Tag Archives: Wholeness

Prayer

Ordinary Time

February 22, 2022

Scripture Reading:

Exodus 34:29-35

Moses came down from Mount Sinai. As he came down from the mountain with the two tablets of the covenant in his hand, Moses did not know that the skin of his face shone because he had been talking with God. When Aaron and all the Israelites saw Moses, the skin of his face was shining, and they were afraid to come near him. But Moses called to them; and Aaron and all the leaders of the congregation returned to him, and Moses spoke with them. Afterwards all the Israelites came near, and he gave them in commandment all that the Lord had spoken with him on Mount Sinai. When Moses had finished speaking with them, he put a veil on his face; but whenever Moses went in before the Lord to speak with him, he would take the veil off, until he came out; and when he came out, and told the Israelites what he had been commanded, the Israelites would see the face of Moses, that the skin of his face was shining; and Moses would put the veil on his face again, until he went in to speak with him.

Moses came down from Mount Sinai after spending time with God and receiving the Ten Commandments. (Exodus 34:29) Elijah drained of all strength, burnout we would call it today, He was nourished by God’s angels and then traveled to Mount Horeb and entered a Cave to find renewal. (1 Kings 19) Jesus went out to the mountain to pray; and he spent the night in prayer to God. (Luke 6:12) and the next day he called the 12 disciples. The pattern of prayer between God and God’s followers flows through the entire Bible. We are called to follow that pattern today. When trying to organize a people from living in slavery to becoming a nation, to fighting against the evils of out-of-control power, to selecting the right people for a mission that eventually led to changing the whole world. God is there on the mountaintop or in the church basement. Be attentive to God’s presence as you lay before God whatever is stirring in your soul to gain strength in its accomplishment.

Prayer: Lord, as we travel the path of service, let your love be our strength to carry on in simple and dynamic situations.  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.

Ray of Light

Ordinary Time

February 21, 2022

Scripture Reading: Exodus 34:29-35

Moses came down from Mount Sinai. As he came down from the mountain with the two tablets of the covenant in his hand, Moses did not know that the skin of his face shone because he had been talking with God. When Aaron and all the Israelites saw Moses, the skin of his face was shining, and they were afraid to come near him. But Moses called to them; and Aaron and all the leaders of the congregation returned to him, and Moses spoke with them. Afterwards all the Israelites came near, and he gave them in commandment all that the Lord had spoken with him on Mount Sinai. When Moses had finished speaking with them, he put a veil on his face; but whenever Moses went in before the Lord to speak with him, he would take the veil off, until he came out; and when he came out, and told the Israelites what he had been commanded, the Israelites would see the face of Moses, that the skin of his face was shining; and Moses would put the veil on his face again, until he went in to speak with him.

The Hebrew word translated shining is from a primitive root; to push or gore; used only as denominative [give a name] from qeren, to shoot out horns; figuratively, rays — have horns, shine*. You may have seen ancient paintings or statues where Moses is portrayed with horns. I envision something like the rays of the rising sun appearing in the sky. Could the tongues of fire in Acts 2 describing the coming of the Holy Spirit be similar? How does one name or illustrate something indescribable? The witnesses seem to innately know they were seeing something holy, something that set Moses apart, something validating his relationship with God.

How do we understand our relationship with God in this modern era where unexplained phenomenon becomes the subject of scientific research until we can explain it completely? God created us with curiosity. Perhaps such exploration brings us closer to God if we let it. Shakespeare puts it this way in Hamlet, “And therefore as a stranger give it welcome. There are more things in heaven and earth, Horatio, than are dreamt of in your philosophy.”

The scripture above describes a turning point in the Israelites escape from Egypt. They had been wandering in the wilderness long enough to stop and take stalk of who they were and what their next steps would be. The two tablets Moses carried down the mountain contained the new rules that would lead them into becoming a society preparing them for the next phase of their life out of bondage and into taking responsibility for their behavior. We, too, are amid a transition from a world overcome by a pandemic where all are trying to understand where we are and what we are to do next. We, too, need to be reminded that we serve a mighty God that is willing to show us the way if we are ready to turn to the One who can light our path.

Prayer: Lord, forgive us for growing so weary of struggling with pandemics and threats of war, and false gods. Lead us to the brighter tomorrow that you desire for all your children. Amen.

*https://biblehub.com/hebrew/7160.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.

Faith

Ordinary Time

February 17, 2022

Scripture Reading:
1 Corinthians 15:35-38

But someone will ask, ‘How are the dead raised? With what kind of body do they come?’ Fool! What you sow does not come to life unless it dies. And as for what you sow, you do not sow the body that is to be, but a bare seed, perhaps of wheat or of some other grain. But God gives it a body as he has chosen, and to each kind of seed its own body.

