The Perfect Planned Community

~~~ Ezekiel 47:1-2, 8-9, 12 ~~~ Psalm 46 ~~~ 1Corinthians 3:9c-11, 16-17 ~~~

~~~ John 2:13-22 ~~~

Today's readings sound more like the city planners describing their vision.

Water will be abundant and easily accessible no matter what part of the city you inhabit. The available water will insure good produce.

Wildlife will flourish along with the people near the water.

All living creatures need water to survive.

 

This water running through the middle of the city will also be a source of medicine.

Everything has been provided for the people to thrive not just to survive.

They are destined to have the 'good life', in today terms.

 

It reminds me of our 'planned communities' that developers

have become so fond of more recently.

These meticulously designed communities include almost

everything that you would need making

it more attractive to the busy families.

 

 

Of course God was way ahead of us with these ideas...

I think the original Garden of Eden was the first

'planned community'...

the inhabitants just misused it for their own glory.

 

The waters of the river gladden the city of God,

the holy dwelling of the Most High!

 

We are reaping the benefits of what the Master Builder planned for us.

A planned community for eternal life.

Jesus Christ laid the foundation with his life.

The Holy Spirit continuously makes all things new.

We are so blessed.

Let us give thanks for all the Lord has done for us...

especially during this Thanksgiving time.

Carried on His Shoulders

~~~~ Philippians 3:3-8a ~~~ Psalm 105 ~~~ Luke 15:1-10 ~~~

 

"...The tax collectors and sinners were all drawing near to listen to Jesus,
but the Pharisees and scribes began to complain, saying,
"This man welcomes sinners and eats with them." "

 

Many people crowded around Jesus

 sometimes just to be in his presence.

It makes me believe that he must have been very charismatic.

People, even sinners and tax collectors, wanted to be with him.

Many were satisfied just to touch his clothing at times.

 

Today we get to picture Jesus seated with these despised

members of society sharing a meal with them.

He shares a meal in friendship and love with 'these' people.

 

As often happens when friends gather around the table stories are shared.

Jesus shares the story of the lost sheep and the lost coin.

You only look for something lost if it holds some meaning of value to you.

 

Jesus is saying the shepherd loves his single lost sheep

so much he takes the time to find him.

Not only does he find the poor lost sheep

he picks him up, drapes him across his shoulders

and carries him back to the safety of the herd.

Wow!

This is the God who loves me even more than the shepherd

could possibly love his lost sheep.

 

The shepherd counts his sheep and notices he is one short.

He quickly goes out and combs the nearby area for the solitary sheep.

He repeatedly calls out to the sheep,

hoping that the sound of his familiar voice

will reach the ears of the lost one.

 

Is God calling to you?

 

Upon finding the sheep he is so joyful.

He reaches down and scoops up the sheep into his arms.

The sheep relaxes into the arms of his shepherd.

He does not struggle to escape...he is safe now.

 

The shepherd places the sheep around his neck,

legs stretched out across his shoulders.

He feels the weight, as the sheep completely rests on his shoulders.

 

Let God scoop you up into his arms.

 

He also feels the warmth of the body of his animal.

He feels the breeze from each exhaled breath.

He smells the hoofs which carried the sheep away.

 

'Rejoice with me because I have found my lost sheep.'

 

Being returned to the flock brings peace and calm to the lost sheep.

He quickly mixes in with the herd exactly where he belongs.

 

 

This can be the story for every repentant sinner.

Once you let God find you and carry you back into his fold,

a new sense of peace can fill you.

 

One sheep who has strayed away from the safety of the flock

may not realize how at risk he has become.

When you are alone you are a much more

desirable target for danger to strike. 

You have lost not only the protection of the shepherd,

but you have also lost the protection from the rest of the flock.

 

"...I tell you,
there will be rejoicing among the angels of God
over one sinner who repents."

 

I invite you to spend time today reflecting on being draped lovingly

across the shoulders of the Lord.

Stay there awhile and feel his strength supporting the weight of your body.

Let him bring you back rejoicing!

Shine Like Lights in the World

~~~ Philippians 2: 12-18 ~~~ Psalm 27 ~~~ Luke 14: 25-33 ~~~

 

The Lord is my light and my salvation.

 

The light of the Lord continues to shine forth today

because we have accepted the challenge.

The light of the Lord continues to be bright because

we have accepted the invitation.

We must be committed to keep the flame burning.

If we lose focus or turn away from tending to this light;

we will become contributors to the darkness.

 

"...My beloved, obedient as you have always been,
not only when I am present but all the more now when I am absent..."

 

God is not dead, as some might want you to believe.

Though we may struggle to see him present among us, we must still

maintain his light of love.

We must be the flickering light in the darkness.

We must believe that God has a bigger plan than we can see,

even with our light shining brightly.

 

Now more than ever it is time for us to be the hope of the world.

It is time for us to believe in the Light of the World.

 

"...shine like lights in the world..."

We know how to tap into the source of all light.

