Blog # 374 God's Love
"Within Your temple, we ponder Your kindness, O God.." July 7, 1991 we used this antiphon on the 4th Sunday of Ordinary Time. I was in Bryson City, N C living and caring for Father Frank Gardner who was dying with cancer. This week I looked at some of the notes I made at that time, "pondering God's loving kindness". What follows here is an excerpt from those notes.
There are several birds at the feeder outside the kitchen window. They have no personal relationship with me. Yet they are dependent upon me for the seed in their feeder. A bird could be domesticated and have a limited relationship with me, to recognize me and distinguish me from another person, from the enemy cat, etc. There would be a real trust and lack of fear of me on the part of such a bird toward me. There would be an apparent joy when I came out with food and water.
However, though the birds are not capable of entering into a personal relationship with me on the level of another human creature, on a different yet definite level a domesticated bird can relate to me in ways the wild bird does/ can not. Stones and plants are not developed enough by their nature for this. For birds and other animals it is possible.
There is a thrush out there now 'working' for its corn. picking and scratching grains out of the grass where it has blown at the edge of the cement path by the feeder.
There is no awareness of me, the giver of the grain, and no ability right now to trust me were I to open the door and go out. The bird would fly away if I did.
Is there an analogy here between ourselves, our world, our experiences, and
God? We are capable of receiving and being aware of God's love, in all creation, in ourselves. Others have testified to this, and we have experienced it ourselves to some degree. Yet we seem to live in an age and circumstances when the focus on God's presence and love is not sharp, not emphatic in the pubic arena, not the popular way of experiencing human life. We seem to be sharing more the ex- perience of wild birds rather than consciously living in the house of the Lord, His temple, all creation.
What should be our response? Specific time, energy, and effort to discover and respond to the reality of what we believe, what we have heard of, and from the Lord, attempts to clarify and make more significant applcation of the content of our faith, that God is real, close, loving, and dependable.
Within Your temple we ponder Your kindness, O God. Yes?
Wednesday, October 8, 2014
Tuesday, October 7, 2014
Blog # 373 Growth in Holiness
Blog # 373 Growth in Holiness
Go out some time on one of those beautiful days when the sun is shining in a clear blue sky. Feel the warmth on your shoulders. Think for a moment this is the same sun that warmed Jesus.
What do you think was His response? Don't you think Jesus saw the sky as beautiful? Isn't it easy to imagine Jesus praising the Father for the beauty of the sky, and the warmth of the sun? When we do the same it is easy to see ourselves as doing exactly what Jesus did. Here is a way to grow in holiness.
Jesus is the model for all of our growth in holiness. His prayer should be our prayer. His love for the poor should be our love for the poor. His obedience to the Father must be our obedience to the Father.
God has nothing to gain from our service. It is because God loves us that God wants us to be good. It is because we love God that we want to be our best. God doesn't need anything we can give God or do for God in the sense the manager of a factory needs the work of his employees in order to show a profit for the Company, or in the sense a man needs his wife to avoid undue loneliness.
Yet, as Paul teaches (1 Thes. 4: 3), it is God's will that we grow in holiness. The only reason I can see for such a desire on the part of God is that God loves us, the great and the small among us. those who are struggling to believe, and those who are beginning to live directed by their faith as well as those who have already achieved a great deal. God knows and loves us all and desires that each of us grow in His likeness, merely because of God's love.
We are like Jesus in that we are warmed by the same sun that warmed Jesus. This is not our choice. We can be like Jesus in many other ways, in our prayer, in our praise of God, in or relationships with one another. As we grow in our likeness to Jesus we grow in fulfilling God's desire that we grow in holiness. And the more we grow in genuine holiness the easier it is for those who live around us to grow.
Go out some time on one of those beautiful days when the sun is shining in a clear blue sky. Feel the warmth on your shoulders. Think for a moment this is the same sun that warmed Jesus.
What do you think was His response? Don't you think Jesus saw the sky as beautiful? Isn't it easy to imagine Jesus praising the Father for the beauty of the sky, and the warmth of the sun? When we do the same it is easy to see ourselves as doing exactly what Jesus did. Here is a way to grow in holiness.
