Day 238: The Unfinished Work

 

DAY 238

Faith in the Midst of a Pandemic

A series of daily reflections for people of faith

by Rev. Robert Bayley, Interim Pastor

Patuxent Presbyterian Church, California, Maryland

pastorrobert@paxpres.org

Week Thirty-four    Saturday 7 November 2020

The Unfinished Work

“Four score and seven years ago our fathers brought forth on this continent a new nation, conceived in Liberty, and dedicated to the proposition that all men are created equal. Now we are engaged in a great civil war, testing whether that nation or any nation so conceived and so dedicated, can long endure. We are met on a great battlefield of that war. We have come to dedicate a portion of that field, as a final resting place for those who here gave their lives that that nation might live. It is altogether fitting and proper that we should do this. 

“But in a larger sense, we cannot dedicate – we cannot consecrate – we cannot hallow – this ground. The brave men, living and dead, who struggled here, have consecrated it, far above our poor power to add or detract. The world will little note, nor long remember what we say here, but it can never forget what they did here. It is for us the living, rather, to be dedicated here to the unfinished work which they who fought here have thus far so nobly advanced. It is rather for us to be here dedicated to the great task remaining before us – that from these honored dead we take increased devotion to that cause for which they gave the last full measure of devotion – that we here highly resolve that these dead shall not have died in vain – that this nation, under God, shall have a new birth of freedom – and that government of the people, by the people, for the people, shall not perish from the earth.” - Abraham Lincoln 19 November 1863.  

It was in Mrs. Thomas’ 5^th grade class in the small desert town of Boulder City, Nevada where we memorized the Gettysburg Address, reciting it one at a time before the class. That’s why the words, mostly forgotten, still resonate within, moving, succinct and powerful that bear reviewing in our collective soul as a nation, for the cultural divide today is as deep as the civil one 157 years ago. They echo in the evidence around us that there is still unfinished work to do, the hopeful thread running through it all being that we recognize it – that’s our starting place.

NOTE: This week’s columns were completed and submitted before the week began, before   any of the election results or subsequent events were known and remain non-partisan in intent.

Reflective question:  What ‘unfinished work’ in our nation will you dedicate yourself to pray for this week?

Reflective Scripture: Micah 6:8 – “And what does the Lord require of you? To act justly and to love mercy and to walk humbly with your God.”

Reflective hymn:

“The Battle Hymn of the Republic” – verse 3 - Julia Ward Howe (1819-1910)

He has sounded forth the trumpet that shall never call retreat;

He is sifting out the hearts of men before His judgment seat;

Oh, be swift, my soul, to answer Him! Be jubilant, my feet!

Our God is marching on.

Day 237: For the Health of our Nation

 

DAY 237

Faith in the Midst of a Pandemic

A series of daily reflections for people of faith

by Rev. Robert Bayley, Interim Pastor

Patuxent Presbyterian Church, California, Maryland

pastorrobert@paxpres.org

Week Thirty-four    Friday 6 November 2020

For the Health of our Nation

Calling All Christians for the Health of our Nation

“Two highly respected organizations, World Relief and the National Association of Evangelicals have released a statement inviting all followers of Jesus – whether Democrats or Republicans or Independents to join them in championing a Biblically-balanced public agenda and in seeking the health of the nation for the good of all people. Christians will not always agree on the specifics of governance or the best roads to reform. However, we do hold many callings and commitments in common, including:

• Protecting Religious Freedom and Liberty of Conscience
• Safeguarding the Nature and Sanctity of Human Life
• Strengthening Marriages, Families and Children
• Seeking Justice and Compassion for the Poor and Vulnerable
• Preserving Human Rights
• Pursuing Racial Justice and Reconciliation
• Promoting Just Peace and Restraining Violence
• Caring for God’s Creation

These issues provide a platform from which Christians can engage in common action. As Christians, our involvement should model the servant call of our faith and the care and concern for the other. In doing so, we may find our political efforts not only strengthen the social fabric of our nation but also rebuild the plausibility of the Christian faith in the minds and hearts of our fellow citizens.” - A current online post of the two organizations involved.

You can read and/or download this powerful, thoughtful 29 page manifesto at: nae.net.

Reflective question: Will you ask the Holy Spirit to free your heart from partisan politics and fill

it with the things that are central to the heart of God for all human beings and then pray?

