Tag Archives: Oneness

Lead with Bands of Love

Being God's BelovedLiving in the Spirit
July 26, 2016

Scripture Reading: Hosea 11:1-11

Yet it was I who taught Ephraim to walk,
   I took them up in my arms;
   but they did not know that I healed them.
I led them with cords of human kindness,
   with bands of love.
I was to them like those
   who lift infants to their cheeks.
   I bent down to them and fed them. –Hosea 11:3-4

Being selfish and ungrateful for God’s love causes the Lord much pain, and it sets us on a path toward a fragmented life where our full potential will never become real. Jesus Christ foresaw a kingdom where all creation works together to the glory of God and realizes the abundance of God’s love in all aspects of life.

I do not think most of us consider that every human is gifted with skills and talents that are necessary for the kingdom of God to be actualized. We throw many away because of handicapping conditions. I coordinated planning for a state human services agency several years ago. At a planning retreat, I was trying very hard to get the directors of the various service divisions to set measurable, attainable goals. The head of the division serving the developmentally disabled doggedly insisted on setting a goal of 100% employment attainment among the people served. In exasperation, I finally said, “You know that is impossible.” To which the blind head of the vocational rehabilitation division replied, “They use to say that about the blind.”

We also readily toss aside prisoners, people of colors or who speak languages other than ours, children who cannot learn because they are hungry and poor, and the mentally ill.

Hosea describes well the love of God we are called to emulate. Our failure to respond to that call results in a fragmented world adrift on a sea of indifference, if not outright hostility, which  in the final analysis is self-destructive.

Prayer: Lord, give us the courage to set your kingdom’s coming as our ultimate goal and guide our steps toward attaining it. 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.

The Honor of Serving God

bearing-fruitLiving in the Spirit
July 21, 2016

Scripture Reading: Colossians 2:6-19

As you therefore have received Christ Jesus the Lord, continue to live your lives in him, rooted and built up in him and established in the faith, just as you were taught, abounding in thanksgiving. –Colossians 2:6-7

What does it mean to live our lives in Christ? I stumbled on an article recently that shared ways to store vegetables and fruits to keep them fresh longer. Placing fresh asparagus in a glass container with water in its base adds days to asparagus’ “refrigerator life.” Sorry, I cannot quote the source. I think it is a good metaphor illustrating living in Christ where our connectively to Christ contributes to our ability to bear fruit. John 15:5 puts it this way, I am the vine, you are the branches. Those who abide in me and I in them bear much fruit, because apart from me you can do nothing.

Christ expects us to do a lot of hard, often thankless, work. In many instances, like with Abraham, we may never see the fruit of our labors. I have experienced joy in completing tasks that seemed impossible at their start, knowing the rewards of labor for itself. Here Colossians calls us to express thanksgiving to God for the gift Christ is to each of us and all of us and for the honor to be even a small player as we produce fruit in support of his goal of making God’s way, the way of the world.

Living in an age when much work is automated even communications, we are challenged to find new and better ways to do the work of God’s love. What fruit are we producing to bring Christ’s vision to fruition in such a times as this? What is our vision for our role in the rollout of the Kingdom of God? Are we grateful for the opportunity to serve God through Jesus Christ?

Prayer: Lord, I thank you for the opportunities to love that you spread before me. Help me to run toward them rather than being so distracted by the busyness of life that I miss the important moments of your calling. 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.

Burnout

why-love-healsLiving in the Spirit
July 17, 2016

Scripture Reading: Luke 10:38-42

Now as they went on their way, he entered a certain village, where a woman named Martha welcomed him into her home. She had a sister named Mary, who sat at the Lord’s feet and listened to what he was saying. But Martha was distracted by her many tasks; so she came to him and asked, ‘Lord, do you not care that my sister has left me to do all the work by myself? Tell her then to help me.’ But the Lord answered her, ‘Martha, Martha, you are worried and distracted by many things; there is need of only one thing. Mary has chosen the better part, which will not be taken away from her.’

Jesus apparently felt right at home at Mary and Martha’s place, being able to say what he thought without fear. Being nurtured physically, socially, mentally, and spiritually was surely rejuvenating. Mary and Martha’s place was home for his soul’s restoration.

The Body of Christ in all its manifestations is called to be a haven for soul-nourishing and healing when needed. I have experienced real, diagnosable burnout. I was transferred to a children’s hospital to supervise social workers in the midst of the state’s dedication to resurrecting that facility. My work started with a small staff doing specialized work during a normal eight-hour-day, but soon morphed into supervising three shifts, round-the-clock with ever broadening responsibilities. Uneven development is a necessary hazard in most business startups or restructures. I did not know I was in burnout until I left that job and went back to graduate school, which became the oasis in my desert of too much.

