Tag Archives: Wholeness

Being the Body of Christ

Living in the Spirit

July 22, 2022

Scripture Reading:

Colossians 2:6-15, (16-19)

Therefore do not let anyone condemn you in matters of food and drink or of observing festivals, new moons, or sabbaths. These are only a shadow of what is to come, but the substance belongs to Christ. Do not let anyone disqualify you, insisting on self-abasement and worship of angels, dwelling on visions, puffed up without cause by a human way of thinking, and not holding fast to the head, from whom the whole body, nourished and held together by its ligaments and sinews, grows with a growth that is from God. –Colossians 2:16-19

Paul got that right. The earthly observations of his day have indeed been supplemented over the years by hundreds and thousands of equally absurd practices and beliefs that distract us from being the Body of Christ in the world today. I am stunned by the singularity of our outrage regarding issues that have simple solutions if we cared to use them. Most abortions could be prevented by the availability of quality, affordable and accessible health care, raising the minimum wage to a living wage, and providing quality public education that prepares children for adulthood and good-paying jobs.

I got off the plane with my choir many years ago at an airport in Sweden and rushed with my group to the nearest restroom as is often the case with people getting off planes. I was surprised to see that there were no designated male and female restrooms. Each of the stalls was enclosed for privacy and each contained appropriate plumbing for men and women. The only thing shared was the sinks to wash one’s hands. The long line moved very quickly, and no one had to worry about sharing a restroom with anyone.

We are called to be the Body of Christ in the world today with an assignment to begin and continue the work of creating the beloved community, the Kingdom of God. That requires us to remove ourselves from the shadows of worldly judgments and live in the light of Christ’s loving example.

Prayer: Lord, write on our hearts your desire for our work and strengthen our will and our bodies to carry it out. 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.

Living Our Love

Living in the Spirit

Living in the Spirit

July 21, 2022

Scripture Reading:

Colossians 2:6-15, (16-19)

As you therefore have received Christ Jesus the Lord, continue to live your lives in him, rooted and built up in him and established in the faith, just as you were taught, abounding in thanksgiving.

See to it that no one takes you captive through philosophy and empty deceit, according to human tradition, according to the elemental spirits of the universe, and not according to Christ. For in him the whole fullness of deity dwells bodily, and you have come to fullness in him, who is the head of every ruler and authority. In him also you were circumcised with a spiritual circumcision, by putting off the body of the flesh in the circumcision of Christ; when you were buried with him in baptism, you were also raised with him through faith in the power of God, who raised him from the dead. And when you were dead in trespasses and the uncircumcision of your flesh, God made you alive together with him, when he forgave us all our trespasses, erasing the record that stood against us with its legal demands. He set this aside, nailing it to the cross. He disarmed the rulers and authorities and made a public example of them, triumphing over them in it. –Colossians 2:6-15

When Jesus answered the question, ‘Teacher, which commandment in the law is the greatest?’ He said to him, ‘“You shall love the Lord your God with all your heart, and with all your soul, and with all your mind.” This is the greatest and first commandment. And a second is like it: “You shall love your neighbor as yourself.” On these two commandments hang all the law and the prophets.’ (Matthew 22:36-40) I think Jesus set the plumbline for determining what is right and what is wrong, what is just and what is unjust. If an action, a belief, or a way of being is not of love, it is not of God.

Paul wrestled with defining love in 1 Corinthians 13:4-8a, by defining its characteristics, Love is patient; love is kind; love is not envious or boastful or arrogant or rude. It does not insist on its own way; it is not irritable or resentful; it does not rejoice in wrongdoing, but rejoices in the truth. It bears all things, believes all things, hopes all things, endures all things. Love never ends.

We live in challenging times where ideas and philosophies, especially empty deceits and human traditions try to define our faith based on those elemental spirits of the universe. We must always assess such ideas against the test of God’s love and live our lives accordingly.

