Aloha Friday Message – October 9, 2020 – The Few and the Many

October 9, 2020

2041AFC100920 – The Few and the Many

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.

    Matthew 22:14 – 14 For many are called, but few are chosen.

Matthew 20:16 – 16 So the last will be first, and the first last. For many are called, but few are chosen. World English Bible (WEB)  by Public Domain.

Matthew 20:28 – 28 just as the Son of Man came not to be served but to serve, and to give his life a ransom for many.

The grace of the Lord Jesus Christ and the love of God and the fellowship of the Holy Spirit be with all of you. Today I ask you to look at The Parable of the King’s Wedding Feast. In this parable, Jesus tells about a King who prepared an elaborate wedding banquet. Many guests were invited. I described this a few years ago in “1343AFC102513 – Accountability?”, and I’m going to put just a few lines of that post here:

In the Parable of the King’s Wedding Feast in Matthew 22:1-14, the King’s invited guests snubbed him, so he ordered his servants to bring in strangers, stragglers, and seat them for the banquet. Then there is a strange incident of a man who did not wear a wedding garment. How could he? He was drafted as an impromptu guest. Yet the other impromptu guests were prepared. What does this mean? How does one prepare for the Wedding Banquet of our King? What is our “wedding garment?” First of all, it is our repentance. The man had not changed his apparel before entering the feast and for that he was kicked out. He was called but not chosen because he dishonored the call. He had not changed before entering the feast; the unrepentant also have not changed and are not prepared for the Wedding Banquet in Heaven. There’s no excuse for being unprepared because Christ the King has given us everything we need to enter in. This was a longstanding tradition for the Jews. Weddings went on for days, included much feasting and dancing, many gifts (including little crowns), and a wedding garment.

The family giving the wedding gave all the guests a special garment to wear at the wedding feast. One guy in this parable showed up without the freely-given garment; this was a terrible insult, worse even than those who were the first invited and then later refused to come to the wedding at all. The point of the lesson is that God give us everything we need, every “good and perfect gift,” to make it easier to answer his call. Many are called; not all accept. Who are “the many” who are called?

In our Key Verse section we see “many are called but few are chosen,” and “… to give his life a ransom for many.” This is another of those passages we often gloss over and don’t ponder its meaning. Now, for many, many years I figured Jesus Christ died for everyone and that all the world would be saved. That was kinda dumb, because it is not scriptural. I had placed my logic – faulty as it was – in The Most Famous Bible Passage. You know it by heart probably, or at least part of it. It looks like this:

John 3:13-19 – 13 No one has ascended into heaven except the one who descended from heaven, the Son of Man. 14 And just as Moses lifted up the serpent in the wilderness, so must the Son of Man be lifted up, 15 that whoever believes in him may have eternal life.

16 “For God so loved the world that he gave his only Son, so that everyone who believes in him may not perish but may have eternal life.

17 “Indeed, God did not send the Son into the world to condemn the world, but in order that the world might be saved through him. 18 Those who believe in him are not condemned; but those who do not believe are condemned already, because they have not believed in the name of the only Son of God. 19 And this is the judgment, that the light has come into the world, and people loved darkness rather than light because their deeds were evil.

In my own “economy of the Scripture,” I thought, “Well, the whole World could be saved, but in actuality only those who believe will be saved.” Not everyone who hears the Word – and the Word is God’s call to repentance and salvation – will answer that call or respond to the Word by believing it. Those people will not be on the right side of eternity. But, why does Jesus keep saying “many?” Here’s another example, and a little better look at what “many” means:

Matthew 26:27-28 – 27 Then he took a cup, and after giving thanks he gave it to them, saying, “Drink from it, all of you; 28 for this is my blood of the covenant, which is poured out for many* for the forgiveness of sins.

* πολλῶν (pollon) from πολύς (polus) {pol-oos’} – signifies ‘many, numerous’; with the article it is said of a multitude as being numerous or abundant, plenteous; many, a large part of mankind. This is similar to the Hebrew word רַב (rab) {rab} – much, abundant, abounding, great or great in numbers. “Ah-HA,” he chortled with joy, “there it is!” There will be Salvation for all who believe, and there will be many who are saved. That is such GREAT news! Well, except for one thing. Those MANY, that multitude, that abundance of people is the group chosen, and they are described as “few.” Ooopsie. “Many are called, but few are chosen.” In the Good News Translation (GNT) for Matthew 22:14, it says “Many are invited but few are chosen.” If the chosen are a multitude, and “the last will be first, and the first last,” then what does that mean about the size of the group not chosen, not responding to the Word, not wearing the Wedding Garment for the King’s Banquet? If the many are the few, then all the rest must be … myriads? In Revelation 5:11 we read of “myriads of myriads and thousands of thousands” surrounding God’s Throne, the Four Living Creatures and the Elders. That expression is used to describe what cannot be numbered as in “billions upon billions,” or “gazillions and gazillions,” or a “googolplex with a googolplex.” (A googolplex is 1010 to the power of a googol. In other words, that’s 10 to the power of 10 to the power of 100. You could never write that down because it would take more time than the universe has existed and more paper than the universe could hold to write it down.) The multitude of believers is humongous, but compared to the group of nonbelievers, the believers are “The Few.” We could think of it like a math expression:

Many – Few = Myriads

The Many minus The Few = Myriads and Myriads

Well, that’s surprising. Or is it? In our society – the whole society of the World – we have a pretty lax view of what’s Good and what’s Evil. There’s a soft, wide, gray area between those opposites. Everything in Scripture tells us God doesn’t see it that way. From the moment Abram was chosen by El Shaddai-Olam to be the Patriarch of God’s Chosen People right up to the very second you are reading this sentence, myriads of souls have turned away from God. God chose Israel to be a light to the nations, a clear example of the power, the goodness, and the means by which God’s salvation will reach to the ends of the earth. (See Isaiah 49:1-6). The population of the Nation of Israel was few compared to the population of the many nations outside of Israel. It was and is the mission of Israel to demonstrate God’s lovingkindness – his Mercy and Grace – and to be the agent of God’s plan for Salvation – the Advent of God’s Messiah. What does this mean for “we few” who follow Christ?

We are called (invited? Yea, commanded) to carry on the mission of Israel. We must be the light that drives away the darkness and draws all to God’s Perfect Integrity, Endless Mercy and Eternal Salvation through Christ Our Lord. We are called to witness, to testify, to be Μάρτυς (martus) {mar’-toos}  meaning a witness; an eye- or ear-witness; one who testifies. You may recognize it as the root of the English word martyr. “Your mission, should you choose to accept it, is to … .” To do what? To carry The Light to the Nations is just one thing – and there are few who take up that mission. Those who do so find they are carrying a cross of their own making to a death of their own choosing. The question before us, then, is “Will that death lead to eternal Life or eternal Death?” Can we be “the few, the humble, the faithful?” Are we ready, willing, and able to be Priest, Prophet, and King “a chosen people, a royal priesthood, a holy nation, God’s special possession, that you may declare the praises of him who called you out of darkness into his wonderful light.”? (See 1 Peter 2:9) We are the few, and we can be the chosen if we testify. What comes of that Nation who lives for and serves God? Look what the Apostle Paul said in Romans 11:2-6 – 2 God has not rejected his people whom he foreknew. Do you not know what the scripture says of Elijah, how he pleads with God against Israel? 3 “Lord, they have killed your prophets, they have demolished your altars; I alone am left, and they are seeking my life.” 4 But what is the divine reply to him? “I have kept for myself seven thousand who have not bowed the knee to Baal.” 5 So too at the present time there is a remnant, chosen by grace. 6 But if it is by grace, it is no longer on the basis of works, otherwise grace would no longer be grace.

We, the few, are called through Grace upon Grace (← Check it out!). That is enough. Let’s put on our gift of his Wedding Garment and head for the Banquet Hall. We Are Called. (↔ Music Link) Our best response is “Hear I Am, Lord.” (↔ Music Link) And meanwhile, let us also go out to the byways, alleys, and streets and bring in the many who are called but refused to answer. Who knows how many – or how few – of them will also accept a wedding garment? You are 100% correct! God knows, and he’s counting on us to make it happen.

READ THIS: Isaiah 59:10-15!

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

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

 

Aloha Friday Message – October 2, 2020 – Think about these things

October 2, 2020

2040AFC100220 – Think about these things

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.

    Philippians 4:6-9 – 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.

8 Finally, Belovéd, whatever is true, whatever is honorable, whatever is just, whatever is pure, whatever is pleasing, whatever is commendable, if there is any excellence and if there is anything worthy of praise, think about these things. 9 Keep on doing the things that you have learned and received and heard and seen in me, and the God of peace will be with you.

¡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!) Today will be another session that is mostly Scripture. The question to be dealt with is, “What can we do?” There is so much anger, turmoil, even outright evil happening today. What are we to do about that? What do we think about what’s happening? What are we doing to change it? Perhaps the most important question we should be asking is, “How did we arrive at this?!?! Let’s start with admitting that all of this is nothing new.

Ecclesiastes 1:9 – 9 What has been is what will be, and what has been done is what will be done; there is nothing new under the sun. As I researched this, I remembered a snippet from a sermon for long ago: “When Adam bit the apple, he got the bite with the worm in it – the worm of death.” We know that sin and death are inextricably linked. The sin and evil, the chaos and destruction, the hopelessness and anger by which we are surrounded are not unprecedented. Perhaps the only precedent we are experiencing is the magnitude of these things, a magnitude that is reminiscent of the 430 years Israel was incubating in Egypt while Canaan devolved into absolute putrefaction. When with America hit that mark? Are we there yet? Let’s look back to what the Lord said to Abram in Genesis 15:13-16 – 13 Then the Lord said to Abram, “Know this for certain, that your offspring shall be aliens in a land that is not theirs, and shall be slaves there, and they shall be oppressed for four hundred years; 14 but I will bring judgment on the nation that they serve, and afterward they shall come out with great possessions. 15 As for yourself, you shall go to your ancestors in peace; you shall be buried in a good old age. 16 And they shall come back here in the fourth generation; for the iniquity of the Amorites is not yet complete.” God says he will not drive out the Amorites until they become so wicked that all hope of repentance and redemption is lost and they must be punished. I know there are people reading this that think perhaps all of these goings-on are God’s punishment. I’ll not try to counsel God, so I’m just going to say that if that’s what he has in mind, I’m all for it. Even if this is “just the birth pangs” before things go completely destructo-mite, I believe and accept that none of this could happen without God allowing it. I do wonder, though, if we might be coming up on that demarcation-line where God says, “Well, that’s it. You’re done. There’s nothing new under the sun, you know.”

