Rev Shadi Diale

Just Because We Can, Does Not Make It Right
1.Kings.21:15-16

This is an interesting story from the first Book of Kings, and will continue tomorrow. Ahab is the king of Israel and he wants a neighboring vineyard that the owner doesn't want to sell. He goes home and tells his wife, Jezebel, that he is too sad and angry to even eat. She devises a plan to get Naboth killed, and this passage is the result. Do you ever wonder why passages such as these are included in Scripture? I know I do. Are they included as warnings, or are they there to let us know that history of Israel was not without its scandalous behavior? We are aware that Jezebel was a wicked woman. She plotted the death of Elijah – even though she didn't succeed – but she was successful in getting Naboth killed. She got people to lie about him, claiming that he had cursed God and the king, and they stoned him to death as punishment for his crime. There were other kings and queens of Israel who sinned and led others to sin. And there were good kings and queens as well. But we need to remember that we can be seduced by leaders who make us believe that what we are doing is the right thing. This happened in Germany during the Holocaust; it has happened in Northern Ireland, in the Middle East, in South America. It can happen anywhere! We need to be watchful and not be led astray just because someone is in a position of authority.

Together ,We Form The Living Body Of Christ
1.Corinthians.10:16-17

We are the body of Christ. There is a quotation from St. Teresa of Avila that states: "Christ has no body now but yours. No hands, no feet on earth but yours. Yours are the eyes through which he looks compassion on this world. Yours are the feet with which he walks to do good. Yours are the hands through which he blesses all the world. Yours are the hands, yours are the feet, yours are the eyes, you are his body. Christ has no body now on earth but yours." In recent years, the singer Jewel recorded a song called "Hands" which has the same meaning, and even goes further as the song states that we all can do something to help even is our hands are 'small." Who will fight for justice for the poor and the vulnerable if not us? Who will show compassion for the weak if not us? Who will be Christ to the world, if not us? In the early days of the church, the Christian community would gather together to retell the story of Jesus, to read the letters sent to the community from Paul or one of the other disciples, and to offer a sacrifice of bread and wine as Jesus did at the Last Supper. In this passage, Paul is reminding the community that they are all a part of the body of Christ. The Corinthians were an interesting group and I would have loved to be a fly on the wall at some of their gatherings. This passage will be followed up in chapter 11, by a further passage on the institution of this institution of the Eucharist and then by the gifts given to the body of Christ in chapters 12, 13, and 14. Although not all Christian traditions interpret the Eucharist in the same way, or celebrate is as often as others, all denominations agree that we are a people of "thanksgiving" who have an obligation to be Christ's body on earth, using our gifts for the betterment of the world. Today, let's look at the gifts and opportunities we have been given and see how well we have been using them for the common good.

Don't Jump Into Conclusion, Check The Facts First
Proverbs.19:2-5
The book of Proverbs gives us a lot to think about. The ones I have chosen today are some of them. The first reminds me of the saying, "Act in haste, repent at leisure." We can be tempted to jump in and act without considering the consequences. True, if a person jumps into the water to save a life, he does so for good reason. If we hear a rumor about someone and can't help passing it around without knowing if it is tree or not, can do incredible harm to a person's reputation. I was watching television the other morning and the guest had written a book about people who jump to conclusions. As a young child she was diagnosed with juvenile diabetes and learned how to give herself insulin shots. She was in a restaurant and needed to give herself a shot and so went into the ladies' room to do so. A woman came in as she was putting her kit away. Later, she passed the table where the woman was sitting and heard her say that she was a drug addict. She went over to the table and explained that she was not a drug addict but a diabetic. What would have happened if the people at the table had believed this woman? What happens to people wrongly accused when they are innocent? The other proverb that caught my eye was the one about currying favor from the wealthy. How do we choose our friends? Do we see how much they can do for us, or the quality of their lives? Is the home with the pool the one that is the most popular in the summer heat? Are the only ones invited to weddings or parties the ones who are able to give the most expensive gifts? Some things to think about today!

