Tag Archives: Wholeness

What is Truth

Ordinary Time

February 16, 2023

Scripture Reading:

2 Peter 1:16-21

For we did not follow cleverly devised myths when we made known to you the power and coming of our Lord Jesus Christ, but we had been eyewitnesses of his majesty. For he received honor and glory from God the Father when that voice was conveyed to him by the Majestic Glory, saying, ‘This is my Son, my Beloved, with whom I am well pleased.’ We ourselves heard this voice come from heaven, while we were with him on the holy mountain. –2 Peter 1:16-18

How do we describe the indescribable? How do we convey the magnitude in our lives of God’s gift of God’s Son to open wider the door of God’s blessings and love? No cleverly devised myths but eyewitness accounts were passed down to us, and each of them conveys a different description based on the witness’s needs at the time and Jesus’s response to those needs.  Thomas wanted proof; Peter wanted to take action. Martha wanted help cooking dinner for Jesus, but her sister, Mary, just wanted to sit at his feet and take in every word he spoke. The centurion asked him to heal his servant, but as a person of power, he readily recognized one with greater power and understood Jesus just needed to say the word, and his servant would be healed.

We live in a world of cleverly devised false accounts and half-truths, posing to be the truth. We waded in such grime throughout the 2022 election cycle and barely got the chance to observe Christmas before it started again targeted at the next election cycle. Jesus tells us in John 8:31-32, Then Jesus said to the Jews who had believed in him, ‘If you continue in my word, you are truly my disciples; and you will know the truth, and the truth will make you free.’ Later, Pilate recognized the weak nature of politics in the following discourse with Jesus at Jesus’s trial before Pilate,

Jesus answered, ‘My kingdom is not from this world. If my kingdom were from this world, my followers would be fighting to keep me from being handed over to the Jews. But as it is, my kingdom is not from here.’ Pilate asked him, ‘So you are a king?’ Jesus answered, ‘You say that I am a king. For this I was born, and for this I came into the world, to testify to the truth. Everyone who belongs to the truth listens to my voice.’ Pilate asked him, ‘What is truth?’ (John 18:36-38)

We continue to search for truth today, and finding it demands our close communion with God as we strive to be in the world but not of the world so that we can share the love of God freely with all the people of the world, all of whom are made in the image of God.

Prayer: Open our hearts and minds to your truth and your way of living. 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

February 14, 2023

Scripture Reading: Exodus 24:12-18
The Lord said to Moses, ‘Come up to me on the mountain, and wait there; and I will give you the tablets of stone, with the law and the commandment, which I have written for their instruction.’ So Moses set out with his assistant Joshua, and Moses went up into the mountain of God. To the elders he had said, ‘Wait here for us, until we come to you again; for Aaron and Hur are with you; whoever has a dispute may go to them.’

Then Moses went up on the mountain, and the cloud covered the mountain. The glory of the Lord settled on Mount Sinai, and the cloud covered it for six days; on the seventh day he called to Moses out of the cloud. Now the appearance of the glory of the Lord was like a devouring fire on the top of the mountain in the sight of the people of Israel. Moses entered the cloud, and went up on the mountain. Moses was on the mountain for forty days and forty nights.

I have repeatedly said patience is a fruit of the spirit I lack*. This is one of the instances I prefer the King James translation, which rather than using the word patience, calls it long-suffering**.

I finally realized that the word is fruit, singular, not fruits, plural. The fruit of the spirit is a package deal. Moses had to have possessed much patience to stay up on that mountain for so long. He did wait, and he received the laws of God and carefully retained the instructions for how to use them. Surely, he was consoled by the other parts of the Spirit’s presence. At the end of this sojourn with God, he carries the tablets with the commandments etched on them down the mountain when he discovered the Israelites worshiping a golden calf idol. They did not have the patience to wait for his return. He dashed the tablets to the ground and broke them; then, he destroyed the idol. His patience had run out.

As soon as he came near the camp and saw the calf and the dancing, Moses’ anger burned hot, and he threw the tablets from his hands and broke them at the foot of the mountain. He took the calf that they had made, burned it with fire, ground it to powder, scattered it on the water, and made the Israelites drink it. —Exodus 32:19-20

The laws were recovered and built into our understanding and worship of God to this day. We also learned that there is a time and place for patience and a time to express anger if appropriate.

