Tag Archives: Oneness

God does not Orbit Us

the-fear-of-the-lord-021Living in the Spirit
August 12, 2015

Scripture Reading: Psalm 111

Praise the Lord!
I will give thanks to the Lord with my whole heart, in the company of the upright, in the congregation.
Great are the works of the Lord, studied by all who delight in them.
Full of honor and majesty is his work, and his righteousness endures forever.
He has gained renown by his wonderful deeds; the Lord is gracious and merciful.
He provides food for those who fear him; he is ever mindful of his covenant.
He has shown his people the power of his works, in giving them the heritage of the nations.
The works of his hands are faithful and just; all his precepts are trustworthy.
They are established for ever and ever, to be performed with faithfulness and uprightness.
He sent redemption to his people; he has commanded his covenant forever.
   Holy and awesome is his name.
The fear of the Lord is the beginning of wisdom; all those who practice it have a good understanding.   His praise endures forever. 

I sometimes think we get our relationship with God backwards. We are called by God to do God’s bidding; God is not called to do ours. Jesus did say “ask and it shall be given to you” (Matthew 7:7), but that statement, I think, was given in the context of our being in synch with God. In our scripture today the phrase, “in the company of the upright, in the congregation” is not expressing a self-righteous elitism. It is acknowledging the synergy that occurs when more than one follower of God works together toward attaining God’s vision. God does not orbit us; we orbit God.

The Psalmist emphasized The Lord’s credentials that set God apart and worthy to be our anchor in life: majesty, righteousness, gracious, merciful, loyal, powerful, faithful, just, trustworthy, everlasting, holy, and awesome. These are all traits we are called to emulate as God’s people.

Understanding and acknowledging the sliver of knowing God made available to us, is the beginning of wisdom. We need to push passed the fear of such a One as this and work to know God even more fully as we grow in God’s love and service.

Prayer: O, dear Lord, three things I pray:
to see thee more clearly, love thee more dearly,
follow thee more nearly, day by day.* Amen.

*From Day by Day attributed to Richard of Chichester see at http://www.hymnary.org/text/day_by_day_dear_lord

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.

 

Feed My Lambs

lambLiving in the Spirit
August 8, 2015

Scripture Reading: John 6:35, 41-51

Jesus said to them, ‘I am the bread of life. Whoever comes to me will never be hungry, and whoever believes in me will never be thirsty. –John 6:35 

I have never been much of a bread eater. In a constant battle to keep my weight in check, bread is one of the foods I have no trouble readily giving up. I do like the hard crusted bread available on most breakfast buffets in Europe and the Middle East. It is this bread I imagine Jesus thinking about when he spoke the words in our scripture today. We must eat to live and bread was a primary source of sustenance in first century Galilee and Judea.

The food we eat is a means to an end: life. Food is not an end unto itself. Actually when it becomes an end unto itself, it can become highly destructive causing heart disease, hardening of the arteries, and other illness/diseases limiting life. Religion is not an end unto itself.  Jesus Christ is the way, the truth, and the life (John 14:6)—the means to wholeness and oneness with God. Jesus was a living example of being faithful to God in his ministry on earth. As Christ crucified and resurrected, he opened the door for all to enter an eternal kingdom where God’s love is our spiritual sustenance.

We living into the fruition of that kingdom today as we are called to love God and to love one another making this place a haven where everyone has both enough food for their bodies and abundant food for their souls. It is our call to faithfulness from Jesus Christ.

Feed My lambs, tend My sheep, over all a vigil keep;
In My name, lead them forth gently as a shepherd. 
When they wander, when they stray, their protector be.
As ye do unto My flock, thus ye do to me. 
Feed My lambs, tend My sheep, over all a vigil keep;
In My name, lead them forth gently as a shepherd.
 Unto all who lose the way Hope and comfort be.
As ye do unto My flock, thus ye do to Me.
 Feed My lambs, tend My sheep, over all a vigil keep;
In My name, lead them forth gently, gently as a loving shepherd of the Lord.
As a loving shepherd of the Lord.*

Prayer: Shape me into a Shepherd like Jesus. Amen.

