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 Lenten Reflections 2002 Welcome to the 2002 version of Grace Episcopal Church’s Lenten Reflections! This work is a compilation of the ruminations of many members of our community—a multifaceted gift to themselves in the writing and to those who read them, as well as an offering of thanksgiving to God who made the gift of reading, reflecting, and sharing possible. Many of the offerings have identified the Scripture that the author read and prayed over—a catalyst for the reflections themselves. You are invited to read the Scripture for yourself and the reflection. Read not for the purpose of being informed, but to be formed and transformed by the words. Our theme for the entire program year is The Face of God. We are refining that theme for the season of Lent to Reflecting the Image of God through Obedience and Discipline. May your decision to commit to use these readings as part of your Lenten Discipline lead you to transformation of life in obediential love to God. We pray that this transformation will renew you in such a way that you are able to discern and follow God’s will—to be an instrument of healing in a hurting world. The contents of this Lenten Reflection section is also available as a PDF file so that you may create a printable verison. Table of Contents
Week of February 11, 2002 Isaiah 58:1-12 and Mt. 6:1-6,16-21 What wonderful readings we’ve been offered as we begin this Lenten season of introspection and learning. This is a holy time of turning away from the ways of the world to examine our motives, to reexamine how we spend our time and how we interact with others. How do I use the gifts of this life that are within my care, merely through an accident of birth? Am I stingy, acting out of a spirit of lack, or can I find the gift of God’s scandalous abundance in the various settings in which I am called to live and work and live generously with my time, talents and treasure ? Do I focus upon what is wrong in my relationships, cursing those who hurt or disappoint me, or bolster strong points and become an agent of blessing, healing and growth? Where is my treasure, hence, my heart? Yes, wherever I am spending my treasure—time, gifts, money—that is where I can find my heart. Matthew and Isaiah alike call us to accountability on behalf of the God of our creation. What do I teach my children? Do I teach them to dominate others, living a life of self-serving interest that is indicative of a lack of being loved and leads to war, or do I encourage them to walk in the ways of justice that lead to peace for ALL people? Whatever my answers, God knows and notices. Join me in saying daily our collect for purity this Lenten Season. “Almighty God, to you all hearts are open, all desires known, and from you no secrets are hid: Cleanse the thoughts of our hearts by the inspiration of your Holy Spirit, that we may perfectly love you, and worthily magnify your holy Name; through Christ our Lord.” Amen. (BCP p.355) Perhaps that will lead us to more fully reflect the image of God to a hurting world. “Fret not thyself over evildoers”—oh, good, I thought, as I read today’s psalm, a little comfort at last. I’ve spent a lot of time this fall and winter, as have many of us, fretting over evildoers, both on the international and the local stage. I can relax, says the psalmist, and leave the evildoers to the Lord. Trust in the Lord and do good, cease from anger and fret not thyself to anger, leave the wicked, even as they flourish like the green bay tree, to the Lord. In fact, this psalm promises a happy ending—the transgressors shall be destroyed, the green bay tree will be no more, and the Lord will help the righteous and deliver them from the wicked. I like happy endings, so I moved on happily to the other readings too. But the next two paint a more complex picture. The reading from Habakkuk at first expresses a similar theme to the psalm’s, with Habakkuk asking the Lord pointblank how long must he cry before the Lord will save his people from evil and violence. But the answer Habakkuk receives is more than he—or I—bargained for. The Lord is coming with justice, yes, but with a justice that makes the prophet tremble and decide to wait quietly after all. The justice of the Lord is clearly nothing to call down lightly or contemplate with complacency; better perhaps first to review what it means to be righteous, just to be on the safe side. Righteousness too is a bit more complicated than I thought, as the New Testament readings tell us, for Paul reminds us that the true righteousness is to have the humble attitude of Jesus, to know Christ and experience the power of His resurrection. This is no easy thing, he makes it clear, but a matter of striving to win the prize, of running straight toward the goal which is God’s call through Christ to the life above. No nice straightforward, facile answers here after all for what to do about wickedness, though the injunction against fretting about it is pretty clear, even to a worrier like me. And so too is a clear call back to know Christ, back to running the race to be faithful. Philippians, 4:1-9 [focusing on verses 8 and 9] “…whatever is true, whatever is honorable, whatever is just, whatever is pure, whatever is pleasing, whatever is commendable, if there is any excellence and if there is anything worthy of praise, think about these things.” So often we forget to think about all of the good things that are in our lives. We forget about the pleasing and the commendable and focus instead upon our worries and our “wants” and our “gee, I wish”-es. But wait: IS there any excellence? IS there anything honorable or just? IS there anything worthy of praise? Please concentrate today, not on what is lacking, but rather on what IS. We ARE alive to greet the day. We ARE members of a living church. We ARE… (fill in the blank to suit your situation): well-fed; well-clothed; loved; employed; safe; healthy; trying to be better; not angry; satisfied; relieved; hopeful; less worried than yesterday; comforted; forgiving; tolerant; welcoming; part of a family; beloved friend of our pet; enjoying some solitude; surrounded by friends; able to sing; able to walk in the sunlight; able to count the stars; content with what God has given us. God has given us this day and this situation. It is what God wants for us. Let us think about these things, and bless these things, and praise the God who has given to us in such abundance. Amen. John 17:20-26, Philippians 4:10-20, Ezekiel 39:21-29 These three passages speak to us of God's design for unity among His people. The text from John quotes Jesus' prayer for his disciples just before his arrest. Jesus prayed for the unity of his immediate group of followers and for the unity of the Church in ages to come, even as he was asked to settle differences among His apostles. The text from Paul's Letter to the Philippians includes thanks for their sending him aid, probably financial, when he was embarking on his ministry in Greece and encountered indifference from other churches. The prophecy from the Book of Ezekiel speaks of the revelation of God's glory to all nations when the house of Israel has been reunited after a long period of subjugation and exile. The prayer from the Gospel of John has been called "Christ's prayer for us." Jesus must have foreseen the development of factions within His Church and prayed that such divisions would never overshadow the spread of the Gospel. Differences among the citizens of a state can lead to the overthrow of governments, as we've often seen in recent history; divisions within a movement can be catastrophic to its message. Outsiders seeing the multitude of Christian denominations might conclude that our mission was lost long ago in a series of squabbles. The Lenten season, observed by many different churches, is an excellent one in which to reflect on the need for humility, and to focus our attention on our common goal of witnessing to Christ's love in our lives. First Week of Lent HOW DO I PRAY!?!?! Feel persecuted? Feel like you're going through a dry spell and God isn't there? Your mouth is dry and pasty, and you don't know the words to say to make it all better. You don't know what to pray or even how. In Psalm 63 we are confronted with the psalmist, David, who is in the desert of Judah. He is dry and thirsty and is dealing with persecution. In that desperation he calls out, "Oh God, you are my God, earnestly I seek you; my soul thirsts for you, my body longs for you, in a dry and weary land where there is no water." In Psalm 98, it is said, "Sing to the Lord a new song!" With harps and voice and every part of your life sing to the Lord! In Psalm 103 it says, "Praise the Lord, Oh my soul." Praise the Lord who forgives, heals, redeems, and crowns your head with love and compassion. The Lord is sufficient and will satisfy. In Daniel 9:3-10, Daniel pleads with God, recognizing his own sin and the sins of Israel and begs for forgiveness. How do we respond when things are wrong in our lives? Do we shout, angry at God, hoping that we can reason with the Almighty? Do we turn our backs? Do we seek to accept things as they are, that God is some mean ruler who punishes the people? Daniel chose to praise God, confess his own and Israel's