Jesus is the model for all of our growth in holiness. His prayer should be our prayer. His love for the poor should be our love for the poor. His obedience to the Father must be our obedience to the Father.
God has nothing to gain from our service. It is because God loves us that God wants us to be good. It is because we love God that we want to be our best. God doesn't need anything we can give God or do for God in the sense the manager of a factory needs the work of his employees in order to show a profit for the Company, or in the sense a man needs his wife to avoid undue loneliness.
Yet, as Paul teaches (1 Thes. 4: 3), it is God's will that we grow in holiness. The only reason I can see for such a desire on the part of God is that God loves us, the great and the small among us. those who are struggling to believe, and those who are beginning to live directed by their faith as well as those who have already achieved a great deal. God knows and loves us all and desires that each of us grow in His likeness, merely because of God's love.
We are like Jesus in that we are warmed by the same sun that warmed Jesus. This is not our choice. We can be like Jesus in many other ways, in our prayer, in our praise of God, in or relationships with one another. As we grow in our likeness to Jesus we grow in fulfilling God's desire that we grow in holiness. And the more we grow in genuine holiness the easier it is for those who live around us to grow.
Monday, October 6, 2014
Blog # 372 Jesus and the Bible
# 372 Jesus and the Bible
Did it ever occur to you to gather together the various references in the New Testament where Jesus quotes or refers to the Bible as the source of His identity, the goal of His life, etc.? I did it recently and it was an interesting and useful experience.
Here are the references I gathered. You may want to look them up for yourself. Putting them together creates an impression that is different from considering them one at a time individually.
The references in Matthew are: 4: 4; 4:6; 21: 13; 26:24; 26: 31. In Mark we have: 9: 12;
11: 17; 12 : 10; 14 : 21; 14: 27. In Luke it is: 4:4; 4: 17 - 21; 7: 27; 24: 27. And in John's Gospel: 7: 38; 7: 42; 10: 35; 13: 18; 17: 12. And after the death of Jesus, John himself adds: 19: 24; and 19: 36 - 37.
Than I continued to look up references in which the Biblical writers refer to the Scriptures. Here are some samples: Romans 1: 17; 2: 24; 3: 4; 3:10; 4: 3; 4: 17; 8: 36; 9: 7; 9:13; 9: 33;
10: 11; 10: 15; 11: 2; 11: 8; 11 26; 15: 3; 15: 9; 15 21. 1 Corinthians: 1: 19; 3:19; 6:16;
10: 7; 15: 27; 15: 45; 15: 54. 1 Timothy 4: 13; 2 Timothy: 3; 16; 2 Peter 3: 15.16.
Jesus read and used the Bible in His ministry. Paul and the other Biblical writers did the
same. Down through the entire history of the Church believers found comfort, inspiration, challenge, direction for their lives, strength and hope in the Bible. May it ever be a significant part of what is God's gift of 'daily bread' for each of us, and may we live out in the third dimension of our lives the central message of the Bible: God is real; He loves us all; and in Him we are one!
Did it ever occur to you to gather together the various references in the New Testament where Jesus quotes or refers to the Bible as the source of His identity, the goal of His life, etc.? I did it recently and it was an interesting and useful experience.
Here are the references I gathered. You may want to look them up for yourself. Putting them together creates an impression that is different from considering them one at a time individually.
The references in Matthew are: 4: 4; 4:6; 21: 13; 26:24; 26: 31. In Mark we have: 9: 12;
11: 17; 12 : 10; 14 : 21; 14: 27. In Luke it is: 4:4; 4: 17 - 21; 7: 27; 24: 27. And in John's Gospel: 7: 38; 7: 42; 10: 35; 13: 18; 17: 12. And after the death of Jesus, John himself adds: 19: 24; and 19: 36 - 37.
Than I continued to look up references in which the Biblical writers refer to the Scriptures. Here are some samples: Romans 1: 17; 2: 24; 3: 4; 3:10; 4: 3; 4: 17; 8: 36; 9: 7; 9:13; 9: 33;
10: 11; 10: 15; 11: 2; 11: 8; 11 26; 15: 3; 15: 9; 15 21. 1 Corinthians: 1: 19; 3:19; 6:16;
10: 7; 15: 27; 15: 45; 15: 54. 1 Timothy 4: 13; 2 Timothy: 3; 16; 2 Peter 3: 15.16.
