Tag Archives: Righteousness

Salvation is God’s Gift to Everyone

Christmastide

January 1, 2020

Scripture Reading: Psalm 147:12-20

Praise the Lord, O Jerusalem!
   Praise your God, O Zion!
For he strengthens the bars of your gates;
   he blesses your children within you.He grants peace within your borders;
   he fills you with the finest of wheat.He sends out his command to the earth;
   his word runs swiftly.
He gives snow like wool;   he scatters frost like ashes.He hurls down hail like crumbs—
   who can stand before his cold?
He sends out his word, and melts them;
   he makes his wind blow, and the waters flow.
He declares his word to Jacob,
   his statutes and ordinances to Israel.
He has not dealt thus with any other nation;
   they do not know his ordinances.
Praise the Lord!


The following words caught my attention as I read the above scripture:
He has not dealt thus with any other nation;
   they do not know his ordinances.

My brain added a phrase following this one “with the coming of Immanuel, God opened the door to all nations” but still ended with:
Praise the Lord!

The coming of God with Us is celebrated primarily for the salvation Christ brought to each of us. I think we sometimes forget that Christ came for the salvation of all people and charged those of us who choose to follow him to be the conduits in our world today to make that happen. That last charge is addressed in many ways and has been since the birth of the church. Our humanness sometimes enhances our ability to share the love of God with others and sometimes distracts from introducing people to the ways of Christ. Our humanness sometimes leads us to think we are particularly special in God’s eyes when indeed all God’s children are special in God’s eyes. Jesus did not tell the parable of the lost sheep for no reason.

As we start this new year, this new decade, let us address anew God’s call to share God’s love with everyone.

Prayer: Lord, forgive us when we are more self-righteous than righteous. Open our eyes to the needs of all your children. 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.

Harmony

Advent

December 5, 2019

Scripture Reading: Romans 15:4-13

For whatever was written in former days was written for our instruction, so that by steadfastness and by the encouragement of the scriptures we might have hope. May the God of steadfastness and encouragement grant you to live in harmony with one another, in accordance with Christ Jesus, so that together you may with one voice glorify the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ. –Romans 15:4-6

I am writing this after watching the first Judiciary Committee impeachment hearing where law professors were sharing a bit of a tutorial on the Constitution as it relates to impeachment. Two differing opinions resulted. The Senators who were conducting the hearing were spit down party lines.

There is more dissonance present than harmony as they try to answer the political question “What is truth?” Once heard from the mouth of Pilate at the trial of Jesus, Pilate seemed inclined to let Jesus go, as he said “I find no case against him”*. What is sometimes lost in politics is what is right and what is just. Both require all to consider why they are taking the stance they are choosing and if that stance is the right and just stance for the issue being addressed.

Finding harmony requires first, that all participants desire harmony. Harmony is not easy. Some are blessed with perfect pitch but most of us must learn to match our voices or instruments to a tuning fork or other pitch source. Our tuning device is Jesus Christ. His life and his teachings give us a place to start. Practice and more practice are necessary at hitting the right pitch consistently. We are also required to stick to our part. There is no grandstanding in harmony. One might want to sing a solo with a broad vibrato but that might not work in a group. The same goes for loudness and softness. Christ is also our director. Harmony is at its best when we follow the director.

Prayer: God grant us the will to live in harmony that results in righteousness and justice. Amen.

*See John 18:38

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 Justice

Preparing for Advent

November 25, 2019

Scripture Reading: Isaiah 2:1-5
The word that Isaiah son of Amoz saw concerning Judah and Jerusalem.
In days to come
   the mountain of the Lord’s house
shall be established as the highest of the mountains,
   and shall be raised above the hills;
all the nations shall stream to it.
   Many peoples shall come and say,
‘Come, let us go up to the mountain of the Lord,
   to the house of the God of Jacob;
that he may teach us his ways
   and that we may walk in his paths.’
For out of Zion shall go forth instruction,
   and the word of the Lord from Jerusalem.
He shall judge between the nations,
   and shall arbitrate for many peoples;
they shall beat their swords into ploughshares,
   and their spears into pruning-hooks;
nation shall not lift up sword against nation,
   neither shall they learn war any more.
O house of Jacob,
   come, let us walk
   in the light of the Lord!