In that case, there’s a passage from the Prophet Micah that we might want to look into: Micah 7:2-7 – 2 The faithful have disappeared from the land, and there is no one left who is upright; they all lie in wait for blood, and they hunt each other with nets. 3 Their hands are skilled to do evil; the official and the judge ask for a bribe, and the powerful dictate what they desire; thus they pervert justice. 4 The best of them is like a brier, the most upright of them a thorn hedge. The day of their sentinels, of their punishment, has come; now their confusion is at hand. 5 Put no trust in a friend, have no confidence in a loved one; guard the doors of your mouth from her who lies in your embrace; 6 for the son treats the father with contempt, the daughter rises up against her mother, the daughter-in-law against her mother-in-law; your enemies are members of your own household. 7 But as for me, I will look to the Lord, I will wait for the God of my salvation; my God will hear me. Does that sound familiar? It’s a bit like what’s going on today, I submit. It might sound familiar because Jesus quoted this passage referring to himself in Luke 12:48c-53 – 48c “Much is required from the person to whom much is given; much more is required from the person to whom much more is given. 49 I came to set the earth on fire, and how I wish it were already kindled! 50 I have a baptism to receive, and how distressed I am until it is over! 51 Do you suppose that I came to bring peace to the world? No, not peace, but division. 52 From now on a family of five will be divided, three against two and two against three. 53 Fathers will be against their sons, and sons against their fathers; mothers will be against their daughters, and daughters against their mothers; mothers-in-law will be against their daughters-in-law, and daughters-in-law against their mothers-in-law.” Good News Translation (GNT)[1] As individuals, we know we are blessed with much, and hopefully we thank and honor God for all our gifts – our charisms – by accepting and using those gifts. We who love and serve the Lord should know that’s doing the right thing. It is those who do not love and serve the Lord that seem to be bringing us closer to the fullness of iniquity. Have the faithful truly disappeared? Are they just too silent, too hidden, too complacent perhaps? Some view the World as being afire with the Holy Spirit. Others say the Holy Spirit as left the World, left the Church, and left us to await the Doom ahead brought on by the godless heathens who are destroying all that is good. Where is the wisdom we need to turn this around?

I truly hope you are recalling the several times we have mentioned James 1:5 – 5 If any of you is lacking in wisdom, ask God, who gives to all generously and ungrudgingly, and it will be given you. Sometimes we are unwilling to pay the price for Wisdom. God does give it generously to all who ask, so how can there be a price for it? The price we pay is to use the Gifts with which God graces us. The Gifts are ours to use or lose. When we use those gifts, we profit by that. When we disdain those gifts … well, let’s just say there’s no profit in that. Here’s one way to look at it:  Sirach 4:11-18 – 11 Wisdom takes care of those who look for her; she raises them to greatness. 12 Loving her is loving life itself; rising early to look for her is pure joy. 13 Anyone who obtains Wisdom will be greatly honored. Wherever he goes, the Lord will bless him. 14 Wisdom’s servants are the servants of the Holy One, and the Lord loves everyone who loves her. 15 Those who obey her will give sound judgments; those who pay attention to her have true security. 16 Put your trust in Wisdom, and you will possess her and pass her on to your descendants. 17 At first, Wisdom will lead you along difficult paths. She will make you so afraid that you will think you cannot go on. The discipline she demands will be tormenting, and she will put you to the test with her requirements until she trusts you completely. 18 Then she will come to you with no delay, reveal her secrets to you, and make you happy.

So, Belovéd, what would Wisdom tell us in this current mess we’re in? Wisdom will tell us that patience is the virtue of the Wise. The Worldly will watch as the righteous’ lives end and believe they have triumphed. But see here what Wisdom says of that:

Wisdom 4:16-17 – 16 The righteous who have died will condemn the ungodly who are living, and youth that is quickly perfected [ended] will condemn the prolonged old age of the unrighteous. 17 For they will see the end of the wise, and will not understand what the Lord purposed for them, and for what he kept them safe. Is the Parousia just around the corner? Will there be weeping and gnashing of teeth where there is now rebellion and desecration? Belovéd, you’ve heard this before: “God knows, but he’s not tellin’.” What do we do? We live in the Promise. We trust in the Lord. We do the right thing. We test the spirits; which spirits produce things that are good, and which spirits produce things that are bad? We seek Wisdom and her discipline. We honor the Giver by accepting the Gift. We pray for the hearts and minds that are deceived. We discern what is good, and follow all that points to the Love of God in Christ Jesus. We never, never, never, never give up Hope! We place Faith as our mast, and Love as our sail, and with Wisdom as our rudder we follow the course laid out in Scripture. We stop all the worry, because Why worry when you can pray? (↔ Music Link). Here is the secret to finding that Wisdom:

     Finally, Belovéd, whatever is true, whatever is honorable, whatever is just, whatever is pure, whatever is pleasing, whatever is commendable, if there is any excellence and if there is anything worthy of praise, think about these things. We know these things are true because We Have Been Told (↔ Music Link). Jesus has overcome the World, and the World cannot overcome us when we are in Jesus. Remember John 16:33 – 33 “I have said this to you, so that in me you may have peace. In the world you face persecution. But take courage; I have conquered the world!” Remember also that the Apostle John has told us in 1 John 4:1-6 – 41 Beloved, do not believe every spirit, but test the spirits to see whether they are from God; for many false prophets have gone out into the world. 2 By this you know the Spirit of God: every spirit that confesses that Jesus Christ has come in the flesh is from God, 3 and every spirit that does not confess* Jesus is not from God. And this is the spirit of the antichrist, of which you have heard that it is coming; and now it is already in the world. 4 Little children, you are from God, and have conquered them; for the one who is in you is greater than the one who is in the world. 5 They are from the world; therefore what they say is from the world, and the world listens to them. 6 We are from God. Whoever knows God listens to us, and whoever is not from God does not listen to us. From this we know the spirit of truth and the spirit of error. *Literally dissolves, annuls, or severs.

Stick with the good stuff and you’ll be much better off. If it sounds too good to be true, it probably is a lie. If it sounds like it’s not true, don’t go there, and the peace of God, which surpasses all understanding, will guard your hearts and your minds in Christ Jesus. Now that’s Wisdom!

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

 

[1]  Scripture quotations marked (GNT) are from the Good News Translation in Today’s English Version- Second Edition Copyright © 1992 by American Bible Society. Used by Permission

Aloha Friday Message – September 25, 2020 – Do Our Minds Mind?

September 25, 2020

2039AFC092520 – Do Our Minds Mind?

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.

    Philippians 2:5 – 5 Let the same mind be in you that was in Christ Jesus 

    Colossians 3:2-4 – 2 Set your minds on things that are above, not on things that are on earth, 3 for you have died, and your life is hidden with Christ in God. 4 When Christ who is your life is revealed, then you also will be revealed with him in glory.

The grace of the Lord Jesus Christ and the love of God and the fellowship of the Holy Spirit be with all of you. My family and I thank you for the many comments of support made as we celebrate the Life of Paula Lee Belau-Todd. Such expressions of love and caring are deeply appreciated and demonstrate how we can indeed be like-minded in things that are important to everyone’s heart. Being like-minded can be pretty tough these days. There’s an old adage about not having too coins to rub together; it is an expression of extreme poverty. Today, I feel we can paraphrase that by saying some folks haven’t two kind thoughts to rub together. I heard another paraphrase regarding all the violence surrounding us that said something about two brain cells. It is very difficult in some places to find someone with whom we agree on virtually everything. I’d like to pursue that a bit today, so let’s start off with some of the ways we use “mind.” I was surprised at how may idioms there are that are based on that word. Here we go!

Mind – Noun

  1. Awareness of self to think, feel, choose
  2. Intellect
  3. Attention or attentiveness
  4. The seat of reason, remembrance, and imagination

Mind – Verb

  1. Care, object, careful
  2. Show concern; ascribe importance
  3. Express cautionary warning
  4. Obedience and/or remembrance
  5. Watch over
  6. Follow an inclination to act

And we all recognize these expressions:

  • Bear in mind – apply learned precepts to actions
  • Be of two minds – duplicitous, uncertain, indecisive
  • Be of one mind – concurrence, share an opinion, consensus
  • Closed mind – decline to acknowledge or consider
  • Come to mind – to remember or create a thought or idea
  • Don’t mind – accept an offer
  • A piece of mind – usually an angry castigation
  • Peace of mind – resolution or acceptance
  • A mind to act – an inclination to behave in a certain way
  • In my mind’s eye – imagined view or viewpoint
  • On my mind – reoccupied with someone or something
  • Out of my mind – crazy, loss of mental sense

A mind is a terrible thing to waste. Do you mind? Why won’t you mind? Mind your manners. Make up your mind. Mind your P’s and Q’s. Mind the cat. Mind your parents. Don’t mind me. Mind if I cut in? Don’t you mind? My mind is blank. Keep in mind what I said.

That last one, for me, is a keeper because in it I hear Jesus talking to my heart and my mind. “Remember what I told you.” “Do this in remembrance of me.” And the most important thing he said:

John 13:34 – 34 I give you a new commandment, that you love one another. Just as I have loved you, you also should love one another. And John 15:12 – 12 This is my commandment, that you love one another as I have loved you.

I’m going to pull up something from 1844AFC110218 – Me First that addresses that. I invite you to follow that link to see the full context.

Leviticus 19:18b – … you shall love your neighbor as yourself

Romans 13:8b – … the one who loves another has fulfilled the law. (Which is the above commandment in Leviticus.)

1 John 3:11 – 11 For this is the message you have heard from the beginning, that we should love one another.

1 Corinthians 16:14 – 14 Let all that you do be done in love.

1 John 4:7-8 – 7 Beloved, let us love one another, because love is from God; everyone who loves is born of God and knows God. 8 Whoever does not love does not know God, for God is love.

1 John 4:16 – 16 So we have known and believe the love that God has for us. God is love, and those who abide in love abide in God, and God abides in them.

2 John 1:6 – 6 And this is love, that we walk according to his commandments; this is the commandment just as you have heard it from the beginning—you must walk in it.

What, then, is the same mind – the same attitude some translations say – that was in Christ? “Love each other as I have loved you.”  When he says “as I have” it means just as, or in the same way as – in Greek καθὼς [kathos] (kath-oce) – in exactly the same manner, to precisely the same degree, to the complete extent, and in a way that is identical to HIS LOVE. We could go back to the identity expression we have used in the past when we said

LIGHT ≡ GOD ≡ LOVE ≡ TRUTH ≡ WAY ≡ LIFE ≡ FOREVER

We can therefore understand Jesus is telling us it should be

YOUR LOVE FOR EACH OTHER ≡ MY LOVE FOR YOU

This is a tough one for anyone to deal with, especially one who takes seriously (or at least makes an honest effort to) the command to “love your neighbor as yourself.” I am here to tell you that if I am to be the measuring stick of love, most of the rest of the world is not going to appreciate the way I love them; I’m not particularly fond of me most days, and that makes the folks around me come up a bit short of what love they deserve. I came to a little better resolution of this question – how do I love me – in C. S. Lewis’ book Mere Christianity. In Book 3, Chapters 7 & 9,  Lewis discusses how this kind of love does not necessarily mean we view our enemy as a nice person. In fact, if we are going to lovingly forgive (or forgivingly love) or enemies, we have to lovingly forgive the main operator in this transaction: Us. If I cannot forgive me, cannot love me, cannot be in the same room as me without being completely irritated by being stuck with ME, then I can be pretty sure that genuinely loving someone else who irritates me is going to be such a big challenge that I will certainly see the value of “throwing in the towel.”

