January Week 5

Virtue: Diligence

Resolution: I choose to work as unto the Lord in all areas of my life.

Human Story: Hermann von Reichenau (1013-1054)

Hermann is most notably known as a German chronicler, composer, poet, astronomer, and mathematician, but he was also a Benedictine monk. He had an intense interest in both theology and the physical world. He was literate in several languages beyond his native German. Hermann expanded the body of knowledge in the fields of history, mathematics, astronomy and Christianity. His historical writing included a detailed chronicle from the birth of Christ to the 11th century, and the writing was carried on by his pupil, Berthold, and others after Hermann’s death. Some believe Hermann to be the inventor of the astrolabe which is a tool used in astronomy to triangulate in order to determine the local latitude or time or to identify stars and planets.

This is an amazing list of accomplishments for anyone who died at the age of 41, but Hermann wasn’t just anyone. Hermann had a disease from early childhood which basically left him paralyzed. He had much difficulty both moving and speaking, which is why he is often called Herman the Cripple. In his later years as he went blind, Hermann focused on prayer and writing hymns. Though there is some debate as to his musical works, the hymn in the Remembrance section below is traditionally attributed to him.

Hermann’s brilliant mind and love for God motivated him to be persistent in his studies and creativity. He had to overcome a lot of physical obstacles in order to write and invent and create. Thanks to Hermann’s diligence, the intellectual world as well as the Christian community have been blessed by the influence of Blessed Herman the Cripple.

References: https://reginamag.com/blessed-herman-the-cripple-confessor/
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Hermann_of_Reichenau

Lesson

Proverbs 13:4 (NKJV)
The soul of a lazy man desires, and has nothing; But the soul of the diligent shall be made rich.

Ecclesiastes 9:9b-10a (MSG)
Each day is God’s gift. It’s all you get in exchange for the hard work of staying alive. Make the most of each one! Whatever turns up, grab it and do it. And heartily!

It is so easy for us as humans to think that because of our circumstances or how we feel today, we have an excuse to not press into the mundane or hard things of life. If you are a student, do you take your studies as the gift they are? Are you making the most of this time in your life? Maybe you have a strong-willed child you have let go on his own path because you don’t want to be “too hard” on him or have him think you don’t love him. Or you might have a friend who is making bad choices concerning her marriage, but you don’t want to confront her for fear of losing her friendship. Perhaps you are afraid to stand up against sexism or racism in your workplace because you fear being fired. The pleasures of this world might be clouding your judgement or drawing you away from your devotion to Christ. Or maybe you have a physical condition, like Hermann, which makes doing just about anything difficult.

Whatever your hard situation is, be diligent about it. Press into the difficult. Don’t just let life carry you into its sea of complacency. Even if the situation doesn’t turn out as you expected, you will be able to say, without regrets, that you have given it your best effort.

Remembrance: Veni Sancte Spiritus

Literal English Translation

Come, Holy Spirit,
send forth the heavenly
radiance of your light.

Come, father of the poor,
come, giver of gifts,
come, light of the heart.

Greatest comforter,
sweet guest of the soul,
sweet consolation.

In labour, rest,
in heat, temperance,
in tears, solace.

O most blessed light,
fill the inmost heart
of your faithful.

Without your spirit,
there is nothing in man,
nothing that is not harmful.

Cleanse that which is unclean,
water that which is dry,
heal that which is wounded.

Bend that which is inflexible,
fire that which is chilled,
correct what goes astray.

Give to your faithful,
those who trust in you,
the sevenfold gifts.

Grant the reward of virtue,
grant the deliverance of salvation,
grant eternal joy.

Original Latin text

Veni, Sancte Spiritus,
et emitte caelitus
lucis tuae radium.

Veni, pater pauperum,
veni, dator munerum,
veni, lumen cordium.

Consolator optime,
dulcis hospes animae,
dulce refrigerium.

In labore requies,
in aestu temperies,
in fletu solatium.

O lux beatissima,
reple cordis intima
tuorum fidelium.

