Mark 16:14 In Christ, without seeing, by faith we believe!

 John 20:19

Then, the same day at evening, being the first day of the week, when the doors were shut where the disciples were assembled, for fear of the Jews, Jesus came and stood in the midst, and said to them, “Peace be with you.” 

The only way to right standing with God is through the salvation of Jesus. In Him is peace with the Father. In Jesus God sees His righteousness  and not ours. All people and all nations will face judgement. Those who are covered in the blood of the Lamb will be saved and will only face the rewards of the good deeds done while they were alive. Others will be judged for all the good or the evil they committed. We are welcomed in the name of Jesus to the supper of the Lamb slain for the world. Blessed are those who without seeing…believe! Carla

Mark 16:14 

Later He appeared to the eleven as they sat at the table; and He rebuked their unbelief and hardness of heart, because they did not believe those who had seen Him after He had risen. NKJV

After Judas’ demise (Matthew 27:3–5; Acts 1:16–18), the disciples were known for a while as the eleven. Jesus upbraided these disciples for not believing the accounts of eyewitnesses, but He pronounced a blessing on “those who have not seen and yet have believed” (John 20:29). The NKJV Study Bible

This passage, which has been designated the longer ending of Mark, summarizes the risen Jesus’ dealings with His disciples as narrated in the other canonical Gospels. Based on manuscript evidence, it probably is a later addition intended to harmonize Mark’s account with those of Matthew, Luke, and John. Some manuscripts include a so-called shorter ending—several sentences typically placed immediately before verses 9–20. It, too, is thought to have been added later. Faithlife Study Bible

Luke 24:36–43

Now as they said these things, Jesus Himself stood in the midst of them, and said to them, “Peace to you.” But they were terrified and frightened, and supposed they had seen a spirit…

1 Corinthians 15:5

and that He was seen by Cephas, then by the twelve. 

Mark 16:11–13

And when they heard that He was alive and had been seen by her, they did not believe.After that, He appeared in another form to two of them as they walked and went into the country…

John 20:25–26

The other disciples therefore said to him, “We have seen the Lord.”So he said to them, “Unless I see in His hands the print of the nails, and put my finger into the print of the nails, and put my hand into His side, I will not believe.”And after eight days His disciples were again inside, and Thomas with them. Jesus came, the doors being shut, and stood in the midst, and said, “Peace to you!”

So. Here’s the deal; This little light of mine… that light still shines.
What does it mean to let that light shine in today’s world?

In Fr. Greg Boyle’s Barking to the Choir (about his work with Homeboy Industries, gang intervention, rehab and reentry), he replays a conversation with Jermaine (after 20 years in prison, which in my mind, qualifies as a boatload of sediment).
Fr. Greg wonders aloud how Jermaine stays so upbeat.
Jermaine tells Fr. Greg, “I’ve decided to be loving and kind in the world. Now… just hopin’… the world will return the favor.”
Which is another way of saying, Jermaine can still see the light. Thank you, Jermaine.
Fr. Greg calls these conversations “salvific stories.” As you spend your days, well, you live your life.
In all of us, there is a tussle between weakening of hope, and the hunger in our own soul for hope (a hunger David Whyte describes as “that small, bright and indescribable wedge of freedom” in our heart).
Today, I can live with that. And today, I can make choices from that place. Choices to cherish life—and dignity and integrity and honesty and human connection—and not to demean it.

There is a story about a kind, quiet man who prays in the Ganges River every morning. One day after praying, he sees a poisonous spider struggling in the water and cups his hands to carry it ashore. As he places the spider on the ground, it stings him. Unknowingly, his prayers for the world dilute the poison.
The next day the same thing happens. On the third day, the kind man is knee deep in the river, and, sure enough, there is the spider, legs frantic in the water.
As the man lifts the creature yet again, the spider asks, "Why do you keep lifting me? Can't you see I will sting you every time, because that is what I do?"
And the kind man cups his hands about the spider, lifts the spider and replies, "Because that is what I do."