Jesus read and used the Bible in His ministry. Paul and the other Biblical writers did the
same. Down through the entire history of the Church believers found comfort, inspiration, challenge, direction for their lives, strength and hope in the Bible. May it ever be a significant part of what is God's gift of 'daily bread' for each of us, and may we live out in the third dimension of our lives the central message of the Bible: God is real; He loves us all; and in Him we are one!
Sunday, October 5, 2014
Blog # 371 Working in God's vineyard
Blog # 371 Working in God's vineyard
The readings for our liturgy today, 27th Sunday Ordinary Time, are from Isaiah 5: 1 - 7, and Mat. 21: 33-43. The Gospel takes us into a vineyard for the third consecutive Sunday.
Isaiah's 'friend' who had a vineyard is God. The vineyard is the house of Israel. The people of Judah are the cherished plant. The words of Isaiah had a definite context and specific meaning for the people to whom he addressed them. But today they are also addressed to us. You, I, we as believing Christians, are the house of Israel, the people of Judah, God's "cherished plant". (v.7). Jesus is the rich soil in which we are planted when we listen to His words and by faith make them our own. As a plant receives its nourishment from the soil in which it grows, so we receive our meaning, and goal of life from the truth Jesus teaches us, in our faith. We are planted in fertile soil. All of creation is about love. There is no more perfect love for the Father than the love Jesus lived and offers to share with us in faith and Baptism.
Through our obedience to the commandments of God we carry out the Father's work of caring for His vineyard, which can be identified in each of us individually, in the Church, and in all of creation. It is the work of designing the vineyard, planting it, cultivating it, fertilizing it, weeding it, watering it, enjoying it, harvesting its fruit. In our obedience to His will we have a share in the work of the owner of the vineyard. The quality of the soil and the design of the vineyard is the sole work of the owner, our Creator. The remaining work is shared with us. Forgiving sins is like pulling weeds. Prayer is like water. The work of the missions is the work of planting new vines. Penance, self-denial, and fasting are cultivators. Sacraments act like fertilizers, and our growth in holiness gives God joy. The harvest is the moment of death for individuals, and the end of the world for the Church.
It seems most important to me to realize as far as we can the faith we proclaim each Sunday in the Creed: We believe in one God, the Father Almighty, Creator of heaven and earth, all that is seen and unseen. All of creation is God's vineyard. God owns it all. The same God who made the mountains made the sea. The same God Who sent His Word from Heaven to live among us as one of us though divine, is the God Who calls us to hear Him speak truth in the words of Jesus and see Him act in the obedience of Jesus, and then make that truth and that obedience our own. The same God.
All of creation tells the believer who God is, the God who designs us, calls us, cherishes us, cares for us. The stars tell something of God. There are more than thirty billion of them in our galactic system, and there are thirty billion or so other star systems in addition to ours in God's vineyard. The Creator of all is our Creator. Earth as it moves in its course around the sun at a speed of eighteen miles a second, sixty-five thousand miles an hour, and covers one million five hundred thousand miles each day, tells us something more. And our heart of flesh, what a creation! Seventy-two beats a minute is normal, with one hundred four thousand beats a day and thirty-eight million beats a year. This is all taking place in the owner's vineyard. Jesus claimed it all for our Father in a very simple way: " Not a single sparrow falls to the earth without your Father's consent...As for you, every hair on your head has been counted, so do not be afraid of anything." (Mat. 18: 29,30).
With all these statistics verified by modern science it should not be difficult to realize our owner is worthy of our unconditional trust, and our total love. Working in His vineyard, and knowing what we are doing is a wonderful privilege that comes from faith.
In todays' Gospel, Jesus answers the question left unanswered in Isaiah:
What more was there for me to do for my vineyard that I had not done? Jesus in His life, death, and resurrection is the answer to that question. "He sent His Son to them". And they killed Him. Wild grapes, then and now, lewd conduct, impurity, licentiousness, idolatry, sorcery, hostilities, bickering, jealousy, outbursts of rage, selfish rivalries, dissensions, factions, envy, drunkenness, orgies, and the like.. It is still going on. However, there is good fruit as well: love, peace, patient endurance, kindness, generosity, faith, mildness and chastity. (Gal. 5: 22,23).