I watched a car ad on TV recently that showed a child blackmailing Santa so the child could get Santa’s sleigh which was of course a fancy car. I shuddered. What on earth are we doing? Selling the idea that wrong is not just OK but preferred behavior for children? Getting caught seems to have become the worst sin one can commit.

Isaiah writes hope in the above scripture as he describes a world where the Lord’s ways are lived as the right way.  As we begin the season of Advent, let us dedicate ourselves to looking inward to discern how much our lives are caught up in the ways of the world. Let us expose to God that we realize we need to turn around and return to God’s ways. Let us set forth our plans to live in justice and righteousness. Indeed, let us walk in the light of the Lord.

Prayer: God of Justice and Mercy, open our hearts and minds to the truth of the way we are living, cleanse us of those things drawing us away from you, and show us how to live in your light. 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.

Loving Righteousness

Kingdom Building

October 30, 2019

Scripture Reading: Psalm 119:137-144
You are righteous, O Lord,
   and your judgments are right.
You have appointed your decrees in righteousness
   and in all faithfulness.
My zeal consumes me
   because my foes forget your words.
Your promise is well tried,
   and your servant loves it.
I am small and despised,
   yet I do not forget your precepts.
Your righteousness is an everlasting righteousness,
   and your law is the truth.
Trouble and anguish have come upon me,
   but your commandments are my delight.
Your decrees are righteous forever;
   give me understanding that I may live.

What is right? What is truth? What can we learn about the acts of God from ancient documents that apply to our world today? What can we leave to our descendants that will be meaningful to their relationship with God?

I just heard a report on the morning news that fewer and fewer people identify as practicing any religion and more and more are leaving religion. I, too, cringe in disbelief when I hear things credited to God that seem alien to the God of love I was introduced to as a child. According to some, Jesus apparently does not love all the children of the world red and yellow, black and white. Just thinking about homosexual behavior must be exorcised through conversion therapy even though about six percent of our population have identified as homosexual since the beginning of time. If all were made in the image of God, people of color and homosexuals surely were too. However, heterosexual misbehavior including pedophilia and sex trafficking seems limited only by what one cannot get away with including clergy. Financial prosperity is a major indicator of one’s status with God according to others.

My faith tells me that the image of God implanted in each of our souls is the ability to love—to love God, to love our neighbors as we love ourselves, to love a life partner, and to love justice for all, or as the author of the above Psalm calls it righteousness. Righteousness is about community, is always needed when two or more are gathered together, and particularly blessed when gathered together in the presence of the living God.

Prayer: Lord save us from destroying the most important legacy we have received and will leave our descendants, your abiding 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.

Sustained Righteousness

Kingdom Building

July 24, 2019

Scripture Reading: Psalm 85

Lord, you were favorable to your land;
   you restored the fortunes of Jacob.
You forgave the iniquity of your people;
   you pardoned all their sin.
          Selah
You withdrew all your wrath;
   you turned from your hot anger.
Restore us again, O God of our salvation,
   and put away your indignation towards us.
Will you be angry with us forever?
   Will you prolong your anger to all generations?
ill you not revive us again,
   so that your people may rejoice in you?
Show us your steadfast love, O Lord,
   and grant us your salvation.
–Psalm 85:1-7

Humans just cannot seem to sustain righteousness. We get it right at some point probably following some bad time, a catastrophe, an awakening about how sordid our life has become. We walk for a while on a straight path after entering the narrow gate, but then we start slipping a little at a time until we are full scale amid a sordid life again. This cycle described in the above Psalm continues today.

For the gate is narrow and the road is hard that leads to life, and there are few who find it. ‘Enter through the narrow gate; for the gate is wide and the road is easy that leads to destruction, and there are many who take it. (Matthew 7:13-14)

How do we sustain righteousness? I do not think we can without a close and abiding relationship with God, the love of Christ, and the guidance of the Holy Spirit. We need to be cognizant that with the first step off the path we must enter the above described course correction.  That requires us to be intentional with self-examination. It does not require us to become rigid and judgmental, which often happens when our attempts at sustained righteousness turns into self-righteousness.

Prayer: God of mercy and justice, help us see the joy of fulfillment when we chose the narrow gate, which is first and foremost defined 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.

