Aloha Friday Message – December 13, 2015 – Aloha Friday Building Clinic

December 11, 2015

1550AFC121315 – Aloha Friday Building Clinic

Read it online here, please. (Use the links for the best outcome.)

Philippians 4:4 – 4 Rejoice in the Lord always; again I will say, Rejoice.

“It’s been in interesting week in Lake Wobegon.” So begins one of our family’s favorite features on the PBS Program, Prairie Home Companion. It’s been an interesting week here in Kapaʽa, too. Our Goddaughter, Lily Mae, had her hula recital. We watched the musical Mary Poppins – TWICE! Because it was fabulous, is why. And we started the Jubilee year of Mercy. Pretty great week!

RejoiceAlwaysThis week we also celebrated the Immaculate Conception, a feast day not all that well understood (or attended) by many Catholics, and barely conceptualized by non-Catholics. What many people fail to understand is that the dogma of The Immaculate Conception isn’t about Gabriel visiting Mary to ask if she would carry Jesus the Son of God in her womb. It is about the special privilege given to Mary to be free from original sin from the moment of her conception – a conception which was normal in every way except that God allowed for Mary to experience Salvation through Jesus before his Passion, Death, and Resurrection. It is good to remember that in this year of Mercy, because that Child of Mary is the Biggest and Bestest Act of MERCY ever! Thinking of that brings back memories for me.

I recall a few years back our Associate Pastor, Fr. Robbie Deka, delivered a homily that began with reminiscences about watching the TV show, Extreme Makeover Home Edition. He reminded us of the emotions we feel as we see someone’s home transformed into something amazing and then the big impact that comes after the crowd shouts, “Bus driver! MOVE THAT BUS!” as the family tours their new digs; we empathize with them as they find delight after delight.

Sometimes the house is just gutted and totally refurbished inside. Other times, the old house is razed and a new one constructed in its place. Whatever the case, the makeover is extreme. It takes a lot of workers about a week to totally transform one house. If that was being done only by Ty, the host, it would take … way too long for television!! Jesus can do the same for us. Sometimes he just cleans everything out and builds it back up again. Other times, he gets rid of all the old and replaces it will all-new. And with Jesus, there’s no limit to the number of times you can have an Extreme Makeover, either.

As we prepare for Christmas Celebrations, we too are invited to consider an Extreme Makeover. Many times that’s going to take at least a little remodeling in one part of our lives or another. Sometimes it takes an extensive renovation of everything but the exterior of our lives. Other times, sadly, it means starting over from scratch and rebuilding everything. At times we wish we could do an Extreme Makeover on the whole world – or at least our own neighborhood. But, most of the time that’s out of our sphere of influence. Mostly, we need to tackle things we can handle ourselves, or with the help of a few friends and wise counselors.

This passage is part of the second reading for this coming Sunday. Next Sunday is the third of the four Sundays. It has been called Gaudete Sunday in times past because the introit (entrance hymn) comes from our verse for today Gaudete in Domino semper, Rejoice in the Lord Always, and sometimes the vestments are Rose or Pink. It is a Sunday when we are reminded to REJOICE because the Victory has been won through what started in Bethlehem. Yes, we are at war, and yes we must keep going, but YES we can also rejoice for we know already that the outcome will be something good for all mankind, and we will have been part of that.

“Rejoice always; pray without ceasing; in everything give thanks; for this is God’s will for you in Christ Jesus.” (I Thessalonians 5: 16-18)”

We see WAR all around the world and it is in sharp contrast to this season preparing for and commemorating the birth of Jesus. We see unprecedented natural disaster, atrocious crimes, staggering poverty, rampant disease, and we wonder, “What can I do about that? It’s more than I can handle!” We have been violated by an enemy – again – and there is a lot of strident rhetoric about how to respond. Perhaps we as a Nation are being called upon to go for an Extreme Makeover.

When we watch Extreme Makeover on TV we notice that there is always a plan, a blueprint, and a way to get the work coordinated. The workers are happy and motivated because they are making a difference, and Extreme difference, in the life of at least one family.

The plan involves figuring out where to start and what to keep, the blueprint directs the builders on how to change things, and the work is coordinated by a team of experienced and skilled workers who willingly get to the job at hand.

Paul has a suggestion for those kinds of situations, great or small, and it is wonderfully simple, It is the plan, the blueprint and the workforce all rolled into one: “Rejoice always; pray without ceasing; in everything give thanks; for this is God’s will for you in Christ Jesus.”

The Plan? Rejoice always. The Blueprint? Pray without ceasing. The workforce: A thankful people – or person – using the blueprint to implement the plan. God has a plan, and even though a certain serpent sullied it in The Beginning, the blueprint and the workforce were already prepared. The blueprint? The promise of Salvation. The workforce? The Son of God – “The Boss’s Kid.”

And so, beloved, if you find you need to do a little remodeling, or a more extensive renovation, or even a complete build-over, open your User’s Manual (the B.I.B.L.E.) and learn how to use the tools the Master Builder and Architect of the Universe has provided for you. Here’s the basic concept upon which we can make our decisions: “A clean heart create for me, God; renew within me a steadfast spirit.” That should be enough to get anyone started.

Beloved PRAY. Here’s one you’ve seen before. Philippians 4:6-8:  6 Do not worry about anything, but in everything by prayer and supplication with thanksgiving let your requests be made known to God. 7 And the peace of God, which surpasses all understanding, will guard your hearts and your minds in Christ Jesus. 8 Finally, beloved, whatever is true, whatever is honorable, whatever is just, whatever is pure, whatever is pleasing, whatever is commendable, if there is any excellence and if there is anything worthy of praise, think about these things.

And if that’s still not enough to get you started, sing “Let There Be Peace on Earth.” ) ← (Music Link!) The concept comes highly recommended. Recall the Herald Angels’ Song: “Glory to God in the highest heaven, and on earth peace among those whom he favors!” (Luke 2:14)

PRAY for one another. Pray for your friends, pray for your family (especially if they are not your friends!). Pray for the World. Pray. Pray. Pray! We are at war. Get on your knees and fight (From the Song by Petra) ← (Music Link!) Pray for our politicians, too!

Here are some other locations where you can read about today’s message:

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Whatever, whenever, wherever, whoever, however, if ever, forever — at your service, Beloved.

Please also be sure to pray for Peace in families besieged by war, terrorism, infidelity, strife, violence, addiction, doubt, and sin. Look for ways to be merciful. Need a reminder? Here you go!

 

Corporal Acts of Mercy
feed the hungry
give drink to the thirsty
clothe the naked
shelter the homeless
visit the sick
visit the imprisoned
bury the dead		 Spiritual Acts of Mercy
counsel the doubtful
instruct the ignorant
admonish sinners
comfort the afflicted
forgive offenses
bear wrongs patiently
pray for the living and the dead

 

Whatever, whenever, wherever, whoever, however, if ever, forever — at your service, Beloved!
Creative Commons License
Aloha Friday Messages by Charles O. Todd, III is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike 3.0 Unported License

Unless otherwise indicated, all scripture passages are from the New Revised Standard Version Catholic Edition (NRSVCE) New Revised Standard Version Bible: Catholic Edition, copyright © 1989, 1993 the Division of Christian Education of the National Council of the Churches of Christ in the United States of America. Used by permission. All rights reserved.

 

 

Aloha Friday Message – Advent 2 – December 4, 2015

December 4, 2015

1549AFC120415 – Advent 2 Seriously, please use the links.

Read it online here, please. Part of the Year of Mercy Series.

Baruch 5:8-9 – 8 The woods and every fragrant tree
    have shaded Israel at God’s command.
9 For God will lead Israel with joy,
    in the light of his glory,
    with the mercy and righteousness that come from him.

Grace to you and peace from God our Father and the Lord Jesus Christ. (Philippians 1:2) Certainly in the wake of the horrific violence we have seen in the past few weeks, we are all in need of Grace and Peace. We know this because we can see that Grace and Peace are so very necessary to us when we are subsequently deeply shaken by these events. We can find comfort in the fact that God provides these two Divine Gifts in his infinite generosity. There is also comfort in knowing that God’s promise includes not only Grace and Mercy, but also Justice and Mercy.

Psalm 116:4-5 – 4 Then I called on the name of the Lord:
    “O Lord, I pray, save my life!”
5 Gracious is the Lord, and righteous;
    our God is merciful.

We know we can depend on him and his Mercy because of his Righteousness – his infinitely perfect holiness. We can also depend on his Justice – his infinitely perfect integrity. His gracious Mercy and Righteousness pervade all of creation. He created everything, and he alone knows everything (and everyone!) in all of his creation. He made them for us – all the earthlings – and all who will acknowledge that by living for, with, and in him witness and enjoy his goodness and mercy forever.

Isaiah 66:2 – 2 All these things my hand has made,
    and so all these things are mine,
says the Lord.
But this is the one to whom I will look,
    to the humble and contrite in spirit,
    who trembles at my word.

When there are injustices – the acts of evil committed by those who are not humble or contrite, who do not love Justice and will not be merciful as God himself is merciful – then God himself sends justice without mercy to whomsoever defies him. When anyone refuses the Justice and Mercy of God, that one is cast out and counted among the cursed.