I cannot in good conscience do that because it means giving up on the Love and Forgiveness I have in Christ Jesus. This is because we must remember that Love is not a feeling – it is an action. I may not feel all that good about my own behavior or feel affection for some rioter tearing about town like a maniac, but I can desire to think well of myself for at least trying to do the right thing. That is loving myself by wanting what is best for my well-being – or to put it more clearly, I love myself best when I do things for me that make me well. If we think about that, we can love our neighbors in that same way – we work for those things which will keep them well. I don’t (probably won’t) claim an anarchist as a bosom buddy, but s/he can certainly be included in my prayers for Peace, for understanding among all persons and Peoples, and thereby be valued as created by God. If God values that person, so must I. Except, I forget that way too often!

When I forget to love others as Christ has loved them, always looking for the Good in and for them, I do not simply overlook their failings and run over to give them a hug. We know that, for some folks, that is the very thing they abhor because, as the Apostle Paul wrote to Titus, Titus 1:15 – 15 To the pure all things are pure, but to the corrupt and unbelieving nothing is pure. Their very minds and consciences are corrupted. We think differently, and – wouldn’t you know it – the Apostle Paul covers that as well in Philippians 3:14-16 – 14 I press on toward the goal for the prize of the heavenly call of God in Christ Jesus. 15 Let those of us then who are mature be of the same mind; and if you think differently about anything, this too God will reveal to you. 16 Only let us hold fast to what we have attained. Do you ever find that all the truly difficult things going on around the World just occupy your thoughts nearly constantly? Wouldn’t it be great if we had something or someone else to keep in mind? How about this? Colossians 3:2-4 – 2 Set your minds on things that are above, not on things that are on earth, 3 for you have died, and your life is hidden with Christ in God. 4 When Christ who is your life is revealed, then you also will be revealed with him in glory. We are, in these perilous times, assaulted from every side by evil, by natural and man-made disasters, by disease, war, famine, fear, and even by our own consciences. It can seem as if this is the worst the World has ever been, and that if it got any worse, it would surely trigger “The Last Days,” that eschatological event every Christian expects (and probably, because of conscience, dreads). I’m going to stick in another link here because it will lead you to a 16-verse passage I entreat you to read: Romans 1:16-32. I posted that passage to Facebook last week; it was pretty much ignored. Nonetheless, if you will (PLEASE) read it, you will recognize many of the things that are happening right now, today, right in our midst. The sort of people who do the things the Apostle Paul describes in that passage live all around us. Some of them are family members, some of them are friends, some of them are neighbors, and – most regrettably – some of them are us. What then shall we do, or what can we do?

Let the same mind be in you that was in Christ Jesus. “Love one another as I have loved you.” (↔ Music Link) We must not give our hearts over to feelings of compassion that stop just short of being love-in-action. Instead, we must and can press on toward the goal for the prize of the heavenly call of God in Christ Jesus. Do you mind doing that for yourself? Would you mind doing that for me? Can we, together, mind what Jesus said about Love? Do our minds mind – do they matter, do they obey, do they love, do they help hope … do they? To master the question of how our hearts and minds can be held in that Peace which surpasses all understanding (← Check it out!), we can all benefit from this very powerful prayer which millions use every day to reaffirm the Love of God, the love of self, and the love of one another:

Belovéd, do you mind sharing this post with other minds? Thanks. Because  14 Let all that you do be done in love.

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

Aloha Friday Message – September 18, 2020 – Truly Right and Just

September 18, 2020

2038AFC091820 – Truly Right and Just

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.

    Matthew 20:4 – 4 and he said to them, ‘You also go into the vineyard, and I will pay you whatever is right*.’ So they went.

Matthew 20:13 – 13 But he replied to one of them, ‘Friend, I am doing you no wrong*; did you not agree with me for the usual daily wage? (a denarius†)

* δίκαιον (dikaion) {dik’-ah-yon} dikaion Whatsoever is right; just and fair; correct, righteous, by implication innocent especially, just in the eyes of God; upright, virtuous, honest, especially, just in the eyes of God. This word in Scripture describes what is in conformity to God’s own being.

† 1 Denarius ↓ showing the image of Tiberius Caesar, Emperor in Jesus’ day. The coin was silver, originally the payment for 10 donkeys – decem (10) → deni (10s) → denarius nummus (ten donkeys) → Denarius. It was the common wage for a day’s work by a soldier or itinerant laborer. It was considered “the usual payment” sufficient for subsistence. Something like “an honest dollar for an honest day’s work.” This is the wage the first workers expected when they started working for the land owner in The Parable of the Workers in the Vineyard in Matthew 20:1-16. This could also be called The Parable of the Compassionate Employer. In many translations, there is an additional statement at the end of the parable that says, “For many are called, but few chosen.” (See Matthew 20:16 and search for “chosen.”)

If you remember this parable, you will recall the owner of a vineyard went outside his gate early in the morning to find laborers to work. He hired several who were nearby and told them he would pay them “what is right.” A little later he looked for more workers – around 9:00, and several more started working being assured they would be paid “whatever is right.” Then he made two more trips – one around noon and one at 3:00 – and sent others to help those already in the vineyard. As evening drew nigh, the owner called his foreman and told him to assemble the workers to pay them and to start with the last ones hired. To the great surprise of those workers, they received a full day’s pay for their work. They were likely expecting to be paid less on a prorated basis, but instead they got one denarius, the fair and usual pay for a full day of work. Next came the group hired at noon, then the ones hired at 9:00, and lastly the ones who started early in the morning. All of them received a full denarius. It was unheard of to pay people “more than they were worth.”

One of the laborers stepped up and told the boss he thought that it was unfair that he should get “only” 1 denarius when he had worked the full day while the guys who had worked the least – only an hour or so also got a full-day’s wages. The owner told him, “You agreed to work for a fair wage and I have treated you fairly. You got exactly what we agreed to. I told these others I would ‘pay them whatever is right,’ and I have done that. Are you angry with me because I choose to be generous? It’s my money, isn’t it? Shouldn’t I be able to use it as I see fit?” Jesus’ concluding statement is perhaps a bit cryptic: 16 So the last will be first, and the first will be last. There was no prorated reimbursement for work done in that vineyard on that day. That’s also the way it works with God. He always rewards us with what is right and just; we never get too much or too little, but always what God’s generosity provides. And who can fault God’s generosity? The sun shines and the rain falls on the just and on the unjust (Matthew 5:45) because God is generous. But he is also fair. The righteous receive the reward of life with God. The unrighteous do not. Our Responsorial Psalm for Sunday comes from Psalm 145. There we find Psalm 145:17-20 – 17 The Lord is just in all his ways, and kind in all his doings. 18 The Lord is near to all who call on him, to all who call on him in truth. 19 He fulfills the desire of all who fear him; he also hears their cry, and saves them. 20 The Lord watches over all who love him, but all the wicked he will destroy.

In some of my research for these topics, I’ve read how certain scholars have figured out that those who live the most righteous life receive the highest rewards in Heaven. Maybe instead of a room they get upgraded to a suite, or instead of a suite they get a condo, or beyond that a real castle or palace. Whoever is most unrighteous receives emptiness – the Second Death. God knows what we do, what we say, what we think even before we do, and there is no one who can be more familiar with us than God is. We also know God is present in every aspect of life. Now, these laborers most likely knew the fellow who owned the vineyard. He must have been pretty flush with money because he had a BIG vineyard and hired “plenty people” to work in it. They knew who he was and what he could afford, and they trusted him when he said, “I’ll pay you what is fair if you come to work for me.” They knew he was good for the money because he had a good reputation in the community. These days, I think that is less true for God’s reputation! Too many people these days think like this: “God HAD BETTER give me what I want, or I’m going to destroy everything he’s done!” These are the folks who “conveniently overlook” that part which says “but all the wicked he will destroy.”

Belovéd, I confess I watch daily for that destruction to be carried out. Most of the people I love also love God enough to be obedient to his Word. Those who do not love God in that way are remembered in my daily list of prayers as I pray for “their deep and lasting conversion.” If you read these messages, you, too, have a thirst for souls, and you also know that the towering tsunami of evil washing over us now is a prelude to the massive suffering, pain, distress, fear, hardship, and misery that seems to be just days away. We believe God will protect us. We believe God will save us and destroy the evil. We trust that God’s mercy will shield us from his wrath. We place our hope in our God who always is and always does everything that is “truly right and just.” But, we need to be cautious about our certainty.

You may remember Mark 1:16-20 – 16 As Jesus passed along the Sea of Galilee, he saw Simon and his brother Andrew casting a net into the sea—for they were fishermen. 17 And Jesus said to them, “Follow me and I will make you fish for people.” 18 And immediately they left their nets and followed him. 19 As he went a little farther, he saw James son of Zebedee and his brother John, who were in their boat mending the nets. 20 Immediately he called them; and they left their father Zebedee in the boat with the hired men, and followed him. Hm. “For many are called, but few chosen.” Now, think about the guys loitering in the town square outside the vineyard. The owner came out several times to hire workers. He called for them. Several answered. Not ALL of them answered, and only those who did answer got paid. The reward came only to those who answered the call. Doesn’t that remind us of John 6:44? 44 No one can come to me unless drawn by the Father who sent me; and I will raise that person up on the last day. What will Jesus say to those of us, to our loved ones, to the rioters in the street, to the haters and child abusers, to the murderers and rebels against Good if they will not turn to him and give their lives to God? You can get a pretty clear understanding of that if you will carefully read John 5:30-47. (Please DO follow that link!)

We who love the Lord should be able to see easily that God is always truly right and just. Honestly, I believe the people who do not know and love him also expect him to be right and just; however, they believe that “right outcomes” and “just reward” always mean “pleasant compensation” – trophies, sprinkles, free stuff, and no job requirements. Jesus has certainly made it clear that it will not always work out that way. Even if we respond late, it is always necessary to respond and accept the Gift so as to honor the Giver. We refuse God’s gifts of Grace, Salvation, and Eternal Joy at the peril of living eternity without any of those things.

Belovéd, if we are going to expect to receive from God what is truly right and just, it is only right and just that we give him all that is truly right and just from our own lives – a “living sacrifice, holy and acceptable to God, which is our spiritual worship.” (See Romans 12:1-3).

In this time of great stress, confusion, and turmoil, we find ourselves longing for security, peace, and comfort. How shall we find them and to whom shall we turn? Belovéd, you already know the answer! You might have even memorized it already in Matthew 6:33 – 33 But strive first for the kingdom of God and his righteousness, and all these things will be given to you as well. The grace of the Lord Jesus Christ be with your spirit, for “Whosoever Will May Come.” (↔ Music Link) See John 6:37 and Revelation 22:17. (Seriously. Go read those so you’ll know how easy it is to hear the call.)