Prayer: Lord, help us to maintain our connection with your Spirit so that we can correctly identify when it is time to be patient and a time to express anger ruled by the boundaries of love, joy, peace, kindness, generosity, faithfulness, gentleness, and self-control. Amen.

*Galatians 5:22-23–By contrast, the fruit of the Spirit is love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, generosity, faithfulness, gentleness, and self-control. There is no law against such things.

**( https://biblehub.com/greek/3115.htm) Greek translation: 3115 makrothymía (from 3117 /makrós, “long” and 2372 /thymós, “passion, anger”) – properly, long-passion, i.e. waiting sufficient time before expressing anger. This avoids the premature use of force (retribution) that rises out of improper anger (a personal reaction).

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.

Communicating with Others

Ordinary Time

February 11, 2023

Scripture Reading:

Matthew 5:21-37

You have heard that it was said to those of ancient times, “You shall not murder”; and “whoever murders shall be liable to judgment.” But I say to you that if you are angry with a brother or sister, you will be liable to judgment; and if you insult a brother or sister, you will be liable to the council; and if you say, “You fool”, you will be liable to the hell of fire. So when you are offering your gift at the altar, if you remember that your brother or sister has something against you, leave your gift there before the altar and go; first be reconciled to your brother or sister, and then come and offer your gift. Come to terms quickly with your accuser while you are on the way to court with him, or your accuser may hand you over to the judge, and the judge to the guard, and you will be thrown into prison. Truly I tell you, you will never get out until you have paid the last penny. –Matthew 5:21-37

I have been working on a document,” How to Talk to a Legislator,” and I realized that there is no difference in how we talk to a legislator as there is to talk to anyone. First, we must recognize who and what they are. We speak differently to a child than to an adult, to a person who is hard of hearing, and to someone whose expertise is different from ours.  

Anger has its place; Jesus ran the moneychangers out of the Temple area with a whip (John 2:15). In most discussions, anger can be more destructive than helpful in discourse. Our messages are better received when we tell our story succinctly and personally. My niece is pregnant, and the hospital in her hometown has told her there will be no room for her to deliver her baby when it is due. The next closest hospital is 30 miles away. In fact, I know people who must travel over 100 miles to find a hospital for any service. We, the people, through our legislative process, really need to address the lack of health care in rural areas to provide for the Common Good.

Our discourse as a people has turned raw. We do not listen or hear what is trying to be shared. Too often, we lack the understanding and care about what another is trying to communicate, which can end up in violence and even murder.

Prayer: Open our hearts to hearing and understanding the needs of people. Help us express our own needs to be better understood, and help us to strive for common ground to provide for the Common Good. 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.

Higher Ground

Ordinary Time

February 9, 2023

Scripture Reading:

1 Corinthians 3:1-9

And so, brothers and sisters, I could not speak to you as spiritual people, but rather as people of the flesh, as infants in Christ. I fed you with milk, not solid food, for you were not ready for solid food. Even now you are still not ready, for you are still of the flesh. For as long as there is jealousy and quarrelling among you, are you not of the flesh, and behaving according to human inclinations? For when one says, ‘I belong to Paul’, and another, ‘I belong to Apollos’, are you not merely human? –1 Corinthians 3:1-4

The word flesh, as used here, simply describes being human, which is neither good nor bad, and can be either depending on the circumstances. I met a new great grand niece at my sister’s house at Thanksgiving and watched as the baby was unsure what to do with a few mashed potatoes her mother fed her. I guess she found it OK as she swallowed it but did not seem to want more. Paul is using the metaphor of feeding the body to describe the need to feed the soul.

We live in a very divided culture right now. I watched the Presidential State of the Union speech yesterday. We would not be a democracy, a government by the people if we did not have varying opinions of the ways to run our government.  The standard behavior during this speech is that the members of the Supreme Court and our military leaders remain seated without expressing an opinion of what was being put forward. When the opposing party’s stances on issues vary from what is being presented, they remain seated and do not clap their hands, remain seated and clap their hands, or when common ground exists, stand and clap. A few hecklers among the legislators last night felt it necessary to call out derogatory responses. Paul was dealing with reports of similar behavior among the Christians in Corinth. Our government exists to find common ground for the Common Good, which is true when bringing together the Body of Christ to answer Christ’s call to build the Beloved Community. I think the song Higher Ground addresses this issue well.

I’m pressing on the upward way,
New heights I’m gaining ev’ry day;
Still praying as I’m onward bound,
“Lord, plant my feet on higher ground.”

