Tag Archives: Wholeness

Lessons in Living in God’s Ways

Ordinary Time

February 1, 2023

Scripture Reading:

Psalm 112:1-9 (10)
Praise the Lord!
   Happy are those who fear the Lord,
   who greatly delight in his commandments.
Their descendants will be mighty in the land;
   the generation of the upright will be blessed.
Wealth and riches are in their houses,
   and their righteousness endures forever.
They rise in the darkness as a light for the upright;
   they are gracious, merciful, and righteous.
It is well with those who deal generously and lend,
   who conduct their affairs with justice.
For the righteous will never be moved;
   they will be remembered forever.
They are not afraid of evil tidings;
   their hearts are firm, secure in the Lord.
Their hearts are steady, they will not be afraid;
   in the end they will look in triumph on their foes.
They have distributed freely, they have given to the poor;
   their righteousness endures forever;
   their horn is exalted in honor.
The wicked see it and are angry;
   they gnash their teeth and melt away;
   the desire of the wicked comes to nothing.

One of my best friends throughout public school died recently. We had not remained in close contact as our lives moved in different directions and locations. I touched base with her last when her mother died a few months ago. My friend’s death was a surprise. When I read this scripture, I recalled her obituary, which contained many of the same attributes described in this Psalm. She was blessed throughout her life with a comfortable income. Still, her time was invested in helping others. I quote from that obituary,

She was a friend to everyone; she had a heart for helping those in need. She was a prayer warrior for her family and others, a Bible study teacher, a Sunday school teacher, Stephens Minister, a volunteer for many organizations, and involved in endless activities. She would always remember special dates of family and friends with cards, calls, lunch, or dinner. She would also take meals to those in need who were going through hard times with health issues or loss of a loved one.

She was a role model from which all of us can learn.

Prayer: Lord, thank you for providing role models to help us find our way in a challenging world. Particularly, I thank you for the role model that my friend followed, and we all can follow, Jesus Christ. 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.

Perfection

Ordinary Time

January 31, 2023

Scripture Reading: Malachi 3:1-4

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

I connect Paul to the use of the word perfection calling us to strive to be perfect. However, Jesus is quoted as saying. Be perfect, therefore, as your heavenly Father is perfect (Matthew 5:48). The Greek word, teleios*, could also mean being complete, fully matured, or possessing wholeness—all descriptors that are probably more comfortable to us English speakers than perfection. In our competitive world, there is always something better than our “now” toward which to strive to make perfection almost impossible.

We tend to think of perfection as an end product, but striving for perfection requires us also to maintain the wholeness we have gained while seeking even more maturity. It is a balancing act of constant self-examination resulting in any indicated corrections. I am not a sailor, but I have friends who are. I have watched how they carefully steer the boat to adjust to the wind and the waves. We, too, must adjust to the wind and the waves of life that can quickly throw us off course unless we intentionally stay ahead of the storm through our communion with God.

Prayer: Lord, stay ever near us as we sail through the challenges of life and mature, following you more nearly. Amen.

*https://biblehub.com/greek/5046.htm

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.

The Times They are a Changin’*

Ordinary Time

January 29, 2023

Scripture Reading: Matthew 5:1-12
When Jesus saw the crowds, he went up the mountain; and after he sat down, his disciples came to him. Then he began to speak, and taught them, saying:
‘Blessed are the poor in spirit, for theirs is the kingdom of heaven.
‘Blessed are those who mourn, for they will be comforted.
‘Blessed are the meek, for they will inherit the earth.
‘Blessed are those who hunger and thirst for righteousness, for they will be filled.
‘Blessed are the merciful, for they will receive mercy.
‘Blessed are the pure in heart, for they will see God.
‘Blessed are the peacemakers, for they will be called children of God.
‘Blessed are those who are persecuted for righteousness’ sake, for theirs is the kingdom of heaven.
‘Blessed are you when people revile you and persecute you and utter all kinds of evil against you falsely on my account. Rejoice and be glad, for your reward is great in heaven, for in the same way they persecuted the prophets who were before you.

Our world is entering a new worldview similar to the Renaissance or the Industrial Revolution, causing us to struggle with what was and deal with what is as we prepare for the future. The result is people trying to find stability in an unstable environment as our worldview is changing rapidly. Thus we are experiencing a steady stream of grasping for anything that can make us feel grounded.

Homeostasis is a word that describes a tendency toward maintenance of relatively stable social conditions among groups with respect to various factors and to competing tendencies and powers within the body politic, to society, or to culture among [people]**.

