Tag Archives: Wholeness

Our Cloud of Witnesses

Lent

April 12, 2022

Scripture Reading: Isaiah 49:1-7

Listen to me, O coastlands,
   pay attention, you peoples from far away!
The Lord called me before I was born,
   while I was in my mother’s womb he named me.
He made my mouth like a sharp sword,
   in the shadow of his hand he hid me;
he made me a polished arrow,
   in his quiver he hid me away.
And he said to me, ‘You are my servant,
   Israel, in whom I will be glorified.’
But I said, ‘I have labored in vain,
   I have spent my strength for nothing and vanity;
yet surely my cause is with the Lord,
   and my reward with my God.’ –Isaiah 49:1-4

Our world is broken in many ways. Are we each and altogether doing the very best we can to bring our world to wholeness? Isaiah, in the scripture above, may have written this poem to strengthen his commitment to following God’s call to be a prophet. He assesses his skills and talents to determine that he had done the very best he could to answer God’s call. However, he discerned that he had labored in vain, but concluded that the final measure of his work, rested with God and he took comfort in that. Did Isaiah even consider that over 2,700 years later his words would be giving encouragement and hope to God’s people trying to find wholeness?

Many working for justice in our world today have the scars of taking one step forward and two steps back. We too assessed what we could have done better, and that is important as we search for better ways to love God and love our neighbors as we love ourselves—all our neighbors, the sick, the hungry, the rich, the poor. Staying in sync with God is the only goal we can depend on to measure our contributions toward the Kingdom of God. While we may not see the success we want, in our lifetime we may have planted the seeds for our descendants in faith who continue the work to which we are called.

Prayer: Lord, thank you for our ancestors in faith who provide us hope for the work we do in your name. 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.

When Hope Seems to Stop

Lent

April 10, 2022

Scripture Reading: Luke 23:1-49

It was now about noon, and darkness came over the whole land until three in the afternoon, while the sun’s light failed; and the curtain of the temple was torn in two. Then Jesus, crying with a loud voice, said, ‘Father, into your hands I commend my spirit.’ Having said this, he breathed his last. When the centurion saw what had taken place, he praised God and said, ‘Certainly this man was innocent.’ And when all the crowds who had gathered there for this spectacle saw what had taken place, they returned home, beating their breasts. But all his acquaintances, including the women who had followed him from Galilee, stood at a distance, watching these things. –Luke 23:44-49

Pictures of death stream into my home from Ukraine, spreading across my thoughts causing me to skip through the sequence of events that led to Jesus’s death—Jesus before Pilate, Jesus before Herod, Jesus Sentenced to Death, The Crucifixion of Jesus. I saw a woman with no more tears to cry telling the reporter, “They killed my grandson.” As she stared at a place on the ground where he must have been found dead along with all his hopes and potential. Why?

This day marks the beginning of what we call Holy Week where we remember the way of the cross. Reading the entire scripture cited above will help us relive the events throughout this week.  It is a solemn time. It is a good time for each of us to take stock of our lives and determine what the meaning of Jesus’s life, death, and resurrection has for the way we live.

4 For me, kind Jesus, was thy incarnation,
thy mortal sorrow, and thy life’s oblation;
thy death of anguish and thy bitter passion,
for my salvation.

5 Therefore, kind Jesus, since I cannot pay thee,
I do adore thee, and will ever pray thee,
think on thy pity and thy love unswerving,
not my deserving*.

Prayer: Lord, guide us in finding ways to make our lives can more meaningfully represent the life you modeled for us.   Amen.

*Verses 4 and 5  of the hymn Ah, Holy Jesus by Johann Heermann See at https://hymnary.org/text/ah_holy_jesus_how_hast_thou_offended

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.

Kingdom Building

Lent

April 9, 2022

Scripture Reading:

Luke 22:14-23:56

When the hour came, he took his place at the table, and the apostles with him. He said to them, ‘I have eagerly desired to eat this Passover with you before I suffer; for I tell you, I will not eat it until it is fulfilled in the kingdom of God.’ Then he took a cup, and after giving thanks he said, ‘Take this and divide it among yourselves; for I tell you that from now on I will not drink of the fruit of the vine until the kingdom of God comes.’ Then he took a loaf of bread, and when he had given thanks, he broke it and gave it to them, saying, ‘This is my body, which is given for you. Do this in remembrance of me.’ And he did the same with the cup after supper, saying, ‘This cup that is poured out for you is the new covenant in my blood. But see, the one who betrays me is with me, and his hand is on the table. For the Son of Man is going as it has been determined, but woe to that one by whom he is betrayed!’ Then they began to ask one another which one of them it could be who would do this. –Luke 22:14-23

Jesus served the disciples the Passover elements of bread and wine, but apparently, he did not eat it himself in Luke’s writing. Is Jesus saying here that he would not partake until the kingdom of God is fulfilled? At what point does that happen? Is it realized in Jesus’s resurrection or at the end of time? Is it when we get our acts together, all our acts together, and figure out how to love like Jesus resulting in a world where all are welcomed and encouraged to be the person God created each of us to be? A world where everyone has enough of not only the basic needs of life but also enough love, enough faith, and enough hope. I do not know the answer to any of these questions, but I do know we are called to be kingdom builders as Christ envisioned it and I think Jesus Christ would love to eat the bread and drink the cup with us sooner than later.