Prayer: Lord, guide us in doing our best to present ourselves to God as one approved by him, a worker who has no need to be ashamed, rightly explaining the word of truth*. Amen.

*Derived from 2 Timothy 2:15

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.

To God Be the Glory

Living in the Spirit

July 20, 2022

Scripture Reading: Psalm 138

I give you thanks, O Lord, with my whole heart;
   before the gods I sing your praise;
I bow down towards your holy temple
   and give thanks to your name for your steadfast love and your faithfulness;
   for you have exalted your name and your word
   above everything.
On the day I called, you answered me,
   you increased my strength of soul.

All the kings of the earth shall praise you, O Lord,
   for they have heard the words of your mouth.
They shall sing of the ways of the Lord,
   for great is the glory of the Lord.
For though the Lord is high, he regards the lowly;
   but the haughty he perceives from far away.

Though I walk in the midst of trouble,
   you preserve me against the wrath of my enemies;
you stretch out your hand,
   and your right hand delivers me.
The Lord will fulfill his purpose for me;
   your steadfast love, O Lord, endures forever.
   Do not forsake the work of your hands.

Whether we realize it all the time or not, there is nothing more important in our lives than the consistent and eternal love of God. Take a few moments right now to recognize fully that God loves you no matter what. You might want to start your mediation with Andraé Crouch’s song  My Tribute

How can I say thanks
For the things You have done for me?
Things so undeserved
Yet You gave to prove Your love for me;
The voices of a million angels
Could not express my gratitude
All that I am and ever hope to be
I owe it all to Thee

To God be the glory
To God be the glory
To God be the glory
For the things He has done

With His blood He has saved me
With His power He has raised me;
To God be the glory
For the things He has done

Just let me live my life
Let it pleasing, Lord to Thee
And if I gain any praise
Let it go to Calvary.

To God be the glory
To God be the glory
To God be the glory
For the things He has done. 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 Sovereignty of God

Living in the Spirit

July 18, 2022

Scripture Reading:

Hosea 1:2-10

When the Lord first spoke through Hosea, the Lord said to Hosea, ‘Go, take for yourself a wife of whoredom and have children of whoredom, for the land commits great whoredom by forsaking the Lord.’ So he went and took Gomer daughter of Diblaim, and she conceived and bore him a son.

And the Lord said to him, ‘Name him Jezreel; for in a little while I will punish the house of Jehu for the blood of Jezreel, and I will put an end to the kingdom of the house of Israel. On that day I will break the bow of Israel in the valley of Jezreel.’

She conceived again and bore a daughter. Then the Lord said to him, ‘Name her Lo-ruhamah, for I will no longer have pity on the house of Israel or forgive them. But I will have pity on the house of Judah, and I will save them by the Lord their God; I will not save them by bow, or by sword, or by war, or by horses, or by horsemen.’

When she had weaned Lo-ruhamah, she conceived and bore a son. Then the Lord said, ‘Name him Lo-ammi, for you are not my people and I am not your God.’

Yet the number of the people of Israel shall be like the sand of the sea, which can be neither measured nor numbered; and in the place where it was said to them, ‘You are not my people’, it shall be said to them, ‘Children of the living God.’

Hosea uses an allegory in the above scripture to describe the relationship the people of Israel had with the Lord. The original nation of Israel was split between the northern territory which took the name Israel and the southern nation which took the name, Judah. All this was accomplished and continued to Hosea’s time through war. In the story, Hosea’s instructions to go outside his faith and follow worldly ways of having children with a whore, describe the movement of Israel away from God. This chapter is the introduction to the book of Hosea which further develops this theme and its consequences.

