Tag Archives: Wholeness

Wholeness in Christ

Living in the Spirit

October 22, 2021

Scripture Reading:
Hebrews 7:23-28

For it was fitting that we should have such a high priest, holy, blameless, undefiled, separated from sinners, and exalted above the heavens. Unlike the other high priests, he has no need to offer sacrifices day after day, first for his own sins, and then for those of the people; this he did once for all when he offered himself. For the law appoints as high priests those who are subject to weakness, but the word of the oath, which came later than the law, appoints a Son who has been made perfect for ever. –Hebrews 7:26-28

What is meant by the high priest being separated from sinners? The very human Jesus was criticized for interacting with sinners by the religious leaders of the day. Yet, this One who gave his life for those same sinners would, I think, desire their presence even in the exaltation of the heavens. So what does this phrase mean?

I was a sickly child routinely having strep or tonsilitis, along with spring and fall reaction to whatever pollen was riled by the changing of the seasons. Because of that, I missed a lot of school, causing me great distress. As I lay in my bed unhealthy and unhappy, I would envision a magic machine that started at the top of my head and scanned down my whole body erasing my symptoms and curing my illnesses. I even imagined it repairing my eyes so that I did not need to wear glasses. Such a machine has yet to be invented, but the daydream may have lulled me to sleep, which was a Godsend after coughing all night long.

My first reaction to the phrase separated from sinners, was negative because I could not believe that the Jesus I know and love would ever give up on me or anyone else since we are all sinners. However, remembering my longed-for magic machine, I realized that Jesus’ death on the cross resulted in his gift of grace that makes all sinners complete or whole. His subsequent resurrection as the Christ, the high priest Hebrews describes above, reminds us that we are made whole through his presence. I cannot tell you how it works, but I can tell you it does. Now some of you inventors God gifted with the skills to create solutions to problems need to be working on my magic machine.

Prayer: Dear Lord of all, thank you for your gift of grace and your patience with your children still striving toward wholeness. 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.

Intercession

Living in the Spirit

October 21, 2021

Scripture Reading: Hebrews 7:23-28

Furthermore, the former priests were many in number, because they were prevented by death from continuing in office; but he holds his priesthood permanently, because he continues for ever. Consequently he is able for all time to save those who approach God through him, since he always lives to make intercession for them. –Hebrews 7:23-25

I would love to know who wrote Hebrews and I would like to have met the person. Hebrews is a writing masterpiece. The first sentence in the above scripture is priceless. It is essentially saying that there are a lot of former priests because they are dead. Life is short for every human when compared to eternity. Our intercessor, our high priest, Christ, is eternal.

Having Christ ready and willing to intercede for us all the time and forever is remarkable, but what does intercede mean?

Merriam Webster defines intercede as to act between parties with a view to reconciling differences, to beg or plead in behalf of another.

The Greek word entygxánō, translated intercession above, is a little more complicated. The term intensifies the Greek word, tygxánō**, which means to obtain by hitting the mark. Missing the mark, translated from the Greek word, hamartanó**,  is one definition of sin. Christ intercedes for us as he meets us where we are missing the mark and, through his Grace, straightens our aim from missing the mark to hitting the mark. When I read the phrase hitting the mark, I envision someone aiming a bow and arrow aimed at a target several feet away with a bullseye in the middle. We must return to the master teacher and allow his grace and love to enable us to hit the target of our calling.*

We, too, are called to intercede for others whose paths we cross along the way. Christ’s grace is sufficient, but people must know about the Savior his grace. We are the ones sent to share that good news. We are also called to love like Jesus and thus plead on behalf of others who may be facing a crisis of faith, health, mental health, poverty, or loss. All life difficulties do not result from sin. As Jesus says, it rains on the just and the unjust (Matthew 5:45.) We serve Christ when we intercede in prayer and encourage others helping in any other way we can.

Prayer: God, we thank you for the gift of grace you brought us through the life, death, and resurrection of your Son Jesus the Christ. Thank you for straightening our aim at life’s challenges when we miss the mark. Make us repairer of the breach, The restorer of paths to dwell in (Isaiah 58:12.) Amen.

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

**https://biblehub.com/greek/264.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.

Satisfied Mind

October 20, 2021

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.

How do we get off this rollercoaster? The Lord restores us, but we do not seem to possess the ability to keep that status. We strive for more wealth, more power until we find ourselves once again in need of God’s restoration. Sometimes I think God’s Kingdom will not be realized until we learn to recognize and be satisfied with what is good for us.  The ways of the world blind us to what is just for all and righteous. Once we get out of balance with justice, societies crumble from within. The song Satisfied Mind* describes this well.

How many times have
You heard someone say
If I had his money
I could do things my way

But little they know
That it’s so hard to find
One rich man in ten
With a satisfied mind*

Prayer: Lord, remove the veil the world castes over our vision, allowing us to see what really is in our best interest and the best interest of all your children. Amen.

