CLEARLY KNOWING

CLEARLY KNOWING
WHAT IS OUR JOB – and what is the work of God, is critical. We talked yesterday about God’s calls to us. That is expressed as a plural because we have an infinite number of calls from God in our lifetime. In learning to understand what they are, and how we are called to respond to God, is critical to our lives as disciples and God’s children. I have said and will continue to say that we need a personal relationship with God in order to live out this kind of life. An important part of that life is prayer. Is it funny I should say that? It is the most direct way we have of communicating with God. Discernment is a particular prayer process where we ask for guidance to see the truth, particularly in complicated situations and when issues are not clear-cut. Discernment is directed toward specific situations in our own lives or can be done by a group to focus on an issue common to them all. Because of this, we need to be careful that we don’t take what comes out of this process and apply it too broadly. When we do that it can quickly move into judgment. The Bible has much to say about judgment, not all of it helpful to us. Much of it reflects biases of the time, or of the writer in those situations. So let’s look at what Jesus says in Matthew 7:    “Do not judge others, and you will not be judged. 2 For you will be treated as you treat others. The standard you use in judging is the standard by which you will be judged. 3 And why worry about a speck in your friend’s eye when you have a log in your own?”

I found a disturbing comment on a pastor’s Facebook page that I think helps here. This young pastor is an outspoken defender of a group of God’s children who are highly criticized, and judged harshly for who they are. In this post was a comment from another pastor, who criticized these actions in light of the Bible’s view of sin. This is a complicated issue, but in effect this was a criticism of love and acceptance of human beings as if it is condoning a lifestyle. This attitude is not unique to this post. Many have used it to ostracize whole groups of people. When we look at this in light of God’s call to us all to love others, and in light of Jesus statement about judgment, it then becomes a matter of prayer between us and God as to how we act in every situation. The Bible is not the only source of input God has provided. When we open ourselves to the relationship God offers each of us, we will learn and gain understanding of situations that are too complicated to apply pat answers in directing how we live out God’s love. We cannot see the factors in the lives of others. No amount of wisdom or knowledge gives us the right to judge what others do. God is able to literally put words into our mouths and heart, so with prayer before we speak, we are able to say things we did not know until we let God speak for us. God calls us all to allow this to happen.     Loving God, who knows and loves us all, helps us come to terms with the need to judge others. Help us let go of any evil intent, and replace it with love and the vision of all others being loved by you, no matter who they are, or what they have done. Put a new spirit of unconditional love in our hearts. In the name of Jesus, we pray.    Amen.       PEACE

GOD IS GIVING US ALL

GOD IS GIVING US ALL
OPPORTUNITIES EVERY DAY – to respond to our calling from God. As Jesus reads the following passage from LUKE 4, it is an example for us. These are quotes from several points in Isaiah.     “On the Sabbath day he went to the synagogue, as he always did, and stood up to read. 17 The book of Isaiah the prophet was given to him. He opened the book and found the place where this is written: 18 “The Lord has put his Spirit in me, because he appointed me to tell the Good News to the poor. He has sent me to tell the captives they are free and to tell the blind that they can see again. [Isaiah 61:1] God sent me to free those who have been treated unfairly [Isaiah 58:6] 19 and to announce the time when the Lord will show his kindness.” [Isaiah 61:2] 20 Jesus closed the book, gave it back to the assistant, and sat down. Everyone in the synagogue was watching Jesus closely. 21 He began to say to them, “While you heard these words just now, they were coming true!”    While Jesus claims these things to be true, they are also true for us. Over many years, there have been far too many excuses for why we are not able to do the things Jesus did. God is not impressed by excuses. Jesus is our example, and we are able to do all that Jesus did because God is working within us to do those things. The examples from Isaiah are all the ways to love others in God’s name, and are just a very small sampling of the kinds of acts of love God is setting before us every day. We all think we are not able to do any of them, and that is true. But with God acting in and through us – there is NO LIMIT to what we could do for God, if God wills it.