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

Aloha Friday Message – September 11, 2020 – Memento Mori

September 11, 2020

2037AFC091120 – Memento mori

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.

   Sirach 28:6-7 – 6 Remember the end of your life, and set enmity aside; remember corruption and death, and be true to the commandments. 7 Remember the commandments, and do not be angry with your neighbor; remember the covenant of the Most High, and overlook faults.

May Peace always be with you and may God bless you, Belovéd! Perhaps you do not recognize the phrases in this image. The Latin translates as “Time flees, Remember You Must Die.” Well, that’s not a very cheerful way to start off your Friday morning, is it? Look at our Key Verse for today. It is part of the first reading for Sunday, September 13, 2020: Sirach 27:30—28:7. It speaks to us of resentments that are nurtured and fortified by the desire for vengeance. The writer is named Joshua ben Sira, translated as “Jesus the son of Sirach of Jerusalem.” Ben Sira wrote in Hebrew, but his grandson later translated the book into Greek. The content of this lovely book is, in many ways, like the familiar Book of Proverbs, and is included in the list of writing called “Wisdom Literature.”

There is also Wisdom in the Epistle for this Sunday. The Apostle Paul says in Romans 14:7-9 – 7 We do not live to ourselves, and we do not die to ourselves. 8 If we live, we live to the Lord, and if we die, we die to the Lord; so then, whether we live or whether we die, we are the Lord’s. 9 For to this end Christ died and lived again, so that he might be Lord of both the dead and the living. Jesus lives for the living and the dead; he has been both, and he rules over both. If we are living in Jesus, we are living with the living and dying with the dead. Time flees and death waits. We’re not going to be able to change that. If death is waiting a little farther down the road, we can choose to fill our lives with Life or empty our lives with Death. Life is founded in Love – Love of God and neighbor; Death is founded in indifference – indifference to God and to neighbor. Why do I say indifference instead of hate? Hate requires effort, the effort of acknowledging the other. Indifference won’t make that effort. Hate does require some work. Take, for example, the bearing of a grudge, the nurturing of enmity.

I think most of us have read the story (← Check it out!) about the black wolf and the white wolf inside of us, fighting for control. The story ends with the promise that the wolf we feed is the one that wins. In everything in our lives we face the same kind of dichotomy – the conflict between good and evil, between carnal and spiritual, between conscience and consciousness of the effect of our choices.

Many of us know – either directly or indirectly – of someone who has carried anger or hurt and nurtured it until it became huge and vicious, a snapping, snarling, terrifying beast, a black wolf that endangers the person and everyone who comes near. It has been said that hurt and anger when caged and constantly provoked become bitterness and a blind grudge takes its place in our hearts and minds. Grudges are heavy, difficult to carry because they have no handles, and dangerous because they can suddenly grow teeth and claws and tear us to shreds. They are the most fearsome and deadly form of self-awareness and the cause of much suffering. Forgiveness is the anti-grudge, the “grudge-icide” if you will, and it is something that all of us have within us because all of us need it. It is part of the Image of God which resides in our souls.

We often recall that God has created us in his image, and that we are to be like him as much as possible. We are called to be holy – that is, wholly whole, complete, and prepared for every good work – as God is Holy. He forgives our sins. He removes them so far from us that we cannot grasp how far; he not only forgives, but he also forgets. (See Isaiah 43:25) Can you forget your sins? I cannot forget mine, and often that’s because I have forgotten they are forgiven by God. Perhaps, though, they have not been forgiven by me or by those against whom I have sinned. That’s not what God intends, and Jesus very carefully explains it to the Apostles.

Perhaps you will recall the passage in Matthew 18 where Jesus set out the parameters for fraternal correction (2036AFC090420 – Watching the Watchers) in the Church – privately between you and another member, then with 2-3 witnesses, then with the church. If they will still refuse to repent and reform, they are to be considered as living outside the fraternity of the Saints. Nonetheless, we must always bear in mind that repentance and reform are always possible, so we forgive them. Forgiveness can be a tough pill to swallow!

Immediately following the passage in Matthew on fraternal correction we read in Matthew 18:21-22 – 21 Then Peter came and said to him, “Lord, if another member of the church sins against me, how often should I forgive? As many as seven times?” 22 Jesus said to him, “Not seven times, but, I tell you, seventy-seven times. There is a similar admonition in Luke 17:3-4 – 3 Be on your guard! If another disciple sins, you must rebuke the offender, and if there is repentance, you must forgive. 4 And if the same person sins against you seven times a day, and turns back to you seven times and says, ‘I repent,’ you must forgive.” If we don’t, we are faking our “holiness.”

We are held responsible for the ways we may mislead others. If what we show them in our lives leads them to sin, that is charged to us. How can this be? We have enough trouble managing our own holiness and our own sinfulness. How is it we can be held accountable for something someone else does? The “why” of it is simple: That is God’s plan. It is the law of love. If we know love, we know God, and if we love God, we must love one another. If we love one another we must not sin against them – that is also a sin against God – but if they sin against us we must forgive them. That is, as God forgives us, we forgive others. What is the requisite step to forgiveness from God? It is repentance, and repentance includes the intention of reforming one’s life so as to avoid sin and the desire to be tempted.

“But s/he made me so angry! I just want to make them suffer for what they did to me! I cannot and will not forgive them, ever!” That is God’s option; it is not our option. Leviticus 19:18 – 18 You shall not take vengeance or bear a grudge against any of your people, but you shall love your neighbor as yourself: I am the Lord. So why do we keep grudges? Is that not what God abhors? We cling to our anger and nurture it. Do we really need to carry that burden? When we remember to live up to that image, we realize we are not here in the World for our own gratification (which is a surprise to many these days); no, indeed – we are here for the sake of others. It’s not so much what we are to receive as we live out our lives, but rather what we are to give.

Belovéd, let us give Love, share Love, receive Love, be Love. Honor the Giver by accepting the Gift.

In another passage in Sirach 27:30 – 28:1 we read – 30 Anger and wrath, these also are abominations, yet a sinner holds on to them. 28 1The vengeful will face the Lord’s vengeance, for he keeps a strict account of their sins. We all know about that Bible verse that says “Vengeance is mine.” (See Deuteronomy 32:35 and Romans 12:19). God’s vengeance comes only after whopping-long periods of Grace and divine correction. Being forgiven, therefore, is something that we desperately need and hope for; it also causes us to rejoice when it happens: Psalm 32:1 – 1 Happy are those whose transgression is forgiven, whose sin is covered. That joy comes to us not only when we are forgiven, but also when we forgive generously (as does God) and not begrudgingly. Another way to think of this is “the Lord loves a cheerful giver,” so give forgiveness cheerfully!

The point most often missed is this: Be forgiving and become forgiven. Ask and offer. Always seek, and expect to receive, the greater gift: The gift of giving. Peace and Joy are the result: John 16:24 – 24 Until now you have not asked for anything in my name. Ask and you will receive, so that your joy may be complete. In other words, “Happy are those whose transgression is forgiven, whose sin is covered.” In fraternal correction we love our fellow Disciples enough to help them meld with the community. In the Love of Christ, we forgive one another as he forgives us – as meaning “in the same way as” not “while.”

   This is what Jesus taught to the Apostles on that day in his journey to Jerusalem (and of course to us as well). We know that they learned that lesson because of what the Apostle Peter later wrote in 1 Peter 4:8 – 8 Above all, maintain constant love for one another, for love covers a multitude of sins. The hardships of forgiveness are minor compared to the blessings we have in Christ Jesus.

Do we recite The Lord’s Prayer, or do we pray it? What do we mean, what is our intention, when we say, as in Matthew 6:12-14 – 12 And forgive us our debts, as we also have forgiven our debtors. 13 And do not bring us to the time of trial, but rescue us from the evil one. 14 For if you forgive others their trespasses, your heavenly Father will also forgive you. That little word “as” is so powerful! Do we want God to forgive us precisely the way we forgive others? Selah. How often do we have to forgive? The Pharisees in Jesus’ day said three times was enough. Peter was showing off in front of the others and tried to show that he would be more generous than the Pharisees in his forgiveness by forgiving 7 times; they said three, Jesus said, “every time.”

That term in Greek is ἑβδομηκοντάκις ἑπτά (hebdomēkontakis hepta’) { heb-dom-ay-kon-tak-is hep-tah’} and it means 70 X 7, 490 times. I’ve heard some scholars say it means 77 X 7; that’s 539 times! Seriously, who among us is going to keep track that long? And if so, how could keeping track for that long possibly be forgiveness as God intends? Jesus shows Peter – and us – that God never runs out of forgiveness. Remember, even if a mother could forget the child in her womb, God will not forget us; but he does forget our sins!

What about those who are not members of the Church? How often do we forgive them? They are our neighbors, and we are to love them as we love ourselves and each other, so 490 sounds about right for them, too. We need to stop revolting against God. How can he forgive our treason if we continue to fight against him? We need to repent and believe the Gospel. Do not think of your repentance as the cause of your forgiveness, but rather understand that forgiveness is the companion of repentance.

Time is flying and death is waiting. We can choose to make the journey peaceful or terrifying. Choose Peace, therefore, that you may live, and live as the Lord’s!

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

 

Aloha Friday Message – September 4, 2020 – Watching the Watchers

September 4, 2020

2036AFC090420 – Watching the Watchers

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.

    Ezekiel 33:7-8 – 7 So you, mortal, I have made a sentinel for the house of Israel; whenever you hear a word from my mouth, you shall give them warning from me. 8 If I say to the wicked, “O wicked ones, you shall surely die,” and you do not speak to warn the wicked to turn from their ways, the wicked shall die in their iniquity, but their blood I will require at your hand. (NRSVCE)

7 You, human one, I’ve made you a lookout for the house of Israel. Whenever you hear me speaking, you must give them warning from me. 8 If I pronounce a death sentence on wicked people, and you don’t warn them to turn from their way, they will die in their guilt, but I will hold you responsible for their blood. Common English Bible (CEB)

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. I want to begin by thanking all of you who have offered prayers for my sister-in-law, Paula. This week she was transferred from ICU to Hospice care. We continue to pray for her, for her husband and daughter, and her grandchildren as well as her siblings. We pray that God will be merciful as we watch and wait. We also have family in Lake Charles – my brother John and his wife Dixie and daughter Amanda – and other grandchildren, cousins, and siblings. Lake Charles was decimated by hurricane Laura. All of them suffered many losses. All of them also have health issues in addition to the COVID-19 VIRUS and the hurricane damage. Now, on with our lesson for today.

