10/1/10
Dwain David Tissell: This Generation Of Narnian Overlappers
Dwain David Tissell: This Generation Of Narnian Overlappers: "“It isn’t Narnia, you know,” sobbed Lucy. “It’s you. We shan’t meet you there. And how can we live, never meeting you?” “But you shal..."
9/30/10
THIS GENERATION OF NARNIAN OVERLAPPERS
“It isn’t Narnia, you know,” sobbed Lucy. “It’s you. We shan’t meet you there. And how can we live, never meeting you?”
“But you shall meet me, dear one,” said Aslan.
“Are—are you there too, Sir?” said Edmund.
“I am,” said Aslan. “But there I have another name. You must learn to know me by that name. This was the very reason why you were brought to Narnia, that by knowing me here for a little, you may know me better there.”
I’ve been thinking lately about the final scene and these parting words of C.S. Lewis’s The Voyage of the Dawn Treader. My musing is not due only to the fact that the movie is about to be released. It has more to do with the image of our world that this exchange portrays. It is a picture I have come to believe the current generation “gets” more readily than those of us who have gone before.
I am talking about the group of people just emerging on the scene – just now taking the first steps toward leadership in the world, and in the faith. Sometimes they are referred to as the Millennials because they overlap two millenniums. And that is appropriate, I suppose, because it the ability to see the overlap of two worlds which, I think, Lewis is digging for at the end of Dawn Treader. I’m pretty sure that Millennials have this gift in larger measure than we have seen in a long time and that is what gives me such great optimism for the future of our faith communities.
Seeing that we are living in “overlap” time is crucial to living authentic Christian faith today. Jesus has brought the kingdom of God to bear on this sorry fallen world. Although we have not yet seen the end game, he is daily accomplishing victories of over the shadow-world cast by the enemy. Those triumphs reach right down into our own individual lives and the battles in which we struggle.
Aslan tells the youngest two Pevensie children that he brought them to Narnia so that they could know him better in the world they came from. There are clues all through the Chronicles that they really felt most at home in Narnia, but Lewis’s point through Aslan’s mouth is well taken. This world is our home, for now. That’s why the overlap is sometimes difficult to navigate. There really are two overlapping worlds in existence at this moment.
The emerging generation seems to be more predisposed to accept this truth. Yet, we would all do well to lock that image into the foundation of our own worldviews. The main reason is in the nature of possibility and its influence on faith. What we believe to be real shapes our attitudes and how we respond to crises, joys, and living.
The Narnia Chronicles, I realize, were written for children but Lewis was clear that he was really writing a true myth that could apply to all people, young and old. These stories get us to drop our guard much as the Bible’s stories do if we’re not too pre-jaded to rule them out from the beginning.
Though youthful exuberance often makes it easier to embrace idealistic hopes and dreams, maybe we should pause before dishing this hope off as we mature. Could it be that the idea of two overlapping kingdoms, each effecting our everyday lives, is not such a stretch? Maybe recognizing that some things can only be seen with the eyes of the heart and imagination (also gifted to us by our Creator) is not just meant to be a quality of youth. It just might be that our mistake is one of mental assent that warehouses our supernatural beliefs in boxes marked “ideas that once inspired us.” When we chock up the possibility of God’s kingdom being real and present every day as just another Christian belief, no wonder our lives become so disenchanted.
If the Scriptures are to believed Aslan was speaking reality. Jesus Christ certainly thought so. In his “farewell for now” conversations with his followers there was one topic that apparently kept coming up. After his suffering, he presented himself to them and gave many convincing proofs that he was alive. He appeared to them over a period of forty days and spoke about the kingdom of God. Acts 1:3 – underline mine
Jesus seems to have pretty clearly believed he was leaving us in a supernatural, but half-charged world. The momentum was now on his side as opposed to evil, so why did he feel the need to make the “kingdom of God” point over and over again over those forty days? Why not talk about how cool it was being resurrected? Why not discuss and put to rest once and for all exactly what happened in that tomb on that Sunday morning? It seems he felt that it was critical that we know about the overlap.
He knew that life would make us blurry on this point. He knew our experience in the shadows would make us forget what we had learned in the light, and we would struggle with many questions, such as -- If that is true, why doesn’t it seem to be true more often? And I don’t just mean when things are tough. Sometimes it is harder to believe there is a God when life is going great, because who really feels they need him when they are on cruise control? If God is up to something, then why does the world seem so disenchanted, with wonder sucking philosophies, loud talking medias, relationship killing wars, joy extinguishing pains, naturalistic worldviews, and just plain more fun things to do than traipsing around trying to find HIM? If God really is up to something, then it only makes sense that you and I should be able to find him in normal everyday life.
As with most of New Testament scholarship of the last 2000 years, Dr. N.T. Wright calls the era we are living in the “apostolic age. In commenting on the worldview we see in the book of Acts he says,
All of that is part of the mystery of living at the overlap between the present age, with its griefs and sorrows and decay and death, and the age to come, with its new life and energy and restorative power. I don’t think it has anything much to do with the devotion or holiness of those involved. In the apostolic age they seem simply to have accepted that God can do whatever he pleases and that, when people pray and trust him, he will often do much more than we dare to imagine…
The depth to which we know and believe the reality of Jesus’ victory in the spiritual realms will determine how much of his winning presence we see in this one. The degree to which we are successful at living Spirit-filled Christ-like lives today, tomorrow and the next day is not the result of our own skill, will, or even commitment. It is more a matter of how deep our belief runs in the victory of God in both in heaven and earth. After all he also taught us to pray, “Your kingdom come on earth as it is in heaven.” So Jesus in those forty days must have been proclaiming that in some measure his prayer had been answered. Do you know to what measure?
I’ve had conversations too that have been spurring me on to think of these things. One such conversation was with a person in their twenties after a Sunday service who is facing some genuinely terrible things. In the course of telling me about it he said with characteristic belief in the dual reality of our world, “I’m just praying that I’ll see God in this mess before it’s over.”
At that point I wished I could have brought in the Lion to say, “But you shall meet me dear one.”
“But you shall meet me, dear one,” said Aslan.
“Are—are you there too, Sir?” said Edmund.
“I am,” said Aslan. “But there I have another name. You must learn to know me by that name. This was the very reason why you were brought to Narnia, that by knowing me here for a little, you may know me better there.”
I’ve been thinking lately about the final scene and these parting words of C.S. Lewis’s The Voyage of the Dawn Treader. My musing is not due only to the fact that the movie is about to be released. It has more to do with the image of our world that this exchange portrays. It is a picture I have come to believe the current generation “gets” more readily than those of us who have gone before.
I am talking about the group of people just emerging on the scene – just now taking the first steps toward leadership in the world, and in the faith. Sometimes they are referred to as the Millennials because they overlap two millenniums. And that is appropriate, I suppose, because it the ability to see the overlap of two worlds which, I think, Lewis is digging for at the end of Dawn Treader. I’m pretty sure that Millennials have this gift in larger measure than we have seen in a long time and that is what gives me such great optimism for the future of our faith communities.
Seeing that we are living in “overlap” time is crucial to living authentic Christian faith today. Jesus has brought the kingdom of God to bear on this sorry fallen world. Although we have not yet seen the end game, he is daily accomplishing victories of over the shadow-world cast by the enemy. Those triumphs reach right down into our own individual lives and the battles in which we struggle.
Aslan tells the youngest two Pevensie children that he brought them to Narnia so that they could know him better in the world they came from. There are clues all through the Chronicles that they really felt most at home in Narnia, but Lewis’s point through Aslan’s mouth is well taken. This world is our home, for now. That’s why the overlap is sometimes difficult to navigate. There really are two overlapping worlds in existence at this moment.
The emerging generation seems to be more predisposed to accept this truth. Yet, we would all do well to lock that image into the foundation of our own worldviews. The main reason is in the nature of possibility and its influence on faith. What we believe to be real shapes our attitudes and how we respond to crises, joys, and living.
