Aloha Friday Message – August 12, 2022 – Run, Pilgrim! Run!

August 12, 2022

2233AFC081222 – Run, Pilgrim! Run!

Read it online here, please. And please – when you visit there – use one of the social media links at the bottom of the page to share this post. Thank you! And remember, we now have a READER VIEW available, so share this link or this email often. Do you know someone who enjoys Bible study, or who might like to read this? Ask them to email us or to subscribe on our blog-site.

     Hebrews 12:1-2a – 1 Therefore, since we are surrounded by so great a cloud of witnesses, let us also lay aside every weight and the sin that clings so closely, and let us run with perseverance the race that is set before us, 2 looking to Jesus the pioneer and perfecter of our faith

Before we get into today’s study, I want to say a little something about that title. Each essay starts with a prayer to the Holy Spirit for guidance – a title and a Key Verse – and them we work together to put those seeds to work. When I started this on Monday, I had in mind to use this short passage from The Apostle Paul’s letter to the Hebrews (the whole letter is fabulous reading!) and something about moving forward in life. Then a bit of a movie popped into my head and I had to chuckle a little as I realized that what was coming would be a little like this clip: Run Forrest! Run! (↔ Video Link!) Here we go then!

Aloha nui loa, ʻŌmea! I sometimes wonder if The Apostle Paul was a young athlete before he received his call from the Lord. There are several instances in his letters where he alludes to being in a race. It’s a good analogy, I believe, because – like our daily lives – it has a start, a course, a purpose, and a destination. When we think of a race, we think of the winner as being the one who is the fastest, or strongest, or most skilled. Not all courses, though, are designed for speed, or strength, or talents. For instance, take the idea of a pilgrimage into consideration – it has a start, a course, a purpose, and a destination. It’s not something one races through; in fact, the outcome of the pilgrimage is often better if we take our time following the course. We will look at some other characteristics of this “race” format called Pilgrimage. Before we get into that, though, I have to give credit to Rev. Fr. Nicholas Apetorgbor for helping me to grasp this idea. He emphasized the point that Pilgrims need to have Planning as part of their pilgrimage. Here’s what grew from that Faith Seed:

In this race, the pilgrim needs to have a plan and be patient, persevering, prepared, and prayerful. Let’s take some time to look at each of those.

  1. Pilgrim
  2. Plan
  3. Patient
  4. Persevering
  5. Prepared
  6. Prayerful

Pilgrim – a sojourner, someone who undertakes a sort of quest for religious reasons such as edification, devotional sacrifices, or in thanksgiving for blessings received or anticipated. These wayfarers might travel alone or in groups. As pilgrims in this World, we start out on a journey. I have at times quoted – more or less – Robert Zimmerman (i.e., Bob Dylan), “I was born a long way from home and I’m on my way there now.” It is indeed a long road, the Road of Life, and we need to pay more attention to where we’re going and less attention to where we’ve been. Pilgrims rarely take off without some sort of plan for where they are going and how to get there. One very notable exception is our old friend, Abraham We need a plan.

Most of us reading this have a definite information in mind, our bags are unpacked and closets cleaned out, and we’re just waiting for that trumpet to sound. As we wait to either board that long train coming or hear Gabriel blow his horn, there are things we need to tend to. One of them is nicely illustrated in John Bunyan’s Pilgrim’s Progress. At one point in the narrative, Pilgrim sheds his burden. His burden is all the worldly distractions – including “progressivism” – which he carries and mulls over as he goes. Eventually he comes to a cross and a grave and realizes that it is only the salvific Grace of Christ’s redemption through conquering death and sin. This is the connection with the liberation of Forrest Gump. He got rid of what was holding him back and miraculously went far beyond any conceivable improvement. Because we are pilgrims, we, too, have to know where we’re heading (starts with H) and who is going with us (starts with J not S). Therefore, if we know where we’re going and who is going with us, we need to have a plan to deal with what or who we encounter along the way. We have to deal with bullies just as Forrest did. We get rid of what holds us back.

The worst bullies are the ones sent to us by the Foe who the Prince of the Air. We also have to deal with obstacles like the mountains and valleys in our lives, the raging rivers and surging seas. Fortunately, we have an exceptionally well-organized guidebook called the B.I.B.L.E. which describes to us every possible choice in planning our pilgrimage. Now, I’m sure you saw this coming, but I have to say, “Yes, it is the Absolutely Perfect Plan designed by God – his APP.” We have a plan, and it includes a M.A.P. (Measure of Actual Progress); therefore, the only way we can get lost is to refuse to use these important planning tools. Next on our list is to be Patient.

Frankly, this is one of the most difficult parts of a pilgrimage – it even has its own tune which usually floats up from the back seat on any long trip; “Are we there yet?” Sometimes it sounds like “Good morning, Lord. Thank you for this day. Will this be ‘the one?'” Sometimes it sounds like I Love to Go a-Wandering.” (↔ Music Link) The most patient people I know are continuing their pilgrimage in a state of suffering – not suffering brought on by the subordinates of the Foe – but rather from illness, loss, and/or pain. When such as these make use of the APP and the M.A.P., there is incredible patience because there is unfaltering Hope. Not all of us must bear adversity in order to have Hope, but among those who do patiently endure adversity, Hope is a welcome solace. Hope is what enables endurance so that we persevere in our journey.

The Apostle Paul tells us about perseverance in Romans 5:3-5 3 And not only that, but we also boast in our sufferings, knowing that suffering produces endurance, 4 and endurance produces character, and character produces hope, 5 and hope does not disappoint us, because God’s love has been poured into our hearts through the Holy Spirit that has been given to us. (added emphasis) A little later on in Romans 12:12 he reminds us 12 Rejoice in hope, be patient in suffering, persevere in prayer. This echoes our Key Verse shown above. Being prepared with these things can certainly make our pilgrimage here on Earth more rewarding. My dear friend in Maricopa AZ has reminded me that “All of us are issued the same sized suitcases. Some of us are just better packers.”

We pack to prepare for our journey. I confess I have a tendency to over-pack, to squirrel away, or to need a bigger suitcase. The same-sized suitcases are the 24-hour days of our lives. It’s usually GIGO – garbage in, garbage out – that throws us off track. As we get older, we also notice that our train of thought leaves the station before we get there (or we show up at the wrong station). What should we pack to prepare for our journey? Well surely the B.I.B.L.E., the M.A.P., and the APP should go with us. Those are all good things to have, but – for most of us anyway – it’s also good to have some persons traveling with us. One good reminder is in

Proverbs 3:5-6 – 5 Trust in the Lord with all your heart,
and do not rely on your own insight.
6 In all your ways acknowledge him,
and he will make straight your paths.

When we overload our lives, it is often because we are overpreparing – taking ourselves too seriously. In the letter of James we read in James 4:13-15 – 13 Come now, you who say, “Today or tomorrow we will go to such and such a town and spend a year there, doing business and making money.” 14 Yet you do not even know what tomorrow will bring. What is your life? For you are a mist that appears for a little while and then vanishes. 15 Instead you ought to say, “If the Lord wishes, we will live and do this or that.” In the first reading for this Sunday, we have the account of a conspiracy against the Prophet Jeremiah. Another man declared a false prophecy (apparently for his own gain) and so supporters of that false Prophet convinced the king, Zedekiah, to have him executed by tossing him into a muddy, miry cistern (a local reservoir made of stone – Heb,: בּוֹר [bowr] ↔ Click Link {bore} pit, well, underworld, death). That was certainly not something Jeremiah had in his plan! However, he did have God with him, and it was in God’s plan for Jeremiah to be rescued. Our Psalm for this Sunday, Psalm 40, includes this in verse 2 – 2 He drew me up from the desolate pit,
out of the miry bog,
and set my feet upon a rock,
making my steps secure.

Do you recall who else was thrown into “a desolate pit?” Joseph was thrown into a pit (← Check it out!). His brother, Reuben, intended to return in secret and rescue him, but his brothers had already decided to follow a plan by another of Joseph’s brothers – Judah. Jeremian and Joseph both relied on the Lord to rescue them, and that is the sort of planning and preparation we should practice as well. In all their trials, they addressed God, THE El Shaddai, in prayer and rested on his guidance and mercy. Both of them suffered so that the greater good in God’s APP would be fulfilled. For Joseph, it was the saving of many including his own family. For Jeremiah, it was the assurance that the prolonged bondage of Israel by Babylon would result in a stronger Israel and eventually help make the incarnation of the Messiah possible. If we reflect on all the “success stories” we read in the B.I.B.L.E., all of them were men and women who had F.A.I.T.H. – they could say in all certainty “I am Fully Aware I Trust Him.”

Belovéd, we too are prayerful people, and we too know we can always trust God. We may not always understand his answers or easily discern his intentions, but we do know that God, and only God, have the Absolutely Perfect Plan. Something we sometimes (or even often) forget is that we are part of that plan! That plan always includes being freed from the burdens we take upon ourselves so that we can carry the Graces and Blessings God has prepared for us since The Beginning. Whenever it seems just too hard to go on, we have the narratives in the Bible to inspire and edify us. Jesus told the Apostles – and through them told us – that living a Christian life will include persecutions (← Check it out please?) and divisions: Luke 12:51 – 51 Do you think that I have come to bring peace to the earth? No, I tell you, but rather division! Why is that the case? Why should serving Christ be a divisive responsibility? I believe it is because we too easily follow the ways of our ancestors when it comes to idolatry. We would rather love and serve anything or anyone rather than God. Here is why I believe that: Matthew 10:37-39 – 37 Whoever loves father or mother more than me is not worthy of me; and whoever loves son or daughter more than me is not worthy of me; 38 and whoever does not take up the cross and follow me is not worthy of me. 39 Those who find their life will lose it, and those who lose their life for my sake will find it.

So, ʻŌmea, like true pilgrims we must have a plan and be patient, persevering, prepared, and prayerful. Whether we walk, run, crawl, climb, fly, or skip our way up to heaven, we need to know where we are going and why we want to get there. It is because God has called us, and we have answered that call. Remember – God does not call the qualified. God qualifies the called. Sometimes all we need to be freed from our limitations is giving them up like Forrest did. We can win that laurel crown in this race of pilgrimages. Just remember, if you’re resting on your laurels you’re wearing them on the wrong end.

Whatever, whenever, wherever, whoever, however, if ever, forever —
at your service, Belovéd!

Please pray with us here at Share-a-Prayer.

Unless otherwise indicated, all scripture passages are from the New Revised Standard Version Catholic Edition (NRSVCE) New Revised Standard Version Bible: Catholic Edition, copyright © 1989, 1993 the Division of Christian Education of the National Council of the Churches of Christ in the United States of America. Used by permission. All rights reserved.