In this reading, I was particularly struck by the line that says and in the place where it was said to them, ‘You are not my people’, it shall be said to them, ‘Children of the living God.’ While God is telling Israel that they are not his people because of their actions, they continue to be perceived as being the children of God. I suppose that could be read as stating God’s intention to turn them around and return them fully to being God’s children. But, today, I read it as saying that their behavior is how other peoples and nations perceive God. It reminded me of the who-owns-God fight in our world today. I cannot imagine God being pleased being used as a battering ram to push forward political agendas in lust for power, whether inside or outside God’s agenda. That does not seem to hold true of those commanded to love God and our neighbors as we love ourselves.

Prayer: Lord, forgive us when we get so caught up in the world’s ways that we ignore your vision and way of being. Help us turn around and follow you more closely. 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.

Loving Like Jesus

Living in the Spirit

July 17, 2022

Scripture Reading:

Luke 11:1-13

And he said to them, ‘Suppose one of you has a friend, and you go to him at midnight and say to him, “Friend, lend me three loaves of bread; for a friend of mine has arrived, and I have nothing to set before him.” And he answers from within, “Do not bother me; the door has already been locked, and my children are with me in bed; I cannot get up and give you anything.” I tell you, even though he will not get up and give him anything because he is his friend, at least because of his persistence he will get up and give him whatever he needs.

‘So I say to you, Ask, and it will be given to you; search, and you will find; knock, and the door will be opened for you. For everyone who asks receives, and everyone who searches finds, and for everyone who knocks, the door will be opened. Is there anyone among you who, if your child asks for a fish, will give a snake instead of a fish? Or if the child asks for an egg, will give a scorpion? If you then, who are evil, know how to give good gifts to your children, how much more will the heavenly Father give the Holy Spirit to those who ask him!’ –Luke 11:5-13

How do we respond faithfully to these scriptures and meaningfully help a loved one dealing with addiction? Bread I would give them even knowing that they would sell their soul for opioids. At some point like the prodigal son, we must let them go, praying that, knowing that God is with them, and at some point, they have the spiritual breakthrough to return home to the God that loves them and can heal them. Indeed, we need to be ready to meet them with open arms when they find themselves as God created them and when they long to shed the weight of the world and put on the robes of God’s gracious love.

We, too, must remain engaged with God as we strive not to judge but to love, and otherwise grow in wisdom and truth learning how to ask for the right responses and knock on the right doors.

Prayer: We thank you, Lord, for giving us your Spirit to guide us through life’s challenges.  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.

Part of the Beloved Community

Living in the Spirit

July 15, 2022

Scripture Reading:

Colossians 1:15-28

I am now rejoicing in my sufferings for your sake, and in my flesh I am completing what is lacking in Christ’s afflictions for the sake of his body, that is, the church. I became its servant according to God’s commission that was given to me for you, to make the word of God fully known, the mystery that has been hidden throughout the ages and generations but has now been revealed to his saints. To them God chose to make known how great among the Gentiles are the riches of the glory of this mystery, which is Christ in you, the hope of glory. It is he whom we proclaim, warning everyone and teaching everyone in all wisdom, so that we may present everyone mature in Christ. —Colossians 1:24-28

I wonder how many times I have written the words greed and lust for power over the past ten years as forces leading to our destruction as a nation. Greed is described in the story of the Garden of Eden. Esau and Jacob’s story described lust for power. While these attributes(?) have been with us from the beginning, they seem to raise their ugly heads in pandemic proportion from time to time. We are living in such a time as that and are already paying the consequences. Greed demands that the rich get richer, and the poor get poorer. Lust for power requires someone else to decide how we live, breathe, and have our being. King Ahab and his wife Jezebel are good examples from the Bible. Vladimir Putin is a great example of that today. Paul’s challenge as an apostle of Jesus Christ was bringing people together to become one in Christ whose lives, like ours, had been shaped for generations by at least some of the ways of the world like greed and lust for power whether practicing them or being their victims.

Jesus’s vision of the Kingdom of God, what today might be referred to as the beloved community, can never be fueled by greed and lust for power. God created an organic world where all parts have purposes of importance that must work together to attain optimum outcomes for each and all its parts. Living into that vision demands that we, with the guidance and help of the Holy Spirit let go of what separates us from God and embrace the culture of the beloved community.