Sine tuo numine,
nihil est in homine,
nihil est innoxium.

Lava quod est sordidum,
riga quod est aridum,
sana quod est saucium.

Flecte quod est rigidum,
fove quod est frigidum,
rege quod est devium.

Da tuis fidelibus,
in te confidentibus,
sacrum septenarium.

Da virtutis meritum,
da salutis exitum,
da perenne gaudium.

Challenge

Pulling yourself up by your boot straps is often seen as diligence, but that attitude is steeped in pride that says, “I can do this myself.” The virtue of diligence, however, acknowledges that our perseverance in deliberate acts and repeated efforts are undergirded by the strength and grace of God. What are you trying to do in your own strength? How can you change that situation to be “as unto the Lord?”

Reflection

True diligence runs contrary to human nature.         - Steven K. Scott

Further Growth: 4th Sunday of Epiphany

2021
Old Testament: Deuteronomy 18:15-22
Psalm: Psalm 111
New Testament: 1 Corinthians 8:1-13
Gospel: Mark 1:21-28

2020
Old Testament: Micah 6:1-8
Psalm: Psalm 37:1-11
New Testament: 1 Corinthians 1:18-31
Gospel: Matthew 5:1-12

January Week 4

Virtue: Diligence

Resolution: I choose to work as unto the Lord in all areas of my life.

Human Story: Phileena Heurtz

In her late thirties, Phileena Heurtz was on the brink of burnout. She had spent more than half her life in social justice work among the world’s poor. Together with her husband, Chris, she worked with Word Made Flesh in some of the darkest and most desperate situations in the world. They served in more than 70 countries, building community with former child soldiers, children with HIV and AIDS, war brides, and victims of human trafficking. Throughout that time, they engaged with incredible human suffering and brutality. At the height of the war in Sierra Leone, the pain and suffering Phileena witnessed became unbearable. 

After almost twenty years of service, she went on sabbatical attempting to create more space within herself to process all of the life and death she witnessed. Through spiritual direction and walking an ancient pilgrimage, Phileena encountered ancient contemplative practices that began to open the depths of her heart, where she held the pain and suffering of the world. She needed to surrender her heart to Christ to heal, refill and bring wholeness. As motivation, she held close the words of an early mentor, Mother Teresa, “The inner life makes the active life burn forth and consume everything, it makes us find Jesus in the dark holes of the slums and the most pitiful miseries of the poor, in the God-Man naked on the cross, mournful, despised by all, the man of suffering, crushed like a worm by scourging and crucifixion.” 

Stillness, solitude, and silence became three of Phileena’s greatest teachers. Through cultivating consistent spiritual practices, she began to diligently treat her heart as a wellspring of life that would overflow into her work of bringing justice to the world’s most marginalized. Choosing to dedicate twenty minutes to centering prayer, twice a day became a discipline that Phileena integrated into the daily rhythms of her life. Her diligence in seeking and persistently practicing contemplative prayer has transformed her capacity to serve others.

“A meditation practice like centering prayer helps us open to the process of being reformed. The work of transformation is God’s. We must only cooperate by putting forth effort to make time for spiritual practice. Spiritual practice is our way of saying ‘yes’ to God, letting God do for us what we cannot do for ourselves. Over time as we yield to this mysterious work of Grace in us, we are changed, little by little.”                            

Currently, Phileena and Chris are the co-founders and directors of Gravity Center, a retreat center for Contemplative Activism. There they share the wisdom, “Solitude teaches us to be present. Silence teaches us to listen. Stillness teaches us to engage... This spirituality anchors us in a way that allows us to be transformed, so that the world can be transformed.” Phileena is still serving those in the margins of society by nourishing and equipping the souls of those in ministry of social justice. Phileena speaks, teaches and writes about contemplative spirituality, gracefully guiding others toward personal growth, bringing harmony to the active and contemplative dimensions of life.  