The Narnia Chronicles, I realize, were written for children but Lewis was clear that he was really writing a true myth that could apply to all people, young and old. These stories get us to drop our guard much as the Bible’s stories do if we’re not too pre-jaded to rule them out from the beginning.
Though youthful exuberance often makes it easier to embrace idealistic hopes and dreams, maybe we should pause before dishing this hope off as we mature. Could it be that the idea of two overlapping kingdoms, each effecting our everyday lives, is not such a stretch? Maybe recognizing that some things can only be seen with the eyes of the heart and imagination (also gifted to us by our Creator) is not just meant to be a quality of youth. It just might be that our mistake is one of mental assent that warehouses our supernatural beliefs in boxes marked “ideas that once inspired us.” When we chock up the possibility of God’s kingdom being real and present every day as just another Christian belief, no wonder our lives become so disenchanted.
If the Scriptures are to believed Aslan was speaking reality. Jesus Christ certainly thought so. In his “farewell for now” conversations with his followers there was one topic that apparently kept coming up. After his suffering, he presented himself to them and gave many convincing proofs that he was alive. He appeared to them over a period of forty days and spoke about the kingdom of God. Acts 1:3 – underline mine
Jesus seems to have pretty clearly believed he was leaving us in a supernatural, but half-charged world. The momentum was now on his side as opposed to evil, so why did he feel the need to make the “kingdom of God” point over and over again over those forty days? Why not talk about how cool it was being resurrected? Why not discuss and put to rest once and for all exactly what happened in that tomb on that Sunday morning? It seems he felt that it was critical that we know about the overlap.
He knew that life would make us blurry on this point. He knew our experience in the shadows would make us forget what we had learned in the light, and we would struggle with many questions, such as -- If that is true, why doesn’t it seem to be true more often? And I don’t just mean when things are tough. Sometimes it is harder to believe there is a God when life is going great, because who really feels they need him when they are on cruise control? If God is up to something, then why does the world seem so disenchanted, with wonder sucking philosophies, loud talking medias, relationship killing wars, joy extinguishing pains, naturalistic worldviews, and just plain more fun things to do than traipsing around trying to find HIM? If God really is up to something, then it only makes sense that you and I should be able to find him in normal everyday life.
As with most of New Testament scholarship of the last 2000 years, Dr. N.T. Wright calls the era we are living in the “apostolic age. In commenting on the worldview we see in the book of Acts he says,
All of that is part of the mystery of living at the overlap between the present age, with its griefs and sorrows and decay and death, and the age to come, with its new life and energy and restorative power. I don’t think it has anything much to do with the devotion or holiness of those involved. In the apostolic age they seem simply to have accepted that God can do whatever he pleases and that, when people pray and trust him, he will often do much more than we dare to imagine…
The depth to which we know and believe the reality of Jesus’ victory in the spiritual realms will determine how much of his winning presence we see in this one. The degree to which we are successful at living Spirit-filled Christ-like lives today, tomorrow and the next day is not the result of our own skill, will, or even commitment. It is more a matter of how deep our belief runs in the victory of God in both in heaven and earth. After all he also taught us to pray, “Your kingdom come on earth as it is in heaven.” So Jesus in those forty days must have been proclaiming that in some measure his prayer had been answered. Do you know to what measure?
I’ve had conversations too that have been spurring me on to think of these things. One such conversation was with a person in their twenties after a Sunday service who is facing some genuinely terrible things. In the course of telling me about it he said with characteristic belief in the dual reality of our world, “I’m just praying that I’ll see God in this mess before it’s over.”
At that point I wished I could have brought in the Lion to say, “But you shall meet me dear one.”
4/30/10
Derik's 5-Minutes
Luke 1:78-79
78 By the tender mercy of our God,
the dawn from on high will break upon us,
79 to give light to those who sit in darkness
and in the shadow of death,
to guide our feet into the way of peace.”
So here is Derik’s five minutes. OK. I didn’t do this in 5 minutes. I set some time aside to read and think what God would be saying to me in this scripture. But as I began to listen, I began to wonder, “What is the context for this passage? What is going on here?” So I did some more reading. Then a picture started to form.
This portion of scripture is spoken by John the Baptists’ dad after he became mute. Let’s rewind the tape.
It had been about 400 years since Israel had heard from God through any of the prophets. All this time they had been waiting for the Messiah. When Zechariah, John’s dad, had gone into the temple to do his very privileged priestly duty, he got to have a conversation with the angel Gabriel. The angel had told him that he was going to have a son and to name him John. He also gave a long list of the cool characteristics of this yet to be born baby.
1. He will be great in the eyes of the Lord.
2. Can’t touch alcohol.
3. Have the Holy Spirit before being born.
4. Be a Billy Graham of the day turning many Israelites to God.
5. Have the power of Elijah.
6. Precede the coming of the Lord prepping people for Him to come.
7. And a few other cool things.
Zechariah didn’t seem to be listening to what the angel said after he was told he was going to have a kid, because he didn’t have problem with the long list. All he was thinking was, “I am an old man and my wife is no spring chicken either.” (My paraphrase). So the Angel made him mute because of his unbelief.
Fast forward to when the baby is born. Like any good Jewish family they had the circumcision done 8 days after he was born. People were very curious as to what his name was going to be. His mom Liz (short for Elizabeth) says John. Everyone was in shock and awe because it wasn’t a family name. So they look to the father to see what his reaction was. He breaks out the iPad and writes down, ”His name is John.” SHAZAM! All of a sudden he could speak again. And He began to praise God. Like wildfire the news spread through the surrounding areas. So they all showed up wondering who this child will be. Zechariah began to explain what John’s ministry would look like.
John was to be the guy preparing the way for Jesus, who was going to be born 6 months after him. He would be the prophet of the Most High. And Zechariah was explaining that Jesus was going to be the light breaking upon them. That Jesus was going to shed the light on those who are sitting in darkness. That Jesus was going to guide us to the path of peace.
This isn’t just some cutesy verse that would look good on the wall in some frame somewhere. This was news after 400 years of “darkness”. These people needed some light. They were hungry for something like this. They might not have even known it at the time. They were going about their daily business as usual; doing their work, feeding the kids, taking care of the house, not hearing from the Lord. Sound familiar?
We get caught up in the daily grind of things, taking little or no time to hear from the Lord. We end up sitting in darkness for a long time sometimes. The crazy thing is we don’t have to wait for a prophet or an angel to come along to give us the good news. We have Gods word everywhere, and we too often neglect it for the “necessary things” in life; work, the kids, the house, etcetera.
Are you hungry? Have you been in darkness too long?
I just met with the principal at my sons’ school for an interview. I was asking him a question that regarded failure. He said, “If you think you are doing it all right, you are probably already in trouble.”
Are you doing it all right? Are there some areas where you could use some work in your life? Maybe it’s regarding spirituality. Maybe it’s integrity. There could be a whole host of things. Why not continue pausing and listening to the Lord. And try not to freak out at the first thing God says. Really sit and listen. What is he saying to you? Share some thoughts. There is most likely someone else in the same circumstance as you. Thanks.
78 By the tender mercy of our God,
the dawn from on high will break upon us,
79 to give light to those who sit in darkness
and in the shadow of death,
to guide our feet into the way of peace.”
So here is Derik’s five minutes. OK. I didn’t do this in 5 minutes. I set some time aside to read and think what God would be saying to me in this scripture. But as I began to listen, I began to wonder, “What is the context for this passage? What is going on here?” So I did some more reading. Then a picture started to form.
This portion of scripture is spoken by John the Baptists’ dad after he became mute. Let’s rewind the tape.
It had been about 400 years since Israel had heard from God through any of the prophets. All this time they had been waiting for the Messiah. When Zechariah, John’s dad, had gone into the temple to do his very privileged priestly duty, he got to have a conversation with the angel Gabriel. The angel had told him that he was going to have a son and to name him John. He also gave a long list of the cool characteristics of this yet to be born baby.