Biblical languages inserts from Bible Hub (Bible Hub: Search, Read, Study the Bible in Many Languages) Visit at http://biblehub.com

Creative Commons License
Aloha Friday Messages by Charles O. Todd, III is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike 3.0 Unported License

2232AFC0080522 errata

August 5, 2022

Aloha Friday and Aloha nui loa, ʻŌmea! There were some errors in the post for August 5, 2022. The link at the top of the email version takes you to a post back and January. The proper link is https://aloha-friday.org/archives/14001

There were only two music links. One was for “(our El Shaddai) (↔ Music Link)” which should be https://youtu.be/_qJMl95lb9k and the other was for “available as a Friend (↔ Music Link)” which should be https://youtu.be/ipwEtvWL_3c

I’m working now with LibreOffice and my learning curve is pretty darn flat – if not downward. I should also have mentioned that the email address [email protected] is no longer available and also that these messages will (hopefully) be coming from [email protected] – if I can make that work properly!

Aloha Friday Message – August 5. 2022 – Too Much is Enough

August 5, 2022

2232AFC080522 – Too Much is Enough

Read it online here, please. And please – when you visit there – use one of the social media links at the bottom of the page to share this post. Thank you! And remember, we now have a READER VIEW available, so share this link or this email often.  m Do you know someone who enjoys Bible study, or who might like to read this? Ask them to email us or to subscribe on our blog-site.  

     Luke 12:48b – If God has been generous with you, he will expect you to serve him well. But if he has been more than generous, he will expect you to serve him even better. ~~ Contemporary English Version (CEV) ~~ Scripture quotations marked (CEV) are from the Contemporary English Version Copyright © 1991, 1992, 1995 by American Bible Society. Used by Permission.

Aloha nui loa, ʻŌmea! Grace and Peace to each of you from God our Father and our Lord, Jesus the Christ, in the Power of the Holy Spirit. Have you even heard the expression, “Too much of a good thing?” It’s generally taken to mean that moderation is preferred over excess. A quarter-pounder with cheese is A-OK, but a ¼ pound of hamburger topped with 4 slices of bacon, 5 fried onion rings, 2 Kosher-Dill pickle spears, and a tablespoon of Mystery Sauce is kinda over-the-top. A martini for pau hana (after work) is OK but a six-pack of Bud with whiskey chasers is going overboard. A thanksgiving turkey is nice, but that turducken is just extravagance. You know, there can be too much of a bad thing, too, right? Some of us “of a certain age” will remember a Bob Dylan song covered by Pete, Paul, and Mary called “Too much of nothing.” And Act 2 of the dramatic folk opera Porgy and Bess, Porgy sings “I Got Plenty of Nuttin’.” In that circumstance, Porgy is singing about his new-found happiness whereas in Dylan’s lyrics, “too much of nothing” it can makes us mean, or judgmental, or out of control. We all understand that anything in excess is not conducive to good health physically, mentally, and/or spiritually. Living constantly in excessive consumption of food and drink, romance, wagering, religiosity – anything overdone is debilitative. But we all get into out-of-bounds territory once in a while. Well, almost anything and everything. There’s is one thing that is never harmful when received in overflowing abundance. Have you guessed what that is?

You are correct, O wise one! It is the benevolence of God. He always wants to bless you, and then bless you some more. Now, it’s true that there are some rules that apply to those blessings. One of them is summarized in the phrase “Trust and Obey.” I like that one because it only has two parts! Trust is an important part because it is what makes us open to accepting and receiving his blessings. That pesky element of our makeup called “Free Will” allows us to actually refuse his blessings. Folks, that just doesn’t make any sense at all – but again, we all do it at some time or another. That usually results in one of those smack-yourself-in-the-forehead moments. If we trust God to give us only Good Gifts (See James 1:17 again, please.), then we will be open to receive those gifts. Of course, once you have received from the Generous Bounty of Almighty God (our El Shaddai) (↔ Music Link) any of his great and wondrous gifts, it only makes sense to use that gift – but again, we all fail to do that at some time or another, too. Still, trusting God really is easier than trusting in government (or even ourselves sometimes). We just need to have faith in him, and to do that, we have to know him. Before we get to the second part of “Trust and Obey,” I want to hark back to 2008 and The Wheelbarrow (← Check it out!).

It turns out that being able to know God is another of his super-cool Gifts. Unlike certain other gods who wish to remain unknowable, our El Shaddai actually gets involved in our lives in positive ways. He has even made himself personally available as a Friend (↔ Music Link). If we know God, we know we can trust him. If we trust God, he makes it way easier to know him, to love him, and to serve him. And do you know what? Loving him and serving him are also two of his wondrous gifts! What is the point of serving a deity you do not and cannot know? We’re developing quite a pile of wondrous Gifts already, yes? We trust God, we know him and we love him and we want to serve him. That’s where we slip up again. Instead of serving him we serve some other god like the TV, or sports, or wealth, or … us. Now we come to the second part of that easy rule – Obey.

Our Almighty-Everliving God – our El Shaddai-Olam – made it perfectly clear when he laid out The Law for Israel. Right at the outset God said in Exodus 20:2-3 – 2 I am the Lord your God, who brought you out of the land of Egypt, out of the house of slavery; 3 you shall have no other gods before me.

If someone or something else is easier for us to trust, to love, and to serve, then we have displaced God, rejected his gifts, and put ourselves in a really perilous situation. None of us would ever to that, right? Hopefully that’s the case – but again, we all manage to do that at some time or another, too. Here we find that God has blessed us with a couple of other things that work together – conscience and consciousness. Even as toddlers we have an innate and intuitive sense of what is right and wrong. Our consciousness begins even earlier, generally between 12-15 months but some evidence suggests it might be as early as 5-6 months. When we are conscious of our own motivations and emotions we lay our the foundation of conscience. I’m sure we have all experience the sheer surprise of weeing a three-year-old deliberately disobey a parent, strike a sibling, and then blame all that on someone else. Given that foundation, it’s not much of a leap to the acts of deliberate disobedience to … anyone, including God. Every good parent hopes her/his kid will be kind, generous, thoughtful, a good citizen. All those things are secondary, though, to what a parent should be teaching a kid about God.

God makes a better foundation for growth than toys, or Mozart, or independent discovery as a 1- to 3-year-old toddler. When we teach our children to know and love God (more by actions than by words, I’d say), chances are pretty good that they will trust him and obey him – until they forget, as we adults often do. Much of the B.I.B.L.E. describes the processes and outcomes of people who forgot to accept God’s wondrous Gifts. This Sunday we will hear about one absolutely astonishing Gift given to a People who were chosen by God to be his Delight. We will hear about the first Passover.

One would think that participating in such an event-filled blessing would be UNFORGETTABLE. But the Israelites were barely out of town when they forgot and then built that Golden Calf. We might cut them a little slack because they really didn’t know better – no 10 Commandments yet and all that – but if seeing is believing, then they could have had at least a rudimentary faith in God’s Power. The Apostle Paul addressed that in his letter to the Hebrews. Sunday’s second reading is from the Letter to the Hebrews. The Apostle Paul tells them in Hebrews 11:1 – Now faith is the assurance of things hoped for, the conviction of things not seen. Israel had around 1,000 years between Abraham and Moses to develop some sense of national identity. They knew the meaning of their name – Israel (יִשְׂרָאֵל See Genesis 35:9-13 ) – and yet lacked a way to know God as their own. No matter haw many Judges, or Prophets, or Priests, or even enemies were sent to Israel, they forgot as we all do at some time or another. It just seemed like their hearts were not in this process of trusting and obeying God. Jesus had a good saying on this that encourages us to treasure our relationship with God and with each other as well.

We find it in Luke 12:32-34 – 32 “Do not be afraid, little flock, for it is your Father’s good pleasure to give you the kingdom. 33 Sell your possessions, and give alms. Make purses for yourselves that do not wear out, an unfailing treasure in heaven, where no thief comes near and no moth destroys. 34 For where your treasure is, there your heart will be also. If we know God, trust God, have faith in God, and love God, we are right at the door of the source of that treasure: Heaven. Now, you’ve heard me say this many times: “Why would you want anything less?” But sometimes we forget, and you already know how that works out. God’s Absolutely Perfect Plan (the APP, remember?) has a fix for that. When we ask for forgiveness, he forgives and then forgets that we forgot. That is because we are blessed by his Grace, the undeserved merit of his justice tempered with mercy which is ours because of his Perfect Integrity, Endless Mercy, Everlasting Love, and Eternal Salvation through Jesus Christ our Lord.

Belovéd, too much of anything is enough. When we get to that point in our day-to-day lives, we must depend on the Grace of God to apply his APP. We must take caution, though, that we don’t make a bigger mess by trying to find Grace in greater abundance than God has I mind. Here’s what The Apostle Paul had to say about that in Romans 6:1-2 – 1 What then are we to say? Should we continue in sin in order that grace may abound? 2 By no means! How can we who died to sin go on living in it? GOOD QUESTION! We can and must trust and obey out of love, and whenever we forget, we must remember that Grace is a Gift given in Love. As The Apostle Peter put it in 1 Peter 4:8-10 – 8 Above all, maintain constant love for one another, for love covers a multitude of sins. 9 Be hospitable to one another without complaining. 10 Like good stewards of the manifold grace of God, serve one another with whatever gift each of you has received. Too much is enough; enough to cost us Heaven if we for get to remember we forgot. When that happens, we REPENT AND BELIEVE THE GOOD NEWS.

Whatever, whenever, wherever, whoever, however, if ever, forever —
at your service, Belovéd!

Please pray with us here at Share-a-Prayer

 

Unless otherwise indicated, all scripture passages are from the New Revised Standard Version Catholic Edition (NRSVCE) New Revised Standard Version Bible: Catholic Edition, copyright © 1989, 1993 the Division of Christian Education of the National Council of the Churches of Christ in the United States of America. Used by permission. All rights reserved.

Biblical languages inserts from Bible Hub (Bible Hub: Search, Read, Study the Bible in Many Languages) Visit at http://biblehub.com

Creative Commons License
Aloha Friday Messages by Charles O. Todd, III is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike 3.0 god makes a License

Aloha Friday Message – July 29, 2022 – That’s enough of that!

July 29, 2022

2231AFC072922 – That’s enough of that!

Read it online here, please. And please – when you visit there – use one of the social media links at the bottom of the page to share this post. Thank you! And remember, we now have a READER VIEW available, so share this link or this email often. Do you know someone who enjoys Bible study, or who might like to read this? Ask them to email us or to subscribe on our blog-site.

