Running in Faith is an electronic devotional guide written by members of Abiding Presence Lutheran Church to help readers take their Sunday faith into weekday lives. Each Devotion represents the personal opinion of the author and does not necessarily represent Abiding Presence Lutheran Church. Permission is granted to link to this page and to use the Devotions for personal, non-commercial purposes only.

Week of September 2, 2007
Donald P.

Gray hair is a crown of splendor;
it is attained by a righteous life. Proverbs 16:31
Proverbs 16:31

Aging Gracefully

         My father has gray hair. I am beginning to have gray hair. One of my co-workers recently mistook some of my gray as possibly being shampoo that had not been completely rinsed out, but I assured him that I am diligently thorough in that respect. I just happen to be getting older. I also just happen to share the inexorable tendency of many other aging people to worry that perhaps my best days are behind me...that a certain quickness, a certain sharpness, is no longer available at my command.
         I need to fight this morose "botheration"!
         Approximately 20 years ago when I had no gray hair, I had made yet another attempt to improve myself by purchasing a book called "The 7 Habits of Highly Effective People" by Stephen Covey. This book compares what is described as a Character Ethic and a Personality Ethic (among many other observances). The Personality Ethic is more concerned with an Image Is Everything type of attitude; superficial quick-fix techniques that utilize social band-aids. The author's premise is that this ethic has predominated American "success literature" over the past 70 years. However,

"In stark contrast, almost all of the literature in the first 150 years (of America) focused on what could be called the Character Ethic as the foundation for success - things like integrity, humility, fidelity, temperance, courage, justice, patience, industry, simplicity, modesty, and the Golden Rule."

         Upon my very first reading of this Character Ethic paragraph, I immediately thought to myself, "He's describing my father!" (Unfortunately my second thought was that maybe I didn't have to read the rest of the book but only needed to emulate my father's behavior...but I thought better of it since the purpose of the book was to encourage "highly effective people", not highly evasive people).
         So when we recently celebrated my father's 80th birthday at a family reunion, I presented a brief tribute to him based on my admiration of his Character Ethic. After the ceremonies, I began to ponder how my father had gained this ethic through his eight decades of existence (He certainly had never read Mr. Covey's book). Naturally as a Christian, my ponderings floated towards the influence of our heavenly father whose Abiding Presence constantly molds our lives. Since Mr. Covey had conveniently listed some primary traits of the Character Ethic, I explored the Bible for correlation and found the following examples:

Integrity: In my integrity you uphold me and set me in your presence forever. Psalm 41:12, NIV
Humility: Do nothing out of selfish ambition or vain conceit, but in humility consider others better than yourselves. Philippians 2:3, NIV
Fidelity: Marriage should be honored by all, and the marriage bed kept pure, for God will judge the adulterer. Hebrews 13:4, NIV
Temperance: Therefore prepare your minds for action; be self-controlled; set your hope fully on the grace to be given to you. 1 Peter 1:13, NIV
Courage: Be on your guard; stand firm in the faith; be men of courage; be strong. 1 Corinthians 16:13, NIV
Justice: Learn to do right! Seek justice, encourage the oppressed. Isaiah 1:17, NIV
Patience: A man's wisdom gives him patience; it is to his glory to overlook an offense. Proverbs 19:11, NIV
Etcetera, etcetera.

         You get the picture. Certainly in terms of building character, the Bible is the greatest Self-Help book of all time.
         In these days of eroding morality in both government and business (64 CFOs went to jail last year), when evil conduct seems to pervade virtually every aspect of our lives, the Character Ethic becomes extremely important for us to both maintain and sustain. As I grow older, as my own gray hair becomes more abundant, it is not only my hope but my responsibility to learn these traits from my God so that I in turn can teach them to my children. Then I will have truly earned my "crown of splendor".

Dear Heavenly Father,
     We know that "Children's children are a crown to the aged, and parents are the pride of their children" (Proverbs 17:6, NIV). Help us to build strong families that reflect your glory. Send the Holy Spirit to teach us to become mature Christians that embody the characteristics that are so eloquently defined in your Word.
     And please ease our worry. Our best days are always ahead of us, as long as we have you. Amen.

Week of September 9, 2007
Jeremey H.