1. He will be great in the eyes of the Lord.
2. Can’t touch alcohol.
3. Have the Holy Spirit before being born.
4. Be a Billy Graham of the day turning many Israelites to God.
5. Have the power of Elijah.
6. Precede the coming of the Lord prepping people for Him to come.
7. And a few other cool things.
Zechariah didn’t seem to be listening to what the angel said after he was told he was going to have a kid, because he didn’t have problem with the long list. All he was thinking was, “I am an old man and my wife is no spring chicken either.” (My paraphrase). So the Angel made him mute because of his unbelief.
Fast forward to when the baby is born. Like any good Jewish family they had the circumcision done 8 days after he was born. People were very curious as to what his name was going to be. His mom Liz (short for Elizabeth) says John. Everyone was in shock and awe because it wasn’t a family name. So they look to the father to see what his reaction was. He breaks out the iPad and writes down, ”His name is John.” SHAZAM! All of a sudden he could speak again. And He began to praise God. Like wildfire the news spread through the surrounding areas. So they all showed up wondering who this child will be. Zechariah began to explain what John’s ministry would look like.
John was to be the guy preparing the way for Jesus, who was going to be born 6 months after him. He would be the prophet of the Most High. And Zechariah was explaining that Jesus was going to be the light breaking upon them. That Jesus was going to shed the light on those who are sitting in darkness. That Jesus was going to guide us to the path of peace.
This isn’t just some cutesy verse that would look good on the wall in some frame somewhere. This was news after 400 years of “darkness”. These people needed some light. They were hungry for something like this. They might not have even known it at the time. They were going about their daily business as usual; doing their work, feeding the kids, taking care of the house, not hearing from the Lord. Sound familiar?
We get caught up in the daily grind of things, taking little or no time to hear from the Lord. We end up sitting in darkness for a long time sometimes. The crazy thing is we don’t have to wait for a prophet or an angel to come along to give us the good news. We have Gods word everywhere, and we too often neglect it for the “necessary things” in life; work, the kids, the house, etcetera.
Are you hungry? Have you been in darkness too long?
I just met with the principal at my sons’ school for an interview. I was asking him a question that regarded failure. He said, “If you think you are doing it all right, you are probably already in trouble.”
Are you doing it all right? Are there some areas where you could use some work in your life? Maybe it’s regarding spirituality. Maybe it’s integrity. There could be a whole host of things. Why not continue pausing and listening to the Lord. And try not to freak out at the first thing God says. Really sit and listen. What is he saying to you? Share some thoughts. There is most likely someone else in the same circumstance as you. Thanks.
4/29/10
Loretta's 5-Minutes
So - time to wait on God! When I first heard the challenge, I thought that it was going to be hard in such a busy life. But I decided to take it on.
On Tuesday morning, as I sat in the kitchen quietly thinking of the scripture from Psalm 143,
a male pheasant squawked and strutted himself accross our yard. It was at the moment, God nudged my heart and reminded me that He speaks
through His creation. As I take the time to notice the beautiful world that He has placed around me, He has taught me about His character and love for me
That morning, the male pheasant, who is brightly colored and has a long beautiful tail, showed me clearly of Gods sense of beauty. His bright colors were stunning in the morning light as he strutted accross the field.
Just like we want to bring beautiful things into our children's lives, God wants us to experience His beauty through his creation.
My mind then reflected on other experiences. I have seen God's sense mystery when the deer sneak out at dusk to each fruit from our trees. I see His sense of protection for us, his children, when the mother deer chases a coyote accross the field to protect her fawns.
I am awed by the ocean every time I'm there as God speaks through it in so many ways. I see His power in the waves as they wash huge logs of driftwood on the shore. It shows me that His power is great enough to handle even the big challenges I face in life. I also see His faithfulness and constancy in the ocean. Just as the waves always come to the shore and the tide always rises and falls, God will always be there for us through the ups and downs of our daily routine.
And most of all - God reminded of the scripture from Psalms 139: 14 - "I will praise you, for I am fearfully and wonderfully made. Your works are wonderful, I know that full well",
that I am also His creation and He has made me beautiful and unique - I can learn to rest peacefully in His love and care
Loretta
On Tuesday morning, as I sat in the kitchen quietly thinking of the scripture from Psalm 143,
a male pheasant squawked and strutted himself accross our yard. It was at the moment, God nudged my heart and reminded me that He speaks
through His creation. As I take the time to notice the beautiful world that He has placed around me, He has taught me about His character and love for me
That morning, the male pheasant, who is brightly colored and has a long beautiful tail, showed me clearly of Gods sense of beauty. His bright colors were stunning in the morning light as he strutted accross the field.
Just like we want to bring beautiful things into our children's lives, God wants us to experience His beauty through his creation.
My mind then reflected on other experiences. I have seen God's sense mystery when the deer sneak out at dusk to each fruit from our trees. I see His sense of protection for us, his children, when the mother deer chases a coyote accross the field to protect her fawns.
I am awed by the ocean every time I'm there as God speaks through it in so many ways. I see His power in the waves as they wash huge logs of driftwood on the shore. It shows me that His power is great enough to handle even the big challenges I face in life. I also see His faithfulness and constancy in the ocean. Just as the waves always come to the shore and the tide always rises and falls, God will always be there for us through the ups and downs of our daily routine.
And most of all - God reminded of the scripture from Psalms 139: 14 - "I will praise you, for I am fearfully and wonderfully made. Your works are wonderful, I know that full well",
that I am also His creation and He has made me beautiful and unique - I can learn to rest peacefully in His love and care
Loretta
4/28/10
Rick's 5 Minutes
I remember the first time I tried to sit still for 5 minutes and just “listen to God”. I was thinking, this is going to be a piece of cake. My anticipation grew as morning approached, eagerly waiting on the vast wisdom God would share with me in such a brief moment in time. I’ll never forget what I found. Anything but silence or a still small voice. I couldn’t keep my mind from racing here and there. I was like a child running up and down the cereal aisle in the grocery story. It’s almost like the boxes of Coco Coco Puffs and Lucky Charms where screaming at me “pick me, pick me”. Stuff clamoring for my attention, random thoughts, ideas, to do lists….everything but the silent meditation on God’s voice seemed to be coming at me.
Whether this was a remnant of childhood ADD stashed away in my cells, or just the pattern of my busy life surfacing, it was clearly ruining any attempt to allow silence and contemplation. Years later, it’s still not easy to sit quietly and just listen.
I remember daydreaming once that it would be awesome to have a set of Godly noise canceling headphones that I put on once or twice a day. Maybe I would hear God’s voice say something like “you are now free to move about My kingdom”. This verse (and verse 1 just above it) help shed light on this struggle.
Isaiah 55:3a (NLT)
3 “Come to me with your ears wide open. Listen, and you will find life…”
Sounds easy right? Listen, and you and I will find life. If like me, you have found that other things seem to occupy your mind during every waking moment, listen to what the Prophet Isaiah says in verse 1:
Isaiah 55:1a (NIV)
1 "Come, all you who are thirsty, come to the waters; and you who have no money, come, buy and eat!....”
While serving in the Army back in the 80’s, I recall a time we were stationed in the middle of the dessert doing some training for a couple of weeks. It was extremely hot every day, reaching 115-120 well before mid-day. Growing up in the south, I was fairly adapted to high temperatures and its effects on the body. But until that moment, I had never really experienced thirst. The kind that makes your tongue swell up and you can’t speak a clear word to save your life. Where you see water everywhere you look (at least in your mind), and even imagine how one sip from a lukewarm canteen could sustain you another mile. Just a sip. It was here that I fell in love with water and what it meant to my life. I cherished every possible moment to keep my canteens full from that day forward. I never wanted to face another day when water was that far away from me.
Maybe that is what God is saying through Isaiah in verse 1. For verse 3 to be possible, there is one pre-requisite to hearing his voice and taking part in this feast. Even though it is open to everyone who walks the face of the earth, one thing must be present. Thirst.