I once was sitting beside a good friend at the funeral of another friend’s father. My friend was born for triple X clothing. She was attractive and wore her size well. The service had been too long while the presiding minister preached modern day hell, fire, and damnation. He suddenly slammed his hand down on the pulpit and declared that the man in the casket below him would one day rise out of that casket and his soul and body would be reunited. My triple X friend whispered just loud enough for me and the friend on the other side to hear, “But I wanted a new one.” I do not think I ever forgave her for making me laugh out loud at a funeral. I quickly turned it into a cough.

I remembered this event when I read that Paul called the people fools who inquired what kind of body they would have when they are raised from the dead. Faith is a difficult thing for some to fathom. They want absolutes and guarantees. Hebrews 11:1 states it well, Now faith is the assurance of things hoped for, the conviction of things not seen. We certainly hope to spend eternity with God, but we must attend to our serving the Lord here on earth today and trust eternity to God.

Prayer: Lord, thank you for being tolerant of our human foibles as we grow in wisdom and strength in your service.  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.

Send Me

Ordinary Time

February 16, 2022

Scripture Reading:
Psalm 37:1-11, 39-40

Do not fret because of the wicked;
   do not be envious of wrongdoers,
for they will soon fade like the grass,
   and wither like the green herb.

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

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

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

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

Yet a little while, and the wicked will be no more;
   though you look diligently for their place, they will not be there.
But the meek shall inherit the land,
   and delight in abundant prosperity.

The salvation of the righteous is from the Lord;
   he is their refuge in the time of trouble.
The Lord helps them and rescues them;
   he rescues them from the wicked, and saves them,
   because they take refuge in him.

I usually do not quote some longer scriptures like the one above. Rather I pick out the key verses that catch my attention. This morning as I read this scripture, I thought the whole world needs to read this as we seem caught in the chaos of fear and anger regarding the COVID pandemic, warmongers rattling their swords, greed, and lust for power running amok, and people, in general, trying to make sense of our changing world. Indeed, I believe we are at a crossroads of either getting stuck in our own mud and floundering or turning to God and saying Here am I send me with the same trembling voice of Isaiah as God calls us to partner with God to bring about the fruition of God’s Kingdom on this earth. Let it be so.

Prayer: Lord, free us from whatever holds up back from answering your call to service. Guide us through these troubled seas and bring us safely to your promised 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.

Death Has No Sting

Ordinary Time

February 10, 2022

Scripture Reading:
1 Corinthians 15:12-20

Now if Christ is proclaimed as raised from the dead, how can some of you say there is no resurrection of the dead? If there is no resurrection of the dead, then Christ has not been raised; and if Christ has not been raised, then our proclamation has been in vain and your faith has been in vain. We are even found to be misrepresenting God, because we testified of God that he raised Christ—whom he did not raise if it is true that the dead are not raised. For if the dead are not raised, then Christ has not been raised. If Christ has not been raised, your faith is futile and you are still in your sins. Then those also who have died in Christ have perished. If for this life only we have hoped in Christ, we are of all people most to be pitied.

But in fact Christ has been raised from the dead, the first fruits of those who have died.

I believe in a Supreme Being that is love and the source of all that is, I call God. I believe in the resurrection of Jesus, the Christ, who embodied the Supreme Being when he came to earth as a newborn, lived the life of a human, shared the love of God with all, was crucified on a cross, died and rose again. He breathed the Spirit of God on all his disciples as he has continued to do from that time forth. With the Spirits guidance Jesus commissioned us to take the love of God throughout our world and use it as the springboard for the wellbeing of the world God created and all that is within it.

That said, I have no clue what happens after our death. Of this I am sure, I will spend eternity with God and that is all I need to know. Thus, scriptures like the one above perplex me, and, yet, I know others for whom such scriptures speak much comfort. I do not love God in real time only for the promise of something better to come. I hope I share God’s love for the sake of its value for myself and others rather than building my faith resume’.  I do believe that to whom much is given much will be required (Luke 12:48). God wants all of us to be fully what God created us to be and God never measures our outcomes against others.

Prayer: Lord, we are in chaos as we stumble through the world’s temptations and try to make sense out of what is of you and what is not. We thank you for your abiding presence and asked that you restore and help us retain our recognition of it and not be mislead by false prophets. 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.

Heart or Mind or Both

Ordinary Time

Heart vs Mind

February 7, 2022

Scripture Reading: Jeremiah 17:5-10

Thus says the Lord:
Cursed are those who trust in mere mortals
   and make mere flesh their strength,
   whose hearts turn away from the Lord.
They shall be like a shrub in the desert,
   and shall not see when relief comes.
They shall live in the parched places of the wilderness,
   in an uninhabited salt land.

