Wind in the Chimes: A thought on loving one another, even in physical distress or infirmity
1 John 4:7–8 (NRSV)
7 Beloved, let us love one another, because love is from God; everyone who loves is born of God and knows God. 8 Whoever does not love does not know God, for God is love.
If I cannot work or rise from my chair or my bed, love remains to me; I can pray.
—George Congreve SSJE, 1835–1918 (Woodgate, 1956), in Alan Wilkinson and Christopher Cocksworth, eds., An Anglican Companion: Words from the Heart of Faith (London: SPCK; Church House Publishing, 2001), 89.
About Wind in the Chimes
Wind in the Chimes (renaming and reintroduction of Wind Chimes, 7/21/20)
Beloved, since God loved us so much, we also ought to love one another. 1 John 4:11 NRSV
Welcome!
On Wednesday, April 24, 2024, we explored 1 John 4:7-21, the epistle pericope appointed for the Fifth Sunday of Easter, Year B. Our handout included commentaries on the other appointed texts from the Acts of the Apostles (Acts 8:26-40), the Psalms (Psalm 22:25-31), and the Gospel according to John (John 15:1-8).
From a commentary on 1 John 4:7-21
Tucked away in verse 7 is an even more sobering claim. We know God by seeing what God has done, but seeing is not enough. We know God in the fullest and most authentic sense only when the love of God flows through us. God is love; only the one who loves can know this love that is God. Love is not a concept, known abstractly. It is an action, lived concretely. It is not enough to remember Jesus’ self-sacrifice, to think about it, or even to be moved by it. We must live it. To know the God of love is to live the love of God.
Ronald Cole-Turner, “Theological Perspective on 1 John 4:7–21,” in Feasting on the Word: Preaching the Revised Common Lectionary: Year B, ed. David L. Bartlett and Barbara Brown Taylor, vol. 2 (Louisville, KY; London: Westminster John Knox Press, 2008), 468.
Most Wednesday mornings a group of us gather online to explore the readings that will be used in worship the following Sunday. Our handout features readings, commentaries, and notes for the Fifth Sunday of Easter (April 28, 2024) in Year B of the Revised Common Lectionary. Please: View or download the handoutwe used to guide our discussion and tune our hearts to the Spirit.
Earth Day: remembering that we are stewards of God’s creation; remembering, too, that we will need to give an accounting of our stewardship. This is more than a once-a-year pause to remember….
On the Fourth Sunday of Easter, Year B, all the readings lead us to see Jesus as the Good Shepherd. The qualities of the Good Shepherd were learned, taught, and lived by his disciples to all who would listen and receive the love of God in Jesus Christ. This Sunday the quality of living and acting from a selfless love is highlighted in 1 John 3:16-24
Ronald Cole-Turner opens up the words of 1 John 3:16:
Love is known in action. How do we know God’s love? It is through God’s action in sending Jesus Christ into the world, and through Christ’s action of laying down his life for us. The actions of God show us what God is like.
The same test applies to our love. How do others know what is in our heart? It is by our actions. Just as God’s love is known to us through the visible action of Christ, so our love is known to others through concrete actions that mirror Christ’s own. Christ lays down his life, and we are to lay down our lives. […]
For Christians, self-sacrifice should be ordinary, not extraordinary. We ought to lay down our lives, John writes, not intending to give a grand challenge for heroic Christian but an everyday commandment for ordinary Christians. The Christian life is a life laid down for others, a life built on self-sacrifice.
Sometimes self-sacrifice can mean physical death. […] More often, the stakes are lower. But the principle is the same. Laying down our lives, at its core, can mean any number of ways in which we lay aside our claim to own our lives. We lay down our lives when we put others first. We lay down our lives when we live for the good of others. We lay down our lives when we make time for others. To love others is to lay down our life for them. When we lay down the completely normal human desire to live for ourselves, and when instead we allow the love of God to reorient us toward the needs of others, we are laying down our lives.
