a simple desire

A scripture about the people of God:

And you are to love those who are aliens, for you yourselves were aliens in Egypt. Fear the Lord your God and serve him. Hold fast to him and take your oaths in his name. He is your praise; he is your God, who performed for you those great and awesome wonders you saw with your own eyes. (Deuteronomy 10:19-21)

Our family watched two films over the weekend that capture the joy and heartache and blessing God gives when we welcome strangers.

Ushpizin is the story of a poor Jewish couple who welcome two ushpizin, or “holy guests” during the Succoth celebration. These guests grow increasing difficult to welcome as the eight day Succoth celebration goes on. Set in a modern Orthodox neighborhood in Jerusalem, it is raucous and emotional exploration of living a life towards God (or, as someone we know accidentally said, ‘a kind of Jewish Fiddler on the Roof‘). Rated PG.

Tokyo Godfathers is a Japanese anime about three “homeless” in Tokyo–an alcoholic man, an ex-drag queen, and a runaway girl–who find an abandoned baby on Christmas eve. As they struggle to welcome the Christmas child, and return her to her rightful parents, they confront their own pasts, both the choices they made and the people they’d left behind. Rated PG-13 for “thematic elements, violent images, language and some sexual material.”

In both movies, welcoming strangers, though difficult at times, brings eventual blessings. May we welcome strangers so well! May we be strangers who bring blessings but not such difficulties!

“Therefore, since we have been justified through faith, we have peace with God through our Lord Jesus Christ, through whom we have gained access by faith into this grace in which we now stand. And we rejoice in the hope of the glory of God.“ (Romans 5: 1-2)

“What Does It Mean To Be Saved?” That is the question that was posed with this scriptural citation. Scholars and Bible theologies have been researching and writing on this question for many years. Over the years different denominations, theologies and practices have been sought not only to answer this question in a philosophical manner, but in a practical way as well. I propose, after reading this scripture, a very short answer.

It means having hope. The basis and confirmation of this hope is the glory of God. The means of this hope is faith. Hope, glory and faith. And when it comes right down to it, we do not have to understand much more than that. A little faith, when diligently practiced creates more faith, and greater faith leads to more hope. And the glory of God? That is unending.

“But now that you have been set free from sin and have become slaves to God, the benefit you reap leads to holiness, and the result is eternal life. For the wages of sin is death, but the gift of God is eternal life in Christ Jesus our Lord.” (Romans 6:22-23)

I have long been aware that Paul has a unique approach to belief in God. In essence the first verse of this passage is saying one is free to be a slave to God. In our North American modern understanding I wonder if the terms “free” and “slavery” seem contradictory. The underlying message that it is better to be a slave to God then to be free to sin explains part of the contradiction. And the meaning of the word slave (servant in other translations) denotes someone bound or bonded to another person. Perhaps what Paul is trying to convey is that we cannot be bond to God if we are still slaves to sin. Jesus said that a person cannot serve two masters, meaning that one cannot serve God and something (anything) that is in opposition to God.

And as Paul said, there advantages and rewards in serving God. Thus far, I do not think anyone has found in long lasting advantages and rewards in being faithful to sin. And, when it comes right down to us, sin and people who sin are most likely not going to be faithful to us, excluding of course “the wages of sin is death.” That is interesting to think about; after a lifetime of sin, the payoff is that you die. But after a lifetime of being bond to God, you get an eternal life.

Well after weighing the pros and cons, and considering all the options, I think I will strive to keep myself free from sin so that I can be in life long servitude to God. The benefits are so much better, and the life insurance policy cannot be beat!

“Submit to one another out of reverence for Christ. Wives, submit to your husbands as to the Lord. For the husband is the head of the wife as Christ is the head of the church, his body, of which he is the Savior. Now as the church submits to Christ, so also wives should submit to their husbands in everything. Husbands, love your wives, just as Christ loved the church and gave himself up for her . . . In this same way, husbands ought to love their wives as their own bodies. He who loves his wife loves himself. After all, no one ever hated his own body, but he feeds and cares for it, just as Christ does the church.“
(Ephesians 5: 21-25, 28-29)

            Several years ago I was listening to a radio program and this passage was being discussed. The speaker said that if husbands truly loved their wives as Christ loves us, the wives would be very happy to submit to their husbands. The speaker went on to say that if a man loved his wife so much that he would die for her and do whatever was needed to make her love and fulfilled, and if he would be with her through every trouble, worry and difficult situation, the wife would be more than happy to acknowledge and respect her husband’s authority.