sins, and beg for God's mercy. The difference between grace and mercy is that grace is an undeserved gift, whereas mercy is not getting what we deserve. Daniel knew that the Israelites deserved destruction but threw himself at the mercy of our God. And God had mercy. God became flesh in Jesus. "Because he himself suffered when he was tempted, he is able to help those who are being tempted." (Heb 2:18) Jesus knows hunger. Jesus knows thirst. Jesus knows temptation. He knows persecution. In God's mercy, he became one of us, so that he could become for us a perfect and acceptable sacrifice to wash our sins away. Jesus is the gift that God gave to us that we did not deserve. He suffered, he bled, and he rose from the dead so that our sins may be forgiven and we may have eternal life in him. This is the definition of grace. You need not stand in darkness any longer, for "I have come into the world as a light, so that no one who believes in me should stay in darkness." (John 12:46) Those who believe in the light are no longer condemned. The gospel of grace is that Jesus is Lord and by him and with him and in him in the unity of God the Father and God the Holy Spirit we are washed clean and are saved. How do you pray? You remember the good, the bad, and the ugly. You confess, turn away from your sin, petition and sing praises to our Lord and our God. You are never alone, God is always there and God wants to have a deep and personal relationship with you, so don't hold back. That is how you pray. Psalm 41:52; Psalm 44, Genesis 37:1-11, 1 Corinthians 1:1-19, Mark 1:1-13 Verses 10-17 of 1 Corinthians 1 exhort the early Christians to strive for unity in Christ. Then, as now, Christians often expended more energy arguing about their differences than rejoicing in their common faith in the Risen Lord. When I read about the quarrels between these early followers of individual disciples of Christ, I hear echoes today within our diocese (the division at Accokeek Parish), within our church, within the Anglican Communion, and within the entire Body of Christ. If we cannot be at one with our brothers and sisters in Christ, how can we truly strive to respect and understand persons of other faith traditions such as Jews, Muslims, Hindus, or Buddhists? And without such understanding, peace will always be elusive. Pray for peace and understanding among all of God’s children. Psalm 45, 47, and 48; Genesis 37:12-24; 1 Corinth 1:20-31; Mark 1:14-28 There is much food for thought in these readings. Psalm 45 is an ode for a royal wedding. In 47 the focus is as a hymn celebrating God’s enthronement as King of all nations. In 48 there is a song that celebrates the beauty and security in Zion. Genesis is the story of Jacob and his brothers that will eventually lead to being sold in slavery, but ends here only in the brothers throwing him into the cistern or water pit. First Corinthians covers Christ crucified, the same one who dies on the cross for us. This now-living God has risen from the dead. The Gospel portion of Mark starts with the beginning of Jesus’ active ministry in Galilee. How is this all related? What do these things have in common? In each of these scriptures the focus is on God the overseer and God’s son Jesus as the secure pathway to spiritual fulfillment. The perfect Lamb who was slain for us. The burden bearer who is savior. The inference is that He is the road map for those who are looking for the way to happy fulfillment in a Christian life. One thought that comes to mind is the picture of the cistern in the Garden tomb near Jerusalem. It is a vast structure at least the size of many of today’s water towers. If you use this as an example, consider the size of the cistern. Let it represent life and each small pebble representing a man in God’s plan. The only way that the small pebble can get to the top of the cistern is by the help of water filling it. Jesus is the medium. Jesus is the vehicle gets us to God. He is our navigator through the power of the Holy Spirit. Jesus be our navigator and guiding presence at this time. As we search for new knowledge in this Lententide make us more aware of a deepening need for you in our lives. We praise you and thank you for your way. The good news that Jesus preached is that the kingdom of heaven, the kingdom of God, is nearby, or at hand. Jesus then showed us what that kingdom is like. And he showed us by healing the sick, by associating with the outcasts of society as well as its “pillars,” by teaching, by preaching, and by praying. The kingdom of heaven is one of the fellowships of equality, health and wholeness, and joy. It is also as close to us as we care to make it. I think that I have always been ready to accept that the kingdom of heaven is contained in the personal Jesus; however, I have also thought that Jesus went back to His kingdom until such time as He chooses to return. But that is not the message of the Bible. Paul’s letter to the church at Corinth talks of God’s wisdom seeming like folly, or foolishness, in the eyes of the world. And it would be difficult to see God’s presence or any signs of God’s kingdom as Joseph was being sold by his brothers into slavery in Egypt. But at the end of the story, Joseph himself, speaking to his bothers, says of that event that “though you intended to do harm to me, God intended it for good, in order to preserve a numerous people.” The eyes and mind of faith tell us that God is working in this world. This is easy to see when we see people healed from diseases, or delivered from disasters, or receiving blessings. But it can be very difficult to see God’s hand working in the world in times of disaster, sickness, war and death. Sometimes we have questions that seem to have no answers. Answers sometimes come, in time. But not always in our own lifetime. Those are the times when we need to look at the lessons contained in our history, and the history of our faith, to maintain our belief. Dear God, help me to see your world through the eyes of faith, to understand and believe that your plan for us is being acted out even, or especially, at those times when it is harder for you, through Jesus, your son and our lord, who died for us on the cross, who lives again with you. Amen. Psalms 50:[59,60] or 19,46; Genesis 39:1-23; 1 Corinthians 2:14-3:15; Mark 2:1-12 Jealousy, betrayal, gossip, competition, division—these passages have it all. No wonder Paul addresses the Christians in Corinth as "infants in Christ." In Genesis Chapter 39, Joseph, having been sold into slavery by his brothers, finds himself in the service of Potiphar. He quickly rises to be in charge of all Potiphar's holdings. But he is betrayed by his master's wife with whom he refuses to have relations. In Mark, Chapter 2, the story of Jesus' healing of the paralyzed man in Capersum is retold. Jesus is struck by the faith of the men who brought the sick man to Jesus and lowered him through the roof with him. In Paul's first letter to the Corinthians, he chastises them for taking sides and fighting among themselves. Rather than take sides in the fight, Paul says, "Your are God's temple and God's spirit dwells in you." Each of these passages is a story of faith. Joseph prospers as a slave and in prison because "The Lord was with him. Whatever he did, the Lord made it prosper." Jesus forgave the paralyzed man's sins in recognition of the faith of his friends who went to so much trouble to bring him to Jesus. To the Corinthians Paul says, "If what has been built on the foundation survives, the builder will receive a reward." God promises that he will be with us. And if we believe and listen to God's spirit within us, we will prosper. Jospeh was given authority, even in prison. The paralyzed man walked. The Corinthians, like us, are given the choice to have faith, listen to God's voice, and build his temple. Our Journey to the Heart of God 1 Corinthians 3:16-23. Know ye not that ye are the God, and that the Spirit of God dwelleth in you? If any man defile the temple of God, him shall God destroy, for the temple of God is holy, which temple ye are. We begin our journey through Lent with the following reflection from John Piper: Bring God Glory “What does it mean to glorify God? It does not mean to make him more glorious. It means to acknowledge his glory, and to value it above all things, and to make it known… Deep with us we all know that it is our duty to glorify our Maker by thanking him for all we have, trusting him for all we need, and obeying all his revealed will.” How do we know if we are bringing glory to God? Whenever we do something selflessly, God receives glory. We please Him when we give in secret. We bless Him when we continually thank Him for His love, grace, goodness, sovereignty, and comfort. We glorify Him when we walk by faith and trust Him with all our heart. We show Him that we love Him when we choose to obey and abide. This way of life unfolds one day at a time, in the midst of each experience we walk through with the Lord. We need to depend on Him and His power now. If we can stay in the middle of the turmoil calm and unperplexed, that is the end of the purpose of God. God is not working toward a particular finish; His end is the process that we see Him walking on the waves, no shore in sight, no success, no goal, just