In today’s topic we have allusions to being on watch. With everything that’s going on across the world, we sometimes wonder who is watching over us and who is watching the watchers. It seems the concept and practice of accountability has been tossed out the window. It is as if no one is in charge despite there being so many people who claim to be in charge. This is happening in every aspect of human life including – but not limited to – religion, politics, government, law, production of every type of consumable (from food to fantasy to fiddle-faddle), family, ethnicity, and even life itself. It’s like the whole world turned into the persecutors and the persecuted worse than Rodney Dangerfield’s constant complaint of “I get no respect.” (← Check it out!) Even if we turn to God, there are those who will say it’s wrong, or try to corrupt our faith, or even oppose us with everything from heresy to hearsay. How are we supposed to know what to do?

Well, if you read these posts, you probably know what’s coming next. We are supposed to have faith, trust in the Lord, do the right thing, love God and neighbor, and keep an eye on the folks around us – especially our fellow Christians. Wha-a-a-a-a-t? Let me give you some examples. We can start with a quote from Sunday’s Gospel from Matthew 18. Jesus is telling the Apostles how to deal with “backsliders,” and folks who misrepresent the values and practice of Christian living. What Jesus tells them is too 1 – privately alert them, 2 – meet with them and 2-3 witnesses, and 3 – if all else fails, take the matter to the Church – the Fellowship of Saints to which you both belong. If the errant member will not accept the rule of the Church, that one is to be treated as “Gentile or a tax collector,” that is, as someone outside the fellowship of the Church. Does that seem inconsistent with our beliefs about “Christian values?” Hmm, maybe it is not only consistent, but also necessary.

Take another look at our Key Verse for today. What has God told Ezekiel? “I’m setting you as a watchman over the House of Israel,” … and he is charged with the responsibility of warning them when they are wrong. If he does warn them and they persist in being wrong, they will die (be denied Life in God) in their own iniquity, and he shall be credited with doing God/s Will. HOWEVER, if he fails to warn them and they persist in sinning, they will still die, but he will be blamed for their death. Doesn’t that sound familiar?

Do you recall the Judgment of the Nations in Matthew 25:31-46? It’s where Jesus talks about the sheep and the goats, the good and the evil, the faithful and the opposers of faith. It contains this stark prophecy: Matthew 25:41 – 41 Then he will say to those at his left hand, ‘You that are accursed, depart from me into the eternal fire prepared for the devil and his angels; and further, in Matthew 25:46 – 46 And these will go away into eternal punishment, but the righteous into eternal life.

We have previously learned (↔ Click Link) what mercy is and how it has a role in our lives. What we learned is that works of mercy – being merciful – affects us body and soul. There are corporal works of mercy, traditionally seven.

  1. Feed the hungry, 2. Give drink to the thirsty, 3. Welcome the stranger, 4. Clothe the naked, 5. Care for the ill, 6. Visit the imprisoned, 7. Bury the dead

There are also seven spiritual works of mercy, six taught to us by Jesus, and the seventh added to affirm respect for human life.

  1. Admonish sinners, 2. Instruct the uninformed, 3. Counsel the doubtful, 4. Comfort the sorrowful, 5. Be patient with those in error, 6. Forgive offenses, 7. Pray for the living and the dead.

In Sunday’s Gospel Jesus is teaching us how to admonish sinners and how to instruct the uninformed (in this day and age we might say misinformed). What Ezekiel was assigned, and what Jesus described, is – in a way – “combined” in James 4:17 – 17 Anyone, then, who knows the right thing to do and fails to do it, commits sin. As Christians we are charged to love God and neighbor, and in that love we are required to be as sentinels – like a watchman – for the sake of the Gospel. The Word is jam-packed with admonitions about relying on the Lord and helping each other serve him. Here are a few that show up frequently:

Psalm 127:1-2 – 1 Unless the Lord builds the house, They labor in vain who build it; Unless the Lord guards the city, The watchman keeps awake in vain. 2 It is vain for you to rise up early, to retire late, and to eat the bread of painful labors; for He gives to His beloved even in his sleep. New American Standard Bible (NASB) [1]

Ephesians 5:29 – 29 For no one ever hates his own body, but he nourishes and tenderly cares for it, just as Christ does for the church

Hebrews 12:15 – 15 See to it that no one fails to obtain the grace of God; that no root of bitterness springs up and causes trouble, and through it many become defiled.

2 Timothy 3:1-8 – You must understand this, that in the last days distressing times will come. 2 For people will be lovers of themselves, lovers of money, boasters, arrogant, abusive, disobedient to their parents, ungrateful, unholy, 3 inhuman, implacable, slanderers, profligates, brutes, haters of good, 4 treacherous, reckless, swollen with conceit, lovers of pleasure rather than lovers of God, 5 holding to the outward form of godliness but denying its power. Avoid them! 6 For among them are those who make their way into households and captivate silly women, overwhelmed by their sins and swayed by all kinds of desires, 7 who are always being instructed and can never arrive at a knowledge of the truth. 8 As Jannes and Jambres opposed Moses, so these people, of corrupt mind and counterfeit faith, also oppose the truth. (Jannes and Jambres were the sorcerers in Pharaoh’s court who contrived to imitate and confuse Moses’ message.)

Let me recommend a short but very valuable side excursion for you. Please find your Bible and open it to The Letter of Jude. It’s near the end of the New Testament. It’s only about 600 words and will take less than two minutes to read; however in it you will find directions for dealing with nearly every crazy, sinful, and distressing thing that is going in the World today. Pay particular attention to Jude 1:17-22 – 17 But you, beloved, must remember the predictions of the apostles of our Lord Jesus Christ; 18 for they said to you, “In the last time there will be scoffers, indulging their own ungodly lusts.” 19 It is these worldly people, devoid of the Spirit, who are causing divisions. 20 But you, beloved, build yourselves up on your most holy faith; pray in the Holy Spirit; 21 keep yourselves in the love of God; look forward to the mercy of our Lord Jesus Christ that leads to eternal life. 22 And have mercy on some who are wavering;

AND WHY ARE WE TALKING ABOUT WATCHERS? LOOK TO Daniel 4:13 – 13 I continued looking, in the visions of my head as I lay in bed, and there was a holy watcher, coming down from heaven. These were/are holy angels who watch over every soul and nation. Why are we watching them? Because they do what is right and just. They encourage leaders, and everyone in authority (including judges) to serve with morality, compassion, integrity, wisdom and justice. That is how we must serve.

Beloved, this is the lesson I want you to take from this: We should know our faith, and that we should start by knowing when God is speaking to us. That is why we have the Bible, the inspired Word of God. Next we must learn to discern between false and true teachings, and there again we turn to the Bible in Paul’s letter to the Hebrews 4:12 we read that the Word is like a two-edged sword, so effective that it cuts right into us, differentiating between the soul and the spirit, between the joints and bones of our lives, and judges the content of our hearts. Paul calls the Word the Sword of the Spirit in Ephesians 6:17. Get into the Word, get into your Bible, then get you and your Bible into Church and good, sincere, holy Bible study. Just keep a sharp eye and ear for those lurkers that proffer slander, hatred, lust, and self-serving greed. We are charged to watch for them because …

WE, too, are sentinels, set to watch the Church. Let me reiterate that much of what we read in the New Testament is directed toward believers in Christ Jesus, and not so much to the World. In the World, people all too often fail to perceive the power of the Grace that is already in them and they resist that Grace and refuse to repent. THAT’S WHERE WE COME IN. Do you recall what Jesus himself told us? Luke 17:3 – 3 Be on your guard! If another Disciple [ἀδελφός (adelphos) {ad-el-fos’} brother in Christ] sins, you must rebuke the offender, and if there is repentance, you must forgive. “Well, OK but I don’t really think I can call out someone else.” “Why should I warn them? I’m no saint.” “Isn’t that the job of the Pastor or Deacon?” “I wouldn’t know how to do that without causing a big stir!” “Everybody’s entitled to their own beliefs.” Belovéd, we are asked to watch each other in a loving way. Romans 13:10 – 10 Love does no wrong to a neighbor; therefore, love is the fulfilling of the law. This is our charge as sentinels: Restoration, adjudication, and reconciliation done individually, as a community of believers, and as the Church. We know what is right, so we must do what is right: 1 Peter 3:12 – “For the eyes of the Lord are on the righteous, and His ears are attentive to their prayer, but the face of the Lord is against those who do evil.” Let us remember the promise related to us by James in James 5:19-20 – 19 My brothers and sisters [adelphos], if anyone among you wanders from the truth and is brought back by another, 20 you should know that whoever brings back a sinner from wandering will save the sinner’s soul from death and will cover a multitude of sins. How will we know an adelphos is wandering unless we are watching as we have been told to do? Watch your adelphos through the lens of Love.

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

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

 

 

 

[1] Scripture taken from the NEW AMERICAN STANDARD BIBLE®, Copyright © 1960, 1962, 1963, 1968, 1971, 1972, 1973, 1975, 1977, 1995 by The Lockman Foundation. Used by permission.

Aloha Friday Message – August 28, 2020 – Kickin’ The Rock

August 28, 2020

2035AFC082820 – Kickin’ The Rock

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.

     Matthew 16:21-23 – 21 From that time on, Jesus began to show his disciples that he must go to Jerusalem and undergo great suffering at the hands of the elders and chief priests and scribes, and be killed, and on the third day be raised. 22 And Peter took him aside and began to rebuke him, saying, “God forbid it, Lord! This must never happen to you.” 23 But he turned and said to Peter, “Get behind me, Satan! You are a stumbling block* to me; for you are setting your mind not on divine things but on human things.”

*Σκάνδαλον (skandalon) {skan’-dal-on} a stick for bait (of a trap), generally a snare,  an offense; a snare, stumbling-block, cause for error. The most common designation is as the trigger of a trap (the mechanism closing a trap down on the unsuspecting victim), and it connotes an offense as in putting a negative cause-and-effect relationship into motion. It is used to illustrate how someone is caught by their own devices (like their personal bias, carnal thinking). It is also the native rock rising up through the earth, which trips up the traveler, hence, of Jesus the Messiah, to the Jews who refused him. Note that this word is also translated as offense or offended – scandalized: Skandalon (↔ Music Link). LYRICS HERE.

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. Last week we looked at the remarkable moment when the Church was formed as Jesus commissioned Peter to be the Rock on which the Church would be built. He commands that the Disciples not tell anyone that he is the Messiah. But then their world is turned upside down: Jesus begins to tell them that he will die in Jerusalem “at the hands of the elders and chief priests and scribes, and be killed, and on the third day be raised.” We don’t know the time interval between the moment when Jesus appointed Peter as the head of his Church and the moment when Peter took it upon himself to chastise Jesus for saying that he was going to die. Jesus, who has only recently commended Peter for learning from his Heavenly Father that Jesus is the Christ, now turns as tells him, “Get behind me Satan!” Wow! What is that all about, and why was Jesus so cruel to say such a thing? That’s what we need to explore.

