Tag Archives: Oneness

Made to be a Kingdom

tips169Eastertide
March 31, 2016

Scripture Reading: Revelation 1:4-8

John to the seven churches that are in Asia:

 Grace to you and peace from him who is and who was and who is to come, and from the seven spirits who are before his throne, and from Jesus Christ, the faithful witness, the firstborn of the dead, and the ruler of the kings of the earth.

 To him who loves us and freed us from our sins by his blood, and made us to be a kingdom, priests serving his God and Father, to him be glory and dominion for ever and ever. Amen. –Revelation 1:4-6

We have been made to be a kingdom. What does that mean? Does it describe our interdependence? Do we need each other to thrive and live in God’s abundant love? Does that mean all of God’s children are included in such a kingdom? These are fundamental questions about which we each must struggle if we are to make sense of our purpose on earth.

In Matthew 29:19-20 Jesus sends us out into the world with these words: Go therefore and make disciples of all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit, and teaching them to obey everything that I have commanded you. And remember, I am with you always, to the end of the age.’

In John 17:22-23 Jesus prayed: The glory that you have given me I have given them, so that they may be one, as we are one, I in them and you in me, that they may become completely one, so that the world may know that you have sent me and have loved them even as you have loved me.

If we hold to the hope that God’s love is unconditional for each of us, then we must understand that God’s love is unconditional for all. We have not been granted the authority to place conditions on each other and we have been commanded to love one another. Easier said than done. I understand that to mean that God’s kingdom is faith fed, not fear bound; inclusive, not exclusive; empathetic, not judgmental; and sharing, not hoarding. What do you think?

Prayer: Lord, show us how to overcome the fears and drives that separate us from one another and limit our ability to be one as you so deeply desired. 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.

Beyond Explanation

Light of the worldEaster
March 27, 2016

Scripture Reading: Luke 24:1-12

Remember how he told you, while he was still in Galilee, that the Son of Man must be handed over to sinners, and be crucified, and on the third day rise again.’ Then they remembered his words, and returning from the tomb, they told all this to the eleven and to all the rest. Now it was Mary Magdalene, Joanna, Mary the mother of James, and the other women with them who told this to the apostles. But these words seemed to them an idle tale, and they did not believe them. But Peter got up and ran to the tomb; stooping and looking in, he saw the linen cloths by themselves; then he went home, amazed at what had happened. –Luke 24:6-12

While we have been blessed by much knowledge because of the age of reason we may have lost our taste for wonder at the supernatural—that which is beyond our explanation or anybody else’s as far as that is concern. Raise the question about what seems to be afterlife experiences though among any group of people and gradually stories will come out. My grandmother told about…, a friend remembered…, I dreamed…. For first century people that sense of wonder and acceptance of supernatural experiences was not at all unusual.

I believe that God gives us brains and expects us to use them to the betterment of the world. I also believe that we have barely begun to explore the wonders of our world and all that is in it. I enjoy working Sudoku number puzzles. When I get hung up on one it is most often because I am unwilling to explore that the way I approach the task is not necessarily the best way to find the solution. To complete the puzzle, I usually have to correct a block that seems unassociated with where the problem was found.

Jesus’ Resurrection realigned the out-of-order world and then commissioned our work in making God’s love and justice the rule of our world.

Prayer: We praise and thank you, God, for the gift of Jesus, our teacher, redeemer and friend; and for the gift of the Holy Spirit who continues his work as our advocate and guide. 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.

Watered Down Faith

FAITH THE EVIDENCE OF THINGS NOT SEENLent
March 26, 2016

Scripture Reading: Luke 24:1-12

But on the first day of the week, at early dawn, they came to the tomb, taking the spices that they had prepared. They found the stone rolled away from the tomb, but when they went in, they did not find the body. While they were perplexed about this, suddenly two men in dazzling clothes stood beside them. The women were terrified and bowed their faces to the ground, but the men said to them, ‘Why do you look for the living among the dead? He is not here, but has risen. –Luke 24:1-5

Perplexed seems a bit mild for what the woman felt when they found an empty tomb. Perplexed might be what one would experience, if he or she had misplaced his or her car keys and could not figure out where they were. Even “at wit’s end” isn’t strong enough to me. Stronger than perplexed, “at wit’s end” does imply a bit of hopelessness. Anger might have been a response, “Who has desecrated the body of the Beloved One?” The numbness of grief might have been increased by this one more horrible event to add to the other events of the past week. So despondency might have resulted. But I wonder if a single one of them recalled Jesus’ words about being raised from the dead.

