July 31: Song of Songs 1-3; Psalm 23; Colossians 4

A few nuggets from Colossians 4

"Devote yourselves to prayer, keeping alert in it with thanksgiving." (Colossians 4:2)

Prayer is opening ourselves to the redeeming and transformative power of God.  It is opening a window for God's grace to flow in and over you and whatever situation you lay at God's feet.  Pray often and with abandon!

"Let your speech always be gracious, seasoned with salt, so that you may know how you aought to answer everyone." (Colossians 4:6)

Before speaking, we should take our audience into consideration.  How can we speak so they can hear?  How can we speak so that they are empowered to respond and not simply shut down?  How can our words reveal that we see them as fellow children of God?

July 30: Ecclesiastes 10-12; Psalm 22; Colossians 3

"As God's chosen ones, holy and beloved, clothes yourselves with compassion, kindness, humility, meekness, and patience.  Bear with one another and, if anyone has a complaint against another, forgive each other; just as the Lord has forgiven you, so you also must forgive.  Above all, clothe yourselves with love, which binds everything together in perfect harmony.  And let the peace of Christ rule in your hearts, to which indeed you were called in the one body.  And be thankful." (Colossians 3: 12-15)

She had been married to him for 12 years, and in that time period, his attacks had sent her to the hospital 3 times.  This last time, she was in critical condition.

This last time, she finally left.  But, she left broken and lost.  She left without a known future.  Her leaving made her feel lost, even though it finally meant she was freed from the fear of the next attack, the next blow-up.

Then she met the "group."  A circle of people who helped her to heal, to believe, to see a future again.  It took a long period of time, but she began to have hope.  She began to believe herself valuable.....and lovable.....and worthwhile.  She felt hope rise within her.

She has a job at which she is successful; she has a beautiful apartment; she has a circle of friends and a faith community who loves her.  She has restored some family relationships. She feels joy.

Today, her divorce became final.  The judge offered her the chance to speak.  All she said was: "I forgive you.  I hope you can be healed from your anger and hatred.  You are imprisoned by them.  I no longer am, and I never will be again.  I hope you can be whole.  I am on my way.  Good-bye."

And let the peace of Christ rule in your hearts..........

July 29: Ecclesiastes 7-9; Psalm 21; Colossian 2

Sorry y'all!  This blogger was on vacation, and the guest blogger hit some snags and was unable to blog!  So, I hope you read, even without the blog.

"As you therefore have received Christ Jesus the Lord, continue to live your lives in him, rooted and built up in him and established in the faith, just as you were taught, abounding in thanksgiving." (Colossians 2:6-7)

This past week (yes, on vacation) I did some hard physical labor that was accompanied by difficult emotional work as well (well, maybe vacation is the wrong word then, huh?).  I knew what I was getting into......well, mostly.  And leading up to it, I worried it to death.  I made myself apprehensive and whined about it to others.

And, I was mostly right about how hard it was, but......in so many ways, the week was a blessing.  Relationships developed and grew; spirits were lifted; gifts were given and received.  While I catalogued all the hardships and pains I was going to endure ahead of time, I forgot to take into account the many riches that were bound to be given as well.

And let me tell you, the only way I could recognize these blessings was through the Holy Spirit.  I tried to look at the situation with Christ's eyes and hearts....I had to or I was going to lose it.  And by stopping and doing that.....by remembering that I am rooted in Christ, that Christ is my foundation.....I saw (and began to experience) the situation in a whole new way.  I was able to give thanks.  All glory be to God.  Thank you, Jesus!  It's good to be home.

July 21: Enjoy hearing the Scriptures read aloud in church

July 20: Proverbs 16-19; Psalm 15; Ephesians 5

"Therefore be imitators of God, as beloved children, and live in love, as Christ loved us and gave himself up for us, a fragrant offering and sacrifice to God." ---Ephesians 5:1

Be imitators of God; love as Christ loves.

Tall order.  "Be imitators of God...,"but "God so loved the world."  So, if we imitate God, we too are called to love the world.  And, if we have to love as Jesus loved, that means sacrifice and putting others before ourselves.  And not just for families and friends, but for the world.  Every one.  Every created thing.

Tall order.

"Commit your work to the LORD, and your plans will be established." ---Proverbs 15:3

And never forget: we set our hope on Christ.  Take heart; have no fear; God knows you by name.

