Tag Archives: Righteousness

We are Called to Love not Judge

Advent

December 6, 2022

Scripture Reading:

Isaiah 7:10-16

Again the Lord spoke to Ahaz, saying, Ask a sign of the Lord your God; let it be deep as Sheol or high as heaven. But Ahaz said, I will not ask, and I will not put the Lord to the test. Then Isaiah said: ‘Hear then, O house of David! Is it too little for you to weary mortals, that you weary my God also? Therefore the Lord himself will give you a sign. Look, the young woman is with child and shall bear a son, and shall name him Immanuel. He shall eat curds and honey by the time he knows how to refuse the evil and choose the good. For before the child knows how to refuse the evil and choose the good, the land before whose two kings you are in dread will be deserted.

The challenge is how we discern what is evil and what is good. Evil works very hard at looking harmless, looking preferable. We as a people seem to spend a lot more time judging others for the evil we see in them than removing the log from our own eyes. (See Matthew 7:5) In most instances, what we perceive as evil in others is a sign they may need or love, not our condemnation. ‘Let anyone among you who is without sin be the first to throw a stone at her.’ ( See John 8:7) We might want to read (or read again) C. S. Lewis’ The Screwtape Letters when we find ourselves judging others’ sins rather than examining ourselves for getting caught up in the evil of self-righteousness.

A mighty Fortress is our God,
A Bulwark never failing;
Our Helper He amid the flood
Of mortal ills prevailing:
For still our ancient foe
Doth seek to work us woe;
His craft and power are great,
And, armed with cruel hate,
On earth is not his equal.

Did we in our own strength confide,
Our striving would be losing;
Were not the right Man on our side,
The Man of God’s own choosing:
Dost ask who that may be?
Christ Jesus, it is He;
Lord Sabaoth His Name,
From age to age the same,
And He must win the battle*.

Prayer:  Lord, guide us as we struggle through life’s temptations and grant us the will to walk well with others who struggle too. Amen.

*First and second verses of the hymn A Mighty Fortress is Our God by Martin Luther see at https://www.hymnal.net/en/hymn/h/886

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.

What Does It Mean to be Woke

Living in the Spirit

September 2, 2022

Scripture Reading: Philemon 1:1-21

So if you consider me your partner, welcome him as you would welcome me. If he has wronged you in any way, or owes you anything, charge that to my account. I, Paul, am writing this with my own hand: I will repay it. I say nothing about your owing me even your own self. Yes, brother, let me have this benefit from you in the Lord! Refresh my heart in Christ. Confident of your obedience, I am writing to you, knowing that you will do even more than I say. –Philemon 1:17-21

Paul did not hold back from pressuring people to do the right thing. I felt discomfort when I read in the above scripture how Paul was trying to manipulate Philemon to do the right thing regarding Onesimus. I do not have the same reaction to the word “just” or “justice,” however, the Greek and Hebrew languages treat them equally. What is just is right; what is righteous is justice. I am not a linguist, but I do think we need to be attentive to our cultural interpretation of the words we use or misuse for an ulterior purpose. I do not know when I started hearing the word “woke” as an adjective describing a type of person. The word “woke” to me is the past tense of wake which means the process of transferring from sleep to not being asleep. It also means the water in the ocean when a ship maneuvers through it. Wake is also known as a viewing, visitation, or gathering related to the death of an individual.  None of which explains the woke as a personality type which seems to be the way it is used today.  Apparently, at some point, the word began to be used in slang to mean having or marked by an active awareness of systemic injustices and prejudices, especially those related to civil and human rights* which sounds like a good thing to me. However, it is being used in political ads describing such awareness as negative. Carried to its extreme, this kind of thinking is censuring what we teach in our public schools regarding our history of injustice as being a dangerous thing to teach to children.

Paul expected both Onesimus and Philemon to learn from their mistakes and live in righteousness intentionally. I think God expects that of us today.

Prayer: Lord, guide us in following you more nearly in a world that works hard at confusing us for its negative purposes. Amen.

*https://www.dictionary.com/browse/woke

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.

Following the Rules

Living in the Spirit

August 20, 2022

Scripture Reading: Luke 13:10-17

Now he was teaching in one of the synagogues on the sabbath. And just then there appeared a woman with a spirit that had crippled her for eighteen years. She was bent over and was quite unable to stand up straight. When Jesus saw her, he called her over and said, ‘Woman, you are set free from your ailment.’ When he laid his hands on her, immediately she stood up straight and began praising God. But the leader of the synagogue, indignant because Jesus had cured on the sabbath, kept saying to the crowd, ‘There are six days on which work ought to be done; come on those days and be cured, and not on the sabbath day.’ But the Lord answered him and said, ‘You hypocrites! Does not each of you on the sabbath untie his ox or his donkey from the manger, and lead it away to give it water? And ought not this woman, a daughter of Abraham whom Satan bound for eighteen long years, be set free from this bondage on the sabbath day?’ When he said this, all his opponents were put to shame; and the entire crowd was rejoicing at all the wonderful things that he was doing.