References:
https://cct.biola.edu/doing-good-better-active-contemplation/
www.phileena.com
http://wordmadeflesh.org/center-of-gravity

Lesson: Proverbs 4:20-27 (NKJV)

My son, give attention to my words; Incline your ear to my sayings.
Do not let them depart from your eyes; Keep them in the midst of your heart;
For they are life to those who find them, And health to all their flesh.
Keep your heart with all diligence, For out of it spring the issues of life.
Put away from you a deceitful mouth, And put perverse lips far from you.
Let your eyes look straight ahead, And your eyelids look right before you.
Ponder the path of your feet, And let all your ways be established.
Do not turn to the right or the left; Remove your foot from evil.

A proverb is a short, poetic saying that “expresses an insight, observation, or advice that has been popularly accepted as a general truth…if applied at the right time.” It is important to note that proverbs are not promises. They are not universal absolutes. Job and Ecclesiastes remind us of this fact. Proverbs are advice to live by as we attempt to live a good life. Proverbs 1-9 is a section composed of lessons from a father to a son. The ultimate question that Proverbs sets up for its reader is, “Will you dine with Woman Wisdom or Woman Folly?” Woman Wisdom represents God, and Woman Folly is all the false gods that entice followers away from God.

The Hebrew word “heart” wasn’t just the internal organ that pumped blood throughout the body. It was used to describe where we think (intellectual), feel (emotional), and desire (affection). In Proverbs the father commands his son to “guard,” “keep,” or “watch over” his heart. The idea is one of protection, and protection requires diligence. If a soldier is given a task to guard a prisoner, the soldier would not put on headphones and take a nap. Guarding requires attention, alertness, sobriety, and diligence. To paraphrase, the father is saying “The part of you responsible for making yourself you…protect it. Keep it safe.”

The father’s point is that everything we do flows from this decision-and-person-making organ; thus it contains the “sources of life.” The heart can be the source of much good if properly protected, but this protection does not come naturally. It requires careful, persistent work, nothing sloppy or lazy because folly crouches at the door. The spirit of the advice is captured in the command of Jesus: “Stay awake” (Mark 13:37). As His followers, let us be diligent in protecting our thoughts, feelings, and desires.

Reference: How to Read Proverbs by Tremper Longman

Remembrance: “Blessing from Wisdom’s House”

May Wisdom’s long-lasting blessings be upon me.
Keep me from short-sightedness and the ease of the crowded road.
For narrow is the way and full is the heart on the path of Your blessing.
Keep me on that path as I lie down at night.
Keep me on that path as I set out again by day.

Challenge

Phileena’s experience with centering prayer was transformative and healing. Centering prayer is a very simple, contemplative Christian practice that is deeply nourishing to one’s soul.

1.     Sit in an upright, attentive posture in a way that allows for an erect spine and open heart. Place hands in your lap.
2.     Gently close your eyes and bring to mind your sacred word or image as your symbol to consent to the presence and action of God within you. Your sacred symbol is intended to be the same every time you pray. It helps to ground you in the present moment, allowing you to give your undivided loving, yielded attention to God. Choose a name for God or a characteristic for God like, Love, Peace, etc.

3.     Silently, with eyes closed, recall your sacred symbol to begin your prayer. As you notice your thoughts, gently return to your sacred word. Do this however many times you notice your thoughts.

4.     When your prayer period is over, transition slowly from your prayer practice to your active life. Begin with 5 minutes of prayer and over time increase to 20 or more minutes.

https://gravitycenter.com/practice/centering-prayer/     

Reflection

“Solitude teaches us to be present. Silence teaches us to listen. Stillness teaches us to engage.” How are you guarding your heart today? In our days full of information, to-do lists, disruptions, disappointments, and even successes, we can grow weary, even depleted. Do you have established practices to restore your soul? Consider adding solitude, silence and stillness to your routines.

