Dr. Karla J. Bellinger

Dec 12 2024

Reflection-Jesus Saves. How Do We Respond?

Music begins to run through my head as I think about today’s Gospel: “Jesus, remember me when you come into your kingdom. Jesus, remember me when you come into your kingdom.” It brings up memories of communal prayer with candles in the dark. It fills my heart with peace. God is here. God is with us. We are wanted. We are cared for. We are loved.

And yet, it wasn’t like that. The thief on the cross who first uttered those words was not wanted and he was not cared for. He was in pain. His lungs were collapsing from the weight of his body. The midday sun baked his naked skin. He was dying of suffocation and exposure. He knew his guilt. But by some grace of God that swelled up within him, he turned to an unknown radical also hanging there and pleaded, “Remember me when you come into your kingdom.”

In that moment, all of Jesus’ invitations come together: “Come to me, all you who are heavy laden.”

“I am the Good Shepherd. I know my sheep.”

“I come that they might have life and have it abundantly.” God’s rescue mission to save the world was not yet finished. There was one more, still hanging there, reaching out in hope to the King of kings. The thief too was wanted. Jesus did not reject him. From below, the Savior was deluged by sneers and jeers: “If you are a king, save yourself!” He did not. He saved the thief. He saved you. He saved me.

Here at the conclusion of God’s redemption story, you and I are so wanted. So cared for. So loved. It all comes together in the cross: The cross, our hope.

The man on the cross, our king.

The king, our future home.

“Today, you will be with me in paradise.”

Consider/Discuss

In the gloom of the cross, God showed the repentant thief a flicker of light. But it depended upon him what happened then. He could have rejected that offer. But he didn’t. He reached out to Jesus to save him. God’s grace wells up in strange moments: periods of pain, times of anguish, seasons of joy. How can we look carefully at ourselves to recognize whether we too are accepting those offers of eternal light in the midst of our darkness? Or do we sometimes let them pass us by?
It has been a pleasure to walk with you through these past three years of writing Living the Word reflections, my friends. I hope that you continue to say “yes” to the working of God, for this world needs saints whose undivided loyalty is to the Lord. On this final Sunday of the church year, how is Jesus your King right now?

Living and Praying with the Word

Jesus, in your majesty, we bow before you as our King. You know our hearts. You know where our loyalties are divided. You know that we want to put you first in our lives. Yet we try and fail, move forward and then regress. Give us the strength, no matter what, to pick up and follow you wholeheartedly once again. We want to give you glory. We want to lift you high. We want to be with you forever in Paradise. Praise and glory to you, Lord Jesus Christ!

Dec 12 2024

Reflection-God’s Ways, Not Our Ways

Theologians tells us that we have a God who speaks, a God who is by nature a Self-communicator. There is a symphony of voices through which the Lord of the universe sings to us—through the created world, through salvation history and the prophets of old, through the preaching of the apostles, through the Holy Spirit at work in our midst, and of course through the written saga of the Word-become-flesh, Jesus himself, as recorded in the scriptures. Our God is not silent.

Today, Luke gives us Jesus’ final end-times speech. Calamities and disasters will happen. Read the signs of the times in history and in the created world: earthquakes, famines, plagues! Persecutions, wars, and insurrections! Bad stuff. The end is coming. Be attentive!

There are times when we are more aware of our fallibility, our finitude, and our ability to break. In the northern hemisphere, November is such a month. The tree branches look lifeless. The sunflower stalks are in the compost bin. The Baltimore orioles have flown south. The daylight grows short.

We do not know the future. Jesus says not to presume that we do; we should not be deceived. Though God is always speaking, there are some things about which God does not communicate—not the when, not the how, not the where—of the world’s end or our own. About that, God is silent.

Malachi prophesies about the coming of the day of the Lord, in a blaze, on fire!

And yet, ironically, when that great and terrible day came, the Savior of the universe, slid through the birth canal of a young woman, in the most helpless way possible, to come into the world. Is there a heavenly sense of humor?

God’s ways are not our ways. We do not know what is coming.

Consider/Discuss

We understand some things. Yet there is so much more that we do not grasp. Who knows what is yet to come? How can we persevere and remain faithful, be attentive and stay strong in trust, even though we do not know?
Bad things happen. But whether we live or die, no matter what darkness swirls around us, no matter how dire the situation, the Lord desires to shine through us like stars in the night sky. You and I are to be the blessing of God in this point of history. What does that mean for how are we to act? For how we are to pray? How can you and I grab onto that personal mission even more strongly as this church year draws to a close?

