Healing Rays of Righteousness

In his Gospel account of Jesus’ birth, Luke will have an angel suddenly appear on three separate occasions bringing a special message from God.  To  Zechariah, a priest “gripped with fear,” the angel says, “Do not be afraid; Zechariah, your prayer has been heard.” (1:13). 

To Mary, a young virgin “greatly troubled,” the angel says, “Greetings, you who are highly favored!  The Lord is with you. … “Do not be afraid, Mary; you have found favor with God.” (1:28-30).

And to “terrified” shepherds keeping watch over their flocks at night in fields near Bethlehem, an angel appears in glorious light and says, “Do not be afraid.  I bring you good news that will cause great joy for all the people.  Today in the town of David a Savior has been born to you; he is the Messiah, the Lord.” (2:10-11). 

In all three occasions, the angel’s sudden and unexpected appearance caused great anxiety and fear.  And in all three occasions, the angel reassured the recipients of God’s special message with the words, “Do not be afraid.” 

I believe that same “angelic” message is being spoken to all of us who are greatly troubled, confused, and fearful today.  I urge you to listen again and listen carefully to the Christmas carols, hymns, and messages being sung and spoken during these weeks of Advent.  They speak of God’s love, joy, and peace, coming to you and me in Jesus’ birth as a human baby. 

Listen to the angel say to you personally, “Your prayer has been heard.”  Be reassured that God hears and is listening to the deep groanings and cries of your heart and soul.  He hears and answers your prayers

Listen to the angel say to you personally, “Greetings, you who are highly favored!  The Lord is with you.”  Yes, you are highly favored and loved.  That is why God, in Jesus, came into our world and experienced life with us as a human being.

Christmas is about God coming to us in the person of Jesus to be “Emmanuel,” God with us, taking away all our fears.  “The Lord is with you.  Do not be afraid.”  And Christmas is about God coming to us in the person of Jesus to be our “Saviour,” giving us peace, joy, love, and eternal life. 

Listen to the angel say to you personally, “I bring you good news that will cause great joy for all the people.  Today in the town of David a Savior has been born to you; he is the Messiah, the Lord.”  The message is for you.  Accept his gift of forgiveness and amazing grace, cling to the freedom, joy, and peace of the gift; and then with glorious praise, join the shepherds in telling others the angel’s good news.

Yes, this wonderful story about Jesus’ birth into our world, is in danger of being simply a beautiful, non-threatening story about what God did many centuries ago.  Yes, it is that, but it is so much more about what God is presently doing today in our world for our good, because of His amazing, sacrificial, unending love for us.

I also know that you may be finding it difficult to feel any Christmas happiness or reason to celebrate right now.  The love, joy, peace, and hope of Christmas seems far removed from what you are presently experiencing. 

Life has been difficult for many of us during the past year.  There were bumps in the road, twists and turns that we did not expect.  There were disappointments and detours in our journeys that we did not plan, leaving us feeling much pain and confusion as a result. 

Nevertheless, I encourage you to hear the invitation of the Christmas carol, “And ye, beneath life’s crushing load, Whose forms are bending low, Who toil along the climbing way  With painful step and slow, Look up! For glad and golden hours  Come swiftly on the wing.  O rest beside the weary road  And hear the angels sing.” 

Personally feel the heartbeat of God’s love for you in “Joy to the world!  the Lord is come;  Let earth receive her King.  Let ev’ry heart prepare Him room,  And heaven and nature sing. 

Christmas is God’s answer to our brokenness and sin.  Christmas is the good news that God wants to do something about our failures and fears.  Christmas is about God coming to us, to forgive, heal, and restore us to a wholeness of love, peace, and joy; a wholeness of body, mind, and spirit; all because He so dearly loves us and desires a relationship with us.

Listen to the angel’s good news;  Greetings, you who are highly favored!  The Lord is with you.  Do not be afraid.  Your prayer is heard.  I bring you good news that will cause great joy for all the people. Today … a Savior has been born to you; he is the Messiah, the Lord.

Let us pray.    

“O holy Child of Bethlehem, Descend on us, we pray.  Cast our sin, and enter in; Be born in us today.  We hear the Christmas angels  The great glad tidings tell.  O come to us;  abide with us, Our Lord, Emmanuel.”

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“Healing Rays of Righteousness” – December 8, 2021

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Ray M. Geigley

Advent 2021 opened its journey this past Sunday with the prophet Jeremiah declaring God’s promise of restoration of righteousness and justice after a time of barrenness and defeat.    “The days are coming … when I will fulfill the good promise I made to the people of Israel and Judah.  In those days and at that time I will make a righteous Branch sprout from David’s line; he will do what is just and right in the land.” (Jeremiah 33:14-15).   

The apostle Paul encourages the confused, doubting, and discouraged believers of his day by reminding them of Isaiah’s prophecy.  “And again, Isaiah says, ‘The root of Jesse will spring up, one who will arise to rule over the nations; in him the Gentiles will hope.’  May the God of hope fill you with all joy and peace as you trust in him, so that you may overflow with hope by the power of the Holy Spirit.” (Romans 15:12-13).      