            Ever since then I have found this passage of scripture to be a lot easier to read. We, men and women both, are to strive to lead a good and upright Christian life. The key point is to TRY. We may not succeed. Wives may not submit to their husbands the way their husbands would like. And husbands may not love their wives the way their wives may like. But if we, husbands and wives, can keep this sort of example in our thoughts, it will help each spouse to live wisely and well in the light of God’s wisdom. And this is actually the highest calling, for one spouse to help support the other spouse’s Christian life.

Submit to one another out of reverence for Christ. Wives, submit to your husbands as to the Lord. For the husband is the head of the wife as Christ is the head of the church, his body, of which he is the Savior. Now as the church submits to Christ, so also wives should submit to their husbands in everything. Husbands, love your wives, just as Christ loved the church and gave himself up for her . . . In this same way, husbands ought to love their wives as their own bodies. He who loves his wife loves himself. After all, no one ever hated his own body, but he feeds and cares for it, just as Christ does the church. (Ephesians 5: 21-25, 28-29)

This passage was used in our wedding service. Back in 1978,  if I recall correctly, the Reformed Church in America’s wedding service did not include v. 21: “Submit to one another out of reverence for Christ.” (Apparently, the RCA changed their “Order of Worship for Christian Marriage” in 1987, so I don’t know what the current practice is). But our pastor was willing to include the “one another” passage, so it was clear that the statements to husbands and wives that follow are in the context of mutual submission.

I do know that I can say, after almost 29 years of marriage to Bess, that one of the best things I can do for myself is to love her; often, when things are awry in my own life it can be traced to my own selfishness. As we cooperate with and help one another, we are definitely better off as individuals.  So, it’s interesting that Paul treats the marriage relationship in the loftiest terms possible (as a picture of Christ and his Bride), and in terms of almost raw self-interest (love yourself by loving your wife).

For since the creation of the world God’s invisible qualities– his eternal power and divine nature– have been clearly seen, being understood from what has been made, so that men are without excuse.   Romans 1:20

Recently my college-aged son shared with me some mountain hiking photos he took during his spring break, his first trip west of the Rockies.  The photos showed several young men straining to climb a rough narrow rocky trail on a bright sunny day.  And then reaching the summit, the photos showed incredible panoramic views, a glorious landscape of sky, hills, valleys and a city far in distance.   

Without having moved a foot, I was transported in those several photos – first experiencing the strain of a tough physical climb on a dicey-looking path.  I could see the sweat on the bodies of the climbers and glimpse leg muscles straining to carry bodies not accustomed to either the thinner air of the mountain top or the strenuous climb. I could sense in the tension of their faces, the concentration required to navigate the steep and rocky path.  I experienced the awe of reaching the summit, a wonderful respite for the trekkers.  It was a radiantly beautiful day by any standard, but the incredible view after the struggle of the climb… I had a better understanding of why people climb mountains.  I could almost breathe in the fresh clean air that must have greeted the climbers as they reached the end of the trail.  I could imagine the quiet of that peaceful-looking place.  In the photos, several young men lounged on huge flat rocks, warmed by the sun, cooled by the breeze.  The mountain summit provided a perspective different from the daily experience.  The far distant city with its noise, traffic and thousands and people scurrying hither and yon was no longer at the center of life. 

God’s language is one of the senses – of sight, sound, touch, smell, and the longings of the heart.  God has placed us in this incredible world of his creation and endowed us with the ability to know him – The Creator – through the senses he has given us.  Through his creation we can know that he is God.  We can know that he is Beauty, Harmony, Love, and Order.  We can spend a life time getting to know this God of Creation by just allowing the experience of nature speak to us.

Blessings and Peace -

Carol Honderich

“Every word of God is flawless; he is a shield to those who take refuge in him. Do not add to his words, or he will rebuke you and prove you a liar.” (Proverbs 30: 5-6)

One of the exercises given to me at a retreat was to place my name within a scripture text and imagine the text is spoken to me. The point is to feel a personal connection to the scripture passage and to imagine that God is speaking to me. And I thought about this when I read verse 6 in this passage. I am not sure if this exercise would constitute “adding” to the text. I suspect not.