*The first two verses of Satisfied Mind by Red Hays and Jack Rhodes lyrics © Carlin America Inc see at https://www.google.com/search?q=satisfied+mind+lyrics&rlz=1C1CHZN_enUS922US922&oq=satisfied+mind+lyrics&aqs=chrome..69i57j0i512l5j0i22i30l4.9037j0j7&sourceid=chrome&ie=UTF-8

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.

Learn From History

Living in the Spirit

October 18, 2021

Scripture Reading: Jeremiah 31:7-9

For thus says the Lord:
Sing aloud with gladness for Jacob,
   and raise shouts for the chief of the nations;
proclaim, give praise, and say,
   ‘Save, O Lord, your people,
   the remnant of Israel.’
See, I am going to bring them from the land of the north,
   and gather them from the farthest parts of the earth,
among them the blind and the lame,
   those with child and those in labor, together;
   a great company, they shall return here.
With weeping they shall come,
   and with consolations I will lead them back,
I will let them walk by brooks of water,
   in a straight path in which they shall not stumble;
for I have become a father to Israel,
   and Ephraim is my firstborn.

After the death of King Solomon (sometime around 930 B.C.), the Kingdom of Israel split into a northern kingdom, which retained the name Israel and a southern domain called Judah, so named after the tribe of Judah that dominated the Kingdom. Assyria overthrew the Kingdom of Israel in 721 B.C. The people, representing ten of the 12 tribes of Israel, were taken into captivity and eventually were dispersed. Babylon seized Judah in 567 B.C. Jeremiah was born in 650 B.C. and died in 570 B.C. In 538 B.C. King Cyrus, who had overthrown Babylon, made a public declaration granting the Jews the right to return to Judah and rebuild the Temple in Jerusalem.

History is only essential if we learn from it. For example, Joseph taught the Egyptians to save up grain for the possibility of a famine. Seven years later, they reaped the benefits of that action. Unfortunately, Israel did not ever seem to learn from its mistakes until it was too late. When the rulers and upper class reached the point of self-sufficiency, they basked in it, grew their wealth, and lost their connectivity to God. Jeremiah reminds his people that their cousins were scattered across the earth. The same thing could happen to the people of Judah if they did not consider what happened to those relatives and return to God. He was right.

We, too, can learn from their history and our own.

Prayer: Lord, help us examine ourselves to see where we are straying from your path and correct our life plans. 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 Gift of Hope

Living in the Spirit

October 16, 2021

Scripture Reading:

Mark 10:46-52

They came to Jericho. As he and his disciples and a large crowd were leaving Jericho, Bartimaeus son of Timaeus, a blind beggar, was sitting by the roadside. When he heard that it was Jesus of Nazareth, he began to shout out and say, ‘Jesus, Son of David, have mercy on me!’ Many sternly ordered him to be quiet, but he cried out even more loudly, ‘Son of David, have mercy on me!’ Jesus stood still and said, ‘Call him here.’ And they called the blind man, saying to him, ‘Take heart; get up, he is calling you.’ So throwing off his cloak, he sprang up and came to Jesus. Then Jesus said to him, ‘What do you want me to do for you?’ The blind man said to him, ‘My teacher, let me see again.’ Jesus said to him, ‘Go; your faith has made you well.’ Immediately he regained his sight and followed him on the way.

Jesus’s healing stories are all mini-sermons delivering the message that life does not have to be the way of defeat and acceptance of inevitability. In situations that seem hopeless, God always plants a seed of hope. God calls all of us to see the possibilities in each of us. My childhood example of that was Helen Keller and her teacher, Anne Sullivan.   Today we have the story of Temple Grandin* born autistic without speech, she was destined for an institution, but her mother would not accept that. Dr. Grandin now has a Ph.D. and is a leading authority on maximizing the skills and talents of children with autism. Miracles result from seeing higher truths about people, life, love, hope, and faith, all of which we are empowered to use with the guidance of the Holy Spirit.

Prayer: God of Hope, plant the seeds in each of us to always have hope when all seems lost. Amen.

*See her book Navigating Autism: 9 Mindsets for Helping Kids on the Spectrum

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 High Priest

Living in the Spirit

October 14, 2021

Scripture Reading: Hebrews 5:1-10

Every high priest chosen from among mortals is put in charge of things pertaining to God on their behalf, to offer gifts and sacrifices for sins. He is able to deal gently with the ignorant and wayward, since he himself is subject to weakness; and because of this he must offer sacrifice for his own sins as well as for those of the people. And one does not presume to take this honor, but takes it only when called by God, just as Aaron was.