Advent gives voice to our deep longing for God to show up in our midst as He did in the past.  Our Advent journey begins as we light the candle of HOPE.  The lighting of HOPE rekindles our remembrance of God’s great and gracious promise to humankind of presence and salvation.  The lighting of HOPE also reassures us that God always keeps His promises. 

Like God’s people in Jeremiah day, we too are filled with longing; we too hunger for the transforming presence of God in our midst.  In our times of deepest darkness and despair, it is easy to allow negativity and despair to overwhelm us. 

In both church and non-church conversations I hear a lot of despair and hopelessness.  I agree that the daily news is more tragic than treasure, and the future looks increasingly violent and dangerous.  It is simply unrealistic to believe that all is well in our world today.  It is not! 

Unfortunately,  many people have given in to despair, and being trapped in negativity have little hope for any possibility of good changes happening.  To speak and sing of “hope” seems to these people to be just a lot of wishful thinking, of whistling in the dark.

And so, it was also in the prophet Jeremiah’s day.  And so, it was in Henry Longfellow’s day of the American Civil War when he wrote:

            I heard the bells on Christmas day  Their old familiar carols play, 

                        And wild and sweet the words repeat  Of peace on earth, good-will to man. 

            And in despair I bowed my head. “There is no peace on earth,” I said,

                        “For hate is strong, and mocks the song  Of peace on earth, good-will to men.”

            Then pealed the bells more loud and deep: “God is not dead, nor doth He sleep;                                     The wrong shall fail, the right prevail,  With peace on earth, good-will to men.” 

The message of Hope that Jeremiah offered was not based on his confidence in the strength or merit of the people of Judah.  Instead, his Hope-filled message was based on his faith in God. 

Jeremiah believed God and was confident that God was both sovereign and faithful in keeping his promise.  He also had learned that God works in and through every event, even those that seem catastrophic, to make things right and to restore a right relationship with his children.

It was almost six hundred years later when God’s gracious promise to his people was fulfilled.  The promise happened in the birth of Jesus Christ.  He came as God’s Messiah, Redeemer, Savior to all his people, both Jew and Gentile. 

The angels announced his birth as “good news of great joy that will be for all the people.  Today in the town of David a Savior has been born to you; he is Christ the Lord.”  Jeremiah’s hope has become a reality.  The King of Glory has come.

Christmas is the proclamation that this God of Hope is in our midst now.  Christmas is the proclamation of Hope to a people in darkness and despair.  We are God’s messengers of Hope, proclaiming the good news that “To Us a Child of Hope is Born.”

            To us a child of hope is born, to us a Son is giv’n.

                        him shall the tribes of earth obey, him all the hosts of heav’n

                        him shall the tribes of earth obey, him all the hosts of heavens.

            His name shall be the Prince of peace, for-ev-er-more adored,

                        the Wonderful, the Counselor, the great and mighty Lord,

                        the Wonderful, the Counselor, the great and mighty Lord.

            His pow’r, increasing, still shall spread, his reign no end shall know.

                        Justice shall guard his throne above, and peace abound below,

                        justice shall guard his throne above, and peace abound below.

“Come, Lord Jesus” is a prayer that points both backwards and forward – backward to Jesus, the baby in the manger, but also forward to Jesus, the Lord, still entering into our world.

Let us prepare ourselves to be surprised, amazed, and unsettled by the unexpected ways our God appears and acts in our behalf, upending evil and bringing us His peace and joy.

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            “Healing Rays of Righteousness” – December 1, 2021

www.geigler13.wordpress.com

Ray M. Geigley

The 1987 movie, “Babette’s Feast” is the story of a great French chef named Babette.  She lives anonymously among a sternly pious congregation in a Danish coastal village.  When Babette wins the French lottery, she decides to spend it all creating a magnificent meal for the villagers.

The French woman’s generosity and the guest’s acceptance of her invitation bring many surprises.  There is a dazzling array of exotic food and drink that displays Babette’s culinary art.  More importantly, the feast itself becomes the occasion for a restoration of relationships.  There is healing of broken dreams and forgiveness of old sins.  Human warmth and the abundance of rich, elegantly prepared food starts to melt the cold and barren stoicism of God-fearing people who are strangers to God’s hope and joy, and to one another.

The speaker in Isaiah 55:1-2 announces an invitation to a banquet feast much like Babette’s generosity, only much more so.  The prophetic word goes out to the despondent Jewish people living in exile in Babylon; “Come, all you who are thirsty, come to the waters; and you who have no money, come, buy and eat!  Come, buy wine and milk without  money and without cost.  Why spend money on what is not bread, and your labor on what does not satisfy?  Listen, listen to me, and eat what is good, and you will delight in the richest of fare.”

The psalmist had this in his mind and heart as a possible present reality when he wrote Psalm 23:5-6  – “You prepare a table before me in the presence of my enemies.  You anoint my head with oil; my cup overflows.  Surely your goodness and love will follow me all the days of my life, and I will dwell in the house of Lord forever.”

In Matthew 11:28, we hear an echo of these words in Jesus’ invitation – “Come to me, all you who are weary and burdened, and I will give you rest.” 