The readings for our liturgy today, 27th Sunday Ordinary Time, are from Isaiah 5: 1 - 7, and Mat. 21: 33-43. The Gospel takes us into a vineyard for the third consecutive Sunday.
Isaiah's 'friend' who had a vineyard is God. The vineyard is the house of Israel. The people of Judah are the cherished plant. The words of Isaiah had a definite context and specific meaning for the people to whom he addressed them. But today they are also addressed to us. You, I, we as believing Christians, are the house of Israel, the people of Judah, God's "cherished plant". (v.7). Jesus is the rich soil in which we are planted when we listen to His words and by faith make them our own. As a plant receives its nourishment from the soil in which it grows, so we receive our meaning, and goal of life from the truth Jesus teaches us, in our faith. We are planted in fertile soil. All of creation is about love. There is no more perfect love for the Father than the love Jesus lived and offers to share with us in faith and Baptism.
Through our obedience to the commandments of God we carry out the Father's work of caring for His vineyard, which can be identified in each of us individually, in the Church, and in all of creation. It is the work of designing the vineyard, planting it, cultivating it, fertilizing it, weeding it, watering it, enjoying it, harvesting its fruit. In our obedience to His will we have a share in the work of the owner of the vineyard. The quality of the soil and the design of the vineyard is the sole work of the owner, our Creator. The remaining work is shared with us. Forgiving sins is like pulling weeds. Prayer is like water. The work of the missions is the work of planting new vines. Penance, self-denial, and fasting are cultivators. Sacraments act like fertilizers, and our growth in holiness gives God joy. The harvest is the moment of death for individuals, and the end of the world for the Church.
It seems most important to me to realize as far as we can the faith we proclaim each Sunday in the Creed: We believe in one God, the Father Almighty, Creator of heaven and earth, all that is seen and unseen. All of creation is God's vineyard. God owns it all. The same God who made the mountains made the sea. The same God Who sent His Word from Heaven to live among us as one of us though divine, is the God Who calls us to hear Him speak truth in the words of Jesus and see Him act in the obedience of Jesus, and then make that truth and that obedience our own. The same God.
All of creation tells the believer who God is, the God who designs us, calls us, cherishes us, cares for us. The stars tell something of God. There are more than thirty billion of them in our galactic system, and there are thirty billion or so other star systems in addition to ours in God's vineyard. The Creator of all is our Creator. Earth as it moves in its course around the sun at a speed of eighteen miles a second, sixty-five thousand miles an hour, and covers one million five hundred thousand miles each day, tells us something more. And our heart of flesh, what a creation! Seventy-two beats a minute is normal, with one hundred four thousand beats a day and thirty-eight million beats a year. This is all taking place in the owner's vineyard. Jesus claimed it all for our Father in a very simple way: " Not a single sparrow falls to the earth without your Father's consent...As for you, every hair on your head has been counted, so do not be afraid of anything." (Mat. 18: 29,30).
With all these statistics verified by modern science it should not be difficult to realize our owner is worthy of our unconditional trust, and our total love. Working in His vineyard, and knowing what we are doing is a wonderful privilege that comes from faith.
In todays' Gospel, Jesus answers the question left unanswered in Isaiah:
What more was there for me to do for my vineyard that I had not done? Jesus in His life, death, and resurrection is the answer to that question. "He sent His Son to them". And they killed Him. Wild grapes, then and now, lewd conduct, impurity, licentiousness, idolatry, sorcery, hostilities, bickering, jealousy, outbursts of rage, selfish rivalries, dissensions, factions, envy, drunkenness, orgies, and the like.. It is still going on. However, there is good fruit as well: love, peace, patient endurance, kindness, generosity, faith, mildness and chastity. (Gal. 5: 22,23).