Both Matthew and Mark imply that Jesus did eat the bread and drink the cup as the word “again” is added before he says he would not partake until the kingdom of God was fulfilled. John chose to tell the story of Jesus washing the Disciples’ feet at that Last Supper together demonstrating their calling and our calling today of serving with humility. I Think Christ would love to pitch his tent among us when we had fulfilled our part in kingdom building and just enjoy a day of Sabbath taken together.

Prayer: Lord, open our hearts and minds to find our way in implementing your kingdom. 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.

Lord of All

Lent

April 8, 2022

Scripture Reading: Philippians 2:5-11

Therefore God also highly exalted him
   and gave him the name
   that is above every name,
so that at the name of Jesus
   every knee should bend,
   in heaven and on earth and under the earth,
and every tongue should confess
   that Jesus Christ is Lord,
   to the glory of God the Father. –Philippians 2:9-11

The word “Lord”, written with a capital “L” and often with small caps for the rest of the word, means God, the ruler of the universe*. The act of taking a knee is considered the ultimate act of acknowledging the status of God as the ruler of the universe, except when Colin Kaepernick took a knee to express his concern about racism. God is not a personal possession that no one else can turn to in times of trouble, not an idol that we wear like a badge of honor. We are all God’s creations.

In the scripture above Paul is exclaiming that Jesus Christ is Lord, the glory of his father. I took a class a few years ago where the professor went through all the various triangles to explain the idea of the trinity and other theological definitions of the Supreme Being. I am probably a heretic for this but throughout that segment of the class, I kept thinking we cannot ever put the Lord God in a box or a triangle, and that is a good thing. I like being loved by One who is all-powerful, all-knowing, and always present without having to define that One. My big challenge is learning how to love like Jesus Christ, the Lord.

Prayer:

Thank You Lord for saving my soul
Thank You Lord for making me whole
Thank You Lord for giving to me
Thy great salvation so rich and free**. Amen.

*https://biblehub.com/greek/2962.htm

**Chorus from the hymn Thank You Lord by Seth Sykes, Bessie Sykes. See at https://digitalsongsandhymns.com/songs/5739

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.

Getting Rid of Greed

Lent

April 7, 2022

Scripture Reading: Philippians 2:5-11

Let the same mind be in you that was in Christ Jesus,
who, though he was in the form of God,
   did not regard equality with God
   as something to be exploited,
but emptied himself,
   taking the form of a slave,
   being born in human likeness.
And being found in human form,
   he humbled himself
   and became obedient to the point of death—
   even death on a cross. –Philippians 2:5-8

How do we Let the same mind be in [us] that was in Christ Jesus?  How do we empty ourselves of all the clutter that separates us from God so that we have room to expand our ability to love like Jesus? The intentionality of effort must be great to grow in the faith, hope, and love that Jesus professed. I woke up this morning distracted by the greed that is causing much of the destructive behavior in our world today. Greed is the primary driver of poverty and war. Greed is our idol of choice and the pandemic that will destroy us if we cannot excise through God’s help, its power over us. The rich cannot get richer unless the number of people who are poor grows.  Greed drives a man to try to steal an entire nation from his neighbors. None of us are immune to greed. All must take the time to understand our motivations for what we do and why we do it. We then need to give to God that which has taken control of us leading us away from our faith, hope for the future, and the love of God.

The scripture above is one of the most meaningful and beautiful lessons in the Bible. Claiming it for a time, memorizing it, and recalling it regularly would be a great place to start the process of clearing out the clutter that distracts us. Once, clear we must let God fill us with love so the distractions do not return and our actions reflect our love.

Prayer: Lord, Let the same mind be in [us] that was in Christ Jesus 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.

Greed

Lent

April 3, 2022

Scripture Reading: John 12:1-8

Six days before the Passover Jesus came to Bethany, the home of Lazarus, whom he had raised from the dead. There they gave a dinner for him. Martha served, and Lazarus was one of those at the table with him. Mary took a pound of costly perfume made of pure nard, anointed Jesus’ feet, and wiped them with her hair. The house was filled with the fragrance of the perfume. But Judas Iscariot, one of his disciples (the one who was about to betray him), said, ‘Why was this perfume not sold for three hundred denarii and the money given to the poor?’ (He said this not because he cared about the poor, but because he was a thief; he kept the common purse and used to steal what was put into it.) Jesus said, ‘Leave her alone. She bought it so that she might keep it for the day of my burial. You always have the poor with you, but you do not always have me.’