If a little lights is coming on for you as it did for me, you realize why it is so hard to just sit quietly and listen to God. We have to find our thirst for God’s voice. A thirst for something beyond ourself. A thirst beyond what the world has to offer. A thirst that goes beyond the meager satisfaction found in living a "good life".
So what does that look like for Rick? It’s me getting to the place that I’m thirsty enough to turn off my TV, cell phone, laptop, PS3, radio (and the list goes on). Even if it is for 5 minutes sitting on the couch in a dark living room, or sipping a cup of coffee as I stare into the back yard…. to find a spot and sit quietly and say “God, my ears are open. Do you have something you want me to hear today?” If I spend all my time quenching my thirst with everything I’m exposed to throughout the day, I leave little room for the real thirst for God to surface. And yet, God tells us, do this…. “and you will find life.”
I would love to hear what works for you. Do you have a special place you go to hear him clearly? I’ve shared some of the things that get in the way of me hearing Him from time to time. What sort of things stand in the way of your thirst?
Whether this was a remnant of childhood ADD stashed away in my cells, or just the pattern of my busy life surfacing, it was clearly ruining any attempt to allow silence and contemplation. Years later, it’s still not easy to sit quietly and just listen.
I remember daydreaming once that it would be awesome to have a set of Godly noise canceling headphones that I put on once or twice a day. Maybe I would hear God’s voice say something like “you are now free to move about My kingdom”. This verse (and verse 1 just above it) help shed light on this struggle.
Isaiah 55:3a (NLT)
3 “Come to me with your ears wide open. Listen, and you will find life…”
Sounds easy right? Listen, and you and I will find life. If like me, you have found that other things seem to occupy your mind during every waking moment, listen to what the Prophet Isaiah says in verse 1:
Isaiah 55:1a (NIV)
1 "Come, all you who are thirsty, come to the waters; and you who have no money, come, buy and eat!....”
While serving in the Army back in the 80’s, I recall a time we were stationed in the middle of the dessert doing some training for a couple of weeks. It was extremely hot every day, reaching 115-120 well before mid-day. Growing up in the south, I was fairly adapted to high temperatures and its effects on the body. But until that moment, I had never really experienced thirst. The kind that makes your tongue swell up and you can’t speak a clear word to save your life. Where you see water everywhere you look (at least in your mind), and even imagine how one sip from a lukewarm canteen could sustain you another mile. Just a sip. It was here that I fell in love with water and what it meant to my life. I cherished every possible moment to keep my canteens full from that day forward. I never wanted to face another day when water was that far away from me.
Maybe that is what God is saying through Isaiah in verse 1. For verse 3 to be possible, there is one pre-requisite to hearing his voice and taking part in this feast. Even though it is open to everyone who walks the face of the earth, one thing must be present. Thirst.
If a little lights is coming on for you as it did for me, you realize why it is so hard to just sit quietly and listen to God. We have to find our thirst for God’s voice. A thirst for something beyond ourself. A thirst beyond what the world has to offer. A thirst that goes beyond the meager satisfaction found in living a "good life".
So what does that look like for Rick? It’s me getting to the place that I’m thirsty enough to turn off my TV, cell phone, laptop, PS3, radio (and the list goes on). Even if it is for 5 minutes sitting on the couch in a dark living room, or sipping a cup of coffee as I stare into the back yard…. to find a spot and sit quietly and say “God, my ears are open. Do you have something you want me to hear today?” If I spend all my time quenching my thirst with everything I’m exposed to throughout the day, I leave little room for the real thirst for God to surface. And yet, God tells us, do this…. “and you will find life.”
I would love to hear what works for you. Do you have a special place you go to hear him clearly? I’ve shared some of the things that get in the way of me hearing Him from time to time. What sort of things stand in the way of your thirst?
4/27/10
Danae's 5 minutes
It’s important for me to start with a few facts:
1. I am not a morning person
2. I am easily distracted
Those facts are important to understanding how God chose to talk to me. Oh! Wait… one more:
3. I’m not naturally disciplined
Ok, that’s good.
I have struggled for a long time with acts of spiritual discipline and I have strong legalistic tendencies. I have all sorts of guilt feelings when I do not do the right spiritual disciplines at the right time and when I do not feel a grandiose sense of God’s presence while doing them. I assume it’s because I’m doing something wrong. Without getting into all that background, I want you to understand how I’m approaching this “resting on God’s spirit” deal. Even though I’ve been a Christian a long time, it’s a new idea to me and I need some serious retraining to take full advantage of what God’s offering.
Which brings me to last night (see point 1). I found myself walking through the neighborhood which is something I do at least once a week. I had already done my “5 minutes” earlier that day but I knew today I’d have to do one and write about it so I was thinking about that. I was also thinking about the Blazers, and thinking about what I’m going to be doing January 2011 and whether or not people are going to notice that I’m wearing gross sweatpants over my jeans (see point 2).
Then I started thinking about the Sunday School class I’ve been teaching. We’ve been talking about what happened to the disciples after Jesus went up to heaven. Jesus sent them a gift. I remember drawing this present on the whiteboard in red ink. It’s a box with a bow on it.
“Kids! Do you remember what God’s present is?” I said.
Standard replies were, “Jesus!” “Dying for us!” “Can I go to the bathroom?” “Heaven!”
But usually one of the other kids remembers that it’s the Holy Spirit. We talk about what that means and how we’re supposed to use it. Kind of like Mary Poppins’ bag, we can pull stuff out of there even if the bag doesn’t look big enough to hold what we need. So I wondered, do I really get that? Do I get what it means to really wait AND trust that the Spirit is what is going to get me where I want to be? Will the spirit really come through when I WANT to pray well, but don’t understand exactly how prayer works? When I want to read AND understand scripture but I can’t focus very well? I knew it had to be true, God says it’s true.
I re-prayed the scripture for today: “Teach me to do your will for you are my God. Let your good spirit lead me on a level path.” And I believed it. And honestly, I felt it too. I really felt it, I got a little teary I must say. And I heard God say, “See, didn’t I know what I was doing?” … when I created this system, when I chose to have you close to me, He was saying. And then I giggled a bit, like my soul had just been tickled.
So today, I sat at my desk a rested in those 5 minutes again. I savored that scripture, trusted that God was with me, before me, above me, next to me all that good stuff. I’m not going to lie, it feels pretty good today.
For those of you who have managed to read this whole long crazy thing please know that this “hearing from God" thing doesn’t happen to me all that often. It makes me curious… Do any of you also feel like you’re doing something wrong if you don’t get that “God’s right here with me” feeling? What do you do to push through that? Have you learned anything about what it means to wait for his Spirit?
1. I am not a morning person
2. I am easily distracted
Those facts are important to understanding how God chose to talk to me. Oh! Wait… one more:
3. I’m not naturally disciplined
Ok, that’s good.
I have struggled for a long time with acts of spiritual discipline and I have strong legalistic tendencies. I have all sorts of guilt feelings when I do not do the right spiritual disciplines at the right time and when I do not feel a grandiose sense of God’s presence while doing them. I assume it’s because I’m doing something wrong. Without getting into all that background, I want you to understand how I’m approaching this “resting on God’s spirit” deal. Even though I’ve been a Christian a long time, it’s a new idea to me and I need some serious retraining to take full advantage of what God’s offering.
Which brings me to last night (see point 1). I found myself walking through the neighborhood which is something I do at least once a week. I had already done my “5 minutes” earlier that day but I knew today I’d have to do one and write about it so I was thinking about that. I was also thinking about the Blazers, and thinking about what I’m going to be doing January 2011 and whether or not people are going to notice that I’m wearing gross sweatpants over my jeans (see point 2).
Then I started thinking about the Sunday School class I’ve been teaching. We’ve been talking about what happened to the disciples after Jesus went up to heaven. Jesus sent them a gift. I remember drawing this present on the whiteboard in red ink. It’s a box with a bow on it.