Saturday, October 4, 2014
Blog # 370 St. Francis of Assisi
Blog # 370 St. Francis of Assisi
Today is the feast of St. Francis of Assisi. He died in the year 1223. He was canonized as a Saint in Heaven just two years after his death. He was born of a very wealthy influential family and lived a life of luxury, then a few years as a professional soldier, and finally settled in to the life of joyful simplicity, poverty and love for the poor for which he has primarily been known and loved down through the centuries.
A story passed down about him tells of his comment on a difference between being a 'good person' and a 'saint'. . He said it is something like the difference between a man who thinks of his sweet-heart as beautiful as a rose, and a man for whom every flower reminds him of his sweet-heart.
Francis' spirituality was strongly supported by his ability to see and respond to God in all of creation around him, from a simple flower to the vastness and beauty of an open sky or the mystery of death that comes to all who live and to which he referred to as a sister. In case you did not have a copy handy I thought it would be a good tribute to him if I included his famous 'Canticle of the Sun' as a conclusion of our blog today on his feast day.
Canticle of the Sun
Oh, Most High, Almighty, Good Lord God, to Thee belong praise, glory, honor and blessing.
Praised be my Lord God, with all His creatures, and especially our brother the Sun, who brings us the day and who brings us the light; fair is he, and he shines with a very great splendor. O Lord, he signifies us to thee!
Praised be my Lord for our sister the Moon, and for the stars, which He has set clear and lovely in the heaven. Praised be my Lord for our brother the wind, and for air and clouds, calms and all weather, by which Thou upholdest life and all creatures. Praised by my Lord, for our sister water, who is very serviceable to us, and humble and precious and clean. Praised be my Lord for our brother fire, through whom Thou givest us light in the darkness, and he is bright and pleasant and very mighty and srong. Praised be my Lord for our mother the earth, the which doth sustain us and keeps us, and bringeth forth diverse fruits and flowers of many colors, and grass. Praised be my Lord for all those who pardon one another for love's sake, and who endure weakness and tribulations: blessed are they who peacefully shall endure, for Thou, O Most HIgh, wilt give them a crown. Blessed be my Lord for my sister, the death of the body, from which no man escapeth. Woe to him who dieth in mortal sin. Blessed are those who die in Thy most holy will, for the second death shall have no power over them. Praise ye and bless the Lord, and give thanks to Him and serve Him with great humility.
Today is the feast of St. Francis of Assisi. He died in the year 1223. He was canonized as a Saint in Heaven just two years after his death. He was born of a very wealthy influential family and lived a life of luxury, then a few years as a professional soldier, and finally settled in to the life of joyful simplicity, poverty and love for the poor for which he has primarily been known and loved down through the centuries.
A story passed down about him tells of his comment on a difference between being a 'good person' and a 'saint'. . He said it is something like the difference between a man who thinks of his sweet-heart as beautiful as a rose, and a man for whom every flower reminds him of his sweet-heart.
Francis' spirituality was strongly supported by his ability to see and respond to God in all of creation around him, from a simple flower to the vastness and beauty of an open sky or the mystery of death that comes to all who live and to which he referred to as a sister. In case you did not have a copy handy I thought it would be a good tribute to him if I included his famous 'Canticle of the Sun' as a conclusion of our blog today on his feast day.
Canticle of the Sun
Oh, Most High, Almighty, Good Lord God, to Thee belong praise, glory, honor and blessing.
Praised be my Lord God, with all His creatures, and especially our brother the Sun, who brings us the day and who brings us the light; fair is he, and he shines with a very great splendor. O Lord, he signifies us to thee!
Praised be my Lord for our sister the Moon, and for the stars, which He has set clear and lovely in the heaven. Praised be my Lord for our brother the wind, and for air and clouds, calms and all weather, by which Thou upholdest life and all creatures. Praised by my Lord, for our sister water, who is very serviceable to us, and humble and precious and clean. Praised be my Lord for our brother fire, through whom Thou givest us light in the darkness, and he is bright and pleasant and very mighty and srong. Praised be my Lord for our mother the earth, the which doth sustain us and keeps us, and bringeth forth diverse fruits and flowers of many colors, and grass. Praised be my Lord for all those who pardon one another for love's sake, and who endure weakness and tribulations: blessed are they who peacefully shall endure, for Thou, O Most HIgh, wilt give them a crown. Blessed be my Lord for my sister, the death of the body, from which no man escapeth. Woe to him who dieth in mortal sin. Blessed are those who die in Thy most holy will, for the second death shall have no power over them. Praise ye and bless the Lord, and give thanks to Him and serve Him with great humility.