Ronald Cole-Turner is the H. Parker Sharp Chair of Theology and Ethics, at Pittsburgh Theological Seminary, Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania. More.
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A prayer used by Episcopalians: Heavenly Father, whose blessed Son came not to be served but to serve: Bless all who, following in his steps, give themselves to the service of others; that with wisdom, patience, and courage, they may minister in his Name to the suffering, the friendless, and the needy—for the love of him who laid down his life for us, your Son our Savior Jesus Christ, who lives and reigns with you and the Holy Spirit, one God, for ever and ever. Amen. [Book of Common Prayer p. 260 (A Collect for Social Service)]
A prayer suggested for caregivers from the Pocket Prayers Series: Give to my eyes light to see those in need. / Give to my heart compassion and understanding. / Give to my mind knowledge and wisdom. / Give to my hands skill and tenderness. / Give to my ears the ability to listen. / Give to me Lord strength for this selfless service and enable me to bring joy to the lives of those I serve. [Author unknown quoted in Trevor Lloyd, Pocket Prayers for Healing (Pocket Prayers Series). Church House Publishing. Kindle Edition.]
Wind in the Chimes: About healing and our centuries-long trust in the Lord.
After healing a man lame from birth Peter begins to tell the story of Jesus and the healing power of Jesus. He is arrested and then questioned about the power or name that was used to heal the man. (Acts 3-4)
Peter makes a declaration to the authorities questioning him: “…if we are being questioned today because of a good deed done to someone who was sick and are being asked how this man has been healed, let it be known to all of you … that this man is standing before you in good health by the name of Jesus Christ of Nazareth … There is salvation in no one else, for there is no other name under heaven given among mortals by which we must be saved.” Acts 4:9-12
We continue to trust the words of Peter as recorded in Acts. We continue to trust the healing power of Jesus. This is how we believe (trust), this is how we pray:
The Almighty Lord, who is a strong tower to all who put their trust in him, to whom all things in heaven, on earth, and under the earth bow and obey: Be now and evermore your defense, and make you know and feel that the only Name under heaven given for health and salvation is the Name of our Lord Jesus Christ. Amen.
Book of Common Prayer pp. 456-457 (Ministration to the Sick)
A prayer for trust by one who is ill: O God, the source of all health: So fill my heart with faith in your love, that with calm expectancy I may make room for your power to possess me, and gracefully accept your healing; through Jesus Christ our Lord. Amen. [Book of Common Prayer p. 461 (Trust in God)]
Healing must never be seen as an end in itself. Scripture teaches us that Jesus’ healings were a sign of the reign of God come near, of God’s marvelous power and presence among us. Healing is not merely the alleviation of affliction, but testimony to the wholeness and salvation God intends for us. [Enriching Our Worship 2, p. 16 (This is a book of supplemental liturgical materials used in The Episcopal Church.)]
About Wind in the Chimes
Wind in the Chimes (renaming and reintroduction of Wind Chimes, 7/21/20)
“…I shall not want.” In what ways is this true for you?
Welcome!
On Wednesday, April 17, 2024, we explored Psalm 23 for the voice of the Spirit. Our handout included commentaries on the other appointed texts from the Acts of the Apostles (Acts 4:5-12), the First Letter of John (1 John 3:16-24), and the Gospel according to John (John 10:11-18).
Here is yet another brief look at Psalm 23. The first verse of the Psalm invites us to trust deeply.