Luke 12:18-20 – 18 Then he said, ‘I will do this: I will pull down my barns and build larger ones, and there I will store all my grain and my goods. 19 And I will say to my soul, Soul, you have ample goods laid up for many years; relax, eat, drink, be merry.’ 20 But God said to him, ‘You fool! This very night your life is being demanded of you. And the things you have prepared, whose will they be?’

Grace, mercy, and peace from God the Father and Christ Jesus our Lord, ʻŌmea! We are back in business, sort of, with a nearly flat learning curve. I’m using a program called Libre Office now instead of MS Word. When my hard disc died so did all my Bible and my B.I.B.L.E. shortcuts. Now instead of 6-8 hours to create a post it’s going to take double that until I get everything back to “normal” again. When my computer died, there was another, more-expected death in the family; my iPhone died and had to be replaced. And my Timex Ironman watch needs a new battery, too. When the alarm goes off for my meds, the LCD goes blank with each beep. I told Crucita I’d best be careful because I might be next (although I’m entirely ready for that!). Good thing we’ve done our Estate Planning – including “burial insurance” (although I haven’t purchased my YOLO-F grave marker yet). It will take probably a month to “train” this software to catch up with my deceased 2007 MS Word. Like they say, “When you number is up …” And of course there’s also “You can’t take it with you. Nonetheless, we seem to be so fixated on getting more “stuff” and filling our space with it – all our space inside and outside the house, at work, at church, at the grocery; it seems endless this Spirit of Acquisition. It’s like the Borg say, “Resistance is futile. You will be Assimilated.”

At some point we usually come to the realization that we’re drowning in stuff. We burden ourselves with things we don’t really need, but want those things enough that it’s hard to get rid of them. It’s always, “Someday this will be useful,” like when it’s 127 degrees outside and we still wear our winter coat (↔ Click Link). All the stuff we stack up may give use the feeling of security. After all, it might be useful someday, but today it’s reassuring to know we’re ready for that someday. And then we read this parable from which we get of Key Verse for today.

This poor guy didn’t know his number was up, so he didn’t find a way to provide for himself Treasure in Heaven. He seems to have been a decent sort of business man, successful in his acquisitions. Perhaps he had a large farm for growing grains like barley and wheat, and he also had durable possessions – perhaps furniture and service ware. He’d just had a great year which included a bumper-crop and increased wealth. We don’t know for sure, but perhaps this is the same fellow in another parable (← Check it out!). A poor man named Lazarus sat outside this man’s gate and begged. He was covered with sore, and the dogs used to come and lick those sores. The rich man and the poor man both died. The rich man went to Hades (Sheol) and the poor man went to “The bosom of Abraham.” use the link above to review how that all turned out. We see that the rich man could have used at least some of his wealth to help orphans and widows, the sick, and those trapped in poverty. Instead, he kept it all for himself and elected to “relax, eat, drink, be merry.” A friend of mine used to say this fellow was a devout hedonist, but not a devout Jew.

I wonder how often we might behave like a pleasure-seeking pagan rather than a devout Christian. A Christian is called upon to carry out the commands of Jesus which include being kind to orphans and widows, the sick, and those trapped in poverty. “It’s not a Law,” some say, “to ensure we provide for our future as well as our daily needs.” Hmm, what about “you shall love the Lord your God with all your heart, all your soul, and all your might and you shall love your neighbor as yourself.” That’s not as simple as it sounds, is it? The Law of Moses and the Law Of Love taught by Jesus are identical and immutable. We must ask, then, how many times we walk past Lazarus – who is sitting there with Jesus – and ignore them, but still acknowledge and kowtow to the rich man? I know a man who is exceptionally kind and just, and is generous with his time and money (when he has money), and yet he is constantly scrambling to make a living. He does not count the cost of his generosity, nor does he complain about the fact that he has to work so hard to supply that need. “Society” looks down on this fellow because he can’t seem to line up steady work, and they discount his generosity as foolishness. Let’s just pause a moment and think about how God views this man’s life.

Let’s go back to my account of “The Terrible Week.”

Do I really need a computer with a high-end word-processor, an iPhone, and an Iron Man watch? Without the computer and word-processor, this ministry would not exist. The Iron Man Watch has alarms set as backup alarms to take my medications on time. The iPhone has the same alarm times set – plus a few other things, like the calendar so I don’t miss any of my medical appointments. Do I really need all of these things? One could say yes and make a good defense for that answer. Bottom line, though, is that there are less expensive and more efficient ways of doing all these things – except maybe the word-processor. If I had to bang out all of this on my old Royal typewriter and then send it out snail-mail, that would put the kibosh on this project and I’d hate to lose contact with any of you. How do we decide if what we want is what we need? Well, as St. Augustine reputedly quipped, “Love God and do what you will.”

That’s a clever way to say “leave it in God’s hands.” We all know – or certainly should know – God will take care of you. (↔ Music Link) Another approach often mentioned is “Do what you know is right then ask God to bless it.” If we are unsure if we know what is right, then we can carefully weigh all the pros and cons and see which of them pull us closer to God or which others pull us closer to the World. In all of these decision-making approaches the central premise is that we base our actions on God’s Love for us and our love for God and each other. If a proposed act does not bring us closer to or maintain our closeness to God, then that act is not wise or fruitful. Our goal should be to learn and exercise the Power of Prayer.  We can summon the faith, the discernment, the patience and perseverance, and the humility to exercise THE POWER OF PRAYER. I have come to believe that God only gives four answers to prayer:
1. “Yes!”
2. “Not yet.”
3. “I have something better in mind.”
4. “You’ve got to be kidding!

If, then, we want to know what is enough and what is too much, we must be in day-to-day communication with God. Remember we talked about “pray without ceasing?” (↔ Click Link) If God is our Father and Jesus is our Brother, we can and should talk to them in terms of those relationships. If that turns out to be difficult or uncomfortable, we can turn to the Holy Spirit as The Apostle Paul told us in Romans 8:26-27 – 26 Likewise the Spirit helps us in our weakness; for we do not know how to pray as we ought, but that very Spirit intercedes with sighs too deep for words. 27 And God, who searches the heart, knows what is the mind of the Spirit, because the Spirit intercedes for the saints according to the will of God. I am reminded of an old wheezer seen on bumper-stickers: “If Jesus is your copilot, SWITCH SEATS!” As we read in the letter of James at James 4:3 – 3 You ask and do not receive, because you ask wrongly, in order to spend what you get on your pleasures. If we are praying in the Holy Spirit and in communication with God at all times, if we pray constantly, if we speak with and to God as Father and Brother, the knowing when that’s enough of anything in our lives is so much easier!

As we heard recently in the Sunday readings, God’s Word is never far from us as in Deuteronomy 30:11-14 – 11 Surely, this commandment that I am commanding you today is not too hard for you, nor is it too far away. 12 It is not in heaven, that you should say, “Who will go up to heaven for us, and get it for us so that we may hear it and observe it?” 13 Neither is it beyond the sea, that you should say, “Who will cross to the other side of the sea for us, and get it for us so that we may hear it and observe it?” 14 No, the word is very near to you; it is in your mouth and in your heart for you to observe. The Word is always near to us, and all we need to do is ask, seek or knock. (See Luke 11:9-10) However, Belovéd, if we are not near our Lord when we ask we might net be able to discern his answer. Every prayer we make is heard, and every prayer heard is answered! If the answer we get is not the answer we desire, then our Good God is telling us, “That’s enough of that!” 

Whatever, whenever, wherever, whoever, however, if ever, forever —
at your service, Belovéd!

Please pray with us here at Share-a-Prayer.

Unless otherwise indicated, all scripture passages are from the New Revised Standard Version Catholic Edition (NRSVCE) New Revised Standard Version Bible: Catholic Edition, copyright © 1989, 1993 the Division of Christian Education of the National Council of the Churches of Christ in the United States of America. Used by permission. All rights reserved.


Aloha Friday Messages by Charles O. Todd, III is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike 3.0 Unported License

Aloha Friday Message – July 22, 2022 – We’re Down With That

July 21, 2022

2229AFC072222 – We’re down with that

I’m posting this to let you know that we had serial catastrophes at our house.

  1. The Spectrum Modem died
  2. My hard drive died 
  3. I had to buy a new computer.
  4. I lost my copy of MS Office when the harddrive died
  5. I no longer have access to the email address [email protected] because it’s too old (I’m looking for a way to get it back)
  6. I had to buy a new computer and new software.

As soon as I can get back up and running, we’ll have Aloha Friday Posts and Terrific Tuesday Messages.

 

PLEASE DO NOT FORGET TO PRAY WITH US AT THE INTERCESSORY PRAYER LIST.

Aloha Friday Message – July 15, 2022 – Fruitful Pain

July 15, 2022

2228AFC071522 – Fruitful Pain

Read it online here, please. And please – when you visit there – use one of the social media links at the bottom of the page to share this post. Thank you! And remember, we now have a READER VIEW available, so share this link or this email often. Do you know someone who enjoys Bible study, or who might like to read this? Ask them to email us or to subscribe on our blog-site.

     Luke 8:15 – 15 But as for that in the good soil, these are the ones who, when they hear the word, hold it fast in an honest and good heart, and bear fruit with patient endurance.

Colossians 1:24-25 – 24 I am now rejoicing in my sufferings for your sake, and in my flesh I am completing what is lacking in Christ’s afflictions for the sake of his body, that is, the church. 25 I became its servant according to God’s commission that was given to me for you, to make the word of God fully known

¡Que la bendición esté siempre con ustedes y que Dios los bendiga, Amados! (May blessing always be with you and may God bless you, Belovéd!) In 1968 I moved to San Antonio TX as a guest of Uncle Sam. I was there to take the second half of the Medical Laboratory Technician program. This was a bit odd because I didn’t take the first half where all of the didactic training prepared students for the second half which was the practicum hands-on training. I was setting out to learn how to do things about which I knew practically nothing. I had somehow survived Basic Training, done a few weeks in Wichita Falls TX learning basic medical first aid, and then on November 4, 1968 my whole world jumped the track and went aerial. She stuck out her hand amidst that gaggle of 12 or so strangers – although they knew each other because they did complete the first half together – and she said, “Hi. I’m Airman Gonzales.” That was 19,611 days ago, and 166 days after that meeting I had been baptized as a Catholic convert and married Crucita. Somewhere between mid-December and early January we found each other to the exclusion of all others. That amazing evening we were preparing to go to the airport to meet the older sister, Judy, of one of our classmates, Michele, and there in the back seat of Fr. John McMahon’s car we celebrated with our friends our falling in love. (↔ Music Link) This memory is always in my mind and heart. Michele was Crucita’s Maid of Honor, and she actually traveled all the way to Lihuʻe to fulfill that role again for our 50th Anniversary Luau. There was a lot of love in that group, and many of us are still in contact even after all this time. That bit of family history is presented so that you can understand this next paragraph.