Do you recall the first time Jesus said that to someone? We can find that in Matthew 4:8-11 – 8 Again, the devil took him to a very high mountain and showed him all the kingdoms of the world and their splendor; 9 and he said to him, “All these I will give you, if you will fall down and worship me.” 10 Jesus said to him, “Away with you, Satan! for it is written, ‘Worship the Lord your God, and serve only him.’” 11 Then the devil left him, and suddenly angels came and waited on him. To whom was Jesus speaking at that time? Satan, that’s who. I recall a time when someone tried to convince me that it wasn’t actually the Satan, but a high-ranking minion. His argument was that the real Satan would consider himself too important to do “the dirty work” and would give the assignment to a trusted henchman, a minion who would do what he was told. My view is that Satan was indeed so very vain that he tackled the job on his own – “If you want something done right you have to do it yourself.” Satan had to walk away in defeat from that encounter, and the wrath of the Lord was certainly kindled against him in a very confident way. Jesus spoke with the full authority of the Only Begotten Son of God. Was it the same wrath that was directed against Peter? I see it differently; that sharp rebuke was not born of anger, but of pain.

The words are the same, the terms are the same, but the circumstance is different. Jesus knows that Peter will fail him soon, desert him, and misunderstand him. He is still astounded by the lack of faith and understanding in all his Disciples, but for Peter to  miss the point so completely must have been hard for Jesus to hear. It almost sounds as if Jesus is kicking The Rock that will become his Church! “Stop thinking in human terms! Don’t you understand that God has appointed this death to me? How could you even dare try to dissuade me from doing my Father’s Will?!?” This was a repeat of the same temptation Jesus endured in the wilderness, but more of an end run – using someone Jesus genuinely loved and trusted to tempt him to give up on his mission. There was a trap set, and Peter was supposed to be the stick that brought it down. We recall what Symeon told Mary in the Temple: Luke 2:34-35 – 34 Then Symeon blessed them and said to his mother Mary, “This child is destined for the falling and the rising of many in Israel, and to be a sign that will be opposed 35 so that the inner thoughts of many will be revealed – and a sword will pierce your own soul too.” The prophecy about the stone the builders rejected becoming a stumbling stone for many was confirmed in that declaration from Symeon. The history of Israel is abounding in examples of stumbling over the Law. We all have a problem at one time or another with getting tripped up, trapped, or stumbling over the smallest thing that makes us doubt our faith. Oh! We of little faith!

Kick a big rock to solve obstacles

Do we, at times, stumble over the Gospel, feel trapped by sin and shame, or try to kick the rock that is firmly planted? We know it’s going to happen; Jesus even told us so in Matthew 18:7 – 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! Why do we stumble over the Gospel, over the salvific power of Christ’s life, passion, death, and resurrection? As we saw last week, he is the Living Stone, the cornerstone of the entire foundation of God’s plan for salvation and restitution of our right relationship with him. The Apostle Paul said in Romans 9:30-33 – 30 What then are we to say? Gentiles, who did not strive for righteousness, have attained it, that is, righteousness through faith; 31 but Israel, who did strive for the righteousness that is based on the law, did not succeed in fulfilling that law. 32 Why not? Because they did not strive for it on the basis of faith, but as if it were based on works. They have stumbled over the stumbling stone, 33 as it is written, “See, I am laying in Zion a stone that will make people stumble, a rock that will make them fall, and whoever believes in him will not be put to shame.” (See Isaiah 28:16) When we stumble, it is the age-old cause of stumbling over God’s provisions for us: Insufficient faith, and the often incomprehensible decision that we can do a better job of salvation than God has done. There, now it’s in front of us in black and white, and doesn’t it look absurd? So what are we to do? To whom can we turn as an exemplar of faith restored and strengthened? How about Peter, The Rock?

Ponder these words of his in 1 Peter 2:4-9 – 4 Come to him, a living stone, though rejected by mortals yet chosen and precious in God’s sight, and 5 like living stones, let yourselves be built into a spiritual house, to be a holy priesthood (← Check it out!), to offer spiritual sacrifices acceptable to God through Jesus Christ. 6 For it stands in scripture: “See, I am laying in Zion a stone, a cornerstone chosen and precious; and whoever believes in him will not be put to shame.” 7 To you then who believe, he is precious; but for those who do not believe, “The stone that the builders rejected has become the very head of the corner,” 8 and “A stone that makes them stumble, and a rock that makes them fall.” They stumble because they disobey the word, as they were destined to do. 9 But you are a chosen race, a royal priesthood, a holy nation, God’s own people, in order that you may proclaim the mighty acts of him who called you out of darkness into his marvelous light. Where are we most likely to stumble – in the darkness or in the light? John 11:9-10 – 9 Jesus answered, “Are there not twelve hours of daylight? Those who walk during the day do not stumble, because they see the light of this world. 10 But those who walk at night stumble, because the light is not in them.” Jesus is the Light of the World, and that Light is in us. When we hide the light, deliberately suppressing our consciences, we walk in darkness. In fact, we are surrounded in every direction by “this present darkness” (See Ephesians 6:12, please), and there humongous consequences for trying to kick the Rock of Ages. Belovéd, we cannot afford to set our “mind not on divine things but on human things.” That’s really like what happens to this little guy. ‘Nuff said!

 ↑ © OmorashiTea, April23, 2020 (CC BY-NC-ND 3.0) ↑ 

Whatever, whenever, wherever, whoever, however, if ever, forever —

at your service, Belovéd!

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

GB – A 16 year-old boy in Minnesota who is seriously ill due to kidney failure. A Seminarian there is helping him prepare for Sacraments of Initiation, and requests our prayers for the complete return to health.

Aloha Friday Message – August 21, 2020 – We Will Rock You!

August 21, 2020

2034AFC082120 – We Will Rock You!

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.

     Isaiah 22:22-23 – 22 I will place on his shoulder the key of the house of David; he shall open, and no one shall shut; he shall shut, and no one shall open.23 I will fasten him like a peg in a secure place, and he will become a throne of honor to his ancestral house.

Romans 11:33 – 33 O the depth of the riches and wisdom and knowledge of God! How unsearchable are his judgments and how inscrutable his ways!

Matthew 16:18 – 18 And I tell you, you are Peter, [Petros or Cephas] and on this rock [petra] I will build my church, and the gates of Hades will not prevail against it.

Exodus 33:20-23 – 20 “But,” he said, “you cannot see my face; for no one shall see me and live.” 21 And the Lord continued, “See, there is a place by me where you shall stand on the rock; 22 and while my glory passes by I will put you in a cleft of the rock, and I will cover you with my hand until I have passed by; 23 then I will take away my hand, and you shall see my back; but my face shall not be seen.”

About three weeks ago, we studied the passage in 1 Kings where Elijah was holed up in a cave in the mountains as God passed by. There was a mighty wind, and earthquake, and an immense fire preceding the soft and gentle whisper of God’s voice. In this passage from Exodus, Moses is on the mountain with God and Moses asks to see God’s Glory. God tells him to stand in a gap in the rock as he passes by so that God can cover Moses’ eyes as he passes. You know, that reminds us of that great old hymn by Fanny Crosby, He Hideth My Soul (↔ Music Link)

Belovéd, in every aspect of life we have a safe place to stand and be sheltered from everything that can harm us. We stand in the cleft of the rock, and as God passes by, we feel the Glory of the Lord around us and know that our foundation is solid! Christ has passed the badge of authority to The Church, and through that foundation, all who live in Christ are standing on solid ground. Our foundation is Christ and we build our lives on that foundation as living stones. He is the Solid Rock (↔ Music Link) on which we stand, and as we learn in 1 Peter 2:4-5 – (←Use this link to see it in context) we know we can … 4 Come to him, a living stone, though rejected by mortals yet chosen and precious in God’s sight, and 5 like living stones, let yourselves be built into a spiritual house, to be a holy priesthood, to offer spiritual sacrifices acceptable to God through Jesus Christ. […]

This week, the Church brings us the story of Eliakim whom God chose to replace a corrupt and sinful ruler named Shebna. God says Eliakim will be a peg in a secure place, and he will become a throne of honor to his ancestral house. Eliakim (God has raised up) son of Hilkiah (My Portion is Jehovah) is God’s chosen and he alone has power to open and shut which is historically symbolic of his absolute authority as the king’s representative called by such titles as Chamberlain, or Steward, or Treasurer. (Isaiah 22:22) Only the Master Steward had the Keys. We look at this passage as a “type,” a prefiguring, of what Jesus said to Peter about the keys of the Kingdom. Peter will be the Master Steward, the leader of the congregation that would be eventually called Christians.

God has always picked leaders whom he could trust to shepherd the People he has chosen and gathered together to save them from slavery and death. He has given us his Chosen, his Belovéd, his Only Begotten Son so that we can know God by knowing the Son. We can see God by seeing the Son (though we still will not see the Father’s face). When we don’t know Christ, our choices exclude an afterlife. In reality, our lives as earthlings are just the introduction to Eternity. Our comportment here affects our demeanor there. Whatever we suck up or suck down on earth has no effect on transitioning to eternal life. No great fame, or honor, or wealth, or notoriety, or skill, or genius, or anything of the World can earn any of us a place in heaven. When we look at our lives and the gifts God has put into us and see it all through our Father’s eyes, the perspective and perception are quite a bit different. Check out these Cross References: Psalm 49:7-9; Matthew 4:8-9 See also Luke 9:25 and Mark 8:35 (with notes).

We’ve seen it so often among The Golden Ones in Hollywood, Washington D.C., or pop music. The World sits down to a feast with them and then devours the feasters. The “biggies” (piggies?) “had everything” and lost it all – taken away by drugs, or booze, or sex, or shame in a thousand different colors. They become trash, castaways, washouts, has-beens, and some even become dead. What kills them? What brings them down? It is a severe Spiritual damage that destroys this present life and imperils or even destroys Eternal Life. We can get back on the wagon, or the stage, or the train, or whatever we fall off of, but we cannot earn a “Get Out of Hell Free” card and go to heaven. Heaven is reserved for those who have chosen to believe in Christ and thereby gain everlasting life because God has chosen us. We can sing joyfully with David as in Psalm 18:2 – 2 The Lord is my rock, my fortress, and my deliverer, my God, my rock in whom I take refuge, my shield, and the horn of my salvation, my stronghold. That is the kind of Joy the Apostle Paul describes here: Romans 11:33 – 33 O the depth of the riches and wisdom and knowledge of God! How unsearchable are his judgments and how inscrutable his ways! We become “servants of Christ and stewards of God’s mysteries.” (See 1 Corinthians 4:1) We become ekklēsia – Church.

In Sunday’s passage from Matthew, the word used for church is ἐκκλησία (ekklēsia) {ek-klay-see’-ah}. In the New Testament it denotes a specific gathering of Christians. It is also used to represent – connote – the entirety of believers, all the people who have accepted Jesus as their Lord and Savior. The same word, ekklēsia, is used in the Septuagint, the Greek translation of the Old Testament, to represent the Hebrew term קָהָל (qāhāl) {kaw-hawl’}, “assembly” or “congregation.” (See for example Numbers 14:5) As Israel gathered together to appear before God they were designated as “the assembly” or Congregation. It is also used similarly to ekklēsia as a term describing all of Israel. It is this assembly, this Church, that Peter will build on the Rock of Ages – Christ Jesus.