Where We Look For The Face Of God
1.King.19:11-13

Elijah knows that Jezebel is looking to kill him. God has been caring for him and he has been told to go to the cave because God will be passing by. God is not in the wind; he is not in the earthquake or the fire. But he recognized the voice of God in the still small voice. We talk all the time about recognizing God and God's voice, but where are we looking? What do we expect? The people of Jesus time expected a fearless leader who would raise up an army and chase the Romans out of Jerusalem. What about us? Have you already started thinking about where God has been in your day? I once visited a friend in a nursing home in a city that I am totally unfamiliar with and lost my GPS signal at a very important time, but still made it. On the way home, I got lost again and spent a lot of time just figuring out where I was. By the time I was on the right road, I got a phone call telling me that I had forgotten to do something important, so I stopped and took care of it. Where was God? For me, he was in the getting me to my destination, as well as in my getting lost so that I would be where I needed to be. Because God was with me, my day worked out just fine. It could have been so different. It was an ordinary day in so many ways, but God was with me all the way. I didn't meet God in wind, earthquake or fire, but he was in the still small voice telling me, "I am with you."

Do Our Words Sound Like Jesus Christ?
Matthews.5:21-22

When Jesus threw the money-changers out of the temple, he was angry. Was he breaking his own rule? No. He had a good reason for being angry; the money-changers were cheating the people and doing it in the temple. There are things that should make us angry: seeing someone being abused is a good example! But today it seems that anything can cause anger and people react violently with the slightest provocation. Thinking that someone insults you, for example, can lead to a fight. Road rage is another example of this. What about using abusive language? That is so common that people often don't even hear it. What has happened to us? My friend was on an educational trip to Tanzania, her sister told her not to say anything negative because the people there did not insult anyone and it would be considered extremely rude. She was correct; she said she never heard a single unkind or insulting word the entire time she was there. I don't understand why this cannot be the way people treat one another everywhere! Their group was one hundred percent white American, but they were treated as family by the people they were with. What a lesson the people of Tanzania could teach the rest of the world! And not all the people they worked with were Christian; about half the group were Muslim. The thing was, you couldn't tell the difference between the two groups because they intermingled, dressed the same, and treated each other the same. We are all God's children and I've rarely seen a better example of how to treat one another in spite of differences. Can the same be said of us?

We Need To Pay Attention To The Words Of Jesus.
Mark.4:24-25

The placement of this passage is interesting. It comes shortly after the parable of the sower and the seed and the explanation of the parable given to the disciples. It also follows the statement concerning the placing a lamp on a lamp stand so that the light will illuminate its surroundings. The meaning of the passage can be taken in many ways; some see it in light of what we own as in the saying, "The rich get richer and the poor get poorer." However, I believe that Jesus is speaking in matters of faith and belief in the Gospel. The more we pay attention to the words and works of Jesus, the more we "hear" the more our faith grows. If we don't pay attention, then the little we have will diminish. We are the soil for the seed of faith. In Mark's Gospel, the seeds of faith that fall on good soil produce fruit, some thirty times, some sixty times, and some one hundred times. In Matthew and Luke's Gospels, it starts with one hundred times and then sixty and then thirty times. Theologians believe that because Mark wrote his Gospel first, Christianity was growing quickly, but since Matthew and Luke were writing during and after the time of the destruction of the temple in Jerusalem and the beginnings of the persecution of Christians, the rate of conversion had slowed. The important thing for us to remember is that in order for our faith to grow, we need to pay attention to the words of Jesus. We need to listen, but more importantly we really need to hear what he is trying to tell us. If we do, than we will never lose what we have, more and more will be measured out to us.

Yahweh Will Show Us The Way
Psalm.4:1-4

Will God will find me godly, and answer my prayers? This is the prayer of the psalmist who finds himself surrounded by those who mock him. It probably has been the prayer of many of us who try and follow Jesus. It seems that people love those who champion a cause as long as they don't interfere with their ability to do what they want. In the past few years in the R.S A, we have seen an increase in gun violence and much of it has been directed at young people. Now the young are banding together to urge those eligible to vote to register in the hopes that they will be able to make a change in the government that they feel has not done enough to limit the availability to those weapons that have caused the most damage. Those who in previous years had hoped that young people would get more involved are now concerned that their rights might be at stake. I'm sure that some of the good that David would do as king probably had many afraid that their corrupt ways and lack of fidelity to God would be affected. We can turn to the psalms and ask God to protect us. We can turn to this early prayer book for everything we need. We can turn to the psalms when we feel far from God and need forgiveness. In times of sorrow, the psalms give us hope. This psalm, said to be of David, expresses his trust that God will bless him and is a warning to those who sin. This is our prayer as well. The closing verse seems to say that when we search our hearts at night we can sleep peacefully when we remember God's goodness to us.