Refrain:
Lord, lift me up, and let me stand
By faith, on heaven’s tableland;
A higher plane than I have found,
Lord, plant my feet on higher ground.

My heart has no desire to stay
Where doubts arise and fears dismay;
Though some may dwell where these abound,
My prayer, my aim, is higher ground*

Prayer: Lord, lift me up, and let me stand By faith, on heaven’s tableland; A higher plane than I have found, Lord, plant my feet on higher ground. Amen.

*First and second verses with the refrain of the hymn Higher Ground by Johnson Oatman, Jr.  See at https://hymnary.org/text/im_pressing_on_the_upward_way

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.

Laws fulfilled

Ordinary Time

February 8, 2023

Scripture Reading: Psalm 119:1-8
Happy are those whose way is blameless,
   who walk in the law of the Lord.
Happy are those who keep his decrees,
   who seek him with their whole heart,
who also do no wrong,
   but walk in his ways.
You have commanded your precepts
   to be kept diligently.
O that my ways may be steadfast
   in keeping your statutes!
Then I shall not be put to shame,
   having my eyes fixed on all your commandments.
I will praise you with an upright heart,
   when I learn your righteous ordinances.
I will observe your statutes;
   do not utterly forsake me.

We need to establish an eternal link between walking in the law of the Lord and seeking him with our whole hearts. That is the message Jesus brought to us. Matthew 5:17 tells us that Jesus said, ‘Do not think that I have come to abolish the law or the prophets; I have come not to abolish but to fulfill. As Genesis described God creating the world out of chaos, laws and rules allow us to live within order designed to protect us and make our lives more meaningful when we do not need to live in the fear of the unknown.

Laws are made to be changed to adapt to modifications in our ways of living. We transitioned from rules regarding horse transportation to cars and trucks. I have always thought the law against eating pork was the equivalent of a health rule in our world today. Trichinosis is a deadly disease transmitted by eating pork. There was, thus, a good reason not to eat pork until we learned how to cook it to remove the microscopic parasite Trichinella. The original law was prudent for the time but could be revised once the culprit of the disease was destroyed. Some faith groups choose to continue to follow the Biblical instruction about not eating pork as a way of honoring God, and that is valid too. We must also now consider the admonitions of eating too much red meat for health reasons.

However, human-created laws can and sometimes work for sinister ends. In the USA, we live in a democracy ideally designed to give a voice to all its people in working for the Common Good. We, however, have seen laws that were created for the selfish gain of a few people or for forcing one’s values on others that have no link to the Common Good. That is when seeking God with our whole heart must bring our rules and laws into conformity with God’s love.

Prayer: Lord, help us carefully to discern, in carrying out our civic responsibilities, any laws or rules that do not follow God’s ultimate laws of Loving God, loving our neighbors as ourselves, and recognizing that final judgment belongs to God. Forgive us when we do not see that greed and lust for power are idols as much as any graven image 5000 years ago. 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.

Idol Worship

Ordinary Time

February 6, 2023

Scripture Reading:

Deuteronomy 30:15-20
See, I have set before you today life and prosperity, death and adversity. If you obey the commandments of the Lord your God that I am commanding you today, by loving the Lord your God, walking in his ways, and observing his commandments, decrees, and ordinances, then you shall live and become numerous, and the Lord your God will bless you in the land that you are entering to possess. But if your heart turns away and you do not hear, but are led astray to bow down to other gods and serve them, I declare to you today that you shall perish; you shall not live long in the land that you are crossing the Jordan to enter and possess. I call heaven and earth to witness against you today that I have set before you life and death, blessings and curses. Choose life so that you and your descendants may live, loving the Lord your God, obeying him, and holding fast to him; for that means life to you and length of days, so that you may live in the land that the Lord swore to give to your ancestors, to Abraham, to Isaac, and to Jacob.

We may no longer bow down to statues of gods, but we still have idols. Greed and lust for power are two at the top of my list that I have observed. I am seeing more and more instances where we are creating and fostering gods made in our image that fit our desired outcomes for life rather than following the God in whose image we are made and whose foundation for life is love. The prosperity Gospel is a good example of that, as is Christian nationalism. We substitute cultural attributes for how and who we love. The story in Matthew 19:16-26 tells of the rich young man who came to Jesus to find out what more he could do; since he was already following all the commandments, Jesus said ‘If you wish to be perfect, go, sell your possessions, and give the money to the poor, and you will have treasure in heaven; then come, follow me.’ When the young man heard this word, he went away grieving, for he had many possessions.