Jesus tells Peter that he will give him “the keys to the kingdom of heaven.” Just as God gave the authority over Israel to Eliakim, God gives the authority over the Church to Peter. He is Rock (not “Rocky” as some irreverently suggest). You will also see him referred to a Cephas. (See for example John 1:42, 1 Corinthians 1:12, 1 Corinthians 3:22, 1 Corinthians 9:5, 1 Corinthians 15:5, and Galatians 2:9.) That name, Cephas, is an Aramaic word. It is not pronounced “see-fuss.” The word is Cephas: Κηφᾶς Kēphas (kay-fas’) (Aramaic for rock) Jesus gave this new name to Simon Peter, the apostle. The Aramaic comes from כֵּף keph kafe; in Aramaic כֵּיפָא from kaphaph as to curve or bend down. Cephas is translated into Greek as Πέτρος (Petros) – Peter. Jesus chose Peter because it was time to build the Church of Jesus Christ. We know there is a right time for everything. We often recall the words from Ecclesiastes when we think about Time.

Ecclesiastes is a wonderful book to read, and even more wonderful to study. It is one of the “Wisdom Books.” There are all kinds of good, practical advice there. You’ll probably recall the 1965 song by The Byrds called Turn! Turn! Turn! It was actually written by Pete Seeger in the 1950’s. It comes directly from Ecclesiastes 3:1-8. The writer of Ecclesiastes, Qoheleth (The Teacher), goes on to say (Ecclesiastes 9:10b), “… for in the realm of the dead [Sheol, Hades, Hell], where you are going, there is neither working nor planning nor knowledge nor wisdom.” (New International Version (NIV) Holy Bible, New International Version®, NIV® Copyright ©1973, 1978, 1984, 2011 by Biblica, Inc.® Used by permission.) All rights reserved worldwide.) It’s kind of like the old adage, “Eat, drink and be merry, for tomorrow we die,” which is similar to Ecclesiastes 2:24-25 24 There is nothing better for mortals than to eat and drink, and find enjoyment in their toil. This also, I saw, is from the hand of God; 25 for apart from him, who can eat or who can have enjoyment? Everything – every thing – is a Gift from God. Therefore everything that is worth doing is worth doing well, because it all comes from God and it all goes to God. Even if we can’t admit that in our own lives, we see it so often we can be sure that it is true! It is indeed a Mystery, a Mystery of Truth that is solid as The Rock who is indeed our Awesome God!! (↔ Music Link) Belovéd, we are called to serve that Awesome God, so strong, so protective, so God! I have known some folks in the past who stood with the Church, who professed their belief in Christ Jesus, but their joy was insipid. Think of what the Apostle Paul said about that joy: Galatians 6:10 – 10 So then, whenever we have an opportunity, let us work for the good of all, and especially for those of the family of faith. Romans 12:11 – 11 Do not lag in zeal, be ardent in spirit, serve the Lord. And David wrote, Worship the Lord with gladness; come into his presence with singing. (See Psalm 100:2)

We are the Church, the Living Stones built on The Cornerstone that Was Rejected. We have the Master Steward who founded the Church of the Kingdom of God – Peter – and our Church is the cleft in the Rock where we stand praising God as he passes into us in the Eucharist. Now doesn’t that just rock your world? How about we take that to The Mountain Top for a little Praise session?!

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

 

Aloha Friday Message – August 14, 2020 – Now what do you want?

August 14, 2020

2033AFC081420 – Now what do you want?

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.

    Isaiah 56:1 – 1 Thus says the Lord: Maintain justice, and do what is right, for soon my salvation will come, and my deliverance be revealed. 

Isaiah 56:6-7 – And the foreigners* who join themselves to the Lord, … their sacrifices will be accepted on my altar for my house shall be called a house of prayer for all peoples. (The covenant is extended to all who obey)

Aloha nui loa, ʻŌmea! We are already at the 20th Sunday in Ordinary Time. It’s flying by so fast! With the hectic pace of our lives these days, even as we are held distanced from each other, it can be difficult to slow down and contemplate the Lord and his goodness. I’d like to do that with you today, so let’s look at a few gems from the Sunday readings.

My heart is deeply grieving for the people who have suffered at the hands of violent men and women. From the murder of innocents around the world – infants through elderly – to the persecution of humans in the name of a god, and the destruction of property – from churches, and businesses, and arts to the very planet we live on – out of greed and arrogance … I mourn for those who endure this suffering as well as for those who cause it. This is not what God created us to be, and somewhere inside their hearts every violent person knows that. Our Key Verse today says “Maintain justice, and do what is right” and that is good advice for every earthling then, now, and always. Where we seem to get hung up  – what we think we don’t understand – is knowing what is right. Let’s look into that.

It appears that not everyone has had the kind of upbringing that looks out for others, and even those who may have learned that lesson have set it aside for whatever reason and chosen a different path. They do not know or do not remember – they do not choose to maintain justice; and yet they “justify” their violence by claiming to be “restoring justice.” The method they chose for that restoration is known in biblical terms as vengeance.” People who know how to do the right thing know that vengeance in human hands is always the wrong thing. It is not the way of Peace; it is the way of destruction. That is not God’s plan for any of us. We see a glimmer of his plan a little farther down the page in Isaiah.

Isaiah 56:6-7 – … my house shall be called a house of prayer for all peoples. Just who are “all peoples” as described here? The Hebrew word used is hā-‘am-mîm {ha-ya-mim’}, and it carries the connotation of nations, groups of people, who share among themselves language and culture. One can also look at the word house here and see that it refers not only to a structure, a human abode, or even a temple, but also a family as “of the house and lineage of David.” Along with many other verses that express this promise of God with regard to his plan for salvation, this verse characterizes God’s family (house) as widely diverse and wisely obedient – a house of prayer. As the news of the past few weeks has unfolded, I do not see a house of prayer for all peoples; I see houses of cursing from many peoples. This simply cannot be the right thing.

In Sunday’s responsorial Psalm, we will pray together: Psalm 67:1-3 – 1 May God be gracious to us and bless us and make his face to shine upon us, Selah 2 that your way may be known upon earth, your saving power among all nations.3 Let the peoples praise you, O God; let all the peoples praise you. If you watch the news, you may possibly agree that many of the things you saw certainly in no way praised the Lord. How, then, can those instigating and committing such violence – whatever their motivation – believe that they are doing the right thing? What is the right thing? Once again for the umpteenth time we return to Micah 6:8 – 8 He has told you, O mortal, what is good; and what does the Lord require of you but to do justice, and to love kindness, and to walk humbly with your God? If you ask some of those demonstrating, they will tell you they are restoring justice because of the injustices done to them or to others with whom they “identify.” Unfortunately, with regard to this Scripture, they stop there. The rest of it is and to love kindness, and to walk humbly with your God. There was very little kindness in many of the actions we have seen lately – although of course those acts of kindness, or humbly walking with God – are not often what gets broadcast via the MSMO’s. In this very, very difficult time of pandemic disease, it seems we also have a pandemic of selfishness which leads to a pandemic of foolishness. It’s time to wake up, wash up, mask up, and wise up! IT IS THE RIGHT THING TO DO! But one wonders, “How can so many people believe they are so right when they are truly so wrong?”

I think perhaps it is because we earthlings – generally speaking – have forgotten what the Apostle Paul told us in 1 Thessalonians 5:15 – 15 See that none of you repays evil for evil, but always seek to do good to one another and to all. So many people these days – all around the world – go out of their way to curse, to violate, to denigrate, and to discriminate against everyone who doesn’t think like them. We ignore instructions such as those in 1 Peter 3:8 and 1 Corinthians 1:10 to have (as St. Peter puts it) unity of spirit, sympathy, love for one another, a tender heart, and a humble mind. “Ah!” you say, “you forget, not everyone is Christian. Non-Christians will never accept that.” Actually, only the most evil persons cannot accept that. ALL major religions at their core preach and teach respect for each other and encourage peace as the preferred way of life. Even people who have nothing to do with any religion can be good and kind and generous. Hate is definitely a perversion of God’s intent for human nature. God wishes to bless everyone, even the unjust, and he does so in many ways (← Check it out!). That is because 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. For those who do not trust in his ways, his justice falls heavily on those who will not accept the Power of his Grace. That Grace has an amazing effect when we can do some very simple things such as these:

James 4:17 – 17 Anyone, then, who knows the right thing to do and fails to do it, commits sin. OUCH! You know, I know, we all know the right things to do; but we don’t always do them, and that’s what makes us sinners – or maybe we are sinners because we can’t or won’t do the right thing.

Hosea 10:12 – 12 Sow for yourselves righteousness; reap steadfast love; break up your fallow ground; for it is time to seek the Lord, that he may come and rain righteousness upon you. (See 2 Corinthians 9:6 please.)

There it is. “Do the right thing.” We “hunger and thirst for righteousness” if we are doing the right thing. Rather than oppress others – violently or passively, personally or institutionally, willingly or ignorantly – we are to uplift and care for others, ALL others, not just the ones who share our personal proclivities for evil. How does one find a list, or an instruction, or some guidelines or boundaries to at least get started on such a mission of mercy and peace with our fellow earthlings? Virtually the whole Bible gives us that instruction, but there are a few passages like the ones in this post that help clarify our To-Do list. Here’s one I find particularly clear; read the underlined part carefully:

Isaiah 58:6-11 – 6 Is not this the fast that I choose: to loose the bonds of injustice, to undo the thongs of the yoke, to let the oppressed go free, and to break every yoke? 7 Is it not to share your bread with the hungry, and bring the homeless poor into your house; when you see the naked, to cover them, and not to hide yourself from your own kin? 8 Then your light shall break forth like the dawn, and your healing shall spring up quickly; your vindicator shall go before you, the glory of the Lord shall be your rearguard. 9 Then you shall call, and the Lord will answer; you shall cry for help, and he will say, Here I am. If you remove the yoke from among you, the pointing of the finger, the speaking of evil, 10 if you offer your food to the hungry and satisfy the needs of the afflicted, then your light shall rise in the darkness and your gloom be like the noonday. 11 The Lord will guide you continually, and satisfy your needs in parched places, and make your bones strong; and you shall be like a watered garden, like a spring of water, whose waters never fail. If I use that as my checklist, I still have a lot of work to do! I choose, therefore, to begin with blessings rather than curses, with understanding rather than resentment, and with the resolve to work even harder to do the right thing. I thank the Lord for his blessings on me (↔ Music Link) and counting them (↔ Music Link) is far better than worrying about what life would be like without them.