Rules were not necessarily made to be broken but learning how to make exceptions to rules is a key to faith maturity. Rules are guidelines to simplify life. I get frustrated by the number of drivers who do not use their turn signals. The use of a turn signal is a driving rule. I also get frustrated when people forget to turn them off after making a turn. And yes, I am guilty of having done both at one time or another. I must admit that driving is much safer and simpler when everyone plays by the rules. Of course, my best effort at correcting the situation is to be a good role model. I did not get the assignment to police anyone else’s behavior. We have a well-trained police force to do that.

The rules about working on the Sabbath exist for both the purpose of resting the human body from the hard work, mental or physical, people do the other six days of the week and for setting aside time to reconnect and focus on our relationship with God. The Bible accounts many times when Jesus withdrew from the crowds, even the Disciples, to connect more deeply with God.

The above scripture seems to describe a game of who is the holiest. I cannot imagine any greater feeling of connectedness to God than the ability to touch someone and heal their deformed body. Now that is a Sabbath for the ages.

Prayer: Lord, guide our dedications to following your rules designed to make our lives more manageable while continuing to serve you more nearly. 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.

Living Righteousness

Living in the Spirit

August 2, 2022

Scripture Reading: Genesis 15:1-6

After these things the word of the Lord came to Abram in a vision, ‘Do not be afraid, Abram, I am your shield; your reward shall be very great.’ But Abram said, ‘O Lord God, what will you give me, for I continue childless, and the heir of my house is Eliezer of Damascus?’ And Abram said, ‘You have given me no offspring, and so a slave born in my house is to be my heir.’ But the word of the Lord came to him, ‘This man shall not be your heir; no one but your very own issue shall be your heir.’ He brought him outside and said, ‘Look towards heaven and count the stars, if you are able to count them.’ Then he said to him, ‘So shall your descendants be.’ And he believed the Lord; and the Lord reckoned it to him as righteousness.

The scripture leading to this quote tells of Abram negotiating with the King of Sodom. The King offers Abram riches in exchange for the people who came with him. Abram turned him down and retain his followers. He thus crossed a major ruler. Following that encounter, Abram has a vision where God tells him not to be afraid and that his reward would be very great. Having an heir in that culture was required even if one had to designate a slave. So, God’s promise that Abram would have a son was important. God saw that Abram was a man of righteousness and chose him as a helper in God’s plans.

Our goal in life is to act so that God sees us as righteous people who are dedicated to God’s vision for the world he created. We are called to be people on whom God can count.

We live in a challenging world where the powers that be try to reshape righteousness to their own causes. Abram could have taken the riches and lived the high life until the riches were gone. He chose the better path and was thus chosen to be a partner in God’s Kingdom.

Prayer: Lord, teach us your righteousness so that we might also partner with you in realizing the beloved community you desire. 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.

How to Pray

Living in the Spirit

July 16, 2022

Scripture Reading:

Luke 11:1-13

He was praying in a certain place, and after he had finished, one of his disciples said to him, ‘Lord, teach us to pray, as John taught his disciples.’ He said to them, ‘When you pray, say:
Father, hallowed be your name.
   Your kingdom come.
   Give us each day our daily bread.
   And forgive us our sins,
     for we ourselves forgive everyone indebted to us.
   And do not bring us to the time of trial.’ –Luke 11:1-4

Luke simplifies Jesus’s instructions on how to pray compared to Matthew’s version—the one most of us memorized. The message is the same. It recognizes God’s supremacy and the great desire for his kingdom to become the standard for the world. He stresses the need for all people to be fed while forgiving those who are indebted to us.

Matthew writes the next line, lead us not into temptation but deliver us from evil (Matthew 6:13). Luke asked to not bring us to the time of trial or put us to the test in some versions. Theologians have long struggled with this, asking whether God could lead us into temptation or put us to the test. I have never gotten caught up in that fray as I think the world does enough to lead us astray that God does not need to waste time in that manner. I tend to sin more in areas of omission than commission, although I am capable of that also. My battles are pushing myself to do what is right when what is right is not accepted well in our culture. Going along to get along is the easy way out, and, anyway, how could my meager actions make a difference. I am then reminded of Margaret Mead’s quote, Never doubt that a small group of thoughtful, committed citizens can change the world; indeed, it’s the only thing that ever has. I am reminded of those all too human twelve disciples who followed Jesus’s instructions and changed the world.

Prayer: Lord, grant us the courage to do what is right. 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.