*Feed My Lambs anthem by Natalie Sleeth see at http://keepingtheseason.blogspot.com/2013/04/easter-3-feed-my-lambs-tend-my-sheep.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.

Weave Us Together

Full Sttaure of ChristLiving in the Spirit
July 31, 2015

Scripture Reading: Ephesians 4:1-16

The gifts he gave were that some would be apostles, some prophets, some evangelists, some pastors and teachers, to equip the saints for the work of ministry, for building up the body of Christ, until all of us come to the unity of the faith and of the knowledge of the Son of God, to maturity, to the measure of the full stature of Christ. We must no longer be children, tossed to and fro and blown about by every wind of doctrine, by people’s trickery, by their craftiness in deceitful scheming. But speaking the truth in love, we must grow up in every way into him who is the head, into Christ, from whom the whole body, joined and knitted together by every ligament with which it is equipped, as each part is working properly, promotes the body’s growth in building itself up in love. –Ephesians 4:11-16

Our ultimate goal is to get working-together so well refined that together we measure up to the full stature of Christ—a tall order. Does that seem impossible? Are we open to the possibility that Christ is working beside us in our pursuits sharing the yoke? Or are we stuck in the slime of hopelessness that prevents our pulling our share part of the load?

My job for many years was to coordinate planning for a large multi-service state human service agency. We functioned within the parameters of goals and objectives and met quarterly to track our progress. At one of the planning sessions with the executive team, I was locked in determined dialogue with the head of the Division of Services for the Developmentally Disabled. He was an excellent administrator and truly had the best interest of the people he served in his heart but he was dedicated to having as a goal putting every persons in their service community into gainful employment. I knew that was totally impossible and kept insisting he ratchet it back a bit. After this discussion went on for a while, the head of the Division of Rehabilitative Services joined the conversation by quietly saying, “They use to say that about the blind.” He was blind and he was a nationally recognized leader in the field of Rehabilitative Services. We left the objective in its original form.

God does not call us to do the impossible. We have been equipped to move mountains when we couple the skills God breathed into us with the power of Christ beside us and the Spirit within us.

Prayer: Lord keep us ever mindful that we are never alone when working in your service toward your goal of attaining the full stature of Christ for the whole world. Weave us together and help us see a glimpse of your vision of glory as our goal. 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.

Developing our Working-Together Skills

Working_Together_Teamwork_Puzzle_ConceptLiving in the Spirit
July 30, 2015

Scripture Reading: Ephesians 4:1-16

I therefore, the prisoner in the Lord, beg you to lead a life worthy of the calling to which you have been called, with all humility and gentleness, with patience, bearing with one another in love, making every effort to maintain the unity of the Spirit in the bond of peace. There is one body and one Spirit, just as you were called to the one hope of your calling, one Lord, one faith, one baptism, one God and Father of all, who is above all and through all and in all. –Ephesians 4:1-16

It has taken me a lifetime, two careers, and retirement to even begin to come to the understanding, much less accept it; God made us different on purpose. God created us to be interdependent, to need one another. God apparently equipped us with the skills to work together. Few of us tap into the vast array of skills that each of us have. We skim the surface of several and hone in on one or two perhaps. I fear not many of us in recent years have tried very hard to enhance our working-together skills.

We do work together on occasion. Particularly here in Oklahoma, we have responding to disasters down to a fine science. Had to. Our response to the Oklahoma City bombing was praised as being exemplary. It was forged on the backs of responses to tornados and other natural disasters. Our disaster readiness also could probably be traced back to the Dust Bowl of the great depression and even to the Indian removal to Oklahoma in the nineteenth century. I am glad we do respond but we really have little choice where disasters are concerned. It is in and of itself the source of motivation for response.