A man dies and stands at the pearly gates. St. Peter asks, “Tell me, where are your scars?”
The man replies, “I don’t have any.”
St. Peter, “That’s too bad, was there nothing on earth worth fighting for?”
Yes. So, today, if someone asks you what you “do,” tell them, “I do my best to lift others up.”
So. What will I choose to care for—to be loving and kind in today’s world? What will I choose to say matters?
In what ways can I say No to apathy and indifference and resignation.
To say No to anything that demeans or belittles another child of God?
In what ways can I say Yes to, “I do my best to lift others up.”

And let’s be very clear. The spider story is not about returning to “toxic” relationships and ignoring personal well-being. It is about honoring what really does make a difference, especially for people who are vulnerable or struggling. With everything that's going on in the world, now is the time to help make a kinder society that improves the mental health of all.

As Martin Luther King Jr. reminds us, “Never, never be afraid to do what's right, especially if the well-being of a person or animal is at stake. Society's punishments are small compared to the wounds we inflict on our soul when we look the other way.”

(And if you need an inducement… it wouldn’t hurt to remind ourselves that when we are kind and compassionate, there are clear benefits to our own well-being and happiness—yes, reducing stress. We may even live longer. Who knew?)

Okay, I will admit. There have been times when "kind" people worry me. You know, those with “that smile” glued to their face. As if there's an agenda, and I didn't get the memo. Or they need to prove a point to work off some kind of cosmic debt.
However. I've met many truly kind people. My grandmother, for one. Sometimes I'm certain that her kindness saved me.
I realize that my confession is that I don't come close to that kind of kindness. At least that's what I tell myself. I've been selfish and have squandered too many opportunities. So, the stories of the sage and the spider and Mr. Rogers seem a stretch. But I do get the point... Spiders sting. Wolves howl. And—the good news—human beings lift each other up, no matter the consequence, even when other beings sting. Sabbath Moments

The Spirit of truth abides within us!

 John 14:15-21

Jesus said, ”If you love me, you will keep my commandments. And I will ask the Father, and he will give you another Advocate, to be with you forever. This is the Spirit of truth, whom the world cannot receive, because it neither sees him nor knows him. You know him, because he abides with you, and he will be in you.

”I will not leave you orphaned; I am coming to you. In a little while the world will no longer see me, but you will see me; because I live, you also will live. On that day you will know that I am in my Father, and you in me, and I in you. They who have my commandments and keep them are those who love me; and those who love me will be loved by my Father, and I will love them and reveal myself to them.”

1 Corinthians 3:18-23 We belong to God and that is all that truly matters!

Job 5:13

He catches the wise in their own craftiness,

And the counsel of the cunning comes quickly upon them.

The very Spirit of the Godhead protects us from the evil that desires to kill, steal  and destroy our faith. Be still and know that greater is He in us as believers than the evil that seeks to destroy us. We belong to God. This is a day the Lord has made. I thank you God for the ordinary days that You have given me. In this miraculous gift  of life i rejoice. Carla

1 Corinthians 3:18-23

Let no one deceive himself. If anyone among you seems to be wise in this age, let him become a fool that he may become wise. 19 For the wisdom of this world is foolishness with God. For it is written, “He catches the wise in their own craftiness”; 20 and again, “The Lord knows the thoughts of the wise, that they are futile.” 21 Therefore let no one boast in men. For all things are yours: 22 whether Paul or Apollos or Cephas, or the world or life or death, or things present or things to come—all are yours. 23 And you are Christ’s, and Christ is God’s. NKJV

The wisdom of this world does not coincide with God’s wisdom, the foolishness of Christ crucified (1:18–25). Paul quotes from Job 5:13 and Psalm 94:11 to urge the members of the Corinthian church to humble themselves.

The Stoic literature of the time, which the Corinthians would have known, often spoke of the wise man as possessing everything. 

