Tag Archives: Providing for the Common Good

New Things

Christmastide

December 30, 2022

Scripture Reading: Revelation 21:1-6a
Then I saw a new heaven and a new earth; for the first heaven and the first earth had passed away, and the sea was no more. And I saw the holy city, the new Jerusalem, coming down out of heaven from God, prepared as a bride adorned for her husband. And I heard a loud voice from the throne saying,
‘See, the home of God is among mortals.
He will dwell with them;
they will be his peoples,
and God himself will be with them;
he will wipe every tear from their eyes.
Death will be no more;
mourning and crying and pain will be no more,
for the first things have passed away.’

And the one who was seated on the throne said, ‘See, I am making all things new.’ Also he said, ‘Write this, for these words are trustworthy and true.’ Then he said to me, ‘It is done! I am the Alpha and the Omega, the beginning and the end. To the thirsty I will give water as a gift from the spring of the water of life.

One of my favorite choruses is I Will Do a New Thing in You based on Isaiah 43:19:

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 chorus makes it more personal, but it is also copyrighted, so I cannot share the words, but the title says what moves me and hopefully moves all of us to action. We need to do new things, most of which are as old as time. Loving your neighbor is first commanded in Lev. 19:18. Doing Justice is described in Micah 6:8. Matthew 25:31-46 spells out precisely how Christ will judge us individually and as a nation, remember for I was hungry and you gave me food… Living in a democracy, we do not have a monarch or dictator to blame for our failures to provide for the Common Good, the purpose of government. We, the people, select those who represent us and who are supposed to support our biding. Maybe the new thing Christ is trying to do with us wakes us up to our responsibilities in providing for the Common Good.

Prayer: Lord, help us see the new/old things you expect from us and give us the courage to do 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 America. Used by permission. All rights are reserved.

The Common Good

Lent

March 12, 2022

Scripture Reading:

Luke 13:31-35

At that very hour some Pharisees came and said to him, ‘Get away from here, for Herod wants to kill you.’ He said to them, ‘Go and tell that fox for me, “Listen, I am casting out demons and performing cures today and tomorrow, and on the third day I finish my work. Yet today, tomorrow, and the next day I must be on my way, because it is impossible for a prophet to be killed away from Jerusalem.” 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! See, your house is left to you. And I tell you, you will not see me until the time comes when you say, “Blessed is the one who comes in the name of the Lord.”’

I wonder what Jesus would say if he looked down upon our nation and our state today. I feel confident his words would be the same as those he spoke looking down on Jerusalem. Oklahoma is a state fighting against its own best interests. It ranks 47th in life expectancy* and 42nd in poverty**. The percentages vary among the different measures used to determine the standing of our ability to address these issues, but the numbers are only slightly different. We rank in the bottom 10 among all states in health care and health outcomes, education, and criminal justice. The one common denominator among these three ways of solving these problems is our leader’s desire to spread our tax dollars among for-profit providers rather than tackle the issues without greasing the skids of greed.

Jesus showed us the way in his life and his teachings. In Matthew 25 he says he will judge the nations in whether they fed the hungry, gave water to the thirsty, welcomed the stranger, clothed the naked, cared for the sick, and restored those in prison. In recent times we have turned inward only caring about our personal rights not the wellbeing of all. Jesus teaches us that there is room in God’s kingdom for all to have enough to thrive and we are each individually and collectively responsible for striving for that common good.

Prayer: Lord, forgive us for not fulfilling your plan for your world. Amen.

*https://www.worldlifeexpectancy.com/usa/oklahoma-life-expectancy

**https://www.news9.com/story/5e3498fe527dcf49dad814d4/oklahoma-ranks-among-the-poorest-states-in-the-us#:~:text=And%20Oklahoma%20wound%20up%20in,median%20household%20income%20at%20%2449%2C176.

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 America. Used by permission. All rights are reserved.

Politics and Justice

Living in the Spirit

November 15, 2021

Scripture Reading:
2 Samuel 23:2-7

The spirit of the Lord speaks through me,
   his word is upon my tongue.
The God of Israel has spoken,
   the Rock of Israel has said to me:
One who rules over people justly,
   ruling in the fear of God,
is like the light of morning,
   like the sun rising on a cloudless morning,
   gleaming from the rain on the grassy land.