Reflective Scripture: Exodus 32:26 – KJV - “’Who is on the Lord’s side?’”   

Reflective hymn:

“Who is On The Lord’s Side?” – verse 4 - John Goss (1800-1880)

Chosen to be soldiers, in an alien land,

Chosen, called, and faithful, for our Captain’s band;

In the service royal, let us not grow cold;

Let us be right loyal, noble, true and bold.

Master, Thou wilt keep us, by Thy grace divine,

Always on the Lord’s side – Savior, always Thine.

Day 236: I Pledge Allegiance

DAY 236

Faith in the Midst of a Pandemic

A series of daily reflections for people of faith

by Rev. Robert Bayley, Interim Pastor

Patuxent Presbyterian Church, California, Maryland

pastorrobert@paxpres.org

Week Thirty-four    Thursday 5 November 2020

“I Pledge Allegiance”

“I pledge allegiance to the flag of the United States of America,

and to the republic for which it stands,

one nation, under God, indivisible, with liberty and justice for all.”

Allegiance – how do you ‘pledge allegiance’ to a country increasingly struggling to live up to its commitment to being ‘indivisible’ in the growing presence of tribalism along partisan lines?   ‘Allegiance’ comes from an old Anglo-Norman noun ‘liege’ meaning servant.

In these tumultuous times we are given the opportunity to consider what it means to pledge allegiance to this country, to be willing to serve it in some way, to be loyal to it - for without such commitment on the part of the citizenry, we will slowly, imperceptibly descend into a nation unable to sustain itself in any substantive expression of values or altruism. The absence of allegiance to this country will increasingly equate to a severance of the invisible ties that bind us together, rendering us unable us to see ourselves in each other, unwilling to care for each other. Commitment to serve a nation and to serve God’s kingdom can coexist in the heart of believers.

Reflective question: In what ways as a Christian can you express allegiance to your country? 

                                                                                                                                                

Reflective Scripture: Jeremiah 29:7 - “Pray to the Lord for it, because if it prospers, you too will prosper.”

Reflective hymn:

“I Vow to Thee my Country” – Cecil Rice (1859-1918)

The hymn for today is a highly popular, patriotic hymn in the United Kingdom. I somewhat envy my British cousins across the pond – and I have many there and have visited some, because they have the patriotic equivalent of a hymn of commitment – we do not. The second verse balances the first with a commitment to heaven and concludes with words from Proverbs 3:17.

1. I vow to thee, my country, all earthly things above,

Entire and whole and perfect, the service of my love;

The love that asks no questions, the love that stands the test,

That lays upon the altar the dearest and the best

The love that never falters, the love that pays the price,

The love that makes undaunted the final sacrifice.

2. And there’s another country, I’ve heard of long ago,

Most dear to them that love her, most great to them that know;

We may not count her armies, we may not see her King;

Her fortress is a faithful heart, her pride is suffering;

And soul by soul and silently her shining bounds increase,

And her ways are ways of gentleness, and all her paths are peace.

Day 235: Post-Election Prayers

DAY 235

Faith in the Midst of a Pandemic

A series of daily reflections for people of faith

by Rev. Robert Bayley, Interim Pastor

Patuxent Presbyterian Church, California, Maryland

pastorrobert@paxpres.org

Week Thirty-four    Wednesday 4 November 2020

Post-Election Prayers

The Book of Common Prayer

For Our Country

Almighty God, you have given us this good land for our heritage: We humbly ask you that we may always prove ourselves a people mindful of your favor and glad to do your will. Bless our land with honorable industry, sound learning, and pure manners. Save us from violence, discord, and confusion, from pride and arrogance, and from every evil way. Defend our liberties, and fashion into one united people the multitudes brought here out of many nations and tongues. Endue with the spirit of wisdom those to whom in your Name we entrust the authority of government, that there may be justice and peace at home, and that, through obedience to your law, we may show forth your praise among the nations of the earth. In the time of prosperity, fill our hearts with thankfulness and in the day of trouble, do not allow our trust in you to fail; all which we ask through Jesus Christ our Lord. Amen.     

In Times of Conflict

O God, you have bound us together in a common life. Help us, in the midst of our struggles for justice and truth, to confront one another without hatred or bitterness, and to work together with mutual forbearance and respect, through Jesus Christ our Lord. Amen.