From a commentary on Psalm 23
The psalm has been composed as the exposition of its opening line. The line makes a positive and a negative statement. The positive statement relates the LORD and the psalmist through the metaphor “shepherd.” That metaphorical statement, broadly enough understood, controls the imagery of the whole. The negative statement is a self-description of the psalmist. It uses the word “lack” (NRSV, “want”) in an absolute sense; the transitive verb is given no object. The psalmist lists what he does not lack in the rest of the psalm. […]
To say “The LORD is my shepherd” invokes all the richness of this theological and political background as well as the pastoral. The metaphor is not restricted to associations with what actual shepherds did; it is informed by what the LORD has done and what kings were supposed to do. One does not have to shift to images of guide and host to account for the whole poem. “Shepherd” understood against its usage in Israel accounts for the whole. The statement is a confession. It declares commitment and trust. It also has a polemical thrust against human rulers and divine powers. The psalm entrusts the support, guidance, and protection of life only and alone to the one whose name is the LORD.
The body of the psalm completes the sentence, “I do not lack.…” It does not leave those who say it to fill it out with what they want out of their own subjective wills. It has its own agenda of what the LORD does to fulfill one’s needs. The very personal syntax of the opening confession is maintained in the recitation of “what the LORD (he/you) does for me.” The items in the recitation can be read and understood in relation to three areas. First, what the LORD does draws on what is prayed for in the prayers for help. Second, it reflects the song of thanksgiving with its report of salvation and accompanying festivities, except here the account tells what the LORD does, not what the LORD has done in the past. Third, the recitation is at points connected with the language of Israel’s testimony to its salvation in the exodus.
Excerpted from, James Luther Mays, Psalms, Interpretation, a Bible Commentary for Teaching and Preaching (Louisville, KY: John Knox Press, 1994), 117–118.
Most Wednesday mornings a group of us gather online to explore the readings that will be used in worship the following Sunday. Our handout features readings, commentaries, and notes for the Fourth Sunday of Easter (April 21, 2024) in Year B of the Revised Common Lectionary. Please: View or download the handoutwe used to guide our discussion and tune our hearts to the Spirit.
Most Wednesday mornings a group of us gather online to explore the readings that will be used in worship the following Sunday. Our handout features readings, commentaries, and notes for the Third Sunday of Easter (April 14, 2024) in Year B of the Revised Common Lectionary.
On Wednesday, April 10, 2024, we explored Psalm 4 for the voice of the Spirit. Our handout included commentaries on the other appointed texts from the Acts of the Apostles (Acts 3:12-19), the First Letter of John (1 John 3:1-7), and the Gospel according to Luke (Luke 24:36b-48).
From a commentary on Psalm 4
Whether in the brightness of daytime or the gloom of night, there are times when the believer is caught somewhere between the mercy of God and merciless humans, somewhere between the God of love and the vile hatred of humanity, somewhere between the tranquility of trusting God and the trappings of human treachery. With a thorough reading of the Psalms from beginning to end, one could easily come to the conclusion that life is full of enemies, tribulations, and hardships. In fact, one could readily conclude that enemies, tribulations, sickness, and hardship go hand in hand with living. This seems to be one of the core truths the psalmists talk about. While these painful realities may not define all of human experience, they certainly seem to be at the heart of all human existence.
Far too often we mistakenly understand what should lead us to praise and what should lead us to feel blessed in terms of the absence of hardship and adversaries. Blessing, as this psalmist will conclude, is about having the full confidence in God in the midst of the inevitable realities of hardship and enemies. To nurture a faith or practice a spirituality that does not recognize or acknowledge adversity and adversaries is to live in a different world from the world of the psalmists. It is to live in a world removed from reality. The psalmists lived in the real world, and they called out to the God they found in the midst of the real world.
Perhaps it is because of the complexity of human relationships that we are driven to seek God’s answer to our prayers. According to verse 2, honor suffers shame, and mortals love vain words and seek after lies. We pray to God because there is no false communication with God (at least on God’s behalf). With God, we have authentic communion and sincere communication.
Psalm 4 confirms some of the things we assert about God.
God answers prayer.
God gives (breathing) room in human suffering.
God is gracious.
God is the source of our safety.