Somehow our culture has been caught up in the need for individuals to be better than other individuals to be of worth. That did not come from God. God created all people in God’s image and saw that they were good. We tend to cluster with people who are like us and ignore or even discriminate against those who differ from us even though they, too, were created in the same image as the rest of us.

Prayer: Lord, forgive us when we see you as we want to see you and not as who you are.  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.

It’s a God Thing

Ordinary Time

February 5, 2023

Scripture Reading: Matthew 17:1-9
Six days later, Jesus took with him Peter and James and his brother John and led them up a high mountain, by themselves. And he was transfigured before them, and his face shone like the sun, and his clothes became dazzling white. Suddenly there appeared to them Moses and Elijah, talking with him. Then Peter said to Jesus, ‘Lord, it is good for us to be here; if you wish, I will make three dwellings here, one for you, one for Moses, and one for Elijah.’ While he was still speaking, suddenly a bright cloud overshadowed them, and from the cloud a voice said, ‘This is my Son, the Beloved; with him I am well pleased; listen to him!’ When the disciples heard this, they fell to the ground and were overcome by fear. But Jesus came and touched them, saying, ‘Get up and do not be afraid.’ And when they looked up, they saw no one except Jesus himself alone.

As they were coming down the mountain, Jesus ordered them, ‘Tell no one about the vision until after the Son of Man has been raised from the dead.’

I picked up a phrase from a co-worker many years ago that I still use today to explain the unexplainable, It’s a God thing. What is now called The Transfiguration was just such a God thing. Something happened on that high mountain that marked the beginning of the end of Jesus’s life on earth and the beginning of a life ruled by grace and faith, still guided in part by ancient rules of living, still ruled by God’s love and mercy with the added role model of Jesus’s life and teachings to show us how to live in God’s love both receiving it and being a conduit of it to others. A better and growing relationship with the Spirit of God further enables this way of being.

Prayer: Thank you, Lord, for the gift of your grace, for giving us a role model to follow, and for your Spirit’s constant presence. 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.

Salt and Light

Ordinary Time

Ordinary Time

February 4, 2023

Scripture Reading:

Matthew 5:13-20
‘You are the salt of the earth; but if salt has lost its taste, how can its saltiness be restored? It is no longer good for anything, but is thrown out and trampled underfoot.

‘You are the light of the world. A city built on a hill cannot be hidden. No one after lighting a lamp puts it under the bushel basket, but on the lampstand, and it gives light to all in the house. In the same way, let your light shine before others, so that they may see your good works and give glory to your Father in heaven.

‘Do not think that I have come to abolish the law or the prophets; I have come not to abolish but to fulfill. For truly I tell you, until heaven and earth pass away, not one letter, not one stroke of a letter, will pass from the law until all is accomplished. Therefore, whoever breaks one of the least of these commandments, and teaches others to do the same, will be called least in the kingdom of heaven; but whoever does them and teaches them will be called great in the kingdom of heaven. For I tell you, unless your righteousness exceeds that of the scribes and Pharisees, you will never enter the kingdom of heaven.

Salt literally saved people from disease by preserving food. We are cautioned today about eating too much salt, but we must have some salt to live. Being the salt of the earth in service to Christ, in essence, means providing life-giving faith, hope, and love to others to sustain their very lives.

The hard part about letting one’s light shine is not getting in the way of one’s own light. If we get full of ourselves and think we are better than others, we reduce the worth of any illumination we may cast. That was part of the problem with some of the scribes and Pharisees.  That said, we are called to be models of Christ’s love in the world today.

Prayer: Lord, enrich us with both salt and light in the exact amount needed to share your love with others. 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.

Spirit Led

Ordinary Time

February 3, 2023

Scripture Reading:

1 Corinthians 2:1-12 (13-16)

Yet among the mature we do speak wisdom, though it is not a wisdom of this age or of the rulers of this age, who are doomed to perish*. But we speak God’s wisdom, secret and hidden, which God decreed before the ages for our glory. None of the rulers of this age understood this; for if they had, they would not have crucified the Lord of glory. But, as it is written,
‘What no eye has seen, nor ear heard,
   nor the human heart conceived,
what God has prepared for those who love him’—**
these things God has revealed to us through the Spirit; for the Spirit searches everything, even the depths of God. For what human being knows what is truly human except the human spirit that is within? So also no one comprehends what is truly God’s except the Spirit of God. Now we have received not the spirit of the world, but the Spirit that is from God, so that we may understand the gifts bestowed on us by God. And we speak of these things in words not taught by human wisdom but taught by the Spirit, interpreting spiritual things to those who are spiritual. –1 Corinthians 2:1-13

