The greatest spiritual battle begins—and never ends—with the reclaiming of our chosenness. Long before any human being saw us, we are seen by God’s loving eyes. Long before anyone heard us cry or laugh, we are heard by our God who is all ears for us. Long before any person spoke to us in this world, we are spoken to by the voice of eternal love.
Verse of the day
And if I have prophetic powers and understand all mysteries and all knowledge and if I have all faith so as to remove mountains but do not have love, I am nothing.
– 1 Corinthians 13:2
Voice of the day
There can be no love without justice.
– bell hooks, All About Love (1999)
Prayer of the day
Show us how to truly love, Lord. May our actions be a reflection of your justice.
Compassion asks us to go where it hurts, to enter into the places of pain, to share in brokenness, fear, confusion, and anguish. Compassion challenges us to cry out with those in misery, to mourn with those who are lonely, to weep with those in tears. Compassion requires us to be weak with the weak, vulnerable with the vulnerable, and powerless with the powerless. Compassion means full immersion in the condition of being human.
Having read, written, taught, led retreats and lectured on the writing of Thomas Merton for many years, I am used to encountering a range of responses people have to the late Trappist monk and spiritual writer’s work and wisdom.
Generally speaking, those who have actually taken the time to learn about Merton — his fidelity to his Catholic faith, his openness to dialogue with other traditions, his keen social analysis and criticism, and the broad range of topics and thinkers he engaged throughout his tragically short life (1915-68) — are usually interested and inspired by his thought and writings.
Still, some of Merton’s writings can be particularly challenging and unsettling, even for those who admire him and have read his work.
— Read on www.ncronline.org/news/opinion/what-thomas-merton-tells-us-about-gospels-logic-vs-our-societys
Verse of the day
God will judge between the nations and render decisions for many countries. They will beat their swords into plowshares, and their spears into pruning hooks; one nation will not raise the sword against another, and never again will they train for war.
– Isaiah 2:4 (The Inclusive Bible)
Voice of the day
I don’t think / I’m allowed / To kill something / Because I am / Frightened
– Nikki Giovanni, “Allowables”
Prayer of the day
May we reach out our hands, not in violence, but in aid of one another.
Verse of the day
Thus says the Lord of hosts: Render true judgments, show kindness and mercy to one another.
– Zechariah 7:9
Voice of the day
The true measure of our character is how we treat the poor, the disfavored, the accused, the incarcerated, and the condemned.
– Bryan Stevenson, Just Mercy (2014)
Prayer of the day
Loving God, forgive us for the times we have not treated each other with kindness.
The Gospel reading (Luke 12:32-40) for the Ninth Sunday after Pentecost is often a challenge to today’s readers and hearers of the Gospel. Sell all of your possessions… be dressed for action… have your lamps lit… be ready for you don’t know when the Son of Man is coming…. Yes, this apocalyptic warning might be difficult to understand. It may even be downright frightening to readers and believers today. I have been fascinated by “end times” thinking for as long as I have been in ministry. Over the years I have watched so many people try to read their tea-leaves or search for a secret code in the books of Daniel and Revelation. Yet, as I sit at the feet of Rabbi Jesus today, I hear a different message. Before he talked about giving everything away or being prepared for the return of the Son of Man, Jesus said these words: Do not be afraid, little flock, for it is your Father’s good pleasure to give you the kingdom. (Luke 12:32)
Thirty-five years ago (on August 1st, 1987) I began serving as a pastor following seminary graduation and passing the ordination examinations for the Presbyterian Church (USA). After three years in the parish I went on Active duty with the US Air Force as a Chaplain. Following my retirement I went back into the church where I have served churches in Florida, Colorado, and Georgia. Now I am serving as an Interim or Transitional Minister in Alabama. What is unique about this call in Alabama is that I am walking with a congregation through the threshold time as they seek to understand who they are and who God is calling them to be right now. Some would say that this is a scary time for the church that I am serving or, to be honest, for any church at this time. The COVID pandemic (which is still on-going) has turned the church on its ear. The church is in uncharted waters today as it seeks to discover who it is and what it has to offer to people today.
Some might say that these times are indeed scary and apocalyptic in nature. This is where the advice that Jesus gave to his followers makes sense to me. Fear not, little flock! But Lord, how can we not be afraid with all of the upheaval and changes that we are experiencing today? Well, as Ecclesiastes 1:9 says: What has been is what will be, and what has been done is what will be done; there is nothing new under the sun.(bold emphasis is mine) The world (and the church) has experienced times of uncertainty and fear throughout the ages. I believe that what is important is how we live in these times… how we serve the Lord and love our neighbors in these times.
The second reading from this Sunday’s lectionary which I am focusing on is Hebrews 11:1 which has been a favorite verse of mine and which has provided much comfort in times of uncertainty. Now faith is the assurance of things hoped for, the conviction of things not seen. (NRSV) What the writer of Hebrews is telling me is that I need to have faith, even when as Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr once said, Take the first step in faith. You don’t have to see the whole staircase, just take the first step.
The church today, is on the cusp of a new birth. It is on a threshold both of birthing and choosing how to continue the work of love, justice, mercy, and peace which Jesus continues to call it to do. So much has changed in the thirty-five years that I have been in ministry. Yet the words of Jesus offer me comfort and guidance as I seek to walk with the congregation I am serving through this time. Fear not, little flock…
Twice this week I have learned of the death of an acquaintance. I hesitate to say “friend” because neither of these people were friends in a close sense:
— Read on www.patheos.com/blogs/carlmccolman/2022/08/memento-mori-the-contemplation-of-death-and-the-wonder-of-life/
“Racism is man’s gravest threat to man—the maximum of hatred for the minimum of reason.”—Abraham Joshua Heschel
Somewhere we know that without silence words lose their meaning, that without listening speaking no longer heals, that without distance closeness cannot cure. Somewhere we know that without a lonely place our actions quickly become empty gestures. The careful balance between silence and words, withdrawal and involvement, distance and closeness, solitude and community forms the basis of the Christian life and should, therefore, be the subject of our most personal attention.
Pastor Michael Moore's Blog 