Living with a Spiritual Dimension-by Linden Malki

There are several different ways we can live our lives.  One is to live a purely single-dimensional life; with no interest or concern with anything outside of what is obvious and completely self-centered. Anything that cannot be seen, touched, or comprehended with basic physical senses is not real and not worth the attention. We live in a world with a lot of people like this. Whatever they don't understand isn't important; this can even extend to the point of not caring about anything or anybody that doesn't do anything for them. This can also extend to intellectuals who insist that only what they can prove or imagine is real, and those who judge everyone by their own image. They also often want someone or something outside of themselves to make them "happy."

There are people who know that there is a good chance that there is something beyond the obvious, but have a tendency to want whatever it is to follow their own desires. If they believe in something outside of themselves, they usually think that it can be manipulated for their own benefit. Whatever "God" they believe in, they are trying to control by following all the rules and saying all the right things, and feel they are entitled to get what they want. They often talk about "love" and helpfulness, but it's on their own terms.  Some of them become angry if their expectations are not met on their terms.

The best example we have of a God who cares about us and wants the best for us is the God of the Bible. The first thing we notice is that God does communicate with people, but from His own space. The entire Bible lists examples of His interaction with His creatures--us!  We read that "In the past God spoke to our ancestors through the prophets at many times in various ways, but in these last days He has spoken to us by His Son, whom He appointed heir of all things...".(Hebrews 1:1-2) but we are not supposed to live life on our own knowledge and strength, but that " I can do all things [i]through Him who strengthens me. "(Philippians 4:13).  We are created to live in a multi-level universe; that there is something that we cannot imagine  that has been prepared for those who commit themselves to a relationship with God.  If we admit our own inability to live up to His plan, and turn our struggles over to Him, amazing things can happen.  He can remove the weaknesses, sins, and temptations of this world--I have seen this happen in my own life.

Jesus is the breakthrough of God into our lives--from His birth, His baptism, the times His disciples--and His enemies--saw God connect with His human self, and then His death, Resurrection, and return to His Father. This is Life that is above and beyond the basic world that too many people think is all there is. 

Presents and Presence--by Linden Malki

Why do we give presents at Christmas? It's something that we've all grown up with, and a good part of our economy is tied up with this custom. Everywhere we go, we see decorations and posters and billboards; and the special music is everywhere--some of it religious in theme, and some of it isn't, but it all has a "holiday" message that saturates our culture for a month, and then it all gets packed up and put away for the next 11 months. We all know people who really get into the flavor--they literally totally redecorate their house inside and out, from the lights on the roof to the decorations on the lawn; one of my friends warned me, as we were invited to a Christmas event, that "Christmas threw up at her house." I've had friends, and even people I barely know, beg to borrow money so their family can "have a Christmas", and they can go overboard buying more stuff they don't need or appreciate.

Yes, there are good things about celebrating Christmas--it is a reminder each year that God sent His Son to live as one of us for a short time, and teach us Who God really is, and how to live a life in a relationship with Him. If we learn the lessons that He came to teach, and catch a short glimpse of His Glory, and His love, this can be eternally important to us. If we use this reminder in His name, and show His love and generousity, this can be one of the most important times of the year. I find it interesting that we can go overboard in remembrance of His coming, and yet in a few months, almost let the truly important event of His life go almost unrecognized, But then, babies are sweet and cute and easy to deal with; and an execution and then a Resurrection are supremely important but not "fun".

Even the emphasis on giving has a place--if we remember the lessons that we are offered. The response of "wise men" from outside the Jewish culture that had become ingrown and legalistic, who were given a notice that came from a God who reaches out to all people, is a wake-up call for us. Even the stories of followers like a man called to His service, four hundred years later and hundreds of miles away, who demonstrated with his life that we need to be open to the needs of each other and willing to meet them without wanting personal credit or glory, caught the imagination of a many people in many even farther away places, and Nicholas, bishop of Myra, is still an example of how to give--in recognition of need and in the Name of Jesus, without personal credit or return. Even the distorted and exaggerated stories of St Nicholas, remembered as Santa Claus, remind us that giving is an important part of life in God's world, and it is truly more blessed give than to receive.

Sharing the First Fruits--by Linden Malki

The earliest mention in Genesis of bringing the "first fruits" to God is in the very beginning of the story that became the history of God's people is Cain and Abel, as they bring their results of their first harvests as offerings to God. One thing to notice is that they had more than they needed to feed themselves and their family.  In general, this is true of most of what we do to provide for ourselves--we do usually have the skills and the provisions for more than we need, and we can share our harvests and what we can make with our hands with others. The results are that we can trade with each other to all benefit from the variety of what we can grow and what we can make, and we can give from our harvests and our skills to be able to support those who spend their time and efforts to lead the community in serving God and taking care of each other.

