Proverbs 22:16 Poverty of spirit is a frightening end.

 James 2:13 For judgment is without mercy to the one who has shown no mercy. Mercy triumphs over judgment.

Many things are tolerated by society few are chosen by the wise. We are our brothers’ keeper whether we like it or not. Love your neighbors was the command of Jesus the very word of God made flesh. Even Solomon, who wrote most of the Proverbs and  was given great wisdom, in the end of his life turned from God. Great is the fall of those who believe and turn away. It is a warning to all of us. Poverty of Sprit is a frightening end. Carla

Proverbs 22:16

He who oppresses the poor to increase his riches,

And he who gives to the rich, will surely come to poverty.  (NKJV)

The last of the proverbs of Solomon in this collection deals with social justice. Ultimately, all human affairs are in God’s hands, even though at times the wicked prosper. God made both the poor and the rich (verse 2) and He will justly determine their destinies (24:12). The NKJV Study Bible

James 2:14-17

What does it profit, my brethren, if someone says he has faith but does not have works? Can faith save him? 15 If a brother or sister is naked and destitute of daily food, 16 and one of you says to them, “Depart in peace, be warmed and filled,” but you do not give them the things which are needed for the body, what does it profit? 17 Thus also faith by itself, if it does not have works, is dead. 

Proverbs 28:22

A man with an evil eye hastens after riches,

And does not consider that poverty will come upon him.

Ecclesiastes 5:8

If you see the oppression of the poor, and the violent perversion of justice and righteousness in a province, do not marvel at the matter; for high official watches over high official, and higher officials are over them.

Proverbs 11:24

There is one who scatters, yet increases more;

And there is one who withholds more than is right,

But it leads to poverty.

This is the gift I received on my pilgrimage, walking the Camino de Santiago. I learned that my journey was not about “arrival”, or walking focused only on a “destination”, but the healing gift of reframing—and receiving—what it means to “be at home”. It was the invitation to open my eyes, to see, and embrace, the place where love dwells.
And I smile, remembering Laura Ingalls Wilder’s authenticity, “Home is the nicest word there is.”
So, let us begin here: This love Nouwen refers to, gives us a birthright gift of self. Every one of us—let me repeat, “every one of us”—arrives with our own gifted form, with the shape of our own sacred soul.
Parker Palmer observes, “Biblical faith calls it the image of God in which we are all created. Thomas Merton calls it true self. Quakers call it the inner light, or ‘that of God’ in every person. The humanist tradition calls it identity and integrity. No matter what you call it, it is a pearl of great price.”

It is true, there are many things that “take us away” from home—the feeling of “not being at home.” And not having a house isn't among them. I'm thinking of things such as anger, busyness, self-importance, self-doubt, unforgiveness, despair, frenzied consumerism, and bitterness. It is seldom sudden.
And heartbreakingly, now in our world, too many among us are being told “you are not at home here, because you don’t belong here.”
But in every instance of disconnect, there is this reality—and it’s easy to see how this new weight becomes the definition for our identity (and of the identity, of every person who is dishonored). 

Buckminster Fuller, he of geodesic dome fame, said that scarcity is about a “you-or-me world,” and sufficiency is about a “you-and-me world.” 

Let us remember: We are on this journey together.

I get it.  

If we begin with sufficiency, then perhaps what we “carry”—our home—is not stuff (or things or possessions) but rather opportunities.

Opportunities to be generous, big-hearted, kind, human.

Opportunities to be thoughtful, empathetic, and attentive.

Opportunities to offer hope.  And yes, even if the gift we give (or the light that shines) comes from a wounded or broken heart.

I have an idea... This week let's break the rules. The old rules demand that we obtain, consume, clutch, win at any cost—with no shame in hurting and demeaning others, and give only when it makes sense (or there is a payoff).

As a result, we see only what we want to see.

We do have a home—full of gifts and a light that shines. A place that anchors us and sustains us. And also, a birthplace and incubator for creating space, offering sanctuary and affirmation and generosity for those who are left out. So. What houses (encounter, gift of generosity or healing, conversation, helping hand, smile, hug, and yes, saying “no” to cruelty) can we put “our home” in today? Sabbath Moments

Give thanks!

Rejoice in the Lord always; again I will say, Rejoice. Let your gentleness be known to everyone. The Lord is near. Do not worry about anything, but in everything by prayer and supplication with thanksgiving let your requests be made known to God.