Further Growth: 3rd Sunday of Epiphany

2021
Old Testament: Jeremiah 3:19-4:4
Psalm: Psalm 130
New Testament: 1 Corinthians 7:17-24
Gospel: Mark 1:14-20

2020
Old Testament: Amos 3:1-11
Psalm: Psalm 139:1-18
New Testament: 1 Corinthians 1:10-17
Gospel: Matthew 4:12-22

January Week 3

Virtue: Diligence

Resolution: I choose to work as unto the Lord in all areas of my life.

Human Story: Mary McCloud Bethune (1875-1955)

In each experience of my life, I have had to step out of one little space of the known light, into a large area of darkness. I had to stand awhile in the darkness, and then gradually God has given me light. But not to linger in. For as soon as that light has felt familiar, then the call has always come to step out ahead again into new darkness…. I had faith in a living God, faith in myself, and a desire to serve.  

- Mary McLeod Bethune

Born in a simple cabin in South Carolina only a decade after a war fought by a divided nation, Mary McLeod Bethune was the fifteenth child of parents who were former slaves. With their newfound freedom, Mary’s mother earned pay by washing clothes of former slaveholders while her father farmed. When accompanying her mother to deliver the washed clothing, Mary often visited the children her age and saw their toys. Once she picked up a book only to have it snatched away by a little girl who suggested it was not for Mary since she could not read. It pierced Mary’s childhood spirit, but she determined within herself to learn how to read. 

Soon Mary attended a one-room school taught by Presbyterian freedmen, and at home she taught her family what she learned each day. Mary was diligent in learning to read and advancing in her studies. She eventually attended Scotia Seminary for five years before enrolling in what is now Moody Bible Institute with the hope of becoming a missionary to Africa, but she was rejected by the mission board. Mary did not lose heart. Instead, she refocused her efforts as an educator. 

Teaching at various mission schools in the U.S., Mary eventually settled in Florida with her husband, who abandoned the family a few years later. With $1.50, Mary opened a “Literary and Industrial Training School” for African American girls in 1904 and even made the desks and seating herself using discarded crates. In time the school grew, eventually merging with an African American boys’ school and renamed Bethune-Cookman College. Mary was one of the earliest black women to serve as a college president.

Not only was she diligent in her efforts to improve life for African American children, she expanded her vision to provide opportunities for all African Americans. She actively helped register black voters, even when her life was threatened by those who opposed her cause. Presidents Calvin Coolidge, Herbert Hoover, and Franklin Roosevelt each noticed her efforts and sought her advice and collaboration. Mary formed a national women’s council in 1935 and helped form an advisory board for the Roosevelt administration that served as “the first collective of black people working in higher positions in government.” For these efforts to improve civil rights she became known as "The First Lady of the Struggle." 

Throughout her life Mary exhibited diligence in learning, overcoming difficulties, and using her voice and energy to enact change for the marginalized, which she understood as God’s calling for her. She later reflected, “The whole world opened to me when I learned to read.” And when the world opened to her, she helped change it for the better.

References:

McCluskey, Audrey Thomas, and Elaine M. Smith. (1999). Mary McLeod Bethune: Building a Better World: Essays and Selected Documents. Bloomington: Indiana University Press.

"Mary McLeod Bethune." Great Lives from History: The Twentieth Century (Online Edition). Salem Press. 2013.

Lesson: Galations 6:9 (NRSV)

So let us not grow weary in doing what is right, for we will reap at harvest time, if we do not give up.

In our culture today, we tend to desire immediate gratification for the “good” things we do. When we work hard, do right by someone, serve another, etc., it only seems right that there would be positive results. However, these results may look differently than we might expect and may come at a different time than anticipated. Our diligence to continue “doing what is right” regardless of the immediate outcome is the key here.