Everything God has done in the church, and in the entire universe, benefits all believers. There is no place for foolish boasting or competition among Christians. The NKJV Study Bible

Paul quotes Psalm 94:11 to disparage human wisdom.

Paul’s instruction echoes Jeremiah  9:24. The Corinthian believers must no longer identify themselves by the ministers they prefer, because it is causing rivalry and strife in the community.

Paul reminds them that the ministers actually belong to the people being taught, not the other way around (verse 22). Paul subverts the Corinthians’ allegiance to individual leaders (being “of” a particular leader) by reminding them that they are all “of Christ” (verse 23). Faithlife Study Bible

Psalm 94:11

The LORD knows the thoughts of man,

That they are futile.

1 Corinthians 1:20

Where is the wise? Where is the scribe? Where is the disputer of this age? Has not God made foolish the wisdom of this world? 

2 Corinthians 10:7

Do you look at things according to the outward appearance? If anyone is convinced in himself that he is Christ’s, let him again consider this in himself, that just as he is Christ’s, even so we are Christ’s

Here's the deal: We all practice a finely honed proficiency at imagining our life residing in an event or experience or occasion other than the one we are in right now.
That proficiency is ratcheted up when our circumstances are, shall we say, less than ideal. And with irony, we also carry it into the moments where we do feel alive and grateful. 

There are those lucky moments, when we recognize and embrace the here and now. But I’ll be, if we don't want to bottle it up and sell it on e-bay. (This makes me think of the Transfiguration story in Mark's Gospel. Peter is so worked up he wants to build three condos and call it permanent). Or worse yet, we feel compelled to evaluate or measure each experience, as if a superlative is a requirement for its enjoyment. Somehow, ordinary is not enough.
Take a deep breath. And take to heart Jim Elliot’s reminder, “Wherever you are, be all there.”

Here's what I do know.
While waiting for perfect, we pass on ordinary.
While waiting for better, we don't give our best effort to good.
While waiting for new and improved, we leach the joy right out of this, or any, moment.
In a culture of lottery winners and bigger and louder and faster and newer and shinier, ordinary gets lost in the din. Ordinary, like watching dusk settle while reading on the patio, counting nuthatches when they return to the feeder, enjoying homemade jam on homemade bread (a sweetness that makes you believe in heaven) and finding delight in a book about Einstein and a Rabbi. Ordinary, yes. But a day without the heaviness of expectation, worry or fear.
And I do find the wisdom of May Sarton fitting (and her sentiment is mine), "There is a slight lifting of the air so I can smell the earth for the first time, and yesterday I again took possession of my life here."
I like Richard Rohr’s take, “The world insists that we are what we do and achieve, but contemplation invites us to practice under-doing and under-achieving, reminding us of the simple grace and humility of being human.”

My friends, let us embrace the reminder that our reality is not determined only by circumstance, and that we do have agency. Yes, the capacity, and power, to choose.
It matters. It makes a difference.

Sabbath Moments

Lord, make us instruments of Your peace.

Help us to recognize the evil latent in a communication that does not build communion.

Help us to remove the venom from our judgements.
Help us to speak about others as our brothers and sisters.
You are faithful and trustworthy; may our words be seeds of goodness for the world:
where there is shouting, let us practice listening;
where there is confusion, let us inspire harmony;
where there is ambiguity, let us bring clarity;
where there is exclusion, let us offer solidarity;
where there is sensationalism, let us use sobriety;
where there is superficiality, let us raise real questions;
where there is prejudice, let us awaken trust;
where there is hostility, let us bring respect;
where there is falsehood, let us bring truth.
Amen.
Pope Francis

Romans 10:8-13 Jesus, the cornerstone, of our faith.

 Matthew10:32

“Therefore whoever confesses Me before men, him I will also confess before My Father who is in heaven.

