Daily Scripture:
Romans 12:17 Repay no one evil for evil, but try to do what everyone regards as good. 18 If possible, and to the extent that it depends on you, live in peace with all people. 19 Never seek revenge, my friends; instead, leave that to God’s anger; for in the Tanakh it is written,
“Adonai says, ‘Vengeance is my responsibility; I will repay.’”[Romans 12:19 Deuteronomy 32:41]
20 On the contrary,
“If your enemy is hungry, feed him;
if he is thirsty, give him something to drink.
For by doing this, you will heap
fiery coals [of shame] on his head.”[Romans 12:20 Proverbs 25:21–22]
21 Do not be conquered by evil, but conquer evil with good.
Prayer Tip:
In high school, I wore what I thought was the most inspired shirt. Iit read: “Hot Dog, I’m Forgiven!” It was one of my larger collection of Christian t-shirts. (It’s okay if you need to laugh or gag a little bit. But if you own the same shirt, please give me a high-five, because it is pretty magnificent.) To my classmates, I now feel the need to apologize, not for my spiritual fervor, but for my certainty that made me tend to judge.Looking back on this part of my faith journey, I smile a bit. I was so excited about the good news of Jesus! I just couldn’t hold it in. There is something about this passion that I believe deeply glorifies God. God loves the “Jesus Dorks.” The dark side of my devotion then, though, was the sense of fear I felt about maintaining my faith perfectly in word and deed. I began to fear exploring my doubts and seeking a deeper understanding of other religions. What if God “found out” and barred me from going to heaven?
Our world and my faith have changed a lot since then, but I think there is something in all of us that makes us afraid to be curious. When I studied religion in college, I began to loosen my grip on my self-imposed rules about what God would or wouldn’t want me to think deeply about. I sensed God telling me in this time of searching that I was safe, led and loved. God gave me (and has given us) the desire be in relationship with others, to know and care about their beliefs. All of a sudden I felt free. I could trust that the God who had found and saved me would walk with me as I was curious about the world around me.
When I look at the headlines on the news and in the newspapers, I am reminded of the fear that used to rule me. In my finest moments I feel grief over the state of things; in weaker moments, I allow fear to invade me again. This week, as we look at a Christian response to Islamic extremism, my prayer is that you would pray about how fear shapes the way(s) you feel about our Muslim neighbors and fellow human beings. I think it is important to explore and understand the stories behind our fear in order for us to stand in peace and solidarity with one another.
You may have heard about this. After months of planning for a Muslim Call to Prayer to be instituted at Duke University for the 700 Muslims on campus, security threats led to event being cancelled. These threats flooded the news. But we didn't hear much about moments like the one seen in this video, where Matthew Bunyi, a Muslim and vocalist Richard Phillips, a Christian performed together at Duke. I believe these sorts of stories need to be heard more often. This sort of peacemaking pushes back the darkness.
So what can we do to work towards stories of peace and love drowning out stories of dissension and hate? I reached out to The Islamic Center of Johnson County. Click here for a news story about some of the work they have been up to lately. Leaders of the community told me, “You and any of your parishioners have an open invitation to visit us at our Islamic Center and in our homes. The congregational services are on Friday at noon and 1pm.” You can also email info@icjc.org and they will arrange for a tour and a Q&A session.
I love the words of 1 John 4:18: “There is no fear in love. But perfect love drives out fear, because fear has to do with punishment. The one who fears is not made perfect in love.” Fear so seeks to have the upper hand in our lives. When we get curious, share our stories, and listen to one another, love, peace and compassion win.
This week, please join me in praying for the vast majority of peaceful Muslim believers around the world. You can pray in particular for these requests that Moben Mirza, of the Islamic Center shared:
Three ways you can pray for us:
1. Please pray for God to protect and help all those who are ill and oppressed.
2. Please pray for God to help us build relationships, understanding, and increase love in our community and our country.
3. Please pray for God to increase our faith and efforts in His path.[Katherine Ebling-Frazier, Pastor of Prayer]
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January 24, 2016 The Issues that Divide: Building Bridges, Tearing Down Walls
“Immigrants, Refugees and the Bible”
Scripture: Romans 12:17-21
Bless those who persecute you; bless and do not curse them. Rejoice with those who rejoice, weep with those who weep. Live in harmony with one another; do not be haughty, but associate with the lowly; do not claim to be wiser than you are. Do not repay anyone evil for evil, but take thought for what is noble in the sight of all. If it is possible, so far as it depends on you, live peaceably with all. Beloved, never avenge yourselves, but leave room for the wrath of God; for it is written, “Vengeance is mine, I will repay, says the Lord.” No, “if your enemies are
hungry, feed them; if they are thirsty, give them something to drink; for by doing this you will heap burning coals on their heads.” Do not be overcome by evil, but overcome evil with good.
