Tag Archives: The Beloved Community

Judging the Nations

Christmastide

January 1, 2023

Scripture Reading:

Matthew 25:31-46
‘When the Son of Man comes in his glory, and all the angels with him, then he will sit on the throne of his glory. All the nations will be gathered before him, and he will separate people one from another as a shepherd separates the sheep from the goats, and he will put the sheep at his right hand and the goats at the left. Then the king will say to those at his right hand, “Come, you that are blessed by my Father, inherit the kingdom prepared for you from the foundation of the world; for I was hungry and you gave me food, I was thirsty and you gave me something to drink, I was a stranger and you welcomed me, I was naked and you gave me clothing, I was sick and you took care of me, I was in prison and you visited me.” Then the righteous will answer him, “Lord, when was it that we saw you hungry and gave you food, or thirsty and gave you something to drink? And when was it that we saw you a stranger and welcomed you, or naked and gave you clothing? And when was it that we saw you sick or in prison and visited you?” And the king will answer them, “Truly I tell you, just as you did it to one of the least of these who are members of my family, you did it to me.” 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.’

For me, the above scripture is the most important scripture in the Bible. (Micah 6:8 is a close second) They both offer concrete ideals for our personal relationships with others. Reread the first part again. It is not just instruction to individuals; it is how whole nations will be judged. I fear at times, we are more invested in our personal salvation than in the salvation of all God’s children in every nation as we live into God’s goal of a single kingdom blending all people in a world ruled by love.

Let us dedicate 2023 to wanting the very best for all God’s people and nations and remembering that all people were created in God’s image with the understanding that what is the very best for us personally is not necessarily the best for others. God created diverse people for a reason, and we must respect that.

Prayer: Lord, help us work toward our diverse oneness with you this year, starting with our nation. 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.

Darkness into Light

Living in the Spirit

St. Teresa of Avila

November 17, 2022

Scripture Reading:

Colossians 1:11-20

May you be made strong with all the strength that comes from his glorious power, and may you be prepared to endure everything with patience, while joyfully giving thanks to the Father, who has enabled you to share in the inheritance of the saints in the light. He has rescued us from the power of darkness and transferred us into the kingdom of his beloved Son, in whom we have redemption, the forgiveness of sins. –Colossians 1:1-14

The power of darkness surrounds us. What happens in the dark? I carried one of my mother’s boxes of genealogy information into my living room to find some information for one of my cousins. I left it next to where I was sitting when I went to bed because I needed to dig into it more. The following day as I stumbled through my very familiar house to turn on the lamp next to my favorite chair, my toes slammed into that box. It really hurt as stubbed toes usually do. I hopped around and said bad words as I got the lamp on. The pain soon subsided, but my familiar world had lost its certainty.

Our world, our country has been engulfed in unexpected darkness for several years if we include climate change. We time things to COVID, but it really began before then. We want someone to fix everything. What we are not yet ready to accept is that Christ sent us forth to work toward providing a lighted world as his partners in service. We have already been transferred into the kingdom of God’s beloved Son. He has shown us the way. We seem not to be able to accept fully his vision of the beloved community. We prefer our own vision. That has resulted in division and a divide-and-conquer world. We play around the edges doing the things we have always done, but we do not step out into the darkness and shine God’s light throughout the world. Where do we go from here? How do we get in sync with God’s vision and how it is to be realized?

Prayer: Lord, you called us to be the light of the world; give us the courage to step out in faith and follow your vision.  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.

No War

Living in the Spirit

November 16, 2022

Scripture Reading: Psalm 46
God is our refuge and strength,
   a very present help in trouble.
Therefore we will not fear, though the earth should change,
   though the mountains shake in the heart of the sea;
though its waters roar and foam,
   though the mountains tremble with its tumult.

There is a river whose streams make glad the city of God,
   the holy habitation of the Most High.
God is in the midst of the city; it shall not be moved;
   God will help it when the morning dawns.
The nations are in an uproar, the kingdoms totter;
  he utters his voice, the earth melts.
The Lord of hosts is with us;
   the God of Jacob is our refuge.