Years ago, my roommate and I invited two guys over to play cards at our apartment. The day before, our dishwasher stopped working, and the apartment manager had not yet sent anyone to fix it. Our dirty dishes were stacked all over the counter. When our friends arrived and saw the mess and heard our plight, one of them walked over to the sink, put his hands on each side of it, looked at us, and said, “In ancient days, people washed dishes in this appliance using their hands, dish soap, washcloths, and towels.” Neither my roommate nor I had even considered doing such a thing. We were caught in homeostasis. We were programmed to do dishes the way we had always done them. Of course, our always was a short time earlier because we were raised in homes without dishwashers.

We live in a time when we no longer have a relatively stable social condition. The world is changing around us, and we have lost our grip on stability. In the first century, one of those changes that literally impacted the whole world was the life, death, and resurrection of Jesus Christ and the movement that was formed to spread its worth throughout the world. The Sermon on the Mount prepared the members of that movement to deal with the impact of such change. Two thousand years later, we must recall this advice as we strive to build Christ’s beloved community in a world in the chaos of change.

Prayer: Lord, thank you for the wisdom of the Sermon on the Mount describing how to spread your love in the changing worldview in which we live.  Amen.

*Title of a song by Bob Dylan

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

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.

Sermon on the Mount

Ordinary Time

January 28, 2023

Scripture Reading: Matthew 5:1-12
When Jesus saw the crowds, he went up the mountain; and after he sat down, his disciples came to him. Then he began to speak, and taught them, saying:
‘Blessed are the poor in spirit, for theirs is the kingdom of heaven.
‘Blessed are those who mourn, for they will be comforted.
‘Blessed are the meek, for they will inherit the earth.
‘Blessed are those who hunger and thirst for righteousness, for they will be filled.
‘Blessed are the merciful, for they will receive mercy.
‘Blessed are the pure in heart, for they will see God.
‘Blessed are the peacemakers, for they will be called children of God.
‘Blessed are those who are persecuted for righteousness’ sake, for theirs is the kingdom of heaven.
‘Blessed are you when people revile you and persecute you and utter all kinds of evil against you falsely on my account. Rejoice and be glad, for your reward is great in heaven, for in the same way they persecuted the prophets who were before you.

The Sermon on the Mount is one of the foundational scriptures of Christianity. Jesus is quoted as outlining the breadth of God’s love and thus sets the standard for our love of others. He recognizes we are all subject to challenges for which he is always with us. He describes both our need to be meek* as well as to answer our call to do justice. He opens the door to our striving to interact with others on the higher ground of mercy, purity of heart, and peacemaking. Finally, he reminds us that we are called to love like him in the storm of evil, working its will throughout the earth, yet we remain in the shelter of his blessings.

Prayer: Thank you, Lord, for coming among us to help us humans live in your love. Amen.

*Meek refers to exercising God’s strength under His control – i.e. demonstrating power without undue harshness. See at https://biblehub.com/greek/4239.htm

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’s Guidance

Ordinary Time

January 25, 2023

Scripture Reading: Psalm 15
O Lord, who may abide in your tent?
   Who may dwell on your holy hill?

Those who walk blamelessly, and do what is right,
   and speak the truth from their heart;
who do not slander with their tongue,
   and do no evil to their friends,
   nor take up a reproach against their neighbors;
in whose eyes the wicked are despised,
   but who honor those who fear the Lord;
who stand by their oath even to their hurt;
who do not lend money at interest,
   and do not take a bribe against the innocent.

Those who do these things shall never be moved.

Create in me a clean heart and a right spirit, (Psalm 51:10) and Set a guard over my mouth, O Lord. (Psalms 141:3) are two prays that are important to pray daily. I identify with Jacob who wrestles with an angel in preparation for his reconciliation with his brother Esau. We cannot walk blamelessly, speech the truth, or any of the other thing listed in the above scripture until we deal with our own demons.

We also can not follow the above guidance unless we take the time and energy to understand the people with whom we are interacting. None of us can ever know all the things that impact the lives of those we encounter daily.  We do not know if they left a sick child at home or have an ingrown toenail dueling with too-tight shoes nor if we are white do we know what it is like to be black if we are female, what it is like to be male or vice versa.  We must always look for the good triggers and the bad triggers in our interactions, guiding our next steps in communicating God’s love while dealing with sometimes tough issues.

Prayer: Hear our prayers, O Lord, and guide us in our 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.