Of course the book of Luke was written 40 or more years after the fact and written most likely not by an eye witness. The women present told their story to others who told it to others who told it to Luke. In all honest, how the women felt or perceived the situation was not most likely the authors primary focus.

How watered down is our faith today? What is our primary focus as members of the Body of Christ called to bring about the world that Jesus model, lived, taught? Are we so caught up in arguing theology or raising the church budget or establishing who’s in charge of what that we have lost sight of the magnitude of the resurrection in our living and in our loving?

Prayer: Lord, give us the strength and courage to model our lives after yours. Help us get our priorities straight. 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.

Stones Crying Out

The-Rocks-Will-Cry-Out_864px-400x400Lent
March 20, 2016

Scripture Reading: Luke 19:28-40

Some of the Pharisees in the crowd said to him, ‘Teacher, order your disciples to stop.’ He answered, ‘I tell you, if these were silent, the stones would shout out.’ –Luke 39-40

I have for years coopted the phrase if these were silent, the stones would shout out. I confess to totally taking it out of context but surely not out of truth. These are words that advocates need to hear. We are called to partner with Jesus in bringing about justice in a world in which principalities and powers* run amok.

The challenge is to speak in such a way that there is actual communication not just voices raised so loud no one even wants to listen and certainly not to speak in language that degrades either we as advocates or the ones with whom we are trying to speak. It is hard to not return anger for anger. It is hard to love ones that defined themselves as our enemies but are children of God also. And to be real honest with you, for me it is not only hard but painful to discuss justice issues with fellow followers of Christ whose positions are markedly different from my own. There is no real communion when Bible verses are the bullets being shot. At these times, I think of Jesus looking down on Jerusalem saying:

‘Jerusalem, Jerusalem, the city that kills the prophets and stones those who are sent to it! How often have I desired to gather your children together as a hen gathers her brood under her wings, and you were not willing! (Matthew 23:37)

Love is stronger than hate, of this I have no doubt. Resting in that reality is the hope that the day will come when God’s kingdom will come. In the mean time we need to sharpen our ability to love until we are really good at it for it is the only thing that will hasten that day. Practice makes perfect.

Prayer: Lord, lead us forward in our love for each other. Help us cross barriers that hold us back from truly knowing the other. Make us whole, make us one. Amen.

*See Ephesians 6:12

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.

Don’t be so Selfish

love1Lent
March 18, 2016

Scripture Reading: Luke 19:28-40

Then they brought [the colt] to Jesus; and after throwing their cloaks on the colt, they set Jesus on it. As he rode along, people kept spreading their cloaks on the road. –Luke 19:35-36

How do we show respect or adoration to someone entering our presence today? Pope Francis recently made a trip to South American from where he came. As his vehicle rolled along the streets, he was greeted with loud shouts, waving arms, people jumping up and down to see over those in front of him. He stopped at one point exited the vehicle and approached a man seated in a wheel chair. As he blessed the young man someone in the crowd reached over the seated person pulling Pope Francis over the wheel chair bound man potentially crushing him. The Pope pulled himself back and chastised the person pulling him, “Don’t be so selfish.”

How do we love without conditions? Jesus’ willingness to die on the cross was surely the best example of loving without conditions. Whether we want to admit it or not, most of us want something in return when we offer our love. The man pulling at the Pope was trying to touch him for selfish gain with no concern for who might be endangered in the process.

My teacher, mentor as a spiritual director, Bob Gardenhire, shared with our class that he really did not fully understand the meaning of unconditional love until he cared for his mother as she experienced in the end stages of Alzheimer’s. I have always wondered how many of the people laying their coats in the road to honor Jesus, were in the crowd shouting “Crucify him” a few days later. As we lay our version of our cloaks before God this Holy Week, let us all be mindful of what our commitment really is. Have we learned from Jesus’ how to love unconditionally?