In the beginning when God created the heavens and the earth, the earth was a formless void and darkness covered the face of the deep, while a wind from God swept over the face of the waters... And God said, "Let the waters bring forth swarms of living creatures, and let birds fly above the earth across the dome of the sky."     (Genesis 1:1-2, 20)

I recently had the opportunity to join my colleagues in retreat at a lake house in upstate New York. This now-habitual yearly retreat is designated as a time for relaxation, fellowship, and conviviality. One of the benefits of such retreat is, of course, recreation - we often do some boating together on the lake, and this particular occasion was no different. When I woke up on Saturday morning, I looked out the broad picture window to find a cool mist rising from the warm water, and decided that a brief paddle around the lake was in order to enjoy the day. I slowly paddled back into the narrowing arm of the artificial lake into which poured the small creek that provided the lake with its water. The houses, docks, and boats grew smaller as I worked my way back - as the depth of the lake drops, the practicality of larger boats does as well. Soon, I managed to find the corner of this large lake that was too shallow for any but the smallest, human-powered boats to go. I glided over a submerged tree trunk with just enough bark poking out of the water to provide a turtle with a place to sun itself. A small animal submerged in front of me - a muskrat, perhaps. Dozens of different types of insects swarmed in the waters, and around the reeds and cattails at the water's edge: mosquitoes, flies, water striders, and a myriad of swarming things that I was unable to identify.

Because we often try so hard to sculpt our environment to suit our needs, proclaiming to ourselves that we are fashioning a "habitable" space out of the wilderness, we often lose sight of the original state of creation: a seemingly wild, yet immeasurably ordered place, replete with insects and frogs, muskrats and turtles, reeds, cattails, and all sorts of plants that we learned to identify in tenth-grade biology. And even in the most sculpted and refined locations of human engineering, this original state of wildness sometimes peeks through. A robin builds its nest in the eaves of a house. A line of ants marches proudly across the sidewalk shuttling supplies back to the nest. A great blue heron pauses to rest at a plugged-up drain culvert beside a highway. Next time, before immediately reaching for the can of Raid, or calling animal control, pause and take a moment to appreciate the variety and wonder of God's creation - an in-breaking and perpetually rejuvenating creation. And even though those creepy-crawlies don't belong in the house, they do belong outside...

Most merciful creator, I ask that you would grant me further understanding and appreciation of your creation, and that you would help me to experience the order and wisdom of your continual re-creation during my own recreation. Amen

Week of September 16, 2007
Rosemary and Joseph S..

Then Peter came to Jesus and asked, "Lord, how many times shall I forgive my brother when he sins against me? Up to seven times?" Jesus answered, "I tell you, not seven times, but seventy-seven times"
Matthew 18:21-22

Apologizing is very popular right now. People elbow their way forward, knocking aside women and children, to apologize for everything. I started thinking about this after hearing that the Virginia State Legislature was considering a bill to apologize for Virginia's involvement with slavery. Will this be a helpful reaching out between the races?

What would the Lord say about this? A search of the Bible returned one reference to apologizing (Acts of the Apostles 16). A search for forgiveness returned far more references than I wanted to count. It certainly appears that the Lord prefers forgiveness over apologizing.

Forgiveness, given freely, at the moment of your choice, is empowering. It takes away any claim over you of those whom you forgive. Forgiveness puts you in charge, putting a responsibility upon the forgiven to accept or reject the offer. You free not only the person you are forgiving, but you also free and cleanse yourself from hate, from evil thoughts, from the devil's control.

An apology is a humbling, humiliating plea that means nothing without forgiveness in return. The correct response to forgiveness is not "I apologize, or I am sorry." The meaningful response is "Thank You!" Surely, if people start the conversation by freely saying, "I forgive you," we have made an enormous stride toward a good relationship between all people.

Another view of the problem.
Simple? I think not. Is forgiveness without apology realistic? If someone wrongs you without meaning to do so, or in ignorance, perhaps. But if someone intentionally wrongs you and does not believe or admit that any wrong or any harm has been done? A sincere apology does make it easier to forgive and to begin the relationship again, maybe even strengthened by the bond. If someone feels that they have done nothing that requires an apology, can the forgiveness be accepted? Does one have to accept the forgiveness for it to be valid?

And the other part of forgive - forget? I have heard stories of friends and relatives of someone brutally murdered going into a prison to forgive the murderer. In most cases, the guilty party has repented, or at least confessed, the crime. I might forgive someone who has done wrong to me, but if someone has harmed a child or a loved one, it would be far more difficult - the mother bear defending her young syndrome perhaps. And to never bring the atrocity to mind, ever again? Even lesser "crimes": insults, slights, gossip, and hurtful acts may be forgiven, but forgetting is far more difficult.

We should, like Jesus, strive to both forgive and forget. But we are, after all, only human. We are fortunate that Jesus does both forgive us our trespasses and forget that we have committed sinful acts.