For Social Justice

Grant, O God, that your holy and life-giving Spirit may so move every human heart, and especially the hearts of the people of this land, that barriers which divide us may crumble, suspicions disappear, and hatreds cease; that our divisions being healed, we may live in justice and peace; through Jesus Christ our Lord. Amen. 

Use the hymn text below as a prayer.

Reflective question: What is your ‘highest priority prayer’ for our nation? Pray it daily.

Reflective Scripture: Psalm 33:12 – “Blessed is the nation whose God is the Lord,…”

Reflective hymn:

“God of our Fathers” verse 2 – Daniel Roberts (1841-1907)

Thy love divine hath led us in the past,

In this free land by thee our lot is cast.

Be thou our ruler, guardian, guide, and stay:

Thy Word our law, thy paths our chosen way.

Day 234: Battle for the Soul of a Nation

 

DAY 234

Faith in the Midst of a Pandemic

A series of daily reflections for people of faith

by Rev. Robert Bayley, Interim Pastor

Patuxent Presbyterian Church, California, Maryland

pastorrobert@paxpres.org

Week Thirty-four    Tuesday 3 November 2020

Battle for the Soul of a Nation

A presidential vote to settle a question:

‘What do people want to become?’

“It is a phrase that has been constantly invoked by Democratic and Republican leaders. It has become the clearest symbol of the mood of the country, and what people feel is at stake in this election. Everyone, it seems, is fighting for it…. That the election has become a referendum on the soul of the nation, suggests that in an increasingly secular country, voting has become a reflection of one’s individual morality – and that the outcome hinges in part on spiritual and philosophical questions that transcend politics: What, exactly, is the soul of the nation? What is the state of it? And what would it mean to save it?” - From a current newspaper article by the same name.

What is the soul of the nation? To seek the ‘soul’ of the nation is to seek an amorphous thing. There are just under 330 million ‘souls’ populating the United States of America, each one like snowflakes unique and unlike any other, one of a kind. If there is a ‘soul’ in this country, it consists of the collective content of 330 million of us – we together are the ‘soul’ of this nation.     

What is the state of it? We are who we are – no more, but also no less. Today we seem to be in a state of disrepair, of increasing brokenness. While people mirror leaders they follow, ultimately the responsibility for who we have become must be laid at our own feet- we have become who we are, which means that we therefore can make this a ‘moment to decide’ what kind of body politic we want to be going forward. Today is a day of decision regarding our national soul.

What would it mean to save it? To be ‘saved’ politically would require politicians willing to commit to a return to civility in public discourse, respect for others with whom they disagree, and to bi-partisan efforts for the betterment of American society. To be ‘saved’ spiritually requires individual ‘souls’ seeking the Deity in “one nation under God” for a 21^st century version of the Great Awakenings, that have periodically swept the landscape of America, changing lives through powerful encounters with Jesus Christ through the work of the Holy Spirit.  

Reflective question: Taken from the subtitle of the article: Who do we want to become?

Reflective Scripture: Romans 3:23 – “All have sinned and fall short of the glory of God.”

Reflective hymn:

“Once to Every Man and Nation” – James Russell Lowell (1819-1891)

Once to every man and nation comes the moment to decide,

In the strife of truth with falsehood, for the good or evil side;

Some great cause, some great decision, off’ring each the bloom or blight,

And the choice goes by forever ‘twixt that darkness and the light.

Day 233: For an Election: All Our Power and Privileges

 DAY 233

                              Faith in the Midst of a Pandemic                     

A series of daily reflections for people of faith

by Rev. Robert Bayley, Interim Pastor

Patuxent Presbyterian Church, California, Maryland

pastorrobert@paxpres.org

Week Thirty-four    Monday 2 November 2020

For an Election: All Our Powers and Privileges

“Almighty God, to whom we must give account for all our powers and privileges: Guide the people of the United States in the election of officials and representatives; that, by faithful administration and wise laws, the rights of all may be protected and our nation be enabled to fulfill your purposes; through Jesus Christ our Lord. Amen. - The Book of Common Prayer – Prayer for an election.

This prayer for an election calls us to a sober awareness that our being able to vote is both a power and a privilege, power because ‘we the people’ have the power by our vote to determine the course of our country, and a privilege because hundreds of millions do not have free access to that power. It is a God-given privilege enabling us to choose our future and our destiny.  

