Tag Archives: Serving God

Serving God, Following the Example of Jesus

Lent

April 2, 2023

Scripture Reading:

Matthew 21:1-11
When they had come near Jerusalem and had reached Bethphage, at the Mount of Olives, Jesus sent two disciples, saying to them, ‘Go into the village ahead of you, and immediately you will find a donkey tied, and a colt with her; untie them and bring them to me. If anyone says anything to you, just say this, “The Lord needs them.” And he will send them immediately.’ This took place to fulfill what had been spoken through the prophet, saying,
‘Tell the daughter of Zion,
Look, your king is coming to you,
   humble, and mounted on a donkey,
     and on a colt, the foal of a donkey.’

The disciples went and did as Jesus had directed them; they brought the donkey and the colt, and put their cloaks on them, and he sat on them. A very large crowd spread their cloaks on the road, and others cut branches from the trees and spread them on the road. The crowds that went ahead of him and that followed were shouting,
‘Hosanna to the Son of David!
   Blessed is the one who comes in the name of the Lord!
Hosanna in the highest heaven!’

When he entered Jerusalem, the whole city was in turmoil, asking, ‘Who is this?’ The crowds were saying, ‘This is the prophet Jesus from Nazareth in Galilee.’

Fame can be heady, but it also can be a challenge. Being a star actor, musician, athlete, politician even a preacher makes people deal with who they really are and who others perceive them to be. Jesus had to walk that lonely journey. He had to find the perfect combination of being known for who he really was while being able to get others’ attention to share his purpose and not just view him as what we might call a Rock Star.

Amid being surrounded by people all different, and all-seeing him from the prisms of their lives, Jesus seemed to be able to meet each person by who they were and respond appropriately from the children waving their palms in great joy to being jealous (?) threatened (?) faith leaders and even Pilate. He loved them all.

We inherited this same challenge from Jesus when we answered his call to take up his cross and follow (See Matthew 16:24-26} his example to love everyone as we work to build God’s Beloved Community.

Prayer: Lord, during this Holy Week open our hearts and minds to your service. 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.

With a Song in My Heart

Ordinary Time

January 11, 2023

Scripture Reading: Psalm 40:1-11
I waited patiently for the Lord;
   he inclined to me and heard my cry.
He drew me up from the desolate pit,
   out of the miry bog,
and set my feet upon a rock,
   making my steps secure.
He put a new song in my mouth,
   a song of praise to our God.
Many will see and fear,
   and put their trust in the Lord.

Happy are those who make
   the Lord their trust,
who do not turn to the proud,
   to those who go astray after false gods.
You have multiplied, O Lord my God,
   your wondrous deeds and your thoughts towards us;
   none can compare with you.
Were I to proclaim and tell of them,
   they would be more than can be counted.

Sacrifice and offering you do not desire,
   but you have given me an open ear.
Burnt-offering and sin-offering
   you have not required.
Then I said, ‘Here I am;
   in the scroll of the book it is written of me.
I delight to do your will, O my God;
   your law is within my heart.’

I have told the glad news of deliverance
   in the great congregation;
see, I have not restrained my lips,
   as you know, O Lord.
I have not hidden your saving help within my heart,
   I have spoken of your faithfulness and your salvation;
I have not concealed your steadfast love and your faithfulness
   from the great congregation.

Do not, O Lord, withhold
  your mercy from me;
let your steadfast love and your faithfulness
   keep me safe forever.

I love music, always have. When I was a child, I went to sleep most nights with my dad, singing and playing the guitar.  I listened to music on an aging boombox that had a CD player, played tapes, and a radio. The tape player died first, but I was not using it much then the CD part quit. I have not made the adaptation to playing music on my computers. So, I essentially removed listening to music from my life. My church started live streaming our services during COVID and never stopped because it was a blessing for our homebound or spending time at the lake. Listening to our Christmas Eve service made me miss just listening to music. I ordered a new boombox. It is much smaller and can be connected to the internet. God returned songs to my heart that now carry me through the troubled times we are all facing every day. Add a little music to your life today.