O Lord God, merciful judge, you are the inexhaustible fountain of forgiveness. Replace our hearts of stone with hearts that love and adore you, that we may delight in doing your will, through Jesus Christ, our Savior and Lord. Amen !!
Prayer for the Day Cycle A, ELW

(So there we are, two views of a very complex problem, written by two very different authors. We invite you to add your thoughts by clicking on Send Email below. If there is sufficient interest in this topic, perhaps we can post a forum page.)

Week of September 23, 2007
Nancy E.

When Herod saw Jesus, he was greatly pleased, because for a long time he had been wanting to see him. From what he heard about him, he hoped to see him perform a miracle.   (Luke 23:8) NRSV

I can identify with Herod in this sequence. I too have come to Jesus expecting "show time." I have asked Jesus to perform a miracle. And of course, when I asked, I wanted my miracle to change things to just the way I wanted them done - and of course, following my schedule and my predetermined idea for just what the miracle I wanted would do to change the way things were. Like Herod, neither my self-defined schedule nor the self-defined miracle was met. My anticipated scenario was not followed.

Reading scripture, one can share the experiences of many others whose anticipated scenarios were also different than what they expected. A couple examples follow.

How about those parishioners from the churches of Judea? St. Paul relates that they heard a report, "The one who formerly was persecuting us is now proclaiming the faith he once tried to destroy." (Galatians 1:23) NRSV The Galatians certainly didn't anticipate that scenario.

Coming from a small town in Appalachia, I have witnessed the likes of Nathaniel who said, "Nazareth! Can anything good come from there?" Residents from my hometown were never expected to be of value and often told so when we were brave enough to go beyond the defined limits of the outsiders. Those from the "outside world" built their own scenario for what life was like within the city limits. An example I personally experienced was when a college professor, in front of a class in which I was enrolled, asked in a derogatory way what the hillbillies in my home town did on a Saturday night. He also quickly injected, "No, I guess it is best that you don't tell us." The scenario that professor, and others like him, envisioned a place from which nothing good could possibly originate.

Where was God in times such as these? Was he not there? For me, an unknown poet voices the answer. This poem was quoted during a sermon delivered by Elder Wesley H. Allen recently in the Fort Meeting House of Plimouth Plantation, at Plymouth, Massachusetts:

Lord, help us not to miss out on your blessings simply because they are not packaged the way we expect them to be. Amen

Week of September 30, 2007
Susan L.

Give us this day our daily bread;
Matthew 6:11

      Martin Luther's interpretation of
      the 4th petition of the Lord's Prayer
What is this? Or What does it mean?
In fact, God gives daily bread without our prayers, even to all evil people, but we ask in this prayer that God cause us to recognize what our daily bread is and to receive it with thanksgiving.
      Evangelical Lutheran Worship Hymnal, pp. 1163-4.

When we are called to the Communion Table, we are reminded every Sunday of the many ways that God feeds and nurtures us. Our spirits are fed by listening to the Word read and by hearing it interpreted through sermons, hymns, study and companionship. What does it mean that God also provides our daily bread? What are we called to do to show our thankfulness for the Earth's bounty?

Martin Luther's explanation of the 4th petition of the Lord's Prayer directs us to think about and be grateful for our daily bread. I think we need to look at the physical aspects of our eating habits, which may seem personal and local, but they really impact the whole world.

Several years ago my daughter's Girl Scout troop investigated the issue of world hunger. They found that if you think of the world's food supply as a loaf of bread containing 20 slices, the slices are distributed in the following manner:

Does it seem right that over 50% of the world's population makes due with 2% of the world's food? Could this be why 24,000 people will die today from hunger related issues? Food insecurity is widespread in our own country, but most of the people who die of starvation live far away in the Hunger Belt (Africa and countries around the equator). Do we owe them anything? If we feel we do, can we even get food to them? I don't have any easy answers for these large questions. But on a personal level, I have some simple suggestions

Reduce waste:
No one needs 16 slices of the world's daily loaf of bread. We can't really use that much food without a lot of waste. Make a conscious effort to reduce the amount of food we throw away. Stop overstocking our pantries. Have on hand enough food for 1 to 2 weeks. It is easier to know the contents of 2 or 3 partially filled shelves and of a refrigerator that is 1/2 to 2/3 full and to use them up.

Consider the effects of consuming excessive amounts of food:
No one needs the excess that consuming 16 slices of the world's daily loaf of bread entails. For instance, meat not only requires a great deal of grain for its production but it can create an excess of cholesterol.Try cutting way back on the amount of meat we eat, nor do we need desserts every day..