*so he shall startle many nations;
   kings shall shut their mouths because of him;
for that which had not been told them they shall see,
   and that which they had not heard they shall contemplate. (Isaiah 52:15)

**From ages past no one has heard,
   no ear has perceived,
no eye has seen any God besides you,
   who works for those who wait for him. (Isaiah 64:4)

I can imagine Paul engrossed in the scriptures of his time; the Hebrew Bible has one Aha! Moment after another, following his encounter on the road to Damascus, seeing and perceiving the scriptures meaning that he had never understood before. I appreciate the New Interpreter’s Study Bible for reporting the source of scriptures quoted in the New Testament from the Hebrew Bible. I was memorizing scripture as a preschooler, yet I learn something new every time I am informed of the wholeness of scripture. I am equally amazed at the frequency of times I hear the Bible being used to support ideologies that I cannot find in the Bible, but that is a subject for a different time.

The Spirit is real, but it is hard for me hard to wrap my head around. Perhaps that is because the Spirit communicates as much through the ancient understanding of the heart or gut as the mind. We are, after all, organisms. While we today perceive are bodies in more scientific forms—hearts as pumps maintain our living, and guts distribute the good and the bad food we take in to keep our minds and hearts working. But what drives us to choose the good over the bad food and love over hate? Is it the Spirit of God interfacing with us that makes us whole, tugging at us to care for ourselves and others?

Prayer:
Spirit of the Living God,
Fall afresh on me,
Spirit of the Living God,
Fall afresh on me.
Break me, melt me, mold me, fill me.
Spirit of the Living God,
Fall afresh on me. ***Amen.

***Chorus Spirit of the Living God by Daniel Iverson, see at https://hymnary.org/text/spirit_of_the_living_god_fall_iverson#Author__st__1_

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.

Maturing in Faith

Ordinary Time

February 2, 2023

Scripture Reading:

1 Corinthians 2:1-12 (13-16)

When I came to you, brothers and sisters, I did not come proclaiming the mystery of God to you in lofty words or wisdom. For I decided to know nothing among you except Jesus Christ, and him crucified. And I came to you in weakness and in fear and in much trembling. My speech and my proclamation were not with plausible words of wisdom, but with a demonstration of the Spirit and of power, so that your faith might rest not on human wisdom but on the power of God. –1 Corinthians 2:1-5

My impression of Saul of Tarsus is that he was pretty sure of himself. He had been raised in wealth, the son of a Pharisee, groomed in his faith, and zealous about converting others to his beliefs* to the point of persecuting those who were following  Jesus. That does not sound like the description he gave of himself in the scripture above. He even went so far as to change his name to Paul after his encounter with Jesus Christ on his trip to Damascus, where he was headed to continue his persecution. After encounters in Damascus with Christ-followers and receiving their fearful welcome because his previous behavior preceded him, he withdrew to the mountains for three years to delve into what had happened to him and, more importantly, what he was to do about it.

And so, this same very confident man came to the people of Corinth in weakness and in fear and in much trembling. While his sense of surety remained, his relationship with God had blossomed and matured. He no longer needed to be overbearing but humbly became the conduit for God’s love to spread throughout the known world.

Our world today needs all Christ-followers to open ourselves to being the conduit of God’s love as we live in a world challenged by change. To do that, we must open ourselves to God’s examination and gain an understanding and relationship with God to make that transition for the betterment of all. We, too, must be willing to let the Spirit of God guide us and not assume that carrying out our way of being faithful is still appropriate in our world today.

Prayer: Lord, remove the beam from our eyes so that we can better serve you among all people guided by your love. Amen.

*Philippians 3:2-6  For it is we who are the circumcision, who worship in the Spirit of God and boast in Christ Jesus and have no confidence in the flesh— even though I, too, have reason for confidence in the flesh.

If anyone else has reason to be confident in the flesh, I have more: circumcised on the eighth day, a member of the people of Israel, of the tribe of Benjamin, a Hebrew born of Hebrews; as to the law, a Pharisee; as to zeal, a persecutor of the church; as to righteousness under the law, blameless.

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.