“Kids! Do you remember what God’s present is?” I said.
Standard replies were, “Jesus!” “Dying for us!” “Can I go to the bathroom?” “Heaven!”
But usually one of the other kids remembers that it’s the Holy Spirit. We talk about what that means and how we’re supposed to use it. Kind of like Mary Poppins’ bag, we can pull stuff out of there even if the bag doesn’t look big enough to hold what we need. So I wondered, do I really get that? Do I get what it means to really wait AND trust that the Spirit is what is going to get me where I want to be? Will the spirit really come through when I WANT to pray well, but don’t understand exactly how prayer works? When I want to read AND understand scripture but I can’t focus very well? I knew it had to be true, God says it’s true.
I re-prayed the scripture for today: “Teach me to do your will for you are my God. Let your good spirit lead me on a level path.” And I believed it. And honestly, I felt it too. I really felt it, I got a little teary I must say. And I heard God say, “See, didn’t I know what I was doing?” … when I created this system, when I chose to have you close to me, He was saying. And then I giggled a bit, like my soul had just been tickled.
So today, I sat at my desk a rested in those 5 minutes again. I savored that scripture, trusted that God was with me, before me, above me, next to me all that good stuff. I’m not going to lie, it feels pretty good today.
For those of you who have managed to read this whole long crazy thing please know that this “hearing from God" thing doesn’t happen to me all that often. It makes me curious… Do any of you also feel like you’re doing something wrong if you don’t get that “God’s right here with me” feeling? What do you do to push through that? Have you learned anything about what it means to wait for his Spirit?
4/26/10
Andy's 5 Minutes
I greeted the morning with an enthusiastic “Uhg!” and a Nyquil hangover. I’ve been sick the past couple of days. While Galatians talks about eagerly awaiting the hope of righteousness, I’ve been eagerly awaiting the hope of no more cold, no more running nose, no more congested head. But I suppose righteousness is of much more value than cold or no cold, and ultimately a much more profound thing to hope for.
I have to confess, one of my first thoughts today, shortly after the initial “ugh,” was “oh, I have to do that 5 minute thing so that I can write my blog post.” So much for starting things out firmly rooted in Grace and Freedom. But this is sometimes the truth of my spiritual life, I, as much as the next person, often rub up against a sense of obligation, whether there’s a deadline involved or not. So I willed myself out of bed (which can be quite a challenge post nyquil coma), said a quick hello to Hannah and Keller, and plopped myself down in the rocking chair next to our bedroom window. Spot? Found!
Sitting quietly, I began to rest in God’s grace and freedom. For me, this meant thanking God for his grace and the subsequent freedom it brings. Feelings of obligation? There’s nothing I can do, or need to do to “win over” God. Through Christ, everything has been done! Feelings of guilt over having feelings of obligation? Rest on God’s grace and freedom. I began to remember that grace actually welcomes me and receives me as I am. It gives me the freedom to move beyond myself and my hang ups. This is important because it helped me to “rightly” frame the experience I was giving myself to. I even struggled, in the midst of “resting,” with my mind wandering to far off places. But instead of beating myself up over a lack of focus, grace enabled me to refocus, to re-find my resting place. Coming to this place (the place where I recognize that it’s not about obligation or performance) for me was huge. Because when it’s not about obligation or performance, it becomes about one thing, which is (simply) being with God.
I read the scripture passage (psalm 139:7-10). “Where can I go from your spirit? Where can I flee from your presence? If I settle at the furthest limits of the sea, even there your hand shall lead me.” For me, this was a beautiful thing and I sensed the Lord speaking two significant truths.
The first is this: “I’m with you.”
And the second is this: “I will lead you.”
The thought occurred to me, remembering these two truths throughout my day, my week, my life, would save me a ton of anxiety and stress. Living this truth out is much harder than stating it. But that is what I’m challenging myself to do (or maybe that is what I sense God calling me to) today and this week. So that’s where I’m going to live. I’m going to remember, to remind, to reaffirm, to myself and anyone who will listen, God is with you, and he will lead you. Keep your chin up and your eyes open.
There you go, a window into my experience so far. How about you? Is there a small piece of your experience that you’d be willing to share? What did your 5 minutes look like? Was there a particular part of this practice that was especially meaningful or challenging for you? How did you you sense God’s movement in your day? I’d love to hear from you.
I have to confess, one of my first thoughts today, shortly after the initial “ugh,” was “oh, I have to do that 5 minute thing so that I can write my blog post.” So much for starting things out firmly rooted in Grace and Freedom. But this is sometimes the truth of my spiritual life, I, as much as the next person, often rub up against a sense of obligation, whether there’s a deadline involved or not. So I willed myself out of bed (which can be quite a challenge post nyquil coma), said a quick hello to Hannah and Keller, and plopped myself down in the rocking chair next to our bedroom window. Spot? Found!
Sitting quietly, I began to rest in God’s grace and freedom. For me, this meant thanking God for his grace and the subsequent freedom it brings. Feelings of obligation? There’s nothing I can do, or need to do to “win over” God. Through Christ, everything has been done! Feelings of guilt over having feelings of obligation? Rest on God’s grace and freedom. I began to remember that grace actually welcomes me and receives me as I am. It gives me the freedom to move beyond myself and my hang ups. This is important because it helped me to “rightly” frame the experience I was giving myself to. I even struggled, in the midst of “resting,” with my mind wandering to far off places. But instead of beating myself up over a lack of focus, grace enabled me to refocus, to re-find my resting place. Coming to this place (the place where I recognize that it’s not about obligation or performance) for me was huge. Because when it’s not about obligation or performance, it becomes about one thing, which is (simply) being with God.
I read the scripture passage (psalm 139:7-10). “Where can I go from your spirit? Where can I flee from your presence? If I settle at the furthest limits of the sea, even there your hand shall lead me.” For me, this was a beautiful thing and I sensed the Lord speaking two significant truths.
The first is this: “I’m with you.”
And the second is this: “I will lead you.”
The thought occurred to me, remembering these two truths throughout my day, my week, my life, would save me a ton of anxiety and stress. Living this truth out is much harder than stating it. But that is what I’m challenging myself to do (or maybe that is what I sense God calling me to) today and this week. So that’s where I’m going to live. I’m going to remember, to remind, to reaffirm, to myself and anyone who will listen, God is with you, and he will lead you. Keep your chin up and your eyes open.
There you go, a window into my experience so far. How about you? Is there a small piece of your experience that you’d be willing to share? What did your 5 minutes look like? Was there a particular part of this practice that was especially meaningful or challenging for you? How did you you sense God’s movement in your day? I’d love to hear from you.
4/3/10
Easter Sunday 4/4
Suggested Practice:
As you read the passages below, think about this. How do people react to the living Christ when they meet him face to face? How do you react? Contemplate this as you read.
John 20
Early on the first day of the week, while it was still dark, Mary Magdalene went to the tomb and saw that the stone had been removed from the entrance. So she came running to Simon Peter and the other disciple, the one Jesus loved, and said, "They have taken the Lord out of the tomb, and we don't know where they have put him!"
So Peter and the other disciple started for the tomb. Both were running, but the other disciple outran Peter and reached the tomb first. He bent over and looked in at the strips of linen lying there but did not go in. Then Simon Peter, who was behind him, arrived and went into the tomb. He saw the strips of linen lying there, as well as the burial cloth that had been around Jesus' head. The cloth was folded up by itself, separate from the linen. Finally the other disciple, who had reached the tomb first, also went inside. He saw and believed. (They still did not understand from Scripture that Jesus had to rise from the dead.)
Then the disciples went back to their homes, but Mary stood outside the tomb crying. As she wept, she bent over to look into the tomb and saw two angels in white, seated where Jesus' body had been, one at the head and the other at the foot.
They asked her, "Woman, why are you crying?"
"They have taken my Lord away," she said, "and I don't know where they have put him." At this, she turned around and saw Jesus standing there, but she did not realize that it was Jesus.