Friday, October 3, 2014
Blog # 369 Come, Lord Jesus !
Blog # 369 Come Lord Jesus !
Come. Lord Jesus! are the words used to conclude the Book of Revelation and the entire Bible. It is a beautiful prayer.
Just think what it might mean to us individually and as a community living together as families, neighborhoods, or cities if Jesus were to appear as He used to come and go from Jerusalem Jericho and Bethany. If Jesus were to come into your home this evening what would that mean to you? What preparation would you like to make for Him? What would you expect Him to say, and what would you say to Him? And yet, in a very real sense Jesus already is among us by faith.
"Wherever two or three are gathered together in my name, there I am in the midst of them." Jesus is in our homes and in our town. "I was hungry and you gave me to eat, sick and you visited me, homeless and you gave me shelter. As long as you did it to one of these the least of my brethren you did it to me." (Mat.25: 35 - 40).
Knowing the existence and to some extent the meaning of these texts there is danger of forgetting them and not realizing their practical application in our everyday experience. If we really understood and appreciated the content of them it seems we would find ourselves seeking and finding the Lord wherever He proclaimed and promised He would be , in prayer, in the Bible, in the poor and the needy.
And yet there is more. By faith we live not only in the presence of Jesus but through faith and Baptism united with Him in the gift of Sanctifying Grace. "I am the vine and you are the branches. Live on in me, as I do in you." (Jn.15: 4,5).
Come, Lord Jesus. Be with us and in us. Instruct us in your ways. Help us make your obedience goodness generosity and love live on in us.(Jn. 17: 26). Help us to fulfill in our daily lives our Father's will and plan of holiness and salvation. Thank you, Jesus! Amen!
Come. Lord Jesus! are the words used to conclude the Book of Revelation and the entire Bible. It is a beautiful prayer.
Just think what it might mean to us individually and as a community living together as families, neighborhoods, or cities if Jesus were to appear as He used to come and go from Jerusalem Jericho and Bethany. If Jesus were to come into your home this evening what would that mean to you? What preparation would you like to make for Him? What would you expect Him to say, and what would you say to Him? And yet, in a very real sense Jesus already is among us by faith.
"Wherever two or three are gathered together in my name, there I am in the midst of them." Jesus is in our homes and in our town. "I was hungry and you gave me to eat, sick and you visited me, homeless and you gave me shelter. As long as you did it to one of these the least of my brethren you did it to me." (Mat.25: 35 - 40).
Knowing the existence and to some extent the meaning of these texts there is danger of forgetting them and not realizing their practical application in our everyday experience. If we really understood and appreciated the content of them it seems we would find ourselves seeking and finding the Lord wherever He proclaimed and promised He would be , in prayer, in the Bible, in the poor and the needy.
And yet there is more. By faith we live not only in the presence of Jesus but through faith and Baptism united with Him in the gift of Sanctifying Grace. "I am the vine and you are the branches. Live on in me, as I do in you." (Jn.15: 4,5).
Come, Lord Jesus. Be with us and in us. Instruct us in your ways. Help us make your obedience goodness generosity and love live on in us.(Jn. 17: 26). Help us to fulfill in our daily lives our Father's will and plan of holiness and salvation. Thank you, Jesus! Amen!
Thursday, October 2, 2014
Blog # 368
Blog # 368
Brown dogs, black dogs, spotted dogs, domestic dogs, wild dogs, big dogs, little dogs, healthy dogs, sick dogs, dogs here, dogs there, wherever you have dogs you have dogs. In spit of the differences one from another, you have something of the same which makes them all dogs.
So it is with people. We come in many shades of color, in a great variety of sizes and shapes, yet there is something consistently the same about us wherever we are. We make different sounds in a variety of languages to signify the came realities, bread, water, hopes, anger, and love. In site of our many differences there is something the same about us all that makes us one, as human creatures.