As the earliest communities were formed, usually based on families and their neighbors, included in the guidelines for actually making the community work properly were instructions to bring a "tithe", defined as ten percent, to a central location to where those who cared for the religious observances and the charitable needs of the community had the resources to do their jobs. I can't help noticing that as part of the intelligence that we were endowed with from the beginning were not only language skills, but math skills as well. I've noticed that when archeologists uncover the remains of ancient settlements, they often find collections of clay tablets engraved with records much like the paperwork that we still find necessary to keep a community organized--census data, records of taxes and payments, records of the goods and services produced by members of the community, and even copies of "homework" assignments of the students that are learning how to maintain the records.  We find that people are required to give of what they grow and produce as an offering to God, and  His designated representatives. Some of these are sacrificed in recognition that God does provide what is needed for food to be grown and materials to be used for building and other needs. Some of this production is designated for those charged of caring for the spiritual, educational charitable and organizational needs of the community.

 From the beginning, most communities have recognized their responsibility toward those who care for the needs of the community, and support of the religious and social/political authorities have been seen as a religious and social duty. Part of the instructions believed to have been given to the people by God include certain days of the year to be set apart for recognition and celebration of God's provision for His people. The Jewish and Christian communities no longer include actual sacrifices, (but the Islamic annual pilgrimage to Mecca, and the Passover celebration the small remaining Samaritan community in Israel still offer animal sacrifices). We do celebrate special occasions with special foods and meals, and we do consider regular donations of food and money as required support of the religious and social communities. 

The Special Days We Share as His Family

This time of the year is especially full of occasions to gather--as families, friends, fans of sports teams, shoppers, audiences of all kinds of events and activities.  Many of the things we do during this holiday season has to to do with celebrating historical and religious traditions, and how often do we stop and think about the origins of those traditions? There are more things to celebrate and remember; events in our own family history, our community, our nations and our world. Some are happy memories, some are things that we remember with the idea of never repeating the underlying events.

There are many cultures in our world, and there are different stories and different occasions that become the backbone of our gatherings. Most people in our own "western" culture have a background of a seven-day week, which goes back about four thousand years to a small group of families who believe their ancestors were called by God to follow a set of instructions for living life at its best. The central part of the tradition was a relationship with God, and the growing memories of events that shaped our history and our lives. We have records of people like Abraham, Moses and David that shaped a nation of people who worshiped a God who created us all, and wants us to know and remember what He has done over all these centuries.

The central story we share at this time of the year is a celebration of His stepping into our history and forever changing our lives. Historically, we have agreed to celebrate this at a time of the year that we note the renewal of our physical seasons. We believe that the birth of a specific Baby, two thousand years ago, forever changed our relationship with God, our Creator; and that even though He suffered and died, He came back to life on one spring day and offered to connect us with God in a new and special way. Our lives cycle around a seven-day "week" that is based on a celebration of His Life, and one special day when we come together as His family to share our experiences in His life--the Day that He came back from death to Life, the Life that He offers us for Eternity. 

Old as the Universe, and yet New to each of us!--by Linden Malki

There are three faith traditions based on the relationship of God the Creator of the Universe to His creatures. All three are based on a call of God to a person or persons to follow Him. Two of them describe this calling in terms of a set of rules to obey, so that they may be part of a community that has the favor of God. The third one, while it does have principles by which its followers are called to live, is based not on obedience to rules but a relationship with a Person. What we know about this Person is based partly on a tradition passed down from people who knew Him and lived with Him, partly on the Story of His death and Resurrection, but the most important things we know about Him come from our own experience of Him in our lives.

We are coming into the season of the year that has become the traditional celebration of His coming, as a human baby who was born to be a very special and unusual person. A few people were told Who He was, and from the beginning that knowledge brought both rejoicing and fear. That is still true; there are those who recognize His promise of life, not only in this world but beyond it, in His presence. There are also those who fear the disruption of their lives if they were to take His word seriously. He said and did things that were both recognizable to those who had heard of God, and upsetting to those who thought they knew everything they needed or wanted to know of God.  He could be gentle with children, and welcoming to those who were outside of the ancient Jewish tradition. He could be scathing with those who claimed to have a monopoly on God, who were judgmental and unforgiving to those who fell short of what they thought were God's standards. He had little patience with those who expected God to send legions of angels to crush the occupying Roman empire and restore their dreams of running the world.