Zechariah 7:9-12 – 9 Thus says the Lord of hosts: “Render true judgments, show kindness and mercy to one another; 10 do not oppress the widow, the orphan, the alien, or the poor; and do not devise evil in your hearts against one another.” 11 But they refused to listen, and turned a stubborn shoulder, and stopped their ears in order not to hear. 12 They made their hearts adamant in order not to hear the law and the words that the Lord of hosts had sent by his spirit through the former prophets. Therefore great wrath came from the Lord of hosts.

Our text for today from the Book of Baruch – who was the “personal assistant” to the Prophet Jeremiah – says, “God will lead Israel with joy, in the light of his glory, with the mercy and righteousness that come from him.” This fifth chapter of Baruch paints a picture of the return of Israel to their homeland from all the places to which they have been scattered by their enemies. We can imagine them “clothed in righteousness,” and praising God for their deliverance. Whereas Jeremiah had previously declared that all joy and safety will be taken from Israel (See Jeremiah 7:34), God is revealing that his plan for deliverance is proceeding because of his great Mercy. It is the same kind of joyous renewal seen in Revelation 21 with the coming of the New Jerusalem.

What does all of this have to do with us today, particularly in light of the tragic events in Paris, San Bernardino, and all across Africa and the Middle East, and even on into Indonesia? What we are seeing is, I believe, the work of those who do not accept God’s Mercy because they believe in a god who is not merciful. Their doctrine is built upon distrust, hatred, and deception. Their way is not God’s way. We have quoted God’s instruction for living many times in these pages, but it bears repeating again:

Micah 6:8 – 8 He has told you, O mortal, what is good;
    and what does the Lord require of you
but to do justice, and to love kindness,
    and to walk humbly with your God?

The entire Bible continually points to and insists on God’s requirements for humanity. He values formal worship, to be sure, but he values even more the actions of men and women who are righteous, just, kind, and humble. It not just “churchianity;” it is the commitment to living the life of service to God and neighbor which he requires of those whom he blesses. God is always equitable giving to each whatever is most needed for a blesséd life. His gifts are our protection against evil. When we refuse those gifts, when we refuse to honor him by serving our neighbors with justice and mercy for all, then we lose those gifts. We are then subject to the evil that God’s good Gifts prevents from harming us; we suffer the consequences of our disobedience. In times like these, people often quote 2 Chronicles 7:14 – 14 if my people who are called by my name humble themselves, pray, seek my face, and turn from their wicked ways, then I will hear from heaven, and will forgive their sin and heal their land. There is still a good lesson in that. Those who violate the innocent risk the wrath of God – and that includes those who ignore God as well as those who oppose God. When we act without Mercy upon others, we can expect that others will not be merciful with us. Jeremiah 22:3 – 3 Thus says the Lord: Act with justice and righteousness, and deliver from the hand of the oppressor anyone who has been robbed. And do no wrong or violence to the alien, the orphan, and the widow, or shed innocent blood in this place.

What do we do? How do we get out of this mess? Hosea 12:6 – 6 But as for you, return to your God, hold fast to love and justice, and wait continually for your God. We go back to him with all our heart. We repent. We give God glory and honor in worship and in day-to-day living. We trust God’s Mercy for us and for our enemies. We rely on God’s Justice for us and for our enemies. We do not tolerate evil and give it permission to enslave us, or harm us, or destroy what God has given. We oppose evil. We serve God. We give obedience to God above all others. We give all who willingly disobey God whatever justice he plans for them.

We are, like Israel, in a protracted captivity because of our failure to know, to love, to serve, and to obey our Creator. If we want to look forward to being restored to the blessings of his Mercy and Justice, then we must “rend our hearts and not our garments.” We must make the internal changes that return us to his provident care.

In 1967, I wrote a poem called “Words from the Son of The Preacher.” The last few lines of that piece say:

Earthly rantings then will bore you
‘til at last you see your thought
and fly with fury ‘round the planet
giving more than you can hold
to sullen hands of death incarnate
blindly waving God away.

We have blindly waved God away, and we are paying a terrible price for that – not just in America, but around the world. There is Hope, and all who call upon the name of the Lord obtain that Hope.

Today we have looked at what Baruch gave to Israel – words from his “boss,” Jeremiah. I want to close with something directly from that remarkable prophet. You’ll find it in Jeremiah 17:5-8.

5 Thus says the Lord:
Cursed are those who trust in mere mortals
    and make mere flesh their strength,
whose hearts turn away from the Lord.
6 They shall be like a shrub in the desert,
    and shall not see when relief comes.
They shall live in the parched places of the wilderness,
in an uninhabited salt land.
7 Blessed are those who trust in the Lord,
    whose trust is the Lord.
8 They shall be like a tree planted by water,
    sending out its roots by the stream.
It shall not fear when heat comes,
    and its leaves shall stay green;
in the year of drought it is not anxious,
    and it does not cease to bear fruit.

Whatever, whenever, wherever, whoever, however, if ever, forever — at your service, Beloved!

Pray for the victims and the perpetrators of these terrible acts. For the victims, pray for God’s Grace. For the perpetrators, pray for God’s Mercy. For all of us, pray for God’s Justice.

Creative Commons License
Aloha Friday Messages by Charles O. Todd, III is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike 3.0 Unported License

Unless otherwise indicated, all scripture passages are from the New Revised Standard Version Catholic Edition (NRSVCE) New Revised Standard Version Bible: Catholic Edition, copyright © 1989, 1993 the Division of Christian Education of the National Council of the Churches of Christ in the United States of America. Used by permission. All rights reserved.

 

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Aloha Friday Message – November 27, 2015 – Advent 1

November 27, 2015

1548AFC112715 – Advent 1

Read it online here, please. Part of the Year of Mercy Series.

Psalm 25:6 – 6 Be mindful of your mercy, O Lord, and of your steadfast love,
    for they have been from of old.

Psalm 136:1 – 1 O give thanks to the Lord, for he is good,
    for his steadfast love endures forever.

Soon we will begin the Year of Mercy as called for by Pope Francis I. This is an exciting challenge for Catholics around the world, and I believe it will be meaningful as well to other Christians and even non-Christians. Why? Because so many people around the world will be focusing on mercy and what it means – particularly what it requires. You may recall that during Advent in 2013, we did a Series on Mercy. We also did a Lenten Series on Mercy in 2010 on the Spiritual and Corporal Acts of Mercy.

When you, when I, when we encounter God’s Mercy, it is usually when we are at a low time in our lives. Perhaps we’ve “hit bottom” and had to face the fact that there is something in life that has replaced love of self, love of other, as well as love of God. Perhaps we have suffered a tragic loss, or carry the burden of a loved one who is in physical, emotional, and/or spiritual pain. When confronted with these difficulties in life, we – hopefully – eventually turn to God and seek his mercy. What does God mean when he speaks of his Mercy? Here are two places where God spoke about his Mercy.

In Exodus 34:6, The LORD passes before Moses and says:
The Lord, the Lord,
a God merciful and gracious,
slow to anger,
and abounding in steadfast love and faithfulness, …

In Joel 2:12-13 God says:
12 Yet even now, says the Lord,
return to me with all your heart,
with fasting, with weeping, and with mourning;
13     rend your hearts and not your clothing.
Return to the Lord, your God,
for he is gracious and merciful,
slow to anger, and abounding in steadfast love,
and relents from punishing.

David often focused on God’s Mercy because he often needed that Mercy whenever he forgot about God’s centrality in his life so that he sinned; David made some huge blunders, but he always repented and returned to God. Because of that repentance, he also always knew God’s Mercy. Did David never suffer for his sins? Oh, he did suffer, but he did not die because of them; relying on God’s Mercy, David kept renewing his heart as a dwelling for God Most High. In fact, although David was a fierce and usually victorious warrior who could be ruthless with enemies, he also recognized the power and importance of Mercy – especially for the nation of Israel. David could see that being merciful was part of being godly. Centuries later, Jesus would talk to his disciples about the benefits of being merciful.

Jesus told them in Matthew 5:7 – 7 Blessed are the merciful, for they will receive mercy. He demonstrated God’s Mercy in every moment of his life. God is intrinsically merciful. Mercy is a fundamental, inherent, and essential quality of God. We, who are created in the image and likeness of God, are called upon to be like him in all things but especially in Mercy. Without God’s mercy there would be no life worth living. We would be “stuck” in sin eternally. You remember Romans 6:23 – 23 For the wages of sin is death, but the free gift of God is eternal life in Christ Jesus our Lord. Eternal Life is possible only through the Grace of God, and God’s Grace is his Mercy. Grace is God’s unmerited favor. It is a gift we do not deserve and cannot earn. Through the divine assistance of Grace available to us by the Passion, Death, and Resurrection of Jesus Christ, we have the Holy Spirit to be our Comforter, Counselor, Advocate, and Guide; the Spirit leads us to the Mercy of God for ourselves and enables us to share that Mercy with others – even those who curse us or try to harm us. Whatever trials or pain we have in life, God is always, always there to turn our fetters into wings, our sorrows into joys, and out tears into laughter. God’s mercy provides us with that “little taste of heaven” that becomes the source of our hope. Jesus is a Wonderful Savior. (← Music Link) Why?