The word “reap” reveals some farming connotations; if one reaps, then there had to have been a time of sowing. Some crops naturally yield their return quickly, while others require a time of waiting. Regardless, the farmer has to diligently and persistently tend to the crops in order to support their growth. In this particular verse, Paul is speaking to the Galatian Christians, a network of churches Paul had helped nurture in the faith. Paul has chided them at length for adding on to the simple gospel he preached, reiterating the fact that Christianity is a multi-ethnic faith, and one does not have to follow the old Jewish customs in order to be a part of this new movement (Gal 1-4). Paul is giving advice for Christian ethics, answering the question “how do I live as a member of the family of God?” The answer is through living by the Spirit, and he goes on to show how that happens, using gardening metaphors to make his point. Here Paul urges them to “do good” among one another and those they encounter in the world with the hope that eternal life will be what they ultimately “reap”. Because life can be arduous, circumstances overwhelming, and everyday tasks mundane, consistent diligence is of utmost importance due to the rewards to come, even if it does require a taxing time of waiting in the process.

Remembrance: “O Spirit, Come…” -Macrina Weiderkehr in Seven Sacred Pauses

Come with your transforming power. Breathe upon and into my thoughts and actions this day. Let my work be a labor of love. May those who come in contact with me feel sheltered and cared for. May I do or say some small piece of goodness that will help others feel affirmed and supported. Let your wind and fire move me into the places where I am needed. Let me become your breath so that I may assist you in breathing new life into places that are stale and unfruitful. Make me forceful and gentle, powerful and humble. O Spirit, Come!

Challenge

Breath prayer is an ancient Christian prayer practice dating back to at least the sixth century. Historically, it is associated with the Eastern Church, particularly Greek and Russian Orthodox churches. Breath prayer is a good example of “praying without ceasing” as St. Paul admonished us to do and has the potential to become as natural as breathing. It is intended to be a very short prayer of praise or petition, just six to eight syllables. The words of the prayer can be easily adjusted to your heart’s desire.

“O Spirit, Come…” is a powerful phrase that can be recited with one’s breath to bring openness to transformation and the awareness of the Spirit in your life. Find a quiet place, and in a comfortable seated position, close your eyes and with the rhythm of your breath recite this prayer aloud or silently. The diligent practice of “praying without ceasing” draws you into a closer relationship with Christ.

Reference: https://gravitycenter.com/practice/breath-prayer/

Reflection

Consider again the life of Mary McCloud Bethune and her words, “I had to stand awhile in the darkness, and then gradually God has given me light. But not to linger in. For as soon as that light has felt familiar, then the call has always come to step out ahead again into new darkness…” To most people, Ms. Bethune had every right to grow weary in doing well. What elements of her story might inspire you to continue sowing good work, kindness, and hope even if the harvest is not immediately obvious?

Further Growth: 2nd Sunday of Epiphany

2021
Old Testament: 1 Samuel 3:1-20
Psalm: Psalm 63
New Testament: I Corinthians 6:9-20
Gospel: John 1:43-51

2020
Old Testament: Exodus 12:21-28
Psalm: Psalm 40:1-11
New Testament: 1 Corinthians 1:1-9
Gospel: John 1:29-42

January Week 2

Virtue: Diligence
Resolution: I choose to work as unto the Lord in all areas of my life.

Human Story: John Wesley (1703-1791)

On March 1, 1791, a day before his death, John Wesley lay in bed surrounded by his friends. He told his nurse, Eliza Ritchie, that he wished to write. However, when she gave him a pen, he found he didn’t have the strength. She asked what he wished to write, and he replied, “Nothing, but that God is with us.”

John Wesley was born June 17, 1703 in Epsworth, England. Wesley was raised in a very religious home, his father being a clergyman in the Church. When it was time for college, John entered Oxford University. While there, he and his brother Charles started a group that became known as the “Holy Club” because the members took vows to lead holy lives, take Communion once a week, pray daily, and visit prisons regularly. In addition, they spent three hours every afternoon studying the Bible and other devotional material.

