The 5:9 Focus

Unity of the Body of Christ

2017-03-08T15:53:00.001-05:00

From St. Paul's letter to the church at Ephesus:

Therefore, as a prisoner for the Lord, I encourage you to live as people worthy of the call you received from God. Conduct yourselves with all humility, gentleness, and patience. Accept each other with love, and make an effort to preserve the unity of the Spirit with the peace that ties you together. You are one body and one spirit, just as God also called you in one hope. There is one Lord, one faith, one baptism, and one God and Father of all, who is over all, through all, and in all.

God has given his grace to each one of us measured out by the gift that is given by Christ. That’s why scripture says, When he climbed up to the heights, he captured prisoners, and he gave gifts to people.

What does the phrase “he climbed up” mean if it doesn’t mean that he had first gone down into the lower regions, the earth? The one who went down is the same one who climbed up above all the heavens so that he might fill everything.

He gave some apostles, some prophets, some evangelists, and some pastors and teachers. His purpose was to equip God’s people for the work of serving and building up the body of Christ until we all reach the unity of faith and knowledge of God’s Son. God’s goal is for us to become mature adults—to be fully grown, measured by the standard of the fullness of Christ. As a result, we aren’t supposed to be infants any longer who can be tossed and blown around by every wind that comes from teaching with deceitful scheming and the tricks people play to deliberately mislead others. Instead, by speaking the truth with love, let’s grow in every way into Christ, who is the head. The whole body grows from him, as it is joined and held together by all the supporting ligaments. The body makes itself grow in that it builds itself up with love as each one does its part.

Ephesians 4:1-16 (emphasis added)

2013-02-12T21:58:00.001-05:00

A nation that destroys its soils destroys itself. Forests are the lungs of our land, purifying the air and giving fresh strength to our people.

- Franklin Delano Roosevelt

2013-02-06T20:23:00.001-05:00

If your daily life seems poor, do not blame it; blame yourself, tell yourself that you are not poet enough to call forth its riches.

-Rainer Maria Rilke

2012-05-31T16:52:00.000-04:00

As for me, I would seek God, and to God I would commit my cause. [God] does great things and unsearchable, marvelous things without number. [God] gives rain on the earth and sends waters on the fields; [and] sets on high those who are lowly, and those who mourn are lifted to safety.

- Job 5:8-11

Open Arms

2012-05-24T17:37:00.001-04:00

God of all humankind, make the roof of our house wide enough for all opinions. Oil the door of our house so it opens easily to friend and stranger and set such a table in our house that our whole family may speak kindly and freely around it. Amen.

- Adapted from A prayer from Hawaii, 1000 World Prayers

No Oppression

2012-05-21T13:30:00.001-04:00

Rise up, O Lord; O God, lift up your hand; do not forget the oppressed.

- Psalm 10:12

Once social change begins it cannot be reversed. You cannot uneducate the person who has learned to read. You cannot humiliate the person who feels pride. You cannot oppress the people who are not afraid anymore.

- Cesar Chavez

on Money

2012-05-08T15:24:00.001-04:00

“When I have money, I get rid of it quickly, least it find a way into my heart.”

- John Wesley

Peaceful wisdom

2012-05-07T18:34:00.001-04:00

But the wisdom from above is first pure, then peaceable, gentle, willing to yield, full of mercy and good fruits, without a trace of partiality or hypocrisy. And a harvest of righteousness is sown in peace for those who make peace.

- James 3:17-18

Feb 28 - Apr 4: Most of My Lenten Lunches

2012-04-04T15:52:00.000-04:00

First, I didn't really blog at all during March. Not here or on my other blogs. Maybe I should have given up blogging for Lent?

But I gave up lunches out and, for the most part, I've done quite well. For the most part? Well, I'm not perfect. But my deviations are, in a sense, justified under the circumstances. On one occasion, my office had a firm lunch for which I could not excuse myself. On two occasions, I had continuing education requirements that included boxed lunches. On one occasion, a ticket was purchased for me to attend a local charity's 'soup day'.

For every other day this Lenten season, I have eaten at home or at the office with leftovers. I've taken the opportunity to walk around downtown and have even, on one occasion, eaten quickly before walking with coworkers to a favorite lunch spot where I smelled but did not taste.