The Lord is our strength and the source of our light.

 

The Lord is my light and my salvation.

 

 

 

"...Whoever does not carry his own cross and come after me
cannot be my disciple."

 

The only way we can continue to shine our light in the world today is

to also be willing to take up our cross.

Following Jesus requires you to carry your lamp in one hand

even as you struggle to carry the weight of your cross.

 

Without the cross what is the point of keeping the light glowing?

Without the cross, where are we going?

 

Plan...seek peace...denounce possessions...

taken from Luke's gospel today.

 

This is not a formula for doom and gloom

but rather one of complete trust and hope in the Lord.

We are in a period when we must truly walk by faith.

We are prevented from seeing, even with our light,

 what plans he has in store for us.

 

May God continue to guide us and

bless us each and every day.

May God give us the conviction necessary

 to burn brightly

in a world of increasing darkness.

You are the Light of the World...

Are you up to the task?

I pray that we are.

Consider Me Excused?

~~~ Philippians 2:5-11 ~~~ Psalm 22 ~~~ Luke 14: 15-24 ~~~

 

 

"...though he was in the form of God,
did not regard equality with God
something to be grasped.
Rather, he emptied himself..."

 

What does it mean to 'empty oneself'?

I am sure we could have a lively discussion around those two words.

Just the word empty by itself has vast implications.

We use the word empty in so many contexts.

We empty the trash, the dishwasher, the bathtub etc.

We empty things in the kitchen, the bathroom, the garage...

we even empty bladder and intestines.

But Jesus in order to become human had to empty himself of his

'Godness' perhaps even his Divinity.

He had to become one of us.

 

Would you be willing to become an ant to save all of the ants in the world?

I doubt you would.

That may be an outlandish example,

but humans are certainly no comparison to being God.

 

Jesus emptied himself, while retaining the qualities of

who he actually was; God the Son.

 

He knew why the Father sent him to be among us.

He knew he was sent to do the will of the Father.

Doing the will of the Father required his giving us parables in hopes

we would grasp the essence of the message.

The banquet story is one he chose to implement.

 

Is your social calendar so full of engagements that you have

no time left for God?

 

Luke writes today about the many excuses we can find

to keep ourselves from the presence of God.

Perhaps it is more comfortable to busy ourselves with other things.

Perhaps it is easier to give our attention to those things

which appear to be more pressing.

 

Taking care of property, and your animals seems to be valid concerns.

But perhaps the most worthy of your attention would be your spouse.

Each person invited had the same request...

'consider me excused'

 

In all my years of teaching I certainly received many excuses

for why a student should miss class or be given extra time.

And also excuses for why an assignment was not completed by the due date.

 

Some parents were quick to provide an excuse,

but some allowed their child to suffer the consequences

for their lack of action.

 

I think Jesus is making it pretty clear how he feels about excuses...

about how he will react when you refuse his invitation.

 

 

God is not looking to grant you excuses.

While he is certainly merciful, kind, caring, and compassionate

 he is serious when it comes to your salvation.

He is serious about the path you must take to get to eternal life.

 

We would be horrified if God responded to our prayers with excuses...

 

Everyone is invited to the banquet of the Lord.

There will always be room for one more person.

I pray my actions will never imply for God...

to consider myself excused.

 

Empty yourself of those things which in the end do not

positively contribute to your relationship with God.

 

Remember,

God will never consider you excused from his desire to love you.

Lame and Blind

~~~ Philippians 2: 1-4 ~~~ Psalm 131 ~~~ Luke 14:12-14 ~~~

 

Paul is imploring his listeners to be united in heart with him.

The emphasis of loving our neighbor is carried forward

from yesterday through Paul's letter.

He is writes about love, compassion, and mercy being extended to others.

He writes about putting yourself in a place of less importance.

 

"...humbly regard others as more important than yourselves,
each looking out not for his own interests,
but also everyone for those of others."

 

The way to achieve true peace is to place all in the Lord.

It is only in God can our heart be content.

It is only in God that our soul can be a rest.

 

In you, O Lord, I have found my peace.

 

Jesus, while dining in the home of one of the Pharisees,

 speaks of the banquet that he ultimately prepares.

The banquet that Jesus prepares for us can never be returned in kind

and certainly not matched.

 

"...when you hold a banquet,
invite the poor, the crippled, the lame, the blind;
blessed indeed will you be because of their inability to repay you.
For you will be repaid at the resurrection of the righteous."

 

Jesus is talking about us here.

We are the poor, the crippled, the lame, and the blind.

We only have ourselves to give back to God for all that he has done for us.

The banquet of the Lord is for the soul, not the body as are earthly banquets.

 

 

 

The only motivation God has for inviting us to his banquet is love.

Others may have hidden agendas behind their invitations,

but not the Lord.

Even though we cannot see clearly, God never has hidden agendas.

He always wants what is best for us.

He wants us seated with him at the banquet table.

He wants us to come, lame and blind as we are.