Jesus as a Mentor

Ordinary Time

January 22, 2023

Scripture Reading:

Matthew 4:12-23

As he walked by the Sea of Galilee, he saw two brothers, Simon, who is called Peter, and Andrew his brother, casting a net into the lake—for they were fishermen. And he said to them, ‘Follow me, and I will make you fish for people.’ Immediately they left their nets and followed him. As he went from there, he saw two other brothers, James son of Zebedee and his brother John, in the boat with their father Zebedee, mending their nets, and he called them. Immediately they left the boat and their father, and followed him.

Jesus went throughout Galilee, teaching in their synagogues and proclaiming the good news of the kingdom and curing every disease and every sickness among the people. –Matthew 4:18-23

I read the book Jesus, CEO: Using Ancient Wisdom for Visionary Leadership by Laurie Beth Jones when it was first published in 1996, and I was still working. I thought of it as I read the above scripture recognizing that Jesus’s leadership role was much like a CEO’s job. I remember that I thought the book provided good guidance for people who supervise other people. I could not remember the author’s name, so I searched for it on the Internet. I was surprised to see that the book had been republished and updated on its 25th anniversary in 2021. I guess I will read it again.

One does not have to be a CEO to learn from Jesus’s way of dealing with people and drawing out the very best in each person while helping people to work well together as a team.  Jesus was a great coach. Being a leader is both an art and a science. I strongly believe that God created each person with unique skills that are necessary to fulfill the Kingdom of God. Our role is to be the very best person we can be while helping others do the same thing. That requires us to recognize the skills and abilities of others and understand the best way to communicate with them. When working as a team, we must develop our own skills to negotiate and compromise and surround ourselves with people who make the group with whom we are working whole.

Because all teams require the meshing together of differing skills, we all must learn to love ourselves as the person God created us to be so we can recognize that the talents and skills of others do not diminish who we are and what we are contributing. We are all called to make each other whole.  The talents of a good surgeon would be wasted if the cleaning crew had failed to do their job. My paternal grandfather died because a scalpel had not been sterilized properly.

Prayer: Create in me a clean heart, O God, and put a new and right spirit within me. (Psalm 51:10). Amen

All scriptures are quoted from the New Revised Standard Version Bible: Anglicized Edition, copyright 1989, 1995, Division of Christian Education of the National Council of Churches of Christ in the United States of America. Used by permission. All rights are reserved.

Being Strategic

Ordinary Time

January 21, 2023

Scripture Reading:

Matthew 4:12-23

Now when Jesus heard that John had been arrested, he withdrew to Galilee. He left Nazareth and made his home in Capernaum by the lake, in the territory of Zebulun and Naphtali, so that what had been spoken through the prophet Isaiah might be fulfilled:
‘Land of Zebulun, land of Naphtali,
   on the road by the sea, across the Jordan, Galilee of the Gentiles—
the people who sat in darkness
   have seen a great light,
and for those who sat in the region and shadow of death
   light has dawned.’
From that time Jesus began to proclaim, ‘Repent, for the kingdom of heaven has come near.’ –Matthew 4:12-17

Jesus moved strategically throughout his ministry until he didn’t. He probably thought he could be next to be arrested when he relocated to Capernaum. From the beginning, he had a mission, and he could not complete it by sitting in jail or, worse, being beheaded. I wonder why he waited around when he was called to save a sick Lazarus; I do not think he wanted Lazarus to die so he could raise him, but I do think there was a reason.  

We, too, are called to be strategic in answering our call to being a servant of God. The maintenance of close communion with God is essential to avoiding responses that set back our progress. Learning from our mistakes is also important. We must hone our spiritual muscle memory.  

 Prayer: Lord, help us be intentional in our growth in serving 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.

God’s Tent

Ordinary Time

January 18, 2023

Scripture Reading: Psalm 27:1, 4-9

The Lord is my light and my salvation;
   whom shall I fear?
The Lord is the stronghold of my life;
   of whom shall I be afraid?

One thing I asked of the Lord,
   that will I seek after:
to live in the house of the Lord
   all the days of my life,
to behold the beauty of the Lord,
   and to inquire in his temple.

For he will hide me in his shelter
   in the day of trouble;
he will conceal me under the cover of his tent;
   he will set me high on a rock. –Psalm 27:1, 4-5

I needed this scripture this morning. It is a soothing balm in a world that seems destined to destroy itself as unbelievable weather events keep occurring. Where politics is being ruled by varied issues that have nothing to do with the Common Good distracting us from the real issues that need to be addressed.  Church has been caught up in the distraction.

In 1937 — the year the Gallup poll began — seven out of 10 Americans attended church. In 2020 — before the pandemic — only 47 percent of Americans belonged to a church, synagogue or mosque, according to the survey. It’s been trending downward since 2000*. 