Come, behold the works of the Lord;
   see what desolations he has brought on the earth.
He makes wars cease to the end of the earth;
   he breaks the bow, and shatters the spear;
   he burns the shields with fire.
‘Be still, and know that I am God!
   I am exalted among the nations,
   I am exalted in the earth.’
The Lord of hosts is with us;
   the God of Jacob is our refuge.

For some reason, yesterday I realized that for the first time in many years our country is not at war with anyone. Indeed, we are providing resources for Ukraine, and we pray that the war they face will soon come to an end. Getting out of our last war was not pretty, and the people of Afghanistan are suffering from the takeover by the Taliban.  Short of war, we must do all we can to bring the world to peace, where everyone has enough, and all can be the person God created us to be. Jesus called it the Kingdom of God. He may have picked that descriptor up from the Wisdom of Solomon 10:10 from the Apocrypha. In my Bible study group last spring we studied the Apocrypha and learned that Jesus was well acquainted with it.  Jesus is quoted in the gospels 54 times mentioning actualizing the Kingdom of God as his and our ultimate goal. Acts uses the term six times, and Paul uses it eight times. We no longer live in a world ruled primarily by Kings so that term may not be as meaningful to us as it was to a first-century audience. I liken it to Martin Luther King, Jr.’s Beloved Community: a community where everyone is cared for, absent of poverty, hunger, and hate.

While the Kingdom of God is not mentioned in the Hebrew Bible using that language, the Psalmist who wrote the above Psalm seems to have been well acquainted with it.

Prayer: Lord, guide us in our work toward your goal of the whole world being a Beloved Community. 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 a New Thing

Living in the Spirit

November 11, 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.

N. T. Wright has written extensively on the impact of worldview on our faith practices. You might want to check his work out. Going against cultural norms is hard. I find myself intellectually, even spiritually, agreeing about the changes in our society that are needed for all to prosper well. At the same time, it is hard to divorce myself from the “way we have always done it.” My mother was open to change, however, when she was in her nineties, I remember her saying she liked the newer songs being sung at church but wished they would occasionally sing some of the old ones. I also remember a program in the Star Trek series where one of the staff actually cooked a meal for the others because all they had ever known about food preparation was to order a machine to produce their meals.

Paul, in Thessalonians, is attempting to help these new Christ’s followers in the move from their old worldview to a new one.  We face similar challenges as our world progresses and we learn to move out of our exclusive communities into the Beloved Community Christ foretold as a constant. Isaiah 43:18-19 put it this way:
Do not remember the former things,
   or consider the things of old.
I am about to do a new thing;
   now it springs forth, do you not perceive it?
I will make a way in the wilderness
   and rivers in the desert.

We would not have the Bible if God did not intend for us to learn from God’s followers in history. The Bible offers us the opportunity to learn from their mistakes and their successes. There is nothing wrong with making a pie from scratch in celebration of a family’s history. There also is nothing wrong with driving by the fast-food window to pick up dinner for the evening because it grants more time for the family to eat together.

People are still people. We work in different ways; our idols are unique to us; our neighborhood is the world and becoming the universe, not our clan; women are no longer simply incubators; and all people are made in the image of God, not just the ones that are the same color or gender as us. Paul sums up his point in this way: Brothers and sisters, do not be weary in doing what is right.

Prayer: Lord, help us use all the tools you provide us to determine 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.

Borders

Living in the Spirit

October 8, 2022

Scripture Reading: Luke 17:11-19
On the way to Jerusalem Jesus was going through the region between Samaria and Galilee. As he entered a village, ten lepers approached him. Keeping their distance, they called out, saying, ‘Jesus, Master, have mercy on us!’ When he saw them, he said to them, ‘Go and show yourselves to the priests.’ And as they went, they were made clean. Then one of them, when he saw that he was healed, turned back, praising God with a loud voice. He prostrated himself at Jesus’ feet and thanked him. And he was a Samaritan. Then Jesus asked, ‘Were not ten made clean? But the other nine, where are they? Was none of them found to return and give praise to God except this foreigner?’ Then he said to him, ‘Get up and go on your way; your faith has made you well.’