Michele shared with us that Judy has cancer in her hip that has metastasized. It’s not going to be contained. It is going to be painful. Judy and Michele asked for the MBN to pray for Judy as she intends to unite her suffering with the Lord on behalf of other suffering souls. She is offering her suffering for salvation of souls. Please pray for comfort, courage, and testimony. Judy totally gets it when she reads that Key Verse from the Apostle Paul’s letter to the Colossians. Many of us do. There are quite a few of us who read this set of weekly posts who live in pain. I know that many of us, like Judy, truly understand the Gift of the Grace to offer it up. That’s a phrase often heard among Christians – “Just offer it up.” All of us, I’m sure, would much rather not have to do that and would rather not have the pain. But it is our particular Gift, and there is reward in giving it. We look up to our Lord on the Cross, or see our brother and sister being senselessly murdered by intense bombing. We see our neighbor persecuted for his genetic heritage. We see millions of innocent life murdered in the womb. We know the Gospel says our love can make a difference in those circumstances – not necessarily ending them, but at least mitigating them – and we understand Jesus words “hold it fast in an honest and good heart, and bear fruit with patient endurance.” We hang on through the pain and say, “Father, into your hands I commend my spirit.” That endurance is the Gift in our pain.

It is easy to forget that not all thorns have roses. As The Gambler used to say, “Ya have to play the cards you’re dealt.” A friend from many years ago offered this advice: “You have to row with the oars you’ve got.” In each of those adages there is a gift and an action. If you’ve got oars, you can row. If you’ve got Aces and Eights, you can still lay down a full house if you want to play. Another one that we hear often on TV is “He’s in it to win it.” Long story short – if we have a Gift, we have to use it or lose it. “Honor the Giver by Accepting the Gift.” And we return a just portion of that Gift to the Lord as our own practice of our own stewardship. Sunday’s readings start with the familiar story of Abraham sitting under the Old Oak Tree and he sees three travelers approaching. He runs out to meet them, prostrates himself before them, and invites them to come out of the sun and into the shade with him so that he can refresh them on their journey. He has Sarah prepare a HUGH batch of rolls, picks out a young fatling from his immense herd of cattle and a servant prepares it. He brings water and a basin to wash their feet. In these actions we see that my old friend Abraham was a very wealthy man who gave high value to hospitality. Hospitality is one of the Four Pillars of Stewardship. This is a gift the Lord had given to Abraham in abundance – he was A-Number-One in hospitality. The visitors – mysterious to the end – continued their journey after one of them said, “I’ll drop by here about this time next year, and Sarah will have a son.” Such things are the outcome of good stewardship of God’s Good Gifts. When God spoke, Abraham always responded “Ready!” (↔ Music Link)

The Apostle Paul tells the people in the city of Colossae “I am now rejoicing in my sufferings for your sake, and in my flesh I am completing what is lacking in Christ’s afflictions for the sake of his body, that is, the church.” For many years I slid right past that statement because I didn’t want to understand it. That phrase “lacking in Christ’s afflictions for the sake of his body bothered me. Christ suffered greatly once and for all (← Check it out!) Then one day “the rest of the story” dawned on me – “ that is, the church.” What does that mean anyway!? Well, it certainly does not mean that there was any deficiency in the suffering of Christ on the Cross. The lack is in Paul’s suffering which is incompletely conformed to the suffering of Christ: his suffering is part of his Gift of Apostleship and Missionary to the Gentiles. He is suffering in his own body for them for whatever might be lacking on our part that would help conform us to the sufferings of Christ. The Apostle Paul is “offering it up” to the Lord for the sake of the Church in which some are not able to offer their own suffering. He tell them this Gift of suffering is balanced by an extraordinary reward in 2 Corinthians 1:5 – 5 For just as the sufferings of Christ are abundant for us, so also our consolation is abundant through Christ. Every time we choose to give back to God a just portion of his gifts to us we are rewarded, compensated, consoled, and refreshed (↔ Music Link) “ten-fold, thirty-fold, sixty-fold, or a hundred-fold.” Sometimes what seems like suffering is really part of the reward.

Think of the and Martha who are introduced to us in the Gospel from Luke 10. Jesus has been welcomed into their house by Martha. Martha gets all wrapped up in perfecting her hospitality, and her sister is just sitting there listening to Jesus. Martha complains to Jesus, “Lord, I’m overwhelmed with all the work of serving and don’t you think it’s unfair that my sister is just sitting here doing nothing? Tell her to help me.” Oo-o-o-o-o-EY!! Martha was rejecting her gift of hospitality. Perhaps she was a bit envious of seeing her sister staring at the Master? She presumed Jesus would be sympathetic to her complaint. Instead she gets a gentle correction. “Martha, Martha, you’ve brought all this work on yourself, and overdone it. Mary has chosen to sit and listen, and that’s the better thing (↔ Music Link) to do. She will not be deprived of that gift.” Martha was suffering her own way and counting on Mary to share in it. Eventually these two sisters hosted one of Jesus’ last “family dinners” as he resolutely set his face toward Jerusalem to offer up his suffering for the entire World. Like the Apostle Paul, my suffering is still lacking what is needed to conform to Christ’s; nonetheless, I can offer it up with him, share my Gift with him by patiently enduring it on behalf of his Body which is the Church. Where I am most lacking is in the two areas most important – patience and endurance. I whine too much most of the time; but there are times when I “get it,” when I understand that the people on the Intercessory Prayer List who are counting on all of us to pray for all of them. They really need those prayers and our offerings of our sufferings for their sake so we can take up some of what they can no longer bear.

Now I have another way to understand that. When I want to be a better steward of my Gift, I now know I can tell the Father, “I’m subbing for Judy today. Let me carry some of her burden for a while.” Simon of Cyrene was compelled to carry Jesus Cross toward Golgotha. It is important for us to recognize that Jesus accepted Simon’s help even though Simon had no choice in the matter. Jesus was beaten nearly to death at his scourging, had stumbled under the weight of his Cross, and perhaps the soldiers were afraid if he died on the way, there would be trouble for them. I imagine it turned out to be trouble for Simon! He likely got some of the taunts, insults, and hatred from the crowd for helping Jesus even though he didn’t want to. He later was mentioned as the father of Rufus and Alexander. It is thought all three served as missionaries to other nations and were martyred.

All of these persons we have seen were like the good soil mentioned in the first of today’s Key Verses: But as for that in the good soil, these are the ones who, when they hear the word, hold it fast in an honest and good heart, and bear fruit with patient endurance. Belovéd, hold fast to the Word in your honest and good heart so as to bear much good fruit through your patient endurance. And once in a while just say to God (all three persons), “Good morning Lord! Thank you for this day! I’m eager to know what you’ve got for me today. I’ll be filling in for _________.” That blank line could be Judy, or Mike, or Eddie, or Ferdi, or Chick, or Mary, or Rosie, or Ilima, or Ben, or … anyone your heart shows you who can benefit from a little respite so that you too will be in the Church as its servant according to God’s commission that was given to me for you, to make the word of God fully known. Be the hands and feet of God here on Earth by offering up your Gifts to honor the Giver of all Good Gifts. (See James 1:17) Don’t feel like you could shoulder more than what you’ve already got? Try offering to bulk up someone’s suffering by standing beside them instead of standing in for them. That works, too. Your reward is the Fruit of the Holy Spirit. (← Check it out!)

Unless otherwise indicated, all scripture passages are from the New Revised Standard Version Catholic Edition (NRSVCE) New Revised Standard Version Bible: Catholic Edition, copyright © 1989, 1993 the Division of Christian Education of the National Council of the Churches of Christ in the United States of America. Used by permission. All rights reserved.

Biblical languages inserts from Bible Hub (Bible Hub: Search, Read, Study the Bible in Many Languages) Visit at http://biblehub.com

Creative Commons License
Aloha Friday Messages by Charles O. Todd, III is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike 3.0 Unported License

Aloha Friday Message – July 8, 2022 – Four Alone Together

July 8, 2022

2227AFC070822 – Four Alone Together

Read it online here, please. And please – when you visit there – use one of the social media links at the bottom of the page to share this post. Thank you! And remember, we now have a READER VIEW available, so share this link or this email often. Do you know someone who enjoys Bible study, or who might like to read this? Ask them to email us or to subscribe on our blog-site.

    Psalm 19:14 – 14 Let the words of my mouth and the meditation of my heart be acceptable to you, O Lord, my rock and my redeemer.

Philippians 4:5-7 – 5 let your gentleness be known to everyone. The Lord is near. 6 Do not worry about anything, but in everything by prayer and supplication with thanksgiving let your requests be made known to God. 7 And the peace of God, which surpasses all understanding, will guard your hearts and your minds in Christ Jesus.

Aloha nui loa, ʻŌmea! Grace and Peace to each of you from God our Father and our Lord, Jesus the Christ, in the Power of the Holy Spirit.  This Sunday’s Gospel is the familiar story of The Good Samaritan. Jesus’ parables help us understand what God intends for us to be, for us to do, and for us to share. At the end of this story, Jesus asks, “Which of these three, in your opinion, was neighbor to the robbers’ victim?” He [scholar of the law] answered, ‘The one who treated him with mercy.’ Jesus said to him, “Go and do likewise.”

We do not know any more about this Samaritan other than his nationality, and we can assume he was wealthy because of his generosity. He was “taking care of business,” and stopped to help a stranger; then he continued with his work and promised to follow up on his act of charity. Jesus’ point is straightforward: Do that. Recall that Jesus told this story because the lawyer tried to justify himself by asking, “And who is my neighbor?” In my heart and mind, I hope that lawyer blushed a little when he heard Jesus’ answer. It makes me blush, because I know that I, too, try to limit my charity and justify my lack thereof. “He’s just going to use that money to get wine / drugs / gambling / whatever.” “If I send them some money, they’ll keep sending me more and more appeals, and it gets to be nothing more than junk mail.” That’s not what’s supposed to happen. Jesus commands us: Overcome prejudice, overcome fear, overcome violence – and keep working at the tasks God has given you. Everywhere you go, go with God, and God will always be near. How easily we forget that sage advice and stubbornly walk away from God! We cannot expect to be filled with the Spirit if we say, “Not now. I’m busy. I can’t afford to get involved. Maybe some other time.” Not exactly what the Apostle Paul taught: Let your gentleness be known to everyone. The Lord is near. Seek him while – and where – he can be found. This is why it is so important to remember that in everything by prayer and supplication with thanksgiving let your requests be made known to God. The result – both immediate and long-term – is the peace of God, which surpasses all understanding, will guard your hearts and your minds in Christ Jesus. “Guard our hearts and minds in Christ Jesus?” Why are we afraid to help? Is it really because once we “start helping,” others will expect us to continue and even to help them? Is it true that “no good deed goes unpunished?” Even the simplest of things can be good deeds; we don’t have to wait for a “Good Samaritan Opportunity” to be generous, to be faithful, or to be respectful. These opportunities come to us often, and it always seems that when we decide something we do is OK with God, we really need to be sure we know his preference. As alluded to earlier of Facebook, I offer this example:

Pope Francis has said “The Eucharist is the bread of sinners, not the reward of saints.”