Like the Psalmist, Paul discovered that gratefulness is the path of revolutionary joy. Beauty, feasting, and giving thanks subvert the power of enemies — and restore those oppressed by persecution, suffering, and even death to the fullness of faith, hope, and love.

Ultimately, all of today’s lectionary readings are about enemies. The two readings I skipped I can now reread. There aren’t two gods — one of vengeance and one of tenderness. But the One God of Israel and of Jesus Christ is, in both testaments, the God of loving provision and protection, whose very presence in the face of violence calls forth gratitude. The texts of terror need to be read in that light — the evils of death and destruction, the enemies of all humankind, can occasion the most powerful poetry of our souls. We can rise to goodness and mercy even in the worst of circumstances.

If there is vengeance to be had, let us leave that to the mystery of God. In the meanwhile, let’s stick with what we know: God is love. God is with us. God provides. God sets a table in the wilderness. The good gifts of life still surround us all, even when evil seems poised to win.

Think about these things. Give thanks.

Diane Butler Bass

The Cottage 

Philippians 4:8-9 Concentrate on the good, be fair, forgive easily and always be humble!

 Romans 15:33 Now the God of peace be with you all. Amen.

On nights when sleep alludes me I remind myself of the faith of Abraham and Sarah. It brings me peace to remember that faith above all pleases God. In my imperfection I remind myself that God thought of me and you when Jesus came to this earth to give up His perfect life in our place. God loves the world and all the people in it, His creation, shouldn’t we do the same? Carla

Philippians 4:8-9

8 Finally, brethren, whatever things are true, whatever things are noble, whatever things are just, whatever things are pure, whatever things are lovely, whatever things are of good report, if there is any virtue and if there is anything praiseworthy—meditate on these things. 9 The things which you learned and received and heard and saw in me, these do, and the God of peace will be with you. (NKJV)

Noble describes that which is of honorable character. Pure is closely associated with the Greek word for holy and thus means “sacred” or “immaculate.” Paul commands the Philippians “to deliberate,” “to evaluate,” “to compute over and over” what is good and pure. In this way, Christians can renew their minds so that they will not conform to the evil habits of this world (Romans  12:2). The NKJV Study Bible.

The Greek word used here for peace, eirēnē, conveys a range of meanings, including well-being, prosperity, freedom from anxiety, safety from harm, and deliverance from enemies. Paul envisions God’s peace as a soldier who protects the hearts and minds of believers from anxiety, fear, and doubt. Faithlife Study Bible

Philippians 3:17

Brethren, join in following my example, and note those who so walk, as you have us for a pattern. 

1 Thessalonians 4:1

Finally then, brethren, we urge and exhort in the Lord Jesus that you should abound more and more, just as you received from us how you ought to walk and to please God; 

Romans 14:18

For he who serves Christ in these things is acceptable to God and approved by men.

1 Corinthians 4:16

Therefore I urge you, imitate me.

Some days, we wake up in a world that is not a friend of grace. At least, it doesn’t feel so.
And I take to heart my friend’s reminder, that we find sanity and sanctuary when we stop and distinguish between big world and small world. Yes. With big world, news is in your face and stoked with anger. No wonder we feel as if our control is demoted. And we ask, how can I make a difference in a broken world?
Well that’s just it, we make a difference in the small world.
The small world is the place where we stand. Today. Where we care and give a damn. And hug and give and try and love and fall down, and get up and repent, and cry and embrace, and challenge and reconcile, and heal.

Makes me smile. Yes. Making a difference in the small world with compassion free of ulterior motive, and straight from the heart. The path we walk (the choices we make), is not arbitrary, or because we mentally assent to a certain creed. It is guided by and fueled by an identity that is grounded in and spills from sufficiency, and not scarcity. Sufficiency is that place where Grace is received and given freely.
Sufficiency where we remember Jesus’ words to each of us, “You are the light of the world.” He didn’t ask us to make the light. Just shine it. When I live from scarcity, I’ve lost my mooring. I’m driven by “not enough.” I clutch, and I blame.

When I live from sufficiency, I am not compensating for what is missing, the world does not make me hate, I trust my heart, and any assumed scarcity (of kindness and compassion) does not get to say how the story ends.

But how? And where do we begin in a broken world?

There is a well-known story concerning a Rabbi who came across the prophet Elijah, and asked him: “Tell me—when will the Messiah come?”

Elijah replied, “Go and ask him yourself.”

“Where is he?” asked the Rabbi.

“He’s sitting at the gates of the city,” said Elijah.