the absolute certainty that it is all right because we see Him walking on the sea. It is the process, not the end, which is glorifying to God. It is our fervent prayer that we may be still and know that He is God. Psalms 55; 138; 139:1-17 (18-23); Genesis 41:1-13; 1 Corinthians 4 1-7; Mark 2: 23-3:6 Temptation (and fear of temptation) loom largest in my mind during Lent. My biggest fear is how I will maintain a focus on spiritual contemplation and renewal. I am always fearful that I will be lacking in spiritual self-discipline (not to mention physical self-denial). The message I take from today's Bible passages is that not only is God in control but He is present in every aspect of my life, and I need to rely on Him for guidance, strength, and willpower. When Moses interprets Pharaoh's dream and says to him in a few verses following today's reading from Genesis, that "it is not I who interprets this dream, it is God," I understand that God is all knowing and ever present. Psalm 139 describes and speaks to me very eloquently about this inescapable God who does indeed know my "rising up and my sitting down and discerns my thoughts from afar." If God is so close, then He knows even before I am tempted and even before I fall into sin. This tells me that I need to surrender to God, to bring my troubles and fear of temptation to Him, and to ask Him not to lead me into temptation but to deliver me from evil. More important, I need to ask this with full confidence in the knowledge and certainty that He will lead and guide me through trials and temptations, just as he led and guided Jesus through the wilderness during Lent (and even while the devil tempted him). Second Week of Lent Genesis 41:14-45 is an amazing story not only of God's grace and mercy, but also of how God accomplishes the promise He made to Abraham. This is also a story of redemption. Joseph went from having everything and living a comfy lifestyle to being sold into slavery and being persecuted. Then, because of the gifts God gave him, he is able to win favor with Pharaoh. He is a slave that became more powerful than a king. A servant called to save all the people of the land. He saves Israel because of the plan God puts on his heart. "Even the sparrow has found a home." (Psalm 84) Without work and toil, even the sparrow is provided for. What are we that God loves us? We are God's children. If even the sparrow has found a home, imagine what God has planned for us! God had a plan for Joseph. God had a plan for Israel, and even when things were looking rather bleak for Joseph, God never left him. And, because of God's grace, Joseph was exalted even higher than Pharaoh, and Israel was saved from complete destruction. A faithful servant called to save the world. Remind you of anyone? Psalms 56, 57; Genesis 41:46-57; 1Corinthians 4:8-20; Mark 3:7-19a "For the kingdom of God does not consist in talk but in power." (1Cor. 4:20) Power is the ability to get something done. Paul's understanding then is that God's kingdom and reign consist in the ability to do something and not to simply talk about it. Jesus calls to himself some of those who have followed him and makes them apostles, appointed witnesses of his ministry who would go and proclaim the gospel and have authority over unclean spirits. They are given the authority, the right, by Jesus to use their power in a particular way, to cast demons out of people (exorcism). The resulting release of energy provided those affected incredible freedom. Each of us has the authority to use our power for good, or for ill. Imagine, if you will, what we could accomplish in the name of the Christ if, as disciples of Jesus the Christ, we added our individual power to each other's power. My ability to forgive injury done to me frees up energy to reach toward another in need. My ability to ask for forgiveness releases energy for me to attend to what I need to change in order not to reinjure the person I have hurt. Each of us can then find ways to pursue the proclamation of our faith with our very lives. We can move forward rather than remain stuck. Joseph, by remaining faithful to God, finds that he has the ability to forgive his brothers for his being sold into slavery, and to forgive his slaveholders. In so doing he puts the hardship behind him, freeing him to move forward. In the midst of his difficulty, in the land in which he experiences such hardships, God causes Joseph to prosper. When his family's need presents itself, Joseph is able to supply their need. A family is restored. Their collective power, enabled by God, proves to be a part of the foundation for the nations of believers who have since followed. This is the power to reflect to the world the One to whom we all belong—God. For me, the psalms have always been a rich source of inspiration. This is no doubt due in large part to the fact that from the age of seven until I was thirteen, I sang the psalms as a cathedral chorister, day in, day out, at Evensong. Thousands of phrases were imprinted on my young mind, which I still recall on a regular basis today, and which can often be the most important basis of my adult prayers and reflections. What appeals to me most about the psalms is their honest emotional power. As a child I was taught that one should never show anger or distress in one’s prayers as this was both unworthy and wrong. The psalms helped to teach me that to be truly honest in my spiritual life, I have to lay bare in total openness exactly what I am thinking and feeling, however painful that may be. The psalms showed me that I was not alone: others had been there before me. Two of today’s psalms, 61 and 62, are about desperation, and needing shelter and support from God. Life is sometimes totally overwhelming for me, and my meager faith is often not prepared to trust in a God who will answer my prayers for support and shelter against the stress and tensions of life. When relationships go sour, when work is hard, when it seems that there is little to look forward to, I am not always as quick as I should be to seek God’s help. I find verse 9 of Psalm 62 to be a helpful reminder: Put your trust in him always, O people, pour out your hearts before him, for God is our refuge. May he be a refuge for all of us in times of need, and may we openly and honestly seek his face in every twist and turn of our lives. Psalms 72; 119:73-96; Genesis 42: 18-28; 1 Corinthians 5:9-6:8; Mark 3:1-20 "What is this that God has done to us?" Joseph's brothers trembled at the unexpected mercy being shown them. They did not understand how this could be after what they had done to their young brother years ago. Centuries later the psalmist pleaded with his Creator, "Your hands have made and fashioned me; give me understanding that I may learn your commandments" (Psalm 119:73). He was a man of faith who rejoiced in God's law but was also deeply troubled by the fact that God had not yet rescued him from his persecutors. Understanding did not come easy to Jesus' disciples either as they listened to his parables. "And he said to them, 'To you has been given the secret of the kingdom of God, but for those outside, everything comes in parables.’" Had I been a disciple that day along the Sea of Galilee hearing these words, I would have cringed. I also would not have found it easy to understand the parable of the sower and the seed. Was I therefore "an outsider"? People of faith have always yearned to understand the will and actions of their Creator. Their yearning echoes deeply in my soul. There is so much I don't understand, so much that does not make sense. My prayer is that my urge to understand will not be like the thorns that "choke the word," but that I instead will be like the good earth where the Word is accepted as a holy mystery and allowed to grow and bear fruit. My prayer is that, like the psalmist, I can say "I will never forget your precepts, for by them you have given me life. I am yours; save me…" "You are not your own; you were bought with a price." (1 Cor. 6: 19 -20) Paul says this to his brand-new Corinthian Christians, after lecturing them on loose morality. But surely it can't be right—at least for us Americans. We are, if nothing else, our own people, making our own decisions, and our own way in the world. And "bought with a price": that's the language we use for THINGS, which doesn't seem right. However, it reminds me of a line from a sermon whose author I don't remember, that went something like this: "God loves us as much as we love our possessions; as jealously as we love our money." That seems like a backwards, not-very-nice way to think about God. But being a beloved possession suggests to me a full measure of peace and security. God bought me for a very high price indeed, and, come Hell or high water, I expect He'll take care of me. Just as the Good Shepherd takes care of his sheep...his ignorant and foolish (but nonetheless extremely valuable) sheep. Mark 4:35-41 That day when evening came, he said to his disciples, "Let us go over to the other side." Leaving the crowd behind, they took him along, just as he was, in the boat. There were also other boats with him. A furious squall came up, and the waves broke over the boat, so that it was nearly swamped. Jesus was in the stern, sleeping on a cushion. The disciples