The heart is devious above all else;
   it is perverse—
   who can understand it?
I the Lord test the mind
   and search the heart,
to give to all according to their ways,
   according to the fruit of their doings. –Jeremiah 17:5-6, 9-10

We need to remember that the authors of the Bible did not share the same knowledge base about human bodies that we understand today. For us, the heart is a pump that sends blood flowing through the body. in ancient times it was the word that represented the inner man, mind, will, with specific reference to moral character* We do continue some of that meaning when we celebrate Valentine’s Day with “heart” shaped cards that are not shaped like the heart at all. The Hebrew word translated mind here is the word for kidney. I have no idea how to consider that.

The question being considered is: are we ruled by our feelings or by facts? And the answer is both. Jeremiah quotes the Lord as saying that the Lord tests the mind and searches the heart and that is wise advice for us particularly in our world today. I find myself checking sources I trust when I read a statement of fact that does not seem reliable. At the least, I have found the information to be misleading or taken out of context. And sometimes it is just not true. Other language is loaded with wording designed to steer us away from facts and see from an emotional level. In these instances, we must indeed search our hearts to see if we can determine what triggered our emotional response and whether that response is valid for the situation at this time in this place. We carry a lot of baggage from past experiences that might make us wiser but also that could trigger a response that does not fit the current situation.

I also try to put decisions and actions to the test of love. Is my response to this statement, this issue, this event based on loving God and loving my neighbor as myself?

Prayer: Lord, enable me to clothe myself in the habit of seeking first your guidance and example when making decisions. Amen.

*https://biblehub.com/hebrew/3820.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.

Innovations

Ordinary Time

February 6, 2022

Scripture Reading: Luke 5:1-11

Once while Jesus was standing beside the lake of Gennesaret, and the crowd was pressing in on him to hear the word of God, he saw two boats there at the shore of the lake; the fishermen had gone out of them and were washing their nets. He got into one of the boats, the one belonging to Simon, and asked him to put out a little way from the shore. Then he sat down and taught the crowds from the boat. When he had finished speaking, he said to Simon, ‘Put out into the deep water and let down your nets for a catch.’ Simon answered, ‘Master, we have worked all night long but have caught nothing. Yet if you say so, I will let down the nets.’ When they had done this, they caught so many fish that their nets were beginning to break. So they signaled to their partners in the other boat to come and help them. And they came and filled both boats, so that they began to sink. But when Simon Peter saw it, he fell down at Jesus’ knees, saying, ‘Go away from me, Lord, for I am a sinful man!’ For he and all who were with him were amazed at the catch of fish that they had taken; and so also were James and John, sons of Zebedee, who were partners with Simon. Then Jesus said to Simon, ‘Do not be afraid; from now on you will be catching people.’ When they had brought their boats to shore, they left everything and followed him.

“If You Always Do What You’ve Always Done, You’ll Always Get What You’ve Always Got.” ~ Henry Ford.

I thought of this quote when I heard on the news recently that the Ford Motor Company was making a major shift to electric vehicles. Henry would probably be proud that the company he founded remained innovative.

Jesus came to show us a better way that requires us to review our ways of following God to address the wellbeing of the entire world through love. God’s rules of living, many of us learned in childhood, are valid and still provide good guidance for all but they are not the final purpose. Following those rules possibly fostered the attitude of self-righteousness as epitomized by the Pharisees in Jesus’s time who worked hard at being better than others and even each other. They spun commonsense laws into rituals with other rules of their own making from how to wash feet to how to get out of caring for your parents if you donate to the Temple*. That made sense to the faith leaders because they were the ones who benefited from those donations. We have some folks like that today.

Jesus called us back to God’s first law, you shall have no other gods before me. (Exodus 20:3) To adhere to that law, we must invest a lifetime of learning about God and learning how to love like God. God even sent Jesus to model that behavior. It also means we must learn to identify and avoid the temptations of all those other gods that work hard to distract us from the ways of God.

Of course, loving God and working toward God’s goals did not end with the resurrection, we continue to receive guidance from the Holy Spirit and we carry on with finding new and better ways to build a world ruled by God’s love. The miracle in the story above wasn’t the huge catch of fish, it was the Simons and James that caught the fire of Jesus’s message and went on to change the world.  We stand in their boat today.

Prayer: Lord, the world is very discouraging today as we deal with a pandemic, climate control issues, and world discontent. Show us the innovations we need to make and give us the courage to initiate them. Amen.

*See Mark7:10-12

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.