“But how will I know which one is he?”

The Prophet replied, “He is sitting among the poor, covered with wounds. The others unbind all their wounds at the same time and bind them up again, but he unbinds only one at a time and binds them up again, saying to himself, ‘Perhaps I shall be needed; if so, I must always be ready so as not to delay for a moment.’” Sabbath Moments

James 5:16 God hears our prayers!

 1 Peter 2:24 who Himself bore our sins in His own body on the tree, that we, having died to sins, might live for righteousness—by whose stripes you were healed.

What father when his child asks him for food gives him a stone? our Heavenly Father cares for us just like He does with the beautiful natural abundance that He provided for us to live in. God provides rain for both the just and the unjust because He loves the world that He created. He is quick to forgive us our sins when we bring them to Him. He cares for us! Shouldn’t we do the same for others? Carla

James 5:16

Confess your trespasses to one another, and pray for one another, that you may be healed. The effective, fervent prayer of a righteous man avails much.  (NKJV)

This confession is not necessarily between the sick person and the elders, though this is not ruled out altogether. Instead, this exhortation is intended for the sick person and any person with whom the sick one needs to be reconciled. 

Effective, fervent prayer … much: This can mean either that (1) prayer is effective when it is used or (2) fervent prayer accomplishes great results. The illustration of Elijah may favor the latter meaning, for he prayed earnestly. The NKJV Study Bible

After offering his thoughts on practicing the virtues of wisdom (3:13–5:6), James turns to instructions about how to endure suffering, develop a reliance on God, and work with another. Faithlife Study Bible

Hebrews 12:13

and make straight paths for your feet, so that what is lame may not be dislocated, but rather be healed.

John 9:31

Now we know that God does not hear sinners; but if anyone is a worshiper of God and does His will, He hears him. 

Matthew 3:6

and were baptized by him in the Jordan, confessing their sins.

Acts 19:18

And many who had believed came confessing and telling their deeds. 

Today, I am glad for any reminder that “It is in the shelter of each other that the people live.” (Irish Proverb).

Today, in a world where cruelty is unmistakable, I am glad for any reminder of the capacity to be fully human, tender, vulnerable, and kindhearted.

Today, I am glad for any reminder that the human world of helping is larger than our fear, or anxiety, or our ego.

And no, this is not easy to do in a world that does not honor slowing down, or making (honoring) space for healing and restoration.

To do justice. To love mercy. To walk humbly with our God.

To bring peace to the old. To have trust in our friends. To cherish the young. Sometimes, it seems, we ask too much. Sometimes we forget that the small graces are enough.
Our Jewish brothers and sisters use a prayer beginning, Barukh Adonai, Blessing God, or seeing God in all things, in all places. It is a way of slowing down.
So, wherever you are, take a moment. Be still. Breathe in. Breathe out.
Light a candle.
Carry a talisman (a stone or some object from a place) that reminds you of a sacred space.
Say the rosary.
Watch the birds dance at the feeders.
Walk in a park, and enjoy the autumn air.
Spend an afternoon in your special chair.
Or, wander a garden, and smile real big.

“By means of a diversion we can avoid our own company 24 hours a day.” Pascal

Sabbath Moments

Jeremiah 29:11-13 Jesus came with shouts of peace, peace to the people on earth!

 Jeremiah 24:7 Then I will give them a heart to know Me, that I am the LORD; and they shall be My people, and I will be their God, for they shall return to Me with their whole heart

We will probably never understand why good people suffer but we can know that it is not the way of God. He cares for us and He is in control. Ultimately He doesn’t want anyone to be without Him. Just as He told Jonah about the people of Ninevah they mattered to Him. People matter to God and He prolongs the window of His salvation even if there are very few who return the love that He offers.  God gave the world that He created over to mankind and in our  free will we choose to care or not to care for His creation. We choose whom we will serve. We can rest assured that our faith is honored above all and how we treat others is our outward expression of our love for God. We can choose to respect others even those we disagree with. We can choose good and not evil and with the power of Holy Spirit it is attainable. He promises us that if we seek Him with all our heart He will give us a new heart of love and we will find Him. Carla

Jeremiah 29:11-13

For I know the thoughts that I think toward you, says the Lord, thoughts of peace and not of evil, to give you a future and a hope. 12 Then you will call upon Me and go and pray to Me, and I will listen to you. 13 And you will seek Me and find Me, when you search for Me with all your heart. (NKJV)

Yahweh assures the exiles that His long-term plan is good and that He has not abandoned them. Their national calamity would have precipitated feelings of hopelessness and abandonment. I will restore is a  promise of salvation based on Deuteronomy 30:3 and a common image in the prophetic books. Faithlife Study Bible

I know the thoughts that I think: The Lord here places considerable emphasis on His unchangeable plan to bring peace and not evil. A future … a hope. God had not terminated His relationship with Judah; He remembered His covenant promises of restoration (Deuteronomy 30:1–10).