The mystery of this power and privilege is that people who seek to follow Jesus as Lord of their lives can passionately hold diametrically opposite views and positions in the political realm and hold them with conviction. Sadly, in recent years we have watched as division, hostility and mistrust have divided our nation, including Christians along partisan lines. Somewhere we need to discover the purposes for which this power and this privilege have been given to us so that “…the rights of all may be protected and our nation enabled to fulfill God’s purposes…” I can’t help but believe that there are men and women in Congress on both sides of the aisle for whom this is the deepest desire of their person. Will you pray the prayer above today and tomorrow?  

Reflective question: If you have not yet done so, will you vote tomorrow? It is a power and a privilege.

Reflective Scripture: Joshua 24:15 – “…choose for yourselves whom you will serve,…”

Reflective hymn:

“In Times of Great Decision” Rev. Carolyn Gillette, Presbyterian pastor © 2004

Sung to the hymn tune for “The Church’s One Foundation” by Charles Wesley

1. In times of great decision, be with us, God, we pray

Give each of us a vision of Jesus’ loving way.

When louder words seem endless and other voices sure,

Remind us of your promise: your love and truth endure.

2. O God, whose gifts are countless, you send us bearing peace.

You fill our dreams with justice for all communities.

You give us global neighbors, that all may justly live.

May those we choose as leaders reflect the life you give.

Day 232: All Saints Day Knit Together

Day 232

Faith in the Midst of a Pandemic

A series of daily reflections for people of faith

by Rev. Robert Bayley, Interim Pastor

Patuxent Presbyterian Church, California, Maryland

pastorrobert@paxpres.org

Week Thirty-four    Sunday 1 November 2020

All Saints’ Day

“Knit Together”

Almighty God, you have knit together your elect in one communion and fellowship in the mystical body of your Son Christ our Lord: Give us grace so to follow your blessed saints in all virtuous and godly living, that we may come to those ineffable joys you have prepared for those who truly love you; through Jesus Christ our Lord, who with you and the Holy Spirit lives and reigns, one God, in glory everlasting. Amen. - The Book of Common Prayer: prayer for All Saints’ Day 1 November.

For me this is the most meaningful Sunday in the church calendar eclipsing Christmas and Easter. Maybe it’s because it involves people I know, as I don’t know and have never met the people populating the Christmas and Easter narratives – except, of course, for Jesus and even that is an unseen faith sort of thing. All saints – my mother who knew the Lord and had a vision of heaven as she was dying; her mother, my grandmother, who was responsible for me becoming a Christian; my two grandfathers, who as young men sought to follow Christ into pastoral ministry; Godly pastors I have met in countries around the world; pastors and missionaries whose stories and testimonies, regarding the power of God to change lives, helped shape my life in college chapel in my early twenties. Yes, “All Saints’ Sunday” for me is populated by people I know, whose faces and voices I can recall, whose lives have touched and changed my life. We are, as the prayer reminds us, ‘knit together in the mystical Body of Christ.’ Who would you list?   

SAINTS

Saints on earth for whom I want to thank God and why:_______________________________

Saints in heaven for whom I want to thank God and why:______________________________

Reflective question: Are you a saint?

Reflective Scripture: Psalm 116:15 – “Precious in the sight of the Lord is the death of his saints.”

Reflective hymn:

“For All the Saints” – William How (1823-1897)

For all the saints who from their labors rest,

Who thee by faith before the world confessed,

Thy name, O Jesus, be forever blest.

Alleluia! Alleluia!

Day 231: All Hallows Eve

 

DAY 231

                              Faith in the Midst of a Pandemic                     

A series of daily reflections for people of faith

by Rev. Robert Bayley, Interim Pastor

Patuxent Presbyterian Church, California, Maryland

pastorrobert@paxpres.org

Week Thirty-three    Saturday 31 October 2020

All Hallows Eve

Almighty and ever-living God, you have made all things in your wisdom and established the boundaries of life and death. Grant that we may obey your voice in this world, and in the world to come may enjoy that rest and peace which you have appointed for your people; through Jesus Christ who is Resurrection and Life, and who lives and reigns for ever and ever. Amen -The Book of Common Prayer.

