into the den of Foxy Loxy never to be seen again.

Kingdom building may not be glamorous or thrilling in the eyes of the world. It demands everything we have. Remember Jesus described it as the Pearl of Great Price. (Matthew 13:45-46) I guess we all need to evaluate our priorities.

Prayer: Lord, forgive me when I get caught up in the frenzy of the news cycles. Order my life, help me synch my priorities with yours for I know Whom I have believed, And am persuaded that He is able To keep that which I’ve committed Unto Him against that day**. Amen.

 

*Folktale read at http://eleaston.com/chicken.html
**From the chorus of I Know Whom I Have Believed by Daniel W. Whittle. See at http://library.timelesstruths.org/music/I_Know_Whom_I_Have_Believed/

Photo credit <!– HTML Credit Code for Can Stock Photo–>
<a href=”http://www.canstockphoto.com”>(c) Can Stock Photo</a>

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.

Stereotypes

stereotypes_typography_by_thomasdriver-d5qnx9cLiving in the Spirit
September 10, 2016

Scripture Reading: Luke 15:1-10

Now all the tax-collectors and sinners were coming near to listen to him. And the Pharisees and the scribes were grumbling and saying, ‘This fellow welcomes sinners and eats with them.’ –Luke 15:1-2

Stereotype: something repeated or reproduced without variation: something conforming to a fixed or general pattern and lacking individual distinguishing marks or qualities; especially: a standardized mental picture held in common by members of a group and representing an oversimplified opinion, affective attitude, or uncritical judgment (as of a person, a race, an issue, or an event) *

We all do it, stereotype others. Remember the movie; White Men Can’t Jump. ** The thing is once we get to know people we soon discover that people are pretty much alike. Meyers-Briggs*** developed a test to categorize different personality types some time back that seems to be descriptive of all people without regard to race, gender, etc. The key to crossing from stereotype to reality lies in getting to know someone or a group of people. Jesus got to know people.

Our scripture today illustrates two forms of stereotypes: All tax-collectors are bad (Sorry Matthew) and my judgment of sin prohibits me from even getting to know someone else. We can plug our contemporary ideas into both of these statements very easily. “All non-Christians are bad.” I would never go to an “R” rated movie and, therefore, never associate with anyone who did. (Sorry, The Passion of Christ.) Silly examples perhaps but all stereotypes are silly.

The USA’s demographics require us to break through our stereotypes, doing what Jesus did, and commanded us to do: welcome, the stranger.

Prayer: Lord, becoming one with all your children challenges us to meet and know your children. Give us the courage to unload our stereotypes, fill the void with your love, and help us delight in the diversity you created. Amen.

*http://unabridged.merriam-webster.com/unabridged/Stereotype.
**http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0105812/
***http://www.myersbriggs.org/my-mbti-personality-type/mbti-basics/

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.

Christ our Mediator

food-insecurityLiving in the Spirit
September 9, 2016

Scripture Reading: 1 Timothy 2:1-7

For there is one God;
   there is also one mediator between God and humankind,
Christ Jesus, himself human,
   who gave himself a ransom for all—this was attested at the right time. –1 Timothy 2:5-6

Christ serves many roles, all important, but none more important than a mediator. We humans need help in understanding God. We also need help expressing our needs to God. I sometimes think when I pray, God is already fully aware of the circumstances I describe. My repeating it seems a waste of time. After such times of prayer and real struggle with an issue, I often realize I gain clarity of understanding fundamental to shaping an appropriate response. God orders my life as I share my imperfect analysis of a difficult situation.

Jesus through his earthly ministry introduced us to God through word and deed. By way of parables and illustrated stories, even anger and castigation, he gave voice to his message. Healing the sick, feeding the hungry, receiving and sharing hospitality, and accepting all people not just his kind, he demonstrated patterns of living we attempt to follow today.

When we get off track whether individually or collectively, rededicating our lives to following Jesus’ words and deeds brings order to our lives once again. Work awaits our actions. The Zika virus threatens infants; some pharmaceutical companies value profit over lives; 16.5% of Oklahomans suffer from food insecurity*; and racism and sexism, all the ism’s, seek to destroy our oneness. Whether as advocates or director service providers, opportunities exist opening the door for God to order our lives and get us back on course.

Prayer: Lord, let my service be a catalyst for bringing order to my life and that of my community and the whole world. Amen.

*http://okpolicy.org/fact-sheet-hunger-in-oklahoma/

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.

Becoming One

Jesus and Mary of BethanyLiving in the Spirit
September 8, 2016

Scripture Reading: 1 Timothy 2:1-7

First of all, then, I urge that supplications, prayers, intercessions, and thanksgivings should be made for everyone, for kings and all who are in high positions, so that we may lead a quiet and peaceable life in all godliness and dignity. This is right and is acceptable in the sight of God our Savior, who desires everyone to be saved and to come to the knowledge of the truth. –1 Timothy 2:1-4

I assume all follower of Christ think they travel the true course of God as closely as possible. We would not be living the way we do would we, if that were not the case. The challenge comes in meeting Jesus’ specific desire for us to be one. What I deem to be just and of God differs markedly from what other Christians hold as just. Such a situation apparently existed in the time of the writings that became our Bible. Embarking on a study of Paul’s writings, I learn that some of the letters attributed to him probably were not written by him. The books of Timothy are cast in a category described as reactionary to the authentic letters of Paul. This conundrum indicates that our ancestors in faith had to struggle with becoming one as we do today.