Why does Jesus want to be our Savior, your Savior, even my Savior? It is simply that the Mercy of God requires that we must be redeemed through the Body and Blood of Christ to be reunited with God, Jesus himself said in John 6:54-57 – 54 Those who eat my flesh and drink my blood have eternal life, and I will raise them up on the last day; 55 for my flesh is true food and my blood is true drink. 56 Those who eat my flesh and drink my blood abide in me, and I in them. 57 Just as the living Father sent me, and I live because of the Father, so whoever eats me will live because of me. Throughout the Gospels, the Mercy of God is the primary motivating factor behind everything Jesus says and does.

In the Gospel for this coming Sunday, Jesus warns us that, as his return to us gets closer, we will see signs of his coming. No doubt we are all aware how many times the end of the world has been predicted only to have everything keep chugging right along the next day. We’re not supposed to know when that happens, but we are supposed to be ready all the time. Being ready includes being alert as Jesus tells us in Luke 21:36 – 36 Be alert at all times, praying that you may have the strength to escape all these things that will take place, and to stand before the Son of Man. I am reminded of the professor in the Harry Potter stories whose maxim was “CONSTANT VIGILANCE.” Certainly in these days of escalating terror and crimes against humanity committed by the anti-Christ, we must indeed be vigilant – but not just for our enemies. We must be vigilant for opportunities of Mercy for ourselves and others. Those who will not or cannot accept our mercy will receive the wrath of God rather than his Mercy.

That’s the way it works, because Mercy – Grace – is a Gift that can be accepted or refused. Those who refuse the Grace of God refuse God himself. Those who refuse God, refuse Eternal Life with him. Like David, we who are repentant sinners know the Mercy of God, and because we know that Mercy we are able to show Mercy to others. It would be well for us to remember the words of the Apostle James:

James 2:12-13 – 12 So speak and so act as those who are to be judged by the law of liberty. 13 For judgment will be without mercy to anyone who has shown no mercy; mercy triumphs over judgment.

We learn to be merciful by watching, learning, and imitating God’s mercy. As his servants, we look to him for any sign that will help us to do his Will and to faithfully follow him wherever obedience calls us:

Psalm 123:2 – 2 As the eyes of servants
    look to the hand of their master,
as the eyes of a maid
    to the hand of her mistress,
so our eyes look to the Lord our God,
    until he has mercy upon us.

Blesséd be our merciful God forever! AMEN.

Whatever, whenever, wherever, whoever, however, if ever, forever — at your service, Beloved!

Creative Commons License
Aloha Friday Messages by Charles O. Todd, III is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike 3.0 Unported License

Unless otherwise indicated, all scripture passages are from the New Revised Standard Version Catholic Edition (NRSVCE) New Revised Standard Version Bible: Catholic Edition, copyright © 1989, 1993 the Division of Christian Education of the National Council of the Churches of Christ in the United States of America. Used by permission. All rights reserved.

And Remember:

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Happy Thanksgiving. Have a WONDER-FULL Advent! Pray for Peace!!

Aloha Friday Message – November 20, 2015 – Somewhere Listening

November 20, 2015

1547AFC112014 – Somewhere Listening (Be sure to use the 2 special MUSIC LINKS!)

Read it online here, please.

John 18:37c – Everyone who belongs to the truth listens to my voice.

E pili mau na pomaika‘i ia ‘oe a me ke akua ho’omaika’i ‘oe, ʻŌmea! (May blessing always be with you and may God bless you, Beloved!)  Who is the King of Glory? This time of year, as we approach the beginning of Advent next week, we take a day to remember the LORD as King of the Universe – and we often hear David’s Psalm of praise of Jehovah – the One we have called El Shaddai Olam, Almighty and Ever Living God. He is the King of the Universe. All that ever is, or was, or ever will be belongs to him, comes from him, and returns to him – and that includes you and me. Since all of everything and everyone is of God’s creation and God’s Dominion, no one else has the right to add to or take from what he has placed in his own choice of order. Animal, vegetable, mineral, spiritual – all are his. The Earth – and by it, the Universe – are inhabitable because he has placed in the universe he created for it. He alone is supremely sovereign as he alone is perfectly Holy, perfectly Integral, Perfectly One. The Earth and all Creation is full of God, but the Earth and all Creation is not God; they are his handiwork and testimony to his nature – Omnipotent, Omniscient, Omnipresent, and Omnibenevolent. God alone is God and no other gods can do as he has done.

God has chosen his people who are to be peculiarly – particularly and especially – his own. His people are those who love, worship, and obey him. He has revealed himself to be the source of ineffable wisdom beyond our ability to describe. His wisdom is Love, and with Wisdom he created all that is; without Love nothing would have been created. He Loves his creation, especially his chosen children whom he created to love him and be loved by him and for him. He made that love known to us through his Only Begotten Son. In the Gospel of John, the Apostle testifies to this, John 1:14 – 14 And the Word became flesh and lived among us, and we have seen his glory, the glory as of a father’s only son, full of grace and truth. “Like Father, like Son,” Jesus is the Truth of Love and the Love of Truth. In him there is only Grace and Love without judgment or condemnation for Indeed, God did not send the Son into the world to condemn the world, but in order that the world might be saved through him. (John 3:17) From the beginning of human sinfulness, God promised Salvation through a Redeemer – the seed of a woman, the Spirit of Life in a child made incarnate through his servant, Mary. Thus he is Divine, the True and Only Son of God generated – conceived of – begotten through the union of human and Divine nature. He is Love. He is Truth. He is Salvation.

In this verse from Sunday’s readings, Jesus tells Pilate that Everyone who belongs to the truth listens to my voice. The structure of that shows Jesus’ Kingdom is comprised of all persons who know Truth because – made in the image of God – they can recognize the deliberately evident and self-supporting testimony that God is Truth. Everyone who hears Truth hears Jesus. Everyone who hears Jesus hears Truth. Everyone who refuses to hear Jesus, refuses to accept him as the Only Begotten Son who is Divine and the Christ of God, does not hear Truth; the Truth is not in them, and they cannot know the Truth. Thus, whoever denies that Jesus is the Christ of God is a liar, and as a liar and ally of the Devil. Satan is the originator of lies. Recall what Jesus said in John 8:44 – 44 You are from your father the devil, and you choose to do your father’s desires. He was a murderer from the beginning and does not stand in the truth, because there is no truth in him. When he lies, he speaks according to his own nature, for he is a liar and the father of lies.

Let’s take just a minute to look at how that word TRUTH is used in our scriptures. In this passage from John, this word, “truth,” in Greek is ἀλήθεια (alétheia) {al-ay’-thi-a} and it has the connotation of “the true notions of God” which are open to human reason without his supernatural intervention in such a way that it leads to that honesty of mind which is free from affection, pretence, dissimulation, falsehood, or deceit. It is Truth that is true without having to be verified by, with, or for anything or anyone because it is genuinely TRUE. That is how it is used throughout the New Testament.

In the Old Testament, a commonly used word for Truth is אֱמֶת (‘e-meth) {eh’-meth} and caries the connotation of testimony and judgment, inexorably true by divine instruction which is reliable, stable and continuous as in Isaiah 45:19 – 19 I did not speak in secret,     in a land of darkness; I did not say to the offspring of Jacob,     “Seek me in chaos.” I the Lord speak the truth,     I declare what is right.

God IS what God IS – Truth, righteousness, justice, freedom, salvation, love, light, glory, power, caring, parental, knowable, divine, community, Trinity, wisdom, knowledge, joy, unity, kindness, forgiving, merciful, patient, tender, gentle but capable of defending or correcting his children, infinite in all things, yet generously grants free will to all earthlings. He is never distant, unapproachable, singularly alone, unknowable, aloof, vindictive, uncaring, or hateful. He seeks to heal, not harm. He acts with mercy, not intolerance. He is generous, not selfish. He promotes life, not death. He is Goodness, not evil. He is YHWH, not Allah.

Everyone who belongs to the Truth hears his voice, sees his works, tastes his mercy, feels his love, recognizes the fragrance of knowing him (See 2 Corinthians 2:14) becomes a child of God – a son or daughter of The Most High. Everyone who is open to Truth, rather than enmeshed in deceit perpetrated by the Greatest Deceiver who is the anti-Christ, will share Eternity with El Shaddai Olam. All who hear the Voice of Truth and ignore or deny it, who are closed to the Truth, they will share Eternity with Satan. Remember this as you read the following:

Proverbs 12:17 – 17 Whoever speaks the truth gives honest evidence,
          but a false witness speaks deceitfully.

And again:

John 1:14 – 14 And the Word became flesh and lived among us, and we have seen his glory, the glory as of a father’s only son, full of grace and truth.

The Kingdom of God is the Kingdom of Truth and Mercy, and God is the King of Glory. David said it so well:

Psalm 24:7-8 – 7 Lift up your heads, O gates!     and be lifted up, O ancient doors!     that the King of glory may come in. 8 Who is the King of glory?     The Lord, strong and mighty,     the Lord, mighty in battle.

David knew a little about battle! Recall his confrontation with Goliath:

1 Samuel 17:45-47 – 45 But David said to the Philistine, “You come to me with sword and spear and javelin; but I come to you in the name of the Lord of hosts, the God of the armies of Israel, whom you have defied. 46 This very day the Lord will deliver you into my hand, and I will strike you down and cut off your head; and I will give the dead bodies of the Philistine army this very day to the birds of the air and to the wild animals of the earth, so that all the earth may know that there is a God in Israel, 47 and that all this assembly may know that the Lord does not save by sword and spear; for the battle is the Lord’s and he will give you into our hand.”