The young people from the church arrived at the church gym dressed not as ghosts or goblins or comic book heroes, but as individuals in two categories from which they could choose: Biblical characters or select individuals from church history. They were required as part of their costume choice to have a very brief description of the person they chose ready to share with the rest of the youth group and adult sponsors present. It was a memorable and meaningful Halloween, All Hallows Eve, or All Saints Eve celebration, in that church in which I served as pastor over 40 years ago and before the advent of computer games introduced a plethora of alternate character choices for dress up on Halloween. Several came dressed as Martin Luther.

It was 503 years ago on 31 October 1517 that Luther posted his objections to false teachings promulgated by the Church of Rome. Thanks to the recent invention of movable type, they received wide distribution across all of Europe. At his trial for heresy, Luther concluded his remarks after being asked to recant with this memorable statement: “My conscience is captive to the Word of God. I cannot and will not recant anything, for to go against conscience is neither right nor safe. Here I stand – I can do no other. God help me. Amen.” While marred by wars, the Protestant Reformation changed the course of human history. This course correction by the Holy Spirit also touched the Roman Catholic Church through the Counter-Reformation.

To read the entire text of the “95 Theses” of Luther go to: luther.de

Reflective question: What would you say if asked to recant your core Christian beliefs?

Reflective Scripture: Romans 1:17 – “…’The righteous will live by faith…’” to which Luther added in the margin of his Bible, “ALONE!”

Reflective hymn:

“A Mighty Fortress is our God” – verse 2 – Martin Luther (1483-1546)

Did we in our own strength confide, our striving would be losing,

Were not the right Man on our side, the Man of God’s own choosing.

You ask who that may be? Christ Jesus, it is he; Lord Sabaoth his name,

From age to age the same and he must win the battle.

Day 230: How Can We Bear This Much Loss?

 DAY 230

                              Faith in the Midst of a Pandemic                     

A series of daily reflections for people of faith

by Rev. Robert Bayley, Interim Pastor

Patuxent Presbyterian Church, California, Maryland

pastorrobert@paxpres.org

Week Thirty-three    Friday 30 October 2020

How Can We Bear This Much Loss?

“If grief could be calculated strictly in the number of lives lost – to war, disease, natural disaster – then this time surely ranks as one of the most sorrowful in United States history. As the nation passes the grim milestone of 200,000 deaths from Covid-19 we know that the grieving has only just begun. It will continue with loss of jobs and social structures; routines and ways of life that have been interrupted may never return. For many, the loss may seem too swift, too great, and too much to bear, each story to some degree a modern version of the biblical trials of Job.” - From an article by the same title in a current newspaper.

Years ago, I viewed a vast assemblage of the woodcut engravings of WiIliam Blake, 1757-1827, at the Tate Britain, a museum gallery in London. Among other Biblical stories, Blake portrayed the story of Job, the universal symbol of suffering figuring in the sacred scriptures of all three Abrahamic faiths – Judaism, Christianity, and Islam. Suffering the loss of all his children and all his possessions, Job cries out, “’Naked I came from my mother’s womb, and naked I will depart. The Lord gave and the Lord has taken away; may the name of the Lord be praised.’” Job 1:21.      

This verse forms the text for one of the plates in Blake’s story of Job, about which the author of the above-referenced article writes, “So, the Book of Job isn’t just about grief or just about faith. It’s also about our attachments – to our identities, our faith, the possessions and people we have in our lives. Grief is a symbol of letting go when we don’t want to.” *

God has promised to place limits on loss, although some like Job feel he has forgotten to keep to them. The Message gives a fresh clear look at this principle when in 1 Corinthians 10:13 it reads: “No test or temptation that comes your way is beyond the course of what others have had to face. All you need to remember is that God will never let you down; he’ll never let you be pushed past your limit; he’ll always be there to help you come through it.” 

*This entire article is worth reading. Google:

  “How Can We Bear This Much Loss?” by Amitha Kalaichandran.

Reflective question: Will God ever allow more loss than we can bear? How much is enough?

Reflective Scripture: Job 13:15 – “’Though he slay me, yet will I trust him.’” – Job.  

Reflective hymn:

‘If You but Trust in God to Guide You” – Paul Gerhardt (1607-1676)

If you but trust in God to guide you and place your confidence in him,

You’ll find him always there beside you to give you hope and strength within;

For those who trust God’s changeless love build on the rock that will not move.