After college, John went to the British colonies in America where he spent a couple of years in Georgia serving as a parish priest. After this brief and disappointing position, he returned to England where he had a life changing experience during a church gathering at Aldersgate street in London. While Martin Luther’s thoughts on the book of Romans were read aloud, the reader came to the passage in the book of Romans concerning faith in Christ. John felt his heart being warmed in that moment and he knew that he did trust in Christ alone for his salvation. After this experience he joined with a college friend George Whitefield and began preaching anywhere that people would listen. He encouraged people to work diligently to bring about personal and societal holiness. Some of the pillars of John Wesley’s preaching were taking care of the poor, fighting against the evils of slavery, and founding small groups for accountability. Eventually his movement split from the Church of England; the Methodist church was born.

After six decades of preaching over 40,000 sermons, traveling 4,000 miles each year, and giving away £30,000 of his income, John Wesley could leave this world with the knowledge that he had diligently served God with his whole heart. He knew that “the best of all is, God is with us.”

References:
http://www.christianitytoday.com/history/people/denominationalfounders/john-wesley.html http://www.mymethodisthistory.org.uk/page/eliza_ritchie_wesleys_nurse

Lesson: Deuteronomy 6:4-8 (NIV)

Hear, O Israel: The LORD our God, the LORD is one. These are the commands, decrees and laws the LORD your God directed me to teach you to observe in the land that you are crossing the Jordan to possess, so that you, your children and their children after them may fear the LORD your God as long as you live by keeping all his decrees and commands that I give you, and so that you may enjoy long life. Hear, Israel, and be careful to obey so that it may go well with you and that you may increase greatly in a land flowing with milk and honey, just as the LORD, the God of your ancestors, promised you. Hear, O Israel: The LORD our God, the LORD is one. Love the LORD your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your strength. These commandments that I give you today are to be on your hearts. Impress them on your children. Talk about them when you sit at home and when you walk along the road, when you lie down and when you get up. Tie them as symbols on your hands and bind them on your foreheads. Write them on the doorframes of your houses and on your gates.

What does it mean to love someone? Think of your best friend, spouse, child, or perhaps a parent. Think of all that goes into the relationship. Loving someone involves multiple factors. It is certainly not just a feeling. It involves thinking about the person, learning about them, talking to them, spending time with them, sharing experiences together, and at times putting your desires aside to make them happy. We’ve been taught that loving God is having a quiet time, going to a Bible study, or going to church and listening to an informative sermon. Or perhaps we think loving God involves serving others, but in reality, we really don’t always practice what we have learned. The constant, daily posture of love to God and neighbor remains absent in our lives. Diligence in our spiritual lives is often nowhere to be found.

Historically, Deuteronomy was written after the Israelites had endured 40 years in the wilderness. Moses is talking to the next generation of Israelites that were on the verge of entering the land God was providing. Unfaithfulness had already been evident in their short history, and God, through his spokesperson Moses, was giving his people instructions for avoiding future unfaithfulness. Moses retells their history (Deut. 1-3) and implores them to be more faithful than their parents were (Deut. 4-11).

Preceding the daily rhythms that Moses suggests is what is known as the Shema (Deut. 6:4-5). The Shema is considered the most essential Jewish prayer and is repeated twice daily by devout Jews. We can learn from our faith ancestors by adopting similar rhythms. God calls His people to a particular way of life, the instructions of which are to be on our “hearts,” meaning our thoughts, feelings, and desires. It is worth noting during this season of Epiphany, that God has always called His people to a different way of life for the sake of others. The Israelites were to be a kingdom of priests on behalf of all nations (Exo 19:5-6). God’s heart has never exclusively been for a select few, but for calling some for the sake of all peoples. Therefore, our devotion to God through the practice of daily rhythms shapes us into a particular kind of people not for our holiness alone, but also for the sake of others. Our love for others, flowing from God’s love for the nations, should lead us to diligence as individuals and as a community of believers.

Remembrance: “A Sonnet for Epiphany” by Malcolm Guite

It might have been just someone else’s story,
Some chosen people get a special king.
We leave them to their own peculiar glory,
We don’t belong, it doesn’t mean a thing.
But when these three arrive they bring us with them,
Gentiles like us, their wisdom might be ours;
A steady step that finds an inner rhythm,
A pilgrim’s eye that sees beyond the stars.
They did not know his name but still they sought him,
They came from otherwhere but still they found;
In temples they found those who sold and bought him,
But in the filthy stable, hallowed ground.
Their courage gives our questing hearts a voice
To seek, to find, to worship, to rejoice.