"Abraham: a blessing to all nations"
Monday, 25 January 2016 Genesis 16:1-16
The Bible never mentioned Islam, because Muhammad did not found the Islamic faith until some 600 years after the New Testament writings. However, Muslims, Jews and Christians all revere Abraham as a spiritual forefather. In today’s Scripture, we read that before he and Sarai had Isaac, Abram fathered Ishmael by Sarai’s Egyptian servant Hagar. God promised Ishmael many descendants, who became the Arab peoples.
• Sarai gave Abram her servant Hagar as a secondary “wife” (verse 3). It was a common
practice at that time. But Sarai was very unhappy with the results. Verse 5 quoted her as telling Abram, “This harassment is your fault.” Have you ever felt like blaming the results of your choices or actions on someone else? What has helped you take responsibility for the things you do, so that blaming doesn’t further damage your relationships?
• In Genesis 21:18, God pledged that Ishmael would father a great nation. Had you been
aware that Jews, Christians, and Muslims all trace their spiritual line of descent to
Abraham? Do the “Christian” extremists in Topeka who picket military funerals show that all Christians are bad? Does the fact that some Islamic extremists deny or dishonor the
historic linkage between the three faiths discredit all Islamic believers?
Prayer: Lord God, when you called Abraham, you told him that his mission was to be a
blessing to all nations. Guide me, as one of his spiritual children, to live out that same mission today. Amen.
"Abraham’s sons parted—yet stayed linked through Abraham"
Tuesday, 26 January 2016 Genesis 21:9-20; 25:7-9
People sometimes think the Hebrew Scriptures were narrowly nationalistic. Yet when Sarah
(eagerly) and Abraham (reluctantly—by the way, Genesis 17:5, 15 said God altered their
names from Abram and Sarai) sent Hagar and Ishmael away, Genesis said God’s love for
Ishmael and his mother was still acting to save them. God repeated the promise that Ishmael would father a great nation. And, although Genesis gave no details, we read that Abraham’s “sons Isaac and Ishmael buried him”—together. We can only wonder if Abraham stayed in contact with both sons, or reached out and reunited them before he died.
• Yesterday’s reading (Genesis 16:1-16), and today’s, show God acting with kindness and
love to keep Hagar and her son Ishmael alive. The Hebrew people preserved these stories
in their sacred history despite the messy, sometimes hate-filled relations between Middle Eastern peoples, then and since. How might God’s attitude toward both Ishmael and Isaac help to point a path toward greater peace in our world today?
• “God heard the boy’s cries” (Genesis 21:17). Do you believe the cries of suffering of all of Abraham’s children – Christian, Jewish and Muslim – still touch God’s heart? Are you confident that God hears your cries at moments of sadness, loss, pain or danger in your life?
Prayer: Lord of all, you called Abraham and Sarah as instruments of your saving covenant.
And their descendants passed on the stories of your love for Hagar and Ishmael. Help me join in your saving mission without feeling arrogantly entitled to more of your love than all of your children. Amen.
Did You Know?
When Arab Christians pray, they pray to "Allah.” The Arabic word does not denote some alternate Islamic deity—it is simply the Arabic word for “God.” (From http://www.oxforddictionaries.com/us/definition/american_english/allah.)
"Isaiah’s astonishing vision"
Wednesday, 27 January 2016 Isaiah 19:19-25
In Isaiah’s day, conflict between the dominant Assyrian Empire and the military power of Egypt regularly put Israel in danger. Isaiah, like many of Israel’s prophets, said God would judge Assyria and Egypt’s cruelty and violence (e.g. Isaiah 10:12, 20-25). But today’s passage must
have outraged many “patriotic” Israelites. How could Isaiah even hint that God might one day say “Bless Egypt my people, and Assyria my handiwork, and Israel my inheritance”?
• Religion and nationality went hand-in-hand in Isaiah’s day. Even though they’re more
separate today, how would you feel if your preacher said, “God will one day say, ‘Blessed be Islam my people, Hinduism or Buddhism my handiwork, and the Judeo-Christian faith my inheritance’”? (For more in-depth study, see Pastor Hamilton’s book Christianity and World Religions.)
• In what ways are national identities and borders a blessing to human life? In what ways can and do they often trigger hatred and conflict? Are you willing to open your heart and allow God to grow peace and forgiveness in you toward those you fear and distrust? How can you join God’s work toward making a world where all people can live in peace and safety (cf. Isaiah 65:21-25)?
Prayer: Lord Jesus, you came as the Prince of Peace. This world finds it so hard to maintain even short times of peace. Shape my life into one of many you can use to continually pursue and build toward your eternal peace. Amen.
“Defeat evil with good”
Thursday, 28 January 2016 Proverbs 25:21-22, Romans 12:14-21
Paul drew on the ancient Hebrew wisdom of the book of Proverbs as he taught Christians in
Rome how to deal with evil. This was not abstract evil—Rome hated Christians and often put them to death. But Paul knew that hatred or violence may feel natural, but they just beget more of the same. He said we can trust God to deal with evil in better ways than we ever could. So, he ended, “Don’t be defeated by evil, but defeat evil with good” (verse 21).