So also Christ did not glorify himself in becoming a high priest, but was appointed by the one who said to him,
‘You are my Son,
   today I have begotten you’;
as he says also in another place,
‘You are a priest forever,
   according to the order of Melchizedek.’ –Hebrews 5:1-6

Having been raised in a faith system that emphasizes the priesthood of all believers who follow the example of Jesus Christ, I have no problem accepting the description of Christ as the one High Priest. I have always been curious, though, about this character Melchizedek. Did Christ come to earth much earlier in our history of God? The name means something like the King of Righteousness*. John 1:2 does tell us that Jesus was with God at creation.

The first part of this scripture tells us the job description of a high priest. The job includes being the chief executive officer of mortals in their relationship with God, who offers gifts and sacrifices for mortals’ sins while dealing gently with them. The High Priest must know what being weak is like and what it is like to offer sacrifices for oneself. Allowing oneself to be hung on a cross indeed covers these last two requirements. Finally, the High Priest must be selected and appointed by God.

The author of Hebrews describes the Christ who is above all and yet lowers himself to understand humans. The description highlights the one and only God that loves us enough to come and dwell among us. God with us experienced the way we feel, saw the world through the eyes of a regular person, understood personal temptation and human hypocrisy, and was willing to die on a cross to fill the gap between our striving to follow God and our missteps along the way. We call that amazing grace. And for that, we are eternally thankful.

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 Full And Free. Amen.

*The Interpreter’s Dictionary of the Bible Volume 3 page 34, Abingdon Press, 12th Edition 1981

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.

Grace Not Greed

Living in the Spirit

Living in the Spirit

October 9, 2021

Scripture Reading: Mark 10:17-31

As he was setting out on a journey, a man ran up and knelt before him, and asked him, ‘Good Teacher, what must I do to inherit eternal life?’ Jesus said to him, ‘Why do you call me good? No one is good but God alone. You know the commandments: “You shall not murder; You shall not commit adultery; You shall not steal; You shall not bear false witness; You shall not defraud; Honor your father and mother.”‘ He said to him, ‘Teacher, I have kept all these since my youth.’ Jesus, looking at him, loved him and said, ‘You lack one thing; go, sell what you own, and give the money to the poor, and you will have treasure in heaven; then come, follow me.’ When he heard this, he was shocked and went away grieving, for he had many possessions. –Mark 10:17-22

The story of greed is what’s in it for me. Jesus recognized greed when he saw it and dealt with it. Life is not driven by love if we follow the rules only to inherit eternal life. I am glad the writer of Mark noted that Jesus loved the man that knelt before him. Jesus was pleased that he obeyed the laws and norms of his culture. Yet, Jesus does not include the first commandments in the list of desired behavior. We halt at stop signs at best to protect our safety, at least to avoid getting a ticket. The Commandments outlined in the above scripture fall mainly in the category of maintaining order.

The primary Commandments Jesus did not list were the first ones, how we respect and relate to God. In summary*, they are

I am the LORD your God you shall

  • Have no other gods before me
  • Have no graven images or likenesses
  • Not take the LORD’s name in vain
  • Remember the sabbath day

Possessions were this young man’s God perhaps exemplified by graven images. Greed spreads in pandemic proportions faster and more profound than COVID. Greed quickly mutates as people begin to rein it in. Christ’s gift of grace elimenates the temptation of greed targeted at winning eternal life. Eternal life with God is ours for the accepting. That gift opens our lives to the fullness of loving God and loving like Jesus as we work to build the world Jesus died to actualize.

Prayer: Lord, we love you and worship you and thank you for the gift of grace, help us use it wisely. Amen.

*See Exodus 20 for the complete listing.

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.

Empathy

Living in the Spirit

October 8, 2021

Scripture Reading: Hebrews 4:12-16

Since, then, we have a great high priest who has passed through the heavens, Jesus, the Son of God, let us hold fast to our confession. For we do not have a high priest who is unable to sympathize with our weaknesses, but we have one who in every respect has been tested as we are, yet without sin. Let us therefore approach the throne of grace with boldness, so that we may receive mercy and find grace to help in time of need. –Hebrews 4:14-16

God with Us coming to earth in the person of Jesus is something we should never take for granted. Empathy is necessary for loving one another. The song, Walk a mile in My Shoes* by Joe South most likely was influenced by the poem Judge Softly** written in 1895 by Mary T. Lathrap. Here is the first verse:

Pray, don’t find fault with the man that limps,
Or stumbles along the road.
Unless you have worn the moccasins he wears,
Or stumbled beneath the same load.

The refrain for Joe South song reads:

Walk a mile in my shoes, walk a mile in my shoes
Hey, before you abuse, criticize and accuse
Walk a mile in my shoes

Jesus experienced being human from his first trip to the temple as a child, his sojourn in the desert being tempted by Satan to dying on a cross. He loved and was loved but also knew rejection and betrayal while never losing his connectedness to God. Our faith in God stems from trusting in Jesus’ witness to God’s amazing grace and total commitment to each of God’s children to remain in a relationship with God. Do we choose to live in a relationship with God?