The LORD is King over all the Earth (Psalm 47:7). Sing his praise with songs of joy. Wherever you are, whatever you’re doing, whenever you can, listen for the sound of his voice for it is the sound of Truth. Do not harden your heart, else you will not hear the King. Click on this link for a song about that!  (← Music Link #1)

Psalm 95:8 – If today you hear his voice, Harden not your heart. (← Music Link #2)

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Aloha Friday Messages by Charles O. Todd, III is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike 3.0 Unported License

Unless otherwise indicated, all scripture passages are from the New Revised Standard Version Catholic Edition (NRSVCE) New Revised Standard Version Bible: Catholic Edition, copyright © 1989, 1993 the Division of Christian Education of the National Council of the Churches of Christ in the United States of America. Used by permission. All rights reserved.

Biblical languages inserts from Bible Hub (Bible Hub: Search, Read, Study the Bible in Many Languages) Visit at http://biblehub.com

00-hand-universe

 

Aloha Friday Message – November 13, 2015 – What’s Next?

November 13, 2015

1546AFC111315 – What’s next?

Read it online here, please.

Daniel 12:2 – Many of those who sleep in the dust of the earth shall awake, some to everlasting life, and some to shame and everlasting contempt.

Mark 13:32 – 32 “But about that day or hour no one knows, neither the angels in heaven, nor the Son, but only the Father.”

Aloha nui loa, ʻŌmea. This is a message that took a long time arriving. We’ve passed the 500 mark in posts. I’ve been thinking about how to proceed from here – what’s next? Should I cap it off at 501? Should I continue as we have been? Should I trim it back to twice a month or even once a month? I don’t have an answer to any of those questions. I will wait on the Holy Spirit and pray for guidance and discernment. What do you think? I suspect that out of the nearly 200 people to whom I email this, perhaps less than a quarter read it – maybe even only a handful. That’s not what’s important though. What is important is that thanks to a dear friend who hosts my blog-site, it’s out there in the ethers for everyone and anyone to find. Since I also post it to Facebook, it can be found and shared as well. We shall see what the Lord requires and then I can answer that question – what’s next?

The topic presented itself as I looked at the readings for the Thirty-Third Sunday in Ordinary Time – a fancy way of saying “for this coming Sunday.” That passage from the Book of the Prophet Daniel is actually one I remember pondering about many years ago. It is one of the earliest and clearest statements of the concept of life-after-death, and in the view of some is also a prefiguring of the belief in the Kingdom of Heaven – although that, the Kingdom of Heaven, is not exactly what we mean by “Heaven.”

I think all of us who believe in God also believe that there’s something more after we quit this Earth. Several times in the past few months I have told you that all of us are going to live forever – some of us will live with God in glory and some of us will not. Today I want to give you about a ton of scripture (I know, that’s a deal-breaker for some of us) and I want to show you that it is dangerous to declare there is no hell, there is only heaven.

If you believe there is a heaven, then believing in hell is part of the picture. I’ve heard many people say, “God would not create people just to populate hell. He would never bring someone into the world predestined to spend eternity suffering. The can be no hell because God will eventually forgive everyone.” Well, there is a hell, God will not ultimately forgive everyone, and the only people predestined to hell are the people who refuse to believe that God is just enough to allow us to choose to ignore the fact that there is a hell and we can earn it. So here’s where the ton of scripture comes in.

For some of them I might attach a short comment – depending on what the Spirit requires. For some, it’s enough that you read it. As always, I encourage you to use the links. They will take you to two parallel translations of the Bible. One is an “International” type of translation. That is, it is accepted by many non-Catholic denominations even though it has the words “Catholic Edition” in the title. All that means is that it is a faithful translation approved by the Division of Christian Education of the National Council of the Churches of Christ in the United States of America. There are 37 denominations that are members of that group, so chances are good that if you are a Christian, your church has something in common with that group. The term “Catholic Edition” means that the volume of Biblical writings includes all scriptures canonically approved by the Catholic Church which are not included in non-Catholic Bibles. Other than that, every chapter, verse, line, and precept in the New Revised Standard Version Catholic Edition (NRSVCE) New Revised Standard Version Bible: Catholic Edition is exactly the same for all the 36 other denominations. The other version is the Authorized King James Version aka the Authorized (AKJV) which many Evangelical Christians use as their primary source of study and preaching. That said, let’s begin with the world’s most famous Bible verse:

John 3:16-17 – 16 “For God so loved the world that he gave his only Son, so that everyone who believes in him may not perish but may have eternal life. 17 Indeed, God did not send the Son into the world to condemn the world, but in order that the world might be saved through him.”

Jesus himself said there is a continuation of life after death. We now know it as Heaven or Paradise. Admission to eternal, everlasting, glorious life with God is attainable through a belief in Jesus that is sufficient to constitute true faith.

In addition, Jesus referred to God the Father as “God of the living and not of the dead. He is the God of the living, not of the dead is found in …

 

Matthew 22:32 Mark 12:27 Luke 20:38

 

As such God will award the righteous with eternity with him and will award the unrighteous with eternity without him. It is Christ who will be the judge. It is God who will grant the awards.

2 Thessalonians 1:5-10 – 5 This is evidence of the righteous judgment of God, and is intended to make you worthy of the kingdom of God, for which you are also suffering. 6 For it is indeed just of God to repay with affliction those who afflict you, 7 and to give relief to the afflicted as well as to us, when the Lord Jesus is revealed from heaven with his mighty angels 8 in flaming fire, inflicting vengeance on those who do not know God and on those who do not obey the gospel of our Lord Jesus. 9 These will suffer the punishment of eternal destruction, separated from the presence of the Lord and from the glory of his might, 10 when he comes to be glorified by his saints and to be marveled at on that day among all who have believed, because our testimony to you was believed.

Jesus told his disciples – especially those he chose to be Apostles – that there were good outcomes and bad outcomes based on how people lived.

Matthew 13:49-51 – 49 “So it will be at the end of the age. The angels will come out and separate the evil from the righteous 50 and throw them into the furnace of fire, where there will be weeping and gnashing of teeth. 51 Have you understood all this?” They answered, “Yes.”

Now, here some object that there is no literal “furnace of fire.” We don’t know for certain how that experience of being separated from El Shaddai Olam (Almighty Ever-Living God) will manifest, but it is clear throughout scripture that it will be extremely unpleasant and unrelenting.

Jesus will send angels who are assigned to gather into two groups all the souls that ever lived (remember, we all live forever).

Matthew 13:41-42 – 41 The Son of Man will send his angels, and they will collect out of his kingdom all causes of sin and all evildoers, 42 and they will throw them into the furnace of fire, where there will be weeping and gnashing of teeth.

Not all of the angels will be with “the good guys.”

2 Peter 2:4 – 4 For if God did not spare the angels when they sinned, but cast them into hell[a] and committed them to chains of deepest darkness to be kept until the judgment;

If we decide, despite all the evidence to the contrary, that there is no God, no Christ, no Salvation, and no sin then we condemn ourselves.

Revelation 21:8 – 8 But as for the cowardly, the faithless, the polluted, the murderers, the fornicators, the sorcerers, the idolaters, and all liars, their place will be in the lake that burns with fire and sulfur, which is the second death.”

In addition, if we succeed at convincing – or even attempt to entice others to sin as we sin – then that will also bring separation from God. Jesus declares this in two of the Gospels:

Mark 9:42 – 42 If any of you put a stumbling block before one of these little ones who believe in me, it would be better for you if a great millstone were hung around your neck and you were thrown into the sea.

Matthew 18:6 – 6 “If any of you put a stumbling block before one of these little ones who believe in me, it would be better for you if a great millstone were fastened around your neck and you were drowned in the depth of the sea.”

Yet God has planned all of this from the first Word of creation, and part of the plan is that we should choose to love him. As the Prophet Isaiah said,

Isaiah 64:4 – 4 For since the world began no one has seen or heard of such a God as ours, who works for those who wait for him! Living Bible (TLB) The Living Bible copyright © 1971 by Tyndale House Foundation. Used by permission of Tyndale House Publishers Inc., Carol Stream, Illinois 60188. All rights reserved.

 

How, then, can we get to heaven? It is only through the Grace of God who gives eternal Joy to all who will believe in the Christ of God. One must repent, believe the Gospel, be baptized, love God and Neighbor, and be a witness (testify) to the Salvation granted by our God through Christ Jesus. Outside of those criteria, only at the Day of Judgment before Christ will we know. I encourage you to follow this link to read Matthew 25:31-46. This is the Parable of the Sheep and the Goats, the division of the nations (all humanity) into two groups: The Righteous and the Unrighteous. Christ will judge. God will award. That is what’s next. All of us will go down to the dust of the earth. All of us will be raised up on the last day. Some of us will spend the rest of eternity with God and all the Angels and Saints. Some of us will not. What’s next for you? Is it Philippians 2:9-11? I sincerely hope so!!

Whatever, whenever, wherever, whoever, however, if ever, forever — at your service, Beloved!

 

Creative Commons License
Aloha Friday Messages by Charles O. Todd, III is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike 3.0 Unported License

Unless otherwise indicated, all scripture passages are from the New Revised Standard Version Catholic Edition (NRSVCE) New Revised Standard Version Bible: Catholic Edition, copyright © 1989, 1993 the Division of Christian Education of the National Council of the Churches of Christ in the United States of America. Used by permission. All rights reserved.

