Tag Archives: Oneness

saints and Saints

being love living love graphic finalLiving in the Spirit
October 28, 2015

Scripture Reading: Psalm 146

Praise the Lord!
Praise the Lord, O my soul!
I will praise the Lord as long as I live;
   I will sing praises to my God all my life long.  

Do not put your trust in princes,
   in mortals, in whom there is no help.
When their breath departs, they return to the earth;
   on that very day their plans perish. –Psalm 146:1-4

A wave of thoughts flashed through my mind as I read this Psalm designated for use on All Saints Day. Do not put your trust…in mortals, which all saints are. Interesting. The other instant theme that popped into my head was all the bluster and bravado with which our lives are being blasted by the various candidates for office. Do not put your trust in princes. Perhaps this Psalm was the source of our governmental policy to trust but verify.

As far as the saints are concerned, I am of the lower case faction of sainthood. I think we are all called to be one belonging to the entire company of baptized Christians as Paul addresses us in 1 Corinthians 1:1. Indeed I have known mentors in my own life for whom I would capitalized the “S” and there certainly are many of our ancestors in faith who have demonstrated levels of devotion and dedication that probably do deserve the honorific that goes with the capital “S”. The irony to Paul’s writing is that he is surely one deserving of the honor.

How do we deal with governmental leaders regarding trust? First, I think we must recognize that they are all human and as capable, as each of us are, of making mistakes and having to recover from them. More importantly though for those of us who live in a democracy, we must be trustworthy ourselves in our selection of leaders. The only purpose of government is to foster the Common Good. Governments cannot create a world where we can each have our cake and eat it too but that is what we all seem to want. I see a lot of anger and fear and even hate driving our stances on how to foster the common good and that is just not possible. The very essence of the Common Good is loving our neighbor as we love ourselves. We know the Author of that commandment; we would do well to follow it in every aspect of our lives including our governance.

Prayer: Lord, I rededicate my life this day to living your commandments 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.

Rushing Winds

Rushing windsLiving in the Spirit
October 20, 2015

Scripture Reading: Job 42:1-6, 10-17

And the Lord restored the fortunes of Job when he had prayed for his friends; and the Lord gave Job twice as much as he had before. Then there came to him all his brothers and sisters and all who had known him before, and they ate bread with him in his house; they showed him sympathy and comforted him for all the evil that the Lord had brought upon him; and each of them gave him a piece of money and a gold ring. –Job 42:10-11

Does God bring evil upon any of his children? Job is a play, so, I suppose, the writer may take some poetic license, but the question is raised: are people pawns in the battle between good and evil? There is no question, it sure feels like it sometimes. Why are innocent people caught in the crossfires of gang warfare? Why do we assume violence is the best path to peace? Why are children drowning as they are swept from their parents arms when escaping from war or starvation? Where is God in all the chaos in our world today?

I do not question God’s presence in all places at all times. I also believe God sometimes intervenes in miraculous ways we cannot explain, but I know that God implanted God’s image in each of the people of creation. Once we accept we are a leaf connected to that vine together and own that relationship with God, we are compelled to become our part of the solution.

This idea first came to my mind while reading the last part of Acts 1 when the disciples decided it was time for them to get about the business of doing what Jesus had called them to do. It is rather a boring segment of the Bible rather like reading the minutes to a meeting. The disciples elect Mathias to replace Judas. Chapter 2 is an abrupt and amazing transition from that meeting. Rushing winds and tongues of fire are experienced by those present filling them with the Holy Spirit. We call it the birth of the church. I wonder, if God was just waiting for the disciples to recover from their grief and remember whose they really were and what they were put on this earth to do.

Do we realize whose we are and what our mission is?

Prayer: Lord, you commanded us to love God and love our neighbors as we love ourselves. Let your rushing winds pass among us today enabling our love for such a time as this. 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 Blessing of Diversity

diversityLiving in the Spirit
October 14, 2015

Scripture Reading: Psalm 104:1-9, 24, 35c

O Lord, how manifold are your works!
   In wisdom you have made them all;
   the earth is full of your creatures. –Psalm 104:24

I think we sometimes forget that God created the earth to be manifold—diverse. It is interesting that some take offense at scientific explanations of creation. I, on the other hand, think it is one of the greatest compliments we pay God to invest our energies in trying to figure out exactly how God made all this happen. A surgeon once told me that he was rather agnostic about God until he started studying the human body and realized what a marvelous invention it was.

It also makes sense to me that if God created a diversity of people, God had reasons for doing so and we need to respect those reasons as we respect the differences in people. I worshipped yesterday evening with one of the most diverse group that could be gathered. Most were homeless, although one in sharing her blessing for the week with the group told of finally finding someone who would rent to her using her housing voucher. She took her seat and in a few moments returned to speak again in this part of the service set aside for sharing blessings. She wanted to thank her case manager for sticking with her through it all and believing in her. She choked up while expressing her thanksgiving it meant so much to her.