woke him and said to him, "Teacher, don't you care if we drown?" He got up, rebuked the wind and said to the waves, "Quiet! Be still!" Then the wind died down and it was completely calm. He said to his disciples, "Why are you so afraid? Do you still have no faith?" They were terrified and asked each other, "Who is this? Even the wind and the waves obey him!" Today we invite you to reflect on the daily readings and to write your own reflection of them. 19 But Jesus refused, and said to him, "Go home to your friends, and tell them how much the Lord has done for you, and what mercy he has shown you." The demoniac had much to be grateful for to Jesus. Jesus freed him of many demons, and he wanted to stay with Jesus, but Jesus told him to “Go home to your friends, and tell them how much the Lord has done for you.” Why did Jesus want him to go home and not stay with him? Was Jesus using the demoniac as a means of advertising his ministry in places that he would not be or was he giving us a message about gratitude? According to Henri Nouwen “Gratitude is the most fruitful way of deepening your consciousness that you are not an ‘accident’ but a divine choice.” Unfortunately I am more prone to be asking for more blessings than being grateful for all the Lord has given me, and I am less prone to telling my friends of the blessings that the Lord has done for me. Because I have not been focusing on gratitude, I have not been deepening my consciousness about being a divine choice. This Lent I will try to focus on all that the Lord has done for me and will also share this with my friends. Third Week of Lent As a newcomer to Christianity, a basic tenet I have struggled to understand is repentance and forgiveness. If I can repent and be forgiven when I have sinned, what is my motivation not to sin in the first place? I recently experienced a small fire in my home, and it occurred to me that it might provide a metaphor for this concept. Early warning and preparedness combined to keep my fire from raging out of control and consuming many things I hold dear. My first warning came from a recent story about a family who perished in a fire; nonworking smoke detectors were mentioned as a contributing factor. I believe God had a hand in providing that warning, as I rarely watch the news on TV. I got up and checked mine right that moment and found all three batteries dead. The detectors, of course, provided the second warning. My working fire extinguisher provided the preparedness to put the fire out quickly. One must be able to recognize sin and be prepared to deal with it quickly. My early warning systems includes my family, friends, and church community—who love me enough to tell me when they see signs of trouble—and self-examination. Preparedness is my responsibility. Am I open to the signs I am given? Am I willing to address the issue once I am confronted with it? Do I have a response method in place that I feel comfortable using, so I don't have to wait until something happens to figure out what to do? OK, so I still haven't answered the question—what is to keep me from repeating this pattern of getting in trouble then fixing it? The root cause of my fire was procrastination, leading to shortcutting. The details aren't important, but this is: am I willing to keep repeating this behavior, taking the chance that I won't be able to respond in time one day? And I have come to understand that as the real meaning of repentance; the promise to change the behavior that caused the problem and make an effort not to repeat it, lest my sin rage out of control and consume my soul. 1 Corinthians 7:25-31 I see a lot of myself and my conduct in maintaining certain issues. My biggest problem is trying to deal with the world instead of putting it in God’s hands. That is where the devil gets me caught up with him. I get so caught up in the world’s issues, I allow satan to step up and get his claim on me. I allow myself to get caught up in worldly productions. When that happens, you get so deep up in there that you get frustrated, nervous, and tense. When this happens, ask God, “What is it that we are not doing? Please help us to be correct.” Each time we do this, it seems like the world and all the people in the world respond. Then satan cannot say, “God, I got your prize possession!” So I try to stay to myself and do what I am supposed to do. Also, I want to thank all of the people at Grace Church. All of you have been so kind and generous to me. You really showed me that you cared and I appreciate it. "I will utter dark sayings from of old, things that we have heard and known, that our fathers have told us. We will not hide them from their children but tell to the coming generation the glorious deeds of the Lord, and his might, and the wonders which he has wrought." (Psalm 78: 2-4.) Psalm 78 goes on to tell the whole history of Israel, up to King David. It's a long psalm and a long story, but one deemed worth telling for at about three thousand years. And when WE tell the stories of the Bible to the next generation, the "dark sayings" as well as the light, when we let scripture speak for itself, we discover (and let our children discover) that the heroes and heroines of scripture were rarely role models. But they allowed themselves to be in relation to God. The patriarchs and matriarchs and prophets spoke to Him frankly; on at least one occasion, laughed at His predictions; and on more than one occasion, shook their fists in His face. The followers of Jesus seem hardly ever to have understood what He was getting at; and nearly all of them deserted Him at the end. Then they went on to their own crosses, as they built His church—and ours. The least we owe them is retelling the stories, in all their complex authenticity and glory. I Corinthians 8:1-113 In the Church of Corinth the eating or not of food consecrated to pagan gods of old had become a test of loyalty to Christ and the Church. There were those whose faith in Christ had emancipated them from the belief that such deities exist at all. Eating such food made no difference to God. And there were those still not freed from past belief in such deities and their power over those who ate such food. Such food had to be avoided to assure loyalty to the God above all Gods. Although St. Paul fully shares the strong faith of the emancipated and their freedom to express it, he encourages them to sacrifice this freedom whenever the occasion calls for them to bear with and support with godly love all those whose faith is not yet strong enough, who may still lapse into their old beliefs and habits as they struggle to free themselves from them through abstinence and prayer. In our own time, occasion may call on us to be sensitive and compassionate to those around us. For example, is it too much of a sacrifice of our personal freedom to refrain from smoking or drinking in the presence of those struggling to break their dependence on nicotine or alcohol when our blessed Lord sacrificed His life on the cross, because He loved each and every one of us? Mark 6 verses 30-45 When I read the gospel reading I thought that it seemed a bit strange that Jesus somehow or another was able to feed the crowd of 5,000 plus women and children. I don’t think that Jesus or anybody else could replicate food. All of his other miracles have been redone, except for the food ones. People have been brought back to life after being dead, not for long periods of time, but it does happen, and people are miraculously healed of life-threatening illnesses. However, in the total fifteen and a half years that I have been alive, I have never ever heard of anybody just pulling food out of thin air. What I think could have happened, is that the people were just compelled to share with one another. They all had probably brought food with them, and after listening to J.C. were probably in a sharing mood. All the disciples had to do was ask. It reminds me of the music video, “Everyday” by Dave Matthews, where a man is trying to hug people but since he is kind of strange looking, they do not want to hug him. However, eventually someone decides to hug him and then everyone wants to hug him, and soon everybody is hugging everyone because he spread a happy hugging vibe. Well, Jesus spread a happy food vibe and everybody ate because of it. Psalms 95, 88, 91 and 92 Here we are, mid-Lent. Though at times I find neither rhyme nor reason for the choices of scripture placed together on a given day, today’s four psalms seem to represent the ebb and flow of our lives. Psalm 95 begins with a familiar call to worship and praise to those of us who have sung the canticles to Morning prayer: “Come let us sing to the LORD!” What begins as a remembrance of the goodness and creativity of God leads us to recall times when we turned away from God. That would be my experience of my life, of humanity as I have come to know us all right… That moves nicely to Psalm 88—the lament that seems to never end—or is it the lack of hope, God, that I miss here? Some days this truly is where I’ve been—feeling betrayed and abandoned—yes, by YOU, God—and then, in desperation, I try making a deal. Do you ever tire of listening, LORD? Psalm 91 reminds me of the power and transforming nature of your grace. It reminds me that I CAN trust you. You