Challenge

Establish a new, healthy rhythm (or renew/bolster an old one) in your home aimed at nurturing your spiritual health. Consider adding a spiritual discipline of study, meditation, prayer, remembrance, or celebration to your daily routine.

Reflection

As a believer considering the life of John Wesley and meditating on Deuteronomy chapter 6, what does God’s call to live differently mean to you?

Further Growth: 1st Sunday of Epiphany

2022: 1st Sunday of Epiphany

Old Testament: Isaiah 42:1-9
Psalm: Psalm 89:1-29
New Testament: Acts 10:34-38
Gospel: Luke 3:15-22

2021: 1st Sunday of Epiphany

Old Testament: Isaiah 42:1-9
Psalm: Psalm 89:1-29
New Testament: Acts 10:34-38
Gospel: Mark 1:7-11

2020: 1st Sunday of Epiphany

Old Testament: Isaiah 42:1-9
Psalm: Psalm 89:1-29
New Testament: Acts 10:34-38
Gospel: Matthew 3:13-17

January Week 1

Virtue: Diligence
Resolution: I choose to work as unto the Lord in all areas of my life.

Human Story: Millard Fuller (1935-2009)

Millard Fuller, born in 1935, grew up in a working-class family in rural Alabama. By the time he was 25, he had a bachelor’s degree in Economics from Auburn University and a law degree from the University of Alabama. Over the next 4 years, with his wife Linda, Fuller become a very successful banker and a “self-made millionaire” at the young age of 29.

Despite the rapid rise to prominence, Millard and Linda were both unhappy. Their marriage was on the brink of disaster, and they knew something needed to change. Money and a very “successful” life were unsatisfying. So, in 1968 they sold everything and moved to Koinonia Farms near Americus, GA. Koinonia (Greek for “fellowship”) was founded in 1942 by Clarence & Florence Jordan and Martin & Mabel England to be a radical, inclusive, Christian community aimed at being a “demonstration plot for the Kingdom of God.” The Jordan’s and England’s had committed themselves to:

1.     Treat all human beings with dignity and justice
2.     Choose love over violence
3.     Share all possessions and live simply
4.     Be stewards of the land and its natural resources 

Clarence Jordan became a mentor to the Fullers once they arrived. He had earned a PhD in Biblical Greek and passionately believed that good theology (right thinking) must lead to good work (right action). He and those at Koinonia were profoundly countercultural within their surrounding context of conservative, segregated South Georgia. 

While at Koinonia Fuller helped pioneer a project called “Partnership Housing” based on the principle that the poor need more capital instead of more charity. With a “sweat equity” model, the beneficiaries/partners of this endeavor help both themselves and others ultimately earn a low-cost, 0% interest loan against their own house.

After five years at Koinonia, the Fullers took this concept to Africa’s Democratic Republic of Congo where they helped build 100 homes in three years. They came home for sabbatical in 1976 and officially founded Habitat for Humanity using these same principles. Since then, Habitat has grown to become one of the world’s most successful nonprofit organizations, helping build over 1 million homes with the help of the low-income families they serve.

In 1994, Fuller wrote a book about this approach to ministry called Theology of the Hammer in which he described how a living and active faith is much more than head knowledge. He never claimed to be a theologian, but instead a practitioner, making the title of the book all the more poignant. Once when asked where he went to seminary, he replied, “I packed pecans and milked an old cow with Clarence Jordan…He taught me obedience to Christ and authentic participation in God’s work in the world.”

References:
Fuller, Millard. Theology of the Hammer. Smyth & Helwys Publishing Inc. 1994
Habitat for Humanity: www.habitat.org/about/history/habitat-for-humanity-co-founder-millard-fuller, accessed 12/2017
Koinonia Farm: https://www.koinoniafarm.org/about-koinonia-farm/, accessed 12/2017.