"Woman," he said, "why are you crying? Who is it you are looking for?"
Thinking he was the gardener, she said, "Sir, if you have carried him away, tell me where you have put him, and I will get him."
Jesus said to her, "Mary."
She turned toward him and cried out in Aramaic, "Rabboni!" (which means Teacher).
Jesus said, "Do not hold on to me, for I have not yet returned to the Father. Go instead to my brothers and tell them, 'I am returning to my Father and your Father, to my God and your God.' "
Mary Magdalene went to the disciples with the news: "I have seen the Lord!" And she told them that he had said these things to her.
On the evening of that first day of the week, when the disciples were together, with the doors locked for fear of the Jews, Jesus came and stood among them and said, "Peace be with you!" After he said this, he showed them his hands and side. The disciples were overjoyed when they saw the Lord.
Again Jesus said, "Peace be with you! As the Father has sent me, I am sending you." And with that he breathed on them and said, "Receive the Holy Spirit. If you forgive anyone his sins, they are forgiven; if you do not forgive them, they are not forgiven."
Now Thomas (called Didymus), one of the Twelve, was not with the disciples when Jesus came. So the other disciples told him, "We have seen the Lord!"
But he said to them, "Unless I see the nail marks in his hands and put my finger where the nails were, and put my hand into his side, I will not believe it."
A week later his disciples were in the house again, and Thomas was with them. Though the doors were locked, Jesus came and stood among them and said, "Peace be with you!" Then he said to Thomas, "Put your finger here; see my hands. Reach out your hand and put it into my side. Stop doubting and believe."
Thomas said to him, "My Lord and my God!"
Then Jesus told him, "Because you have seen me, you have believed; blessed are those who have not seen and yet have believed."
Jesus did many other miraculous signs in the presence of his disciples, which are not recorded in this book. But these are written that you may believe that Jesus is the Christ, the Son of God, and that by believing you may have life in his name.
John 21:15-22
When they had finished eating, Jesus said to Simon Peter, "Simon son of John, do you truly love me more than these?"
"Yes, Lord," he said, "you know that I love you."
Jesus said, "Feed my lambs."
Again Jesus said, "Simon son of John, do you truly love me?"
He answered, "Yes, Lord, you know that I love you."
Jesus said, "Take care of my sheep."
The third time he said to him, "Simon son of John, do you love me?"
Peter was hurt because Jesus asked him the third time, "Do you love me?" He said, "Lord, you know all things; you know that I love you."
Jesus said, "Feed my sheep. I tell you the truth, when you were younger you dressed yourself and went where you wanted; but when you are old you will stretch out your hands, and someone else will dress you and lead you where you do not want to go." Jesus said this to indicate the kind of death by which Peter would glorify God. Then he said to him, "Follow me!"
Peter turned and saw that the disciple whom Jesus loved was following them. (This was the one who had leaned back against Jesus at the supper and had said, "Lord, who is going to betray you?") When Peter saw him, he asked, "Lord, what about him?"
Jesus answered, "If I want him to remain alive until I return, what is that to you? You must follow me."
As you read the passages below, think about this. How do people react to the living Christ when they meet him face to face? How do you react? Contemplate this as you read.
John 20
Early on the first day of the week, while it was still dark, Mary Magdalene went to the tomb and saw that the stone had been removed from the entrance. So she came running to Simon Peter and the other disciple, the one Jesus loved, and said, "They have taken the Lord out of the tomb, and we don't know where they have put him!"
So Peter and the other disciple started for the tomb. Both were running, but the other disciple outran Peter and reached the tomb first. He bent over and looked in at the strips of linen lying there but did not go in. Then Simon Peter, who was behind him, arrived and went into the tomb. He saw the strips of linen lying there, as well as the burial cloth that had been around Jesus' head. The cloth was folded up by itself, separate from the linen. Finally the other disciple, who had reached the tomb first, also went inside. He saw and believed. (They still did not understand from Scripture that Jesus had to rise from the dead.)
Then the disciples went back to their homes, but Mary stood outside the tomb crying. As she wept, she bent over to look into the tomb and saw two angels in white, seated where Jesus' body had been, one at the head and the other at the foot.
They asked her, "Woman, why are you crying?"
"They have taken my Lord away," she said, "and I don't know where they have put him." At this, she turned around and saw Jesus standing there, but she did not realize that it was Jesus.
"Woman," he said, "why are you crying? Who is it you are looking for?"
Thinking he was the gardener, she said, "Sir, if you have carried him away, tell me where you have put him, and I will get him."
Jesus said to her, "Mary."
She turned toward him and cried out in Aramaic, "Rabboni!" (which means Teacher).
Jesus said, "Do not hold on to me, for I have not yet returned to the Father. Go instead to my brothers and tell them, 'I am returning to my Father and your Father, to my God and your God.' "
Mary Magdalene went to the disciples with the news: "I have seen the Lord!" And she told them that he had said these things to her.
On the evening of that first day of the week, when the disciples were together, with the doors locked for fear of the Jews, Jesus came and stood among them and said, "Peace be with you!" After he said this, he showed them his hands and side. The disciples were overjoyed when they saw the Lord.
Again Jesus said, "Peace be with you! As the Father has sent me, I am sending you." And with that he breathed on them and said, "Receive the Holy Spirit. If you forgive anyone his sins, they are forgiven; if you do not forgive them, they are not forgiven."
Now Thomas (called Didymus), one of the Twelve, was not with the disciples when Jesus came. So the other disciples told him, "We have seen the Lord!"
But he said to them, "Unless I see the nail marks in his hands and put my finger where the nails were, and put my hand into his side, I will not believe it."
A week later his disciples were in the house again, and Thomas was with them. Though the doors were locked, Jesus came and stood among them and said, "Peace be with you!" Then he said to Thomas, "Put your finger here; see my hands. Reach out your hand and put it into my side. Stop doubting and believe."
Thomas said to him, "My Lord and my God!"
Then Jesus told him, "Because you have seen me, you have believed; blessed are those who have not seen and yet have believed."
Jesus did many other miraculous signs in the presence of his disciples, which are not recorded in this book. But these are written that you may believe that Jesus is the Christ, the Son of God, and that by believing you may have life in his name.
John 21:15-22
When they had finished eating, Jesus said to Simon Peter, "Simon son of John, do you truly love me more than these?"
"Yes, Lord," he said, "you know that I love you."
Jesus said, "Feed my lambs."
Again Jesus said, "Simon son of John, do you truly love me?"
He answered, "Yes, Lord, you know that I love you."
Jesus said, "Take care of my sheep."
The third time he said to him, "Simon son of John, do you love me?"
Peter was hurt because Jesus asked him the third time, "Do you love me?" He said, "Lord, you know all things; you know that I love you."
Jesus said, "Feed my sheep. I tell you the truth, when you were younger you dressed yourself and went where you wanted; but when you are old you will stretch out your hands, and someone else will dress you and lead you where you do not want to go." Jesus said this to indicate the kind of death by which Peter would glorify God. Then he said to him, "Follow me!"
Peter turned and saw that the disciple whom Jesus loved was following them. (This was the one who had leaned back against Jesus at the supper and had said, "Lord, who is going to betray you?") When Peter saw him, he asked, "Lord, what about him?"
Jesus answered, "If I want him to remain alive until I return, what is that to you? You must follow me."
4/2/10
Saturday 4/3
Matthew 27:45-54
From the sixth hour until the ninth hour darkness came over all the land. About the ninth hour Jesus cried out in a loud voice, "Eloi, Eloi, lama sabachthani?"—which means, "My God, my God, why have you forsaken me?"
When some of those standing there heard this, they said, "He's calling Elijah."
Immediately one of them ran and got a sponge. He filled it with wine vinegar, put it on a stick, and offered it to Jesus to drink.
The rest said, "Now leave him alone. Let's see if Elijah comes to save him."
And when Jesus had cried out again in a loud voice, he gave up his spirit.