He wants us to experience his love so that we can pass it on to others.

 

To give freely with no expectation of return

is good for the heart and soul.

 

"...Do nothing out of selfishness or out of vainglory..."

 

We must make the intention to act out of love and not selfishly.

A true gift is one that cannot be repaid.

A true giver expects nothing in return.

The day of Resurrection awaits each of us.

Is Loving God Enough?

~~~ Thirty-first Sunday in Ordinary Time ~~~

 

~~~ Deuteronomy 6:2-6 ~~~ Psalm 18 ~~~ Hebrews 7: 32-28 ~~~ Mark 12: 28b-34 ~~~

 

 "...love the LORD, your God,
with all your heart,
and with all your soul,
and with all your strength."

 

The Old Testament speaks of loving God alone

with all that you are and all that you have...

mind, body and soul.

Those who lived during that time were not encouraged to love

their neighbors or themselves.

 

They only had part of the great equation of love.

The commandment of love is more meaningful when you include

your neighbors and also yourself.

 

In a way loving God alone is a cop out.

If all you had to do was love God

you would not have to consider your actions toward others.

If you only had to love God

and not yourself you could miss the blessing of who

you were made to become.

 

Jesus came to complete the Old Testament laws...

loving God is essential but it is not all there is to loving.

 

Jesus modeled through out his public ministry

what it means to love your neighbor.

In his mission to server others he expressed his love for them.

Every miracle he performed was an extension of his love and compassion.

 

 

 "...to love him with all your heart,
with all your understanding,
with all your strength,
and to love your neighbor as yourself'
is worth more than all burnt offerings and sacrifices."

 

The foundational building block of the commandment of love

is loving yourself.

There are so many people who do not love themselves.

There are many people who were never taught

 or encouraged to love themselves.

If we are created in the image and likeness of God

how can we love him if we do not love ourselves.

 

If we do not value ourselves how can we begin to love those around us?

How can we love those who irritate us by their actions or beliefs?

 

Loving ourselves makes it more likely that we can move to the next level

of loving our neighbors...all of our neighbors.

This is so often the area of love where we impose boundaries.

Jesus did not say only love those who are just like yourself.

Jesus did not qualify who you should or should not love.

You never hear Jesus tell you not to love anyone.

 

The love Jesus spoke of was all inclusive.

It is the total package of love.

 

Loving God and loving our neighbor as ourselves may sound easy,

 but most of us are never able to completely accomplish such love.

 

Perhaps our inability to love as Jesus wants us to love is why

we hear about love so often in the scriptures.

The more we hear about how to love the more

we will be able to put it into practice.

 

Where do you need more love in your life?

Is it in loving yourself?

Is it in loving your neighbor?

Is it in loving God?

 

These three are not optional...

they are requirements....commandments.

Caught Between Two Worlds

~~~ Philippians 1:18b-26 ~~~ Psalm 42 ~~~ Luke 14:1, 7-11 ~~~

 

My soul is thirsting for the living God.

When shall I go and behold the face of God?

 

These two verses from the psalm accurately reflect the sentiments

about which Paul is writing in his letter to the Philippians.

Paul is torn between wanting to die and be joined with God in heaven

and passionately preaching the word of God.

 

The psalmist too is thirsting to experience the living God

in his daily life while

desiring to see the face of God in heaven.

 

I think as believers we have the same challenges in our lives.

We want to spread the word of the Lord.

We want to be used by God to carry the message of his love to others.

We want to know that God is truly alive in our individual lives.

We live the daily goal of our life being a witness for the Lord.

 

All goes well as long as we are not met with those who

would ridicule us for our beliefs.

We are able to keep moving forward as long as we keep

ourselves surrounded by those who already share similar beliefs as we do.

 

But is that how we are to practice our faith?

 

Paul was not always so lucky.

He was on ground breaking quests more often than not.

Perhaps the real challenge comes when we must boldly

speak up for what we believe.

 

I think of those who are missionaries

in particularly hostile environments.

I ask myself,

would I have a strong enough conviction

to stand firm in my faith.

As I sit here today I can only hope

that I would be granted the necessary grace.

 

 

Paul writes with such confidence as seen in his words today...

 

"...Christ will be magnified in my body,
whether by life or by death.
For to me life is Christ, and death is gain."

 

Sounds like the sentiments of those who were martyred

for their unparalleled faith in God.

 

Paul is caught between the two...

living in the flesh and living in the spirit..

the ultimate communion with God.

 

The spirit of the Lord led Paul throughout his life.

This same spirit is working in us today.

This same spirit will lead us as well if we cooperate.

St. Paul cooperated with God as soon as God grabbed hold of him.

Once surrendering to God there was no stopping Paul.

He was extravagant in his preaching and love for the Lord.

 

Are you willing to let God grab hold of you?

Are you willing to be bold and extravagant in the Lord?

 

God will always bring about goodness in your lives...

pass it on...

let others know what he has done for you.