This may be the first Lenten season I've ever "successfully" kept my Lenten commitment. I leave with the opening sentences from today's Holy Week service I attended at a nearby Presbyterian Church

Leader: Christ himself bore our sins in his body on the cross, so that, free from sins, we might live to righteousness; by his wounds we have been healed. Let us bless the Lord.
People: The Lord's name be praised.

Amen.

Feb 27 - Day 5 of Lenten Lunches

2012-02-27T12:00:00.000-05:00

You might be thinking, "you forgot yesterday." Not exactly.

The Lenten season is 46 days, but we generally recognize the season as being 40 days. What's the difference?

Sundays.

Technically, fasting is not required on the Sabbath. Although the early church leaders were all Jewish and recognized the Sabbat on Saturday, Jesus' Sunday crucifixion shifted the day of worship to be a weekly recognition of his sacrifice.

The 40 day period is significant. Forty is one of those "holy numbers." Noah and his family encountered flooding rains for "40 days and 40 nights." The Israelites spent forty years in the Wilderness while Goliath, the Philistine, mocked the Israeli army for forty days before being killed by David. In the New Testament, Jesus was seen for 40 days on earth after his resurrection but before his ascension into heaven. And - the one we recognize during Lent - is that, according to the Gospel of Matthew, Jesus fasted for forty days in the Wilderness.

My Lunch: A number of leftovers mixed together created a tasty hodgepodge. And I had a Clementine orange. And although my wife has given up St. Arbucks for Lent, I have not. That meant a mid-afternoon iced coffee as I met a friend to catch up for a few minutes.

Feb 25 - Day 4 of Lenten Lunches

2012-02-25T23:44:00.000-05:00

My wife agreed to make it a bit easier on me by fixing herself a PB&J before we left the house for today's basketball game. Had she wanted to stop at Five Guys, my temptation would have gone through the roof!

But I ate early, at home, by fixing up some leftovers. A little shredded Asian beef over white rice and some quickly sautéed spinach did the trick!

On another note, a Facebook conversation developed today with a friend -- it was prompted by my profile picture (my ashed forehead). A lot of people I know are great Christians, but aren't familiar with the traditions of the church simply because so many congregations don't incorporate church history and tradition into their services.

From my friend and I:

Friend: This may sound strange but I thought Catholics were the only people who could participate in ash Wednesday or at least the ceremonies at the church? I don't have much background knowledge so any would be appreciated to clear up my confusion about your pic bc I didn't think you have converted to Catholicism since we last saw you all?!!! :)
Me: Nope. First, still a Protestant. Most Protestant denominations practice the imposition of the ashes. I went to service at a Disciples of Christ church. As for Catholicism, any believer can receive ashes at a Catholic Church because the sashes are sacramentals but are not sacraments (the latter only Catholics can participate unless an exception is granted).
Friend: Ok gotcha, I figured there was no conversion. However I didn't realize that Protestant denominations did the ashes. Thanks for clearing it up!!! I was def. confused :)

Feb 24 - Day 3 of Lenten Lunches

2012-02-24T12:34:00.000-05:00

Friday. Usually a favorite day of dining out. Fortunately, the office was split on their destination. One was bbq and the other was to an overpriced eatery with only so-so food. But bbq wasn't the temptation because of my brown bag I'd packed for yesterday:

Salad contained romaine lettuce, tomatoes and fennel shavings. I topped it with some shredded beef (leftover roast) to which I'd added some homemade bbq sauce. Yeah, restaurant bbq temptation averted (or maybe God planned it?).

And from my daily reading:

Therefore I say to you, whatever you pray and ask for,
believe that you will receive it, and it will be so for you.

- Mark 11:24 (CEB)

Feb 23 - Day 2 of Lenten Lunches

2012-02-23T17:00:00.000-05:00

No temptation today. A bag of pretzels at the office was all I ate since I busily worked through lunch. The leftovers I brought will remain for Day 3.

Feb 22 - Day 1 of Lenten Lunches

2012-02-22T15:32:00.000-05:00

Create in me a clean heart, O God,

And renew a right spirit within me.

I attended a peaceful, rejuvenating intonation of the ashes service at lunchtime. Confessing, "Lord, we have betrayed you," I acknowledged my many sins and faults. Looking forward to this Lenten season, I have determined to give up lunches out.