Maintaining our relationship with God requires us to let Christ help us have empathy for ourselves. When we see the person God created us to be through the empathetic eyes of Christ, we are enabled to revise our ways to love ourselves, and loving ourselves is the first step to loving our neighbors.

Prayer: Lord, allow us each to see that you created us to be one with you and one with all your children. Grant us the courage to step out and live as you are calling us to live. Amen.

*See at https://www.lyricsfreak.com/j/joe+south/walk+a+mile+in+my+shoes_20343302.html

**https://jamesmilson.com/about-the-blog/judge-softly-or-walk-a-mile-in-his-moccasins-by-mary-t-lathrap/

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 Word of God

Living in the Spirit

October 7, 2021

Scripture Reading: Hebrews 4:12-16

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. And before him no creature is hidden, but all are naked and laid bare to the eyes of the one to whom we must render an account. –Hebrews 4:12-13

The Greek word, Logos, is used here and in John 1 to denote something more than scripture saved for posterity. The recording of the history of the acts of God lays a necessary foundation for our faith. However, it does not encompass the wholeness of God’s continuing acts of creation, including ongoing interactions through the Spirit with each of God’s children who seek to recognize God’s role in their lives. Strong’s Concordance describes the “word” used in the above scripture as:

reason, the mental faculty of thinking, meditating, reasoning, calculating, etc.: once so in the phrase ὁ λόγος τοῦ Θεοῦ, of the divine mind, pervading and noting all things by its proper force, Hebrews 4:12*.

I find myself praying, “God, help me see what I am missing,” while trying to understand what is happening around me and our world today. Elemental forces of change are ever-present. Thus, we must seek and foster God’s path as we struggle to make sense of it all. We face the challenge of loving all of God’s people or not as we play a game of who is acceptable and who is not. Every day, we gamble our future regarding how minimally we can respond to make the changes necessary to correct and adapt to climate change. But what are we leaving the next generations by our failure to act more aggressively? Have we reached the time when war no longer works, if it ever did? How do we attain harmony amid a world that feeds on division? And finally, how do we end the pandemic of greed that is usually woven through every disaster we face?

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. We must seek this word of God in everything we do.

Prayer: God, help us see what we are missing and to find your way, your truth, and your life. Amen.

*https://biblehub.com/greek/3056.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 Word

Living in the Spirit

October 1, 2021

Scripture Reading: Hebrews 1:1-4, 2:5-12

Long ago God spoke to our ancestors in many and various ways by the prophets, but in these last days he has spoken to us by a Son, whom he appointed heir of all things, through whom he also created the worlds. He is the reflection of God’s glory and the exact imprint of God’s very being, and he sustains all things by his powerful word. When he had made purification for sins, he sat down at the right hand of the Majesty on high, having become as much superior to angels as the name he has inherited is more excellent than theirs. –Hebrews 1:1-4

And the Word became flesh and lived among us, and we have seen his glory, the glory as of a father’s only son, full of grace and truth. (John 1:14)

The Word with a capital “W” is dynamically alive. We value words recorded and passed down over the centuries to expand our understanding of the Word of God, who was and is God’s Son, Jesus the Christ. Described in the above scripture as being present at creation, I have wondered if the mysterious Melchizedek was the Christ. There are not enough trees on earth to create the amount of paper required to tell the story of God with Us or gigabytes of storage to contain it. Yet, I do not remember a time in my life when my friend Jesus was not available to me, if I sought him.

I read the story of Chicken Little as a child. Based on the English tale of one Henny Penny, its moral cautions us of the danger that people trying to incite panic can result in opportunists like Foxy-woxy doing real harm*. Unfortunately, there is a lot of that going on around us today. We need to stop being used for nefarious purposes and recognize that panic does not help and is unnecessary because God with Us has graced us with the life of his Son, Jesus the Christ, who has already overcome the world**.

I serve a risen Savior
  He’s in the world today.
I know that He is living,
  Whatever men may say.
I see His hand of mercy;
  I hear His voice of cheer;
And just the time I need Him
  He’s always near.
               He lives, He lives, Christ Jesus lives today!
He walks with me and talks with me along life’s narrow way.
He lives, He lives, salvation to impart!
You ask me how I know He lives?
    He lives within my heart***.

Prayer: Lord, forgive us when we get caught up in the frenzy of the world’s panic. Grant us your shalom to carry us through such distractions from working for you in building your Kingdom. Amen.

* https://americanliterature.com/childrens-stories/henny-penny-the-sky-is-falling

**John 16:33

***First Verse and Chorus of the hymn He Lives by Alfred Henry Ackley see at https://www.hymnal.net/en/hymn/h/503

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.