In each of these invitations, the call is universal, what is offered is free, and the result is of cravings being satisfied.  As Jesus promised in his sermon on the mount, “Blessed are those who hunger and thirst for righteousness, for they will be filled.” (Mt. 5:6).

God’ love for us and His desire to be in relationship of love with us is so deep and so awesome that it is utterly amazing grace that is being offered us.  Why then are we so reluctant to come close to Him and enjoy the bountiful relationship He offers to all who hunger and thirst for a meaningful relationship.

We already know that in order to grow in our relationship with God, we cannot pursue our own interests seven days a week, 365 days a year.  We must take some significant time each week, each day, to deepen our love for God and to pursue his interests.

Unfortunately, many Christians have catered to a drop-in spirituality style of relating to God, which gives a heartless nod to God for a few quick devotional minutes and then are on their way, living and doing business as usual.  Oh, how God’s heart must ache when we, who claim to be His children, are so easily satisfied with just a little taste of upbeat worship here, a sip of Bible reading there, and nothing too deep and nothing that challenges our thinking, planning, or imagination. 

This “drop-in” habit may provide a momentary feeling of satisfaction, but if that is all we ever have time for in our lives with God, then it soon becomes a habit that will keep us from going deeper with God and drinking deeply from the well of life.  It is a habit that will freeze us in spiritual infancy, perpetually clutching our spiritual sippy cups.

I say God’s heart must ache and bleed for us, because He has a relationship in mind for us, His children, which is so much different.  He desires to have us come close to Him and experience a life that is far deeper, richer and more fulfilling and satisfying than what any quick fix could give us.  The Divine offer is made without price.  The only requirement is hunger and thirst, and a willingness to seek God.  The invitation is ours to accept or decline.

The challenge is placed directly before us in verse 2 – “Why spend money on what is not bread, and your labor on what does not satisfy?”  Indeed, Isaiah’s question should be hung as a banner over the entrance to our malls and our places of work.

The season of ADVENT is a time to reexamine our relationship with God and prepare to joyously celebrate His coming to us in Jesus.  It is a time to gather our thoughts, quiet our hearts, and renew our love affair with God.  May God help us to do so.

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“Healing Rays of Righteousness” – November 24, 2021

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Ray M. Geigley

During a Chaplains luncheon meeting our leader introduced the devotional time with the reading of “The Crazy Quilt of Life” written by Barbara Battin in Women Psalms.  Yes, I shared this story before, but I share it again with you because it is such a beautiful description of what God intends every community of persons to be in our world, i.e., “a blanket of love.”

“In the pattern of God’s purpose we are stitched together in caring and community:  scraps of the lingering past, fragments broke from future’s dearest hopes; textures of disappointment and dreams, prints of pain and promise:  calico and corduroy, stripes, silks, and satins – all the colors of emotion and experience are sewn into a crazy quilt of life, patched together and transformed into a blanket of love… and our compassion comforts a cold and hurting world.”

Mother Teresa is quoted as saying, “I am a pencil in the hand of a writing God who is sending a love letter to the world.”

Whether we speak of being a love-writing pencil or part of a blanket of love, we are saying that God created us to be his means of loving the world.  And I thank God every day for those persons who do care about others and will go out of their way and take the time to enhance the life of another with love.  There simply is no greater reward of feeling worth and satisfaction than that given to those who care about others, respond with loving words, and works.

And if we do not grow weary in loving, we will be patched together with others who care and love; and together we will be transformed into a blanket of love, bringing comfort to the cold and hurting world.  The payoff is priceless, meaningful, and ever so satisfying.  In fact, such loving behavior has the promise of heavenly reward.

Furthermore, is not loving others to be our life mission?  Or have we closed our ears to God’s two greatest commands,  “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 the second is like it:  “Love your neighbor as yourself.”  (Matthew 11:37-39). 

And in Luke 10, Jesus defines “neighbor” in the most inclusive terms possible, as in the parable of the Good Samaritan, where love crosses ethnic and religious boundaries. 

In fact, Jesus clearly commands and defines our loving others as being equal to the way He loves us.  “A new command I give you:  Love one another.  As I have loved you, so you must love one another.  By this everyone will know that you are my disciples, if you love one another.” (Jn. 13:34-35).

While here on this earth, Jesus spoke and acted with genuine love for all people in all situations.  He lived His life as a servant leader who deeply loved others and acted in their behalf.  And the above verses would tell us that He expects and commands His followers to do the same. Jesus’ deepest desire is to live his life and mission in and through us, and so He empowers us to do so by His indwelling and transforming Spirit.   

If we are disciple-followers of Christ, we are called to live in a love that looks and acts like his love.  Jesus told the disciples, “As I have loved you, so you should love one another” (Jn.13:34).  John wrote, “Love is from God; everyone who loves is born of God and knows God” (1 Jn. 4:7).  And in verse sixteen, “God is love, and those who abide in love abide in God, and God abides in them.”

Christians who are rooted in Anabaptist understandings of Scripture, believe that the New Testament scriptures teach that our Christian faith is to be made visible in Jesus-like acts of compassionate love and material generosity.  We believe Christian faith is more than just worship and verbal commitment to the Lordship of Jesus on a Sunday morning.  It is also the living performance of that worship and commitment in every conversation and activity of life during the entire week.

