Healing Rays of Righteousness

Our Father in Heaven

This, then, is how you should pray: “Our Father in heaven, hallowed be your name, your kingdom come, your will be done, on earth as it is in heaven.” (Matthew 6:9-10).

Many of us have memorized the words of this prayer. But do we seriously contemplate and understand what we are saying? In my study and use of this prayer, I have gained a deep appreciation for the spiritual insights and relational understandings expressed in it. And praying this prayer has greatly enhanced my relationship with God.

Over the next several weeks, I invite you to consider with me the truths I think Jesus intended for us to learn about our relationship with God through praying this short but majestic and potentially life-changing prayer.

In teaching us this prayer, Jesus says we are to address God as our Father, not “my Father” but “our Father” – thus making it a community prayer. When we pray this prayer, we are acknowledging and affirming that we are children of God’s family, worshiping and praying together, as Christian brothers and sisters around the world. A biblical truth we sometimes too easily forget or ignore.

The Scriptures tell us that in confessing Jesus as Lord, we are accepted into a holy family. The apostle Peter says that we “…are a chosen people, a royal priesthood, a holy nation, God’s special possession, …Once you were not a people, but now you are the people of God;”  (1 Peter 2:9-10).

To address God as “Father” implies a relationship in which we are not God’s equal peers but are as homeless children that he has loved and adopted into his family. And as his adopted children, God has committed himself to act toward us as a loving Father acts toward his family.

Addressing God as “Our Father” also reminds me of Jesus teaching that we must be childlike in our attitude and relationship with God. He said, “Truly I tell you, unless you change and become like little children, you will never enter the kingdom of heaven.” (Matt. 18:3).

Now think with me for a moment about this relationship that we are invited into. I think you will agree with me that the Scriptures reveal God to us as the “Almighty, All-knowing God” the unapproachable “Most Holy One” and the “Creator” of all things.

And yet, what is most amazing and stunning to me, is that, according to Jesus, this awesome, most glorious God wants me to call him “Father.” In fact, the Aramaic word for “Father” as translated here, is “Abba” and carries a more intimate and loving nature than simply a formal title and is similar and akin to our word “Daddy.”

However, this near and intimate God asked Jeremiah, “Am I only a God nearby, …and not a God far away? Who can hide in secret places so that I cannot see them? …Do not I fill heaven and earth? (Jeremiah 23:23-24). And the psalmist worshipfully declares, “From heaven the Lord looks down and sees all mankind; from his dwelling place he watches all who live on earth.” (Psalm 33:13-14).

Yes, it is true that God is as close as a loving parent who holds us in his lap. But that image is incomplete without the image of God being distant, high and lifted-up. A common synagogue prayer invokes “Our Father, Our King.” Both truths are held together. Heaven is about God’s kingship, God’s reign. We acknowledge these truths when we pray “Our Father in heaven.”

The gracious truth is that while the transcendent God “in heaven” is always near us and sees us, we can only be in relationship with him by his initiative in first reaching out to us adopted children as “Our Father in heaven.”

There is absolutely no possibility of our entering into the presence of God or having a relationship with God by our own ability and effort. There are no gifts of “good works” or “money offerings” big enough for us to gain entrance into God’s family.

And so, each time we address God as “Our Father” we should be reminded that we have been graciously loved, redeemed, made holy, and adopted as sons and daughters into God’s family, and that he desires for us to address him with all the love and appreciation we can muster from within ourselves.

I believe that the invitation to call God “Our Father” is a tremendous, sacred privilege that we far too often take for granted. And I believe this “father/child” relationship with God is more important than all our other relationships, demands, priorities, or loyalties. Think about it.

“Healing Rays of Righteousness” – February 26, 2020
http://www.geigler13.wordpress.com
Ray M. Geigley

Building Community

In her book, Bring Us Together, Marjorie Holmes writes this yearning prayer for community. “Oh, God, we go through life so lonely, needing what other people can give us, yet ashamed to show that need. And other people go through life so lonely, hungering for what it would be such a joy for us to give. Dear God, please bring us together, the people who need each other, who can help each other, and would so enjoy each other.”

If you are old enough to remember the TV series, THE WALTONS, you may remember one of the programs in which a small black boy, named Josh, is in conversation with Jim-Bob and says, “You were born belonging. That must be a great feeling – to belong.”

I fully believe that God created every human heart with the need to belong, to be accepted, included, and cared for in a community with other human beings. Indeed, he created us to live together in communities of love for one another.

One of the problems in our Western society is our emphasis on individualism, which has greatly diminished our sense of community, and even a felt need for it. I believe individualism is a characteristic of the human heart that leads away from God and his intention for every human being to be in community with others.