Prayer: With a song in my heart, Here I am, send me. 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.

Vocation

Ordinary Time

Ordinary Time

January 8, 2023

Scripture Reading: Matthew 3:13-17
Then Jesus came from Galilee to John at the Jordan, to be baptized by him. John would have prevented him, saying, ‘I need to be baptized by you, and do you come to me?’ But Jesus answered him, ‘Let it be so now; for it is proper for us in this way to fulfil all righteousness.’ Then he consented. And when Jesus had been baptized, just as he came up from the water, suddenly the heavens were opened to him and he saw the Spirit of God descending like a dove and alighting on him. And a voice from heaven said, ‘This is my Son, the Beloved, with whom I am well pleased.’

I have seen movies trying to imagine what might have been going on in Jesus’s heart and mind during his childhood and the first few years of being an adult. In the Bible he leaves the scene when he leaves the temple at the age of 12. He resurfaces when his is baptized. Matthew’s version of that event seems to indicate that what might have been unknown to him was made clear through the act of baptism. suddenly the heavens were opened to him, and he saw the Spirit of God descending like a dove and alighting on him. He received his calling.

We all have been there. As children, we wondered what we would be when we grow up. I read all seven of the Sue Barton books in my school library, from Sue Barton Student Nurse, written in 1936, to Sue Barton Staff Nurse, written in 1952. Being a nurse became my chosen profession. When I was in high school, I worked as a nurse’s aide in a nursing home, and I loved working with the patients, but I watched what the Registered Nurses did and knew immediately that was not the job for me. I enrolled in college with the intent of becoming a speech pathologist. During my first semester, I took a mandatory Sociology course that introduced me to my vocation, Social Work, which has been my life work ever since—not a clinical Social Worker but an administrator and an advocate.

I have no doubt that the world that surrounded Jesus impacted him greatly, from holding the end of a board for his carpenter father to experiencing the results of the Roman war that destroyed Sepphoris, what Josephus calls “the ornament of the Galilee.” after Herod’s death in 4 BCE. Sepphoris was located about 4 miles from Nazareth and tradition says that it was Mary’s birthplace. Think about the impact the war in Ukraine is having on that country’s preschoolers. Mary’s parents or other relatives might have been killed when that city was destroyed. If nothing else, Jesus was well-schooled in empathy when his official ministry began.

What is God calling us to do today? Our service never ends. We may transition from what we could do as young adults to what we can do as retirees, but God’s work toward building the Beloved Community never ends.

Prayer: Help us to fulfill our calling 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.

Building the Future

Advent

December 22, 2022

Scripture: Hebrews 1:1-4, (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

I heard yesterday on the news that the Taliban had reinstated the rule that Afghan women could no longer attend university.  The move was expected. As I read the scripture above that thought crossed my mind because scholars have no idea who wrote the book of Hebrews. One speculation is that it might have been a woman because of their standing in that culture in the first century, women were not normally accredited with such work. Priscilla and Mary Magdalene have been named as possible authors. The King James Version of the Bible identifies Paul as the author, but the written form of Hebrews is very different from Paul’s writing.

Regardless of the author, the document seems to have been targeted at churches needing to examine their vision and purpose, perhaps as they shift from awaiting and imminent return of Christ toward making ready the Kingdom of God for Christ’s return. That idea plays out well in the scripture quoted above.  The scripture reminds us that prophets had predicted Christ’s coming many years ago and in these last days Christ, God with us, came to dwell among us, made purification of our sins, and returned to his work at the right hand of God. In so doing, he instructed us to continue his work here on earth. We might liken our call to work on building the Kingdom of God to Jesus’s instructions to the disciples in Luke 22:8: So Jesus sent Peter and John, saying, ‘Go and prepare the Passover meal for us that we may eat it.’

Prayer: Lord, guide us by your Spirit through your work to do our work to actualize the Kingdom of God here, now, and for the future. 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 With Us

Advent

December 5, 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.

Moses tells us–Jesus tells us–that we must not put God to the test. To test God means much more than trying to get Him to do a miracle; to test God is to insist that He prove that He is trustworthy. To test God is to look at today’s difficulties and say, “A loving God would never let me suffer in this way*.