do protect us, God, and deliver us—help me to remember that this world is but a glimmer in the light of eternity. Psalm 92 is a song for the Sabbath. What does my Sabbath time look like? IS it truly a day of rest, God—a day to reconnect with you and all of your marvelous creation? Do I allow myself time to wonder at you and find you within my innermost self? Do I listen, so that you might fill me with your wisdom? Praise be yours, awesome God! Fill me with your presence! Come, Let us Sing to the LORD! Amen. Psalms 87, 90; 136; Genesis: 47:27-48:7; 1 Corinthians 10:1-13; Mark 7:1-23 These passages help me to understand the importance of giving continual thanks for God's blessings. God blessed Jacob and his offspring so that they would "be fruitful" and be the heads of the tribes of Israel. Jacob understood the infinite value of this blessing and longed to share it with those he loved. So as death neared, Jacob adopted Joseph's two sons, thereby ensuring that they would also receive this blessing. One of far greater value than the material wealth and power that Joseph had accumulated in Egypt—their true inheritance. In his letter to the Corinthians, Paul explains that God blessed Israel by protecting them from their enemies and providing them with spiritual food and drink through the rock that is Christ. But they turned away from God. Paul warned the Corinthians not to suffer this same fate by "putting Christ to the test." For as he said, these things "were written down to instruct us." What a blessing it would be to have a heart like Jacob's, that truly sought God's will in all things. If I had such a heart, I would never forget (as I sometimes do) that He is the source of all goodness. I would not even entertain the thought that I can control anything. It would never occur to me that I was worthy of anyone's admiration. Rather, I would humbly thank my God for all of His blessings—for the very air that I breathe. Sometimes I wish that God had not given us so much free will. "For it is within the human heart that evil intentions come." Mark 7:21. So I pray that during Lent, God will find ways for me to keep more of Him in my heart. That would be a blessing, indeed! Fourth Week of Lent John 6:27-40: "I am the Bread of Life" In this passage from the Gospel of John, Jesus is approached by a group of people who ask him what they should do to carry out God's work. When Jesus responds that they should "believe in him whom he has sent", the people ask for a sign (miracle) as proof that Jesus was sent by the Father, similar to the miracle by which their forefathers had received "bread from heaven" (manna) in the desert. Jesus points out that his Father has provided the true bread from heaven in the form of himself: "I am the bread of life; he who comes to me shall never hunger; and he that believes in me shall never thirst". He goes on to say that those who see and believe in him will have everlasting life, and he will raise them up at the last day. The image of Jesus as the bread of life, the one who will raise up the dead on the last day, is filled with wonderful implications. When this encounter took place, Jesus had already performed the miracle of the feeding of the five thousand after blessing the loaves of bread, demonstrating his ability to provide for the physical needs of the human race. Now he explains the role of the bread of life, himself, in satisfying the spiritual appetites of humankind. In the same way that the act of breaking bread together in the physical sense builds and strengthens a sense of community among the participants, the sharing of the bread of life, Jesus, in the spiritual sense strengthens the spiritual community within the Church. The traditional concept of bread as the "Staff of Life" can be expanded here to include the concept of bread from heaven as the "Staff of Spiritual Life." What does this mean to us? Because the Father has provided us with the bread of life, we will not die! We will live forever! As we follow the way of the cross during this season of Lent, we can be confident that our journey will culminate on Easter Sunday at the empty tomb because Jesus, the true bread from heaven, has given us the promise of eternal life. When you hear all the stories about Jesus, you think of all the stories happening in a green, nonpolluted world. You think of grass as green as emeralds and the sky deep majestic blue. In deserts the sand seems to have been the rich color of gold. I only wish everything could be this way today. Now we have factories and machines to make our food, clothes, furniture, and about everything else we use in life. These factories create a lot of pollution. Also deforestation pollutes too. Every second someone in this world is cutting down a tree. Sure we need them for paper but what would you rather have, paper or clean, healthy air? I am willing to bet that most people would want to breathe. There are ways to help stop deforestation and other pollution. We just need to find another source to write on. As far as pollution, we can all do our part. We can recycle, throw trash away, save paper, electricity, and many, many more. How do you think we can help our earth? Psalms 97, 99, [100], 94, [95]; Genesis 49:29-50; 14; 1 Corinthians 11:17-34; Mark 8:1-10 “Whoever, therefore eats the bread and drinks the cup of the Lord in an unworthy manner will be answerable for the body and blood of the Lord. Examine yourselves and only then eat of the bread and drink of the cup.” 1 Corinthians 11:27-28. As Christians, we know that Holy Communion is a very solemn act where we come together in a spirit of awe and thanksgiving. When we partake of the Lord’s Supper, Christ’s body and blood come into their innermost being as we remember that He died for our sins. But there were times in the early church when the Lord’s supper was treated just like another Greco-Roman festivity of the day. People ate ravenously at the Lord’s table, and did not “wait upon one another.” The above passage from Paul’s letter to the Corinthians speaks of the importance of self-examination in partaking of Holy Communion and in being members of the body of Christ. He speaks to a lifelong process of discernment in which we continually examine our motives—asking whether our thoughts, words, and deeds serve God, or someone or something else? We can only do this with God’s help, which often comes through others. In my Adult Journey class and others at Grace, God has graciously provided me with a supportive community of friends who help me to see Him more clearly and to make positive changes in my life. For this, I will always be grateful. Lord, You bless us in so many ways. And we know that nothing is hidden from you. Cleanse our hearts and our minds so that when we come together as the body of Christ it will be more to Your glory. Amen. Psalms 101, 109:1-4 (5-19) 20-30; 119:121-144; Genesis 50:15-26; I Corinthians 12:1-11; Mark 8:11-26 March 13, 2002 is the day before my birthday. It is the Wednesday after the Fourth Sunday in Lent. This year my thoughts are not of joyous celebrations and gifts. Instead I am still having flashbacks of September 11, 2001, and the day my world changed forever. Never again will I feel protected completely in my little corner of the world. I will never forget my 313 coworkers that lost their lives that morning on the 93rd through 102nd floors of the Tower #2. My heart and soul will not allow me the peace that I need because some things are unforgettable. In Psalm 101, I feel that God wants all his representatives to vow to lead a wise and blameless life. This psalm is a royal psalm, used during the coronation of a king when he took his vows. A proper king was supposed to have and display the qualities of God. Were there no "kings" the day life here in the United States became the nightmare of years to come? Psalm 109:1-4(5-19)20-30 seems to be a lament of someone falsely accused crying out for God help. This passage seems to ask the Lord for help, but in order to receive forgiveness you must be willing to forgive others their transgressions. Was there no forgiveness and righteous in the hearts of those hijackers the day they took justice into their own hands? Genesis 50:15-26 reminds me that we honor the dead by forgiving the living although they may have sinned against you. Joseph came to mourn Jacob, not to seek revenge for his brother's sinful ways. Instead Joseph provided for them and their families and lived a long and fruitful life. Can we forgive the evildoers of that day and work to help the people affected by those misguided souls, be it here or in Afghanistan, with humanitarian aid? This birthday I plan to celebrate with a prayer for peace, a donation to a worthy organization to benefit the needy, and a simple lunch, enjoying the beauty of the day. And God may I look around me and count the many blessings I have and be humble in thine eyes. Amen. The readings bring to mind the propensity of human beings to be protective of their power, prestige, point of view, and cause, and to ask God to look more favorably on them than on their perceived enemy. This very human trait of wanting to be right, to hold power, to prove themselves more deserving of God’s favoritism continues today in the Middle East, in our Congress, and in many of