Today let us praise the Lord for the wonderful work of God’s hands and reflect that praise in how we love one another.

Prayer: O Lord my God, when I in awesome wonder
Consider all the worlds thy hands have made,
I see the stars, I hear the rolling thunder,
Thy power throughout the universe displayed: 

Then sings my soul, my Savior God, to thee:
How great thou art! How great thou art!
Then sings my soul, my Savior God, to thee:
How great thou art! How great thou art!* Amen.

*First verse and refrain of How Great Thou Art by Stuart K. Hine. See at http://www.hymntime.com/tch/htm/h/o/w/how_great_Thou_art.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.

Family of God

Harmony_Day_(5475651018)Living in the Spirit
October 11, 2015

Scripture Reading: Mark 10:17-31

Jesus looked at them and said, ‘For mortals it is impossible, but not for God; for God all things are possible.’

 Peter began to say to him, ‘Look, we have left everything and followed you.’ Jesus said, ‘Truly I tell you, there is no one who has left house or brothers or sisters or mother or father or children or fields, for my sake and for the sake of the good news, who will not receive a hundredfold now in this age—houses, brothers and sisters, mothers and children, and fields, with persecutions—and in the age to come eternal life. But many who are first will be last, and the last will be first.’ –Mark 10:27-31

Do we worship a god whom we truly believe is capable of all things when we have wars abounding throughout the world, children starving, sex trafficking, the rich getting richer and the incomes of the middle class shrinking? I fear what we may give lip service to is not demonstrated in our ways of being. As we open our hearts and minds to the leadership of God, we will live into God’s omnipotence. When we see all people as our family—brothers and sisters—when we know they are all safe and nourished, we will begin to have a glimmer of God’s perspective.

It is hard to ferret out what is culture and what is theology. We have lots of examples of that in the gospels where ritually washed hands was a sign of piety and plucking and eating wheat while walking through a field on the Sabbath was a sin. Paul struggled mightily with the issues of cultural differences when he introduced the gentiles to Christ crucified. How do we reflect Christ in our lives?

I first supervised social workers in the early 1970’s when the miniskirt was popular. The state eventually issued a dress code which did not set well with some of my staff. I, frankly, did not care if they wore miniskirts or not but what I did care about was how what they wore impacted their relationship with the person they were serving. Wearing a miniskirt to an elderly person’s home was probably a major distraction as was wearing a miniskirt to work with a teenaged boy. I doubt that most of our young mothers on public assistance paid any attention to it.

There are thousands of refugees pouring out of the Middle East and Africa bringing with them rich traditions passed to them from earlier generations that are different from ours. They are our brothers and sisters whom we are called to love.

Prayer: God of all, as we meld together the ways differing among our culture and other cultures, let sources of diversity become opportunities for understanding and growth for all of us on the road to the Kingdom of God. 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.

Trusting Like a Child

maxresdefaultLiving in the Spirit
October 4, 2015

Scripture Reading: Mark 10:2-16

People were bringing little children to him in order that he might touch them; and the disciples spoke sternly to them. But when Jesus saw this, he was indignant and said to them, ‘Let the little children come to me; do not stop them; for it is to such as these that the kingdom of God belongs. Truly I tell you, whoever does not receive the kingdom of God as a little child will never enter it.’ And he took them up in his arms, laid his hands on them, and blessed them. –Mark 10:13-16

My church operates a child care center. One morning as I was walking from the parking lot to the building, I strolled beside a young father with his, I would guess, about three year old son. We shared greetings and observations about the weather as we walked. The closer we got to the door and out of the parking lot, the more excited the son was to get to school and his dad dropped his hand so he could ran ahead to the door, which he could not have opened on his own as he was neither tall enough to reach the door handle nor strong enough to pull it open. His dad opened the door while saying, “Hold up Bud, we need to let the lady go first.” The little guy stopped as if on a dime, placed his little hands on the bottom of the door doing his part in holding it open, and smiled broadly at me as I thanked him. He was being taught by a gracious father how to be a gracious man.

Children take in information like a sponge in those first formative years. Much of that is what parents and others model for them through their own ways of being. Such a relationship involves total naive trust like children have for their parents and that trust is what Jesus is saying we need to transition to a Kingdom ruled by God.

It is scary to think about trusting God’s message through Christ that we are to live our lives ruled by love when we live in a world where mass shooting are becoming common place, where terrorist are deemed to be behind every bush, and where our worth seems to be established more on what we possess then who we are. But trusting and living God’s message of love is the only way we will find shalom, the peace of God, for which we all long.

