Silence to observe the action

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Armodoxy for Today, one minute for Summertime

Silence to observe the actions.

Christianity is a religion of action. Jesus’ messages are about living and sharing and demonstrating the gift of love. As we have pointed out, Jesus’ messages to us accent the verb: Ask and it will be given, Seek and you will find, Knock and it will be opened (Matthew 7)

God is the prime mover. All motion, that is actions, begin from the Divine. The Psalmist reminds us “Be still and know that I am God.” (46:10) It is important to note the actions of God, to “be still” and wonder as you experience the beauty around you, in nature, in people and in the cosmos.

Since light travels faster than sound, people may appear bright until you hear them speak.

Today’s one minute for Summertime.

Jesus, Newton, Math, Theology

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Armodoxy for Today: Verbs of Jesus

In the Sermon on the Mount, Jesus say, “Ask, and it will be given to you; seek, and you will find; knock, and it will be opened to you.” (Matthew 7:7)

Christianity is a religion of action, we know, and the direction to that action is given to us by Christ himself. Ask, seek and knock are all verbs, words of action.

Isaac Newton put forth the third law of motion, to every action, there is an equal and opposite reaction. For Newton this was a law about energy and heat flow, although the law easily describes the dynamics at play in Jesus’ statement. And although Newton did not make that connection, it doesn’t escape us the Sir Isaac was a mathematician, physicist, astronomer, alchemist, author and theologian.

Today’s one minute for Summertime.

Love is an Action

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Armodoxy for Today, one minute for Summertime: Actions to Love

Christianity is a religion of action. Over and over again, Christ teaches that we are to use the talents God has given us to bring goodness to lives – ours, as well as the lives of others. It is in doing that we discover responsibility. Hence, life has value and meaning when we act, when we share the gifts God showers on us, with others.

Jesus’ singular commandment was to love. And to avoid an misunderstanding, Jesus demonstrates the action of love with His life. “Love one another as I have loved you,” he says (John 13:34). Jesus’ love is a sacrificial love. We’re called to that same standard, to love by giving of ourselves.

Today’s one minute for Summertime.

The Do of Christianity

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Armodoxy for Today, one minute for Summertime: Don’t don’t, Do

I received a well-intentioned informational video the other day from a church, in which the narrator explained, while a model visually demonstrated the dos and don’ts of church attendance. This was the latest incarnation of a list outlining church etiquette that has been floating around as long as I can remember: Don’t cross your legs, don’t chew gum, don’t wear sleeveless shirts or blouses, and about 20 other rules. Sadly, only one item on the list was “do” and even sadder was that it pointed to women having to wear head coverings.

In their good intentions to keep the sanctuary space sacred, often these lists are skewed to the “don’t” side, giving the impression that Christianity is about curtailing and restricting actions. A quick glance at the Bible reveals that the Old Testament contains 613 laws and regulations. Moses brought it down to a manageable size with the 10 Commandments. Jesus summarized with the word “Love.” Not a prohibition but a direct order to “do,” to Love.

Today’s one minute for Summertime.

Deliverance (10 of 10)

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Armodoxy for Today: 10x One Minutes on the Lord’s Prayer, Part 10 -Deliverance from Evil

God provides the tools – patience, strength, willpower – to protect us from temptation and therefore the natural the follow up is a request to be delivered from Evil. Ancient authorities read, “the Evil One” but either way, it is clear that ours is to avoid evil or simply, that which is not good.

Over the last 10 days we studied the prayer offered to us by our Lord Jesus in parts. In conclusion, as a whole, we may say that it is an affirmation of our Faith in God, a commitment to the celebration of the life and world in which we live, and an acceptance of our responsibility to others, our world and to life itself. To which we may appropriately add, “Amen.”

Today’s one minute on the Lord’s Prayer, for Summertime.

Grand Puppeteer? (9 or 10)

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Armodoxy for Today: 10x One Minutes on the Lord’s Prayer, Part 9 – Protect us from Temptation

“And lead us not into temptation” is a bit misleading, when we recite it at the end of the Lord’s Prayer. It lends to the belief that somehow, we are on the puppet strings of the Grand Puppeteer, and we are begging that he does not steer us in toward temptation.