Prayer:
Precious Lord, take my hand
Lead me on, let me stand
I’m tired, I’m weak, I’m lone
Through the storm, through the night
Lead me on to the light
Take my hand precious Lord, lead me home*. Amen.

*First verse of Precious Lord, Take My Hand, by Thomas A. Dorsey see at https://www.austincc.edu/dlauderb/2341/Lyrics/PreciousLord.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.

Be Reconciled

Living in the Spirit

July 14, 2022

Scripture Reading:

Colossians 1:15-28

He is the image of the invisible God, the firstborn of all creation; for in him all things in heaven and on earth were created, things visible and invisible, whether thrones or dominions or rulers or powers—all things have been created through him and for him. He himself is before all things, and in him all things hold together. He is the head of the body, the church; he is the beginning, the firstborn from the dead, so that he might come to have first place in everything. For in him all the fullness of God was pleased to dwell, and through him God was pleased to reconcile to himself all things, whether on earth or in heaven, by making peace through the blood of his cross.

And you who were once estranged and hostile in mind, doing evil deeds, he has now reconciled in his fleshly body through death, so as to present you holy and blameless and irreproachable before him— provided that you continue securely established and steadfast in the faith, without shifting from the hope promised by the gospel that you heard, which has been proclaimed to every creature under heaven. I, Paul, became a servant of this gospel. –Colossians 1:15-23

I listened to one of the witnesses who gave testimony in the January 6 hearings as he explained his participation in that insurrection. He said he had been seeing the world like he had on blinders. He has now taken off those blinders.  The origin of the word blinders comes from the days when horses pulled plows or other farming implements. To keep a horse from being distracted, blinders were placed outside each eye so the animals would do what the farmer driving them wanted them to do. The word now indicates an obstruction to sight or discernment: an impediment to clear thinking*.  I think this man was sharing his experience to reconcile himself to doing the right thing. This story describes the reality of Jesus’s gift to us of his life to free us from the blinders of the world we allow to rule our lives. Following Christ is the freedom to live in the fullness of life within the protection of his love. Our challenge is remaining in reconciliation with Christ as we let go of the false comforts we might feel from the blinders of the world.

Prayer:
Thank you, Lord, for saving our souls,
thank you, Lord, for making us whole
thank you, Lord, for giving us
thy great salvation so rich and free**. Amen.

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

**Derived from the Chorus of the song Thank You, Lord,  see at https://namethathymn.com/hymn-lyrics/viewtopic.php?t=8043

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.

Steadfastness

Living in the Spirit

July 13, 2022

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.

They shall be like a tree planted by water,
   sending out its roots by the stream.
It shall not fear when heat comes,
   and its leaves shall stay green;
in the year of drought it is not anxious,
   and it does not cease to bear fruit. –Jeremiah –17:8

They are like trees
   planted by streams of water,
which yield their fruit in its season,
   and their leaves do not wither.
In all that they do, they prosper. –Psalm 1:3

I cannot read these scriptures without remembering the chorus I learned as a child.

I shall not be, I shall not be moved
I shall not be, I shall not be moved
Just like the tree that’s planted by the waters
I shall not be moved*

The message of steadfastness is linked in the Psalm to walking blamelessly. We must spend much time in study and meditation and communion with God to find what is right. Sometimes that takes turning away from ideas drawn from the world we hold dear that are not aligned with God’s righteousness. We must spread our roots in God’s ways.

Prayer: Lord, strengthen our discernment to separate your ways from the ways of the world. Amen.