Remember The Black Dot from yesterday (the belated Terrific Tuesday Message). Focus on the Light, not on the Darkness:

1 Thessalonians 5:3-5 – 3 When they say, “There is peace and security,” then sudden destruction will come upon them, as labor pains come upon a pregnant woman, and there will be no escape! 4 But you, beloved, are not in darkness, for that day to surprise you like a thief; 5 for you are all children of light and children of the day; we are not of the night or of darkness.

The Apostle Paul perhaps said it best;

Romans 6:23 – 23 For the wages of sin is death, but the free gift of God is eternal life in Christ Jesus our Lord.

Aloha Friday Message – November 6, 2015

November 6, 2015

1546AFC110615 – Given

Read it online here, please.

1 Kings 17:1, 8-9 – 1 Now Elijah the Tishbite, of Tishbe in Gilead, said to Ahab, “As the Lord the God of Israel lives, before whom I stand, there shall be neither dew nor rain these years, except by my word.”  8 Then the word of the Lord came to him, saying, 9 “Go now to Zarephath, which belongs to Sidon, and live there; for I have commanded a widow there to feed you.”

Mark 12:41-44 –42 A poor widow came and put in two small copper coins, which are worth a penny. 43 Then he called his disciples and said to them, “Truly I tell you, this poor widow has put in more than all those who are contributing to the treasury. 44 For all of them have contributed out of their abundance; but she out of her poverty has put in everything she had, all she had to live on.”

E pili mau na pomaika‘i ia ‘oe a me ke akua ho’omaika’i ‘oe, ʻŌmea! Today we are going to look at two instances where someone gave their all. Let’s begin by identifying the characters in these passages.

Elijah'sVisit_MThe First Book of Kings is the first time we learn about Elijah, one of Israel’s greatest prophets. He is introduced rather abruptly here without any trace of his history or origin – something that usually accompanies the stories of other prophets. He is referred to as a Tishbite of Tishbe in Gilead. There is no clear understanding of what that means, but it is generally taken to mean that he was a stranger from Gilead – a place in the mountains east of the Jordan which included the traditional lands for the tribes of Gad and Manasseh. He is sent to confront Ahab in his capital city in Samaria – perhaps the most evil king ever in the history of Israel – and tell him that God is about to lay waste to everything he has, including his wicked wife Jezebel.

A key phrase in the passage from 1 Kings is Then the word of the Lord came to him. Elijah takes his order from God, not from earthly masters. God has told Elijah that a long and terrible drought will afflict the land. Because of this, he sends his servant, Elijah, to a place of protection: A brook in Cherith east of Jerusalem. He hides out there until the brook dries up, and then God sends him to a town north of Jerusalem called Zarephath. That place was between Sidon and Tyre on the West Coast of Phoenicia. It was an industrial city where metals were smelted and pottery was made; Zarephath means “smelting place.”

The scripture does not disclose the name of the widow. It only describes her circumstances. She is desperately poor even though the town is prosperous. When Elijah greets her she is out gathering sticks so she can build a small fire to prepare the last meal she and her son will eat. Elijah asks her for water. As she goes, he asks her to bring bread as well. She tells him she basically doesn’t have enough to feed her son and herself. Elijah, however, insists that she help him first. Then he tells her that God will provide for her: Her jar of flour and jug of oil will never run out as long as the drought will last. Later, her son nearly dies, but the Lord restored the boy’s life after a very vigorous prayer from Elijah. She was willing to share everything she had – including her home and her son – with the prophet.

In the passage from the Gospel of Mark, we meet another widow in desperate straits. There is a similar passage in Luke 21:1-4. In both accounts Jesus makes it clear that, though her offering is small – only a few cents – it is everything she has. Her entire livelihood – probably less than a standards day’s wages – has been donated to the Temple. He contrasts her generosity with the pretentious and self-important actions and behaviors of the Scribes who looked with disdain on the poor claiming their poverty was a punishment for sin whereas the Scribes material wealth was evidence of their righteousness.

In both of these accounts from scripture we see people who are considered to be essentially worthless. First a Widow and a child, neither of whom has any rights or standing in the community. And again, in Mark and Luke, a widow living in extreme poverty and judged by others to be sinful and unworthy. Jesus and Elijah don’t see it that way. They see persons who honor God by giving all that they have and trusting that God will receive it. In the eyes of others around them, the gift is too small. For these wonderful women, the gift is everything they have. It calls to mind the words Jesus spoke to “The Rich Young Ruler:” Go and sell everything you have and give it to the poor. Then come, follow me. Use these links to see that story:

 

The Rich Young Man Matthew 19:16-22 Mark 10:17-22 Luke 8:18-23

 

Is that really what we need to do? Do we really need to give everything away? Well, we certainly can work harder at trusting that God will provide all we need as did Abraham, Elijah, David, Jesus, and these two widows. Do you know anyone who faithfully lives by Divine Providence? I do. His name is Brendan Case, and he is a Catholic Lay Missionary. Everything he has – home, family, children, mission, support, ministry – all of it traces directly back to God. His only work is to spread the Good News. With that he supports his family and still gives relentlessly of his considerable spiritual gifts and is also very generous with his temporal gifts – Time, Talent, and Treasure. You might say (as I would), “I can’t live like that.” We’re probably right.

Many times in these essays I’ve written about “My Old Friend Abraham.” Most of could never do the things Abraham did. Why? Because that is not our gift. Abram was a righteous man to whom God elected to revel himself as El Shaddai – Almighty God. Abram believed what God told him, and for his faith in God, El Shaddai made him Abraham the Father of Many Nations – and the founder of our faith in God. Abraham was prepared by God to do great things. We are all prepared by God to do some things. When we do part of those “some things” for ourselves, we are not giving all that God has given us. Every good and perfect gift comes from above (See James 1:17), so everything we have that is good comes from God. Everything we have that is not good does not. We should never try to give God the things that did not come from him; however, we can ask him to take them and make them good. That is what God does. He takes stuff that’s not-so-good and makes it wonderful.

That’s what he did to the widow in Zarephath and her son. He did that for the widow at the Temple Treasury – she will be remembered forever because of her unstinting generosity born of bottomless faith. Yes, El Shaddai, God Almighty, takes stuff and situations that are not-so-good, and from them brings good into our lives. Through Jesus’ gift of everlasting life in him, El Shaddai also takes people who are not-so-good and turns their lives into blessings. That kind of thing is the only kind of thing that deserves the ill-used adjective AWESOME. God is AWESOME. Skateboards are not. Salvation is AWESOME. Tee-shirts are not. Jesus is AWESOME, but, despite popular opinion, football is not. God is awesome because he gives us everything we need to recognize and enjoy his awesomeness. What God commands becomes reality for those who serve him – especially when his command comes as the answer to our prayer when we take our not-so-good stuff and give it to him so he can make it all better. Even the smallest of your gifts are good gifts if they come from God and you place them at his disposal. And if you can be faithful in returning to him the small or not-so-good stuff, God will see to it that you have plenty of the truly amazing stuff to pass around. After all, he is the Source of everything you have to live on – and for. All that you have ever had or been – now, before, or later – comes from God. It is given to you, not bought by you. Honor the Giver by accepting the Gift and then share it like crazy!

Share-a-Prayer

Please add our friend LVL to your prayer list. She is dealing with an especially aggressive form of breast cancer. Along with her, please pray as well for all of our friends and family battling cancer. Pray also for those in the grips of or recovering from any form of addiction. Pray also for an end to the violence and destruction wrought by ISIS, and for the safety and victory of those who are opposing that evil.

Creative Commons License
Aloha Friday Messages by Charles O. Todd, III is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike 3.0 Unported License

Unless otherwise indicated, all scripture passages are from the New Revised Standard Version Catholic Edition (NRSVCE) New Revised Standard Version Bible: Catholic Edition, copyright © 1989, 1993 the Division of Christian Education of the National Council of the Churches of Christ in the United States of America. Used by permission. All rights reserved.

Aloha Friday Message – October 30, 2015 – We Are Not Alone

October 30, 2015

1544AFC103015 – We Are Not Alone

Read it online here, please. Today we have a guest speaker, Fr. Mike Schmitz. First, take a look at these terrific Bible passages.

Revelation 7:9-10 – 9 After this I looked, and there was a great multitude that no one could count, from every nation, from all tribes and peoples and languages, standing before the throne and before the Lamb, robed in white, with palm branches in their hands. 10 They cried out in a loud voice, saying,

“Salvation belongs to our God who is seated on the throne, and to the Lamb!”

Hebrews 12:1-2 – Therefore, since we are surrounded by so great a cloud of witnesses, let us also lay aside every weight and the sin that clings so closely, and let us run with perseverance the race that is set before us, 2 looking to Jesus the pioneer and perfecter of our faith, who for the sake of the joy that was set before him endured the cross, disregarding its shame, and has taken his seat at the right hand of the throne of God.

This is based on a message we shared with our RCIA catechumens recently. The video is just over 7 minutes long so if you can watch it in a quiet place that would be a good idea. Following the video are a couple of stories about how it happened that we are not alone. “The truth is out there somewhere.”

November 1 every year is All Saints Day. We want you to know that you have support not only from us, not only from the whole Catholic Church all around the world, not only from the Holy Trinity, but also from ALL the Saints in heaven!  Check out this video for a great illustration about what that means.