Prayer: Lord, forgive us when our selfish desires overcome our concern for those around us. Enable us to love like Jesus’ loves. 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.

Ages and Stages of Life

Grandparent and childLent
March 8, 2016

Scripture Reading: Isaiah 43:16-21

Thus says the Lord,
   who makes a way in the sea,
   a path in the mighty waters,
who brings out chariot and horse,
   army and warrior;
they lie down, they cannot rise,
   they are extinguished, quenched like a wick:
Do not remember the former things,
or consider the things of old. –Isaiah 43:16-21

Forgive me, if my backward approach to this scripture seems odd. Yesterday I dealt with the last three verses on becoming a new thing and today I am dealing with the old things that we may need to let go. You see I do not think we can let the old things go when necessary, if we have not accepted the need for the new. I also do not think it is wise to toss the baby out with the bath.

My mother last attended church when we were in the heat of the music wars. She was a strong supporter of singing the new choruses that were popular but she did say to me once, “I do wish they would sing one of the old hymns now and then.”

One of the greatest challenges of our society today is melding the needs of now six generations together each in their differing stages of life and each with differing life experiences. I believe the church has a great opportunity to set the example for the rest of the world in enriching the lives of all through respecting the dignity and contributions of all even among those of markedly different ages.

Prayer: Lord, let us grow together in oneness through sharing our lives with those of all ages and stages. 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.

I will do a New Thing in You

DesertLent
March 7, 2016

Scripture Reading: Isaiah 43:16-21

I am about to do a new thing;
   now it springs forth, do you not perceive it?
I will make a way in the wilderness
   and rivers in the desert.
The wild animals will honor me,
   the jackals and the ostriches;
for I give water in the wilderness,
   rivers in the desert,
to give drink to my chosen people,
   the people whom I formed for myself
so that they might declare my praise. –43:19-21

It might be fun to have a contest to see who could name the most songs or book titles with roots in this scripture, perhaps not all directly from this translation. I attended a conference several years ago sponsored by the Children’s Defense Fund regarding justice for children where I first heard I Will do a New Thing in You*. It began as an African American hymn. I was privileged to learn it at a time when I felt rather worn out and stale. For some time, I kept a copy of the words taped to my bathroom mirror. We are always blessed when we share in the diversity of ways to worship God in unity as one.

Rivers in the desert is also a very familiar phrase that seems to fit our times. We thirst for the ways of a loving God in a land left like earth split in octagonal section from lack of nurturing rain. I saw pictures on the evening news yesterday of a southwestern American desert, missed the name, that usually doesn’t get more than a half an inch of rain a year. It had received about three time that much recently and as a result was carpeted with several varieties of flowers. The pictures were breathtaking.

The healing of our divisions and of our dried out souls is just a pray’s width away. God has not forgotten us, we have not exceeded our portion of forgiveness, we can do a new thing.

Prayer: Lord we welcome your rivers of love and forgiveness, hope and energy for the work you are calling us to do as a new thing. Amen.

*http://www.hymnary.org/hymn/AAHH2001/568

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.

Welcoming “Sinners”

Loving othersLent
March 5, 2016

Scripture Reading: Luke 15:1-3, 11b-32

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.’

 So he told them this parable: [The Parable of the Prodigal and His Brother] –Luke 15:1-2

Who are the equivalent of the tax-collectors and sinners today? Who is it with whom we do not want to eat? John Dominic Crossan says that the origins of blood sacrifice include the practice of sharing meals together. To eat together is a form of reconciliation. Makes sense. We seem to be at our holiest when we have nothing left but the bread of life.

So who are the ones we do not wish to eat with? It might be easier to describe who we like to eat with. I like to eat with friends who understand me and accept me as I am. I hope that I am gracious enough to reciprocate this attitude. I like to eat with people who enjoy a good laugh as well as those willing to delve into the richer meanings of life. I like to eat with people whom I love in family, in fidelity and in faith.