Isaiah above is saying the Lord told Ahaz to ask a sign of the Lord your God. I am a fan of Gideon, who could not believe God was sending him to lead a battle in which he had no experience.  So, he asked for a sign and got one, then repeated the request just to be sure, and he got that one too. There is a difference between questioning whether God is trustworthy and questioning one’s own ability to carry out what God is calling us to accomplish. Any time we sense a call to do something beyond what we think is our ability, we will no doubt struggle with doubt about ourselves. My hope, faith, and love are that we can go to God with anything when we are sincere. God will hear our fear and grant us the assurance that he gave in Matthew 19:26:

But Jesus looked at them and said, ‘For mortals it is impossible, but for God all things are possible.’

Prayer: Lord, as we struggle to build your Beloved Community and we sometimes wonder if what seems impossible is possible, send the Spirit to shore up our strength and courage to answer your call, to remind us that we are never alone. Amen.

*See at https://gutenberg.edu/2001/02/testing-god/#:~:text=Moses%20tells%20us%E2%80%93Jesus%20tells,me%20suffer%20in%20this%20way.

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.

Enabling Others

Living in the Spirit

November 10, 2022

Scripture Reading:
2 Thessalonians 3:6-13
Now we command you, beloved, in the name of our Lord Jesus Christ, to keep away from believers who are living in idleness and not according to the tradition that they received from us. For you yourselves know how you ought to imitate us; we were not idle when we were with you, and we did not eat anyone’s bread without paying for it; but with toil and labor we worked night and day, so that we might not burden any of you. This was not because we do not have that right, but in order to give you an example to imitate. For even when we were with you, we gave you this command: Anyone unwilling to work should not eat. For we hear that some of you are living in idleness, mere busybodies, not doing any work. Now such persons we command and exhort in the Lord Jesus Christ to do their work quietly and to earn their own living. Brothers and sisters, do not be weary in doing what is right.

The Greek word for idleness as used above is   atáktōs – properly, disorderly (“breaking rank”); insubordinate to God’s Word and hence fruitless (unproductive) – because lacking proper order (discipline)*

The 80/20 Rule (also known as the Pareto Principle) means that 20 percent of something is responsible for 80 percent of the results (i.e., 20 percent of the workforce provides 80 percent of production) **.

In building the Beloved Community, we all must do our part, and that does not always happen. I have spent the last several months trying to discern why people in Oklahoma do not vote. We have one of the worst voting records in the nation. The only thing I could discern is that many people do not feel like they matter. The issues that are important to them may be given lip service in campaign ads but are barely or rarely actualized. For example, I am looking forward to seeing what actions are implemented that successfully reduce worldwide inflation and who is responsible for making that happen.

Do we do the same thing within our faith fellowships?  Through our actions do we send messages to people that their work in the church does not matter or is not good enough? I have found myself completing a task in the church because it needed to be done, but I certainly was not the most prepared or qualified person to do it. Part of being in the 20% worker bee group includes enabling and nurturing those in the 80% group to contribute their skills and talents in meaningful ways.

In the above scripture, Paul comes across as rather coarse in the above scripture, but he is trying to encourage all to use their talents and skills to the furtherance of building that Beloved Community.

Prayer: Lord, give us the skills to lead others to share their skills. Amen.

*https://biblehub.com/greek/814.htm

**https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Pareto_principle

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.

Finding Ourselves in Service to God

Living in the Spirit

October 14, 2022

Scripture Reading:

2 Timothy 3:14-4:5

In the presence of God and of Christ Jesus, who is to judge the living and the dead, and in view of his appearing and his kingdom, I solemnly urge you: proclaim the message; be persistent whether the time is favorable or unfavorable; convince, rebuke, and encourage, with the utmost patience in teaching. For the time is coming when people will not put up with sound doctrine, but having itching ears, they will accumulate for themselves teachers to suit their own desires, and will turn away from listening to the truth and wander away to myths. As for you, always be sober, endure suffering, do the work of an evangelist, carry out your ministry fully. –2 Timothy 4:1-5

I was writing a piece on reducing poverty in the USA recently when I was struck by the fact that what needed to happen to reduce poverty was not some great mystery, but it did require a lot of hard work and dedication to implement. It particularly required working together with others to find common ground toward attaining the common good and right now our nation is caught up in stubborn diversity of thought and purpose.