*Chorus to I Shall Not Be Moved by Vernie O. Fossett see at https://zionlyrics.com/lyrics/bird-youmans-i-shall-not-be-moved-like-a-tree-planted-by-the-waters-lyrics

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 in God’s Timing

Living in the Spirit

July 10, 2022

Scripture Reading: Luke 10:25-37

But wanting to justify himself, he asked Jesus, ‘And who is my neighbor?’ Jesus replied, ‘A man was going down from Jerusalem to Jericho, and fell into the hands of robbers, who stripped him, beat him, and went away, leaving him half dead. Now by chance a priest was going down that road; and when he saw him, he passed by on the other side. So likewise a Levite, when he came to the place and saw him, passed by on the other side. But a Samaritan while traveling came near him; and when he saw him, he was moved with pity. He went to him and bandaged his wounds, having poured oil and wine on them. Then he put him on his own animal, brought him to an inn, and took care of him. The next day he took out two denarii, gave them to the innkeeper, and said, “Take care of him; and when I come back, I will repay you whatever more you spend.” Which of these three, do you think, was a neighbor to the man who fell into the hands of the robbers?’ He said, ‘The one who showed him mercy.’ Jesus said to him, ‘Go and do likewise.’ –Luke 10:29-37

Who indeed is our neighbor? The USA has worked hard over the years to segment our society with red lines and highway construction separating people by race and income. The principalities and powers have taken it upon themselves to define who can live with whom over the years that we are just now trying to seriously correct. Oklahoma City was hit last night by a storm called a microburst, a localized column of sinking air, that can cause a lot of damage in a small area. We apparently had more than one. What I noticed this morning, as the news showed pictures of people cleaning up the mess, was that the neighborhood included a very diverse group of residents and they were all working together to return their neighborhood to wholeness.

God’s love is infinite. This story shares that concept well. Another scripture that applies is when Jesus is asked how many times must we forgive someone, seven times? Jesus’s response was seven times seventy. (Matthew 18:22) Jesus may have been recalling Genesis 4:24–If Cain is avenged sevenfold,    truly Lamech seventy-sevenfold.’ The number seven in the Israelite culture represented completeness.

God’s love exceeds any boundary we might want to set. We must be very sure when we make decisions about our interactions with others that we are well aligned with God’s will and ways.

Prayer: Lord, as we deal with people help us to clearly understand your desire for our interaction. Guide us in understanding our time to help and our time to refrain from helping apart from our setting our own boundaries of 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.

Better Together

Living in the Spirit

July 7, 2022

Scripture Reading: Colossians 1:1-14

Paul, an apostle of Christ Jesus by the will of God, and Timothy our brother,
To the saints and faithful brothers and sisters in Christ in Colossae:
Grace to you and peace from God our Father.

In our prayers for you we always thank God, the Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, for we have heard of your faith in Christ Jesus and of the love that you have for all the saints, because of the hope laid up for you in heaven. You have heard of this hope before in the word of the truth, the gospel that has come to you. Just as it is bearing fruit and growing in the whole world, so it has been bearing fruit among yourselves from the day you heard it and truly comprehended the grace of God. This you learned from Epaphras, our beloved fellow-servant. He is a faithful minister of Christ on your behalf, and he has made known to us your love in the Spirit. –Colossians 1:1-8

Recently, I watched the Thunder basketball team’s first game in the summer league. All the players were there because they had achieved great respect as basketball players before they were drafted to the NBA. The players may have had a few practices before this game but mostly they came without much experience in playing with one another. At first, a small amount of chaos occurred within both teams. Team sports to succeed requires precision in working together. Players learn how a particular team member catches the ball leading to an advantageous shot at the goal, for example. Every team member has an important contribution to make the success of the game.

In Paul’s letters to the churches he helped create, he always recognize how well, or not, the members worked together. Not only in how much they excelled in sharing their talents but also in how well they enabled their fellow workers to realize their gifts and implement their use. We are all part of the crew developing the beloved community.

The world is trying hard to divide and conquer God’s people. God can and will empower us to rise above those distractions and hasten the coming of the Kingdom of God.

Prayer: Lord, enable us to serve together and find common ground 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.