At that moment the curtain of the temple was torn in two from top to bottom. The earth shook and the rocks split. The tombs broke open and the bodies of many holy people who had died were raised to life. They came out of the tombs, and after Jesus' resurrection they went into the holy city and appeared to many people.
When the centurion and those with him who were guarding Jesus saw the earthquake and all that had happened, they were terrified, and exclaimed, "Surely he was the Son of God!"
Reflection:
These sufferings were awful indeed when they began to invade the region about the will; when the struggle to keep consciously trusting in God began to sink in darkness; when the Will of The Man put forth its last determined effort in that cry after the vanishing vision of the Father: My God, my God, why hast thou forsaken me? Never had it been so with him before. Never before had he been unable to see God beside him. Yet never was God nearer him than now. For never was Jesus more divine. He could not see, could not feel him near; and yet it is "My God" that he cries.
Thus the Will of Jesus, in the very moment when his faith seems about to yield, is finally triumphant. It has no feeling now to support it, no beatific vision to absorb it. It stands naked in his soul and tortured, as he stood naked and scourged before Pilate. Pure and simple and surrounded by fire, it declares for God. The sacrifice ascends in the cry, My God. The cry comes not out of happiness, out of peace, out of hope. Not even out of suffering comes that cry. It was a cry in desolation, but it came out of Faith. It is the last voice of Truth, speaking when it can but cry. The divine horror of that moment is unfathomable by human soul. It was blackness of darkness. And yet he would believe. Yet he would hold fast. God was his God yet. My God-- and in the cry came forth the Victory, and all was over soon. Of the peace that followed that cry, the peace of a perfect soul, large as the universe, pure as light, ardent as life, victorious for God and his brethren, he himself alone can ever know the breadth and length, and depth and height.
-George MacDonald
Unspoken Sermons: Series Three, The Eloi
Psalm 22
My God, my God, why have you forsaken me?
Why are you so far from saving me,
so far from the words of my groaning?
My God, I cry out by day, but you do not answer,
by night, but I find no rest.
Yet you are enthroned as the Holy One;
you are the praise of Israel.
In you our ancestors put their trust;
they trusted and you delivered them.
They cried to you and were saved;
in you they trusted and were not disappointed.
But I am a worm, not a human being;
I am scorned by everyone, despised by the people.
All who see me mock me;
they hurl insults, shaking their heads.
"He trusts in the LORD," they say,
"let the LORD rescue him.
Let him deliver him,
since he delights in him."
Yet you brought me out of the womb;
you made me feel secure on my mother's breast.
From birth I was cast on you;
from my mother's womb you have been my God.
Do not be far from me,
for trouble is near
and there is no one to help.
Many bulls surround me;
strong bulls of Bashan encircle me.
Roaring lions that tear their prey
open their mouths wide against me.
I am poured out like water,
and all my bones are out of joint.
My heart has turned to wax;
it has melted within me.
My mouth is dried up like a potsherd,
and my tongue sticks to the roof of my mouth;
you lay me in the dust of death.
Dogs surround me,
a pack of villains encircles me;
they pierce my hands and my feet.
All my bones are on display;
people stare and gloat over me.
They divide my clothes among them
and cast lots for my garment.
But you, LORD, do not be far from me.
You are my strength; come quickly to help me.
Deliver me from the sword,
my precious life from the power of the dogs.
Rescue me from the mouth of the lions;
save me from the horns of the wild oxen.
I will declare your name to my people;
in the assembly I will praise you.
You who fear the LORD, praise him!
All you descendants of Jacob, honor him!
Revere him,
all you descendants of Israel!
For he has not despised or scorned
the suffering of the afflicted one;
he has not hidden his face from him
but has listened to his cry for help.
From you comes the theme of my praise in the great assembly;
before those who fear you I will fulfill my vows.
The poor will eat and be satisfied;
those who seek the LORD will praise him—
may your hearts live forever!
All the ends of the earth
will remember and turn to the LORD,
and all the families of the nations
will bow down before him,
for dominion belongs to the LORD
and he rules over the nations.
All the rich of the earth will feast and worship;
all who go down to the dust will kneel before him—
those who cannot keep themselves alive.
Posterity will serve him;
future generations will be told about the Lord.
They will proclaim his righteousness,
declaring to a people yet unborn:
He has done it!
From the sixth hour until the ninth hour darkness came over all the land. About the ninth hour Jesus cried out in a loud voice, "Eloi, Eloi, lama sabachthani?"—which means, "My God, my God, why have you forsaken me?"
When some of those standing there heard this, they said, "He's calling Elijah."
Immediately one of them ran and got a sponge. He filled it with wine vinegar, put it on a stick, and offered it to Jesus to drink.
The rest said, "Now leave him alone. Let's see if Elijah comes to save him."
And when Jesus had cried out again in a loud voice, he gave up his spirit.
At that moment the curtain of the temple was torn in two from top to bottom. The earth shook and the rocks split. The tombs broke open and the bodies of many holy people who had died were raised to life. They came out of the tombs, and after Jesus' resurrection they went into the holy city and appeared to many people.
When the centurion and those with him who were guarding Jesus saw the earthquake and all that had happened, they were terrified, and exclaimed, "Surely he was the Son of God!"
Reflection:
These sufferings were awful indeed when they began to invade the region about the will; when the struggle to keep consciously trusting in God began to sink in darkness; when the Will of The Man put forth its last determined effort in that cry after the vanishing vision of the Father: My God, my God, why hast thou forsaken me? Never had it been so with him before. Never before had he been unable to see God beside him. Yet never was God nearer him than now. For never was Jesus more divine. He could not see, could not feel him near; and yet it is "My God" that he cries.
Thus the Will of Jesus, in the very moment when his faith seems about to yield, is finally triumphant. It has no feeling now to support it, no beatific vision to absorb it. It stands naked in his soul and tortured, as he stood naked and scourged before Pilate. Pure and simple and surrounded by fire, it declares for God. The sacrifice ascends in the cry, My God. The cry comes not out of happiness, out of peace, out of hope. Not even out of suffering comes that cry. It was a cry in desolation, but it came out of Faith. It is the last voice of Truth, speaking when it can but cry. The divine horror of that moment is unfathomable by human soul. It was blackness of darkness. And yet he would believe. Yet he would hold fast. God was his God yet. My God-- and in the cry came forth the Victory, and all was over soon. Of the peace that followed that cry, the peace of a perfect soul, large as the universe, pure as light, ardent as life, victorious for God and his brethren, he himself alone can ever know the breadth and length, and depth and height.
-George MacDonald
Unspoken Sermons: Series Three, The Eloi
Psalm 22
My God, my God, why have you forsaken me?
Why are you so far from saving me,
so far from the words of my groaning?
My God, I cry out by day, but you do not answer,
by night, but I find no rest.
Yet you are enthroned as the Holy One;
you are the praise of Israel.
In you our ancestors put their trust;
they trusted and you delivered them.
They cried to you and were saved;
in you they trusted and were not disappointed.
But I am a worm, not a human being;
I am scorned by everyone, despised by the people.
All who see me mock me;
they hurl insults, shaking their heads.
"He trusts in the LORD," they say,
"let the LORD rescue him.
Let him deliver him,
since he delights in him."
Yet you brought me out of the womb;
you made me feel secure on my mother's breast.
From birth I was cast on you;
from my mother's womb you have been my God.
Do not be far from me,
for trouble is near
and there is no one to help.
Many bulls surround me;
strong bulls of Bashan encircle me.
Roaring lions that tear their prey
open their mouths wide against me.
I am poured out like water,
and all my bones are out of joint.
My heart has turned to wax;
it has melted within me.
My mouth is dried up like a potsherd,
and my tongue sticks to the roof of my mouth;
you lay me in the dust of death.
Dogs surround me,
a pack of villains encircles me;
they pierce my hands and my feet.
All my bones are on display;
people stare and gloat over me.
They divide my clothes among them
and cast lots for my garment.
But you, LORD, do not be far from me.