Kindness Is More Powerful Than Violence
2.Kings.6:20-23

Many had come to find Elisha and bring him to Syria. With God's help, they were captured and brought to the king of Israel. But instead of killing them as he wanted to do, Elisha convinced him to feed them and then release them. The result was that Syria stopped raiding Israel. We will never end violence with violence. Whether it is a war of words, a war between two individuals, or a war between countries, violence does not bring peace. Love has always been stronger than hate, even though hate is louder! The problem is that someone needs to walk away if the fighting is to stop. We have an idea that walking away is a sign of weakness, but it is really a sign of strength. It takes a big person to walk away. People who walk away are often ridiculed, especially if they are in a position of leadership. There are always people who are willing to encourage violence. I remember an incident that occurred when I was teaching in a midfle school. One boy had gotten involved with a girl from a rival school and a boy from the rival school came into the school yard at lunch time to 'have it out." A group of student from both schools surrounded the two urging them to fight. Unfortunately for them, I was on my way out of the cafeteria and spotted the action. Needless to say, I had no intention of letting any of this happen. I took the student from my school and sent the others away. He wasn't happy to be brought into the office for punishment, and the others were sorry to have their fun spoiled. Why do we encourage violence? The students who had been in the group and had the misfortune to be in one of my afternoon classes got a lecture. Those who encourage violence are equally responsible. May we learn from Elisha.

A Communinty Of Love, The Father ,The Son And The Holy Spirit
2.Corithians. 13:11-13

This final verse is one of the clearest statements of the Trinitarian nature of God in the New Testament. It is one of the great mysteries of our faith and one that is a stumbling block to many. How can we even try to understand its meaning? Maybe it's not important to try and understand, but to reflect on its importance in our lives. God is Trinity: Father, Son and Holy Spirit, a community of love. When I was young, I was taught that the work of the Father was creation, the Son, salvation and the Holy Spirit, sanctification. So, within the Trinity there are distinctions and yet unity. Paul states very clearly that there is one Lord, one faith, one Baptism, one God and Father of us all. He also lets us know that there are distinct roles that each of us plays but we are called to be one in love for all. We are one family, all calling God, Father; we are saved by the actions of the Son who became one of us so that we could be "joint heirs with Christ" and filled with the Holy Spirit so that we may go forth and tell others of this great mystery. The early Christians were well known for the love that they showed one another. I often try to imagine what the world would look like if all Christians came together in a single body of love as Jesus prayed that we would be. What a difference we could make! Today is a great day to decide to become an example of the great Community of Love that is the Trinity.

No Matter The Trailsl, May We Keep The Good Fight
2.Timothy.4:6-8

I have used this reading many times when a loved one has died. Most of the time it was used for an elderly person who had literally fought the good fight of faith for many years. I hope that the same can be said of me when I die. Paul often referred to his ministry as "the race" which is one of the translations for "the course." Paul had served the Lord from the time of his conversion to the time of his death. He is encouraging Timothy and letting him know that he is confident in the promises of Jesus as he approaches the end of his life, and that he is also confident that all those who follow Jesus will receive the same reward of eternal life in heaven. This confidence gives us all hope, and that is why I chose it for those funerals. This is encouragement for Timothy to remain faithful to the truth and warns him that there will be those who will fall away from the true teachings. He even warns that teachers will rise up that will twist the teachings to their own purposes. This happened in Paul's time and it has happened in every generation since. I have always liked the prologue to Luke's Gospel to respond to false teachings – use the Bible as a yardstick for finding the truth. We too are encouraged to fight the good fight by doing the right thing, to keep the faith and not let others lead us away from God, so we will finish the course of our lifetime still loving Jesus and believing in his promises.