Myron Augsburger, a prominent Mennonite author and minister, writes, “One of the greater means of fulfilling the mission of Christ is simply to be present in society as people who walk with Jesus.” (The Robe of God, Herald Press, 2004).

Whether we speak of being a “love-writing pencil” or part of a “blanket of love” we are saying that God created us to be his means of loving the world.  Let us be it today, tomorrow and every day after that.  “And they’ll know we are Christians by our love, by our love.  Yes, they’ll know we are Christians by our love.”  (Jason Upton).

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“Healing Rays of Righteousness” – November 17, 2021

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Ray M. Geigley

In my Christian faith journey, I was taught from Sunday school thru seminary on how to do things for the Lord, i.e., how to serve God and others, how to minister, how to pastor, and how to be a good chaplain.  But what I needed most was encouragement to eagerly foster a  passionate love relationship with Jesus Christ.

Henry T. Blackaby writes, “God is far more interested in a love relationship with you then He is in what you can do for Him.” (Experiencing God).

One of the hazards of maturing in the Christian faith is that we tend to lose some of the wonder and awe that attracted us to Jesus Christ.  We begin to believe that we have arrived and that we have figured it all out.  The mystery and awesomeness of our redemption gradually slips away and soon the passionate love for Christ is gone. 

Wesley Duewel writes,  “It is not enough to be evangelical in faith and heart;  we must be utterly possessed by Christ, utterly impassioned by his love and grace….” (Ablaze For God).

The story of Mary and Martha, recorded in Luke 10, calls us back to that childlike wonder and passionate love for Jesus Christ as our Savior, Redeemer, and Sovereign Lord.

Shortly after Jesus and his disciples arrived at the home of Martha and Mary, Jesus is engaged in conversation with his disciples.  And as the story unfolds, Mary is sitting at Jesus’ feet intently listening, while Martha is distracted by all the food preparation needed to ensure her guests would be comfortable and fed. 

As she is scurrying about to get food on the table, Martha becomes upset that her sister, Mary, is not helping her with the meal preparations.  Being obviously upset, Martha marches into the room where Jesus was and asks, “Lord, don’t you care that my sister has left me to do the work by myself?  Tell her to help me!”

Many of us can identify with Martha and feel sympathetically toward Martha.  We argue that someone had to prepare the meal.  And so, Martha’s irritation and her spontaneous outburst is understandable to us.  And Martha believed her complaint was entirely in order and she fully expected Jesus to support her.

However, Jesus did not.  On the contrary, he used Martha’s complaint as an opportunity to help her better understand herself.  “Martha, Martha, you are worried and upset about many things, but only one thing is needed.”   

Paul Tillich states that “…the words Jesus speaks to Martha belong to the most famous of all the words in the Bible.”

Jesus turned the occasion into a teaching opportunity for Martha and for us, how to rightly love and serve God while living in a world of multiple distractions like ours.  In our efforts to serve God rightly, we will get pulled in many different directions by the good distractions within and around us. Martha was distracted in giving priority to the concerns of hospitality rather than relationship.

Martha chose to do things for Jesus. Martha was so busy being gracious and polite and a good host that she had no time to be in a listening relationship with the Lord.    

How often are we guilty of allowing the same misguided priorities cause us to worry and be upset?  Yes, we may say that all our time, life, money is the Lord’s,  but then become distracted by busying ourselves with doing good works.  We too easily forget that God’s first and greater desire is for our full attention toward fostering a love relationship. 

This is the priority Mary chose when she decided to sit at the feet of her Savior, Lord, and beloved Friend and listen to him speak.  Jesus said this was the one thing needed and that Mary had made the better choice and it would not be taken away from her. 

Mary chose devotion over distractions.   She chose intimacy with Jesus over the expectations of her culture and her family.  Mary had a passion for the Lord and that made all the difference in her life.  And it will do the same for you and me even in today’s world.

Pedro Arrupe, SJ, a Spanish Basque Jesuit priest, wrote, “ Nothing is more practical than finding God, that is, than falling in love in a quite absolute, final way.  What you are in love with, what seizes your imagination, will affect everything.  It will decide what will get you out of bed in the morning, what you will do with your evenings, how you spend your weekends, what you read, who you know, what breaks your heart, and what amazes you with joy and gratitude.  Fall in love, stay in love, and it will decide everything.”

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“Healing Rays of Righteousness” – November 10, 2021

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Ray M. Geigley

It seems that respect for others has become a disposable commodity in our present American culture of selfish individualism and gratification.  When it comes to affirming and protecting the dignity of others, it seems our society has lost its heart and soul.  I am appalled that so many of my neighbors, friends, and even family, are finding it easy and acceptable to cruelly “trash-talk” those they do not like or who disagree with them.

The biblical story records a similar social breakdown among God’s people.  They were drawn away from God and into a culture that had lost all reverence for human life, and soon were corrupting themselves with the most flagrant disregard for human dignity. 