Prayer: Lord, grant us your peace, free us from the fears that box our love into small containers shared only when we feel safe by helping us comprehend more completely that ultimate safety lies in your arms 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.

 

Family of God

One in ChristLiving in the Spirit
October 2, 2015

Scripture Reading: Hebrews 1:1-4, 2:5-12

It was fitting that God, for whom and through whom all things exist, in bringing many children to glory, should make the pioneer of their salvation perfect through sufferings. For the one who sanctifies and those who are sanctified all have one Father. For this reason Jesus is not ashamed to call them brothers and sisters, saying,
‘I will proclaim your name to my brothers and sisters,
   in the midst of the congregation I will praise you.’ –Hebrews 2:10-13

The quote in our scripture today is taken from Psalm 22:22. We are probably more familiar with the first verse of this Psalm for it was the words Jesus quoted from the cross: My God, my God why have you forsaken me? Apparently the early church saw Jesus in all of this Psalm, which ultimately ends in oneness and justice for all God’s people whom Jesus viewed as his brothers and sisters, the family of God.

Yet it seems we as God’s avowed followers, are further apart than ever. We clump together in silos of our own making defining God in terms that fit our needs, fill our hungers, and in the short term quiet our fears. We need to let God out of those tubes. It is time for a rebirth in and through God toward the fulfillment of the Kingdom of which Jesus taught. We want more and more and are never satisfied, are over-sated and still empty, and are letting our fears of change drive us to long for things we thought once existed but never did.

If ever we needed a savior, it is now. Praise be to God we have one. We must get to know him for who he was, is, and is to come. We may be surprised at how very much we will find Jesus Christ is exactly what we needed all along.

Prayer: Lord, forgive me for defining you in my image. Remold me and make me like thee divine* so that I may be a part of the solutions to our separateness not a cause. Amen.

*From the hymn Are you Able by Earl Marlatt  See at Http://www.cyberhymnal.org/htm/a/r/aryeable.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.

 

Diverse Love

ChristLiving in the Spirit
October 1, 2015

Scripture Reading: Hebrews 1:1-4, 2:5-12

Long ago God spoke to our ancestors in many and various ways by the prophets, but in these last days he has spoken to us by a Son, whom he appointed heir of all things, through whom he also created the worlds. He is the reflection of God’s glory and the exact imprint of God’s very being, and he sustains all things by his powerful word. When he had made purification for sins, he sat down at the right hand of the Majesty on high, having become as much superior to angels as the name he has inherited is more excellent than theirs. –Hebrews 1:1-4

High Christology is how the theologians would describe Hebrews. I must admit I stumble about when I am writing trying the find the right name when referring to God. I like to use Jesus when remembering the stories of the time he walked the earth and shared his teachings and his love. I use the name God primarily when talking about creation or the idea of Parent. Christ, which is actually a title, or Jesus Christ is who I perceive to be leading us toward the Kingdom of God. Holy Spirit appears most often in my work when I am touching on issues of guidance and constant communion. Lord, however, is my fall back when I cannot decide and that is the same High Christology the writer of Hebrews develops.

This Son by which God has spoken to us is the reflection of God’s glory and the exact imprint of God’s very being. We were all created in God’s image but the word we would probably use today to describe what Hebrews is trying to describe is clone. The idea of a clone makes most of us a little uncomfortable, I think, but I am moved by the thought of God being willing to experience humanness in order to grasp God’s world from the human perspective.

Each of us experience the world differently, including identical twins, and thus how we respond to the world differs. Learning to love in the midst of such diversity is a challenge. If loving another means wanting the very best for the other, we are required to accept that we may not know what that best is. The Lord does know and that three sided relationship of the Lord, ourselves, and the other must work together for love to succeed. We must trust in the Lord’s wisdom.

Prayer: Lord, it is hard to let go of applying our own ideas of what joins us to you and what separates us from you to others but it can get in the way of our loving them and thus helping them experience you in their own way in keeping with your relationship with them. Give us the strength to entrust them to you and the faith that you will guide us in our role with them. 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.

People of Faith

faithLiving in the Spirit
September 28, 2015

Scripture Reading: Job 1:1, 2:1-10

There was once a man in the land of Uz whose name was Job. That man was blameless and upright, one who feared God and turned away from evil….

One day the heavenly beings came to present themselves before the Lord, and Satan also came among them to present himself before the Lord. The Lord said to Satan, ‘Where have you come from?’ Satan answered the Lord, ‘From going to and fro on the earth, and from walking up and down on it.’ The Lord said to Satan, ‘Have you considered my servant Job? There is no one like him on the earth, a blameless and upright man who fears God and turns away from evil. He still persists in his integrity, although you incited me against him, to destroy him for no reason.’ Then Satan answered the Lord, ‘Skin for skin! All that people have they will give to save their lives. –Job 1:1, 2:1-4

Job is the story of a man who pledged his allegiance to God and never wavered from it. High drama, the story unfolds with Satan proclaiming any human would give all he or she had to live. God responds that Job would not give up his integrity.