our homes. We have claimed superiority over the terrorists, although we lived in a country full of wealth and did little to help the poor and struggling Afghanis—and somehow people claim that God is on our side. I don’t believe that God takes sides, but that he grieves for all of us. In our interpersonal relationships, it is easy to blame others and feel morally superior, to think that what we do is the right thing, or that we hold the right opinion, and forget that each of us has our own experiences and views that shape how we view events. How difficult it is to say “I was wrong, and I’m sorry.” To listen, really listen, to each other. To offer support, forgiveness, redemption to each other on a daily basis. It is especially difficult to keep in mind that if we truly followed Jesus’ most basic request—love others as Christ has loved you—we would recognize that he is part of all of us, and we are part of each other. We would feed and clothe our enemies, share in all our blessings, and treat all in a just and forgiving manner. The Bible readings remind me that we are all fallible and have been praying to God for the same thing for thousands of years. Psalms 95; 102; 107:1-32; Exodus 2:1-22; 1 Corinthians 12:27-13:3; Mark 9:2-13 Meditation: Exodus 2:22: She bore a son, and he called his name Gershom; for he said, "I have been a sojourner in a foreign land." Can you recall the times during your life journey when you were a “a sojourner in a foreign land.” For me, it has been as a student in college, as an employee at a new job, as a resident of new state, even as a visitor at Grace Church. These were the times when I was a newcomer in a new community. In the aftermath of the September 11th tragedy, welcoming a sojourner, or a foreigner, or a stranger becomes even more important. Why? Simply because our reaction to the threat of terrorism may cause us to refuse, reject, or be prejudiced against those who are different from ourselves. To isolate and detach ourselves from the diversity found in God’s children is to shut ourselves off from the amazing gift of coming to know God more fully through one another. Here at Grace Church, we often speak of “building community.” Community building among all can occur if we are willing to share our life journey experiences, backgrounds, abilities, cultures, and interests with one another. For, it is through the very process of connecting with each other that perhaps, if we are open to the possibility, we may be able to see the face of God revealed to us. At your next worship visit to Grace, notice the outside message board at the entrance of the church. At the bottom, it reads “ALL ARE WELCOME.” Take a moment and reflect on what you can do to be welcoming to “a sojourner in a foreign land.” After all, didn't Jesus Christ stretch out his arms on the wooden cross to welcome all into God’s kingdom? Psalms 107:33-43, 108:1-6(7-13); 33; Exodus 2:23-3:15; 1 Corinthians 13-1-13; Mark 9:14-29 “For now we see in a mirror, dimly, but then we will see face to face. Now I know only in part; then I will know fully, even as I have been fully known.” 1 Corinthians 13:12. We are among good company when we acknowledge difficulty in knowing God. Even those closest to God do not find it easy to know Him. Moses “hid his face because he was afraid to look at the Lord.” When he found the courage ask God His name, He relied, “I AM.” A name that is so mysterious, yet strangely familiar. One that suggests a vast and timeless presence, all knowing, without beginning or end. Since even one as great as Moses had difficulty knowing God, should we even try? Jesus thought so. When a group of the disciples were unable to cast out a demon that had taken over the body of a young boy, Jesus lamented, “You faithless generation, how long must I be among you? How much longer must I put up with you?” The disciples simply had not understood what Jesus was trying to teach them about God’s ways. Like the disciples, I often feel like the student who “just doesn’t get it.” At other times, I am the spoiled and stubborn child who wants to do it his or her way, not God’s. I pray that one day I will live the abundant life that God wants for all of us, and to fully accept the responsibilities that come with it. Lord, You who turn desserts into pools of water, and parched land into springs of water. You who feed the hungry and give shelter to all. Help us to put away our childish ways and to mature into the full knowledge and love of You. For you are our strength and our salvation. Amen. Fifth Week of Lent Romans 12: 1-21: …offer yourself as living sacrifice to God, dedicated to his service and pleasing to him. God created all things. He sent his only son, Jesus Christ, to show us the way to trust God for our salvation. Is it too much then for Paul to ask that we offer ourselves as living sacrifice to God? When we are sick, we pray for the healing of our body; when we are in trouble, we call on him for help; when we are desolate, we look to him for hope. So it is right that we use all parts of our body to do his will. God has given every part of our body to us, therefore when we pray, let us offer ourselves as living sacrifice to him. Our eyes, to see the goodness of the world; our hearts, to listen to him in silence, to love and be compassionate to all people; our tongues, to be controlled while we listen to him; and our ears, to hear him when he speaks. Let us offer ourselves to him and love him just as he loves us wholesomely. This is the time for us to repent and turn our lives toward him; it is the time to reaffirm our baptismal vows; it is the time to renounce all that might impede us from following him faithfully and offering ourselves to him. This is the time to trust and obey him. Psalms 31; 35; Exodus 4:10-20 (21-26) 27-31; 1 Corinthians 14:1-19; Mark 9:30-41 Pursue love and strive for spiritual gifts and especially that you may prophesy. For those who speak in a tongue do not speak to other people but to God; for nobody understands them, since they are speaking mysteries of the Spirit. On the other hand, those who prophesy speak to other people for their upbuilding and encouragement and consolation. Those who speak in tongues build up themselves, but those who prophecy build up the church.” 1 Corinthians 14:1-4. St. Paul wrote this passage out of his concern that "speaking in tongues" was leading to disorder in public worship and had become an occasion for self-indulgence. He stressed that other gifts that can be shared were needed to build up the church and were actually more important. Thus, while each of us is called to a personal relationship with God, Paul reminds us that God gave us gifts in order to serve others. For “whoever wants to be first must be last of all and servant to all.” Mark 9:35. If we do not share our gifts, we deny what God has given us. And others are not built up. But, who is actually being “built up” when we share our gifts? We have all had the experience of benefiting through helping others. We set out to help someone only to find that it is we who are being helped. That has certainly been my experiences with the Healing Ministry at Grace. Had I kept to myself, I would have been denied an opportunity to experience God’s grace and healing powers. And in terms of my personal growth, I learn a great deal about my capacity for compassion, justice, faith, and forgiveness through sharing myself with others. As I see it, the line between giver and receiver can become quite blurred. And God is right there in the middle of it, quietly leading us through the example of His Son, our Lord, Jesus Christ. Lord, help us to become true “servants to all”—not only for You, but for ourselves and others. Psalms [120], 121, 122, 123, 124, 125, 126, [127]; Exodus 5:1-6:1; I Corinthians 14:20-33a, 39-40; Mark 9:42-50 I recently participated in a conversation at Grace about volcanic eruptions in Goma, Congo, and we rued the human and property loss resulting from that tragedy. Ironically, about the same time, at work, I was in the midst of a review of legal issues arising from a tragedy in 1994 in that same town of Goma when refugees were fleeing civil strife in Rwanda across the border to Goma and thousands were dying of cholera, dysentery, and ethnic violence. Uncommonly feeling a connection to this region, I thought it might be meaningful to read the assigned passages not only for inner reflections but also with an eye toward Goma and the plight of its people. Psalm 121 is particularly poetic to me. It makes me feel safe and protected and brings on memories of a younger, slower, simpler time. God protected me in those younger, simpler times and he protects me still in these later complex times. In the reading from Exodus, Moses and Aaron delivered God’s message to Pharaoh that he should free the Israelites from bondage. Instead Pharaoh increased the amount of work they had to perform. When his people complained, Moses reported it to God Who promised Moses that He would compel Pharaoh to let the Israelites go. This passage reminds me that God keeps his promises, and although things do not always go the way we want them to when we want them to, God knows what we need and when we need it. Verse 26 in First Corinthians instructs us that when we meet to worship each should