For the love of money is a root of all kinds of evil, and in their eagerness to be rich some have wandered away from the faith and pierced themselves with many pains. –1 Timothy 6:10

Greed is our world’s idol of choice. It is an addiction, harder to vanquish than any drug or alcohol or smoking. Greed alters the values by which we live. All aspects of life are impacted by the worship of wealth. People project the measure of their worth onto the ability to acquire whatever it is that they lust after. I am beginning to understand better the word endemic.  Endemic means belonging or native to a particular people or country: not introduced or naturalized*.  Those who study viruses are now saying COVID in its various forms has now become endemic in our world and in our country. We must learn to live with it. Those characteristics are true regarding greed. We all have a touch of greed. The difference is that greed cannot be treated by vaccines. To conquer greed, we must learn to recognize it and faithfully decide to avoid it. We humans have proved that we do not like being responsible for our well-being. However, that is exactly what Christ calls us to do. Love one another, care for one another and own the well-being of all.

Christ through the work of the Holy Spirit can and will enable us to love like Jesus if we choose to change.

Prayer: Lord, help us to see where greed is ruling our lives and actions. Grant us the courage to let greed go and be made anew through your love. Amen.

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

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.

Futuring

Lent

April 1, 2022

Scripture Reading:
Philippians 3:4b-14

Not that I have already obtained this or have already reached the goal; but I press on to make it my own, because Christ Jesus has made me his own. Beloved, I do not consider that I have made it my own; but this one thing I do: forgetting what lies behind and straining forward to what lies ahead, I press on towards the goal for the prize of the heavenly call of God in Christ Jesus. –Philippians 3:12-14

Learn from your mistakes and move on. My mother always said we should not cry over spilled milk, although I remember seeing her cry over breaking one of her mother’s antique bowls. I am reading N. T. Wright’s book, Paul, A Biography. It is very good by the way. Paul was always strongly right until he got spun around to face a different reality on that road to Damascus. He was still Paul, strongly right, having to deal with having been strongly wrong. After this experience, Paul seems to burst out in all the wrong directions until he finally traveled to the mountain to spend time with God. He then returned to his hometown, Tarsus, where he spent several years reconstructing his faith. I am reminded of the title of Marcus Borg’s book, Reading the Bible Again For the First Time: Taking the Bible Seriously But Not Literally.

As we live into the 21st century we face challenges our ancestors in faith never dreamed of when they recorded their experiences with God. Yet the Word of God is still as vibrant today as it was 2000 years ago. We still need to maintain a close relationship with God and glean the truths of God’s word as it applies to us today. Searching scriptures to find the ways we can love God and love our neighbors as ourselves might be a good place to start.

Prayer: God who is Love, forgive us for our past misunderstandings and help us prepare for the realization of your Kingdom in our world today. 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.

What Fortune?

Lent

March 30, 2022

Scripture Reading: Psalm 126

When the Lord restored the fortunes of Zion,
   we were like those who dream.
Then our mouth was filled with laughter,
   and our tongue with shouts of joy;
then it was said among the nations,
  ‘The Lord has done great things for them.’
The Lord has done great things for us,
   and we rejoiced.

Restore our fortunes, O Lord,
   like the watercourses in the Negeb.
May those who sow in tears
   reap with shouts of joy.
Those who go out weeping,
   bearing the seed for sowing,
shall come home with shouts of joy,
   carrying their sheaves.

One of the gifts of Bible study is learning what one assumes but does not know. In my understanding, the word fortune implies a lot of money. Not even close to being the whole truth, I discovered. The first definition of fortune in the Merriam-Webster dictionary is a hypothetical force or power that unpredictably or capriciously determines events and issues favorably or unfavorably for persons or causes*. I had to read down to the fifth definition to find this, condition in life as determined by material possessions. Furthermore, when I checked Strong’s Concordance for the meaning of the Hebrew word translated as fortune in the scripture above, I discovered there was no word for what appears as fortunes above only an untranslatable mark of the accusative case**. I do recall understanding that there is both good fortune and bad fortune.

What I can glean from this scripture is that the people were wanting to return to what they considered to be a better state of being probably in a time of peace and prosperity. We can never turn back the clock to a better time. Even if we could return to the good old days, we would realize that we had moved on from them. What did we do before cell phones?