My first thought when I read this scripture was that there is no region between Samaria and Galilee. And, yes, I agree that is a strange thing to get hung up on when reading the Bible. Not wanting to depend on my memory I pulled up a map and, indeed, much of Samaria and Galilee share a border. On the eastern boundary, however, there is an area between Samaria and Galilee which is an extension of the Decapolis that consisted of several Hellenistic cities*. Samaritans and Jews had a long history of disagreement and avoided each other as much as possible. Jesus did not avoid anyone. He wandered not only through Sumara but also through the Hellenistic cities of the Decapolis. He modeled for us that there are no borders in the Kingdom of God.

Why are borders so important to us? Social scientists call it ethnocentricity, which means we are inclined to regard one’s own race or social group as the center of culture**.  As we interact with “the other” we often discover that they may have customs that are more practical or easier than ours and they may learn from some of our practices. We only hurt ourselves by bordering off “the others” who are our neighbors.

Prayer: Lord, help us to see the worth in each person and culture we encounter. Amen.

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

**https://unabridged.merriam-webster.com/unabridged/ethnocentricity

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.

Letters of Love

Living in the Spirit

September 30, 2022

Scripture Reading: 2 Timothy 1:1-14

I am grateful to God—whom I worship with a clear conscience, as my ancestors did—when I remember you constantly in my prayers night and day. Recalling your tears, I long to see you so that I may be filled with joy. I am reminded of your sincere faith, a faith that lived first in your grandmother Lois and your mother Eunice and now, I am sure, lives in you. For this reason I remind you to rekindle the gift of God that is within you through the laying on of my hands; for God did not give us a spirit of cowardice, but rather a spirit of power and of love and of self-discipline. –2 Timothy 1:3-7

There is a lot between the lines of this scripture because it is a letter to a friend who can fill in the blanks. Why would someone think the author might not have a clear conscience, why was Timothy crying? Were those tears of joy or pain or being overwhelmed Timoty shed? What was the connection between Timothy’s family and his need to rekindle the gift of God he had received? While we will never know the answers to these questions, they illustrate well the importance of sharing in community with others who are striving to build the beloved community. No matter what the details of the correspondents’ lives are, the advice closing out this scripture is good for all of us. God did not give us a spirit of cowardice, but rather a spirit of power and of love and of self-discipline.

I am a coward about some things but hopefully not the things that matter. My greatest fear is through my advocacy work, I might make things worse. Therein lies the need to recognize that we are graced by a spirit of power and of love with whom we need to maintain open communication, and that requires self-discipline.

Prayer: Lord, thank you for the grace of your love that fills the gaps in our ability to serve you as you completely. 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.

Patience or Long Suffering

Living in the Spirit

September 28, 2022

Scripture Reading: Psalm 37:1-9
Do not fret because of the wicked;
   do not be envious of wrongdoers,
for they will soon fade like the grass,
   and wither like the green herb.

Trust in the Lord, and do good;
   so you will live in the land, and enjoy security.
Take delight in the Lord,
   and he will give you the desires of your heart.

Commit your way to the Lord;
   trust in him, and he will act.
He will make your vindication shine like the light,
   and the justice of your cause like the noonday.

Be still before the Lord, and wait patiently for him;
   do not fret over those who prosper in their way,
   over those who carry out evil devices.

Refrain from anger, and forsake wrath.
   Do not fret—it leads only to evil.
For the wicked shall be cut off,
   but those who wait for the Lord shall inherit the land.

The word translated in the NRSV Bible as patience among the listing of the fruits of the Spirit (see Galatians 5:22-23) in other translations reads forbearance or longsuffering. I tend to identify more with the translation longsuffering. Patience is a nice word. Longsuffering is a self-pitying word. Patience is encouraging a baby to take its first steps. Longsuffering is waiting for a teenager who is already an hour late from curfew while the parent wonders if the teen has been killed in a wreck or whether the parents want to wring the teen’s neck for being late and making them worry. Both understandings apply to our work in implementing the beloved community that Jesus called us to champion. At times, we take baby steps, and at other times we must step out in faith into the unknown of spiritual growth needed to complete the tasks set before us. Babies land on their back sides many times before that first step lands. Whether we like it or not, teenagers must learn from their own mistakes as adults also must.