I used the word church above rather than faith because the word church brings to mind a building. I am not suggesting we element buildings of worship.  I am struck by the words in the above scripture saying that God will conceal us under the cover of God’s tent. Does our living our faith reflect what God expects of us?

Prayer: Thank you, Lord, for the balm of your Psalmist. Let them lead us back to the shelter of your love. Help us reflect your love in our service to you. Amen.

*See at https://www.npr.org/2022/12/10/1141010320/as-attendance-dips-churches-change-to-stay-relevant-for-a-new-wave-of-worshipper#:~:text=In%201937%20%E2%80%94%20the%20year%20the,been%20trending%20downward%20since%202000.

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.

Ending Oppression–Sharing Love

Ordinary Time

January 17, 2023

Scripture Reading: Isaiah 9:1-4
But there will be no gloom for those who were in anguish. In the former time he brought into contempt the land of Zebulun and the land of Naphtali, but in the latter time he will make glorious the way of the sea, the land beyond the Jordan, Galilee of the nations.
The people who walked in darkness
   have seen a great light;
those who lived in a land of deep darkness—
   on them light has shined.
You have multiplied the nation,
   you have increased its joy;
they rejoice before you
   as with joy at the harvest,
   as people exult when dividing plunder.
For the yoke of their burden,
   and the bar across their shoulders,
   the rod of their oppressor,
   you have broken as on the day of Midian.

I am reading the book Horse by Geraldine Brooks. It is very good, and I highly recommend it. It is the story of a champion horse and his trainer, a young slave in the pre-Civil War south, interspersed with the perspective of current-day scientists looking back on that time. The young slave was the son of a well-respected slave who was a valued horse trainer, eventually gaining his freedom. The son was groomed to follow his father’s career and learned well, but he was born into slavery and remained a slave as the story begins. He experienced the rod of the oppressor and learned well the behavior necessary to survive, but survival was not his goal; freedom was.

As I read the above scripture, this young man’s quest for freedom and wholeness sprung to mind. He found the light of God in many places. He learned to read from a preacher who taught him using the Bible as his textbook. Teaching a slave to read was against the law. He learned to look for the helpers as Mr. Rogers recommended and found them along the way. But most importantly, so far as I have read, he cared about others. His owner had a big bet against another man’s horse that was to conclude after two races. The young man’s horse won the first race leaving the older horse well behind. After the first race, the young man saw that the competitor’s horse could not make the second race and tried to warn against that horse running again. No one listened; the horse was forced to run again, was beaten again, and died in the night after the race.

One of the greatest challenges of forming the kingdom of God, the Beloved Community, is understanding that God’s love is not just for some but for all. When we experience that love, we must also share it without distinction.

Prayer: Lord, as you guide us from any oppression we may experience, enrich our lives to love without judgment. 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.

The Great Light

Ordinary Time

January 16, 2023

Scripture Reading:

Isaiah 9:1-4
But there will be no gloom for those who were in anguish. In the former time he brought into contempt the land of Zebulun and the land of Naphtali, but in the latter time he will make glorious the way of the sea, the land beyond the Jordan, Galilee of the nations.
The people who walked in darkness
   have seen a great light;
those who lived in a land of deep darkness—
   on them light has shined.
You have multiplied the nation,
   you have increased its joy;
they rejoice before you
   as with joy at the harvest,
   as people exult when dividing plunder.
For the yoke of their burden,
   and the bar across their shoulders,
   the rod of their oppressor,
   you have broken as on the day of Midian.

On a personal note, it has been a dark week. Monday morning, I received a call that one of my best friends through all 12 years of public school had died. Her obituary described well what a wonderful servant she was for doing her part to meet the needs of all. That evening I learned that a friend had died suddenly and unexpectedly who, by any measure, was one of the best legal advocates for all disadvantaged people but particularly immigrants in Oklahoma City.

This is also the week that newly elected leaders take their place in trying to find common ground for the Common Good when both at the federal level and the state level, some seem dedicated only to keeping the government in turmoil resulting in nothing getting done about very serious issues.

We, indeed, have seen a great light in the coming of Christ. Our great challenge is following that light. I fear we who call ourselves Christian have been caught up in the artificial lights of the world, causing us to lose sight of the light of Christ. Now is the time to rekindle the light of Christ, examine our lives to see if we are following his ways, and reignite his vision through our service and love.

Prayer: Lord, guide us in examining ourselves to discern where we may have slipped away from fulfilling your vision. Restore us to our mission. 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.