A small group of older women recently did a skit for a mission moment in worship, and they were amazed at what they could do when it finally happened. Before that, they were very doubtful. Yet I know God acted in and through them, bringing out qualities of humor and love, while they presented their message. My whole life is filled with instances of doubt and then gratitude, as God worked in and through me, to do things I had never done before, and was sure I would not be able to do. In that process, I have grown into someone who is now able to be a channel for God’s words. When we are a part of this process of allowing God to work in and through us, it is thrilling and yes – fun. There may be varying amounts of fear, but as soon as we put our trust in God, that will dissipate. The next time there will be less fear, until we willingly and with joy respond to what God wants and needs us to do.

God calls us all to do big things and small. That may be a whole career or small things we do once. When we have done something for God, it will be easier to do something the next time. The reason it works that way is – God never asks us to do something without giving us the resources to do it. Prayer becomes very important in this process with God. It may be through prayer that we hear God’s voice. Or if we are presented with an opportunity, through prayer we can ask God for what we need to do the job. When we are in the midst of doing the job, we can pray for reassurance that we are following what and how God wants us to do it. However this all happens, we are always doing the job with God, in the Holy Spirit, within us and right beside us. Knowing that and then experiencing it will bring strength for the next time and the next. When we experience the passage above of “ ‘The Lord has put his Spirit in me’ ”, we are able to do great things for God and God’s creation.    Sustaining God, we are grateful for you being in and around us, every day of our earthly lives. Help us know this so strongly that we will not hesitate to do and act for you whenever you need us to do just that. Take away our fear, by letting us know your presence strongly. Give us the push we need to respond to others with love and compassion, telling them of your grace for us all. Show us how we can follow Jesus in our own lives, for you. In the footsteps of Christ, we pray.    Amen.       PEACE

RELYING ON OUR GOD

RELYING ON OUR GOD
AND NOT RECOGNIZING IT – can happen to us all. I have been aware of God since I was a child, and learned to trust God, for many more things than I realized. I have been becoming aware recently just how far a gift of knowing has extended into my life. It is a sense of knowing what is true, and I have known for quite a while that it isn’t just a way of being “right” all the time, but it has an assurance from God behind it. When I realized that God or my guardian angel helped me to know this, then I also knew that my sense of direction comes from God, but this sense of knowing is behind it. My family and those who ride in the car with me know that I call this gift “radar”, and it has usually not failed me, so getting lost has never been a frightening experience. First, I know God is always with me, and then I know I can rely on this sense of radar, of knowing which road to take. How often do we rely on something we may not understand, but we just know what to do, or perhaps even just know what God wants us to do, without thinking twice about it?

In Philippians 4, Paul reminds us:     “And my God will supply all your needs according to God’s glorious riches in Christ Jesus.”    Many of us know that God is giving us gifts each day, but we may not recognize all the gifts we have. Through prayer, openness to God and reading scripture, we can become more aware of just how much God is supporting us every day. This is a way of continuing and growing in our relationship with God, our creator, redeemer and comforter. God, with love and purpose gave us life in the first place, brought Jesus into the world to pay for our sins, and continues to live within us, guiding our lives every day. What are the benefits of the guidance God gives? They are countless, and we can spend our whole lives searching and not know the whole of what God does in and through us each day. As we live with God in us, we learn and grow into the person we were created to be, our true selves. Each day, while we are living and becoming closer to our true life, we become more able to recognize just how God is in us, and what God makes us able to do.    Creator God, who has loved us from the beginning, we are grateful for all the ways you work within, to bring us toward our true selves, and support us as we pass your love and light to others around us. Help us grow in our recognition of you in our lives. Continue to show us steadfast love and guidance, as we add to what we are able to do toward the transformation of this world, in your name.    Amen.       PEACE

OUR CALLING FROM GOD

OUR CALLING FROM GOD
IS WHAT GOD NEEDS EACH OF US TO EMBODY – as an integral part of creation.