“When we receive the Eucharist, Jesus does the same with us: he knows us;” Pope Francis said, “he knows we are sinners; he knows we make many mistakes, but he does not give up on joining his life to ours,” the Pope said. “He knows that we need it, because the Eucharist is not the reward of saints, but the bread of sinners. This is why he exhorts us: ‘Do not be afraid! Take and eat.’”

I’ve been unable to find any such exhortation in any Scripture or the Catechism. I would rearrange Pope Francis’ statement as, “The Eucharist is the bread of repentant sinners, and thus the reward of flourishing saints.” I have, however, found this exhortation in 1 Corinthians 11:27 – 27 Whoever, therefore, eats the bread or drinks the cup of the Lord in an unworthy manner will be answerable for the body and blood of the Lord. In addition, Jesus himself said in Matthew 18:6-7 –  6 “If any of you put a stumbling block before one of these little ones who believe in me, it would be better for you if a great millstone were fastened around your neck and you were drowned in the depth of the sea. 7 Woe to the world because of stumbling blocks! Occasions for stumbling are bound to come, but woe to the one by whom the stumbling block comes!  In the letter of James, we have this instruction to the Church: James 4:17 – 17 Anyone, then, who knows the right thing to do and fails to do it, commits sin. When publicly unrepentant sinner comes forward to receive communion, that is clearly wrong and sets a stumbling block of doubt and confusion for others. A sincerely devout Catholic, for example, would never argue against protecting the sanctity of life from conception to natural death. Let me give you another “good ol’ Catholic” example of knowing our faith.

When the Gospel is read during the Liturgy of the Word, there are some common gestures that have come into practice over the centuries. It may surprise some of us to learn that today’s Key Verse – Psalm 19:14 – has something to do with that. When the Priest or Deacon announces the Gospel, he says, “A reading from the Gospel according to St. _________.” Then he traces the sign of the cross over the page. Members of the assembly respond by saying, “Glory to You Oh Lord” and make a small sign of the cross with their thumb over their forehead, lips, and chest. Why? With this silent gesture, we are acknowledging that the Gospel is the Living Word of God so we consciously and intentionally remember to listen so that the Gospel will make a way into our minds, our speech, and our hearts – that is, if we remember to do that and if we remember WHY we do that.

We trace a cross on our forehead to remind us that the Gospel can illuminate our thoughts and purify our minds. We trace a cross on our lips to remind us our speech should be holy and influence our willingness to share the Gospel with others. Lastly, we cross our hearts as we invite God to increase our love for Him and for others. This short, silent prayer with the accompanying gestures is to remind us that being open to the Gospel will help us to know, to publicly acknowledge, and love Jesus even more. Thus we take steps to fulfill this passage’s meaning: Let the words of my mouth and the meditation of my heart be acceptable to you, O Lord, my rock and my redeemer.

It is such a little thing, but it can make a huge difference if we are not afraid to try it. Fear is such a foolish thing. You may recall we’ve often quoted Brendan Case here who said FEAR is an acronym for False Evidence Appearing Real. There’s an excellent example of this in the book of Wisdom, Chapter 17. The writer is recounting the mind-numbing, heart-wrenching fear that incapacitated the Egyptians as they felt the weight of God’s judgment on them for the wickedness they had committed: Wisdom 17:11-15 – 11 For wickedness is a cowardly thing, condemned by its own testimony[*] distressed by conscience, it has always exaggerated the difficulties. 12 For fear is nothing but a giving up of the helps that come from reason; 13 and hope, defeated by this inward weakness, prefers ignorance of what causes the torment. 14 But throughout the night, which was really powerless and which came upon them from the recesses of powerless Hades, they all slept the same sleep, 15 and now were driven by monstrous specters, and now were paralyzed by their souls’ surrender; for sudden and unexpected fear overwhelmed them. (*See footnote) Their testimony is as “calculated arguments, thoughts” and emphasizes reaching a personal opinion, i.e. what comes out of a personal reckoning. This is the same fallacious reasoning behind relativism (← Check it out!). “What’s true for you may not be true for me ….” It’s also part of the practice of Satisficing (↔ Click Link) which is a decision-making strategy that aims for an agreeable or tolerable result, rather than the best-possible solution. “Ehh, that’s good enough.” No, it’s not. Let me show you something to think about:

 

A Cross (↔ Music Link)

What is the first thing that comes to mind? Is it Jesus? With or without the corpus (the crucified body of Christ), does the Cross remind you of anything when you consider The Wondrous Cross (↔ Music Link)? What if that was in your mind as you prepare to listen to the Gospel – even in a non-Catholic setting? Would we remember that Jesus came to die for us every time we see a Cross – even if it’s really just a telephone pole? Do we ever take “half-a-mo'” to remember that the Fullness of God was/is/will be Jesus? Colossians 1:19 – 19 For in him all the fullness of God was pleased to dwell[†] … And what of us; what will it take to fill even us? Here is what the Apostle Paul said to the Church in Ephesus:

Ephesians 3:16-19 – 16 I pray that, according to the riches of his glory, he may grant that you may be strengthened in your inner being with power through his Spirit, 17 and that Christ may dwell in your hearts through faith, as you are being rooted and grounded in love. 18 I pray that you may have the power to comprehend, with all the saints, what is the breadth and length and height and depth, 19 and to know the love of Christ that surpasses knowledge, so that you may be filled with all the fullness of God. How does any of this relate to The Good Samaritan and the meditations of our hearts? Simply this:

We can choose to be mindful of the Cross, the Christ, and the crisis of indifference, or we can be like the Priest and the Levite and refuse to make a difference. Too often what we fail to realize is that the choice to ignore the problem is just another way to make a difference – only a negative difference. We can live with and in The Word, or just walk on by as if it doesn’t really matter because we won’t really change anything by acting on our impulse for charity. If our impulse is self-serving, then are our actions like false prophecy? If instead our minds, our lips, and are hearts are open to the flow of The Word, then we have Spirit and Life because “Your words, Lord, are Spirit and Life” (↔ Music Link). 4 There is one body and one Spirit, just as you were called to the one hope of your calling, 5 one Lord, one faith, one baptism, 6 one God and Father of all, who is above all and through all and in all. Ephesians 4:4-6 – all who know the name of God for His name is HOLY. (↔ Music Link), And whenever we are with him, then he is with us, and together we and he testify to the Truth of Charity, which is Love, empowered by FAITH – being Fully Aware I Trust Him who is my rock and my redeemer. When we are in The Word, we are where Love is, so that with HIM wherever we go there we are ALL FOUR OF US, Father Son, and Holy Spirit, in our minds, on our lips, and in our hearts all alone together together;  And the peace of God, which surpasses all understanding, will guard your hearts and your minds in Christ Jesus. That is certainly nothing to be afraid of.  It’s in the APP! Amen.

Whatever, whenever, wherever, whoever, however, if ever, forever —
at your service, Belovéd!

Please pray with us here at Share-a-Prayer.

Unless otherwise indicated, all scripture passages are from the New Revised Standard Version Catholic Edition (NRSVCE) New Revised Standard Version Bible: Catholic Edition, copyright © 1989, 1993 the Division of Christian Education of the National Council of the Churches of Christ in the United States of America. Used by permission. All rights reserved.

Biblical languages inserts from Bible Hub (Bible Hub: Search, Read, Study the Bible in Many Languages) Visit at http://biblehub.com

Creative Commons License
Aloha Friday Messages by Charles O. Todd, III is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike 3.0 Unported License

Portions based on 1928AFC071219

[*] The word used here for “testimony” is λογισμός (logismos) {log-is-mos’} thought, reasoning; false argument or reasoning, properly, “bottom-line” reasoning that reflects someone’s values, i.e. how they personally assign weight in determining what they find reasonable.

[†] πλήρωμα (plērōma) {play’-ro-mah} sum total, fullness, even (super) abundance; the body of believers, as that which is filled with the presence, power, agency, riches of God and of Christ.

Aloha Friday Message – July 1, 2022 – Testify!

July 1, 2022

2226AFC070122 – Testify!

Read it online here, please. And please – when you visit there – use one of the social media links at the bottom of the page to share this post. Thank you! And remember, we now have a READER VIEW available, so share this link or this email often. Do you know someone who enjoys Bible study, or who might like to read this? Ask them to email us or to subscribe on our blog-site.

     Luke 10:16-20 – 16 “Whoever listens to you listens to me, and whoever rejects you rejects me, and whoever rejects me rejects the one who sent me.” 17 The seventy* returned with joy, saying, “Lord, in your name even the demons submit to us!” 18 He said to them, “I watched Satan fall from heaven like a flash of lightning. 19 See, I have given you authority to tread on snakes and scorpions, and over all the power of the enemy; and nothing will hurt you. 20 Nevertheless, do not rejoice at this, that the spirits submit to you, but rejoice that your names are written in heaven.” (Emphasis added) *This is also expressed by some scholars as seventy-two.

Romans 10:17 – 17 So faith comes from what is heard, and what is heard comes through the word of Christ.

Aloha nui loa, ʻŌmea! Grace and Peace to each of you from God our Father and our Lord, Jesus the Christ, in the Power of the Holy Spirit. Surprise and OOOPSIE! I didn’t realize there was one more topic in the series I thought we had just completed. I guess we could say I got scolded a little for that. If we have so great a Gift as a Life in Christ, the “Christian thing to do” is share it! We are to testify. Jesus sent out 35 or 36 pairs of Disciples (“where 2-3 gathered are witnesses”) to share their faith by action. This was the precursor to what is referred to as the Great Commission found in Matthew 28:18-20 – 18 Then Jesus came to them and said, “All authority in heaven and on earth has been given to me. 19 Therefore go and make disciples of all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit, 20 and teaching them to obey everything I have commanded you. And surely I am with you always, to the very end of the age.” Being a witness is “part of the deal” when we repent, believe, are baptized, and receive the Gift of the Holy Spirit. Once that indelible mark of Faith in Christ is infused into one’s soul, your life – the way one behaves around other people – is no longer entirely ours; it belongs to God through Jesus the Christ in the Holy Spirit. This is a very important line of reasoning because it leads us to understanding the purpose of Salvation: Reconciliation.