What the author of the above Psalm tells us is that when the bad fortunes that have set us back are conquered we are freed to plant new seeds, produce a new harvest and find new sources of peace and a new definition of prosperity from our times of bad fortunes. I see that forward-looking desire in the eyes of the Ukrainians longing for peace, I see it in the actions of people whose homes have been destroyed by the weather and understand that God is always with us in the good times and the bad comforting us and encouraging us to step out in faith to plant new seeds and grow a better world.

Prayer: Lord, we pray for all those whose lives are upside-down from all kinds of calamity. Show us how to love them as they struggle to survive. Amen.

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

**https://biblehub.com/hebrew/853.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.

A New Thing

Lent

March 28, 2022

Scripture Reading: Isaiah 43:16-21

Thus says the Lord,
   who makes a way in the sea,
   a path in the mighty waters,
who brings out chariot and horse,
   army and warrior;
they lie down, they cannot rise,
   they are extinguished, quenched like a wick:
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.
The wild animals will honor me,
   the jackals and the ostriches;
for I give water in the wilderness,
   rivers in the desert,
to give drink to my chosen people,
   the people whom I formed for myself
so that they might declare my praise.

Over the past few years, I have had a sense that we are living in a time that is as consequential as the Reformation, the Renaissance, or the Industrial Revolution all woven together. Religion is in chaos, digital communication surpasses the printing press, and travel has made the world more accessible. How we deal with such change will pave our path for the future. Where is our faith amid such change? How do we discern God’s way in the anger and divisiveness that flows through our systems of faith, government, and culture?

Isaiah tells us in 700 BCE that God is about to do a new thing in us, and God still is today. God will not rest until God’s Kingdom is fulfilled and neither should we.

Prayer: Here we are open to doing whatever you call us to do as we work toward the actualization of your Kingdom on earth, show us the way, and help us follow your path. 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.

Recognizing Whose We Are

Lent

March 27, 2022

Scripture Reading: Luke 15:1-3, 11b-32

Then Jesus said, ‘There was a man who had two sons. The younger of them said to his father, “Father, give me the share of the property that will belong to me.” So he divided his property between them. A few days later the younger son gathered all he had and travelled to a distant country, and there he squandered his property in dissolute living. When he had spent everything, a severe famine took place throughout that country, and he began to be in need. So he went and hired himself out to one of the citizens of that country, who sent him to his fields to feed the pigs. He would gladly have filled himself with the pods that the pigs were eating; and no one gave him anything. But when he came to himself he said, “How many of my father’s hired hands have bread enough and to spare, but here I am dying of hunger! I will get up and go to my father, and I will say to him, ‘Father, I have sinned against heaven and before you; I am no longer worthy to be called your son; treat me like one of your hired hands.” So he set off and went to his father. But while he was still far off, his father saw him and was filled with compassion; he ran and put his arms around him and kissed him. Then the son said to him, “Father, I have sinned against heaven and before you; I am no longer worthy to be called your son.” But the father said to his slaves, “Quickly, bring out a robe—the best one—and put it on him; put a ring on his finger and sandals on his feet. And get the fatted calf and kill it, and let us eat and celebrate; for this son of mine was dead and is alive again; he was lost and is found!” And they began to celebrate.’

Now his elder son was in the field; and when he came and approached the house, he heard music and dancing. He called one of the slaves and asked what was going on. He replied, “Your brother has come, and your father has killed the fatted calf, because he has got him back safe and sound.” Then he became angry and refused to go in. His father came out and began to plead with him. But he answered his father, “Listen! For all these years I have been working like a slave for you, and I have never disobeyed your command; yet you have never given me even a young goat so that I might celebrate with my friends. But when this son of yours came back, who has devoured your property with prostitutes, you killed the fatted calf for him!” Then the father said to him, “Son, you are always with me, and all that is mine is yours. But we had to celebrate and rejoice, because this brother of yours was dead and has come to life; he was lost and has been found.”’ –Luke 15:11b-24

We come into the world being loved by God. We are God’s creation made in God’s image with gifts and talents designed to make a positive impact on the world around us. We come into the world with the gift of choice regarding how we reflect God and how we invest our gifts and talents. The prodigal son chose to squander not only his inheritance of being made in the image of God but also his gifts and talents. At the point of desperation when he realized the results of his actions, he returned to his Creator and asked for a second chance and it was granted with the fulness of God’s love and forgiveness.

Our world is full of prodigal adults and children who do not know whose they are and thus do not fully understand who they are. In fact, most of us have experienced isolation from God at one time or another, even those of us who work at doing everything right like the prodigal’s brother. Be assured in either case God welcomes all who search for God’s loving care.

Prayer: Lord, forgive us when we turn away and forge our lives outside of your loving care. Help us turn around and return to you. 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.