I am not allergic to all kinds of hard work, but I do remember disliking work in the garden on our farm. My mother and sister actually thought it was fun. Instead of digging in and getting the job done, I was always finding distractions. My mom finally gave up on my becoming a gardener. By the time I was ten I was left at the house with a list of chores that I did not mind doing and cooking which I enjoyed. I learned from that experience that we are not called to do everything, but we are called to do something and endowed with skills and talents to complement our calling. It may, however, require us to venture into areas that were not originally on our radar.

That said, we can find ourselves looking in all the wrong places trying to find what is right for us. I chose to base these devotions on the lectionary scriptures because that forces me to read most of the Bible over a three-year period, even the parts I do not like. Thomas Jefferson solved this problem by cutting out the verses with which he disagreed.  Indeed, that is accumulating teachers to suit our own desires. We also tend to intermingle with people like us. Branching out into the whole beloved community may surprise us when we discover new ways of loving God which results in learning to love all our neighbors which might result in our learning to love ourselves better.

Prayer: Lord, as we grow in spirit and in truth help us to find and hone new skills and talents 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.

Looking for Love in all the Wrong Places

Living in the Spirit

October 1, 2022

Scripture Reading: Luke 17:5-10

The apostles said to the Lord, ‘Increase our faith!’ The Lord replied, ‘If you had faith the size of a mustard seed, you could say to this mulberry tree, “Be uprooted and planted in the sea”, and it would obey you.

‘Who among you would say to your slave who has just come in from ploughing or tending sheep in the field, “Come here at once and take your place at the table”? Would you not rather say to him, “Prepare supper for me, put on your apron and serve me while I eat and drink; later you may eat and drink”? Do you thank the slave for doing what was commanded? So you also, when you have done all that you were ordered to do, say, “We are worthless slaves; we have done only what we ought to have done!”’

This is a dense scripture. One almost must be in the mind of the author to understand the message fully. The Interpreter’s Bible questions its grammar. I guess that is on the translator, but the original language was probably a challenge too.

The point is not that they need more faith; rather, they need to understand that faith enables God to work in a person’s life in ways that defy ordinary human experience. The saying is not about being able to do miraculous works or spectacular tricks. On the contrary, Jesus assures the disciples that with even a little faith they can live by his teaching on discipleship*.

I am not sure what that means either, but it reminded me of a conversation in a Bible study recently when we were discussing the state of our world right now. I noted that there seemed to be a need among people that to be of worth they must be better than another person or group of people. That sounds contradictory to the understanding that all people were made in the image of God and that it would be impossible to be better than anyone else. A thoughtful participant said, that even if we are made in the image of God, we must choose to follow God. Until we accept God’s grace, we cannot fulfill our discipleship leaving us wandering around trying to find love in all the wrong places to quote an old song**.  Serving God is a joy, not slave labor. I fall back on the scripture Matthew 11:28-30, ‘Come to me, all you that are weary and are carrying heavy burdens, and I will give you rest. Take my yoke upon you, and learn from me; for I am gentle and humble in heart, and you will find rest for your souls. For my yoke is easy, and my burden is light.’

Prayer: Lord, when we grow frustrated in our discipleship, bless us with the joy of being a conduit of your love. Amen.

*The New Interpreter’s Bible, Volume IX Luke John page 322

** Lookin’ for Love by Wanda Mallette, Bob Morrison, and Patti Ryan

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.

Gifted by God

Living in the Spirit

September 6, 2022

Scripture Reading: Exodus 32:7-14

The Lord said to Moses, ‘Go down at once! Your people, whom you brought up out of the land of Egypt, have acted perversely; they have been quick to turn aside from the way that I commanded them; they have cast for themselves an image of a calf, and have worshipped it and sacrificed to it, and said, “These are your gods, O Israel, who brought you up out of the land of Egypt!” ’ The Lord said to Moses, ‘I have seen this people, how stiff-necked they are. Now let me alone, so that my wrath may burn hot against them and I may consume them; and of you I will make a great nation.’