It was at such a time and to such a people that God called and sent Jeremiah.  To encourage a reluctant Jeremiah toward being a prophet, God spoke these amazing commissioning words, “Before I formed you in the womb I knew you, before you were born I set you apart; I appointed you as a prophet to the nations.”  (Jeremiah 1:5) 

Listen carefully to what God said to Jeremiah. I think I clearly hear God saying to Jeremiah and to all of us, that our conception and birth are not our real beginning of existence.  Before the day and moment of our conception, God knew us.  And God dignified us by calling each of us into existence.  Wow!  What a wondrous thought to ponder.  

It is so awesome to think that before my mother lovingly cradled me in her arms, God wrapped his greater arms around me and held me close, instilling in me a purpose uniquely designed for me.  To ponder this wondrous thought infuses me with glorious love and eternal dignity.

The psalmist, David, knew this to be true and praises God, “For you created my inmost being; you knit me together in my mother’s womb.  I praise you because I am fearfully and wonderfully made; your works are wonderful, I know that full well.” (Psalm 139:13-14).

Psalm 139 is a prayer in which David expresses joyous amazement that the Lord so thoroughly and intimately knows him.  God’s presence with him in every moment and circumstance gives him a grand sense of self-worth, inner security and comfort.  In this prayer, David declares the following dignity-filled truths about God’s relationship with all of us.

God knows me (v.1-4).  Yes, God is like a doctor giving us a physical exam; a psychiatrist exploring our inner selves; an intimate friend who probes us until we reveal everything.  As a result, God knows us thoroughly and completely, even our deepest and most secret thoughts and desires, both the good and bad.

God surrounds me (v.5-6).  God not only knows our whereabouts and our most personal thoughts; He is also very  present and surrounding us with protection, and providing for our needs.  Like a human father, God goes before us preparing our way and behind us guiding and encouraging us onward in our life journey with fatherly care and concern.

To think that God would know me as He does and that He would be as involved in the specifics of my daily living as He is, overwhelms me and I say with David, “Such knowledge is too wonderful for me, too great for me to understand.” (v.6). 

God created me (v.13-16).  David acknowledges that the God who knows him so intimately is also the God who wonderfully created and fashioned him in his mother’s womb and even now lovingly cares for him.  He knows us the way a painter knows his picture, or a sculptor knows his statue.  He remembers each little detail of his work in shaping us into the special person we are, a unique image of himself. 

God thinks about me (v.17-18).  Not only does God think about us as he is forming us in our mother’s womb, he also is thinking about us as we are being shaped and fashioned beyond the womb. Moment by moment, day after day, we are in his thoughts as he watches over us.  David says that his thoughts of us outnumber the sand itself, impossible to count. 

In her book of meditations on the Psalms, “I’m Lonely, Lord – HOW LONG?” Marva J. Dawn concludes her meditation on this psalm with these words.  “Truly this picture of ourselves, marvelously designed, made with his tender care, should fill us with dignity and self-worth.  We don’t have to win God’s approval; we had it even before we were born.  We don’t have to prove our worth; he wove it together.  We don’t have to impress him with our goodness; he just wants to show us his.”

I agree and give you this question to ponder – What do you think God was thinking on the day you were given life?  What beautiful and attractive things, what grand and perfect things, was God thinking and planning for you while He was putting you together in your mother’s womb.  And, most importantly, what is he thinking about you, even now, as he continues to shape you by the experiences of the past week and year?  It is good to read Psalm 139 often.

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“Healing Rays of Righteousness” – October 27, 2021

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Ray M. Geigley

The book of Exodus describes an amazing significant event that happened in the life of Moses.  “The LORD would speak to Moses face to face, as one speaks to a friend.” (33:11). 

Such an encounter with God seems so unreal.  The Lord God, almighty and sovereign creator of all that exists, talking to a human man, face to face, friend to friend.  I wonder how you and I would respond to such an intimate “face-to-face” encounter with our Lord God. 

But Moses was not the first person to experience this kind of relational encounter.  Many years earlier, Abraham had a similar experience.  You can read the story in Genesis 18:1-8.

The Lord had already appeared twice to Abraham.  In Genesis 15, God established the covenant with him concerning Canaan, the land of promise.  In Genesis 17, the Lord appeared to establish the covenant concerning the birth of Isaac.  Now, in Genesis 18, the Lord comes simply to be with Abraham.  Ninety-nine-year-old Abraham had walked with God for too many years not to recognize Him.  He leaped to his feet and ran to Him and bowed in worship.

We can read of God making intimate encounters, coming face to face, with his people throughout the Old Testament stories.  He walked with Adam and Eve in the Garden in the cool of the day in Genesis 3.  He wrestled all night with Jacob at the ford of the Jabbok in Genesis 32.

He appeared to Manoah and his wife before the birth of Samson in Judges 13.  He appeared to Joshua before the battle of Jericho as “Commander of the army of the Lord” in Joshua 5.  This story also underlines the fact that Joshua “fell on his face to the earth and worshiped” Him.

Biblical scholars tell us that these physical appearances of God are the preincarnate, physical manifestation of the Lord God of Israel, sometimes referred to as “the Angel of the Lord” whose name is Jesus.