Jesus came with a message and a promise to the whole world, not just those who bragged of their promised vindication, but of all the world that would recognize God's power, offered not as a crushing imperial slavery but available as a gift which had to be opened to be used. He told a small group of men that responded to His offer of a new life that they would be responsible for reaching out to all the world, from Jerusalem (which tried to bring God's kingdom by force and was destroyed in the process), to Samaria, where remnants of the Northern Kingdom of Israel had hung onto their version of the prophecies and who recognized and welcomed Jesus' refugee followers, to the world outside who had heard of the Jewish traditions, and the wider world that was totally outside of that culture.  We have the stories; we have the instruction book; have we opened our lives to Him and His Spirit, and His calling to a new life?                                       

     

The Price of Leadership--by Linden Malki

The list of qualifications that St Paul gives Timothy is very demanding--but it is not only a good checklist for leaders, but for each of us. (Think how much more smoothly life would be if everybody was like this.!) It is interesting that from the beginning of Jesus' ministry, He called a group of men to be with Him and learn from Him. They did a fairly good job of living up to Jesus' requirements, though they did miss the point a few times, and of course one of them was a phony and troublemaker. Peter had a tendency to have a self-control deficiency, but he was willing to stop and straighten out.  But there were things that Jesus taught that needed to be part of any teachings that were shared with others. The early Church was wrestling with the calling to preach the existence and authority of God, the teaching and life of Jesus, and the obligations of members of a community of believers to God and each other. The tradition of meeting as a community goes all the way back to the family of Jacob, who became a community that had been touched by God and chosen to teach others what this meant.

The coming of Jesus changed the nature of this community, from one whose basic identification was a family, to one that adopted anyone who was willing to accept the calling to identify with Jesus as Lord, and connect with God the Father, and His desire for personal relationship with all people who would respond to His message. The last human words we have on record from Jesus is a command to go and welcome all who were willing into this relationship, beyond the family of Abraham, Isaac and Jacob.  This new community as commanded by Jesus, reached out not only to those who were familiar with this God. but to their relatives in Samaria and then to the wider world.

This calling got a mixed response; there were those who embraced the opportunity to have a relationship with their Creator, and those who rejected it. We have seen through the centuries the havoc caused by those who take this position in a wrong direction, of personal failure, greed, abuse, and other sins that can destroy the community and be a misleading and dangerous witness to the world.  We, who are committed to God's Word and His people, need to hold our leaders accountable and pray and support them in their calling. 

Come Before Him with Song! --by Linden Malki

Music has been part of life for as long as we have existed, as far as we know. We are created with the capacity to make sounds, and use the sounds to communicate with other people, as well as animals. But beyond the gift of communication, we are also blessed with voices that can create harmonious sounds, that can express many different feelings, usually pleasurable. We can make pleasant sounds with all sorts of things--things that we can bang on, things that we can whistle with, strings that can be tensioned, tuned and plucked or bowed. And, more than that, we have the ability to hear and appreciate.

We also have the ability to recognize and appreciate the sounds made by other creatures--especially birds, but also other animals.  And there are evidences that animals can respond to music as well as our voices and the sounds of other creatures. We also respond to noises of inanimate objects--big things like the ocean, as well as little tiny things like a clock ticking.

We also realize that God has used the wonder of sound to interact with His creation; He uses the ability He created in us to make not just sounds but music, and voices that can be controlled and combined to make both simple music, like a child singing "Jesus Loves Me", and wonderful soaring music like the "Hallelujah Chorus."  We also can use music to tell a story. One of the first musical stories that that has been preserved is Moses and Miriam's song celebrating the defeat of the Egyptians in the sea.  This not only reminds us of the event, but it combines the story of God's action with praise and thanks for the God who showed His power in the lives of His people.  We read: "Then Moses and the sons of Israel sang this song to the Lord, and said,I will sing to the Lord, for He is highly exalted;The horse and its rider He has hurled into the sea. The Lord is my strength and song, And He has become my salvation; This is my God, and I will praise Him; My father’s God, and I will extol Him." (Exodus 15:1-2) We also have songs of David, Solomon, and many other writers and singers. Solomon's Temple was a place of singing--we find  among the musicians on staff in the Temple grandsons of the prophet Samuel; and the longest single Book in the Bible is a songbook. We have stories of children praising God in song, and all sorts of people in all sorts of places. We should thank God that He gives us the gift of song--that can then return to Him in our Praise!