Gary V. Simpson, “Pastoral Perspective on Psalm 4” in Feasting on the Word: Preaching the Revised Common Lectionary: Year B, ed. David L. Bartlett and Barbara Brown Taylor, vol. 2 (Louisville, KY; London: Westminster John Knox Press, 2008), 414-416
So many of us, in our devotional and ecclesiastical lives, long to “see Jesus.” And rightly so. We pray for an experience of Jesus’s presence. We yearn to feel him close. We sing hymns, recite creeds, hear sermons, and attend Bible studies — all in the hope of seeing and knowing Jesus in a deeper and more meaningful way.
Of course, there is nothing wrong with these practices — unless they keep us at comfortable arm’s length from where Jesus actually is. Unless they lead us to believe that the work of justice and compassion is somehow secondary to the “real” business of Christianity. The real business of Christianity is bending the knee to Jesus. And where is Jesus? Jesus is in the least and the lost and the broken and the wounded. Jesus is in the un-pretty places. In the bodies we don’t discuss in polite company. In the faces we don’t smile at. In the parts of town we speed by.
It’s not that we earn our way to majestic King Jesus by caring for the vulnerable. It is that majestic King Jesus, by his own choice and volition, has stooped and surrendered in such a way that he IS the vulnerable. There’s no other way to get to him. Period.
Joseph’s story is a reminder to take the long view of events.
Welcome!
Each Wednesday morning a group of us gather online to explore the readings to be used in worship the following Sunday. Our handout features readings, commentaries, and notes for the Twelfth Sunday After Pentecost (August 20, 2023) in Year A of the Revised Common Lectionary.
This past Wednesday, August 16, 2023, we explored the readings from Genesis 45:1-15 and Romans 11:1-2a, 29-32 for the voice of the Spirit. Our handout included commentaries on the other appointed texts from the Psalms (Psalm 133 ) and the Gospel according to Matthew (Matthew 15:(10-20), 21-28).
From the commentary on Genesis 45:1-15
Matt Skinner has a new book out on Acts, subtitled Catching Up with the Spirit. In it he makes a helpful remark regarding what he thinks is often an assumption at play, “that God’s ‘activity’ in the world is like a puppeteer pulling strings.” It’s different for him, it seems. “It’s easier for me,” he notes, “to look back on situations, after the fact, and wonder. With the help of hindsight, I might perceive ways in which I was open or closed to God’s presence.”
This is the power of Joseph’s final confession: that though none of what has happened to him over the course of his life is what he’d have chosen it to be, he can yet now see that God has set him up to preserve life.
“Joseph’s whole story” by Liz Goodman in The Christian Century, February 18, 2022.
You are invited to view or download the handout we used to guide our discussion and tune our hearts to the Spirit.
Each Wednesday morning a group of us gather online to explore the readings to be used in worship the following Sunday. Our handout features readings, commentaries, and notes for the Eleventh Sunday After Pentecost (August 13, 2023) in Year A of the Revised Common Lectionary.
Not that we will ever be able to nail down God so that all will be sunny tomorrow. Psalm 105:3–4 uses the verb “seek” three times, as if to underline that God is to be “sought.” The psalm does not say “find” the Lord, but “seek” the Lord. In the Beatitudes, Jesus said, “Blessed are those who hunger and thirst for righteousness” (Matt. 5:6)—not, “Blessed are those who are righteous.” We seek God; God is not to be possessed. We never quite grasp. We long for God, we reach out for God. If we get a question answered, we discover new questions. The pleasure is in the not quite having tied God down, as this God is as elusive as the events of history. We seek.
We seek this God, and not some other divinity, because of the past; we seek this God, instead of relying only on our own initiative and energy, because of the past. This is hope: to stand in the river of time and to be swept forward on the waters that have been flowing toward us for quite some time.
By James C. Howell in Preaching the Revised Common Lectionary: Additional Essays, vol. 8, Feasting on the Word (Westminster John Knox Press, 2011)
Hear what the Spirit is saying 