I believe that this same Lord Jesus who visited with Abraham, Moses, and Joshua also wants a personal companionship with you and me?  Could it be that in those moments of emptiness and loneliness in your soul, the living Jesus is seeking to walk and talk with you?  “Here I am!  I stand at the door and knock.  If anyone hears my voice and opens the door, I will  come in and eat with him, and he with me.”  (Revelation 3:20).

Yes, I may be taught, cared for, and nourished by the help and counsel of pastors, spiritual leaders, and Christian friends.  But the Lord Himself, who saved me and called me into Kingdom work, also desires for me to welcome His more intimate “face to face” relationship with Himself.  He is the One who knows when I sit and when I rise. 

He is the One who knows the thoughts and intents of my heart, who knows each word before it is spoken from my lips, and who numbers the hairs on my head.  He is the One who desires to be intimately close to us, to disclose Himself, and yes, to speak face-to-face with us.

There is something powerful about the living Lord coming for a “face to face” visit with us, whether it is in your heart, in your home and family, or in an assembly with other believers.  Yes, in one sense He is always with us.  He everywhere present and never absent.  But that was true in Abraham’s day also and yet, this kind of visitation by the Lord holds a superior quality.

Yes, His Holy Spirit indwells us and fills us.  But there are wonderful moments or times in our walk of faith when, for whatever reason, His presence becomes very tangible and very precious.  Suddenly you look up and you know that He is there.  You sense His presence in the room.  What do you do in those moments?  If we are not careful, we could miss them altogether. 

It happened on the day of Jesus’ resurrection, while two of Jesus’ followers were walking on the road to Emmaus, troubled in spirit by all that had taken place.  A third person joined them as they walked.  It was the risen Lord, but they did not recognize Him. 

All along that road they poured out their hearts to Him, telling Him the tragedy of their Lord’s death on the cross and the perplexing news that Jesus might be alive again.  As they approached the village that was their home, we read that “Jesus acted as if he were going farther.  But they urged him strongly, ‘Stay with us.”  (Lk. 24:28-29).

The Lord is always looking for people, like Abraham and these two distraught disciples, who will invite His presence.  He is looking for people who will say, “Lord, don’t walk on by.  Please stay.”

There was a little song we used to sing around a summer campfire.  It most likely originated among Christian believers somewhere in the Caribbean.  “Kum by yah, my Lord, kum by yah.”  It means, “Lord, come by here.”  Is that the cry of your heart? 

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“Healing Rays of Righteousness” – October 13, 2021

www.geigler13.wordpress.com

Ray M. Geigley

The story of Deborah begins with the words, “After Ehud’s death, the Israelites again did evil in the Lord’s sight.  So, the Lord turned them over to King Jabin of Hazor, a Canaanite king.  The commander of his army was Sisera, who lived in Harosheth-haggoyim.”  (Judges 4:1, NLT).

Soon the situation of the Israelites became desperate.  “Sisera, who had 900 iron chariots, ruthlessly oppressed the Israelites for twenty years.  Then the people of Israel cried out to the Lord for help.” (4:3).

Deborah is God’s answer to the desperate repentant cry of the Israelites for deliverance from Jabin’s cruel oppression.  Deborah is God’s appointed woman judge and prophet, a Godly woman of great and effective leadership strength.

She not only delivered justice for the people of God and called them back to God, but also takes leadership responsibility in a time of crisis when no one else is stepping up to the plate of leadership responsibility.  She had to go beyond the cultural roles of women in her day to help the people see who God was and what He had planned for them.

In her story we discover five life directives that energized her exceptionally strong leadership.  These same five directives remain vital as guidance for  anyone, man or woman, who seeks to be an effective Christian leader in today’s arrogant and selfish world of deception and division.  Indeed, everyone of us is given a particular leadership role in our world and so the directives are for all of us. 

1)  Deborah was driven by a genuine desire to please God.  She considered herself a team partner with God.  For Deborah, leadership was not about “being in charge,” but rather about “pleasing God.”  She communed with God often and did not let her busy life disconnect her from her relationship with Him.

This committed desire is certainly counter-cultural in our present “I’ll do it my way” kind of world.  And when this kind of devotion to God’s will is evident in someone’s life, we tend to think of them as a “religious freak.”

2)  Deborah found her life’s place and purpose in God’s space.  The search for meaning and purpose in life is one of our strongest human impulses.  Deborah had no problem with this.  She moved easily among the religious and political leadership.  She was confident that God had placed her in this leadership role and was not afraid of straight talk. 

According to verse five, “She would sit under the Palm of Deborah” where ”the Israelites would go to her for judgment.”  They recognized her as a wise and discerning person who had it together.

3)  Deborah stayed connected with her people and interacted with them on a regular basis.  She considered herself a team partner both with God and with her people.  She did not allow her busy life to disconnect her from relationship with them.  She knew that those connections kept her on track with God’s working in her world. 

In chapter five, verse two, she sings this line from her song of praise, “Israel’s leaders took charge, and the people gladly followed.  Praise the Lord!”   Her song begins with the idea that “we are in this together and I am not the boss, God is.”