Everyone who depends on Jesus will be saved. The mercy and grace of God to is given to those who choose to believe Him. All God-all man. God so loves  the world that whoever calls on Him could be  saved. Our  slate is washed clean in the blood of our Savior. He gave His life without sin in exchange for ours. All praise and honor to our Almighty God, Father, Son and Holy Spirit. They will get us safely home. Carla

Romans 10:8-13

But what does it say? “The word is near you, in your mouth and in your heart” (that is, the word of faith which we preach): 9 that if you confess with your mouth the Lord Jesus and believe in your heart that God has raised Him from the dead, you will be saved. 10 For with the heart one believes unto righteousness, and with the mouth confession is made unto salvation. 11 For the Scripture says, “Whoever believes on Him will not be put to shame.” 12 For there is no distinction between •Jew and Greek, for the same Lord over all is rich to all who call upon Him. 13 •For “•whoever calls on the name of the Lord shall be saved.” NKJV

Confess comes before believe in this verse because “mouth” precedes “heart” in Deuteronomy (verse 8). The order is reversed in the next verse. One has to confess with the mouth to be saved. For indicates that this verse explains verse 9. The condition for righteousness, that is for being justified, is internal faith. The condition of salvation, meaning deliverance from wrath and from the power of sin, is external confession (verses 1; 5:9, 10), which is calling on the Lord for help (verses 12, 13). 

What is righteousness? Most of us immediately think of a person trying to keep a list of rules, like a little boy or girl who never steps over the line. When Paul speaks of righteousness in Romans, he means far more than this commonsense understanding of the word. He draws on the Old Testament concept of righteousness, which speaks of a proper relationship between God and a person, or between God and His people.

In the Old Testament, righteousness is fundamentally an attribute of God (Psalm 71:15; 119:42). He alone is truly righteous. He is the One who remains faithful, to His promises, His covenant with Israel, and the Law. In turn, the Israelites as God’s people had the responsibility to exemplify God’s righteousness on this earth. Ultimately, this meant they had to love and worship the living God alone. 

• The Law of Moses could be summed up in that command and its corollary, “You shall love your neighbor as yourself” (Leviticus 19:18; Mark 12:31). Tragically, the Israelites did not comply. They proved unfaithful to the covenant, although God proved Himself as faithful. By sending prophets to His people, the Lord warned them again and again of their sinfulness. Finally He had to discipline them, with famine, military defeat, and even exile in Babylon. But God remained faithful, and He restored His people to the land and to Himself when they repented and turned to Him.
• 
  

After their return from Babylon, the Israelites confused righteousness with a strict adherence to the Law as recorded in the Pentateuch. Indeed, the Jewish religious leaders added numerous amendments to the Law to ensure that no one would inadvertently break it. Zealous obedience to the Law was equated with righteousness. Yet mere external compliance to a set of rules did not please the Lord. What God wanted was repentant, humbled hearts that truly worshiped Him. He wanted to be the God of their hearts and minds, and the center of their devotion.

In his letter to the Romans, Paul clearly states that no one has achieved this standard; no one has completely loved and worshiped the Lord as they should (3:23). All have sinned. No good work or outward appearance of piety can restore a proper relationship with the Holy One (Isaiah 64:6). On the one hand, the Gentiles did not pursue a right relationship with their Creator, so they had been given over to all kinds of evil (1:18–31). On the other hand, the Jews through external obedience to the Law and their traditions were attempting to justify themselves before God (9:31, 32). Both failed. Jesus is the only One who can stand before the glorious God; He is the only One who is truly righteous. Remarkably, He has offered us a way out of our slavery to sin. By placing our faith and trust in Him, we can be declared righteous. We can have a righteousness that has nothing to do with our own works but instead relies on Jesus’ sinless life and His sacrificial death for our sins. The Lord forgives us and declares us righteous because of our identification by faith with the righteousness of His Son (4:5). Through Jesus, we can finally be released from the guilt of our sins. Not only can we approach the Holy One in praise and thankfulness, but we can do God’s will. The NKJV Study Bible

Paul cites Deuteronomy 30:14 to affirm the accessibility of the word of faith. Just as Moses announced the accessible nature of the law, Paul announces the accessible nature of the gospel. This word is especially near because the Spirit wrote it upon the hearts and minds of believers (Jeremiah 31:33; 2 Corinthians 3:3).