As we come to the conclusion of this post, let’s take a moment to look at the “a” part of today’s Key Verse for additional guidance:

The foreigners* who join themselves to the LORD, ministering to him, loving the name of the LORD, and becoming his servants — all who keep the Sabbath free from profanation and hold to my covenant, them I will bring to my holy mountain and make joyful in my house of prayer; their burnt offerings and sacrifices will be acceptable on my altar, (for my house shall be called a house of prayer for all peoples.) In my heart and mind, I find I must confess that it is difficult for me to accept that “all peoples” belong in the house – the family – of God. What I have often failed to realize is that it is not I who gets to make that decision; I am not the one to discern between us and them, this and that, you and me. God alone is our judge, and he always judges with fairness and rules with equity. If I truly want to do justice, and to love kindness, and to walk humbly with … God, then I have to do the right thing. It’s what I want; it’s not always what I get; it is always what I need.

What about you, Belovéd? What do you want to do? Because, as he says in Isaiah 56:1 – Thus says the Lord: Maintain justice, and do what is right, for soon my salvation will come, and my deliverance be revealed, we have good things coming to us when we do the right thing. Now isn’t that what you really want?

*Please consider these examples of “foreigners” who displayed remarkable faith and were rewarded with miraculous Mercy.

  • Canaanite woman (Syrophoenician) Matthew 15:21-28 Jesus replies that the bread of life that is intended for God’s children should not be wasted on the dogs of society. THE WOMAN’S FAITH CHANGES HIS RESPONSE. See also Luke 13:11-17
  • Samaritan woman (at the well) John 4:5-42
  • Roman centurion (“only say the word”) Matthew 8:5-10
  • Jairus – a synagogue official (daughter dying, but Jesus stops for the woman with hemorrhaging who, in faith, reaches out “just to touch the hem of his garment.”) Matthew 9:18-25

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

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

 

 

Aloha Friday Message – August 7, 2020 – Power, Proximity, and Permanence of God’s Providence

August 7, 2020

2032AFC080720 – Power, Proximity, and Permanence of God’s Providence

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.

1 KINGS 19:11-13 – [The Lord said] 11 “Go out and stand before me on top of the mountain,” the Lord said to him. Then the Lord passed by and sent a furious wind that split the hills and shattered the rocks—but the Lord was not in the wind. The wind stopped blowing, and then there was an earthquake—but the Lord was not in the earthquake. 12 After the earthquake there was a fire—but the Lord was not in the fire. And after the fire there was the soft whisper of a voice.

13 When Elijah heard it, he covered his face with his cloak and went out and stood at the entrance of the cave. A voice said to him, “Elijah, what are you doing here?” (Scripture taken from the Good News Translation in Today’s English Version- Second Edition Copyright © 1992 by American Bible Society. Used by Permission.)

With The Voice of God in mind, today’s message comes from the story of Elijah’s fearful flight from Ahab and Jezebel. In this passage – part of Sunday’s readings – Elijah has put to death all of the prophets of Baal after God sent down fire on Elijah’s sacrifice. Now Ahab and Jezebel are out to kill him. Elijah tells God he’d rather be dead than wait for them to find him, so God tells him to go to Mount Horeb and to find a certain cave and wait for Him there. Elijah obeys. Our Key Verse passage for today is what happened in that cave. Elijah had some very powerful enemies, and God told him to flee from them. He did that so he could demonstrate his mighty Power by emphasizing his gentleness.

Now, there are many things here from which we can learn about God’s communications with us. The first is that Elijah was always in communication with God. As a prophet, he could not help but hear God speak, nor could he help but obey God’s command to convey His words; it’s what prophets do. We may not think of ourselves as prophets, but we are called upon to witness to others about what God has said and done, and in that way we fulfill one component of our threefold-purpose in life to be Priest, Prophet, and King. God has made his way known to us. He has written His Word into our hearts (see Jeremiah 31:33), and – like a prophet – we feel it bubble up in us at times and we have to share it. That’s a good habit to have, and not that difficult to develop. You just have to say with Isaiah (← Check it out!), “Here I am. Send me.” When we dialog with God, great things happen!

   Another lesson drawn from Elijah is that we need to do what God tells us. Recently I reread the story about Jonah. You’ll remember he bristled at the idea of God expecting him to do something, and it ended up in some troubled days for him. When he finally did as God asked, the results were spectacular. We often complain that it’s hard for us to know what God wants us to do. Really? I mean we’ve got the best Instruction Manual in the world – the Bible. Probably one of the easiest passages to remember is Micah 6:8 (you probably have this memorized by now because I cite it all the time). Another is the passage in Matthew where the lawyer asked Jesus, “Teacher, what is the greatest commandment in the law?” Jesus’ reply was that we must love God completely and love our neighbors as ourselves. So, you see, it’s not so hard to know what God wants us to do because he’s constantly telling us! Even our conscience, our internal moral compass, tells us that we can’t live life only for our own pleasure; others have to be part of our life. Even the people who trouble us can be part of God’s plan for Salvation for all, even those who trouble us.

Elijah was certainly troubled by Ahab and Jezebel! Remember he thought he’d be better off dead – but was not in a rush to have Jezebel do that. God spoke to him with very specific instructions about where to go, and even provided him with provisions to make the journey (read all of 1 Kings 19 for that story; it will take about 8 minutes.) God gave Elijah the strength to carry on, not only to survive, but to also to prevail against his enemies. This is because Elijah was always and all ways in close proximity to God – God was with him. We are all familiar with what the Apostle Paul said about getting strength from God: Philippians 4:13 – I can do all things through him who strengthens me. Many of us are nodding in agreement while recalling that memory verse.

Paul had that certainty of strength because he, too, listened to what God said. He knew what he did was risky, but for him the risk was nothing compared to the reward! He knew full well that being a “testimony for Jesus Christ” was the job of a martyr – one who testifies. Perhaps he had heard accounts of Jesus telling the Twelve before sending them out to preach the Good news, Matthew 10:32 – [Jesus said] 32 “Everyone therefore who acknowledges me before others, I also will acknowledge before my Father in heaven; 33 but whoever denies me before others, I also will deny before my Father in heaven. 34 Do not think that I have come to bring peace to the earth; I have not come to bring peace, but a sword.” I can’t think of anyone I’d rather have speaking up for me other than Jesus! That happens only when we speak up for him, for then he will speak up for us. Elijah knew that God spoke up for him by speaking through him; he will do the same for us.

“But it’s so hard! I’m no good at that; it’s too much to ask, too big of a job.” OK, then just do the little things – those are the ones that really count. Remember this passage: Luke 16:10 – Whoever is faithful in a very little is faithful also in much; and whoever is dishonest in a very little is dishonest also in much. You’ll remember St. Mother Teresa said, “Do not think that love in order to be genuine has to be extraordinary. What we need is to love without getting tired. Be faithful in small things because it is in them that your strength lies.” Just do a good job with the little stuff. Preach the Gospel every day, and if absolutely necessary, use words (tip of the hat to St. Francis there!) There is an interesting example of that second method in a movie called “God is not Dead – the movie” that did well in theaters and also came  out on DVD. Crucita and I watched that some time ago, and one of the topics touched on was “Why is there evil?” Of course the answer was that ultimately God’s gift to us was Free Will. The dialog in the movie supported the conclusion that evil is temporary because it comes from the Devil, but free will is permanent because it is a gift from God. The Permanence of God’s Gifts of Grace are living proof that he is with us whenever we are with him. Here is an excerpt from “God is not Dead – the movie” – Sometimes the devil allows people to live a life free of trouble because he doesn’t want people turning to God. Their sin is like a jail cell, except it is all nice and comfy and there doesn’t seem to be any reason to leave. The door’s wide open. ‘Til one day time runs out and the door slams shut and suddenly it’s too late to get out.

However, we have the key to the jail cell! The parts of that key – the shank, the setting or bitting (teeth cut into the key’s blade), all “little things” that turn the tumblers in that lock are … the Bible verses in this message! And that’s only one possible key out of gazillions! We have the Key, we have the Life, and we have the Basic Instructions Before Leaving Earth (B.I.B.L.E.). What is stopping us from using them? (See Romans 8:35-39). What’s the answer? NOTHING! God is the God of the living, we are alive, and we can do all the little stuff in Christ who strengthens us, and we know all this because – even at this very moment – we hear God’s tiny whisper saying, “What are you doing here?”

What are we doing here? I dearly hope we are listening to God asking us in our hearts, “Who shall we send,” and we are ready to say, “Here I am LORD, Send ME!” Back to the movie for just a second: God is not dead, but I am, and there are actually two ways that can be true! I can be dead in sin, or dead to sin. If only the Spirit of God lives in me, in you, in us, we are ALIVE in God! And living in Christ Jesus I am alive because, like him, I have a resurrection to a new-and-eternal life. He told us so in the Voice of the Holy Spirit. “Let anyone with ears to hear listen!” (See Luke 14:35 for example).

We want to see God move, but even more, God longs for us to see Him move with His presence and power. Wouldn’t you agree that we need to do all we can to help others to stand in awe of the Person and work of the Holy Spirit, even our enemies? It seems our Nation has many “enemies, foreign and domestic” and especially spiritual enemies. Here are some thoughts on enemies:

“Our worst enemies here are not the ignorant and simple, however cruel; our worst enemies are the intelligent and corrupt.” ~~ Graham Greene

“No war is over until the enemy says it’s over. We may think it over, we may declare it over, but in fact, the enemy gets a vote.” ~~ General James Mattis

Psalm 23:5 – 5 You prepare a table before me
in the presence of my enemies;
you anoint my head with oil;
my cup overflows.

Matthew 5:43-45 – 43 “You have heard that it was said, ‘You shall love your neighbor and hate your enemy.’ 44 But I say to you, Love your enemies and pray for those who persecute you, 45 so that you may be children of your Father in heaven; for he makes his sun rise on the evil and on the good, and sends rain on the righteous and on the unrighteous.

Luke 10:19 – 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.

Never doubt that Satan is intelligent and corrupt, and that he corrupts all who indulge him. Our war is against “ the rulers, against the authorities, against the cosmic powers of this present darkness, against the spiritual forces of evil in the heavenly places.” (See Ephesians 6:10-20) so we must  “be strong in the Lord and in the strength of his power.” God’s “ eternal power and divine nature, invisible though they are, have been understood and seen through the things he has made.” (See Romans 1:20-26) We just need to “do the right thing,” and God will take care of the rest!

Psalm 41:11 – 11 By this I know that you are pleased with me;
because my enemy has not triumphed over me.

And how is that possible? It is possible because of the Power, the Proximity, and the Permanence of God’s Providence. Great Things Happen (↔ Music Link) when God mixes with us! We need only wait through the tumult surrounding us until we are centered in the sheer silence of the presence of God and perhaps we, too, will hear him whisper, “What are you doing here, Belovéd?”

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

And here’s a photo of our Mimi-girl – Lady Miriam – who passed away Wednesday around 2 PM. She was 16 years old – that’s 112 in cat years – and age finally caught up with her.

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