It is often easy to place events over people and programs over relationships.  But, when we do this, we disconnect from relationship.  And whenever we disconnect from relationship, for whatever reason, we are walking away from what God desires from us, that is, a full team effort in doing His Kingdom work.

4)  Deborah believed that God is always on patrol, looking for and selecting persons whom He can appoint to responsible leadership position, or a challenging task, or risky assignment.  The Scriptures are filled with the stories of such God-selected, God-appointed persons, both male and female.

Through Deborah’s leadership, God was moving, working, acting and reacting, listening, judging and confirming.  Deborah knew that God was on patrol and in control.  She just needed to show up for work.

5)  Most importantly, Deborah walked her talk.  She acted and lived by what she believed and counseled others to do.  Deborah had total confidence in God.  She considered worry as wasted energy, useless and non-productive.  Whether it was in giving advice, providing support, leading an army, or praising God, worry was not a part of her leadership strategy. 

Deborah trusted God so fully, that she was willing to place her life on the line when needed, without question, doubt, or fear.  The result of her leadership, according to the Scripture in 5:31, is that “Then there was peace in the land for forty years.”

This is Deborah’s treasured legacy to both religious and national leadership persons in all generations since her time.  Furthermore, when we are available to God and others, when we are a doer and not a worrier, when all of this comes together as it did for Deborah, our nation will be a “land” at peace.

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“Healing Rays of Righteousness” – October 6, 2021

www.geigler13.wordpress.com

Ray M. Geigley

The events of the past few years prompt me to encourage the reading of the biblical book, Hosea.  Hear and feel its message regarding our God being heartbroken and lonely because we chose to follow the false gods of selfish consumerism, fearful racism, and divisive politics.

Through the prophet Hosea, we are given a sweeping review of the earlier history of God’s people.  Hosea sees and understands the past, present, and future of Israel as God’s child from the perspective of God being the divine parent who remembers with joy, anguishes with grief, suffers with loneliness, and looks forward with hope.

To read these verses slowly and reflectively is to feel the pulse-beat of God’s lonely, heartbroken love for His people.  Yes, a people who have foolishly rejected and ignored His freely offered relationship of love.  The people who cause Him the deep pain of loneliness.

Chapter 11 opens with God, the parent, saying that, “When Israel was a child, I loved him, and out of Egypt I called my son.”  You then immediately feel the pain of a rejected love that this all-knowing parent has for his child, “But the more they were called, the more they went away from me.”  And yet, He lavishly poured out His grace and love upon them. 

And in verse four we hear that God considered Isarel to be family.  He says, “I led them with cords of human kindness, with ties of love.  To them I was like one who lifts a little child to the cheek, and I bent down to feed them.” 

God graciously loved His son Israel and helped him leave Egypt.  But Israel soon chose to worship new gods and broke the basic rule of the covenant, “You shall have no other gods before me” (Ex. 20:3).  Did they do this deliberately and intentionally?  Probably not.  More likely it was the result of the people becoming careless in nurturing their faith and thus their relationship with God became non-existent. 

Israel’s peace and prosperity were soon disrupted by the Assyrians.  In 721 BC the Assyrians besieged the capital and Israel’s armies were defeated, bringing the Northern Kingdom under Assyrian control.  Hosea saw and understood this event to be God’s judgment upon the faithlessness and immorality of the people. 

But throughout this time of defeat and despair, Hosea continued to affirm the steadfast love of God.  The central theme of Hosea’s prophetic ministry is captured in the Hebrew word “hesed” usually translated “steadfast love.”  “Hesed” is a passionate, emotional, persistent and loyal love, a love that will not ever quit loving.  Although the lover clearly sees the beloved’s unfaithfulness, “hesed” relentlessly works for the restoration of the relationship.

And, according to Hosea, that is the kind of love God has for his people.  God chose these people, claimed them as children, made a covenant to faithfully love them, when he brought them out of bondage in Egypt.

But they prostituted themselves by turning to other gods.  And Hosea heard the Lord say, “They have deserted (me) to give themselves to prostitution” (4:11).  And later the Lord describes their fickle love, “What can I do with you, Ephraim?  What can I do with you, Judah?  Your love is like the morning mist, like the early dew that disappears.” (6:4).  

And this heartbroken, lonely God asks, “How can I give you up, Ephraim?  How can I hand you over, Israel?  How can I treat you like Admah?  How can I make you like Zeboiim?” (11:8).  God had destroyed these two cities along with Sodom & Gomorrah.

Good news!  The God whose heart is revealed in Hosea 11 is the same God of whom John would describe in his first letter, “How great is the love the Father has lavished on us, that we should be called children of God!  And that is what we are!” (3:1).  “This is how we know what love is:  Jesus Christ laid down his life for us.” (3:16).   “This is how God showed his love among us:  He sent his one and only Son into the world that we might live through him.” (4:9).

It is awful to contemplate the thought that Almighty God is heartbroken, lonely, and longing to reconcile our relationship with Himself, to enjoy the intimacy for which we were created.  It is awesome to imagine an empty place in God’s heart which only you and I can fill with our voices of grateful praise. 