The promised response of the Lord to the people’s prayers stands in contrast to His refusal to hear in 7:16. The picture here differs greatly from the usual depiction of the heart of the people of Judah as stubborn and wicked (3:10; 4:14; 7:24). God would search the people’s heart and reveal its true character (11:20). The NKJV Study Bible

Deuteronomy 4:29

But from there you will seek the LORD your God, and you will find Him if you seek Him with all your heart and with all your soul. 

Jeremiah 33:3

‘Call to Me, and I will answer you, and show you great and mighty things, which you do not know.’

Daniel 9:3

Then I set my face toward the Lord God to make request by prayer and supplications, with fasting, sackcloth, and ashes. 

Psalm 145:19

He will fulfill the desire of those who fear Him;

He also will hear their cry and save them.

Children (and the child in all of us) need to see positive confirmation of themselves in the world around them and they need to believe in their capacity to love, a capacity fueled by embracing vulnerability even in pain and suffering and brokenness.

Yes, and amen. Even in cacophony, we are still connected to one another. We still make a difference. A human world of helping. No one of us is on this journey alone.

And maybe, the armor can come down. Sabbath Moments

Psalm 55:20-21 We cannot call evil good nor good evil.

 Psalm  12:2

They speak idly everyone with his neighbor;

With flattering lips and a double heart they speak.

You will know the followers of the way of Jesus by the fruits that are evident in their lives. They will love not only their own families and friends but all of God’s creation. They will love Him above all and their neighbors as themselves. Grapes do not grow on apple trees neither does the Spirit of God abide in evil. We cannot call good evil  nor evil good. Carla

Psalm 55:20-21

He has put forth his hands against those who were at peace with him

He has broken his covenant.

21 The words of his mouth were smoother than butter,

But war was in his heart;

His words were softer than oil,

Yet they were drawn swords. (NKJV)

David turns to describe his former friend, now his enemy (verses 13, 14). He had been completely taken in by the man’s lies. To anyone who has experienced grief or desolation, the command to cast one’s burden on the Lord is refreshing. The Lord is the one constant in life (verse 19) and the one true friend (27:10). He can always bear the burden. The NKJV Study Bible

The words of the psalmist’s former friend are flattering (Proverbs 5) but destructive (Proverbs  29:5). Faithlife Study Bible

Psalm  7:4

If I have repaid evil to him who was at peace with me,

Or have plundered my enemy without cause,

Psalm  28:3

Do not take me away with the wicked

And with the workers of iniquity,

Who speak peace to their neighbors,

But evil is in their hearts.

What is it that allows us to live from our heart, to contribute, to mend, even in a broken and wounded world?

Speaking words of courage in frightening times with her column “My Day,” Eleanor Roosevelt spilled light. And she admitted that her indefatigable service for us to be our better selves, was an antidote to loneliness, anxiety, and the periods of depression she called “Griselda moods.” (Smiling, knowing that I’ll be borrowing that expression.)

So yes. This does my heart good. Knowing that wholeheartedness flows even from our own wounded and broken places, from places where we may feel fragmented, and vulnerable.

True, my mood often tells me otherwise. My mood tells me to guard my heart.

But I’m learning that the easiest way to take care of your heart, is to give it away…to someone in need. Go figure.

Today I am glad for any reminder that “It is in the shelter of each other that the people live.” (Irish Proverb).

Today, in a world where cruelty is unmistakable, I am glad for any reminder of the capacity to be fully human, tender, vulnerable, and kindhearted.

Today, I am glad for any reminder that the human world of helping is larger than our fear, or anxiety, or our ego.

We offer hope, we extend hands, and hearts, of compassion.

We see our connection with the lives of others around us, especially those broken or grieving or lost.

We see that they need a hand to hold. They need a voice. They need a sanctuary.

Gratefully, whenever we love, we are not alone. So, we wade-in, and stand in places—even places of brokenness and woundedness, places of death and loss—and we find grace there. Amen. Sabbath Moments