Often, I'll go out for lunch with friends or colleagues. I know this will be a challenge and a daily reminder of His sacrifice. The reminder will be especially significant on days when I'll be invited for Indian food.

Lord, have mercy. Chris, have mercy.

Lord, have mercy on us.

For lunch today, I brought from home leftover peanut chicken over rice with soy sauce. Carrot and celery sticks. And an orange.

2011-03-02T15:20:00.002-05:00

Westboro believes that America is morally flawed; many Americans might feel the same about Westboro. Westboro’s funeral picketing is certainly hurtful and its contribution to public discourse may be negligible. But Westboro addressed matters of public import on public property, in a peaceful manner, in full compliance with the guidance of local officials. The speech was indeed planned to coincide with Matthew Snyder’s funeral, but did not itself disrupt that funeral, and Westboro’s choice to conduct its picketing at that time and place did not alter the nature of its speech.

Speech is powerful. It can stir people to action, move them to tears of both joy and sorrow, and—as it did here—inflict great pain. On the facts before us, we cannot react to that pain by punishing the speaker. As a Nation we have chosen a different course—to protect even hurtful speech on public issues to ensure that we do not stifle public debate. That choice requires that we shield Westboro from tort liability for its picketing in this case.

- Snyder v. Phelps, 562 U.S. ____ (2011)

2011-03-02T13:53:00.002-05:00

"I want the liberals who despise the Bible to take it more seriously, and the conservatives to do more than massage it for their own interests." - Rev. Peter J. Gomes, a Harvard theologian, author, and Baptist preacher who died Monday at 68.

Ghandi's Seven Social Sins

2010-07-08T15:03:00.000-04:00

Mohandas Ghandi considered there to be seven sins detrimental to humanity:

· Wealth without Work

· Pleasure without Conscience

· Science without Humanity

· Knowledge without Character

· Politics without Principle

· Commerce without Morality

· Worship without Sacrifice

If all could avoid these sins (of which we are all guilty), the world would be so much more tolerable a place.

Ode of Remembrance

2010-05-31T08:19:00.000-04:00

They went with songs to the battle, they were young.
Straight of limb, true of eyes, steady and aglow.
They were staunch to the end against odds uncounted,
They fell with their faces to the foe.

They shall grow not old, as we that are left grow old:
Age shall not weary them, nor the years condemn.
At the going down of the sun and in the morning,
We will remember them.

- The Ode of Remembrance from Laurence Binyon's For the Fallen (1914)

Thank you to all who have served and who serve .

Garden

2010-05-25T17:18:00.001-04:00

Taken about two weeks ago, the picture is of half of my little potted garden. Strawberries, tomatoes, basil, oregano, parsley, thyme, lavender, curry, sage and mint are all growing heartily!

I will greatly rejoice in the Lord, my whole being shall exult in my God ... For as the earth brings forth its shoots, and as a garden causes what is sown in it to spring up, so the Lord God will cause righteousness and praise to spring up before all the nations.

Isaiah 61:10-11

Emulate Jesus

2010-05-11T14:08:00.001-04:00

Our imitation of God in this life ... must be an imitation of God incarnate: our model is the Jesus, not only of Calvary, but of the workshop, the roads, the crowds, the clamorous demands and surly oppositions, the lack of all peace and privacy, the interruptions. For this, so strangely unlike anything we can attribute to the Divine life in itself, is apparently not only like, but is, the Divine life operating under human conditions.

- C.S. Lewis, from his book The Four Loves

E. B. White on Rising Each Day

2010-04-27T14:24:00.000-04:00

If the world were merely seductive, that would be easy. If it were merely challenging, that would be no problem. But I arise in the morning torn between a desire to improve (or save) the world and a desire to enjoy (or savor) the world. This makes it hard to plan the day.

- E.B. White, in an interview with The New York Times in 1969

Reminds me of Psalm 118:24: "This is the day that the Lord has made; let us rejoice and be glad in it!"

WWJD? Immigration

2010-04-25T19:05:00.001-04:00

What follows is a form letter I submitted to Sen. Mitch McConnell through Sojourners following the signing of the recent anti-immigrant legislation by Arizona's governor.

Dear Senator, As a member of the body of Christ, I am challenged to see the
"image of God" in all of my neighbors - regardless of legal status. My faith compels me to seek just action on both personal and public fronts. To that end, I ask that you enact legislation supporting comprehensive immigration reform this year.