A SERVANT’S LIFE [a parable]

I am a tree, standing tall in the forest.
My roots go down deeply, into the earth.
It is there that I connect to the creator of us all.
I am nurtured by the earth, and all that is around me.
All that surrounds me is love and light.
I am surrounded by other trees.

Some listen to the creator and flourish.
Others only listen at times, and struggle to grow.
Still others never know the creator at all.
They struggle to even exist, and many die.
In just existing, they have never really known life.

Life in the creator is love and light, which leads to joy.
Some of us are very tall and straight, with a constant source.
Others struggle at times, and ultimately grow tall.
These may be crooked in the middle, but have grown strong.

Because we live in a forest, we also nurture each other.
We stand far enough apart to let in the light, bringing love.
As some perish, there is room to let them gently fall.
Our roots are strong, and give the nourishment we all need.
We thrive as we stand tall, designed that way by the creator.

We grow to cleanse the air, that all in creation may thrive.
We send down leaves in autumn to renew the soil.
We cradle the earth with our roots, stabilizing the ground.
Hear our song of joy as we sway and sing in the wind.
We are mighty because the creator has made us so.

We stand as a testament to our creator and sustainer.
We are part of God’s great mystery and plan.
I am a tree, standing tall in praise to God.    Amen.       PEACE

http://www.bigfoto.com/themes/nature/forest/

HONORING AND TRUSTING OUR GOD

HONORING AND TRUSTING OUR GOD
IN FAITHFUL LIVING – is the pattern we see in Proverbs 3. It is a clear and reassuring description of what it means to live a life faithfully following the commandment to love God and to love others too.  “Trust in the Lord with all your heart, and do not rely on your own insight.”     We hear echoes of what Jesus spoke of much later, to rely on God in order to love others, not in our own strength. We will be frustrated in trying to love on our own, because God is the source. So in order for it to work, we have to be strongly connected to that source. Only then will the energy flow freely and with the power that God gives us. It is like plugging in to God. Until we do this, our results will be unpredictable and we will be at risk of evil turning our intention into something else – fear, jealousy, anger or even hate.

“Happy are those who find [God’s] wisdom, and those who get understanding …It is a tree of life to those who lay hold of it; those who hold it fast are called happy.” In verse 13 and 18 we are told just how vital it is that we connect to God, in order to love others. I have spoken about self interest being a motivator, and here we see it in verse 18, that we will find happiness when we connect to the love and wisdom God offers. The very end of the chapter puts it in perspective though –   “The wise will inherit honor, but stubborn fools, disgrace.”   I am motivated by the site of all the trees coming to life again, and think of the love and care God has put into the complicated system of life that keeps the cycle renewing itself each spring. Recently this maple tree was just beginning to show signs of new life, and in just two days, is displaying the strength of the life force within it more openly. I see and connect to this life force – the wisdom of God, who is so great as to create all of life and wishes us to be a channel of love. Wise and loving God, we thank you for the abundant evidence all around us, showing your power and wisdom. May we reach in and connect to you, gaining the strength you offer us. Guide us in using these resources to love others, as you have shown us.   Amen.       PEACE

KNOWING OUR GOD

KNOWING OUR GOD
IS WITH US – and is supporting and caring for us can be the difference in how well we get through our days. I confess that several years ago I let illness and the chaos of the results of water damage in our home get between me and God. I had stopped practicing consciousness prayer, the results were not pretty, and not what I wanted in my life. I had let evil creep in and take over. Everything was harder, certainly not joyful, and I was affecting others around me in negative ways. I didn’t like myself very much. I remember a time long ago, when I felt like this most of the time, and I never thought it possible that it would return. But there I was, and it stunk.

One morning the words of one of my favorite hymns started going through my head. I stopped and began praying and singing it in my head. Psalm 91 came to mind, and “On Eagles Wings” is the song based on that Psalm. It is comforting and at the same time uplifting. The music soars and adds to the message the words bear. Check it out online with the link below.