To confess with your mouth “Jesus is Lord” describes an outward expression of inward trust. Paul does not regard believing in the heart and confessing with the mouth as separate activities, but as parts of a singular expression of faith in Jesus’ lordship. God raised him from the dead. Paul presented God’s resurrection of Christ as the basis of the believer’s justification before God (Romans 4:25; 5:1). Therefore, faith in the resurrection is essential. The resurrection also shows that God vindicated Christ from the shame of the cross (9:33). Elsewhere in his letters, Paul associates Christ’s resurrection with His lordship (Ephesians 1:19–22; Philippians 2:9).

Righteousness refers to a right relationship with God that has been restored after placing faith in Jesus as Lord (Romans 5:1, 10; 8:1). Here the term is close in meaning to salvation.

Everyone who believes in him is a quote  from Isaiah 28:16, adding the Greek word pas, meaning “everyone” or “all,” to demonstrate that this promise applies to both Jewish and non-Jewish people (Romans 9:33). Both Jews and Gentiles are under God’s judgment because of sin (3:9–20), yet both are eligible for righteousness through faith in Christ.

The expression “call upon him” In the Old Testament, referred to prayer directed toward Yahweh (Genesis 4:26; 12:8; 13:4). The Greek word kyrios, translated “Lord,” refers to Jesus Christ. Thus, Paul identifies Jesus Christ with Yahweh of the Old Testament. Faithlife Study Bible.

Deuteronomy 30:12–14

It is not in heaven, that you should say, ‘Who will ascend into heaven for us and bring it to us, that we may hear it and do it?’ Nor is it beyond the sea, that you should say, ‘Who will go over the sea for us and bring it to us, that we may hear it and do it?’…

Joel 2:32

And it shall come to pass

That whoever calls on the name of the LORD

Shall be saved.

For in Mount Zion and in Jerusalem there shall be deliverance,

As the LORD has said,

Among the remnant whom the LORD calls.

Romans 3:29

Or is He the God of the Jews only? Is He not also the God of the Gentiles? Yes, of the Gentiles also, 

Israel 28:16

Therefore thus says the Lord GOD:

“Behold, I lay in Zion a stone for a foundation,

A tried stone, a precious cornerstone, a sure foundation;

Whoever believes will not act hastily.

Matthew10:32

“Therefore whoever confesses Me before men, him I will also confess before My Father who is in heaven.

Here is our grounding power: To see is to be open.
Seeing allows awe.
And awe gives birth to gratitude.
Which means, in the words of Meister Eckhart, “If the only prayer you said in your whole life was, 'thank you,' that would suffice.”
Borrowing from Barbara Brown Taylor, that which draws me to faith is not the believing parts, but the beholding parts. In other words, awe always precedes faith.

One of my favorite stories is the little boy saying to his mama, "Mama, Mama, listen to me. But this time, with your eyes."
Be there... This is not easy when we have measurements about what makes being there, being present, okay...
Be there... in other words, we don't run from the moment (even moments that unnerve and distress).
We don't suffocate the moment with stuff (physical and mental).
We don't sanitize the moment with platitudes.
We sit. We listen. We look. We taste. We smell. We see.
And we look for the light of God in the most ordinary, and even the most dull, of contexts.
And we make choices that spill that light of God, in places where darkness is wounding, and where healing and restoration are indispensable.

I know this: I preordain, when I hope or try to orchestrate, rather than just experience, just be. I also know that whether it is experience or relationship or liturgy or prayer or meditation, if you don't bring it with you, you're not going to find it there.
We’ve been shaped for this—“and be there”—through loss, through love, through everything we didn’t foresee and somehow survived anyway. It may look like delight. It may look like purpose. It may look like simply getting up one more time and refusing to look away. Sabbath Moments