The above Psalm teaches us that we never are alone as we journey through our lives serving God. We need to develop the spiritual disciplines to lean into God’s presence in all that we do and trust God to do God’s part.

Prayer: Lord, thank you for your patience in helping us develop as your servants. Forgive us for any long-suffering we cause you as we learn from our own mistakes. 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.

Self Examination

Living in the Spirit

September 19, 2022

Scripture Reading: Jeremiah 32:1-3a, 6-15

And I bought the field at Anathoth from my cousin Hanamel, and weighed out the money to him, seventeen shekels of silver. I signed the deed, sealed it, got witnesses, and weighed the money on scales. Then I took the sealed deed of purchase, containing the terms and conditions, and the open copy; and I gave the deed of purchase to Baruch son of Neriah son of Mahseiah, in the presence of my cousin Hanamel, in the presence of the witnesses who signed the deed of purchase, and in the presence of all the Judeans who were sitting in the court of the guard. In their presence I charged Baruch, saying, Thus says the Lord of hosts, the God of Israel: Take these deeds, both this sealed deed of purchase and this open deed, and put them in an earthenware jar, in order that they may last for a long time. For thus says the Lord of hosts, the God of Israel: Houses and fields and vineyards shall again be bought in this land. –Jeremiah 32:9-15

Jeremiah bought some land. He was given the first opportunity to buy it because he was related to the owner, and he did buy it. So what? Would we invest in land offered to us when all signs lead to the land being seized by an enemy? Would we be interested in buying a bombed-out home located in a part of Ukraine that has been seized by Russia right now?

Jeremiah was investing in his faith. He believed that God would rescue his people. He believed that at some point he would return to his land and dig up the deed he had buried starting the rebuilding of Israel. Most people long for peace. The great challenge is living in peace where everyone has enough to survive and work toward thriving. The gods of greed and lust for power must be thwarted if we are to live into such a vision of a beloved community, the Kingdom of God. Such a reality starts with each of us examining ourselves to see where the evils of greed and lust for power have seeped into our being and are so much a part of our lives that we do not recognize them as abnormal. I see that in my attempt to recycle. Why do I keep buying stuff made of plastic in the first place? What could Israel have done in the first place that would have strengthened their beloved community to withstand the evil that overtook it?

Prayer: Lord, help us to see ourselves more clearly so that we might serve thee 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.

I Will Do a New Thing in You

Living in the Spirit

September 13, 2022

Scripture Reading: Psalm 98:1-5
O sing to the Lord a new song,
   for he has done marvelous things.
His right hand and his holy arm
   have gained him victory.
The Lord has made known his victory;
   he has revealed his vindication in the sight of the nations.
He has remembered his steadfast love and faithfulness
   to the house of Israel.
All the ends of the earth have seen
   the victory of our God.

Make a joyful noise to the Lord, all the earth;
   break forth into joyous song and sing praises.
Sing praises to the Lord with the lyre,
   with the lyre and the sound of melody.

I prefer to write these devotions the day before they are published because I like to cover current events. I had the opportunity to go on a retreat, however, and decided to write some of these ahead so that I could take a bit of a retreat from my routine. I am glad I did that and am equally glad that when I returned to my writing this Psalm was waiting for me. I learned the chorus, I Will Do a New Thing in You*, (see Isaiah 43:19) when I attended a Children’s Defense Fund Seminar several years ago. Life changes and the world around us changes. Thus, we are constantly thrust into finding new ways of being and answering our call to serve the Lord.

The meeting I just attended considered economics’ impact on everything we do. We met in Washington DC and had the opportunity to tour the National Museum of African American History and Culture and the Holocaust Museum. At the same time, we explored the impact the economy had throughout the Hebrew Bible and the New Testament in our study group.  The irony of the experience was staying in an expensive hotel and eating expensive food while exploring the negative impact economic factors have on all people’s lives. All the vulnerable poor could not have afforded this educational experience. That is only bad if we do not incorporate what we gleaned from the experience by finding ways to restore our world to wholeness where everyone has enough. That will require us to take our blinders off and let the Lord lead us into a new thing in us.

Prayer: Lord, help us find our new thing so that we can enable others to find theirs. Amen.

*https://hymnary.org/text/i_will_do_a_new_thing

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.