• Review all of the specific positive actions Paul recommended to the Roman Christians in
this passage. Which one or two of them do you find easiest to live out in your day-to-day
interactions? Which one or two of them do you find most challenging? Who have you known who acted the most as this passage recommended? How did that person’s presence affect you and others?
• When you meet or hear about evil, are you more naturally inclined to the view that good
CAN defeat evil, or do you tend to see that as a somewhat naïve, unrealistic view of how
life works? Think about times when you have returned hurt for hurt or unfairness for
unfairness. Has it tended to make the situation and the relationship(s) better or worse? How has doing that changed you inwardly?
Prayer: Lord Jesus, I’d really like to live at peace with all people, whenever that is up to me. Guide me in the hard work of reshaping my inner attitudes and fears to make that more and more a reality in my life. Amen.
Did You Know?
“Heap coals of fire on his head would mean burning or destroying the person if taken literally. As a figure of speech it refers not to taking vengeance but most probably to producing a feeling of contrition, that is, causing the enemy to feel shame and thus to regret his actions or thoughts.” (From William D. Reyburn and Euan McG. Fry, A Handbook on Proverbs. United Bible Societies, p. 552)
"Living out a godly narrative"
Friday, 29 January 2016 1 Peter 2:12-15, 3:9-16
We are realizing that Islamic extremists live out of a different narrative about the world than most Christians (and most Muslims) do. Like today’s extremists, Rome had a negative
narrative about Christians—they called them “atheists” (for not worshipping Caesar), and
sometimes “cannibals” (because of the imagery that the Eucharist was like “eating Christ’s
body and drinking his blood”). Peter urged Christian believers not to retaliate, but to live lives of a quality that made the slanderous narrative obviously untrue.
• When the Temple guards arrested Jesus, Peter drew a sword and cut off a man’s ear (see John 18:10-11). Jesus told him to put away the sword, because God’s Kingdom didn’t work that way. How do Peter’s words in today’s reading echo the spirit he learned from Jesus that dark night years earlier? What are some settings in which you’re tempted to return insult for insult? How could you deal with them differently?
• Have you ever seen, in your own circles, in more public forums or even on the Internet
people seeking to defend their faith but not doing so “with respectful humility”? When that happens, does it tend to do more harm or good to the way people think of Jesus and those who follow him? What helps you be respectful and humble when dealing with people you disagree with strongly?
Prayer: Lord Jesus, you turned ordinary, hot-tempered people like Peter into a force for good that has shaped the world for over 2,000 years. Shape me and make me a force for good, too. Amen.
"The God who breaks down barriers"
Saturday, 30 January 2016 Ephesians 2:11-19
Religious bigotry, fear and violence are not recent developments—they’ve been part of the
human condition in nearly all ages. The apostle Paul, who had himself persecuted Christians before he met Jesus, found Jesus’ power to break through barriers of race, prejudice and fear awe-inspiring. He probably pictured the wall in the Temple courtyard in Jerusalem that bore signs warning in Hebrew, Greek and Latin that any Gentile who went beyond that wall was subject to death. Christ, he wrote in verse 14, destroyed that barrier. Christ tore down the dividing wall(s) between people.
• The Muslim extremists currently known as ISIS, like extremists in any religious or political community, believe higher walls should separate “us” from “them.” How can you
differentiate those in any faith who seek to build walls from those who wish to tear down
walls and create more goodwill, peace and cooperation? What attitudes and actions show
that you belong to the “one body” (verse 16) Jesus came to create?
Prayer: Lord Jesus, you lived among Romans who saw crushing force as the only way to deal with enemies. Yet you showed us a better way—you reached out to people who snubbed you, and asked God to forgive the soldiers who crucified you. Help me to live into the power of your love. Amen.
Family Activity: A prayer attributed to St. Francis of Assisi begins with these words: “Lord, make me an instrument of Thy peace.” Invite each family member to think of an item or instrument that could be used to symbolize peace. Examples might include a hammer used to build others up, a rope to bind people in unity or a wind chime reminding us that many different voices can blend together to create one beautiful sound. Create a family art piece using these items or pictures of them to help each person be intentional about bringing peace to one another and to the world. Pray and ask God to help your family be instruments of peace.
Prayer Requests
Prayers for Peace & Comfort for:
•Kent Martens and family following the death of his mother, Marilyn Martens, 1/9
•Sally Beyers and family following the death of her father, Phil Johnson, 1/11
• Lori Smith and family following the death of her father, Gerald Simkins, 1/14
•Carol Ann Lanter and family following the death of her father, Dr. Byron E. "Bud" White, 1/16
•Kelly Pfannenstiel and family following the death of her grandmother, Irene Mooney, 1/15
• Linda Warne and family following the death of her mother, Anna Hrenchir, 10/10
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The United Methodist Church of the Resurrection
13720 Roe Avenue
Leawood, Kansas 66224, United States
913.897.0120
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