How do we reconcile our own desired eating companion choices with the people God sends our way who may not fit nicely at our dinner table? It is so easy; it is hard. Christ calls us to be actively engaged in making everyone a part of our family and faith whether they consider themselves to be thus or not. I have discovered when forced to encounter persons with whom I am not comfortable,  I reconnect with my mother’s gift of hospitality by welcoming all to my table and deal with the discomfort. I soon discover that I can at least begin to see the Christ in each of them. That is the first step. God will walk with us as we journey deeper into loving like Jesus.

Prayer: Lord, clean my filters as I try to see more clearly your image in each and every person on this earth. When I an stuck in my prejudices, let your love be my source of welcoming the other. Amen.

*The Challenge of Jesus, study book and DVD see at http://faithandreason.org/index.php/store/product/the-challenge-of-jesus

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.

Reconciling Harmony

Jump ropeLent
March 4, 2016

Scripture Reading: 2 Corinthians 5:16-21

All this is from God, who reconciled us to himself through Christ, and has given us the ministry of reconciliation; that is, in Christ God was reconciling the world to himself, not counting their trespasses against them, and entrusting the message of reconciliation to us. So we are ambassadors for Christ, since God is making his appeal through us; we entreat you on behalf of Christ, be reconciled to God. For our sake he made him to be sin who knew no sin, so that in him we might become the righteousness of God.
–2 Corinthians 5:18-21

Merriam-Webster gives us three basic definitions of the word “Reconcile”*:
1.  to restore to friendship, compatibility, or harmony
2.  to make consistent or congruous; to obtain agreement between (two financial records) by accounting for all outstanding item
3.  to cause to submit to or accept

The last stage of the grief process is acceptance, to be reconciled to something one cannot change. We experience grief in the death of loved ones. We daily experience grief in our self-disappointments or our sense of real loss when we become reconciled to giving up a bad habit or implementing a much needed new one. God is with us in the reconciliation that is acceptance of something we have previously denied.

My first thoughts on the word reconciliation related to my checkbook. I do not like to reconcile it but I know it is important to keep up with it. Our oneness in Christ is a constant attempt to reconcile, to make consistent, our life in this world with our life in Christ. It requires us to not only bring into sync our personal lives with Christ, but also for us to work at being in sync with those who journey on a path to God as well as those who do not.

In the final analysis reconciliation is about harmony, a beautiful recognition that life is best played like music when all the notes culminate to perfection even as some dissonance was present throughout the playing. The final harmonious result is more glorious than one could have imaged when the players tuned their instruments in preparation for the concert. The fine tuning is necessary as is the reconciliation of the dissonance.

Prayer: Lord, help us to tune ourselves to your guiding note so that we all can play your theme in love and harmony. Amen.

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

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.

Sharing God’s Love in Diversity of Belief

Romans 12_18 - WMStumblingLent
March 2, 2016

Scripture Reading: Psalm 32

I will instruct you and teach you the way you should go;
I will counsel you with my eye upon you.
Do not be like a horse or a mule, without understanding,
whose temper must be curbed with bit and bridle,
else it will not stay near you.

Many are the torments of the wicked,
but steadfast love surrounds those who trust in the Lord.
Be glad in the Lord and rejoice, O righteous,
and shout for joy, all you upright in heart. –Psalm 32

Remaining in sync with God is a constant job. It is necessary for us to be prepared for the times that try our souls. Living amidst a diversity of faiths and beliefs is a challenge and knowing how to respond to the concerns and needs of others is something one cannot prepare for in the heat of the moment. The Psalmist in our scripture today tells us that we must stay in good spiritual shape so that we can respond appropriately when necessary.

One of the sadist confrontations is when followers of Christ become confrontational in their self-defined mission to save other followers of Christ from the error of their way. What to one is a righteous call to “correct” another’s path is perceived as bullying and harassment by the other. And Jesus weeps.

We must work diligently at weaving the steadfast love of the Lord into the fiber of all our communications with one another and learn to drink the cup of righteousness together in love in spite of our differences.

Prayer: Lord forgive us when we preach your good news imperfectly. Instruct us in the way we should go and let the words of our mouths reflect your 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.