Click on this link: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Mad1Jgf0jow

Now, with that in mind here are a couple of stories to help you understand how all those Saints rose up to where they are, and why they care about us:

There once was a man named George Thomas, pastor in a small New England town. One Easter Sunday morning he came to the Church carrying a rusty, bent, old bird cage, and set it on the corner of the pulpit. Eyebrows were raised and, as if in response, Pastor Thomas began to speak…”I was walking through town yesterday when I saw a young boy coming toward me swinging this bird cage. On the bottom of the cage were three little wild birds, shivering with cold and fright. I stopped the lad and asked, “What you got there, son?”

“Just some old birds,” came the reply.

“What are you gonna do with them?” I asked.

“Take ’em home and have fun with ’em,” he answered. “I’m gonna tease ’em and pull out their feathers to make ’em fight. I’m gonna have a real good time.”

“But you’ll get tired of those birds sooner or later. What will you do?”

“Oh, I got some cats,” said the little boy. They like birds. I’ll take ’em to them.”

The pastor was silent for a moment. “How much do you want for those birds, son?”

“Huh??!!! Why, you don’t want them birds, mister. They’re just plain old field birds. They don’t sing. They ain’t even pretty!”

“How much?” the pastor asked again. The boy sized up the pastor as if he were crazy and said, “$10?”

The pastor reached in his pocket and took out his wallet and found a ten dollar bill. He placed it in the boy’s hand. In a flash, the boy was gone.

The pastor picked up the cage and gently carried it to the end of the alley where there was a tree and a grassy spot. Setting the cage down, he opened the door, and by softly tapping the bars persuaded the birds out, setting them free.

Well, that explained the empty bird cage on the pulpit, and then the pastor began to tell this story.

One day Satan and Jesus were having a conversation. Satan had just come from the Garden of Eden, and he was gloating and boasting. “Yes, sir, I just caught the world full of people down there. Set me a trap, used bait I knew they couldn’t resist. Got ’em all!”

“What are you going to do with them?” Jesus asked.

Satan replied, “Oh, I’m gonna have fun! I’m gonna teach them how to hate and abuse each other, how to drink and smoke and curse. I’m gonna teach them how to invent guns and bombs and kill each other. I’m really gonna have fun!”

“And what will you do when you get done with them?” Jesus asked.

“Oh, I’ll kill ’em,” Satan glared proudly.

“How much do you want for them?” Jesus asked.

“Oh, you don’t want those people. They ain’t no good. Why, you’ll take them and they’ll just hate you. They’ll spit on you, curse you, and kill you. You don’t want those people!!”

“How much?” He asked again.

Satan looked at Jesus and sneered, “All your blood, your tears, and your life.”

Jesus said, “DONE!”

Then He paid the price.

The pastor picked up the cage. He opened the door and he walked from the pulpit.\

Communion_of_Saints

++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++

They say there was once a boy who did not believe in the wisdom of the elders. One day he decided to prove that the old man everyone sought out for advice was really just an old fool.

He knew the old man lived in the mountains near the place where the trees stopped growing and a tall outcrop of rocks pointed up like a Tipi. Early one morning he set out to find the old man. He had decided he would capture a bird on his way to the elder’s camp. When he met the old man he would hold the bird in his hand behind his back. He would tell the old man he had a bird. Then he would ask him if the bird was dead or alive. If the old man said, “Dead,” the boy would release the bird and let it fly away. If the old man said “Alive,” he would crush the bird’s neck with his thumb and throw it at the old man’s feet.

By mid-afternoon he was approaching the tree line and the outcrop of rock. Using a stick coated with piñon pitch, he captured a young cardinal. Smiling to himself with satisfaction at seeing his plan come together, he continued toward the camp. Before long he arrived, and rather than squat and wait for the old man to come out, he stood in a little clearing in front of a lean-to and called out, “Old man! I have a question for you! Come out and show me your wisdom!”

After a few moments, the elder emerged from a narrow passage in the rocks off to the side of the lean-to. Though he moved slowly, he still moved with dignity and strength. “Yes, boy. What is it you want to ask?” The boy took just the slightest step forward and said,

“Old man, you are known for your wisdom. My friends and relatives say that you know and understand all things. I don’t believe that, and I’ve come here to prove it. I have a bird in my hand. If you are so wise, tell me: Is the bird dead, or alive?”

The old man’s eyes softened and a look of great sadness fell over him. He looked directly at the boy’s eyes intently for what seemed like a very long time. Then, crossing his wrists over his heart, he leaned forward and spoke.” My child, do you not know?” The boy’s mind was racing, “He’s fallen for the bait!” he thought. “This is really going to be good!” The old man uncrossed his arms and placed his hands gently on the boy’s shoulders. He brought his face level with the boy’s. He spoke very softly. “Dear child, the bird’s life is in YOUR hands.”

Children, when you listen to this story, ask your heart what you think the boy did. And if you are in the healing professions, remember that the bird’s life is in your hands in every life you touch. You make your own decisions, run your own race, live your own life, but there is a great cloud of witnesses urging you on to do well and to make the right choices.

We are not alone because all the saints who have gone before you – every citizen of heaven – is looking after you, cheering you on, helping you make progress toward Heaven. They cannot pick you up and carry you; you have to run your own race. They cannot run it for you. But they can root for you, and they do! That is why you and I are not alone.

And now, Beloved, I urge you to continue to pray. Make your life a prayer. Offer everything to God – everything – especially the things that you don’t want to show Him. After all, you are not alone; all of us in the MBN all around the world eagerly anticipate meeting up with you in that Mansion in the sky! That great cloud of witnesses is crazy in love with you, too, and they are cheering you on. In this race, there is also a time limit. You need to keep running the race as a believer in finishing because you have only your lifetime to complete the race.

Whatever, whenever, wherever, whoever, however, if ever, forever — at your service, Beloved!

Aloha Friday Messages by Charles O. Todd, III is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike 3.0 Unported License

Unless otherwise indicated, all scripture passages are from the New Revised Standard Version Catholic Edition (NRSVCE) New Revised Standard Version Bible: Catholic Edition, copyright © 1989, 1993 the Division of Christian Education of the National Council of the Churches of Christ in the United States of America. Used by permission. All rights reserved.

 

Aloha Friday Message – October 23, 2015 – A Priest Forever

October 23, 2015

1543AFC102315 – A Priest Forever

Read it online here, please.

Hebrews 5:5-6 – 5 So also Christ did not glorify himself in becoming a high priest, but was appointed by the one who said to him,

“You are my Son,     today I have begotten you”; 6 as he says also in another place, “You are a priest forever,     according to the order of Melchizedek.”

Mark 10:45 – For the Son of Man came not to be served but to serve, and to give his life a ransom for many.

1 Peter 2:9 – But you are “a chosen race, a royal priesthood, a holy nation, a people of his own, so that you may announce the praises” of him who called you out of darkness into his wonderful light.

Aloha nui loa, ʻŌmea. Sunday’s Gospel is the story of Bartimæus the blind man on the Jericho Road. Follow that link for a refresher on that story. I usually try to take a passage from the Sunday readings to build on, and this Friday is no different. The verses from the letter of St. Paul to the Hebrews are part of the epistle-reading for the 30th Sunday in Ordinary Time, Cycle A. I confess I was sorely tempted to just repeat that earlier message today, but I received other instructions, so … here we go!

In this passage, Paul uses one of his favorite styles of presentation – quoting scripture. The passage he quotes first comes from Psalm 2:7. Paul uses this passage to teach that Jesus has the authority of God to be Priest, Prophet, and King. Because his authority comes from God, it is indisputable and invincible.

The second passage is also from a Psalm; it is Psalm 110:4. Paul cites this passage to indicate Jesus’ human authority as a Priest. His Divine authority comes from being the “only begotten son” of God. His human authority comes from being a Priest in the order of Mechizedek. So just who is Mechizedek? We meet him in Genesis 14:18-20. He is the “King of Salem” and “Priest of God Most High,” (‘Ēl ʿElyōn) It was Melchizedek who offered bread and wine after Abram (who was not yet called Abraham) defeated a coalition of kings in Canaan and rescued his nephew, Lot. If you turn to Hebrews 7:1-12, Paul gives a more detailed description. Paul states his name means “king of righteousness.” He further states that there is no genealogy for Melchizedek. He is also the “king of Salem” (which is Jerusalem) and that title means “king of peace.” Is this beginning to sound familiar? Who else do we know as the King of Righteousness and Peace? Yes! Jesus, the Christ of God!

In Hebrews 7, Paul goes further in his clarification and demonstrates that perfection was impossible through the Levitical Priesthood – the Priesthood of Post-Exodus Israel – because these priests were human, not divine, and therefore could not render a perfect sacrifice because they themselves were sinners and in need of cleansing. Jesus, alone, can make perfect atonement for all sin because Jesus alone is the Perfect Priest. As such he is a member of the priestly order of Melchizedek. Some scholars point out that that name – Melchizedek – is actually more like a title than the name of a person. In that view, the name means “my king is Sedek,” and the meaning would be “Ruled by Righteousness.” Melchizedek is a servant and Priest of God Most High. Just a few pages farther into Genesis, the LORD presents himself to Abram as GOD ALMIGHTY – El Shaddai. This is the first time in scripture that God names himself. Later he tells Moses he is I AM WHO AM – YHWH.

