Tag Archives: sin

Grace, Love, Compassion

Create in me a clean heartLent
March 18, 2015

Scripture Reading: Psalm 51:1-12

Have mercy on me, O God,
   according to your steadfast love;
according to your abundant mercy
   blot out my transgressions.
Wash me thoroughly from my iniquity,
   and cleanse me from my sin. — Psalm 51:1-2

In many Bibles our scripture today is preceded by and introductory remark like this. To the Leader. A Psalm of David, when the prophet Nathan came to him, after he had gone in to Bathsheba.* This introduction has been there for a long time but scholars really do not know if it were with the original or not. It certainly adds to the flavor of the Psalm when it is considered in the light of the infamous story of David, King of Israel, taking the wife of one of his soldiers and then ordering the soldier to be placed clearly in harm’s way so that he would be killed. Of course David got caught. I wonder if he would have ever repented had his sins not been called out by Nathan. It is no wonder David felt dirty.

While based on David’s sin, the Psalm is really about the nature of God’s love. In these two verses, God is described as one with steadfast love, for which we might use the words unconditional love today, and abundant mercy, which we might call compassion. Later in the Psalm we read of God’s gracious love. But most importantly the Psalm talks about recovery, a return to wholeness from brokenness, we call that restorative justice.

I think I am sometimes a very strange person, but for some reason when I worked as a waitress in high school and college, one of the things I enjoyed most was clearing the table of all the dirty dishes and dropped crumbs and then resetting it with clean flatware and table linens, making it ready for the next customer. When we mess up in life, life still goes on. We must learn from our mistakes and continue the work God called us to do. We can only do that when we shed ourselves of the sin that corrodes our souls changing us and causing us to turn away from God.

Prayer: Lord, convict me of my sins of omission and commission and forgive me of them turning me around so that I might once more know your grace, your unconditional love, and your compassion. Amen.

The New Interpreter’s Bible: A commentary in Twelve Volumes, Volume IV Abingdon Press, Nashville, 1996, page 883
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.

Letting Go of Sins

GreedLent
March 7, 2015

Scripture Reading: John 2:13-22

The Passover of the Jews was near, and Jesus went up to Jerusalem. In the temple he found people selling cattle, sheep, and doves, and the money-changers seated at their tables. Making a whip of cords, he drove all of them out of the temple, both the sheep and the cattle. He also poured out the coins of the money-changers and overturned their tables. — John 2:13-15 

It has been fascinating to me to observe over the past several years, how people, particularly politicians, have attributed to Jesus ideas and teachings that he is never quoted as addressing at all. Yet the same people rarely mention the sins about which he seems the most concerned: greed and misuse of power. Perhaps they recognized quickly the unpopularity of dealing with the sins we all commit.

John tells the story of the clearing of the temple very early in his book. The synoptic gospels mention it much later. The subject of power and its interconnection to money was apparently as unpopular in the first century as it is now. John may have been drawing attention to the cleansing of the temple early as he traces the path to Jesus’ eventual death from the beginning of his book. The event seems to have been a turning point in Jesus’ life.

During this Lenten season we would do well to ponder the place of power and greed in our lives. They are insidious, creeping into our everyday way of being without our even suspecting it. Greed is taking the walk across the line of healthy gain to wanting more and more until our lives are eaten up with collecting and hoarding. Misuse of power leads to oppression. Combined they are lethal.

Prayer: Lord, forgive us of our sins that are so much a part of our lives we rarely notice that they are separating us from you and from our call to serve you. Convict us of what is keeping us from having full communion with you and give us the courage to let those sins go. 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.

 

Being Washed Clean

John the BaptistEpiphany
Celebration of God
Manifested in the World
January 10, 2015

 Scripture Reading: Mark 1:4-11

John the baptizer appeared in the wilderness, proclaiming a baptism of repentance for the forgiveness of sins.  — Mark 1:4

 A warm shower and a brisk toweling off feels especially good after completing a particularly dirty task. My dad did custom hay baling when I was a child. He would come home at noon for what we called dinner. He and my brother who helped him would be covered with dirt and the lint of dried mown grass. Dad would step down from the pickup, walk straight to the old hand pump that still stood in front of our house (still worked also), pump a bucket full of cold water and immediately pour it over its head. Watching it run down his clothing reminded me of Psalm 23: [God] anoints my head with oil.

John’s baptism was such a cleansing experience. It was an outward expression of an inward restitution of wholeness to a torn soul in need of forgiveness and receiving God’s forgiveness. We all still need that today. John knew there was more to come, but at that time in that place such cleansing was the best he could do and he answered that call.

We of course know the rest of the story as we live in a post Immanuel-with-us world. Because of that we have an even more compelling call to bring the hope of wholeness and restitution of souls to the brokenness in our world.