My friend, the God who would not abandon the people of Israel has not given up on us.  When we act as if He does not exist, when we sell ourselves to other lovers, when we prostitute ourselves for the sake of the pleasures of the world around us, His steadfast love follows us.

When we suffer the consequences of our own foolish choices, when we experience the results of our own sinful behavior, His steadfast love follows and overshadow us, waiting in grieving loneliness for our return to a restored relationship of total love and trust.

May we soon give attention to Hosea’s appeal and respond with repentant hearts;  “Come, let us return to the Lord.  He has torn us to pieces but he will heal us; he has injured us but he will bind up our wounds.  … Let us acknowledge the Lord; let us press on to acknowledge him.  As surely as the sun rises, he will appear; he will come to us like the winter rains, like the spring rains that water the earth.” (6:1-3).

Then we can fully experience the reality of Zephaniah 3:17;  “The Lord your God is with you, the Mighty Warrior who saves.  He will take great delight in you; in his love he will no longer rebuke you, but will rejoice over you with singing.”  AMEN!

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“Healing Rays of Righteousness” – September 29, 2021

www.geigler13.wordpress.com

Ray M. Geigley

In Viktor E. Frankl’s book, Man’s Search for Meaning, he tells a story that illustrates how God shows up in the strangest and most unexpected ways. Frankl was a prisoner in a Nazi concentration camp during World War II.  He tells of how he and some other prisoners were moved on a work detail from Auschwitz to a Bavarian work camp.

“One evening when we were already resting on the floor of our hut, dead tired, soup bowls in hand, a fellow prisoner rushed in and asked us to run out to the assembly grounds and see the wonderful sunset. Standing outside we saw sinister clouds glowing in the west and the whole sky alive with clouds of ever-changing shapes and colors, from steel blue to blood red. The desolate gray mud huts provided a sharp contrast, while the puddles on the muddy ground reflected the glowing sky. Then, after minutes of moving silence, one prisoner said to another. “How beautiful the world could be!”

Even amid death and dying, through a sunset, God reminded a group of prisoners not to give up hope, for indeed the world could be beautiful.

This is Luke’s message in relating the story of Mary’s visit to Elizabeth. Elizabeth and Mary’s lives were full of trouble, but Mary’s visit is filled with encouragement and joy. Despite their many troubles, their faith allowed them to see that God had not abandoned them but was working in them to bring new life into the world, making the world beautiful.

In first-century Judea, during the December darkness, people were shut up in their darkened houses for fear of Roman soldiers. The streets were deserted and fearfully quiet. There, in the dark silence of fear and hopelessness, a pure, clear, feminine voice cuts through the night, “My soul glorifies the Lord and my spirit rejoices in God my Savior, …for the Mighty One has done great things for me – holy is his name. His mercy extends to those who fear him, from generation to generation.”

We usually encounter Mary’s song of praise, called the Magnificat, only during the Christmas season. We joyfully listen to the beautiful music and picture in our minds a simple young peasant girl in blue and white, surrounded by celestial blue light, with her hands clasped under her chin, looking prayerfully up into heaven and singing. We intently listen to the beautiful music, but seldom do we listen to the words.

We need to erase that picture from our imagination, silence the music, and listen to the words. I know that Luke did not pen these words to make beautiful music for our ears, he penned them because he had a message that he wants us to hear. So, I urge you to listen carefully to the strong emotion-filled words and think about God. Mary’s Song declares that God is in the thick of things, that God is bringing about a revolution.

“… He has performed mighty deeds with his arm; he has scattered those who are proud in their inmost thoughts. He has brought down rulers from their thrones but has lifted up the humble. He has filled the hungry with good things but has sent the rich away empty. He has helped his servant Israel, remembering to be merciful to Abraham and his descendants forever, just as he promised our ancestors.’” (Luke 1:46-55).

Mary’s Song is about the inbreaking of God’s Kingdom to which the whole Old Testament had been pointing. At that time, all existing order will be turned upside down. All present standards of success measurements will be reversed. An upside-down Kingdom will break open and over-rule the present worldly kingdom. Therefore we, along with Mary, celebrate the birth of Jesus at Christmas.

Mary’s Song is about God’s promise of justice for those who are treated unfairly, who are oppressed. But when, is our question. We look at the spreading unrighteousness in the world. We daily read the accounts of injustices, prejudices, racism, hatred, and political and religious divides and we say, “O God, how long?”  We forget that God’s timing is different than ours.

Let us make no mistake about it, God is sovereign. He is on the heavenly throne and rules the universe with love and justice. Nothing escapes his notice. Every evil act of unrighteousness, every devilish act of greed and lying is seen, and every oppressor is judged by the sovereign God of righteous love, mercy, and justice.

God promises it. His created world of all nature and humanity will again be beautiful. The searching question for each of us is whether we are intentionally and actively helping to make it happen or not.

When Mary was invited by God’s angel to participate in his work of making the world beautiful, Mary questioned how, but then said, “I am the Lord’s servant. May your word to me be fulfilled.”  (Luke 1:38).

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“Healing Rays of Righteousness” – September 15, 2021

www.geigler13.wordpress.com

Ray M. Geigley