Saturday, August 4, 2012

WHAT ARE YOU GOING TO DO NOW?

Scripture:  Ephesians 4: 1- 16

The gifts he gave were that some would be apostles, some prophets, some evangelists, some pastors and teachers, to equip the saints for the work of the ministry for building up the body of Christ.

I was recently ordained, and as a result, nearly everyone asked, what are you going to do now? That question made me so nervous that I avoided talking about my pending ordination to many. Will you be a pastor now? Some pressed. Will you have a church? What’s the plan? These questions both frustrated and frightened me. I didn’t fit into whatever plans they had imagined in their heads.  I had no clear answer.

As far as ministry goes, most people are familiar with the pastor or the preacher, so when one imagines a “Reverend” one thinks of a pastor with a congregation. When I initially received the call to ministry, I found myself not in a church, but in a women’s homeless shelter where I taught Bible study. The women energized me and I loved talking and interacting with them. I knew from the beginning that ministry does not mean that we fling open the church doors and ask people to come, we walk outside of the church and go to the people.

Today’s passage reminds us to be true to ourselves and our gifts, talents and interests. Those questions and my frustration have only driven me to slow down and reflect on what God has given me, not what others think God has given me. 

Prayer:  God thank you for the gifts and talents you have entrusted in all of us. Give us the eyes to see our uniqueness, and give us hearts to use it. Amen.

The Reverend Emma Akpan

Friday, August 3, 2012

MISSING

Scripture:  Psalm 78:23-29

And they ate until they were filled, for he gave them what they craved.

Very recently I reconnected with a college friend. We hadn’t spoken in years. As soon as we decided to become friends once more, I felt as if whatever was missing was in my life  returned. I didn’t understand the magnitude of the loss until our relationship was restored.
   
When the Israelites were wandering through the desert, they were hungry, so God fed them. The Israelites suffered from hunger, but what they really needed was the awareness of God's presence. As a result of their hunger, they acted irrationally and wanted to return to Egypt where they were enslaved. Once they were filled with manna, they realized what they had in the desert. In the desert, there was freedom and hope for their existence. The manna was reassurance that God was with them. 

Invitation:  Sit quietly and search within yourself for that which has been lost.  Maybe it is an old memory, maybe it is a friend, maybe it is a state of being.  Allow your soul to search, take note of what re-emerges.  Lay it at the foot of the cross and allow the risen Christ to transform/re-purpose what you have reclaimed.

Prayer:  Restoring God, thank you for providing us with the things we need even when we may not know what we were missing. Fill us with your love, fill us with your spirit, fill us with your grace. Let us fill your presence when we are lacking. Amen.

Emma Akpan

Thursday, August 2, 2012

THE MEDIUM IS THE MESSAGE

2 Samuel 11:26 – 12:13

But the thing that David had done displeased the Lord, and the Lord sent Nathan to David…Nathan said to David, ‘You are the man!

It’s interesting how stories and parables give us a stronger understanding of our realities than the realities themselves. The best writers highlight our own realities through the stories of their characters. James Baldwin does this for me. Through his characters, I recognize myself and it either affirms my decisions and actions or calls my behavior into question. I remember when I dealing with grief, I was reading James Baldwin’s Go Tell it on the Mountain. Gabriel, one of the main characters was coming to Christ. As he walked and reflected on his past sins, he began to weep. Baldwin writes, “’I wept,' he said later, ‘like a little child.’ But no child had ever wept such tears as he wept that morning on his face before Heaven under the mighty tree. They came from deeps no child discovers, and shook him with an auge no child endures.’”

Whenever I cried, I felt like a child. But my tears were not a child’s tears. It was this passage that revealed to me what tears mean and initiated my own healing process. Similarly, Nathan uses a story so David can begin his healing process. Initially, David is unable to see the pain he has caused.  To David, the rich man in Nathan’s parable has clearly hurt the poor man with no right to do so. And with that parable, David’s eyes are opened to his own sin.

Invitation:   As you meditate quietly, ask God for a keen awareness of yourself.  As you open your mind, spirit and body to this awareness yield yourself to where it takes you.  Ask God to speak to you through your sense of elevated consciousness.  Are there any surprises?  Place those surprises at the foot of the cross.

Prayer:  God sometimes you send us stories and people to enlighten us of our own realities. Thank you for these messengers because when we are clouded with our own sin, we cannot see. Continue to manifest yourself with messengers and signs so the truth will never leave us. Amen.

Emma Akpan

Wednesday, August 1, 2012

STRIPPED

Scripture:  Psalm 51: 1-12

Have mercy on me, o God, 
according to your steadfast love;  
according to your abundant mercy 
blot out my transgressions…
create in me a clean heart, O God,

and put a new and right spirit within me.