But Moses implored the Lord his God, and said, ‘O Lord, why does your wrath burn hot against your people, whom you brought out of the land of Egypt with great power and with a mighty hand? Why should the Egyptians say, “It was with evil intent that he brought them out to kill them in the mountains, and to consume them from the face of the earth”? Turn from your fierce wrath; change your mind and do not bring disaster on your people. Remember Abraham, Isaac, and Israel, your servants, how you swore to them by your own self, saying to them, “I will multiply your descendants like the stars of heaven, and all this land that I have promised I will give to your descendants, and they shall inherit it forever.”’ And the Lord changed his mind about the disaster that he planned to bring on his people.

Never doubt that a small group of thoughtful, committed citizens can change the world; indeed, it’s the only thing that ever has. –Margaret Mead. I always think of the 12 Disciples when I read this quote, but according to the above scripture, God saw that Moses was a person who could change the world. The challenge is whether the group wants to change the world for good or bad. Hitler and his group of henchmen turned the world upside down. Putin seems to be trying to follow in his footsteps at least regarding war.

After being freed from slavery in Egypt and fed with manna in the wilderness. One would think the Israelites would have had a longer-term commitment to God’s power. They did not. They wanted a god that could wave a magic wand and address every need they had. Don’t we all? God did not create humans in God’s image to be totally dependent on him for our every wish. God wanted partners with whom God could share the world and in it the task of developing the beloved community. We should be grateful for the honor of serving such a loving God and join enthusiastically in serving God. Paul described the traits God provides us for facing each challenge we meet.  We need to recognize and nurture these described in 1 Corinthians 12. They are wisdom, understanding, counsel, fortitude, knowledge, piety, and fear of the Lord. Practicing God’s gifts results in the fruit of the spirit named in Galatians 5:22-23  – But the fruit of the Spirit is love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness, self-control; against such things there is no law.

Prayer: Forgive us when we turn from your ways to the world’s ways. Grant us the resilience we need to use your gifts to the benefit of all. 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.

Seeking the Final Goal

Living in the Spirit

September 4, 2022

Scripture Reading: Luke 14:25-33

Now large crowds were traveling with him; and he turned and said to them, ‘Whoever comes to me and does not hate father and mother, wife and children, brothers and sisters, yes, and even life itself, cannot be my disciple. Whoever does not carry the cross and follow me cannot be my disciple. For which of you, intending to build a tower, does not first sit down and estimate the cost, to see whether he has enough to complete it? Otherwise, when he has laid a foundation and is not able to finish, all who see it will begin to ridicule him, saying, “This fellow began to build and was not able to finish.” Or what king, going out to wage war against another king, will not sit down first and consider whether he is able with ten thousand to oppose the one who comes against him with twenty thousand? If he cannot, then, while the other is still far away, he sends a delegation and asks for the terms of peace. So therefore, none of you can become my disciple if you do not give up all your possessions.

I turned off the final analysis of the primary runoff that occurred in Oklahoma on August 24 and flipped over to watch a rerun of a Finding Your Roots segment. History grounds me in understanding that many people had to face much worse than I have to deal with. I already knew the results of the races I cared about, and I just did not want to hear all the spin. Sometimes I feel like Elijah and just want to run away and hide. (1 Kings 18:19–19:3) Of course, my situation was not nearly as dire as his.

Jesus is saying in the scripture above that if you choose to follow him, you need to be realistic about the investment needed. The first part of being a Christ-follower is following Christ and not carving out a god that we make in the image we desire. The follow-up is living our faith and examining ourselves regularly to determine if we are, indeed, finishing the tasks to which we committed to Christ. And finally, we must remain in touch with Christ to understand his plan.

Prayer: Lord, forgive us when we let the world’s ways drag us down. Help us to love as you 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.