Lesson: Colossians 3:23-25 (NIV)

Whatever you do, work at it with all your heart, as working for the Lord, not for men, since you know that you will receive an inheritance from the Lord as a reward. It is the Lord Christ you are serving. Anyone who does wrong will be repaid for their wrongs, and there is no favoritism.

During one of Paul’s imprisonments, he was met by Epaphras who informed him of philosophical issues facing the new church of Colossae which prompted him to write a letter to help these believers carry out genuine spiritual maturity. Located in the Lycus Valley in Asia Minor, Colossae had substantial Jewish and polytheistic populations whose beliefs were influencing the theology of the young church. 

The centerpiece of this epistle is Paul’s appeal for Christian maturity (2:6-4:6), where he contrasts their old way of life (distorted sexuality and destructive speech) and challenges them to live a new way of life characterized by mercy, generosity, forgiveness, and grace. In verses 3:18-4:1, Paul unpacks what this might look like in a first century Roman household, which was an extremely authoritarian and patriarchal institution. Paul does not affirm the institution of slavery nor the subjugation of women, but rather contrasts it by instructing the Christians in Colossae that in whatever they do, do it unto the Lord. With Christ positioned as the true master, Paul instructs wives to submit to their husbands (3:18), husbands to love their wives (3:19), children to obey their parents (3:20), fathers not to embitter their children (3:21), and slaves to obey their earthly masters as work to the Lord. 

Paul challenges them to shift their perception beyond the limitations and privileges of power in their current context, and to fix their hearts, minds, and work on Christ. Paul helps us understand the promise and the good news of a heavenly inheritance and the justice that awaits Christians. For it is Christ that rewards and Christ that repays wrongdoing without favoritism. A part of Christian maturity is not only making sense of this truth but allowing it to inform our attitudes about work and decision-making.  

This is certainly no easy task. However, we are all called to live and diligently work as new creations in Christ Jesus. Although there is a sizable time gap between the church of Colossae and the present day, we too need to carry out Christian maturity in all facets of our lives and pray for the Spirit’s guidance as to how it is translated into our present situation. 

Reference: The Epistles of Paul to the Colossians and to Philemon by N.T. Wright

Remembrance: “Your labor is Not in Vain”

The Porter’s Gate Worship Project (Click to listen.)

Your labor is not in vain
Though the ground underneath you is cursed and stained
Your planting and reaping are never the same
Your labor is not in vain

Your labor is not unknown
Though the rocks they cry out and the sea it may groan
The place of your toil may not seem like a home
But Your labor is not unknown

The vineyards you plant will bear fruit
The fields will sing out and rejoice with the truth
For all that is old will at last be made new
The vineyards you plant will bear fruit

The houses you labored to build
Will finally with laughter and joy be filled
The serpent that hurts and destroys will be killed
And all that is broken be healed

I am with you, I am with you
I am with you, I am with you
For I have called you, called you by name
Your labor is not in vain

Challenge

Choose a task to give your all to complete. It might be an everyday task or a special project. Consider the ways you can do more than just do the work but complete it with diligence and the attitude of doing this work for the Lord. Practice inviting God’s presence into this activity. After completing this task, evaluate your attitude and feelings about this work.

Reflection

In what ways can the work of our hands be an expression of worship to Christ?

Further Growth

2022: 2nd Sunday of Christmas

Old Testament: Jeremiah 31:7-14
Psalm: Psalm 84
New Testament: Ephesians 1:3-14
Gospel: Luke 2:41-52

2021: 2nd Sunday of Christmas

Old Testament: Jeremiah 31:7-14
Psalm: Psalm 84
New Testament: Ephesians 1:3-14
Gospel: Matthew 2:1-12

2020: 2nd Sunday of Christmas

Old Testament: Jeremiah 31:7-14
Psalm: Psalm 84
New Testament: Ephesians 1:3-14
Gospel: Luke 2:41-52