The true request here is, may God protect us from temptation. When we see, hear, or think tempting thoughts, may God give us the wisdom, the clarity of vision and the openness of mind to stay away from those things that draw us to sin.

Temptation is all around us. God doesn’t take us there. Rather, He gives us the tools with which we can overcome temptation.  When Jesus offers us the Lord’s prayer, it is in the context of the Sermon on the Mount, where he is challenging us all to find purity of mind as we live our lives. God gives us the strength and will to not be led toward it.

Today’s one minute on the Lord’s Prayer, for Summertime.

You set the forgiveness degree (8 of 10)

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Armodoxy for Today: 10x One Minutes on the Lord’s Prayer, Part 8 -As we Forgive Others

The one request in the Lord’s Prayer that is conditional is in regard to forgiveness. Forgiveness is granted by God, Jesus tell us, on the same standard by which we forgive those who trespass against us. As we learned in yesterday’s message, the measure and degree of forgiveness for us is dependent on our ability to forgive others. So great is this one provision and the understanding of forgiveness, that Jesus spells it out very plainly at the end of the prayer.

Not quite an addendum to the prayer, rather as an elucidation of the concept that is central to Jesus’ teaching – that God works through us. He says, “For if you forgive other people when they sin against you, your heavenly Father will also forgive you.  But if you do not forgive others their sins, your Father will not forgive your sins. (Matthew 6:14-15)

Forgiveness is the Christian mandate. Today’s one minute for Summertime.

Conditional Forgiveness (7 of 10)

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Armodoxy for Today: 10x One Minutes on the Lord’s Prayer, Part 7- Forgive us our debts

Trespasses, debts, we’ve heard both these words used in the English translation of the Lord’s Prayer. Whether it is something you owe, such as a debt, or something you’ve violated, we ask to be forgiven of our debts and our trespasses. It is the one statement in the prayer that is conditional. We ask God to forgive us our sin by the weight and measure by which we forgive others. “Forgive us our debts, as we forgive our debtors.” If I forgive my debtor only half of his or her debt, I can be assured to be forgiven half of my debt. Understood this way, we come to understand that our forgiveness, our being cleaned of debt, is completely in our hands. Very clearly, Jesus is guaranteeing us a clean slate, complete and total forgiveness of sin, to the point that you do not have to second guess it. Whatever is hanging around your neck is released, provided, you release the debt of those who owe you.

Like all of Christianity, we are called to responsibility through our actions.

Today’s one minute on the Lord’s Prayer, for Summertime.

This day’s bread (6 of 10)

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Armodoxy for Today: 10x One Minutes on the Lord’s Prayer, Part 6- Give us our Daily Bread

Since we began this series six days ago,  for the first time we hear, what we may refer to as a shopping list item. appears now: Give us this day our daily bread. It is the only tangible requested item in the entire prayer. Equally important as bread is the framework in which it is presented – it is for this this day, and it is a daily need.

In fact, this one statement draws our attention and focus to what is truly needed and necessary in our life, as Jesus teaches, Therefore do not worry, saying, ‘What shall we eat?’ or ‘What shall we drink?’ or ‘What shall we wear?  … For your heavenly Father knows that you need all these things.  But seek first the kingdom of God and His righteousness, and all these things shall be added to you. (Matthew 32-33)

As the prayer moves forward, we understand that the entire cosmos is held together by the Will of God, and we have a unique and necessary place within that world.

Today’s one minute for Summertime.

Thy Will, Earth and Heaven (5 of 10)

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Armodoxy for Today: 10x One Minutes on the Lord’s Prayer, Part 5- Your Will in Heaven and on Earth

Prayer often takes the form of a shopping list. In our conversation with God we present Him with a list of items we want, such as good health and peaceful days. But, as we heard early, in presenting the “Lord’s Prayer” Jesus informs us that our Heavenly Father already knows our needs before we ask him.

When we ask, May Your Will be done on Earth as it is in Heaven, we are acknowledging and submitting to God’s will. We have our wants and desires, in a word, we have our will, but herein we are relinquishing our will in favor of God’s Will. We submit to the power of God, who makes His sun shine on the good and the bad. (Matthew 5:45) And in so doing, we leave our selfish desires to one side and focus making His Kingdom come.

This is the fifth of 10, one minute for Summertime.