Whatever It Takes

Ordinary Time

February 5, 2022

Scripture Reading: Luke 5:1-11

Once while Jesus was standing beside the lake of Gennesaret, and the crowd was pressing in on him to hear the word of God, he saw two boats there at the shore of the lake; the fishermen had gone out of them and were washing their nets. He got into one of the boats, the one belonging to Simon, and asked him to put out a little way from the shore. Then he sat down and taught the crowds from the boat. When he had finished speaking, he said to Simon, ‘Put out into the deep water and let down your nets for a catch.’ Simon answered, ‘Master, we have worked all night long but have caught nothing. Yet if you say so, I will let down the nets.’ When they had done this, they caught so many fish that their nets were beginning to break. So they signaled to their partners in the other boat to come and help them. And they came and filled both boats, so that they began to sink. But when Simon Peter saw it, he fell down at Jesus’ knees, saying, ‘Go away from me, Lord, for I am a sinful man!’ For he and all who were with him were amazed at the catch of fish that they had taken; and so also were James and John, sons of Zebedee, who were partners with Simon. Then Jesus said to Simon, ‘Do not be afraid; from now on you will be catching people.’ When they had brought their boats to shore, they left everything and followed him.

How closely linked are our efforts, our good intentions to Christ’s plan? I am sure that Simon and the others with him were fishing according to accepted customs. While this event may be listed with miracles of Jesus or just a metaphor for entering the mission field, it also relates to the need to be in sync with God in all aspects of our lives. It may also suggest that the way we have always done something is not the only or best way to complete the task. I once worked with a computer programmer who hated to do the mundane tasks of transferring massive amounts of routine data to our data warehouse. It apparently was not hard to do, it was tedious and boring, but it had to be done on a routine basis for the people accessing the data warehouse to use the most current data. He preferred to create new programs that enhanced data use. They were generally all good ideas, but worthless if there was no data to access in the system.

We must continually assess and modify our work toward being the Body of Christ in the world today and building the Kingdom of God to make sure our work is hitting the mark toward our purpose. That may include doing the tedious, boring stuff as well as the aspects of our work that provide immediately recognizable rewards. Although a few of those outcomes along the way, help.

Prayer: Lord, give us a song in our hearts when we find ourselves doing the tedious, boring stuff in working toward the Kingdom of God and the joy of seeing, on occasion, positive outcomes of our work.  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.

Go-To Scripture

Ordinary Time

February 3, 2022

Scripture Reading:
1 Corinthians 15:1-11

For I handed on to you as of first importance what I in turn had received: that Christ died for our sins in accordance with the scriptures, and that he was buried, and that he was raised on the third day in accordance with the scriptures, and that he appeared to Cephas, then to the twelve. Then he appeared to more than five hundred brothers and sisters at one time, most of whom are still alive, though some have died. Then he appeared to James, then to all the apostles. Last of all, as to someone untimely born, he appeared also to me. For I am the least of the apostles, unfit to be called an apostle, because I persecuted the church of God. But by the grace of God I am what I am, and his grace towards me has not been in vain.–1 Corinthians 15:3-11

Do you have a go-to scripture that you turn to when you need to be reminded who you are or whose you are? Mine is Psalm 63:1-7. I memorized it years ago from The New English Bible, published in 1961. I now stumble over it when I read it in any other translations. Memorizing allows me to access it immediately, particularly helpful in the middle of the night when I do not want to reach for my phone. I think the first few sentences of the above scripture were Paul’s go-to scripture. It concisely states the story and the purpose of Jesus, the Christ that drew Paul to share Christ’s story and message. The change in Paul’s life was recognizing Jesus as the Messiah. Two thousand plus years later, we still profit from Paul’s mission. Indeed, God calls us to send it forth for generations to come.

If you do not have a go-to scripture, I encourage you to identify one. We can even have more than one. Hebrews 4:12 says, Indeed, the word of God is living and active, sharper than any two-edged sword, piercing until it divides soul from spirit, joints from marrow; it is able to judge the thoughts and intentions of the heart.

Prayer: Lord, be ever near us through our study of scripture. 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.

Bonds of Love

Ordinary Time

February 2, 2022

Scripture Reading:
Psalm 138:1-3, 7-8

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.


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;
   Do not forsake the work of your hands. –Psalm 138:1-3, 7-8

God created all for a purpose, and according to the Psalm above the Lord will fulfill that purpose. I must say I do not envy God’s tasks in that regard. The world works hard at distracting us from our purposes and can even be very destructive. I have stood over the bed of abused children on life supports and tried to understand a mother who held her infant’s feet and bottom in boiling water for what reason I never knew. I cannot fathom that God created these children to suffer in such a manner. Such incidents as these, no doubt, planted the seed of advocacy in my being.

When I was a child we sang, He’s got the whole world in his hands*. Children may have a better grasp of that theology than we adults do. God created an interdependent world that only works well when each of the elements in it fulfills their purposes and do not hinder any other from fulfilling theirs. God tethered those elements together with love. When the bonds of love break, we are all called to restore them by whatever means possible.

Prayer: Lord, forgive us when the world distracts and misdirects us, restore our souls and our commitment to love like you. Amen.

*See at https://hymnary.org/text/hes_got_the_whole_world_in_his_hands

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