Reconciliation refers to the restoration of a right relationship with God – a state of Grace. We’re still sinful, still sinners, but we are forgiven sinners. The Apostle Paul wrote about this in 2 Corinthians 5:16-19 – 16 So from now on we regard no one from a worldly point of view. Though we once regarded Christ in this way, we do so no longer. 17 Therefore, if anyone is in Christ, the new creation has come: The old has gone, the new is here! 18 All this is from God, who reconciled us to himself through Christ and gave us the ministry of reconciliation: 19 that God was reconciling the world to himself in Christ, not counting people’s sins against them. And he has committed to us the message of reconciliation. This echoes words in
Isaiah 65:17 – 17 “See, I will create
new heavens and a new earth.
The former things will not be remembered,
nor will they come to mind.

If we are newly created (a.k.a. “born again Christian”), that means we no longer idolize things and/or persons of the World, but instead think of and act in things of Heaven. Whatever there is in our lives that does not serve to worship and praise God for the Gift of Reconciliation is idolatry. Rather than continually falling into that trap, we are called to testify – to be a witness of the Grace and Goodness of God. We become the Kingdom of God whenever we testify just as we are. (↔ Music Link)

A witness (n.) is one who testifies. To witness (vt.) is to see personally in one’s present reality. A Martyr is one who gives up life for the sake of a promise to God. To martyr someone is to kill them because of their faith. In this day and age, in places around The World, hundreds – perhaps thousands or even tens of thousands – are responding to Jesus call, “Can I get a witness?” Stephen said yes. Paul said ye0s. Peter, James, John, and Bartholomew said yes. Who among us can say yes? Who will shed her/his own blood for Christ?

Not many are ready to be martyrs. Not all are called and prepared as was “My Old Friend, Abraham.” (↔ Click Link) I know some Priests who could be called bloodless martyrs or “white martyrs.” These are people who give their lives to Christ and the Body of Christ which is the Church so completely that every act, every breath, every moment is offered up as a sacrifice of adoration, thanksgiving, and praise on behalf of The Faithful and of sinners. One was a missionary in Africa, another a missionary in Chinle, AZ. Almost daily we hear of people who are martyred – not only Christians, but Muslims, Buddhists, and persons of other faiths – across Africa, Afghanistan, Myanmar (Burma) where the Rohingya-genocide occurs, Thailand, Indonesia, Guatemala, and San Salvador – all experience martyrdom, oppression, persecution, even genocide.

American Christians often cry out that we are victims of persecution. It is certainly not anything like what the experiences of millions of people elsewhere in the world experience! We hear claims that we are oppressed in our Religious Freedom because of the abuse of our FIRST AMENDMENT RIGHTS. The US Constitution certainly does provide for protection concerning religion, verbal and written expression, to assemble for cause, and the right to ask for rectification of the perceived oppression. If we were to look into who is actually being martyred here, we’d find mighty few examples. Most of what we complain about doesn’t rise even to the level of bloodless martyr. Our idea of being a witness for Christ pretty much stops at getting up in a tent-revival meeting and answering the altar call. But there are remarkable exceptions. Many of us – whether Catholic or Evangelical fundamentalists, or Buddhists, or Jews, or you-name-it-faiths – are content to quietly go to services and live unmolested about our faith when in society. We often barely have courage to “Stand Up for Jesus.” (↔ Music Link). What’s that you say? You disagree?

“Hey! Wait a minute! YOU of all people should know that we who receive these messages make our faith known daily. And you just said, not everyone is called to be a martyr.” You’re right of course. I’m “preaching to the choir.” Yes, all of us are called to witness for Christ. Not all of us are called to witness to Christ and struggle against sin “to the point of shedding blood,” as the Apostle Paul reminded us in Hebrews 12:4-11. If, then, we are called to witness – to testify, to give evidence of our faith, to be a witness to the Power of The Spirit, how will we, how do we, how can we do that better?

The World’s most favorite Saint, St. Francis of Assisi, allegedly quipped, “Preach the Gospel at all times and only if absolutely necessary, use words.” Well, whether or not he actually said that, it certainly is an ultra-brief summary of the New Testament’s admonitions to share the Gospel. I only wish to encourage you to take the dare that the Apostles took: Be the Kingdom of God. If ever we find ourselves pulling our heads into our shells like a frightened turtle at a time when we have an opportunity to testify, then we are hiding our faith, denying Christ, and missing out on the blessing of being a witness. Being a witness means being ready to “lay down one’s life for a friend.” Sometimes that’s just as simple as saying, “I’m a Christian, and I believe that _________ is wrong because it is contrary to what God has told us.” If we’re willing to compromise on something that simple, if we have to deny our cross and turn aside from The Way, then we are not the witness (↔ Music Link) Jesus called upon to leave The World behind to become The Kingdom of God.

     An important passage on this idea is found in Luke 17:20-21 – 20 Once Jesus was asked by the Pharisees when the kingdom of God was coming, and he answered, “The kingdom of God is not coming with things that can be observed; 21 nor will they say, ‘Look, here it is!’ or ‘There it is!’ For, in fact, the kingdom of God is among you.”

If the Kingdom is in you, shouldn’t everyone be able to see it all the time? It is an opportunity – and a reason – to testify. Can I get a witness?

That might be challenging if we are so fixed to the TV during sport seasons that we decide to ignore God, then use his Name in vain when our team loses. I challenge you to hear, accept, and act on The Word. The first challenge is, “Do you know some person or some location where The Word is unheard? Help pump up the volume by delivering it. Do it contemplatively through fervent prayer or actively through fervent evangelization. The second challenge is this: “Do you know someone that has heard the Word of Christ but rejected the Grace of Faith? Evangelize them. Give him or her the reward, the gift, the Grace of the Good News. Share your Testimony.” TESTIFY! (↔ Music Link)  

     Christian Fundamentalist, Christian Evangelical, Orthodox Christian, Catholic, Protestant, Universalist, Mormon, or even just “Religion-Curious,” whatever your particular persuasion, you have been called to hear, and by hearing you are called to faith, and by faith you are called to accept the Gift of Love in Christ Jesus. Did you know you can be the voice through which The Word is heard? Last week we read, “Our lives are the only Bible some people will ever read.” Beloved, consider making your life an audio-book as well as a pop-up action book. Whatever your calling in Christ, honor the Giver by accepting – and sharing – the Gift of The Living Word.

Do you have a child, a parent, a friend, a relative, a neighbor, or an acquaintance that needs to hear the Word for the first time, or hear it again? Do it now. Both of you might not have another chance later. There is a New Heaven and New Earth coming because we know full well that Jesus is coming. That’s not an “Evangelical thing,” (nor is being born again) – it is a FACT and things are looking favorable for it to be soon.

The Word summarizes these points in 1 Peter 4:7-19 – 7 The end of all things is near; therefore be serious and discipline yourselves for the sake of your prayers. 8 Above all, maintain constant love for one another, for love covers a multitude of sins. 9 Be hospitable to one another without complaining. 10 Like good stewards of the manifold grace of God, serve one another with whatever gift each of you has received. 11 Whoever speaks must do so as one speaking the very words of God; whoever serves must do so with the strength that God supplies, so that God may be glorified in all things through Jesus Christ. To him belong the glory and the power forever and ever. Amen.
12 Beloved, do not be surprised at the fiery ordeal that is taking place among you to test you, as though something strange were happening to you. 13 But rejoice insofar as you are sharing Christ’s sufferings, so that you may also be glad and shout for joy when his glory is revealed. 14 If you are reviled for the name of Christ, you are blessed, because the spirit of glory, which is the Spirit of God, is resting on you. 15 But let none of you suffer as a murderer, a thief, a criminal, or even as a mischief maker. 16 Yet if any of you suffers as a Christian, do not consider it a disgrace, but glorify God because you bear this name. 17 For the time has come for judgment to begin with the household of God; if it begins with us, what will be the end for those who do not obey the gospel of God? 18 And
“If it is hard for the righteous to be saved,
what will become of the ungodly[1] and the sinners[2]?”
19 Therefore, let those suffering in accordance with God’s will entrust themselves to a faithful Creator, while continuing to do good.
*Proverbs 11:31 – 31 If the righteous are repaid on earth,
how much more the wicked and the sinner!

Oh, most dearly Beloved! How our hearts ache for Life in, through, and with God! How much the more should our hearts ache for those who refuse him! Who will help them find LOVE? Acts 1:8 – “But you will receive power when the Holy Spirit comes on you; and you will be my witnesses in Jerusalem, and in all Judea and Samaria, and to the ends of the earth.” Let us return to the Spirit as witnesses (μάρτυρες – martyres) to testify of his LOVE. To give personal witness without holding anything back. Is your witness one that will live after you, or will the good you have done have a lasting effect? Will the evil you have done live after you, and will the good be interred with your bones? Think on that. OR will you clothe 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. (See Colossians 3:12-15) And can you top that off with what you yourself most want? Above all, clothe yourselves with love, which binds everything together in perfect harmony.

The Spirit speaks and says, “Can I get a witness?” (↔ Music Link) Well, can he? Who among us does NOT have that potential? When you enter eternity, which threshold will you be crossing? Remember, both names start with H. If you testify, your outcome will be the Best! How is the World going to hear if we do not speak?!?! Remember “Whoever listens to you listens to me”

Whatever, whenever, wherever, whoever, however, if ever, forever —
at your service, Belovéd!

Please pray with us here at Share-a-Prayer.

Unless otherwise indicated, all scripture passages are from the New Revised Standard Version Catholic Edition (NRSVCE) New Revised Standard Version Bible: Catholic Edition, copyright © 1989, 1993 the Division of Christian Education of the National Council of the Churches of Christ in the United States of America. Used by permission. All rights reserved.

Biblical languages inserts from Bible Hub (Bible Hub: Search, Read, Study the Bible in Many Languages) Visit at http://biblehub.com

Creative Commons License
Aloha Friday Messages by Charles O. Todd, III is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike 3.0 Unported License

 

[1][1] Ungodly – asebés: lack of reverence, failing to honor what is sacred – especially in the day-to-day living sense.

It is the antonym of sébomai (“respecting what is holy”)

[2] The cross reference is the verse in proverbs listed – Proverbs 11:31

Aloha Friday Message – June 24, 2022 – Eyes on the Prize

June 24, 2022

2225AFC062422 – Eyes on the Prize

Read it online here, please. And please – when you visit there – use one of the social media links at the bottom of the page to share this post. Thank you! And remember, we now have a READER VIEW available, so share this link or this email often.