Prayer: Lord, make me whole, make me one with you and with the other members of the Body of Christ in the world today. So nourished, send us forth with the gift of hope for the oppressed and the oppressor, for the broken hearted and those who no longer feel anything positive, and for all the sin sick souls. 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.

 

Forgiveness of Sin

clean heartAdvent
December 6, 2014

Scripture Reading: Mark 1:1-8

John the baptizer appeared in the wilderness, proclaiming a baptism of repentance for the forgiveness of sins. — Mark 1:4

I don’t think we deal very much with sin anymore or we deal too much with it. We seem to have shuffled sin to the back of the deck and hope that it is never dealt.  In the 1960’s situational ethics* took its turn in explaining sin as being related to agape love and thus sin was describe as not being ridge, set in stone, but somewhat flexible based on the circumstances. Situational ethics was of course translated by some as “If it feels good, do it”, which wasn’t what it was about at all. The other side did define sin in specifics usually related to human moral behaviors often behaviors that related to others not themselves.

Such is the case today, just as it was the case in the first century when one of those radical prophets of old came forth with the message that sin was a problem and once we repent of our own sins and are cleansed through baptism we can return to a right relationship with God. Of course, John, the Baptist wasn’t saying anything new either. He knew the Psalms and the prophets of antiquity. Wash me thoroughly from my iniquity, and cleanse me from my sin. (Psalm 51:2) In the final analysis, sin separates us from right relationship with God. When individuals are not right with God it is impossible for them fully to be right with one another.

John is telling the people that being right with the God who is love is the only way to be right with self and with each other and all others. We were wonderfully made by the God of love and God wants nothing less than the very best for each of us and all of us. I call it wholeness, oneness, and justice, but it cannot be attained until we turnaround and grab hold of it with all our hearts, minds, and souls.

Prayer: Lord forgive me when I settle for lesser gods and turn away from you. Cleanse me and make me whole. Amen.

* http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Situational ethics

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.

 

Sins of Omission

Sins of OmissionLiving in the Spirit
November 23, 2014

Scripture Reading: Matthew 25:31-46

Then he will say to those at his left hand, “You that are accursed, depart from me into the eternal fire prepared for the devil and his angels; for I was hungry and you gave me no food, I was thirsty and you gave me nothing to drink, I was a stranger and you did not welcome me, naked and you did not give me clothing, sick and in prison and you did not visit me.” Then they also will answer, “Lord, when was it that we saw you hungry or thirsty or a stranger or naked or sick or in prison, and did not take care of you?” Then he will answer them, “Truly I tell you, just as you did not do it to one of the least of these, you did not do it to me.” And these will go away into eternal punishment, but the righteous into eternal life.’ — Matthew 25:41-46

Following parables about the Kingdom of God, Jesus closes out what is now designated as Matthew 25 with a discourse on sins of omission. Our society, particularly the church, tends to emphasize sins that we commit. Now don’t get me wrong, I do not think Jesus wants us to intentionally do things that separate us from God. What Jesus might be saying here is that the things that separate us most from God are the things that separate us most from each other. If we choose to target our lives at doing what we consider to be right by our own definitions without regard to others in the hopes of winning a place of honor in God’s Kingdom, we may be missing the mark.

I am writing this while printing gift cards for the people at my church to purchase to give as Christmas presents to those people who would be most honored by receiving such a card that says a contribution has been given in their honor to a mission project thousands of miles away.  The program Caminante, in Boca Chica, Dominican Republic is designed to help street children learn and grow into self-sustaining, whole adults. It is a wonderful program, locally operated and lovingly supported by the people who see the good that it does.

This is just one tiny way of acknowledging the vast diversity of people we are called to love who are citizens in the Kingdom of God. I am sure there are more ways than any of us could even imagine to give clean water to the thirsty, feed the hungry, clothe the naked, help the sick, provide restorative help for those in prison, and yes, welcome the stranger for they are strangers no more in the Kingdom of God, but they are our brothers and sisters in Christ.

Prayer: Lord, make us cognizant of our sins of omission and open channels of service to us that will help us turn them into commissions of service. Amen.

The quote in the picture above is by 18th century Irish political philosopher Edmond Burke.

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.

 

Does God Know You?

God knows YOuLiving in the Spirit
November 9, 2014

Scripture Reading: Matthew 25:1-13

But he replied, “Truly I tell you, I do not know you.” Keep awake therefore, for you know neither the day nor the hour. –Matthew 25:12-13

This quote from scripture is probably the saddest words we could ever hear. God created each of us, knew every atom in our being from our start, and sent us forth into the world with the freedom to take advantage of the talents and skills God invested in us for good or evil, or not use them at all. So, how is it that we could reach a point in life when God could truly say I do not know you? The best definition of sin with which I can identify is that sin is being separated from God whether on purpose or by neglect.