I appreciate whoever authored 1 Timothy for opening with a call for prayers for all in positions of power. I wonder how much pray and supplications have been lifted to God in our current political process asking for discernment rather than explaining the correct results God needs to produce. I have said it before but it bears repeating here, I believe our governance, tied in gridlock, very accurately reflects the USA society today. We have walked away from our responsibilities by not engaging in solving the common problems we face. We only see what seems right for our group or us without regard for what is right for all. Until dialogues of discernment not only open in the halls of Congress or state legislatures, but also in coffee shops, PTA meetings, and, yes, among peoples of faith, our government will remain stagnant.

Paul dealt with such discussions as he traversed Asia Minor speaking new words of a Kingdom older-than-time, yet to be, of which we are all crafters. Perhaps we need to try some new words for our time and place.

Prayer: God of Mercy and Grace, give us the words we need to speak to fulfill our call to become 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 American. Used by permission. All rights 
reserved.

Consequences

responsLiving in the Spirit
August 30, 2016

Scripture Reading: Jeremiah 18:1-11

Now, therefore, say to the people of Judah and the inhabitants of Jerusalem: Thus says the Lord: Look, I am a potter shaping evil against you and devising a plan against you. Turn now, all of you from your evil way, and amend your ways and your doings. –Jeremiah 18:11

My first inclination is to apply Jeremiah’s warnings as personal, individual. Of course, he is writing to the people of Israel, a community of faith and a nation among nations. I also must read Jeremiah from my belief system that I am a part of the Body of Christ. The Body of Christ is called to develop a kingdom reflecting God’s love while living in a nation in a world as diverse or more so than the middle east in the 6th century BCE with Israel nestled among many tribes and empires. Verse eleven brings us to the other side of choice. We readily accept the first side, freedom. The other side is responsibility. We must face the consequences of our actions. Israel had not accepted responsibility and found itself in exile.

We face the same issues today digging out of protecting our self-interest, lust for power, and greed. The USA is becoming or perhaps has become a nation of have’s and have-nots justified by racism, sexism, nationalism, and privilege. We even quote scripture to rationalize our behavior without concern for how much our actions and attitudes separate us from God.

Jeremiah called the Israelites to turn around from what he calls their evil ways and get back on the track toward being a people building on God’s ways. He still speaks to us today.

Prayer: Lord, forgive us for our stubborn failure to see both the freedom you provide us and the resulting responsibility. Give us the courage to meet our love obligations. 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.

Remolded, Remade

onewithgod1Living in the Spirit
August 29, 2016

Scripture Reading: Jeremiah 18:1-11

Then the word of the Lord came to me: Can I not do with you, O house of Israel, just as this potter has done? says the Lord. Just like the clay in the potter’s hand, so are you in my hand, O house of Israel. At one moment I may declare concerning a nation or a kingdom, that I will pluck up and break down and destroy it, but if that nation, concerning which I have spoken, turns from its evil, I will change my mind about the disaster that I intended to bring on it. And at another moment I may declare concerning a nation or a kingdom that I will build and plant it, but if it does evil in my sight, not listening to my voice, then I will change my mind about the good that I had intended to do to it. –Jeremiah 18:5-10

“Are ye able,” said the Master,
“to be crucified with me?”
“Yea,” the sturdy dreamers answered,
“to the death we follow thee.”  

Lord, we are able. Our spirits are thine.
Remold them, make us, like thee, divine.
Thy guiding radiance above us shall be
a beacon to God, to love, and loyalty*.

I favor many hymn poems and melodies, too, but some hymns stay with me because of one line of poetry. Called by Jesus to be partners in the establishment of the Kingdom of God, there exists no more important pray than the line Remold them, make us, like thee, divine drawn from Jeremiah. Even in today’s post-modern thought we still struggle to describe our relationship with God and to describe God. Are you Able was written in 1802 when apparently its author envisioned a relationship with God as human spirit to divine spirit. When praying this line, my memory rewords it to “Remold me, make me like thee, divine”. I apparently sense myself as an autonomous wholeness. In worship with others I can readily substitute the word “us” for “me” but singing from memory I also substitute “us” for “them”. It is a bit ironic because I generally do not like other people rewriting another person’s poetry.

Human beings have the ability to make choices about who they are, how they react to situations, and who they are becoming. We even have the choice to relate to God or not and whether that relationship is a meaningful part of our lives. There exists an immense amount of love in the granting of that choice. This love says that God has our backs in anything and everything when we open ourselves to a continuing relationship. God does not want us to be something we are not. God wants to help us become who we are.

Prayer: Remold us, make us like you. Amen.

*First Verse and Refrain from the Hymn Are Ye Able words by Earl Marlatt. See at http://www.hymnsite.com/lyrics/umh530.sht

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.