contribute something—a song, a psalm, an instruction perhaps. I take it this means that each person has a gift that he or she must contribute to build a better church, a better community, and a better world. The reading from Mark makes the Kingdom of God seem so special that if one has to suffer hardship now to enter into the Kingdom of God, it is well worth the pain and inconvenience. The people in Goma have suffered extreme hardships for so many years the Kingdom of God must look very special to them. But, I know God loves the people of Goma as surely as He loves me, and He will keep his promise to see to their needs and take care of them. At the same time, God makes us responsible for them as well, and helping them or others who have needs is a way to build a better church, community, and world. This is the year I have been blessed with an opportunity to participate in the Adult Journey Part Two; Journey of the Community, an adult education course at Grace Church. It is helping me to reflect and gain a deeper understanding of spiritual ideas on God’s promises, hope, trust, obedience, work, leisure, stability, and care for others. “With a little help from my friends” (the course group), this journey has become compelling. We are evolving into ministers of the Spirit. As each of us takes God’s words to our hearts, hope is raised, trust and faith are strengthened, and we truly undertake Christian fellowship when we are together. God’s love flows through us as we enlighten, support and pray for ourselves and others. The realization that this “Journey” experience has begun a life-long process of learning, growing, and changing, fills me with awe and gratitude. Our group decided this Lenten season to incorporate what we are learning into our everyday lives. This means practicing discipline through prayer, study, and meditation. Although my mind and heart seem ready, moving to faithfulness of this commitment will not be easy for me. I begin to prepare for Lent with Christ as my role model. This becomes my inspiration. The Journey group is at my side giving love, spiritual support, and friendship. I remind myself of God’s promises. I feel strong knowing I can keep my commitment with God’s help. I give thanks feeling that this Lenten season will find me transformed, resurrected, and victorious.
PRAISE GOD Psalms 131, 132, [133]; 140, 142; Exodus 7:25-9:19; 2 Corinthians 3:7-18; Mark 10:17-31 “It is easier for a camel to go through the eye of a needle than for someone who is rich to enter the kingdom of God.” Mark 10:25 The idea of a camel trying to squeeze through the eye of a needle has always fascinated me. Everyone knows that it is impossible for a camel to go through something so small as the eye of a sewing needle. But like all parables, this one has deeper meaning. I believe that the eye of the needle refers to those things that make our journey to the kingdom of God more difficult. For the rich these are material things, to the extent they are put before God. What things do I put before God? What keeps me from prayer? What prevents me from leading a balanced life; one of consistent renewal in Christ? What am I so attached to, so addicted to, that I forget that God is “as near as my very breath”? These things, all of them, are the eye of my needle. Bless You, Oh Heavenly Father! And bless Your holy name! Holy Father, deliver us from all that keeps us from You. May the power of Your Holy Spirit heal us so completely that we sail through any adversity. And may Your peace, and the knowledge and love of You, be with us always. Amen. As we approach the last week of Lent, we find ourselves walking with Jesus to Jerusalem. And walking by his side we continue to hear the difficult and sometimes confusing message of his life and ministry: that in order to truly follow Jesus we must be willing to become servant to all. The enormity of this message can be seen in the passage from Corinthians as well. We are to become “servants for Jesus’ sake.” Being a servant is not a particularly attractive idea for most people. In fact, our culture tends to tell us we should be focused on being served. One model of success tells us that we have really made it when we can afford to have others do any and all of the tasks that we would prefer not to do. However, if we claim to love Jesus, then we must be willing to become servant to all. And the servanthood that Jesus calls us to is far more demanding than the behavior of “good manners.” Are we willing to be a servant when it means letting someone else talk when we know the answer? Are we willing to be servant to those we are in conflict with? Are we willing to be servant to those that reject and hurt us, that bore and annoy us? Are we willing to be servant to those who appear to have nothing to give back to us? Are we willing to be a servant at the times when we least want to be serving anyone? Are we willing to serve those that might never thank us or recognize our service? Jesus is asking us to be servants so that he may be “manifested in our bodies.” If we are to continue to walk with Jesus to Jerusalem, servanthood is not an option, but a mantle we must take on with joy and confidence. “For what we preach is not ourselves, but Jesus Christ as Lord, with ourselves as your servants for Jesus’ sake.” Psalms 137:1-6; 144; 42; 43; Exodus 1-:21 – 11:8; Mark 10:46-52; 2 Corinthians 4:13-18 Two themes emerge from these readings: captivity and release, and blindness and sight. In Psalm 137 the Jews bewail their captivity. They had been carried from their own land and made slaves. Their captors taunted them and demanded mirth and singing. A passage from this psalm is set to a mournful tune in the musical Godspell: “But how can we sing the Lord’s song in a foreign land?” Being held against their will in a place not their own, they cannot sing songs of joy and praise. Furthermore, in a land of nonbelievers, they feel it is not appropriate to sing such songs. The Jews reiterate their love for Jerusalem and pray that they might someday return home. At the same time they hope for vengeance against their enemies, but leave that in God’s hands. The Exodus passage addresses some of that vengeance. Moses has warned of the many plagues to be inflicted on the Egyptians. He has been empowered by God to cause them to happen. With an outstretched hand, Moses brings an intense darkness over the land that endures for three days, so long that even the brightest palaces become dungeons. Yet the children of Israel are granted light in their humble dwellings. With God’s distinction between these two peoples, who would not have preferred the poor cottage of an Israelite to the fine palace of an Egyptian? Following these three days, Pharaoh attempts to negotiate the details of the departure of Moses’ people, but Moses is not up for negotiation. It is all or nothing. He then prepares his people for the smiting of the first-born of Egypt and what they must do to exempt themselves from that plague (the rituals of Passover). This is the last straw that causes Pharaoh not only to release the Israelites, but to drive them away. Turning to Mark’s Gospel, we read of the healing of the blind beggar called Bartimaeus. After first passing him by, Jesus calls to Bartimaeus to come. Bartimaeus throws off his mantle and begs Jesus to open his eyes. Jesus tells him that his faith has cured him and urges him to be on his way. But Bartimaeus, unlike nearly all others Jesus has cured, chooses to walk along with Jesus on the way from Jericho to Jerusalem. This is Jesus’ last recorded act prior to his triumphal entry into Jerusalem. Holy Week Meditations on Psalm Sunday or Passion Sunday Two days in Holy Week, Palm Sunday and Good Friday, have a major element in their liturgy, a special reading known as the Passion. In English the word passion usually means excitement, love, or hate. In Latin, the word means sufferings. Since most of our prayers have been translated from Latin, it is used frequently in the liturgy to refer to the sufferings and death of our Lord Jesus Christ. A familiar collect composed by St. Thomas Aquinas speaks of the Holy Eucharist as a “memorial of his passion.” Early Christians favored this word because in English and Latin it sounds like Passover. Christian devotion emphasizes the relation between the Hebrew Passover and our celebration of the death and resurrection of Christ. Long passages in each of the four Gospels that tell about the trial and arrest, flogging and insults, crucifixion and death of our Lord are called the Passion. Following a tradition of many centuries, St. John’s Passion is always read on Good Friday. Psalm Sunday is the only Sunday in the year when the account of our Savior’s death is read. Centuries ago, it became known as the Sunday of Passion, or simply, Passion Sunday. The Passion reading is a challenge. The spiritual significance of what is read must be clearly stressed, but the length of the text strains both the ability of the reader and the attention of those who are listening. In the Middle Ages, a custom developed of chanting the Passion Gospel, with three Deacons dividing the narrator, Jesus, Pilate, and Herod among them. Because all parishes didn’t happen to have three Deacons, custom allowed other priests or lay persons (called