Living and Praying with the Word

Lord, you are the God of surprises. If we had known so many years ago what our lives would be like, would we have had the strength to walk forward into them? Thank you that you don’t show us the future either! But you do show yourself to us in so many little ways, right here and right now. You are full of amazements! Who would have guessed that you would have become flesh in the way that you did? Do you chuckle a bit at that? You are so good. Lead us to your eternal light, whenever and however that comes. Thank you, thank you, God of glory!

Dec 12 2024

Reflection-Seeing Past the Presumptions

Zacchaeus is the only grown man in the New Testament who is described as little in stature. Otherwise, that particular Greek word is used for children. What was it that stunted his growth? Disease? Genetics? Malnutrition? Whatever it was, he was the size of a child.

At first glance, this looks like another of Luke’s “scoundrel conversion” stories. We expect that a chief tax collector is a cheat and a liar. The crowd assumes so, too. Zacchaeus is the rascal who needs conversion.

But that presumption may not be accurate. Look carefully. Jesus never asks Zacchaeus to repent. The little man does not beg for mercy. It is the crowd who calls him “a sinner.” Zacchaeus’s response to their judgment is not in the future tense of “I will repay.” What he actually says is, “I do repay.” This is his continual and customary action. If he finds someone who has been defrauded, he pays them back four times.

As the chief tax collector, could he quietly be rendering justice to the poor when his underlings cheat them? Might Jesus know something about this little man that the crowd does not?

Interestingly, in this cycle of Lectionary readings, we just skipped Luke’s passage about Jesus and the children. The disciples rebuke the people and tell them not to bother Jesus. The Son of Man says, “Let the children come to me.” Jesus likes little people. He loathes nothing that God has made.

This is not a scoundrel story. Jesus doesn’t see a big splotch of sin high above the people. He sees rather a smudge on a face that has been crying. Up in a tree.

The crowd sees a little man who (they believe) is a great sinner. Jesus sees a great man who is a little (bit of a) sinner. Who is being called to conversion here?

Consider/Discuss

We live in a culture that passes judgement by group identity: those “others” are bad people. But sometimes we are wrong. Sometimes we exclude or demean or disrespect others because of assumptions that we have made. What can you and I do to get past that? Whom could we listen to anew, and in charity hear who they really are and what they have to say?
Zacchaeus is pretty bold in wanting to see Jesus. A grown man running? Climbing a tree? Enduring the ridicule of the crowd? That was pretty out of-the-box for a chief tax collector! What could we do this week to be more bold about looking for Jesus?

Living and Praying with the Word

Lord, forgive me for the little things that I do. I may excuse myself or laugh them off or pretend that they aren’t important, and be pleased that I am not one of those big sinners like a chief tax collector. But even if I am hiding among a righteous-looking crowd, you see me. You know. In little ways, you nudge me to clean up the smudges in my life. Which of my habits and behaviors do you want me to be converted from? In your mercy, show me. You are so good and gracious. You raise up all those who are small. Please, Jesus, clean up my life, for I want you to come home with me, too.

Dec 12 2024

Reflection-God Is All in All

I was just staring blankly out the kitchen window. A light snow whitened the October-green grass. Five goldfinches flitted at the feeder—they who had been bright yellow all summer were starting to fade to their winter olive drab. They do not want to stand out when the leaves are gone, for they would get eaten. I realized that I was not quite ready for winter yet.

“Oh God, be merciful to me a sinner.”

The Pharisee in today’s story—he did want to stand out. He puffed up his bright yellow feathers to show everyone how righteous he was. He looked down upon those who were religiously drab. The tax collector certainly had nothing to make him stand out. He just blended in and prayed,

“Oh God, be merciful to me a sinner.”

All that we have comes from God the Creator. The air that we breathe, the seeds that we eat, the vigor that we enjoy—all of it. The birds neither toil nor spin and yet our heavenly Father feeds them. We too are dependent creatures. Jesus said, “He who exalts himself will be humbled and he who humbles himself will be exalted.” It would be a shame to get eaten by pride because we are too showy. The goldfinches would agree.