Do you know someone who enjoys Bible study, or who might like to read this? Ask them to email us or to subscribe on our blog-site.

     Luke 9:62 – 62 Jesus said to him, “No one who puts a hand to the plow and looks back is fit for the kingdom of God.”

Aloha nui loa, ʻŌmea! Grace, mercy, and peace will be with us from God the Father and from our Lord Jesus Christ, the Father’s Son, in truth and love. Today we wrap up the “Invisible Series” I’ve alluded to a few times. It turns out this series is actually called “Living The Christian Life.” Now this is by no means an exhaustive list of strategies for living as a Christian, nonetheless, there is some value in understanding the package-deal we make when we surrender to God just as his Son surrendered. Jesus’ Father told him about his plan that he should “suffer greatly and be rejected by the elders, the chief priests, and the scribes, and be killed and on the third day be raised.” We know he told his Disciples these words from his Father at least three times. This Sunday we will hear how Jesus resolutely set out for Jerusalem. (See Luke 9:51 and also HERE) The idiom used here for “resolutely  is “he set his face toward Jerusalem.” Here are the parts and a brief summary of the main points –

 

Christian Life Series Titles Index Date Main point
1 Follow the leader 2217 4/29/2022 “FOLLOW ME.” I, you, we – together – must go where HE goes because he’s The Leader. WE REPENT, BELIEVE THE GOSPEL, AND FOLLOW HIM. 1, 2, 3 – EASY AS CAN BE.
2 Read the instructions 2218 5/6/2022 Truth will prevail, Love will endure, Virtue will remain unblemished for all who read the instructions, then trust and obey!
3 Do the right thing 2219 5/13/2022 God is Infinitely Just which allows him to be Infinitely Merciful because he has Perfect Integrity. His Mercy endures forever – for those who trust in his ways.
4 Give God the Glory 2220 5/20/2022 Christ willingly entered into his sacrifice. If we follow him, we have to go where he goes. Who will be next to willingly sacrifice her/his own will to the Will of the Father? I got subpoenaed. Did you? We can go and Give God the Glory!
5 Daily Complete Offering 2221 5/27/2022 “Lord, I offer me as an offering to you every day. Thank you for offering Jesus as an offering for me. With all my Love – Amen.” All you need is Love, and God offers that in abundance!
6 Call upon the Name of the Lord 2222 6/3/2022 Call in the Holy Spirit! “Come Holy Spirit” is all it takes to get started on a friendship so vast and beautiful that we’d be foolish to ignore it.
7 Wholly Holy, Lord! 2223 6/10/2022 We have God the Father, God the Son, and God the Holy Spirit who Love and cherish us – one-by-one – since the dawn of Creation which was brought about with Wisdom! That makes me want to sing Bless the Lord O my Soul (↔ Music Link).
8 Shattering Evil 2224 6/17/2022 Evil cannot overcome our Divine Fellowship if we shatter evil everywhere and every time we find it. We must “hunger and thirst for righteousness” above all else. That’s God’s APP and we gotta stick to it
9 Eyes on the Prize 2225 6/24/2022 Don’t look back if you don’t want to go back. Satan will do everything he can to distract us. “Confront the Devil and he will flee.” Eyes on the Prize!

 

I’d like to share two little stories with you from the Todd Travelogue. The first took place 6-7 years ago at Mass. Our Parochial Vicar, Fr. Rex Rilveria, started his homily by asking, “How many of you want to go to Heaven?” Scores of people raised their hands. “Very good,’ he said, “most of us want to get there! How many of you are ready to leave NOW?” Can you guess who was the onliest guy in the entire assembly to raise a hand high? The second story happened somewhere around 1989. Our son, Timothy, was invited to a “music camp” in Logan Utah. One afternoon I was thinking about some difficulties at my workplace and decided to take a walk to ponder my choices. As I approached one storefront, I saw a scrolling-lights sign that read DON’T LOOK BACK. That really shook me, because that’s exactly what I was doing! Then the sign changed and read UNLESS YOU WANT TO. Wow, that was certainly something to think about. I barely had time to file that idea away when the sign changed again and read GO BACK. DON’T LOOK BACK UNLESS YOU WANT TO GO BACK. I knew I did not want to go back to the mess I was analyzing. I knew I wanted to start heading in a new direction and make new kinds of progress. I never would have thought that a scrolling-lights sign would spell out prophecy!

ʻŌmea, is there a Prophet speaking to you today? Do you hear in your heart the irresistible affinity for God’s love and is it telling you as we learned in Isaiah 30:21 – 21 And when you turn to the right or when you turn to the left, your ears shall hear a word behind you, saying, “This is the way; walk in it.”? That word we hear is The Word. When we trust in the Lord, and we do his good will, what a glory he sheds on our way. Listen to the Prophets and we gain all that is Good. Shut them out and we lose that; but, God will still give us Blessings because he Loves us. My dear friends in Christ, let’s all go together to that Heavenly shore, walking closely together (↔ Music Link), arm-in-arm, heart-in-heart, hands holding onto Jesus as he speaks only and all that God gives him to speak. As we walk this lonesome valley, we shall listen and we will know a Prophet walks among us, too, so that we experience no loss. Perhaps Jesus will be gladdened by our stronger Faith! Here is the Apostle Paul’s description:

1 Corinthians 9:24-27 – 24 Do you not know that in a race the runners all compete, but only one receives the prize? Run in such a way that you may win it. 25 Athletes exercise self-control in all things; they do it to receive a perishable wreath, but we an imperishable one. 26 So I do not run aimlessly, nor do I box as though beating the air; 27 but I punish my body and enslave it, so that after proclaiming to others I myself should not be disqualified. And there is also this: Colossians 3:1-2 – 1 So if you have been raised with Christ, seek the things that are above, where Christ is, seated at the right hand of God. 2 Set your minds on things that are above, not on things that are on earth. (emphasis added)

There is a Prize awaiting anyone who can and will resolutely set their face toward Heaven. I mean, that’s where we want to go, right? So how is it we get distracted so often and forget we’re after the Prize and not the praise? We have to focus so that we continually have a fixed frame of reference, a spot on the horizon we use to get our bearings. The horizon is a visual resting point for our eyes. It provides us with context within the landscape. It shows us where we are, in relation to where we could be, and helps us see a path toward that goal. The horizon changes as we make progress toward that fixed goal and we see our surroundings more clearly. We get plenty of help along the way, too. There is that voice that keeps telling us, “This is the way; walk in it.” We have the companionship and fellowship (koinónia) of other believers who are sharing our sojourn in this world on the long stretch of the Road to Home.

That road can be a little wonky if we don’t pay attention! Here’s an example of what I mean. This is the meaning of Jesus’ adage about the plow. If you’re always looking back, you can’t watch the horizon. None of us who drive could get anywhere by watching only out the rear-view mirror! The Apostle Paul must have been a bit of an athlete. Here’s what he had to say about getting to the Prize in Hebrews 12:1-2 – 1 Therefore, since we are surrounded by so great a cloud of witnesses, let us also lay aside every weight and the sin that clings so closely,  and let us run with perseverance the race that is set before us, 2 looking to Jesus the pioneer and perfecter of our faith, who for the sake of the joy that was set before him endured the cross, disregarding its shame, and has taken his seat at the right hand of the throne of God.

That’s a destination based on hope. In our Old Testament reading this week, we have Elijah commissioning Elisha, and part of that story is about Elisha plowing with 12 oxen. I can’t even imagine how that could be done, but I am sure that he knew how to keep his furrows straight. He didn’t know what God would require of him, but he did know that whatever it was, he was ready to go. He destroyed his pathway back by using the wood from the plow to prepare the oxen for his family, and went to live his calling. We have been called. (↔ Click Link) Are we ready to go NOW? Is that where our future will be found? What about the past and what we leave behind? Think about this: Go out into deepest space and build a 12X12X4 wall. Everything on that side of the wall is the Past and beyond your reach. Everything on this side of the wall is the future … and beyond your reach. Don’t look back unless you want to go back. Stand on the top of the wall and look forward with eagerness to everything that will come your way for all of it will be a blessing to you if you accept it as a gift from God who gives you only the Good Gifts which you need so that you will know him better, love him more, and serve him well – all through HIS Eternal Power. If, however, you try to use your own power to bless your own life, your destination could turn out to be uncomfortable at best or even disastrous. This is a mistake we earthlings very often make.

Keep your eyes on the prize Belovéd. You can’t earn it, you can’t buy it, but you can reach it. You know what lies ahead. So did Jesus. Please read this very short passage in Wisdom 2:17-24. This passage was likely written about 50 or so years before Jesus was born; it is conceivable that he was aware of it. ʻŌmea, I heartily urge you to click on the link provided. It will show you the entire 2nd chapter of the Book of Wisdom. It is a compelling prophecy of the persecution and death of the Messiah. Please do read it, and as you do, think about the Mission of the Christ and the magnitude of his suffering in his Passion. He went that far for us. If we will follow him we will go that far, and beyond, to where he lives – Heaven. Let’s go! We will keep our eyes on the horizon and our ears tuned to that voice behind us. Here’s a little something to help you remember: Proverbs 20:12 – 12 The hearing ear and the seeing eye —
the Lord has made them both. Open My Eyes & Open my Eyes That I May See (↔ Music Links)

Unless otherwise indicated, all scripture passages are from the New Revised Standard Version Catholic Edition (NRSVCE) New Revised Standard Version Bible: Catholic Edition, copyright © 1989, 1993 the Division of Christian Education of the National Council of the Churches of Christ in the United States of America. Used by permission. All rights reserved.

Biblical languages inserts from Bible Hub (Bible Hub: Search, Read, Study the Bible in Many Languages) Visit at http://biblehub.com
Creative Commons License
Aloha Friday Messages by Charles O. Todd, III is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike 3.0 Unported License

 

Aloha Friday Message – June 17, 2022 – Shattering Evil

June 17, 2022

2224AFC061722 – Shattering Evil

Read it online here, please. And please – when you visit there – use one of the social media links at the bottom of the page to share this post. Thank you! And remember, we now have a READER VIEW available, so share this link or this email often. Do you know someone who enjoys Bible study, or who might like to read this? Ask them to email us or to subscribe on our blog-site.

    Matthew 5:6 – 6 “Blessed are those who hunger and thirst for righteousness, for they will be filled.”