I learned an important lesson in that process. God wants us to take care of ourselves and each other as we journey together toward the fulfillment of God’s Kingdom. Our success in implementing God’s plan depends on it.

Prayer: Lord, bless each of us with your wisdom of self-care. Protect us from not investing enough in answering your call and protect us when we think we must do it all

. 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.

The Whole Body of Christ

martha-and-mary-1Living in the Spirit
July 16, 2016

Scripture Reading: Luke 10:38-42

Now as they went on their way, he entered a certain village, where a woman named Martha welcomed him into her home. She had a sister named Mary, who sat at the Lord’s feet and listened to what he was saying. But Martha was distracted by her many tasks; so she came to him and asked, ‘Lord, do you not care that my sister has left me to do all the work by myself? Tell her then to help me.’ But the Lord answered her, ‘Martha, Martha, you are worried and distracted by many things; there is need of only one thing. Mary has chosen the better part, which will not be taken away from her.’

Perhaps it is the fate of the youngest of three children, taking on the traits of both parents. I somehow ended up with about equal shares of Mary and Martha. At least that is my sense. It may not be the observation of others. My mother was a Martha and as such she religiously built into her life time for prayer, time for Bible study, and time for service. My dad was probably more a male Mary. A lover of music, he enjoyed being around people, could debate his beliefs with anyone all day. He, however, never backed off from hard work, spending from sunup to sundown working in the fields of our farm or on other farms when needed.

I think it is important that we become attuned to our traits and work to enhance our strengths and strengthen the areas where we sense weakness. In a Bible study written by Fred Craddock many years ago, he said something very important: We sin in the areas of our greatest strengths. I thought of that statement when I read about Martha today. Jesus did not chastise Martha for cooking dinner and not sitting at his feet. He chastised her for not allowing Mary to be who she was.

The body of Christ at work in our world today needs all the talents, skills, personality traits, dreams, visions, and energy that its diverse members can bring to the table to usher in the Kingdom God longs for us to share. It takes dedication and perseverance to meld the breadth of beings in that body to do Christ’s work in the world today. We do not do this work alone. The Holy Spirit functions as our connector, companion, and advocate.

Prayer: Lord, help us to see the good in each person as we struggle together to address your call to be 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.

The Image of the Invisible God

Jesus image of invisible GodLiving in the Spirit
July 14, 2016

Scripture Reading: Colossians 1:15-28

 He is the image of the invisible God, the firstborn of all creation; for in him all things in heaven and on earth were created, things visible and invisible, whether thrones or dominions or rulers or powers—all things have been created through him and for him. He himself is before all things, and in him all things hold together. He is the head of the body, the church; he is the beginning, the firstborn from the dead, so that he might come to have first place in everything. For in him all the fullness of God was pleased to dwell, and through him God was pleased to reconcile to himself all things, whether on earth or in heaven, by making peace through the blood of his cross. –Colossians 1:15-20

I heard an interview with Alton Sterling’s son, Cameron, this morning. Alton Sterling was the man killed by police recently in Louisiana. Cameron was talking about breaking down in tears while his mother was interviewed. He said that when he placed his arm around his mother to comfort her, he felt another’s arm on top of his. When he looked, he saw no one and realized that it was his father’s unseen arm. Knowing that his dad would be with him in spirit, if not physically, was an amazing revelation. His tears expressed gratitude for the love that surpasses physical life. This teenager expressed empathy for the children of the slain police in Dallas, and he begged that we all just try to get along. This young man knows the love of Christ, the image of the invisible God, Paul describes in our scripture today.

We need to invest some time and energy in reconnecting with this Christ. Spend some time with him on the mountain reacquainting ourselves with the beatitudes. (Matthew 5). Hear his call to discipleship again by the sea of Galilee. Renew our commitment to leave our comfort zones and work to make the whole world a comfort zone of love for all one neighbor at a time.

We need to learn for a teenager with a broken heart.

Prayer: Lord, forgive us when we get so caught up in the busyness of our lives that we forget who we serve and why we serve you. Renew our faith, O, Lord. 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.