When I am around new people, out of fear, I try my best to hide my faults.  As I feel more comfortable, the layers slowly come off.  It’s difficult to expose my complete self because I cannot be sure if people are going to hurt me or love me. I often ask myself, "Will they judge me?"

The good news is when I call out to God in the way that David does in Psalm 51, he already knows everything about me.  His love is purely unconditional.  Even if God is annoyed with me, he will not forsake me.  Even if he is ashamed of my behavior, his mercy overtakes my sin.

Invitation:  David offered this Psalm after intentionally taking Uriah's wife and then causing him to be killed.  This was a terrible act; however, it was forgivable.  What actions or attitudes from your past or present have you been holding on to in fear that God would reject you?  Denounce your sins, forsake your imperfections and pray this Psalm:

Have mercy on me, o God, 
according to your steadfast love;  
according to your abundant mercy 
blot out my transgressions…
create in me a clean heart, O God, and put a new and right spirit within me.

In the name of Jesus Christ, you are forgiven.  Glory to God.

Prayer:  Cleansing God, thank you for stripping our layers so that we can be purified. Thank you for your abundant mercy and love which covers the multitude of my sin.  Most of all, thank you for placing your Holy Spirit within me.  Amen.

Emma Akpan

Tuesday, July 31, 2012

HUNGER

Scripture:  Draw near to the Lord, for he has heard your complaining.--Exodus 16: 2 - 4, 9 -15

While reading this passage, it can be easy to criticize the Israelites for complaining after Moses has freed them from bondage in Egypt. They were tired, hungry, and wandering with no end in sight. They were free, but after suffering from hunger, for them, captivity was preferred. Can we blame them? I know I can be quite irrational when I’m hungry. 

One would hope the Israelites would be grateful to Moses for their freedom, but they were grumbling and complaining. Their freedom from slavery wasn’t sign enough that God took notice of them. Their bellies too had to be filled. God decided to honor their physical needs so they could remember liberation from the desert and Egypt. God knew they were being irrational, he cleared their cloudy thinking with quail and manna from heaven. They were filled and thanked their sovereign God.

Prayer:  God, we know that hunger can distort our reality, but continue to feed us so that we can see your great power. Prevent our physical hunger from overshadowing our spiritual hunger for you. Amen.

Emma Akpan

Monday, July 30, 2012

WHAT ARE YOU LOOKING FOR?

Scripture:  Very truly I tell you, you are looking for me not because you saw signs, but because you ate your fill of your loaves.--John 6:26

After Jesus fed the 5000 and walked on water, the people look to him as a source for signs. Jesus could do amazing things like feed thousands of people with meager resources and defy the laws of physics by walking on top of water; surely he had the answers to all of their questions. So when they ran out of bread, they looked for no one but Jesus. They wanted bread, but Jesus offered them the truth, and everlasting life. He was the source for not only physical needs, but spiritual.

This week I am focusing on the source of our provision, our miracles, our healing, and our truth. When we run out of supplies, our human instinct, like the disciples and others in the crowd, is to look for the source. Children cry to their mothers when they are hungry. Students seek out mentors in professors when they are wondering about the next move. And as Christians, we seek out God for the source of our spiritual longings. When we are confused, even wayward, or downtrodden, we can seek God. When we reach out to him, we are fed, watered, and filled with spiritual joy.  God is indeed the source of our life.

Prayer:  God, you are our source of life, breath, and truth. Thank you for sending your son to be the living and physical source of our strength. When without bread or water, rest or joy, draw to us, and we will draw to you. Amen.

Emma Akpan

Sunday, July 29, 2012

CLOSE ENCOUNTERS

Scripture: The LORD is near to all who call on him, to all who call on him in truth.--Psalm 145:18

Invitation:  Now take some deep cleansing breaths.  Slowly inhale.  Slowly exhale.  Slowly inhale all that is of God and exhale all that is not God.  Settle your mind and your spirit.  Be still and quiet and invite an awareness of God's presence.

Now read today's scripture very slowly.  Repeat 5 times.  Each times as you read, slow your pace. 

The LORD is near to all who call on him, 
to all who call on him in truth.

After the 5th time, only read or repeat the words that really resonate with you.  Repeat them over and over.  

Make your reading of today's scripture personal.  What comes to mind for you when read this scripture.  Dwell on those thoughts.  Share your thoughts openly with God as you read and reflect on today's passage.  Discover what happens....

 

Prayer: Holy One, thank you for your ever abiding presence.  Your support and care sustain me.  Amen.

The Reverend Tiffney Marley