Scripture tells me that I am to "seek justice, love mercy, and walk humbly." Therefore, I can no longer be complicit in an immigration system that deprives individuals of their dignity, rights, and freedom.

I support legislation that prioritizes family unity, worker rights, and a path to citizenship for those currently living in the shadows. Don't forget - fixing our system so it works for all American families has the potential to add $1.5 trillion to our nation's eeconomy in the next ten years. What are we waiting for?

I am not going to use this blog to debate the legality of the Arizona bill. I am only trying to emphasize the concerns that people of faith like myself have with the legislation. What follows is part of a call to action, written by Rev. Jim Wallis of Sojourners:

Senate Bill 1070 would require law enforcement officials in the state of Arizona to investigate someone’s immigration status if there is “reasonable suspicion” that the person might be undocumented. I wonder who that would be, and if anybody who doesn’t have brown skin will be investigated. Those without identification papers, even if they are legal, are subject to arrest; so don’t forget your wallet on your way to work if you are Hispanic in Arizona. You can also be arrested if you are stopped and are simply with people who are undocumented -- even if they are your family. Parents or children of “mixed-status families” (made up of legal and undocumented, as many immigrant families are out here) could be arrested if they are found together. You can be arrested if you are “transporting or harboring” undocumented people. Some might consider driving immigrant families to and from church to be Christian ministry -- but it will now be illegal in Arizona.

Have we, as Americans, forgotten the words penned by Emma Lazarus and etched into the base of the Statue of Liberty? "Give me your tired, your poor..."

What would Jesus do?

He Lives!

2010-04-04T06:00:00.009-04:00

Christ, the Lord, is risen today, Alleluia!

Sons of men and angels say, Alleluia!

Raise your joys and triumphs high, Alleluia!

Sing, ye heavens, and earth, reply, Alleluia!

Image source:

http://www.flickr.com/photos/gsimmonsonca/ / CC BY-NC-SA 2.0

Words by Charles Wesley, 1739.

Wounded for our transgressions

2010-04-02T23:51:00.002-04:00

He was wounded for our transgressions,
crushed for our iniquities;
upon him was the punishment that made us whole,
and by his bruises we are healed.
All we like sheep have gone astray;
we have all turned to our own way,
and the Lord has laid on him the iniquity of us all.
- Isaiah 53:5-6

Read "If the Church Were Christian"

2010-04-02T23:51:00.000-04:00

I just finished reading Philip Gulley's If the Church Were Christian: Rediscovering the Values of Jesus. Gulley was raised in the Roman Catholic tradition and explored various denominations before settling in as a Quaker. Although I disagree with some of Gulley's major assertions (I'm personally a fan of the historic creeds of the Church and in the doctrine of Jesus as part of a Tri-head God), he raises some excellent points.

Gulley suggests that we attempt to emulate the life and message of Christ and not emphasize doctrine. He discusses the historical origins of some Church doctrines - some origins I've heard before. For example, the divinity of Christ was widely debated prior to the Council of Nicea (around 325 A.D.). It was at Nicea that early Church leaders - with the guidance of Emporer Constantine (who was working to consolidate power) - determined once and for all (to take an alternate position became heresy) that Jesus and the Father were one and of the same substance.

But this isn't a dry book about church history. Each of the ten chapters focus on a different negative attribute common to many churches and a "what if the Church" altered its focus counterpoint? Of course, the chapter resonating most with me was the one on emphasizing peace (Gulley, a Quaker, routinely emphasizes pacifism in his book.). More importantly, he challenges the concept of the "armor of God." Our weapons should be the attributes of Jesus: love, peace, compassion.

Gulley's stories from the ministry are compelling. In a chapter on emphasizing love over sex, Gulley tells of an elder who encouraged Gulley to confront an elderly couple (unmarried) who were living in sin. Gulley visited their home and saw pictures of the couple's respective kids, grandkids and former spouses. Both were widows. They explained that they could not afford to be married as they would lose too much in Social Security. Gulley described a loving companionship and a warm home. When asked by the elder if Gulley had confronted the couple, he said that he had and that they desired to be married if the elder could make up the difference in income. Neither the couple, nor Gulley, heard from the elder again.

Love. Peace. Compassion. Rediscover the values of Jesus. Despite some doctrinal differences, this was a good book.