Where working together seems to falter is in the everyday challenges of loving our neighbor as we love ourselves and overflows into seeking the common good. The result of failure to do either of these activities is not as readily apparent as a foundation where a house once stood and a family that is now homeless, but the ramifications of our not loving our neighbor as we love ourselves and not taking the time to address the common good in the long run has even more serious consequences. We need to dust off our working-together skills and use them until we are one.

Prayer: Lord we need your instruction and guidance in developing our working-together skills. Make us whole, make us 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 Importance of Diversity

jesus-walking-on-water1Living in the Spirit
July 26, 2015

Scripture Reading:
John 6:1-21 When evening came, his disciples went down to the lake, got into a boat, and started across the lake to Capernaum. It was now dark, and Jesus had not yet come to them. The lake became rough because a strong wind was blowing. When they had rowed about three or four miles, they saw Jesus walking on the lake and coming near the boat, and they were terrified. But he said to them, ‘It is I; do not be afraid.’ Then they wanted to take him into the boat, and immediately the boat reached the land towards which they were going. –John 6:16-21

Matthew, Mark, and John all three report the story known as Jesus, walking on the Water. Each tell it a little differently. Makes me think that something unexplainable occurred and the account reported by each writer reflect their own unique experience or the unique experiences of their sources. It is rare that everyone who sees an event describes it the same. We all come from different backgrounds and have differing perspectives. I am amazed at time at the variety of descriptions of my own family’s events told as my sister, brother, and I remember them.

It is a source of great joy being recognized as individuals and known specifically by God who has a whole world, perhaps worlds, of individuals to love completely just as they are. The miracle occurs when God is able to pull such a diverse lot together and make us one. These disciples in our story today were in the process of becoming one. The event that occurred on this trip across the lake is now classified as a miracle. The miracle isn’t in the supernatural event as much as it is in the changed lives as these disciples integrate into the powerful Body of Christ they are becoming.

We, today, have inherited this same call to be one. We do not do a very good job of it as we flail about insisting our own perceptions are the only way of being one. I firmly believe there are as many ways of solving a problem as there are people working together to address it. The challenge is melding all the ideas together to find the best solutions. This may mean sacrificing our own superegos allowing each of us to become the resources God created us to be.

Prayer: God expand our vision to see the rightness in each of the diverse ideas coming together as we work to serve you and help us to put the puzzle of good ideas together making a whole that is complete and successful in being your Body in the world today. 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 Naivety of a Child

loaves-and-fishes-chelle-fazalLiving in the Spirit
July 25, 2015

Scripture Reading: John 6:1-21

‘There is a boy here who has five barley loaves and two fish. But what are they among so many people?’ Jesus said, ‘Make the people sit down.’ Now there was a great deal of grass in the place; so they sat down, about five thousand in all. Then Jesus took the loaves, and when he had given thanks, he distributed them to those who were seated; so also the fish, as much as they wanted. When they were satisfied, he told his disciples, ‘Gather up the fragments left over, so that nothing may be lost.’ So they gathered them up, and from the fragments of the five barley loaves, left by those who had eaten, they filled twelve baskets. –John 6:1-21

What is enough? It is a simple question but one about which books have been written. For we live in a world with clearly enough resources for everyone and yet The United Nations Food and Agriculture Organization estimates that about 805 million people of the 7.3 billion people in the world, or one in nine, were suffering from chronic undernourishment in 2012-2014.* This is actually a significant drop from 18.7% in 1990-92, but 11.3% of the world being chronically undernourished remains unacceptable.

Our scripture today tells the story of a boy who grasped the concept of our interdependence on one another and offered to share his lunch. Unlike the disciples who saw the feeding of so many as hopeless, this child, in his naivety, did what he could and it was enough. He had faith in the Christ factor. When we come together in the true fellowship of love, we become more than the sum of our parts.

Our world, our country seems to be caught is the same chasm of hopelessness Jesus’ first disciples exhibited. He called them to a better way. He is still calling us to that better way today. Some form or another of the phrase “fear not” appears many times in Jesus’ teachings. It is always easier to “fear not” when there are others fearing not with us. It is called the Body of Christ in the world today when we answer the call to being one with Christ.