Deacons of the Passion) to participate in the readings. The choir spoke for the crowd. Many congregations now use different readers with the whole congregation serving as the crowd. This is a powerful liturgical experience and you will not fail to be gripped when you hear the words “Crucify him” emerging from your own throat. Psalms 51:1-18, 69:1-23; II Lamentations 1:1-2, 6-12; Mark 11:12-25; Corinthians 1:1-7 How many times in our lives have our spirits sunk so low that it seems as though there is no way out of the despair or loneliness or depression we are currently experiencing? How many times has it seemed as if we would drown in the muck and mire that we created through disobedience, dishonesty, unfaithfulness, or the impenetrable situations others cause us to be in through gossip and lies? Often we are so distressed that we only have thoughts of lashing out at God and others hoping to somehow distract from or lessen our pain through our actions. Nothing is hidden from God. God knows all about our troubles and the wrongs we have done to others. It is a good thing to have your life go into the toilet sometimes. In the midst of our despair, desolation, feelings of worthlessness and depression, only then can we finally find God. It is in this valley of despair that we learn the greatest lessons about who we are and how much God loves us in spite of ourselves. No one knows more about sinking low and finding God in the valley experience, than King David. Just like David, we too sin. Sin is what creates a separation between God and us. But when we repent and ask God to "create in us a clean heart," and put a new and right Spirit within us, God is faithful to forgive us and restore our feeling of connection with God. We are to pray for and forgive others and ourselves, realizing that everything we experience is for our good and that God is always faithful. Psalm 94 In Psalm 94 we hear the psalmist crying out to his God, the God to whom he recognizes vengeance belongs, to “show thyself." He pleads, "How long shall the wicked triumph?" The wicked slay the widow and the stranger and murder the fatherless and then gloat that "the Lord shall not see." We hear and feel his frustration at seeing all of the evil in the world around him, at seeing the wicked thumb their noses at God and go unscathed. Why doesn’t God punish them? The desire in us for revenge is strong, whether it is the desire to punish the enormous evil of those responsible for the World Trade Center and Pentagon attacks or the desire to strike back at a drunk driver who takes a life, the playground bully who terrorizes our child, or the spouse who abandons us. And if we can’t take revenge, then we want God to strike down the evildoer. The Psalm tells us that God does see what the wicked do because he knows the thoughts of man. It assures us that God is our defense and our refuge and that, in our despair, his comforts shall delight our soul. We can turn to him in our pain and anger. But it is interesting that it does not say that God will strike down the wicked for us, but rather that he shall bring upon them their own iniquity and cut them off in their wickedness. They will have to live with themselves in the evil environment that they have created. God’s vengeance is to hold up a mirror to reflect their evil back on them. Our anger and our hurt give us tremendous energy and drive to strike back, to return the hurt. Could we not better use that energy and drive to help the victims of evil and to work to eliminate the circumstances that nurture wickedness in others or that permit it to be acted upon and leave vengeance to the Lord, to let him reflect the evil back on the evildoer? Psalms 55; 74; Lamentations 2:1-9; 14-17; 2 Corinthians 1:23-2:11; Mark 12:1-11 “The stone that the builders rejected has become the cornerstone.” Mark 12:10. In Mark, Jesus told the Pharisees the parable of the wicked tenants. In the parable, a man built a beautiful vineyard and leased it to a group of tenants. After agreeing to the terms of the lease, the tenants refused to share the fruits of their labor. Each time a slave was sent to collect from them, the tenants either killed him or beat him up. Finally, the owner sent his only son, whom he believed they would respect, to collect the rent. But the tenants killed the son and sought to claim his inheritance. The Pharisees heard well what Jesus was telling them through the parable. They understood that the owner was God, the vineyard was Israel, the lease was God’s covenant with Israel, and they were the wicked tenants. Naturally, this angered the Pharisees. But Jesus nevertheless went on to say at the end of the parable that the owner killed the tenants and gave the inheritance to others. And Jesus did not stop there. He goes on to prophesy that one day he will be recognized as the cornerstone, the Messiah, and that they, the Pharisees, failed to recognize him. Surely this insult to the religious elite of the day helped to seal Christ’s fate on the cross. I wonder. Would I have the courage to boldly face a destiny I knew to be horribly unpleasant, and indeed, to hasten it as Jesus did? Probably not. But I will never know because unlike Jesus, I cannot see the future. But like Jesus, I do have choices about how to respond to adversity, especially when frustrated, angry, or afraid. These have, and will be, my defining moments. Will I boldly declare the truth? Will I show compassion? Will I stand up for justice? I pray that I will—with God’s help. “Do not let the downtrodden be put to shame; let the poor and the needy praise your name. Rise up, O God, plead your cause, remember the impious scoff at you all day long.” Psalm 74:22-22 Psalms 102, 142, 143; Lamentations 2:10-18; 1 Corinthians 10:14-17, 11:27-32; Mark 14:12-25 Psalm 143:8 “Remind me each morning of your constant love” Sometimes I feel that all we can really ask of the Lord each day is that the sun rises. Once the sun is up the day is ours. We do ask for the Lord’s help in our endeavors. But what we do with the day is up to us. We go to sleep each night recalling the day just past, planning the day to come, and trusting in the sunrise. Tonight is in some ways the darkest night of the year. It is the night of the Last Supper, the hours in the garden; it is a night of betrayal and denial. We might consider this day to be the final hours of the “day” of Lent—a day in which we have tried to change ourselves. We end the day of Lent recalling how we have shared with others and helped those who are in pain. We ask if we have been faithful and trustworthy. We end the day and season of Lent planning what we are going to do with the days to follow the next sunrise, the brightest sunrise, the morning of Resurrection. Psalm 95:22; Psalm 40:1-14 (15-19), 54; Lamentations 3:1-9, 19-33; 1 Peter 1:10-20; John 13:36-38; 19:38-42 In John 13, verses 36-38, Peter professes his desire to follow Jesus anywhere. Poor Peter! Christ tells him that, before the cock crows, Peter will deny him three times. Whenever I read this passage or others that describe Peter in all his humanity, I feel an overwhelming affinity for him. As he did, so do I. Even today, as I kneel at the foot of the cross, full of grief and promises of faithfulness, I too am still imperfect in my humanity. Would I deny Jesus three times if to recognize him publicly would endanger my life? I would like to believe that I would not, but I really don’t know. What I do know is that Jesus loves me as he loved Peter. He will forgive me if I fail, for today he gave himself for my sins. Romans 8:1-11 In this reading from Romans, we are strongly reminded to submit our unruly nature to the will of God. What does St. Paul mean by “the flesh” which he so often refers to in this passage? I believe he is addressing the worldly passions that bombard our senses and, if we allow them free reign, are capable of throwing our lives out of balance. Paul begged God to rid him of the “thorn in his flesh” on three different occasions; however, God’s reply was always “My grace is sufficient for you.” Each of us must also learn to seek God’s grace as we confront and wrestle with the “thorns in our flesh,” whatever form they may take. We all have at least one area in our lives that we need to moderate. One of the best ways to seek life and peace is to practice the disciplines of the Holy Spirit. In particular, the disciplines of yielding and submission are active ways in which we willingly surrender areas of our lives and place them under the Lordship of Christ. Another discipline we would be wise to pursue, especially during Lent, is the practice of fasting. Fasting allows us to surrender our appetites for food or any other thing we hold too close such as TV, money, relationships, exercise, travel, music, etc. Fasting enables us to become appropriately disengaged from the things that “hold us” so that we become more sensitive to the gentle prompting of the spirit. The other disciplines we can incorporate in our lives are solitude and silence. When we fast from noise and visual stimulation, we allow God’s still small voice to penetrate the other voices that clamor for attention in our lives. Spiritual disciplines help to purify and liberate us from unhealthy selfishness while refreshing and healing our souls. |