OR

6 Blessed and fortunate and happy and spiritually prosperous (in that state in which the born-again child of God enjoys His favor and salvation) are those who hunger and thirst for righteousness (uprightness and right standing with God), for they shall be completely satisfied! Amplified Bible, Classic Edition (AMPC)

Copyright © 1954, 1958, 1962, 1964, 1965, 1987 by The Lockman Foundation

Grace, mercy, and peace will be with us from God the Father and from our Lord Jesus Christ, the Father’s Son, in truth and love. Aloha nui loa, ʻŌmea! Have you guessed yet how this series of posts started and when it will end? Me too! However, I am having fun getting there. And I am just delighted that you’re going there, too. Raise you hand if you know the theme of this coming Sunday’s Mass. Yep, it’s Corpus Christi time again! We actually give it as more traditional syntax by defining it as The Solemnity of the Most Holy Body and Blood of Christ. Today we will be putting together a very large string of Scripture about evil, and by the time we reach the concluding remarks, we will – I hope – better understand the astonishing POWER of the Eucharist. I’ll be using the New Revised Standard Version (Catholic Edition), but each link will give you access to at least two other versions of the same passage.

We know tha Jesus willingly sacrificed his life once for all and by doing so he completely wiped out the wages of our sins. (See 1845AFC110918 – Once is Enough) He destroyed evil, conquered death, and restored us to the innocence we had before that old snake messed us up.

“Oh, yeah? Well, look around buddy. There is a TON of evil and death out there every day, brought to us every evening on the News so we can see what the real sinners are up to.” Yes, we are seeing the effects of that tsunami of evil discussed here many times over the years, and it is terrifying! Is this the “End Time?” Or are we blessed and fortunate enough to be just experiencing the “birth pangs” of the Tribulation? (See Matthew 24:1-8)

God gave us Jesus’ willing sacrifice to counter Satan whose designation is Death. Because of Jesus, to put it in the Borg parlance, “You cannot be assimilated. Resistance is highly effective.” We can shatter evil, but first we have to know what God does about it, and then what we can do. Here is a (sort of intimidating) table to follow. In the right-most column are links I hope will spark your curiosity.
TABLE:

2224Order TEXT SITE ONLY
Deuteronomy Deuteronomy 17:2-7 – 2 If there is found among you, in one of your towns that the Lord your God is giving you, a man or woman who does what is evil in the sight of the Lord your God, and transgresses his covenant 3 by going to serve other gods and worshiping them—whether the sun or the moon or any of the host of heaven, which I have forbidden— 4 and if it is reported to you or you hear of it, and you make a thorough inquiry, and the charge is proved true that such an abhorrent thing has occurred in Israel, 5 then you shall bring out to your gates that man or that woman who has committed this crime and you shall stone the man or woman to death. 6 On the evidence of two or three witnesses the death sentence shall be executed; a person must not be put to death on the evidence of only one witness. 7 The hands of the witnesses shall be the first raised against the person to execute the death penalty, and afterward the hands of all the people. So you shall purge the evil from your midst.
1 Kings 1 Kings 21:25 The most evil King
Job Job 4:8 Reap and Sow
Psalms Psalm 35:6-8 – 6 Let their way be dark and slippery,
with the angel of the Lord pursuing them.7 For without cause they hid their net for me;
without cause they dug a pit for my life.
8 Let ruin come on them unawares.
And let the net that they hid ensnare them;
let them fall in it—to their ruinPsalm 57:6 – 6 They set a net for my steps;
my soul was bowed down.
They dug a pit in my path,
but they have fallen into it themselves. SelahPsalm 34:21 – 21 Evil brings death to the wicked,
and those who hate the righteous will be condemned.Psalm 109:7-8 – 7 When he is tried, let him be found guilty;
let his prayer be counted as sin.
8 May his days be few;
may another seize his position.		 Psalm 34:21 Evil brings death

 
Proverbs Proverbs 16:27 – 27 Scoundrels concoct evil,
and their speech is like a scorching fireProverbs 14:22 – 22 Do they not err that plan evil?
Those who plan good find loyalty and faithfulness.Proverbs 28:5 – 5 The evil do not understand justice,
but those who seek the Lord understand it completely.		 Proverbs 17:15

Proverbs 11:21

Proverbs 10:16

Proverbs 5:20

You’ll get yours

 
Isaiah Isaiah 46:4 – 4 even to your old age I am He,
even when you turn gray I will carry you.
I have made, and I will bear;
I will carry and will save. Isaiah 25:1 – 1 O Lord, you are my God;
I will exalt you, I will praise your name;
for you have done wonderful things,
plans formed of old, faithful and sure. Isaiah 49:9 – 9 saying to the prisoners, “Come out,”
to those who are in darkness, “Show yourselves.”
They shall feed along the ways,
on all the bare heights shall be their pasture;Isaiah 47:13 – 13 You are wearied with your many consultations;
let those who study the heavens
stand up and save you,
those who gaze at the stars,
and at each new moon predict
what shall befall you. 

Isaiah 65:1-2 – 1 I was ready to be sought out by those who did not ask,
to be found by those who did not seek me.
I said, “Here I am, here I am,”
to a nation that did not call on my name.
2 I held out my hands all day long
to a rebellious people,
who walk in a way that is not good,
following their own devices

 

 Isaiah 57:1-5 – 1 The righteous perish,
and no one takes it to heart;
the devout are taken away,
while no one understands.
For the righteous are taken away from calamity,
2     and they enter into peace;
those who walk uprightly
will rest on their couches.On the other hand, the end of the evildoer is well-known
3 But as for you, come here,
you children of a sorceress,
you offspring of an adulterer and a whore.
4 Whom are you mocking?
Against whom do you open your mouth wide
and stick out your tongue?
Are you not children of transgression,
the offspring of deceit—
5 you that burn with lust among the oaks,
under every green tree;
you that slaughter your children in the valleys,
under the clefts of the rocks?

 

Isaiah 29:17-21 – 17 Shall not Lebanon in a very little while
become a fruitful field,
and the fruitful field be regarded as a forest?
18 On that day the deaf shall hear
the words of a scroll,
and out of their gloom and darkness
the eyes of the blind shall see.
19 The meek shall obtain fresh joy in the Lord,
and the neediest people shall exult in the Holy One of Israel.
20 For the tyrant shall be no more,
and the scoffer shall cease to be;
all those alert to do evil shall be cut off—
21 those who cause a person to lose a lawsuit,
who set a trap for the arbiter in the gate,
and without grounds deny justice to the one in the right.

 

Isaiah 32:6 – 6 For fools speak folly,
and their minds plot iniquity:
to practice ungodliness,
to utter error concerning the Lord,
to leave the craving of the hungry unsatisfied,
and to deprive the thirsty of drink.

Isaiah 3:11 – 11 Woe to the guilty! How unfortunate they are,
for what their hands have done shall be done to them.

Isaiah 13:11 – 1 I will punish the world for its evil,
and the wicked for their iniquity;
I will put an end to the pride of the arrogant,
and lay low the insolence of tyrants.
Jeremiah Jeremiah 13:23
It ain’t easy!
Matthew Matthew 25:41
Exit stage left
Matthew 16:27
and get it all
Mark Mark 16:16
Repent and believe
Luke Luke 12:5 – 5 But I will warn you whom to fear: fear him who, after he has killed, has authority to cast into hell. Yes, I tell you, fear him!
Romans Romans 1:24-28 – 24 Therefore God gave them up in the lusts of their hearts to impurity, to the degrading of their bodies among themselves, 25 because they exchanged the truth about God for a lie and worshiped and served the creature rather than the Creator, who is blessed forever! Amen.

26 For this reason God gave them up to degrading passions. Their women exchanged natural intercourse for unnatural, 27 and in the same way also the men, giving up natural intercourse with women, were consumed with passion for one another. Men committed shameless acts with men and received in their own persons the due penalty for their error.

28 And since they did not see fit to acknowledge God, God gave them up to a debased mind and to things that should not be done.

Romans 13:1-4 – 1 Let every person be subject to the governing authorities; for there is no authority except from God, and those authorities that exist have been instituted by God. 2 Therefore whoever resists authority resists what God has appointed, and those who resist will incur judgment. 3 For rulers are not a terror to good conduct, but to bad. Do you wish to have no fear of the authority? Then do what is good, and you will receive its approval; 4 for it is God’s servant for your good. But if you do what is wrong, you should be afraid, for the authority does not bear the sword in vain! It is the servant of God to execute wrath on the wrongdoer.
1 Corinthians 1 Corinthians 6:9-11 – 9 Do you not know that wrongdoers will not inherit the kingdom of God? Do not be deceived! Fornicators, *idolaters, adulterers, male prostitutes, sodomites, 10 thieves, the greedy, drunkards, revilers, robbers—none of these will inherit the kingdom of God. 11 And this is what some of you used to be. But you were washed, you were sanctified, you were justified in the name of the Lord Jesus Christ and in the Spirit of our God. * consensual sexual intercourse between a man and especially a single woman who are not married to each other; “shacking up,”  “hooking up; ” just living together”
Colossians Colossians 3:2 – 2 Set your minds on things that are above, not on things that are on earth,
1 Peter 1 Peter 3:8-12 – 8 Finally, all of you, have unity of spirit, sympathy, love for one another, a tender heart, and a humble mind. 9 Do not repay evil for evil or abuse for abuse; but, on the contrary, repay with a blessing. It is for this that you were called—that you might inherit a blessing. 10 For

“Those who desire life
and desire to see good days,
let them keep their tongues from evil
and their lips from speaking deceit;
11 let them turn away from evil and do good;
let them seek peace and pursue it.
12 For the eyes of the Lord are on the righteous,
and his ears are open to their prayer.
But the face of the Lord is against those who do evil.”

(Based on Psalms 34:12-16)

That should give a good idea of what God thinks about evil, what he will do about it, and what we can do to shatter it. Our communion is with God in and through Jesus by the power of the Holy Spirit. 2 Peter 1:4 says 4 Thus he has given us, through these things, his precious and very great promises, so that through them you may escape from the corruption that is in the world because of lust, and may become participants of the divine nature. Evil cannot overcome that Divine Fellowship if we shatter evil everywhere and every time we find it. We must “hunger and thirst for righteousness” above all else. That’s God’s APP and we gotta stick to it!

Whatever, whenever, wherever, whoever, however, if ever, forever —
at your service, Belovéd!
Please pray with us here at Share-a-Prayer.

Unless otherwise indicated, all scripture passages are from the New Revised Standard Version Catholic Edition (NRSVCE) New Revised Standard Version Bible: Catholic Edition, copyright © 1989, 1993 the Division of Christian Education of the National Council of the Churches of Christ in the United States of America. Used by permission. All rights reserved.

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Aloha Friday Messages by Charles O. Todd, III is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike 3.0 Unported License

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