July 19: Proverbs 13-15; Psalm 14; Ephesians 4

"But speaking the truth in love, we must grow up in every way into him who is the head, into Christ, from whom the whole body, joined and knit together by every ligament with which it is equipped, as each part is working properly, promotes the body's growth in building itself up in love."
---Ephesians 4:15-16

We are to grow, in every way, into Christ.  How often do we miss this point?  We think being a Christian is about being good, or at least better...."If I'm trying to be a good person, then I'm being a good Christian."

Yes, if one is living as Christ, one is good.  But the end goal isn't simply to be nice or good or better.  It is to be Christ.  And it's impossible on our own.  To truly be the Body of Christ as God intends, we must be bound to one another; we need each one's gifts.  We need each other----there is no one we can afford to dismiss, set aside, or go without.  No one.

How will you bind yourself to others (and thereby to Christ) today?

July 18: Proverbs 10-12; Psalm 13; Ephesians e

Proverbs spends some time talking about our mouths and our tongues.  They can be fountains of blessings or fonts of poison.  They can heal or wound.  They can give life or kill.  We need to be reminded....continually....of how powerful this one part of our body can be.  And then we must choose to use it to build up instead of to destroy.

My prayer for you today:
"I pray that you may have the power to comprehend, with all the saints, what is the breadth and length and height and depth, and to know the love of Christ that surpasses knowledge, so that you may be filled with all the fullness of God."

Read that three times.

Amen.

July 17: Provers 7-9; Psalm 12; Ephesians 2

"But God, who is rich in mercy, out of the great love with which he loved us even when we were dead through our trespasses, made us alive together with Christ --- by grace you have been saved---and raised us up with him and seated us with him in the heavenly places in Christ Jesus."
---Ephesians 2: 4-6

Notice this is in the past and present tense, not the future.  We have already been saved.  Even though we are sinners.  Even though we continue to sin.  God loves us so much that God will not consider an enternity without us.

And not only us, but all others too.  Even those who have sinned against us.  Even our enemies.  Even the bullies and the meanies and the nasties.  Even them.  All of us.  All of us made in the image of God; all of us.  Made alive TOGETHER with Christ.  Saved.

Let's live this truth today.

July 16: Proverbs 4-6; Psalm 11; Ephesians 1

"There are six things that the LORD hates, seven that are an abomination to him:
haughty eyes, a lying tongue, and hands that shed innocent blood, a hearts that devises wicked plans, feet that hurry to run to evil, a lying witness who testifies falsely, and one who sows discord in a family."(Proverbs 6:16-19)

This week, I am going to read this list each morning as a reminder and each night in order to make account for what I need to ask for forgiveness.  Not simply saying I'm sorry, but praying for the strength to turn from the behavior.  This list is simply specifics of what it means to not live the great commandments: Love the LORD your God with all your heart, mind, soul, and strength and love your neighbor as yourself.  But, they are specifics that we all know all too well: as witnesses, as victims, and as perpetrators.

But, the Good News is: if we live as Christ, more and more each day, this list will begin to vanish---to be erased---one episode at a time.  This is not some idealistic fantasy.  It is our Christian reality; it is our Truth and our hope.

"In Christ we have also obtained an inheritance, having been destined according to the purpose of him who accomplishes all thngs according to his counsel and will, so that we, who were the first to set our hope on Christ, might live for the praise of his glory."---Ephesians 1: 11-12

July 15: Proverbs 1-3; Psalm 10; Galatians 6

"So let us not grow weary in doing what is right, for we will reap at harvest time, if we do not give up.  So then, whenever we have an opportunity, let us work for the good of all...." (Galatians 6:9-10)

Sometimes, it just seems easier to give up.  The problems and obstacles seem insurmountable.  The person we are trying to help won't change.  The situation we are working on is just getting worse, not better.  Besides, there are so many problems in the world.  It won't really matter if I just give up on this one thing, right?

Sometimes, we are certainly called to wait.  Waiting is different than giving up.  Waiting can be watchfulness and giving the Holy Spirit room and time to work.  I don't think we are ever called to give up, but we may be called to wait.  To wait and listen.  God doesn't quit working....even if and when we do.  God is always at work for the "good of all."

So the next time you feel like giving up on righting a wrong or helping a person or working through a difficult situation.....wait instead.  Wait and listen.  God is still at work.