“Oh God, be merciful to me a sinner.”

What does it mean to be humble? To be humble is to see ourselves accurately. Not to make ourselves small. To know that we are small. To see ourselves as God sees us. How does God see us? We are the Lord’s little beloveds. Like the birds. That is how God sees us. We open our hands and moan, “Lord, I’ve got nothing.” And the face of the Creator of the Universe shines upon us and responds, “Of course.”

“Oh God, be merciful to me a sinner.”

Consider/Discuss

One way to pray constantly is the “Jesus prayer.” The prayer breathes in and out within us as we think our thoughts and move throughout the day. The simplest form is “Lord Jesus, have mercy.” If you want a longer version or you want to breathe more deeply, you can pray, “Lord Jesus Christ, Son of the living God, have mercy on me, a poor sinner.” Breathe in the beauty of God the Creator as you pray the first half. Breath out the brokenness of created life as you pray the second half. Try it for one minute every hour each day. Practice until calling on the name of Jesus becomes habitual. Try it. Really do. See what happens.
Are you ready for winter? As the days grow shorter, the growing darkness spurs us to turn inward. Going into prayer is a little like going into temporary hibernation—it is not the outward show of summer, but a quiet moment hidden in the drab of darkness. As we move from fall into winter, how could you leave showiness behind and grow more interior in your prayer life?

Living and Praying with the Word

Oh my Jesus, you know that we struggle to prove our worth. Our hearts swell with pride when we are pleased with ourselves. We like to be applauded. The humility that you ask for does not come easily. Yet you transformed St. Paul from a puffed-up Pharisee to a man who faithfully ran the race of discipleship. If you can teach him to be humble, you can teach us, too. Help us to receive your gifts with the innocence of the birds. Thank you for your love and your care.

Dec 12 2024

Reflection-The Spirit Moves in Mysterious Ways

Once upon a time there was a gift of the Holy Spirit called Worry. Worry’s job was to nudge people to pray. In the power of the Spirit, Worry unsettled parents so that they would pray constantly for their children who might go astray. He stirred up concern in friends so they would lift their hands in prayer for a pal who was sick. He needled a widow so that she rose up and incessantly badgered an unrighteous judge. He inspired Aaron to hold up Moses’ hands lest their people die in battle. He stayed small at the service of the Holy Spirit. Worry did good work that glorified God.

One day, the Tempter came by and said, “Worry, you don’t need to be so small. Grow big.”

“How do I do that?” Worry asked.

“Stop leading them to pray,” the Crafty One said. “Make them think they are all on their own. Get them to drop their hands and abandon the thought that Someone cares or might be listening or wants to act on their behalf.”

Worry set out to become big. He led people into a puddle of anxiety and left them to muddle there. He taught them to turn into themselves and believe that their own mindfulness could handle the troubles of life. He helped dedicated followers to be proud of their identity as Worriers. He encouraged publishers to exalt him and craft stories in ways that would lead folks to him. Worry grew big and full of importance.

What happened? Blood pressures skyrocketed. People over-ate and over-drank and self-medicated in hazardous ways. They could not handle how big Worry had gotten. Some people even died.

“Oh dear.” Worry began to worry. “I did not mean for this to happen. No one knows me as a gift of the Spirit anymore. Lord, could I be small again and just serve you? Please, God?”

Consider/Discuss

Many people pray most fervently when they are worried. Concerns about family, health, injustice, and danger inspire us to lift our hands for holy help. What is your experience? When do you pray most persistently? What kinds of troubles make you badger God? How does the Holy Spirit use worry to lead you to pray?
An old adage says that “Worriers are called to become prayer warriors.” What happens when we worry and don’t allow the Holy Spirit to lead us to prayer? In what kinds of puddles do we muddle? Take one of your worries each day this week and “offer it up.” Go ahead, don’t be afraid; pester the most righteous Judge with it.

Living and Praying with the Word

Jesus, what a friend we have in you! You are not an unrighteous judge who does not care. You want us to bring our needs to you. You will not let our feet slip. You guard us from all evil. You are always beside us. Here is my worry: ________. Thank you for that worry, which leads me to continually lift my hands to you. Do not let the Tempter lead me to abandon your holy help.

And Holy Spirit, could you, would you, make Worry small once again, please?