The Word of God

Light-ShinesLiving in the Spirit
July 12, 2016

Scripture Reading: Amos 8:1-12

The time is surely coming, says the Lord God,
   when I will send a famine on the land;
not a famine of bread, or a thirst for water,
   but of hearing the words of the Lord.
They shall wander from sea to sea,
   and from north to east;
they shall run to and fro, seeking the word of the Lord,
   but they shall not find it. –Amos 8:11-12

 Many associate the “words of God” with the Bible. Statistics tell us we’ve got plenty of Bibles.

 More than three-quarters of Americans (77 percent) think the nation’s morality is headed downhill, according to a new survey from American Bible Society.

 The survey showed the Bible is still firmly rooted in American soil: 88 percent of respondents said they own a Bible, 80 percent think the Bible is sacred, 61 percent wish they read the Bible more, and the average household has 4.4 Bibles*.

The book of John takes the “Word” of God a step further: In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God, and the Word was God. He was in the beginning with God. All things came into being through him, and without him not one thing came into being. What has come into being in him was life, and the life was the light of all people. The light shines in the darkness, and the darkness did not overcome it. (John 1:1-5)

When Amos is talking about hearing the words of God, he is talking about being in full communion with the God of love. Of course, we find God in the Bible, and that is a lifelong pursuit for all. Bibles are not table decorations nor are they offensive weapons with which we can force our understandings on others. Indeed, the Bible is a great source of discernment through dialogue when we can grow together in communities of faith. The Word of God as represented in Jesus, the Christ, requires a deeper commitment to understanding and in sharing with God and with one another. My sense is that Amos is observing that the people of his day turned their backs on this level of communion. Are we mirroring that same behavior today?

Prayer: Lord, darkness lurks just outside our windows. Let your light shine before us marking your path for us to follow. Amen.

*http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2013/04/04/americans-love-the-bible-but-dont-read-it-much_n_3018425.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.

Reconciliation

Sending Off disciples two by twoLiving in the Spirit
July 2, 2016

Scripture Reading: Luke 10:1-11, 16-20

Whatever house you enter, first say, “Peace to this house!” And if anyone is there who shares in peace, your peace will rest on that person; but if not, it will return to you. Remain in the same house, eating and drinking whatever they provide, for the laborer deserves to be paid. Do not move about from house to house. Whenever you enter a town and its people welcome you, eat what is set before you; cure the sick who are there, and say to them, “The kingdom of God has come near to you.” But whenever you enter a town and they do not welcome you, go out into its streets and say, “Even the dust of your town that clings to our feet, we wipe off in protest against you. Yet know this: the kingdom of God has come near.” –Luke 10:5-11

Living in diversity dates at least back to the early stories of Genesis where we see Abram dealing with the people of the new land to which he had immigrated. The story of Moses is one of oppression and servitude as the Israelites lived among the Egyptians who once had welcomed them. The battles of the tribes from Jericho to King David are some of the most brutal reading one could ever explore. Following the relative peace of David and Solomon, Israel fails and falls once again into slavery.

Jesus revolutionized the ways God’s people dealt with diversity. He recognized the image of God in all people and encouraged his followers to do the same. The story in our scripture today does not tell us if the ones sent out were only interacting with other Jews or just any people with whom they came into contact. After experiencing the factions and fractures among the Jews, reconciliation within that community of faith may have been a first step. I dare say reconciliation is needed among those of us who call ourselves Christian today, if we are to bring about the oneness for which Jesus longed.

In the final analysis doing the battle to determine who is right and who is wrong does not help. Dialogue that helps us all grow in spirit and in truth does help.

Prayer: Lord gives us ears to listen from our hearts, and mouths to speak from Yours. 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.

The Global Economy

Tacos-al-pastorLiving in the Spirit
June 27, 2016

Scripture Reading: 2 Kings 5:1-14

So Naaman came with his horses and chariots, and halted at the entrance of Elisha’s house. Elisha sent a messenger to him, saying, ‘Go, wash in the Jordan seven times, and your flesh shall be restored and you shall be clean.’ But Naaman became angry and went away, saying, ‘I thought that for me he would surely come out, and stand and call on the name of the Lord his God, and would wave his hand over the spot, and cure the leprosy! Are not Abana and Pharpar, the rivers of Damascus, better than all the waters of Israel? Could I not wash in them, and be clean?’ He turned and went away in a rage. –2 Kings 5:9-12

There it is again: privilege. It is hard to escape. It is to a degree natural. If we possess it, we certainly, usually do not recognize it as privilege. It is our norm. Naaman was commander of the army of the king of Aram. He was a man of authority, and was used to being treated as such. The act of dipping himself in the waters of a foreign land was against his dignity even if it resulted in his being cured of a horrific disease. There is a lot of that going around in our world today.