July 14: Enjoy hearing the Scriptures read aloud in church

July 13: Job 40-41; Psalm 9; Galatians 5

"For you were called to freedom, brothers and sisters; only do not use your freedom as an opportunity for self-indulgence, but through love become slaves to one another."---Galatians 5:13

Enough said.

July 12: Job 37-39; Psalm 8; Galatians 4

"Where were you when I laid the foundations of the earth?"

Today, God reminds Job that God is God and Job is not.

We need this same reminder each day.  God is God and we are not.  We are not in control.  That's not to say that we don't get to make decisions and choices, we do.  But we are to make those decisions and choices in alignment with the One who created.  We don't have to know everything or understand everything.  Just one thing:  Love the Lord your God with all your heart, mind, soul, and strength and love your neighbor as yourself.

"O LORD, our Sovereign, how majestic is your name in all the earth!" (Psalm 8:9)

July 11: Job 34-36; Psalm 7; Galatians 3

"There is no longer Jew or Greek, there is no longer slave or free, there is no longer male and female; for all of you are one in Christ Jesus." (Galatians 3: 28)

Radical!  Do you see how radical this statement is?  Jesus breaks down all barriers---social, gender, status, ethnic, religious......all barriers.  This statement says:  Because of Jesus, there are no barriers between us------we are all the same in God's eyes.  We are all God's children.

To some of our ears this sound wonderful!  To some of us, it sounds threatening.  Because, let's face it, we don't want to be the same as everyone else.  We don't want someone....especially God...to think we are the same as the homeless, the mentally ill, the criminal, the gossip, the lazy, the afflicted.  We want to be better than them; we want to be held in higher regard.

The Good News......challenging, isn't it?

July 10: Job 31-33; Psalm 6; Galatians 2

" . . . that I might live to God.  I have been crucified with Christ; and it is no longer I who live, but it is Christ who lives in me." (Galatians 2: 19-20)

Do you hear this radical, outrageous statement?  This letter to the Galatians proclaims that in our baptism, as we sink down into those waters, who we are dies.  Dies.  And as we rise from the baptismal waters, who we are is something new---a new creation---Christ.  A member of the Body of Christ.

That blows my mind.  Frankly, it's meant to.  This act is meant to blow my mind, my heart, my soul, and my strength wide open so that the Holy Spirit can be poured in and the image of God within me may be fed in order to increase.  As Christians, we are called to live the life of a disciple so that our rightful image....that of the divine.....increases to such a state that who we once were is taken over by who we truly are: a beloved Child of God.

So, the question is: are we willing to let go of those parts of us that do not align with God?  Are we willing to suffer these little deaths, over and over, continuously along the way, so that Christ lives in us and through us?  Will we live to God and for God and with God?

July 9: Job 28-30; Psalm 5; Galatians 1

Recently I spoke with someone who deeply believes in God, who has a relationship with God, and who trusts in God.  And yet, life is still able to make this person feel as if she is being attacked.

Being a Christian does not mean that we will not suffer or that junk won't happen to us or that there will not be interference.  Being a Christian means we know God has it covered.  Being a Christian means we know that we will be sustained through the darkness; we will be held during the trials; we will be able to endure the suffering and come out the other side stronger, smarter, still in one piece.....because God walks with us.  Because God loves us.  Because we are a people of Resurrection.  Death (and death comes in many forms and a series of losses) still happens.  It just no longer has the final word or lasting power.

"But let all who take refuge in you rejoice; let them ever sing for joy.  Spread your protection over them, so that those who love your name may exult in you.  For you bless the righteous, O LORD: you cover them with favor as with a shield." (Psalm 5:11-12)

July 8: Job 25-27; Psalm 4; 2 Corinthians 13

Psalm 4:5   "Offer right sacrifices, and put your trust in the LORD."

What is a right sacrifice?  "...to loose the bonds of injustice, to undo the thongs of the yoke, to let the oppressed go free, and to break every yoke?  Is it not to share your bread with the hungry, and bring the homeless poor into your house; when you see the naked, to cover them, and not to hide yourself from your own kin?" (Isaiah 58:6-7)

Sacrifice is to make holy.  We must give of ourselves to be sanctified.  Nothing less will do.