The critical truth about us that makes us one is the fact we all come into existence through the will of a single creator, the one true God. After this most basic fact about us, the differences are minor. The differences are real, yes, but are less fundamental than what makes us one. We are related on a more fundamental level to the seven billion people on earth today than we are related to
our blood-related brothers and sisters.
What I have just written is the dream, the ideal the map design goal plan, or whatever you might like to say in order to indicate the work and will of the Creator of us all. Yet that dream and ideal is not what we have worked out among us. We remain apart from one another, strangers, competitors, sometimes enemies. This is true of folks who live in nursing homes, palaces,families, villages, cities. As a result of our failure to understand and follow the design of God that calls us to be one, we often stand alone, argue rather than discuss, compete rather than cooperate, make war rather than build peace.
An answer to it all comes each Sunday when we make our proclamation of faith. "We believe in one God, the Father, the Almighty, maker of heaven and earth, of all that is seen and unseen". Our God is the God of the sunshine and the rain, the fire and ice, of sounds and shapes, of all that exists. There is nothing that happens by accident with God. Since God is the Creator of all, there is something of God present in all of creation. As an expression of the wisdom and goodness of God, all creation has something of God's wisdom and goodness within it, but in different ways and in different degrees of perfection. Water is hot and fire is hot . The leaves of a tree are green. The flowers are yellow. Both are colorful.
In the story of creation in the Bible, before the creation of humans, God 'saw' that all that had been created was good. All of it followed the Creator's plan. lived out the Creator's design, was the object of the Creator's delight. Then human creatures came on the scene. They were the same as the rest in that they had the one creator, but they were different in their ability to choose or to refuse God's plan for them. They were "made to God's image". They had reflective awareness of themselves, They had freedom. They could day yes or not to God's plan. And they did.
Water continued to freeze at a given temperature all around the world. Fire continued to be hot. But men and women sometimes did what was right and sometimes what was wrong. There was war as well as peace. And it all seemed to depend upon the will of men and women rather than on that of the Creator. He seemed to be watching from a distance rather than from within.
Now put all of this in the present tense and we have ourselves. We are present in the book of Genesis as we are in our daily newspaper. And our Creator is present to us now as in the beautiful garden of Eden to our first parents then. Now as then water freezes, fire burns, the stars shine, the earth moves around the sun, men and women are gifted with the gift of freedom. The Creator seems merely to be watching from a distance, rather than from within.
It almost seems as though God gave us human creatures less rather than more in giving us freedom. The rest of creation follows the creator's plan without fail. For us it is sometimes yes and sometimes no. The rest of creation is never shamed, embarrassed, or guilty because of its behavior. This regularly is the case with us. It is a fallacy to think of the gift of freedom as less than our greatest natural gift, other than God's personal love, of all the natural gifts we have. It is only when it is abused or left unused that it is the occasion of our being ashamed embarrassed or guilty. It is a dividing line between ourselves and the rest of creation. It was what the Creator 'saw' when the first work of creation was done the Creator looked upon it all and said the work of creating human reflections of His wisdom was "very good".
Why would this be so? In Mathew's Gospel (22:34), a lawyer asks Jesus what is the greatest commandment of all. Jesus responds without hesitation it is to love God above and our neighbors as ourselves. We are dealing here with the goal and purpose of all creation. All God did and does is love. That is what creation is about. Fire water earth and air are all expressions of the Creator's love. For them this is done in unfreedom. We are gifted with the ability to make it our own by choice.
Choice is possible for us through the gift of freedom. In freedom we discover God and respond to our discovery. Through freedom we open our hearts to those around us and form a community of hearts. Through freedom we trust the Creator, follow Jesus along the pathways of our lives, and make love appear on earth.
What is wrong and missing from a world not aware of and following the Creantor's plan and command is not that we are of different colors, sizes, shapes and talents, but that we do not love our Creator above all and one another as we love ourselves. All dogs are dogs. All people are called to love.
Brown dogs, black dogs, spotted dogs, domestic dogs, wild dogs, big dogs, little dogs, healthy dogs, sick dogs, dogs here, dogs there, wherever you have dogs you have dogs. In spit of the differences one from another, you have something of the same which makes them all dogs.