Here is what Psalm 91 says, in part,   14 “The Lord says, ‘Whoever loves me, I will save. I will protect those who know me. 15 They will call to me, and I will answer them. I will be with them in trouble; I will rescue and honor them. 16 I will give them a long, full life, and they will see how I can save.’ ”

It is not lost on me that God reminded me of the song and the Psalm, because I was unconsciously calling to God for help. Something in me said uncle and cried out to God. God had not gone away and responded to me with love and support. Thanks be to God.     Gracious and loving God, may we all know your love and support – when we need it, and even when we think we don’t.    Amen.       PEACE

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/On_Eagle%27s_Wings

 

SING TO THE LORD

SING TO THE LORD
AND PRAISE GOD- for all the wonderful things the Lord has done.   “Tell the nations what God has done. For great is the Holy One of Israel who lives among you.” Isaiah 12 is very short, just 6 verses, but it tells us a powerful story. For the Israelites in exile in Babylon, it was meant to bolster their confidence, especially with the ending, “For great is the Holy One of Israel who lives among you.” There were many that succumbed to the evil around them in a foreign land, and so forgot the Lord and all their nation had achieved because of God working in their midst. It was convenient to believe in a god who lived in only one place and could not leave that place. Isaiah calls his people to remember all God had done and was still doing, even though they were not in Israel at the time. God was greater than one who was struck in one place. It is a great message of hope, that God was living among them, and loving them.

We are not so different from the exiled people of God, we who live in a land where the church has lost any glory or influence on the culture. When we lose touch with our relationship to God, we can easily lose hope as well. We can debate about how great our past affect on the culture really was, but we live in the here and now, and God is also with us, offering the guidance and wisdom we need to do the work God has for us to do in the present. It does not help us or God’s plan, to get stuck in the past, and wallow in what did not get accomplished. That will only feed the evil intentions, who are very willing to build on negative thoughts and guilt. Instead we can choose to listen to the voice of God, who offers us hope and love for our souls. God calls us to do the work of love, and help God overcome the evil that would get in the way of love. Comforting God, we thank you for all the great things you have done in the world and in us, and we look forward to the great things you offer to accomplish in and through us for the future. Grant us your guidance and perseverance as we place ourselves in your hands, doing the work and using the gifts we have been given, for your glory and honor. We will trust in you and not be afraid.    Amen.       PEACE

A PRAYER OF GRATITUDE

A PRAYER OF GRATITUDE AND RENEWAL
[FOR EARTH DAY]

O God who grows the crocus and forsythia
To bring a smile,
We welcome the daffodils and hyacinth
A sure sign of spring,
A warmer sun and the rain are both
inspiring new growth.

O God who brings renewal each year
To lift our hearts,
We are renewed with hope each spring
By your beautiful creation,
Strong and ever growing around us,
As your spirit does within us.

As the sun warms the earth,
You warm our hearts with love.

As the rain waters and gives growth,
Your Holy Spirit gives our souls growth.

As the earth nurtures plants and animals,
So does it feed our place in your realm?

Abiding God, we are grateful.
Sustaining God, we are humbled by creation.

Just as the earth feeds all creation,
So our whole being is fed and sustained by you.

We live new lives of gratitude and humility,
Sprouting in the earth of your endless blessings.

Reborn and sustained by your creative love,
Guide us in caring for the earth and all your creation.    Amen.       PEACE

WHEN WE PRAY

WHEN WE PRAY
WE TALK WITH GOD – in an intimate relationship, where God knows all about us. We might pray at God, like those who babble out someone else’s prayer, or as the Pharisees prayed. Even if our effort is not whole-hearted, it has more effect on us than God. If we want to pray to God with our whole heart, we first acknowledge God is already within us, and knows us better than we know us, as we hear in Romans 8: “the Holy Spirit helps us in our weakness. For example, we don’t know what God wants us to pray for. But the Holy Spirit prays for us with groanings that cannot be expressed in words. 27 And the Father who knows all hearts knows what the Spirit is saying, for the Spirit pleads for us believers in harmony with God’s own will. 28 And we know that God causes everything to work together for the good of those who love God and are called according to God’s purpose for them.” God created us and knows all the gifts and abilities within us. God loves us unconditionally, and has in mind what we might become. So it is just silly, when we pray at God, as if God does not know every hair on our heads, and all that we are thinking. When we pray this way, it is fear that is in control, and we will have no end of frustration and many obstacles standing in the way of a happy life. Jesus teaches us in Matthew 6: “when you pray, do not keep on babbling like pagans, for they think they will be heard because of their many words. 8 Do not be like them, for your Father knows what you need before you ask.” When we pray to God in all earnestness and sincerity, with love and gratitude for God, we will know God’s loving response.