We, who call ourselves Christian, try really hard to define sin as behaviors, most often someone else’s, or specific beliefs that do not pass our judgment of what it means to follow Christ or live a moral life. Indeed, there is no question that Jesus called on us to love one another and share our experiences and knowledge of God with others. He never said we got to select the ones we are to love by their behaviors or cram what we believe down another’s throat. In fact, it seems to me we may have created some role reversal in our attempt to make disciples. We somehow turned that into a theme of advancing personal salvation based on our standards when it was God all along who longed for a personal relationship with each of God’s children and we were actually called to be a community of faith, helping each other grow and flourish in the all-inclusive family of God.

I walked into my mother’s room and took her hand as she lay in her hospital bed. She smiled at me and said, “Marilynn is coming to see me today.” In fact, I was the one who told her that just a few days earlier. I replied, “Mom, I am Marilynn.” She studied me hard and finally said, “No you are not; you are too old.” I said, “I am sorry to have to tell you this but you have a daughter that is as old as me.” She looked again, and kind of grinned, while she had not recognized this old woman setting in front of her, she knew that personality. God wants us to live our lives in such a way that although we may have white hair and wrinkles, when God sees our hearts, God can say, “Welcome home my child.”

Prayer: Just a closer walk with Thee,
              Grant it, Jesus, is my plea,
              Daily walking close to Thee,
              Let it be, dear Lord, let it be. Amen.

* http://library.timelesstruths.org/music/Just_a_Closer_Walk_with_Thee/

 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.

 

Do as I Say Not as I Do

Left handedLiving in the Spirit
November 1, 2014

Scripture Reading: Matthew 23:1-12

Then Jesus said to the crowds and to his disciples, ‘The scribes and the Pharisees sit on Moses’ seat; therefore, do whatever they teach you and follow it; but do not do as they do, for they do not practice what they teach. They tie up heavy burdens, hard to bear, and lay them on the shoulders of others; but they themselves are unwilling to lift a finger to move them. —Matthew 23:1-4

 In society today we sometimes identify behaviors that are outliers of our culture’s normal actions as “sins.” I worked as a waitress in high school and college. One summer one of the assistant managers, a recently retired military officer, was in pursuit of a new career. We had to fill a large bucket with ice from an ice machine in the back of the restaurant and bring the ice to a bin next to the soft drink machine. I was in the process of filling the bucket one day when this manager stopped me and told me I was doing it wrong. Taking the scoop and the bucket from my hand he demonstrated his proper way to fill the bucket. After showing me what he considered to be the correct and only way, he handed me the bucket and scoop and said, “Now do it right” turned on his heels and left.

I stood there for a moment very perplexed because I could not comprehend what he had done differently than what I had done. It finally dawned on me. He had used his right hand and I my left. Because of the crowded area in which the ice machine was located there was only one place to place the bucket which required this lefty to reach across my body to scoop the ice out of the machine. It was awkward but I can assure you it was much faster than my trying to use my right hand. I had been accommodating to a right-handed world all my life and I did not think a thing about it, but he saw it as wrong. Being left-handed was considered to be the mark of the devil at one point in time. Many parents forced their left-handed children to use their right hand to avoid the stigma. This belief was based on misguided use of scripture.

Forcing a child to change their handedness was an unnecessary burden and is no longer practiced in most areas but we do still identify other ways of being as “bad” that are merely outside what we consider normal thus tying heavy burdens on those who do not meet our measures of perfection while ignoring the things which all of us do that separate us from God each day. We do so at our own peril and our society’s peril.

Prayer: Lord, help me to first take the log out of my own eye, and then enable me to help my friends who may or may not be burdened with a speck in their eyes. Amen. (Taken from Luke 6:41-42)

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.

 

Sneaky Sin

Living in the Spirit
July 4, 2014

 Scripture Reading: Romans 7:15-25a 

So I find it to be a law that when I want to do what is good, evil lies close at hand. 22For I delight in the law of God in my inmost self, 23but I see in my members another law at war with the law of my mind, making me captive to the law of sin that dwells in my members. 24Wretched man that I am! Who will rescue me from this body of death? 25Thanks be to God through Jesus Christ our Lord! — Romans 7:21-25a

Five years ago, I would have been classified as morbidly obese. Actually, I was an underweight, sickly child and did not have any weight problem until after I graduated from college. I apparently have a highly efficient body that does not require as much fuel as some. While counting calories is important, I have to exercise to keep weight off. I have had osteoarthritis since my early 20’s which started in my left knee and now is in all my major joints. As it progressed my exercise slowed down and my weight went up. At least, I like to blame some of my obesity on arthritis.