When Jesus was asked what is the greatest commandment, he answered by saying, “Love the Lord your God with all your heart, and with all your soul, and with all your mind. This is the first and greatest commandment.” And then he added this, “And the second is like it: Love your neighbor as yourself.” (Matthew 22:37-39).

To follow Jesus command, we must use the biblical language of community rather than the cultural language of individualism. To experience the abundant life he promised us, we must use the language of mutuality, of caring for one another, providing for one another, and being accountable to one another.

The early Christian community caught this vision and became a fellowship of sacrificial love, sharing life at all levels of spiritual, social, and economic relationships, such shelter, clothing, food, and wealth.

God’s design and purpose of community is what biblical scholars have named “the ministry of shared pilgrimage.” This is a priestly role for all people of God, and fits well into Anabaptist theology regarding the belief in the priesthood of all believers.

Anabaptist Christians regarded the need to live in community as an essential core value.
Myron Augsburger, a highly regarded theologian and pastor who is deeply rooted in the Anabaptist tradition, defines this biblical understanding of “love in community” in his book, “The Robe of God.”
“First, love personalizes relationships rather than institutionalizing them. We are to look at people as ends in themselves and never as a means to some other end.
Second, love energizes relationships rather than legalizing them. Jesus moves us beyond codes to compassion. As we care for people, we regard the law only as a means for treating others with justice and mercy.
Third, love immortalizes relationships rather than temporalizing them. We have been called to always look beyond the need of the immediate, to share the quality and the extension of the eternal. We are not to make our decisions solely on the basis of the needs of the moment. With eternity in view, we share to invest in a life.”

I think this is a compelling, directive word for all of us, countering the noisy, tempting, siren calls of individualism. But most importantly, it is a much needed directive word for church congregations and their related ministries.

It saddens me to witness how our culture’s focus on individualism is so rapidly diminishing God’s call for all mankind to be primarily focused on mutuality, a shared pilgrimage of caring for one another, providing for one another, and being accountable to one another.

Myron Augsburger’s definitions of love in community, help us to “walk our talk,” that is, to act out our Christian beliefs regarding community in the way we care and provide for others. It is about transforming our work and worship into Christian ministry.

The question for each of us to ask ourselves is, how am I today and every day nurturing a community spirit of concern for others in my home, work, and church relationships.

“Finally, all of you, be like-minded, be sympathetic, love one another, be compassionate and humble. Do not repay evil with evil or insult with insult. On the contrary, repay evil with blessing, because to this you were called so that you may inherit a blessing.” (1 Peter 3:8-9).

“Healing Rays of Righteousness” – February 19, 2020
http://www.geigler13.wordpress.com
Ray M. Geigley

Self-Worth Begets Self-Confidence

The story is told of a little boy being overheard talking to himself as he strode through his backyard, baseball cap in place and toting a ball and bat.  “I’m the greatest baseball player in the world” he said proudly.  Then he tossed the ball in the air, swung and missed.  Undaunted, he picked up the ball, threw it into the air and said”I’m the greatest player ever!”  He swung at the ball again, and again he missed.  He paused a moment to examine bat and ball carefully.  Then once again he threw the ball into the air and said “I’m the greatest baseball player who ever lived.”  He swung the bat hard and again missed the ball.  “Wow!” he exclaimed.  “What a pitcher!”

That boy felt good about who he was, and with unwavering self-confidence believed in himself.

Dr. James Dobson has said that the greatest gift parents can give their children is a healthy self-esteem.  He states that if children don’t think positively about themselves, they will be unmotivated, lacking energy and enthusiasm for life.  He believes that it is critical for children, with their emerging personality, to gain a strong sense of self-worth and self-confidence.

I believe this to be true, but I also believe that this same sense of self-worth is critical for our emotional health and happiness throughout life, and especially during the latter years of life.  As children, our sense of self-worth comes first from parents who constantly affirm who we are and what we accomplish.  Then throughout every stage of life that follows, our sense of self-worth is sustained by frequent affirmation from those around us.

However, it is equally important if not more so, to regularly find ways to affirm our self-worth.  When we acknowledge our worth as children of God, we acknowledge and honor God.  Self-worth means self-respect, and both are rooted in who we are as God’s special and unique children.

The apostle Paul writes “For those who are led by the Spirit of God are children of God.  The Spirit you received does not make you slaves, so that you live in fear again; rather, the Spirit you received brought about your adoption to sonship.  And by him we cry, ‘Abba, Father.’ The Spirit himself testifies with our spirit that we are God’s children.  Now if we are children, then we are heirs – heirs of God and co-heirs with Christ, if indeed we share in his sufferings in order that we may also share in his glory.”  (Romans 8:14-17).

And John writes in his first letter “See what great love the Father has lavished on us, that we should be called children of God!  And that is what we are!”  (1 John 3:1).

God condemns foolish pride, but self-worth that flows from a knowledge of our precious value as a child of the all-knowing and all-loving Father God glorifies the God who created us.

