Tag Archives: Woleness

Awe Not Fear

Living in the Spirit
August 15, 2018

Scripture Reading: Psalm 111

The fear of the Lord is the beginning of wisdom;
   all those who practice it have a good understanding.
   His praise endures forever. –Psalm 111:10

While visiting a friend attending college in Austin, Texas many years ago, I toured a museum either on the campus or it near it while she was in class. Rounding a corner in one of the ancient history sections, I came face-to-face with a monstrous effigy set in an outdoor scene that was five or six times my height and nearly as wide as it was tall. It was one great stone with eyes and mouth carved to make a face. It may have had a nose I do not remember. I screamed very loudly and jumped back in fear. Quickly getting my wits about me I looked around to see who heard or saw me and was relieved to see no one near or anyone coming to investigate. The effigy was no doubt created to bring about the same fearful response I had among its worshippers. The concept of humans desiring something greater than themselves to have some control over the world is present in the origins of history. Such entities brought people together in a shared sense of fear or reverence or awe depending on their understanding of the god. In my tradition Abram, later to be renamed Abraham, was the first to recognize one God of all not hewn by human hands.

My mother shared God as an entity to be revered and held in awe. I think part of that was from her understanding of the devil from her childhood. She shared once that she would run as fast as she could to the outhouse at night. Having been taught in church that the devil would get her if she ever sinned, she envisioned the devil grabbing her legs and pulling her into hell if she didn’t run fast enough. I always wondered what horrible sin she thought she had done to deserve such treatment. She later grew up in the understanding of the God of Love in whose image all of us are made who was and is more awesome than any evil.

I thus have never experienced God as the source of wrath but One who restores to wholeness those who are broken in any sense of the word. I hope I never lose the sense of the unmeasurable depth and breadth and mercy of God’s grace and love that is beyond all imagination. We are not alone.

Prayer:
Lo! the hosts of evil round us
scorn the Christ, assail his ways!
From the fears that long have bound us
free our hearts to faith and praise.
Grant us wisdom, grant us courage,
for the living of these days,
for the living of these days*. Amen

*Verse 2 of God of Grace and God of Glory by Harry Emerson Fosdick see at https://hymnary.org/text/god_of_grace_and_god_of_glory

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.

Recovery After Repentance

EmilysQuotes_Com-mistake-choice-Steven-Denn-decisionEpiphany
January 19, 2016

Scripture Reading: Nehemiah 8:1-10

And Nehemiah, who was the governor, and Ezra the priest and scribe, and the Levites who taught the people said to all the people, ‘This day is holy to the Lord your God; do not mourn or weep.’ For all the people wept when they heard the words of the law. Then he said to them, ‘Go your way, eat the fat and drink sweet wine and send portions of them to those for whom nothing is prepared, for this day is holy to our Lord; and do not be grieved, for the joy of the Lord is your strength.’ –Nehemiah 8:9-10

Recovery after repentance, how does that work? Apparently it starts with fully putting our trust in God. Who would have thought? All our sack cloth and ashes, gnashing of teeth, and tears do not work. We may feel a need to do something symbolic to meet our own needs. With God repenting (turning around), grasping forgiveness, and taking the first steps on the right path is all God requires. The import act is trusting in God. I think it is really, really hard for we westerners to relinquish control in any situation to any entity. Perhaps it is just me, I am pretty stubborn. The paradox is that when we finally relinquish control to God, we get our lives back to pursue our purposes that God relishes and has woven into the fiber of God’s kingdom.

This stream runs throughout the Bible. Nathan confronts David of his sin, David repents and returns to his purpose, the prodigal son sees the error of his ways and returns home to the welcoming arms of his father. And in our scripture today the children of Israel, repent and celebrate not only their return to their land but their return to God.

The church needs to be very careful that it does not move away from God, define itself as righteousness, and visit its hypocrisy on others. I think Jesus meant it when he said, I am the vine, you are the branches. Those who abide in me and I in them bear much fruit, because apart from me you can do nothing. John 5:15

Prayer: Lord, nourish us and help us grow in your spirit and your truth that we show forth everyday as we live it in our lives. 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 American. Used by permission. All rights 
reserved.

In Memory

Kayla MuellerEpiphany
Celebration of God
Manifested in the World
February 13, 2015

 Scripture Reading: 2 Corinthians 4:3-6

For we do not proclaim ourselves; we proclaim Jesus Christ as Lord and ourselves as your slaves for Jesus’ sake. For it is the God who said, ‘Let light shine out of darkness’, who has shone in our hearts to give the light of the knowledge of the glory of God in the face of Jesus Christ.  — 2 Corinthians 4:5-6

 The use of the word “slave” conjures up visions of people being forced to work against their will toward the prosperity of another. Paul’s use of the word with the defining “your” expresses the voluntary nature of his servitude based on his burning desire to enrich others through spiritual prosperity. These others may not even know they have such a slave. Kayla Mueller, the young humanitarian aide who was recently killed by ISIS in Syria, was another voluntary slave in the quest for wholeness, oneness, and justice in our world. Her light truly shone out of darkness. Her death is a call for all of us to let our lights shine out of darkness.

Prayer: Let a moment of silence speak for lives that shined and a lifetime of  action speak for keeping the light aglow.  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 American. Used by permission. All rights reserved.