Prayer: Lord, grant us the wisdom of a child’s naivety as we love one another through your everlasting power of oneness. Amen.

*http://www.worldhunger.org/articles/Learn/world%20hunger%20facts%202002.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 Christ Factor

living_wageLiving in the Spirit
July 24, 2015

Scripture Reading: Ephesians 3:14-21

Now to him who by the power at work within us is able to accomplish abundantly far more than all we can ask or imagine, to him be glory in the church and in Christ Jesus to all generations, for ever and ever. Amen.—Ephesians 3:20-21

Synergy is the systems term used to describe that which is greater than the sum of its parts. It is the Christ Factor in the church. When we work in cooperation and collaboration with Jesus Christ we never work alone. When we work together as part of the whole Body of Christ the oneness that results can and does change the world. We forget that at times.

I am not talking about dumbing down enabling everyone to get along just for the sake of getting along. I am talking about jumping into the deep end of love where we struggle to understand one another, seek the Lord in every person we encounter, and reach toward the abundant life that Jesus talked about and that the letter to the Ephesians describes in our scripture today.

I have a passion for living in a world where everyone who works earns a living wage. In striving toward such a reality, I have learned how very hard it is to accomplish for small service industry businesses. Making a living wage even possible will take all of our creative efforts and major systems changes over time in our tax structures, for example. The winners and losers will have to shift a bit, but, I believe, all will eventually benefit from a world where all people are able to live to their full potential. Of course, a living wage is just one facet of that abundant life but it is a facet that is in our grasp and is foundational to other progress.

Christ’s call to oneness was accompanied by the promise of his presence. We need to lean on that promise as we spread the love of God throughout the world.

Prayer: Holy One, we thank you for your constant presence with us. When we falter and turn away, draw us back to you. Show us your way. 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.

One in the Spirit

splash-teamLiving in the Spirit
July 23, 2015

Scripture Reading: Ephesians 3:14-21

For this reason I bow my knees before the Father, from whom every family in heaven and on earth takes its name. I pray that, according to the riches of his glory, he may grant that you may be strengthened in your inner being with power through his Spirit, and that Christ may dwell in your hearts through faith, as you are being rooted and grounded in love. I pray that you may have the power to comprehend, with all the saints, what is the breadth and length and height and depth, and to know the love of Christ that surpasses knowledge, so that you may be filled with all the fullness of God. –Ephesians 3:14-19

We are all children of God. I heard a young, freshman member of the state House of Representative say in a public gathering recently he had been surprised at all the, what I call, hate mail he routinely receives. We had asked him to tell us how we could best communicate our wishes to him as constituents. He was being lighthearted about the graphic correspondence he received, understanding people need to vent at times, I guess. I frankly do not know why anyone would run for any office. We the people seemed to have forgotten the first purpose of the government of the United States of America is to form a more perfect union and we the people are the government and the ones who are to form this union. These people we cast dispersions on represent us. Yes, we need to let them know our positions and yes, we need to be fully engaged in our citizenship, but we need to do it in love and in the spirit of oneness.

Thus, I needed to read this prayer for all of God’s people in our scripture today: I pray that, according to the riches of his glory, he may grant that you may be strengthened in your inner being with power through his Spirit, and that Christ may dwell in your hearts through faith, as you are being rooted and grounded in love. Jesus called us to be one and, I believe, the only way we can be one is through the power of the Spirit and the love of Christ.

Prayer: Lord, you created us a diverse people and called us to be one. Help us celebrate our differences while understanding that together and with you in our presence we can be greater than the sum of our parts. 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.