July 7: Enjoy hearing the Scriptures read aloud in church

July 6: Job 22-24; Psalm 3; 2 Corinthians 12

" . . . for whenever I am weak, then I am strong."

Scripture is full of paradoxes.  How can one be weak and strong at the same time?

Paul is talking about the struggles and obstacles in life: insults, hardships, persecutions and calamities.  Not just any type of struggle, but those which occur when we are living in Christ, when we are proclaiming Christ, when we are acting in ways that are countercultural and the world doesn't understand.  When our discipleship causes us struggle, it may seem we are weakened---that we are made less than.

But it is in these very times when our true strength shines through.  When we show the world that our foundation is Jesus, then we are strong.  For what greater ground can we stand on than the One who created all?  While the world may think we are foolish, we know the truth.  God's "grace is sufficient for you, for power is made perfect in weakness."

It is only when we can recognize that we alone are not enough; it is only when we realize that in God we must trust that we truly find our strength and sustenance.

"You [God] rouse us to take delight in praising you, because you made us for your own and our hearts are restless until they rest in you." ---St. Augustine

July 5: Job 19-21; Psalm 2; 2 Corinthians 11

Everybody claims that Job has patience.  "Oh, he has the patience of Job."

I do not think it is patience that Job has, but fidelity.....loyalty.

Job believes he has done no wrong.  He knows his sin is not the cause of his children's deaths.  And he questions God and wails to God and yearns to know.....Why?  How long?  Why me?

In his suffering and agony, when everything has been stripped away from him, Job still questions and complains to God.  But he does not leave.  He does not decide that God isn't worth the bother.  Even though things are not turning out the way he has understood God to work (the good are blessed and the bad are cursed), he stays in relationship with God.  Even his friends cannot dissuade him.

Job stays in true relationship with God.  He talks and questions and reaches out to God----even when all that he has understood has been proven false.  Job isn't patient.  Job is faithful.

July 4: Job 16-18; Psalm 1; 2 Corinthians 10

Happy Independence Day!  The Psalmist reminds us that when we live as God would have us live, then we are "like trees planted by streams of water, which yield their fruit in its season, and their leaves do not wither."  Living as God desires for us leads to abundant life.  Not just for us, but for all!

Collect for the Nation from the Book of Common Prayer:


Lord God Almighty, you have made all the peoples of the
earth for your glory, to serve you in freedom and in peace:
Give to the people of our country a zeal for justice and the
strength of forbearance, that we may use our liberty in
accordance with your gracious will; through Jesus Christ our
Lord, who lives and reigns with you and the Holy Spirit, one
God, for ever and ever. Amen.

Wednesday, July 3: Job 13-15; Psalm 150; 2 Corinthians 9

"Praise the LORD! Praise God in his sanctuary;" (Psalm 150:1)

Praising God is one of our main objectives in this life.  We praise God with our choices and actions by declaring our love for God by loving others.  We praise God by being good stewards of all that God has given us---this fragile earth, our resources, our time and talents, our relationships.....everything.  We praise God in prayer---both privately and corporately.

I know many people say they are spiritual, but not religious.  They claim that they can be connected to God without church.  Not true. Our connection to God is found in our connection to others.  And church is not a building, but a community of believers.  We are called to gather together and to worship---to praise God.  And so, we gather...at lease once a week on the Lord's Day...to do just this:

"Praise him for his mighty deeds; praise him according to his surpassing greatness!  Let everything that breathes praise the LORD!" (Psalm 150: 2, 6)

July 1: Job 7-9; Psalm 148; 2 Corinthians 7

"Now I rejoice, not because you were grieved, but because your grief led to repentance....For godly grief produces a repentance that leads to salvation..." (2 Corinthians 7:9-10)

Grief that leads to change.  This is a godly grief.  In today's language, I think we might equate this with shame.  And often shame gets a bad rap.  But even shame has a purpose.  Sometimes we make choices and do things that should cause us sorrow, grief, shame.  And, this kind of suffering can serve a good purpose--it can cause us to turn, re-turn, repent.

Too often, we avoid reflecting on our actions and our daily lives because we want to avoid having to claim the regretful behavior we may have chosen.  But reflecting on how we have lived is really a tool to help us realign ourselves.  This reflection gives us the opportunity to consider how we might be more Christ-like in the next moment, the next opportunity, the next day.

Godly grief.  A tool to practicing resurrection.