God’ Guidance

Eastertide

April 29, 2019

Scripture Reading: Acts 9:1-20

Meanwhile Saul, still breathing threats and murder against the disciples of the Lord, went to the high priest and asked him for letters to the synagogues at Damascus, so that if he found any who belonged to the Way, men or women, he might bring them bound to Jerusalem. Now as he was going along and approaching Damascus, suddenly a light from heaven flashed around him. He fell to the ground and heard a voice saying to him, ‘Saul, Saul, why do you persecute me?’ He asked, ‘Who are you, Lord?’ The reply came, ‘I am Jesus, whom you are persecuting. But get up and enter the city, and you will be told what you are to do.’ The men who were travelling with him stood speechless because they heard the voice but saw no one. Saul got up from the ground, and though his eyes were open, he could see nothing; so they led him by the hand and brought him into Damascus. For three days he was without sight, and neither ate nor drank.  –Acts 9:1-9

I am usually confident about what I think is right. I try to always check my facts, if I have any question about what I and saying or writing and make corrections as indicated. I get in trouble on the gray areas of life, what I think someone’s intentions are, not understanding the long history behind someone’s behavior that sort of thing. I have made some mistakes in my life for which I had to make apologies or amends. Some wrongs I committed had no rectification. I pray that if I am guilty of wrongs that not only affect the lives of others directly but also have consequences that could impact the whole world, God would bring me up short and show me the errors of my ways. That is exactly what he did with Paul.

The closest I have come to immediate correction was once when I prayed that someone, I knew who was committing adultery be forgiven for his behavior. In my mind I received an immediate message that asking for forgiveness for someone else was not my purview.

I have spent restless nights, like Jacob wrestling with the angel*, dealing with some action I had taken or more often wanted to take that was not the right thing to do. I think the Holy Spirit had something to do with my coming to a better decision by morning.

The positive conclusion I can make about Saul’s experience described in the above scripture is that God loved him enough to confront him and set him on a better way of serving God.

Prayer: Holy One, guide me to your righteousness, protect me from being so distracted by the things of the world that I do not perceive your communion with me. Amen.

*See Genesis 32:22-31

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.

Wide Open Gates or Narrow Entrances

Lent
April 9, 2019

Scripture Reading: Psalm 118:1-2, 19-29

Open to me the gates of righteousness,
   that I may enter through them
   and give thanks to the Lord.
This is the gate of the Lord;
   the righteous shall enter through it. –Psalm 118:19-20

This Psalm says the gate of righteousness is fully opened and welcoming. Jesus is quoted as describing the gate as narrow and the road hard that leads to life. He also said it is harder for the rich to enter the kingdom of God than for a camel to go through the eye of a needle.

 ‘Enter through the narrow gate; for the gate is wide and the road is easy that leads to destruction, and there are many who take it. For the gate is narrow and the road is hard that leads to life, and there are few who find it. (Matthew 7:13-14)

Again I tell you, it is easier for a camel to go through the eye of a needle than for someone who is rich to enter the kingdom of God.’ (Matthew 19:24)

So, what is going on here? I think both thoughts are truths for us to understand. I am a basketball fan and thus am acquainted with various commentators’ illustrations. One description often made, when a player cannot seem to miss a shot, is the commentator saying something to the effect that the game is slowing down for him or her or the basket is getting bigger. Obviously, the basket is not getting bigger but the whole idea of the game slowing down is a phenomenon for all athletes. With more practice athletes develop something called muscle memory, I call it playing on automatic pilot. Hitting shots becomes second nature to them and even if they miss one now and then they keep making shots until they get back into the rhythm of hitting. The more we practice the spiritual disciples the more our spiritual memory strengthens and the gate to righteousness seems bigger.

Prayer: Lord, help us see the open gate of righteousness even when the distractions of our world seems to make the path to it narrow. 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.

Doing the Processes Necessary to Reach a Goal

Lent
April 5, 2019

Scripture Reading: Philippians 3:4b-14

Yet whatever gains I had, these I have come to regard as loss because of Christ. More than that, I regard everything as loss because of the surpassing value of knowing Christ Jesus my Lord. For his sake I have suffered the loss of all things, and I regard them as rubbish, in order that I may gain Christ and be found in him, not having a righteousness of my own that comes from the law, but one that comes through faith in Christ, the righteousness from God based on faith. I want to know Christ and the power of his resurrection and the sharing of his sufferings by becoming like him in his death, if somehow I may attain the resurrection from the dead.