In several stories of the Old Testament, a “false” prophet spoke words that were not from God, and invariably this falseness caught up with said prophet. Without citing any particular story, memory tells me that the prophet died. Even if that is not the cause, being “rebuked” by God is not a pleasant experience.

The other theme in these verses is God as a shield. And being attached to the first part of verse 5, one could extend the metaphor and say the words of God are a shield. This I think would take in the practice of placing one’s name into a verse so that the theme of the verse applies to the reader. In many of the exercises of this nature, the verses used are ones that give comfort and solace, love and mercy, compassion and grace. In short, by applying these verses to one’s self, one takes refuge in God’s nature.

God’s nature in complete, and enough for all humanity and all creation. We need not “add” to God’s word, but merely to make good use of it as God intended!

A Scripture on God’s word:

Every word of God is flawless; God is a shield to those who take refuge in him. Do not add to God’s words, or God will rebuke you and prove you a liar. (Proverbs 30: 5-6)

The only possible commentary I can give is:

Every word of God is flawless; God is a shield to those who take refuge in him. Do not add to God’s words, or God will rebuke you and prove you a liar. (Proverbs 30: 5-6)

“And do not grieve the Holy Spirit of God, with whom you were sealed for the day of redemption. Get rid of all bitterness, rage and anger, brawling and slander, along with every form of malice. Be kind and compassionate to one another, forgiving each other, just as in Christ God forgave you.” (Ephesians 4: 30-32)

To distress, to be sad, cause grief, be in heaviness, (be) sorrow (-ful), be (make) sorry: so says my concordance on the meaning of the word “grieve.” And as I thought upon this verse and reflected on it, I became very glad that Paul explains what grieves the Holy Spirit, and then by process of elimination what does not. The Holy Spirit is NOT grieved when you come with your sorrows, burdens and troubles. The Holy Spirit is NOT grieved when you come with petitions and intercessions for yourself and for others. The Holy Spirit is NOT grieved when you come to confess your failings and short fallings. The Holy Spirit is NOT grieved when you ask the Spirit to pray for you with groanings too deep for words. And the Holy Spirit is NOT grieved when we ask for comfort and consolation from out grief.

And to be clear, when we grieve, the Holy Spirit grieves also that there are things in the world that cause grief and do not contribute to joy, peace, love, and comfort and consolation in the world. Do not, I say with Paul, do not contribute to the grief that is already in this world, but work with the Holy Spirit and towards the goal of turning all grief to joy.

“Here is my servant, whom I uphold, my chosen one in whom I delight; I will put my Spirit on him and he will bring justice to the nations.” (Isaiah 42: 1)

I often have wished that I could have met the writer of Isaiah. There are many portions of Isaiah which have become very special to me. It seems to me that the writer of Isaiah must have walked very closely to God. Isaiah, to me, is like the Old Testament John, proclaiming things that people may have not wanted to hear, but needed to.

One of my favorite hymns “Here I Am, Lord” is based on Isaiah 6. It is based on the calling of Isaiah to prophecy. It seems to me it would be appropriate for many commissioning services. The theme of being prepared and being called is something I come back to often.

And as illuminating as this all is, it does not touch on the theme in this verse. And this is because this verse is not set down as the rhetoric and prophecy of Isaiah, but the words of God. It is God who is saying these things in prophecy about Jesus. At least, this is how biblical scholars understand it.

But I will let you in on a secret; we are called to! If it were just Jesus who was called to have this Spirit and bring this justice to the nations we could say “Hurrah! The task is done!” But, the nations do not live in justice, and the Spirit is not gifted to one person. Yes, God chose Jesus. But God chose Jesus to teach us what we must do. We are chosen along with the twelve disciples to learn of Jesus and to receive the Advocate.

Look at this verse closely; is there any thing there that we cannot be a part of? We are God’s servants; we are upheld; we are chosen by God and God delights in us; we can receive God’s spirit; and we can be instruments of justice. Just because Jesus was called first and gave up his life, does not mean there is nothing for us to do.

For good or for bad, Isaiah was right out there proclaiming God’s promises and judgments. As I said, I would have like to have met Isaiah, and learn from him. Surely he was also God’s servant.