So it is with people. We come in many shades of color, in a great variety of sizes and shapes, yet there is something consistently the same about us wherever we are. We make different sounds in a variety of languages to signify the came realities, bread, water, hopes, anger, and love. In site of our many differences there is something the same about us all that makes us one, as human creatures.
The critical truth about us that makes us one is the fact we all come into existence through the will of a single creator, the one true God. After this most basic fact about us, the differences are minor. The differences are real, yes, but are less fundamental than what makes us one. We are related on a more fundamental level to the seven billion people on earth today than we are related to
our blood-related brothers and sisters.
What I have just written is the dream, the ideal the map design goal plan, or whatever you might like to say in order to indicate the work and will of the Creator of us all. Yet that dream and ideal is not what we have worked out among us. We remain apart from one another, strangers, competitors, sometimes enemies. This is true of folks who live in nursing homes, palaces,families, villages, cities. As a result of our failure to understand and follow the design of God that calls us to be one, we often stand alone, argue rather than discuss, compete rather than cooperate, make war rather than build peace.
An answer to it all comes each Sunday when we make our proclamation of faith. "We believe in one God, the Father, the Almighty, maker of heaven and earth, of all that is seen and unseen". Our God is the God of the sunshine and the rain, the fire and ice, of sounds and shapes, of all that exists. There is nothing that happens by accident with God. Since God is the Creator of all, there is something of God present in all of creation. As an expression of the wisdom and goodness of God, all creation has something of God's wisdom and goodness within it, but in different ways and in different degrees of perfection. Water is hot and fire is hot . The leaves of a tree are green. The flowers are yellow. Both are colorful.
In the story of creation in the Bible, before the creation of humans, God 'saw' that all that had been created was good. All of it followed the Creator's plan. lived out the Creator's design, was the object of the Creator's delight. Then human creatures came on the scene. They were the same as the rest in that they had the one creator, but they were different in their ability to choose or to refuse God's plan for them. They were "made to God's image". They had reflective awareness of themselves, They had freedom. They could day yes or not to God's plan. And they did.
Water continued to freeze at a given temperature all around the world. Fire continued to be hot. But men and women sometimes did what was right and sometimes what was wrong. There was war as well as peace. And it all seemed to depend upon the will of men and women rather than on that of the Creator. He seemed to be watching from a distance rather than from within.
Now put all of this in the present tense and we have ourselves. We are present in the book of Genesis as we are in our daily newspaper. And our Creator is present to us now as in the beautiful garden of Eden to our first parents then. Now as then water freezes, fire burns, the stars shine, the earth moves around the sun, men and women are gifted with the gift of freedom. The Creator seems merely to be watching from a distance, rather than from within.
It almost seems as though God gave us human creatures less rather than more in giving us freedom. The rest of creation follows the creator's plan without fail. For us it is sometimes yes and sometimes no. The rest of creation is never shamed, embarrassed, or guilty because of its behavior. This regularly is the case with us. It is a fallacy to think of the gift of freedom as less than our greatest natural gift, other than God's personal love, of all the natural gifts we have. It is only when it is abused or left unused that it is the occasion of our being ashamed embarrassed or guilty. It is a dividing line between ourselves and the rest of creation. It was what the Creator 'saw' when the first work of creation was done the Creator looked upon it all and said the work of creating human reflections of His wisdom was "very good".
Why would this be so? In Mathew's Gospel (22:34), a lawyer asks Jesus what is the greatest commandment of all. Jesus responds without hesitation it is to love God above and our neighbors as ourselves. We are dealing here with the goal and purpose of all creation. All God did and does is love. That is what creation is about. Fire water earth and air are all expressions of the Creator's love. For them this is done in unfreedom. We are gifted with the ability to make it our own by choice.
Choice is possible for us through the gift of freedom. In freedom we discover God and respond to our discovery. Through freedom we open our hearts to those around us and form a community of hearts. Through freedom we trust the Creator, follow Jesus along the pathways of our lives, and make love appear on earth.
What is wrong and missing from a world not aware of and following the Creantor's plan and command is not that we are of different colors, sizes, shapes and talents, but that we do not love our Creator above all and one another as we love ourselves. All dogs are dogs. All people are called to love.
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