Some days it may be hard to start our prayers with God. If we have no words, they are not necessary for God knows our hearts and desires. In our minds, we can lay ourselves at God’s feet and cry out, or try this, as Colossians 3 tells us, “sing to God with gratitude in your hearts.” God will give us the ability to get up and accomplish what God has in mind, through grace. 17 “And whatever you do, whether in word or deed, do it all in the name of the Lord Jesus, giving thanks to God the Father through him.”    Amen.      PEACE

OUR CONNECTION

OUR CONNECTION BETWEEN
THE PHYSICAL AND SPIRITUAL WORLD IS – through our relationship with God. This is not a simple relationship. It involves not only our minds and hearts but our very bodies. We have nerve centers along our spine that are bundles of nerves, radiating out into our body. These control all the functions we rely on to stay alive, to sense the world and others around us, and to react to what is happening both inside our own brains and what others are doing as we perceive it. At birth, most of us are, given everything we need for our bodies to function completely. Living our lives though, will cause things to happen that limit and change how are able to work as a system, just as we began life here on earth. Whatever those incidents are, we can be repaired in various ways, so that we begin to function more closely to what we were like as newborns. The repair choices we make will have a profound effect on how we are able to love and serve God. How we look at ourselves will also have a transformative effect on what we do with the rest of our lives.

If we look at the great commandment in Mark 12, we see it is said with an addition the other sources in scripture don’t have,  “you must love the Lord your God with all your heart, all your soul, all your mind, and all your strength.”     The idea of strength is added to the others, so we interpret all this to mean our whole selves. Our heart represents our emotions, the soul our higher or true spiritual selves, our mind is our thinking and our strength is our healthy physical body. From Jesus point of view then, and therefore God’s, we are seen as a whole being who operates emotionally, spiritually, mentally and physically while we are loving and serving God. Even though we instinctively know that we are not separate beings, that we are one person who acts from one or more of these places at any given time, most doctors still operate out of the ancient idea of the body being separate, and should be treated separately. When we are ill or just not operating as we know we could be, if we treat just the body, we have done nothing for the rest of us. So in this way we will never become whole, in order to do what God needs us to do. Our journey toward wholeness may take us through many experiences. Finding the road to begin the journey is key and that road must include God, in some way. Seen in this way, when we visit a doctor, we need to be open to God’s leading us in order to see how our whole bodies will fair in light of what the doctor is suggesting we do. Something the doctor may consider should be done may harm another way in which we live.

Prayer is crucial to this kind of experience, and need not be the traditional prayer of closing our eyes and saying words. This is the ideal place for openness prayer. We can prepare with traditional prayer before we go to our appointments or treatments, and we can also ask God to keep the channel open, and be with us in the upcoming experience. There is no need to visit a doctor and feel helpless because we do not understand medicine. God understands everything and will guide us in knowing what we should do. God will also supply courage to speak up and ask questions or say out loud what concerns we have. Working together with God, who always has our back, we can travel the road to new life and restored health. We may also find a different road of suffering and new awareness of the way others suffer, in order to bring the message of God’s presence through all our trials. Whatever our needs, God is with us always.     Ever-present God, we are grateful for your love and support through anything that happens. Help us grow in wisdom and knowledge of your ways, to help us grow, and so we may share that with others around us who also need to know your presence and love for them. Guide us and give us courage to share this knowing with others. In your son’s name who suffered for us all, we pray.    Amen.       PEACE