I also have discovered I eat more when I am very busy, tired, and stressed. When I thought I did not have time to cook, I would start driving through fast food restaurants and grab something to eat. At first I would order healthy selections like the chicken breast sandwich and tea. If the busyness continued, however, I would start upping the food intake eventually ordering the double cheeseburger with fries and a fried pie. You see where I am going with this.

I think sin is like that. We do not intend to drift away from God. We fall prey to concocting our own solutions to whatever is stopping us from being the person God created us to be rather than relying on God for discernment and fulfillment. In math terms we settle for the highest common denominator rather than searching deeper for the lowest one that brings us closer to truth.

I had my left knee replaced in 2008. In searching for ways to get back into shape following the surgery, I stumbled into God’s arms in tearful frustration. I am now a healthy weight for my height and just last week participated in a two or three mile walk against human trafficking doing exactly what God created me to do.

Prayer: Thank you God for never giving up on me and thank you for using me to tell others you will never give up on them either. 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.

Guard My Tongue

Living in the Spirit
July 3, 2014

 Scripture Reading: Romans 7:15-25a 

I do not understand my own actions. For I do not do what I want, but I do the very thing I hate. Now if I do what I do not want, I agree that the law is good. But in fact it is no longer I that do it, but sin that dwells within me. For I know that nothing good dwells within me, that is, in my flesh. I can will what is right, but I cannot do it. — Romans 7:15-18

What is maddening to me is that I know that making the response that pops into my mind will not help the situation at all and will most likely make it worse. I know that, but the comment that has irritated me seems to develop a life of its own. I must volley my bullets of words back at it to what—Make me feel better, give me the upper hand, make me whole? It never works. I always feel worse afterward. God provides a scripture lesson for this experience it is in the first chapter of James chapter 1 verse 26: If any think they are religious, and do not bridle their tongues but deceive their hearts, their religion is worthless.

We must work every day at staying in synch with God. Whether we spend time in prayer, meditation, study, worship, or solitude, we must make sure that our source of wholeness is God not the lesser gods of self-righteousness or self-control. Paul uses the analogy of an athlete to describe our life in Christ. Athletes work out on a planned schedule, intensively practice their sport, eat food that supports their bodies, and get appropriate rest. They do these things so that when on the field of play their bodies and their minds are so well tuned that their instinctive responses are most often right. Actually some highly skilled athletes mess up the most when they do not have faith in their preparation.

We do have a Savior and an Advocate who run the race with us every step of the way. We just have to get out of ourselves enough to notice that he is there.

Prayer: Let the words of my mouth and the meditation of my heart
              be acceptable to you,
             O Lord, my rock and my redeemer.(Psalm 19:14) 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.

Death

Living in the Spirit
June 20, 2014

 Scripture Reading: Romans 6:1-11 

For whoever has died is freed from sin. But if we have died with Christ, we believe that we will also live with him. We know that Christ, being raised from the dead, will never die again; death no longer has dominion over him. The death he died, he died to sin, once for all; but the life he lives, he lives to God. So you also must consider yourselves dead to sin and alive to God in Christ Jesus.  – Romans 6:7-11 

My definition of “sin” in modern nomenclature is being out of synch with God. More traditional descriptors are missing the mark or being separated from God. According to our scripture today, death frees us from sin. At that point, it is too late to worry about it. Whatever will result will result.  By becoming a part of Christ death, however, we also become a part of his resurrection. We enter into that state of being when we accept him as our Lord and Savior. But notice the next admonition but the life he lives, he lives to God. Death through Christ is not a door closing but a whole new life opening.

I don’t think I grasp what that meant until my bad knee got really bad. Being fairly immobile, I gained a lot of weight. My first goal, after getting that knee replaced, was to set about losing the excess weight. Nothing I tried worked. I was so out of shape that every exercise I tried resulted in negative outcomes. For some, eating less might result in weight loss by itself but, for me, it had to be combined with exercise. I was hopeless. My doctor referred me for physical therapy and that helped, but it was time limited and did not take me to the next level. I walked out of my last PT visit about as depressed as I have ever been. Got in my car and prayer without thinking, “God, what do I do now?” The immediate answer I got back surprised me. It was, “Realize you have a terminal illness—obesity, and live like it.” And that is exactly what I have worked at doing ever since. I have loss the excess weight, am in better shape than I have been in years, and my life is dedicated to wholeness—oneness—justice among all peoples.

Being out of synch with God is a terminal illness that leads only to misery and suffering and ennui. Dying with Christ lifts us out of that muck and lets us live again.

Prayer: Forgive us our sins as we forgive those who sin against us. 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.