We are watching a similar real drama unfold before our very eyes as refugees flee from Syria, Iraq, Afghanistan, and northern Africa knowing they may indeed lose their livee in the fleeing, but also feeling having their way of being taken from them, living in constant fear of death and destruction, and watching their children starve is worse than death. No one wants to die, but there are worse things than death.

People would not face the dangers of such a journey, if they had lost all hope. Faith is the substance of things hoped for, the evidence of things not seen. (Hebrews 11:1) These refugees are people of faith. They may now call the Supreme Being they rely on the same name we do. They may not follow the same rituals and the same holy days but they are people of faith.

God calls us to love like Jesus loved and I can envision Jesus walking the path of freedom with each of these people, feeding them, caring for their illness and wounds, celebrating the birth of their children arriving at a most inopportune time. I can also see him meeting them at their final destination, making them feel at home, giving them opportunities for self-support and sustenance. We are the hands and feet of Jesus in the world today. Let us open our hearts to these people who still have hope.

Prayer: Lord, we ask that your presence be a blessing to all those who flee from terrors most of us have never know. Open doors of understanding for us and show us as we are to love them. 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.

Fundamental Love

MertonLiving in the Spirit
September 24, 2015

Scripture Reading: Mark 9:38-50

John said to him, ‘Teacher, we saw someone casting out demons in your name, and we tried to stop him, because he was not following us.’ But Jesus said, ‘Do not stop him; for no one who does a deed of power in my name will be able soon afterwards to speak evil of me. Whoever is not against us is for us. For truly I tell you, whoever gives you a cup of water to drink because you bear the name of Christ will by no means lose the reward. –Mark 9:38-4

I am sorry that the word “Fundamentalist” has been forever tied to a very specific group with very specific beliefs about Jesus and how his followers should be. Apparently there are also Fundamentalist Mormons and my guess is Fundamentalists in all the world religions fitting that description. Other words used to describe fundamental include basic, primary, formative, indispensable, irreducible.* Perhaps I simply see a shorter listing of beliefs as fundamental to being a follower of Jesus. For it seems to me we must rely on the basics that he gave us: Love God and love our neighbors as we love ourselves and share that love throughout the world. With those three tenets as our foundation, we are not talking about a closed system that keeps people out but a system opened to all kinds of possibilities that draws people in.

The encounter described in this scripture from Mark describes just such a possibility. A man is casting out demons in Jesus’ name and Jesus said let him continue. If he is doing a good thing in Jesus’ name, does it matter that he doesn’t have his name on our membership list? The problem arising when what one thinks is absolutely imperative, others believe it to be a sin. Perhaps my three tenets are the easy way out but I see nowhere in the scriptures that any of us have been assigned the job of judging others whereas it is very clear that we have been assigned the job of loving others. It was certainly Jesus’ way and he was assigned the job of judging.

“If you judge people, you have no time to love them.” — Mother Teresa

Prayer: O Love that will not let me go, enable me to be a source of your love for others. Amen.

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

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.

Servant of All

jesus-washing-feetLiving in the Spirit
September 19, 2015

Scripture Reading: Mark 9:30-37

Then they came to Capernaum; and when he was in the house he asked them, ‘What were you arguing about on the way?’ But they were silent, for on the way they had argued with one another about who was the greatest. He sat down, called the twelve, and said to them, ‘Whoever wants to be first must be last of all and servant of all.’ –Mark 9:33-35

The wild fires in western USA have been devastating, yet courageous men and women go out every day doing their very best to contain those fires against tremendous odds. They are servants of all, but I doubt in the chaos of their jobs they even give it a moment’s thought. It is what they are called to do.

Jesus was the ultimate servant of all, willing to give his life for his mission. He literally carried the weight of the world upon his shoulders, but in the midst of his ministry his disciples did not comprehend the enormity of his responsibility that will, sooner than they understand, be theirs. They are arguing about which of them were the greatest follower of this celebrity Rabbi. There seems to be a lot of that sentiment going around in our society today. Who is the most persecuted for his or her faith?

Of those disciples gathered around Jesus that day, history tells us that all were killed in their taking up the cross of servanthood and following Jesus except the disciple John, who also devoted his long life in service and in love.

We inherited the mantle of their ministry to be the Body of Christ today, because they were willing to invest their all in that call. We do not need to worry about our ranking in the Kingdom of God for we are all the number one servant of God and of one another.

Prayer: Lord, help me remember that I was created in your image as were all people and your love makes us all equals in sharing our 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.