We are having trouble acclimating to a global economy. It is already here; it is not something we can stop and probably, if we think about it, do not want to stop. I like fajitas, falafel, and phoy. In the USA unless you are 100% Native American, your ancestors arrived from somewhere else. In all honesty if you are 100% Native American, your ancestors arrived from somewhere else. It was just a very long time ago. I have tracked at least some of my ancestry back to England, Ireland, France, and Germany. I also like fish and chips, Shepard’s Pie, eclairs, and Sauerbraten, perhaps not together.

We have been called to love all of God’s children and share God’s love with all of God’s family. A global economy should make that easier.

Prayer: Lord, help us to see the opportunities in diverse cultures melding them together in Your Kingdom to come. 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.

Fruit of the Spirit

Journeying-togetherLiving in the Spirit
June 24, 2016

Scripture Reading: Galatians 5:1, 13-25

Live by the Spirit, I say, and do not gratify the desires of the flesh. For what the flesh desires is opposed to the Spirit, and what the Spirit desires is opposed to the flesh; for these are opposed to each other, to prevent you from doing what you want. But if you are led by the Spirit, you are not subject to the law. Now the works of the flesh are obvious: fornication, impurity, licentiousness, idolatry, sorcery, enmities, strife, jealousy, anger, quarrels, dissensions, factions, envy, drunkenness, carousing, and things like these. I am warning you, as I warned you before: those who do such things will not inherit the kingdom of God.

By contrast, the fruit of the Spirit is love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, generosity, faithfulness, gentleness, and self-control. There is no law against such things. And those who belong to Christ Jesus have crucified the flesh with its passions and desires. If we live by the Spirit, let us also be guided by the Spirit. –Galatians 5:16-25

The laundry lists of the don’ts of the Bible aren’t always what we want them to be, especially when they hit a little too close to home. We are much more comfortable being concerned about what a very few people might be doing that we would never do, and holding those actions up as examples of things that separate us from God and building God’s Kingdom. We sure do not want to hear about strife, jealousy, anger, quarrels, dissensions, factions, or envy, each of which we are all probably guilty of practicing on any given day.

All of this laundry list from Paul include activities that involve walking down a wrong path, or worse yet, leading others down a wrong path. They are all apt to also result in hurting ourselves. God wants us to take care of ourselves and each other.

The fruit of the Spirit does just the opposite of the don’ts. The fruit of the Spirit helps us build each other up which also builds each of us into better servants of God.

Prayer: Convict me when I get caught up in the things that separate me from you, turn me around and show me the way for me to walk the path of the Spirit. 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.

Love as Ministry

Mental_Pies2_630Living in the Spirit
June 19, 2016

Scripture Reading: Luke 8:26-39

Then people came out to see what had happened, and when they came to Jesus, they found the man from whom the demons had gone sitting at the feet of Jesus, clothed and in his right mind. And they were afraid. Those who had seen it told them how the one who had been possessed by demons had been healed. Then all the people of the surrounding country of the Gerasenes asked Jesus to leave them; for they were seized with great fear. So he got into the boat and returned. The man from whom the demons had gone begged that he might be with him; but Jesus sent him away, saying, ‘Return to your home, and declare how much God has done for you.’ So he went away, proclaiming throughout the city how much Jesus had done for him. –Luke 8:35-39

Psychiatrist still explore the chicken and egg questions of mental illness. Does environment create mental illness or is it biological in origin? Mental illness is surely impacted by both biology and environment. Experts try now to seek treatment on this continuum of cause and effect. While the professionals have made some headway, we in general do not deal with it much better than our ancestors in faith did 2000 years ago.

A high percentage of the homeless on our streets are mentally ill. My church worships with the homeless about once a quarter when we provide participants dinner at a sister church serving people living on the streets. It has been with great joy that at both of the last two meetings we have celebrated with persons who have met the criteria for obtaining an apartment of their own as a part of a program provided by the local Homeless Alliance. These people have done the hard work of learning to care for themselves including taking medicines, perhaps working, and sharing their stories of success with fellow pilgrims on the journey to wholeness.

Wholeness correlates with responsibility. The Man called Legion wanted to follow Jesus in his ministry, but Jesus told him his ministry was with those in his own community. That is essentially what Jesus told us all when he commanded us to love our neighbors as we love ourselves.

Prayer: Lord, open our hearts and minds to the needs of the mentally ill and grant us the wholeness and oneness to bring justice to their lives. 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.