Is not my house like this with God?
   For he has made with me an everlasting covenant,
   ordered in all things and secure.
Will he not cause to prosper
   all my help and my desire?
But the godless are all like thorns that are thrown away;
   for they cannot be picked up with the hand;
to touch them one uses an iron bar
   or the shaft of a spear.
   And they are entirely consumed in fire on the spot. –2 Samuel 23:2-7

Politics has crossed the line into jurisprudence– practical wisdom about the law. In Oklahoma last week, we legally executed a man for murder who was possibly mentally ill.  According to witnesses, he suffered numerous convulsions after he was administered the first drug and vomited twice while tethered to a gurney with arms outstretched. A federal court hearing is scheduled in February to determine once again whether Oklahoma’s method of execution is cruel and unusual punishment. Thirty men were on death row when this hearing was called who would be impacted by it. They were each required to choose the method of execution they would prefer, to be a party in the case. The man executed last week said making such a choice would be the equivalent of suicide, and his faith forbids suicide. Thus, he was removed from the case and immediately moved into execution protocols. This week our Governor will decide whether to execute a man for which there is compelling evidence that he did not commit the crime for which he was given the death penalty. Will the Governor decide based on the facts of the case or the point that 61% of Oklahoma’s support the death penalty?

David is the identified author of the above scripture, written at the end of his reign as king. Thus, the advice comes from an experienced politician. Yes, politics exist in a monarchy. David’s sage observation is to be a successful leader; one must do justice. Sometimes leaders need to be teachers also. They need to share with their constituents the broader picture of issues they may not know or understand.

Prayer: God of Justice and Mercy, open our hearts and minds to considering all aspects of justice and as we strive to do what is right as citizens of a nation and state where justice is defined by people we elect. 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 America. Used by permission. All rights are reserved.

Healing the Soul of our Nation

Living in the Spirit

October 18, 2020

Scripture Reading:
Matthew 22:15-22

Then the Pharisees went and plotted to entrap him in what he said. So they sent their disciples to him, along with the Herodians, saying, ‘Teacher, we know that you are sincere, and teach the way of God in accordance with truth, and show deference to no one; for you do not regard people with partiality. Tell us, then, what you think. Is it lawful to pay taxes to the emperor, or not?’ But Jesus, aware of their malice, said, ‘Why are you putting me to the test, you hypocrites? Show me the coin used for the tax.’ And they brought him a denarius. Then he said to them, ‘Whose head is this, and whose title?’ They answered, ‘The emperor’s.’ Then he said to them, ‘Give therefore to the emperor the things that are the emperor’s, and to God the things that are God’s.’ When they heard this, they were amazed; and they left him and went away.

Power tends to corrupt, and absolute power corrupts absolutely. –John Dalberg-Acton, 1st Baron Acton

The Pharisees were seeing Jesus as a threat to their power as they moved to entrap him, hoping he would lose favor with those who followed him. Jesus saw through their ploy, slyly sidestepping it. During this election season, we are being bombarded by half-truths, words taken out of context, changing their implications, and other distortions designed to capture our votes, whether the results are good for us or not.

Self-righteous power can never supersede divine power because divine power is fueled by love. Jesus lived love in all his actions, including going to the cross. In three weeks voting in this election will be over. On December 14, 2020, the Electoral College should finalize the vote. No matter the outcome, we need to start today, putting away those things that divide us and honing our ability to love one another, wanting the best for each other. We must work together to find common ground to provide for the Common Good. Amid COVID-19, we would be wise to move all those hot-button issues that divide us to the back burner and pursue those things upon which we can find the smallest of common ground. We might be surprised by how the positive outcomes of working together on important but less discordant issues might diminish those thorny ones which are so divisive.

Please join me today in praying for our nation’s future, listening for the Spirit’s guidance.

Prayer: Lord, create in us clean hearts and right spirits to hear and accept your guidance in seeking the Common Good. 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 America. Used by permission. All rights are reserved.