Paul uses these references that are very familiar to the Hebrews – the Jews to which the Letter to The Hebrews is addressed – to argue that Christ is indeed a Priest greater in every way than any of the Levites who serve in the Temple or Synagogue. And what does this Priest do?

Just like the Priests before him, Jesus comes to serve and honor God on behalf of all humanity – himself included. “This is the first and greatest commandment.” (Matthew 22:38). He is ordained – consecrated by decree of God – to be a Perfect Priest, not just a human, Levitical priest. Jesus also came to serve others, to be the Suffering Servant of Isaiah 53, to be the servant of all so that he will be greatest among all. He came not to be served but to serve, and to give his life a ransom for many. Because his – and only his – sacrifice is Perfect, he is THE “… priest forever, according to the order of Melchizedek.” All human Priests who follow after him are also called to serve God and our fellow earthlings according to the Way, the Truth, and the Life.

Belovéd, we are also called to be sharers in this triple investiture as Priest, Prophet, and King by virtue of our belief in, commitment to, and worship of the Christ of God.

Priest: We have looked carefully at what it means to be a Priest, but how does that carry over into our personal walk with Jesus? If we look at Romans 12:1, we are obliged through faith to daily offer or lives – body, mind, and spirit – as a living sacrifice to God. We are also to offer God adoration, thanksgiving, and praise. These are the functions, the priestly duties, of every believer.

Prophet: A prophet is someone who makes God known, speaks on behalf of God (“Thus says the Lord”), and passes on to people the truths that God wants them to know. In Numbers 11:29, Moses states, “I wish that all the Lord’s people were prophets.” Another way of stating that is “I [would put that] all the Lord’s people are prophets.”

King: All believers will share in the Glories of Heaven to rule with Christ (Ephesians 2:4-7, 1 Corinthians 6:2-3). As believers, as Children of God (John 1:12-13), all have the authority to combat and to conquer the Satan and what he offers to us in the World and in Flesh. We have the authority to cast out these insults to God because we are Children of the Kingdom of God. Think about that for a moment! Do you see how important that is?

So, Belovéd, if we confess with our lips that Jesus is Lord and believe in our hearts that God raised him from the dead, we are part of the fulfillment of the Messianic hope of Israel, because we are like our Lord and Master – Priest, Prophet, and King. Created in the image and likeness of God, we inherit through adoption the Kingdom and all that goes with it:

Mark 10:29-30 – 29 Jesus said, “Truly I tell you, there is no one who has left house or brothers or sisters or mother or father or children or fields, for my sake and for the sake of the good news, 30 who will not receive a hundredfold now in this age – houses, brothers and sisters, mothers and children, and fields, with persecution – and in the age to come eternal life.

1Pt2-9MIn that way, we truly become – as Peter said – “a chosen race, a royal priesthood, a holy nation, a people of his own, so that you may announce the praises” of him who called you out of darkness into his wonderful light.

He is our Great High Priest (Hebrews 4:14-16), and in Heaven, we too shall join with the angels in ministering to, praising, and worshipping El Shaddai Olam – God Almighty and Everlasting.

Whatever, whenever, wherever, whoever, however, if ever, forever — at your service, Beloved!

 

 

Aloha Friday Messages by Charles O. Todd, III is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike 3.0 Unported License

Unless otherwise indicated, all scripture passages are from the New Revised Standard Version Catholic Edition (NRSVCE) New Revised Standard Version Bible: Catholic Edition, copyright © 1989, 1993 the Division of Christian Education of the National Council of the Churches of Christ in the United States of America. Used by permission. All rights reserved.

Biblical languages inserts from Bible Hub (Bible Hub: Search, Read, Study the Bible in Many Languages) Visit at http://biblehub.com

 

 

Aloha Friday Message – October 16, 2015 – The LORD was pleased

October 16, 2015

1542AFC101615 – The LORD was pleased

Read it online here, please.

Isaiah 53:10a – Yet it was the will of the Lord to crush him with pain. *

Here are some alternate translations: {Check this link for more resources.}

NLT Isaiah 53:10a – But it was the LORD’s good plan to crush him and fill him with grief.
Scripture quotations marked (NLT) are taken from the Holy Bible, New Living Translation, copyright ©1996, 2004, 2007, 2013 by Tyndale House Foundation. Used by permission of Tyndale House Publishers, Inc., Carol Stream, Illinois 60188. All rights reserved.

KJV Isaiah 53:10a – Yet it pleased the LORD to bruise him;
Authorized (King James) Version (AKJV)
KJV reproduced by permission of Cambridge University Press, the Crown’s patentee in the UK.

NIV Isaiah 53:10a – Yet it was the LORD’s will to crush him and cause him to suffer
Holy Bible, New International Version®, NIV® Copyright ©1973, 1978, 1984, 2011 by Biblica, Inc.® Used by permission. All rights reserved worldwide.

Aloha ʻŌmea! Many blessings upon all of you today! Let’s begin by listening to this very popular piece of music. I heard it in Shrek. You may have also heard it on America’s Got Talent or American Idol. It’s played on radio stations often. It was written by Leonard Cohen over 30 years ago. It has been covered by dozens of artists. There are reportedly as many as 15 verses of the finished piece and originally as many as 80 verses in the draft. Everyone recognizes at least some of the verses, especially the first one:

“I heard there was a secret chord
That David played and it pleased the Lord
But you don’t really care for music, do you?”

David did please the Lord because, no matter how many times or how gravely he sinned, he turned back to God through repentance. God had chosen him to be king because he was a man after God’s own heart (See Samuel 13:14 and Acts 13:22). Perhaps David’s many compositions also pleased the Lord as well. But why would Isaiah prophesy that God would be please to see his Messiah suffer? What kind of father wants to see his son die a horrible death? What kind of God determines that crucifixion the way to fulfill his plan of Salvation? Once again, if we turn to the original words, we can get a clear understanding of this passage.

Many of us have heard this verse dozens of times. We’ve heard it in sermons, homilies, and Bible-study lessons. It comes from Isaiah’s prophecy of The Suffering Servant. Perhaps the most quoted verse from this passage is Isaiah 53:6

All we like sheep have gone astray;
        we have all turned to our own way,
and the Lord has laid on him
        the iniquity of us all.

This verse, I think, holds the key to better understanding what follows in verse 10 about God being pleased to see Jesus suffer. There are myriad paths we can take to analyze this connection, but I’d like to keep it simple. When Adam sinned, God’s plan for salvation, already prepared since before Creation, was activated. It required the shedding of blood and death. For millennia, that was accomplished through the sacrifice of animals in place of humans. But at the right time, God gave us the Christ to die for all the ungodly souls in all of time (See Romans 5:6-8 and Galatians 4:4). The first step in unraveling this mystery of Christ’s suffering is that it was part of the Plan so that he could take on “the iniquity of us all.”

Whose plan was it? God’s plan. And just to check our understanding of what that means, what should be our understanding of who GOD IS with regard to that plan? Was it God the Father who said, “Son, I’ve got some Good News and some bad news.”? Was it God the Son who said, “Father, I think I have an idea that will clear up this whole mess.”? Was it God the Holy Spirit who said, “How long should we wait before we proceed with our plan?” You have guessed the correct answer! It was ALL of the above! God has always been a community of Love. There wasn’t any “imposition of will.” There was only congruity of will! If, then, “everybody” in the Trinity was in agreement, we still need to know why God was pleased. Let’s look at three words in the Old Testament that mean “pleased.” The first one to look at is the verb used in Isaiah 53:10.

isaiah-53-10-he-was-crushedThe word is חָפֵץ (chaphets) {khaw-fates’}. It is to delight in something, to receive that which is desired, or be pleased to do. Another word used frequently is יָאַל (ya’al) {yaw-al’}. This carries the connotation of being content, aiming to please, willingly make a beginning, agree to, resolve to, be determined to. See for example Genesis 18:27, Judges 17:11, and/or 1 Samuel 12:22. Another word in this sense is רָצָה (ratsah) {raw-tsaw’}. This one connotes favorable acceptance, to satisfy or feel satisfaction, to be determined, or to make oneself acceptable. All three of these word carry the meaning of being pleased or satisfied. It was חָפֵץ (chaphets) that Isaiah used to express God’s inspiration as he wrote this incredible prophetic poetry about The Suffering Servant.

We could never have chosen Christ to suffer and die for us. It is not our privilege to do so; it is a privilege assigned only to God. And Christ, as God, chose to suffer and die for us – even for us who sin greatly! All who are called are justified by his willing sacrifice. He willingly laid down his life for us because that obedience pleased God and that means it pleased Christ to do it. Why? God saw with satisfaction the obedient and willing sacrifice of the Christ.

Here we need to look at two nearly antithetical aspects of Jewish law regarding sin. The Hebrews made sacrificial offerings of many kinds. Some were “guilt offerings.” These were temporal actions for dealing with the consequences of sin. The goal was to accomplish satisfaction for the errors committed. Some were “sin offerings.” The sin offerings were made for the expiation – amends, penitence, punishment, reparation – for sins. In his Passion, Death, and Resurrection, Jesus accomplished both. He provided the temporal satisfaction for the consequences of sin as well as the full atonement for all sin. And Jesus was pleased to do this because it was God’s plan.