On the other hand, the loss of self-worth is tragic.  Losing one’s sense of self-worth can shake our faith in God.  Godly self-worth is the gift God implanted in us when he created us in our mother’s womb, and losing it is like losing God.  And so, rediscovering this gracious gift of self-worth is like finding God again, for it is the heart-beat of human dignity.

Self-worth and self-confidence generally grows stronger as we age and mature, because as adults we find purpose and a sense of self-worth through what we “do” – that is, our work and achievements.

Furthermore, our society generally measures our worth by what we “do” rather than on “who” we are.  That is, we are valuable if we are doing something important and the greater the importance the greater our value.  And so we tend to base our self-worth on our “doing” rather than on our “being.”  This is contrary to the way God measures our value.

For that reason I think it is important for us to frequently rediscover and reaffirm our worth based on “who we are” as unique human beings, children of God whom he most dearly loves.  And it is equally important that we be more diligent in verbally affirming those with whom we together live, work and worship.

We must not, we dare not give up the struggle to maintain our own sense of self-worth, nor should we ever diminish our efforts to encourage and enhance the self-worth of others, both the young and the aging, for as long as God gives them a heart-beat.

“How precious to me are your thoughts, God!  How vast is the sum of them!  Were I to count them, they would outnumber the grains of sand – when I awake, I am still with you.”  (Psalm 139:17-18).

“Healing Rays of Righteousness” – February 12, 2020

www.geigler13.wordpress.com

Ray M. Geigley

Putting Our House in Order

I concluded my previous blog, “Numbering Our Days” by reminding ourselves that each day is a gift of time entrusted to us by God to manage and use for his glory and our neighbor’s good.

When Jesus’ was asked “which is the greatest commandment in the Law, Jesus replied: “Love the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your mind.  … And the second is like it:  Love your neighbor as yourself.”  (Matthew 22:36-39).

So, when I read that the prophet Isaiah visited King Hezekiah during his illness and told him, “This is what the Lord says: Put your house in order, because you are going to die; you will not recover.” (2 Kings 20:1), I hear him referencing relationships, both with God and with others.

Yes, there are some very important legal and material things that we should be doing toward planning for our departure, toward putting our house in order before we die.

Faithful Christian stewards acknowledge that God owns all and has given us everything we possess with the responsibility to manage and dispose of our wealth and things in a way that pleases him.   And so we give appropriate and adequate written direction regarding the distribution of our material wealth, such as a “legal will.”

We also give appropriate and adequate direction regarding our physical care if and when we cannot make such decisions, by writing a “living will and advance directive.” 

And it is equally important to give direction regarding our funeral service and the disposal of our body.  Such written directions are an opportunity for us to make our final public declaration of faith in God’s goodness and love.  And it is always a most welcomed gift to every surviving spouse and family.

In writing about departing from this earthly life, Billy Graham encourages us to consider how well are we prepared.  “Before we embark on our final trip, have we left our earthly home in a state of chaos or a condition of order?”

Nevertheless, I believe the most important and most urgent thing we need to do in putting our house in order has to do with our relationships, both with God and with others.

In her book, “Border Crossing” Katie Funk Wiebe writes, “God’s purpose for the older adult is to complete the life cycle, to bind the generations together, to hand over the faith.”

What is my relationship with God?  Is there need for confession and recommitment to his lordship in my life?  What are my relationships with family, neighbors, and co-workers?  Is there need for reconciliation?  Are there words I need to say and things I need to do for reconciliation to happen?

To put our house in order is about honestly examining ourselves, our attitudes and actions, and seriously consider what is of value and worthwhile to us, and what is not.  What kind of spiritual legacy will we pass on to the next generation?  What life values will they receive from us?  Are those values rooted in material wealth or spiritual realities?  How will my children and grandchildren, friends and neighbors remember me?

To put our house in order is about reassessing our conversations and conduct, and asking ourselves whether or not we are growing in our Christian faith and behavior.  Am I becoming a more mature, well-rounded person, or am I becoming more selfish and childish?  Am I becoming more caring or more callous, more forgiving or more vengeful, more tolerant or more critical, more generous or more self-centered?

To put our house in order is about looking back over our years and feeling good about the ways we served the Lord, knowing that our life was about making the world a better place in which to live.  It’s about seeing our life’s conversations and conduct bringing forth spiritual fruit in the lives of our children and grandchildren, as well as neighbors and friends in their commitment to the Lordship of Christ.

What spiritual legacy will we pass on to the next generation?  What will be our crowning joy? The apostle Paul gave this testimony as the time of his death approached.  “I have fought the good fight, I have finished the race, I have kept the faith.”

“Healing Rays of Righteousness” – February 5, 2020

www.geigler13.wordpress.com

Ray M. Geigley