Navigated by Love

Living in the Spirit

September 19, 2021

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.’ Then he took a little child and put it among them; and taking it in his arms, he said to them, ‘Whoever welcomes one such child in my name welcomes me, and whoever welcomes me welcomes not me but the one who sent me.’ –Mark 9:33-37

‘Whoever wants to be first must be last of all and servant of all.’

I fear when the USA, as a nation, looks in the mirror, it sees the past, struggling groups of people escaping religious persecution or famine coming to a new world in search of the freedom to live as our ancestors chose. This was our land; God gave this land to us. Some did consider that the land was vast enough for both the original occupants and those newly arrived, but the majority did not. Our Manifest Destiny grew into an empire. Thus, we are now following the steps of earlier empires like Egypt, Babylon, and Rome. These nations were ruled by greed and lust for power. They all failed, rotted from within.

We can choose to be the people Christ called us to be, setting an example for the whole world. ‘Whoever wants to be first must be last of all and servant of all.’ This is a world ruled by love where everyone has enough to meet their basic needs and become whatever God created them to be. The will to put loving God and loving one another first dictates how we need to govern.

It feels like we are standing on the precipice of our nation, trying to decide which way to go. It reminds me of Jesus weeping as he overlooked Jerusalem.

As he came near and saw the city, he wept over it, saying, ‘If you, even you, had only recognized on this day the things that make for peace! But now they are hidden from your eyes. Indeed, the days will come upon you, when your enemies will set up ramparts around you and surround you, and hem you in on every side. They will crush you to the ground, you and your children within you, and they will not leave within you one stone upon another; because you did not recognize the time of your visitation from God.’ (Luke 19:41-44)

Prayer: God with Us, take the blinders from our eyes and show us your better way of righteousness and justice navigated by 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 America. Used by permission. All rights are reserved.

King Solomon

Living in the Spirit

June 21, 2021

Scripture Reading: Wisdom of Solomon 1:13-15, 2:23-24 
because God did not make death,
and he does not delight in the death of the living.
For he created all things so that they might exist;
the generative forces of the world are wholesome,
and there is no destructive poison in them,
and the dominion of Hades is not on earth.
For righteousness is immortal.

for God created us for incorruption,
and made us in the image of his own eternity,
but through the devil’s envy death entered the world,
and those who belong to his company experience it.

I have trouble imagining a world without death. Life and death, creation and re-creation are the norms of the plant world—plow, plant, water, harvest, collect seeds, plow, plant, and so forth. This scripture begs the question of who created the devil? I usually do not invest much time in the theoretical. Reality is challenging enough.  When I started these daily devotions, I committed to delving into the scriptures provided in the Lectionary because I think we need to study the whole Bible. Thus, I reread this.

I realized that if these words originated with Solomon, they were written a thousand years before Jesus came to the earth. Yet the words immortal and eternity are words we relate to Jesus the Christ. On the other end of the spectrum, we have the devil corrupting Adam and Eve. And we return to the idea of free will and God’s desiring that we choose to do righteousness.

I must say I do like the phrase the generative forces of the world are wholesome. There is much hope in those words, and our world needs hope right now.

Prayer: Lord, forgive me when my mind just does not get the truth of the scriptures. Help me discern what is essential for me to serve you the way you want me to serve. 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.

Roller Coaster of Righteousness

Lent

March 13, 2021

Scripture Reading:
John 3:14-21

And just as Moses lifted up the serpent in the wilderness, so must the Son of Man be lifted up, that whoever believes in him may have eternal life.

‘For God so loved the world that he gave his only Son, so that everyone who believes in him may not perish but may have eternal life. –John 3:14-16

The cross is the most identifiable symbol of Christ used in Christianity’s variants, from the Crucifix with Jesus’s body to the empty cross denoting that he arose. Of course, both are essential to understand the substance of Jesus’s life, death, and resurrection. The writer of John sums it up well in John 3:16 (see above). For many, this scripture was one of the first we memorized as children. God saw that the world needed some help, and God came to be with us in the person of Jesus, who was the Christ demonstrating the ultimate love of God on that cross.

What was it that God observed about humans that led God to intercede? We have the history of God as recorded in the Hebrew Bible. Reading it is like riding a roller coaster. The people and leaders of one generation did right in the eyes of God, followed by others who did evil. While these phrases first appear in the books describing the Israelite kings, they began when Adam and Eve did not do what was right in the eyes of God. The written instruction appears in Deuteronomy 6:18,

Do what is right and good in the sight of the Lord, so that it may go well with you, and so that you may go in and occupy the good land that the Lord swore to your ancestors to give you,

We can trace Israel’s successes and failures by the Kings who were described as doing right in the eyes of God and those who did evil in the eyes of God. Is that roller coaster still operating today? Have we, as individuals and as Christ-followers, turned from doing what is right in the eyes of God? Is the evil being described, our self-righteousness being projected as God’s righteousness?