In Isaiah 53:5, Isaiah writes:

But he was wounded for our transgressions,
    crushed for our iniquities;
upon him was the punishment that made us whole,
    and by his bruises we are healed.

Here the Suffering Servant is portrayed as a Guilt Offering and in Isaiah 53:10, he is further portrayed as a Sin Offering. Jesus did it all – willingly, completely, perfectly – just as God (The Trinity) had planned it. It pleased God to do that because it was The Plan.

“The plan for what?” you might ask. For our Salvation. God’s Plan of Salvation was not for his benefit – although as we have seen it pleased him to formulate it and bring it to fruition – but while God was pleased to create this Salvation, he is all the more pleased to bless and approve this plan for our benefit. He is especially delighted, joyous, pleased-as-punch to see that we are redeemed by this plan. “By his stripes we are healed.” What kind of language is that for prophesy? Shouldn’t prophesy be future tense? Yes, you are right again! God has no future tense, no past tense, only present tense all the time everywhere. That pleases God who are always happy to destroy the barriers between God and Man. He who gave himself as a ransom for us all, he who paid in full all the debts of our sins, including death, he who willingly sought to please God so that God might be pleased to welcome us back into fellowship with Him – HE is pleased that WE are once again fully HIS.

That certainly pleases me. It also blesses me because it blesses God. It pleases us because when we say “God Bless YOU,” we mean that blessing to be in present tense in the same way that God is in present tense – all the time and everywhere. We have been given the remarkable Gift of Free Will so that when we finally hear and understand that “he bore the sin of many, and made intercession for the transgressors” (See Isaiah 53:12), we will know why Isaiah says, “through him the will of the LORD shall prosper,” (See Isaiah 53:10c).

Whatever, whenever, wherever, whoever, however, if ever, forever — at your service, Beloved!

Share-a-Prayer

Please be vigilant and persistent in prayer for these intentions:

  • For the people across our nation suffering from the onslaught of terrible weather events including fire and floods that they may be able to recover and return to their homes, even rebuilding those that were destroyed.
  • For the victims of violence associated with mass shootings, deaths, and injuries caused in erroneous shooting incidents. Pray that peace and civility will prevail.
  • For all friends and all families and all persons everywhere affected by cancer, pray for diminished suffering, restoration of health, and finally a cure for cancer.
  • For those who murder in the name of their god so that they will see and understand they are ruled by heresies, and for all those who are murdered by such terror and violence, pray that El Yeshuati – the God of Salvation (See Isaiah 12:2) – will be recognized by all as the One, True God.

Creative Commons License
Aloha Friday Messages by Charles O. Todd, III is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike 3.0 Unported License

 

* Unless otherwise indicated, all scripture passages are from the New Revised Standard Version Catholic Edition (NRSVCE) New Revised Standard Version Bible: Catholic Edition, copyright © 1989, 1993 the Division of Christian Education of the National Council of the Churches of Christ in the United States of America. Used by permission. All rights reserved.

Biblical languages inserts from Bible Hub (Bible Hub: Search, Read, Study the Bible in Many Languages) Visit at http://biblehub.com

 

Aloha Friday Message – October 9, 2015 – The Wisdom of Love

October 9, 2015

1541AFC100915 – The Wisdom of Love

Read it online here, please.

Wisdom 7:7, 11 –
7 Therefore I prayed, and understanding was given me; I called on God, and the spirit of wisdom came to me.
11 All good things came to me along with her, and in her hands uncounted wealth.

E pili mau na pomaika‘i ia ‘oe a me ke akua ho’omaika’i ‘oe, ʻŌmea! Today I am taking our lead verse from the Book of Wisdom. You won’t find this in your King James Bible because it is not part of the authorized canon for that version or translation. Nonetheless, it is a useful resource for learning about ways to live and love in harmony with God and neighbor. We certainly know well that LOVE is one of the core characteristics of God to which we can most readily relate. It is wise to love because God is Love and Love is the Wisdom of God. As the prophet Daniel said, “Blessed be the name of God from age to age, for wisdom and power are his.” (see Daniel 2:20) [Daniel said: “Blessed be the name of God from age to age, for wisdom and power are his.] Today’s message will be filled with links to scripture; not all of the passages will be copied into this text, so I encourage you to follow the links so you can see them in context and read them in two versions or translations of the Bible.

Before I continue, I want to acknowledge and describe the approach to this topic between what is written here and what has been written under the same title by Jacob Needleman. Dr. Needleman is a widely published – and widely read and revered – author. My conclusions differ significantly from his, though, in that he advocates for intense introspection as the way to know and understand God. I concur that we do well to look inside our lives to find what God is doing, but also believe that we need to look beyond our inner-beings so we can see our connections with the God who is one God and Father of all, who is above all and through all and in all. (See Ephesians 6:4-6) [4 There is one body and one Spirit, just as you were called to the one hope of your calling, 5 one Lord, one faith, one baptism, 6 one God and Father of all, who is above all and through all and in all.] We have seen previously that reverencing and loving God is the beginning of wisdom. We’ve said repeatedly that God is Love. Let us go, then, to that Chapter of Love, 1 Corinthians 13, and see how love is described there:

1 Corinthians 13:4-8a – 4 Love is patient; love is kind; love is not envious or boastful or arrogant 5 or rude. It does not insist on its own way; it is not irritable or resentful; 6 it does not rejoice in wrongdoing, but rejoices in the truth. 7 It bears all things, believes all things, hopes all things, endures all things. 8 Love never ends.

We know that it is wise to be patient and foolish to be impatient. We know that being kind is far better than being cruel. We know that the green monster of envy destroys lives. We know that proud behavior  and arrogance lead to destruction (See Proverbs 16:18 [Pride goes before destruction, and a haughty spirit before a fall.] and 1 Samuel 2:3 [Talk no more so very proudly, let not arrogance come from your mouth; for the Lord is a God of knowledge, and by him actions are weighed.]; be sure to check that second one.) Rudeness is unbecoming to anyone, but especially so to Christians who are to defer to others, to honor others above themselves (See Romans 12:9-12 [9 Let love be genuine; hate what is evil, hold fast to what is good; 10 love one another with mutual affection; outdo one another in showing honor. 11 Do not lag in zeal, be ardent in spirit, serve the Lord. 12 Rejoice in hope, be patient in suffering, persevere in prayer.]), and to ensure their love is sincere. The qualities we expect in church leaders should be the qualities we expect in church members (See Titus 1:7-9 [7 For a bishop, as God’s steward, must be blameless; he must not be arrogant or quick-tempered or addicted to wine or violent or greedy for gain; 8 but he must be hospitable, a lover of goodness, prudent, upright, devout, and self-controlled. 9 He must have a firm grasp of the word that is trustworthy in accordance with the teaching, so that he may be able both to preach with sound doctrine and to refute those who contradict it.]

). Each of us knows in our heart of hearts that everything in verse 7 is true because we have all seen both side of those characteristics.

It bears all things, because Love gives birth to tolerance and protective nurturing.
It believes all things, because Love teaches us to trust and to never lose faith
It hopes all things, because Love make us hopeful because we have it as a gift of Grace
It endures all things, Because 8 Love never ends.

One can readily see that Paul’s description of Love is a beautiful portrait of Christ. Perhaps we don’t think of it that way often enough. Jesus is the Love of God who by the Holy Spirit was incarnate of the Virgin Mary. That is the Wisdom of God’s plan – Salvation is assured by the Creator in cooperation with his Creation. All of that – from Creation to Salvation – is Love. Everything from Salvation to the events of your life is Love. God is Love. He wants us to be Love as well.

Love one another as I have loved you.

“‘You shall love the Lord your God with all your heart, and with all your soul, and with all your mind, and with all your strength.’ The second is this, ‘You shall love your neighbor as yourself.’ There is no other commandment greater than these.”

“You have heard that it was said, ‘You shall love your neighbor and hate your enemy.’ But I say to you, Love your enemies and pray for those who persecute you, so that you may be children of your Father in heaven; for he makes his sun rise on the evil and on the good, and sends rain on the righteous and on the unrighteous.

This is the Wisdom of God, and is therefore the Wisdom of Love. It is not found through deep introspection, but rather by seeing how greatly God loves us and then finding that love within us so that we can love him as well as our neighbors.

Here are a couple more things to think about.

WisePlanEvilPlan

 

 

 

 

 

WiseWords

 

All of us can experience the Wisdom of Love, but we cannot do it by ourselves. That is why Jesus told us “For mortals it is impossible, but not for God; for God all things are possible.” (See Mark 10:27) Think about the Wisdom of YOUR love. Does it bless God, bless your neighbor, and bless you? Those blessing are among the good things and uncounted wealth that come with Wisdom. Blesséd be God forever!

Whatever, whenever, wherever, whoever, however, if ever, forever — at your service, Beloved!

Please take a few moments in your prayer life to ask God’s help with family and friends who are battling cancer. Some are in remission, some are in recovery, come are putting all their enrgies into fighting it. Use the Wisdom of Love to intercede for them.

 

Creative Commons License
Aloha Friday Messages by Charles O. Todd, III is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike 3.0 Unported License

Unless otherwise indicated, all scripture passages are from the New Revised Standard Version Catholic Edition (NRSVCE) New Revised Standard Version Bible: Catholic Edition, copyright © 1989, 1993 the Division of Christian Education of the National Council of the Churches of Christ in the United States of America. Used by permission. All rights reserved.

 

 

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