Two by Two

Spiritual HungerLiving in the Spirit
July 18, 2015

Scripture Reading: Mark 6:30-34, 53-56

The apostles gathered around Jesus, and told him all that they had done and taught. He said to them, ‘Come away to a deserted place all by yourselves and rest a while.’ For many were coming and going, and they had no leisure even to eat. And they went away in the boat to a deserted place by themselves. Now many saw them going and recognized them, and they hurried there on foot from all the towns and arrived ahead of them. As he went ashore, he saw a great crowd; and he had compassion for them, because they were like sheep without a shepherd; and he began to teach them many things.—Mark 6:30-34

People today are hungry for spiritual food as they were in the first century when Jesus walked among them. Jesus took all who came to him, just as they were. We are not so good at that today. We like to run litmus tests before we welcome people to our tables. And we say it is a good thing we do this because look at what happened in Charleston. A small group of twelve dedicated Christians studying the Bible welcomed a young man who killed nine of them.

My pastor shared a story in a recent sermon about a group of young adults who came to the church to see if the sanctuary was available to a couple for a wedding. We have an older, more traditional building with a long center aisle, popular for weddings. The pastor described the group as having about as many hair colors as exists in bottles today wearing many pierced pieces of jewelry. He said, “Let me give you the tour.” And they were shocked because they had already been turned away from two other churches who refused to even talk with them. By all reports it was a beautiful, colorful wedding.

It is often the small, what seem to be insignificant actions that may change our lives completely. Being accepted for who we are as we are is one of those small things that means a lot. And yes Christians have had to face danger in their openness to loving from the very beginning. I am not saying we should be careless with safety. Our being prudent not only protects us but protects the one who is may be out of control. What I am saying is we need to trust in God to use us as God needs us to feed people who are hungry for God.

Prayer: Lord, you sent your disciples out two by two. Perhaps that was because there is safety in numbers. Perhaps that was because there is more courage when two or three are working together. Be present with us as we welcome all your children to your church. 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.

Borderless Living

life_perspectiveLiving in the Spirit
July 17, 2015

Scripture Reading: Ephesians 2:11-22

He has abolished the law with its commandments and ordinances, so that he might create in himself one new humanity in place of the two, thus making peace, and might reconcile both groups to God in one body through the cross, thus putting to death that hostility through it. So he came and proclaimed peace to you who were far off and peace to those who were near; for through him both of us have access in one Spirit to the Father. So then you are no longer strangers and aliens, but you are citizens with the saints and also members of the household of God, built upon the foundation of the apostles and prophets, with Christ Jesus himself as the cornerstone. In him the whole structure is joined together and grows into a holy temple in the Lord; in whom you also are built together spiritually into a dwelling-place for God.
 –Ephesians 2:15-22

I have probably said it before, but I will say it again: there are no borders in the Kingdom of God. Paul talks a lot about the nations. In his day, as now, we must deal with the civil borders drawing lines of demarcation sayings this is ours and this is yours. I suppose it makes things easier to have many nations. The more unlike people who are involved in setting out rules for living in community; the greater the challenge. Although I must say, the artificial borders drawn years ago in the middle east in an attempt to settle disputes have perhaps come back to haunt the world today.

Jesus’ concept of a borderless kingdom is designed to focus its citizens on the more important aspects of life: loving God and loving one another. He seemed to realize without these overriding drivers of human interaction we would never be able to live as one in the abundance of which he spoke. Love first and everything else falls into place.

When I walked through the ruins of Ephesus last year and saw the various gods along the way, I marveled that Christianity ever got a foothold in such a place as this. My god is better than your god had to be played out routinely. It is blatant when gods are represented by elaborate statues, but our world is not much different than Ephesus was when Paul arrived. We, too, have other entities competing for our worship. Jesus was right, of course, loving God and loving like Jesus is the only way we can overcome that which compels us to lesser gods.

Prayer:
Lord, lift me up and let me stand,
By faith, on Heaven’s tableland,
A higher plane than I have found;
Lord, plant my feet on higher ground.* Amen.

*Chorus from Higher Ground by Johnson Oatman, Jr. see at: http://library.timelesstruths.org/music/Higher_Ground/ 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.