 Not that I have already obtained this or have already reached the goal; but I press on to make it my own, because Christ Jesus has made me his own. Beloved, I do not consider that I have made it my own; but this one thing I do: forgetting what lies behind and straining forward to what lies ahead, I press on towards the goal for the prize of the heavenly call of God in Christ Jesus. –Philippians 3:7-14

Fully becoming the Body of Christ in the world today is a journey with lots of twists and turns. I must confess I test as being highly goal oriented on the Myers-Briggs personality types so committing to only processes or tasks is a challenge for me. My brain understands the idea of making a commitment of striving to righteously function in all that I do. My whole being, however, longs for reaching a final goal. The problem in that is I am then not happy until I have another goal to attain. The way we goal oriented people must function is to set interim steps so we can have our goal and keep it to. I have considered what Jesus would be on the Myers-Briggs type indicator and my best guess is that he was fully goal oriented and fully process/task oriented.

Paul in his striving to obey Jewish law perfectly leaned toward being task oriented. Christ challenged him in his journey by making him consider to what purpose he was striving. I think he came to realize that individual righteousness is important but if it serves no purpose toward sharing God’s love with others, it leads to nothing. Or at least that what I think he is saying in 1 Corinthians 13.

Prayer: Lead us toward your vision of a kingdom rules by love through both our commitment to spiritual disciples and our continued quest to love our neighbors as we love ourselves. 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.

Being Open The Lord’s Teachings

Lent
March 13, 2019

Scripture Reading: Psalm 27

Teach me your way, O Lord,
   and lead me on a level path
   because of my enemies.
Do not give me up to the will of my adversaries,
   for false witnesses have risen against me,
   and they are breathing out violence. 

I believe that I shall see the goodness of the Lord
   in the land of the living.
Wait for the Lord;
   be strong, and let your heart take courage;
   wait for the Lord! –Psalm 27:11-14

Who is right and who is not? When I was a senior in high school, my little rural school was seriously considering consolidation with our arch rival school located six miles away. Most of the students that that would be the end of the world. After graduation I went to college and quickly learned how the limitations of my school impacted my college experience. My best friend tested out of ten hours of German when she enrolled. My school offered no foreign language. She also was a math major and went directly into more advanced math classes because she had had the preparatory classes in high school. I was not a math major, but I would not have had the background for it had I wanted to pursue it. The consolidation took place and the school now offers advanced courses in several areas. I was allowing my emotions and my allegiances take the place of what was the right thing to do.

We may be our own worst adversaries an do not even know it. One of the ways the Lord teaches us the Lord’s way is to help us face realities we do wish did not exists. God can help us search our hearts and minds and come to grips with the situations we face. We are strengthened when we dismantle the barriers, we create for ourselves. Having dealt with our challenges we are more able to deal with external adversaries. Trusting in God to guide us we can expect the goodness of the Lord in our lives.

Prayer:  Lord, create in us clean hearts opening our hearts and minds to following your ways. 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.

Pleasing God

Advent
December 4, 2018

Scripture Reading: Malachi 3:1-4

For he is like a refiner’s fire and like fullers’ soap; he will sit as a refiner and purifier of silver, and he will purify the descendants of Levi and refine them like gold and silver until they present offerings to the Lord in righteousness. Then the offering of Judah and Jerusalem will be pleasing to the Lord as in the days of old and as in former years. –Malachi 3:2b-4

When I traveled to Alaska several years ago, I visited a gold mine where tourists, for a price, were invited to pan for gold in water that contained the waste from the mine. We could keep any gold we shifted from the debris. I got just enough to put in a tiny crystal necklace, for a price, to take home as a keepsake.

Gold and silver must be removed from the bits of other elements that time forged into the rocks from which these precious metals are extracted. In the song, Jesus Loves the Little Children of the World, there is a line that states that Jesus sees God’s children as precious in his sight. Our souls too get cluttered with the elements of the world that tarnish our ability to serve God in our fullest. We too must be cleansed of that which distracts from our being fully the people God created us to be. We must work at bringing all our gifts of time, talent, and treasure to God assuring that they are given in righteousness.

Perhaps that is what Jesus meant when he said: No one can serve two masters; for a slave will either hate the one and love the other, or be devoted to the one and despise the other. You cannot serve God and wealth. (Matthew 6:24)

As we await the arrival of God Incarnate in this time of Advent, Malachi reminds us that all our offerings to God must be in alignment with God’s righteousness/justice if it is to be pleasing to God.

Prayer: Lord, cleanse us of all that gets in the way of our being in right alignment with you. 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.