Prayer: Lord, during this Lenten season, guide us to test our idea of righteousness to see if it melds with yours. Please lead us to your path of righteousness. 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.

God’s Wisdom and Discernment

Lent

March 4, 2021

Scripture Reading:
1 Corinthians 1:18-25
For the message about the cross is foolishness to those who are perishing, but to us who are being saved it is the power of God. For it is written,

‘I will destroy the wisdom of the wise,

   and the discernment of the discerning I will thwart.’

Where is the one who is wise? Where is the scribe? Where is the debater of this age? Has not God made foolish the wisdom of the world? For since, in the wisdom of God, the world did not know God through wisdom, God decided, through the foolishness of our proclamation, to save those who believe. For Jews demand signs and Greeks desire wisdom, but we proclaim Christ crucified, a stumbling-block to Jews and foolishness to Gentiles, but to those who are the called, both Jews and Greeks, Christ the power of God and the wisdom of God. For God’s foolishness is wiser than human wisdom, and God’s weakness is stronger than human strength.

In the above scripture Paul is most likely quoting from Isaiah 29:14
So I will again do
   amazing things with this people,
   shocking and amazing.
The wisdom of their wise shall perish,
   and the discernment of the discerning shall be hidden.

Both scriptures fit our times well. Some think that wisdom is whatever they say, and discernment is what we choose to discern these days. Such ideas are derived from a worldview that reflects privilege or a caste system where wisdom and understanding are allocated to a chosen few. I walk inside my house for a few minutes every hour. I read somewhere that such exercise is good for retirees. I was walking and listening to a news program recently when I stopped in my track to assure myself that I had heard what I thought I had heard. A politician was being interviewed regarding his desire to make voting more difficult. When he was asked why such restrictions as he was backing were needed, he said something to the effect that if it were easy for everyone to vote, his party would never win.

God’s foolishness embodies putting God’s righteousness/justice first, including loving God and loving our neighbor as we love ourselves. God’s wisdom understands that the world God created offers enough to meet all people’s needs when we practice God’s righteousness.

Prayer: God who is love, heal our souls so that we recognize and practice your wisdom and discernment in our 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 America. Used by permission. All rights are reserved.

Renewal

Epiphany

January 9, 2021

Scripture Reading:
Mark 1:4-11
John the baptizer appeared in the wilderness, proclaiming a baptism of repentance for the forgiveness of sins. And people from the whole Judean countryside and all the people of Jerusalem were going out to him, and were baptized by him in the river Jordan, confessing their sins. Now John was clothed with camel’s hair, with a leather belt around his waist, and he ate locusts and wild honey. He proclaimed, ‘The one who is more powerful than I is coming after me; I am not worthy to stoop down and untie the thong of his sandals. I have baptized you with water; but he will baptize you with the Holy Spirit.’

In those days Jesus came from Nazareth of Galilee and was baptized by John in the Jordan. And just as he was coming up out of the water, he saw the heavens torn apart and the Spirit descending like a dove on him. And a voice came from heaven, ‘You are my Son, the Beloved; with you I am well pleased.‘

I am re-reading the Cost of Discipleship by Dietrich Bonhoeffer. With all that is going on in our nation, I feel the need to be re-grounded in my faith. While I may not agree with him in every aspect of his thinking, he forces me to consider where I am in my faith development. He was one who saw evil working its will on people without their knowledge. John the Baptist also fits that mold. It seems God’s way with God’s people is always to warn them away from unjust behavior before they suffer the consequences of their choices. John prepared the people for the coming of Jesus. Jesus prepared us for the coming of the Kingdom of God and its characteristics. Yet, we at times forget that we are charged with being a part of that Kingdom now. Paul, recognizing that fact, noted his struggle to fulfill the responsibility, For I do not do the good I want, but the evil I do not want is what I do. (Romans 7:19)

Evil is cunning. Fred Craddock wrote a Bible study many years ago that I am not sure was formally published. I do not even remember the name of it. What I do remember is he posits that people tend to sin not in their weakness but in the areas of their greatest strength. I have heard in the news several times recently that the USA is the example of real democracy. They cannot believe some of the things happening here now, describing them as similar to a banana republic. History has shown us that we pay a heavy price for the outcomes when we become indifferent to our responsibilities. The Hebrew prophets like Amos and Hosea delivered this message. It certainly was Bonhoeffer’s message in response to Hitler.

If we are to live in God’s righteousness/justice, we must practice it in every aspect of our lives and enable others to practice it.

Prayer: Lord, forgive us when we get so caught up in our culture we forget we are to live in the culture of your Kingdom. 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.