You are my strength; come quickly to help me.
Deliver me from the sword,
my precious life from the power of the dogs.
Rescue me from the mouth of the lions;
save me from the horns of the wild oxen.
I will declare your name to my people;
in the assembly I will praise you.
You who fear the LORD, praise him!
All you descendants of Jacob, honor him!
Revere him,
all you descendants of Israel!
For he has not despised or scorned
the suffering of the afflicted one;
he has not hidden his face from him
but has listened to his cry for help.
From you comes the theme of my praise in the great assembly;
before those who fear you I will fulfill my vows.
The poor will eat and be satisfied;
those who seek the LORD will praise him—
may your hearts live forever!
All the ends of the earth
will remember and turn to the LORD,
and all the families of the nations
will bow down before him,
for dominion belongs to the LORD
and he rules over the nations.
All the rich of the earth will feast and worship;
all who go down to the dust will kneel before him—
those who cannot keep themselves alive.
Posterity will serve him;
future generations will be told about the Lord.
They will proclaim his righteousness,
declaring to a people yet unborn:
He has done it!
4/1/10
Good Friday 4/2
Mark 15
Very early in the morning, the chief priests, with the elders, the teachers of the law and the whole Sanhedrin, reached a decision. They bound Jesus, led him away and handed him over to Pilate.
"Are you the king of the Jews?" asked Pilate.
"You have said so," Jesus replied.
The chief priests accused him of many things. 4 So again Pilate asked him, "Aren't you going to answer? See how many things they are accusing you of."
But Jesus still made no reply, and Pilate was amazed.
Now it was the custom at the Festival to release a prisoner whom the people requested. A man called Barabbas was in prison with the insurrectionists who had committed murder in the uprising.The crowd came up and asked Pilate to do for them what he usually did.
"Do you want me to release to you the king of the Jews?" asked Pilate, 10 knowing it was out of envy that the chief priests had handed Jesus over to him. But the chief priests stirred up the crowd to have Pilate release Barabbas instead.
"What shall I do, then, with the one you call the king of the Jews?" Pilate asked them.
"Crucify him!" they shouted.
"Why? What crime has he committed?" asked Pilate.
But they shouted all the louder, "Crucify him!"
Wanting to satisfy the crowd, Pilate released Barabbas to them. He had Jesus flogged, and handed him over to be crucified.
The soldiers led Jesus away into the palace (that is, the Praetorium) and called together the whole company of soldiers. They put a purple robe on him, then twisted together a crown of thorns and set it on him. And they began to call out to him, "Hail, king of the Jews!" Again and again they struck him on the head with a staff and spit on him. Falling on their knees, they paid homage to him. And when they had mocked him, they took off the purple robe and put his own clothes on him. Then they led him out to crucify him.
A certain man from Cyrene, Simon, the father of Alexander and Rufus, was passing by on his way in from the country, and they forced him to carry the cross. They brought Jesus to the place called Golgotha (which means "the place of the skull"). Then they offered him wine mixed with myrrh, but he did not take it. And they crucified him. Dividing up his clothes, they cast lots to see what each would get.
It was nine in the morning when they crucified him. The written notice of the charge against him read: THE KING OF THE JEWS. They crucified two rebels with him, one on his right and one on his left. Those who passed by hurled insults at him, shaking their heads and saying, "So! You who are going to destroy the temple and build it in three days, come down from the cross and save yourself!"
In the same way the chief priests and the teachers of the law mocked him among themselves. "He saved others," they said, "but he can't save himself! Let this Messiah, this king of Israel, come down now from the cross, that we may see and believe." Those crucified with him also heaped insults on him.
At noon, darkness came over the whole land until three in the afternoon. And at three in the afternoon Jesus cried out in a loud voice, "Eloi, Eloi, lema sabachthani?" (which means "My God, my God, why have you forsaken me?").
When some of those standing near heard this, they said, "Listen, he's calling Elijah."
Someone ran, filled a sponge with wine vinegar, put it on a staff, and offered it to Jesus to drink. "Now leave him alone. Let's see if Elijah comes to take him down," he said.
With a loud cry, Jesus breathed his last.
The curtain of the temple was torn in two from top to bottom.
And when the centurion, who stood there in front of Jesus, saw how he died, he said, "Surely this man was the Son of God!"
Some women were watching from a distance. Among them were Mary Magdalene, Mary the mother of James the younger and of Joseph, and Salome. In Galilee these women had followed him and cared for his needs. Many other women who had come up with him to Jerusalem were also there.
It was Preparation Day (that is, the day before the Sabbath). So as evening approached, Joseph of Arimathea, a prominent member of the Council, who was himself waiting for the kingdom of God, went boldly to Pilate and asked for Jesus' body. Pilate was surprised to hear that he was already dead. Summoning the centurion, he asked him if Jesus had already died. When he learned from the centurion that it was so, he gave the body to Joseph. So Joseph bought some linen cloth, took down the body, wrapped it in the linen, and placed it in a tomb cut out of rock. Then he rolled a stone against the entrance of the tomb. Mary Magdalene and Mary the mother of Joseph saw where he was laid.
Suggested Practice:
Some ideas for reflection:
1.Click on the link for information about Eastridge’s Good Friday contemplative open worship service.
2. Take small strip of cloth. Tie it around your wrist in representation of Christ’s grave clothes. For the next couple of days, let it remind you of Jesus’ sacrifice and the suffering he went through. On Easter morning, cut it off and celebrate the victory over death!
3. Spend some time reflecting on the crucifixion of Jesus. Write out your thoughts, perhaps in the form of a prayer, a poem, scattered thoughts. Put words on paper to help you meditate on Jesus’ death.
Very early in the morning, the chief priests, with the elders, the teachers of the law and the whole Sanhedrin, reached a decision. They bound Jesus, led him away and handed him over to Pilate.
"Are you the king of the Jews?" asked Pilate.
"You have said so," Jesus replied.
The chief priests accused him of many things. 4 So again Pilate asked him, "Aren't you going to answer? See how many things they are accusing you of."
But Jesus still made no reply, and Pilate was amazed.
Now it was the custom at the Festival to release a prisoner whom the people requested. A man called Barabbas was in prison with the insurrectionists who had committed murder in the uprising.The crowd came up and asked Pilate to do for them what he usually did.
"Do you want me to release to you the king of the Jews?" asked Pilate, 10 knowing it was out of envy that the chief priests had handed Jesus over to him. But the chief priests stirred up the crowd to have Pilate release Barabbas instead.
"What shall I do, then, with the one you call the king of the Jews?" Pilate asked them.
"Crucify him!" they shouted.
"Why? What crime has he committed?" asked Pilate.
But they shouted all the louder, "Crucify him!"
Wanting to satisfy the crowd, Pilate released Barabbas to them. He had Jesus flogged, and handed him over to be crucified.
The soldiers led Jesus away into the palace (that is, the Praetorium) and called together the whole company of soldiers. They put a purple robe on him, then twisted together a crown of thorns and set it on him. And they began to call out to him, "Hail, king of the Jews!" Again and again they struck him on the head with a staff and spit on him. Falling on their knees, they paid homage to him. And when they had mocked him, they took off the purple robe and put his own clothes on him. Then they led him out to crucify him.
A certain man from Cyrene, Simon, the father of Alexander and Rufus, was passing by on his way in from the country, and they forced him to carry the cross. They brought Jesus to the place called Golgotha (which means "the place of the skull"). Then they offered him wine mixed with myrrh, but he did not take it. And they crucified him. Dividing up his clothes, they cast lots to see what each would get.
It was nine in the morning when they crucified him. The written notice of the charge against him read: THE KING OF THE JEWS. They crucified two rebels with him, one on his right and one on his left. Those who passed by hurled insults at him, shaking their heads and saying, "So! You who are going to destroy the temple and build it in three days, come down from the cross and save yourself!"
In the same way the chief priests and the teachers of the law mocked him among themselves. "He saved others," they said, "but he can't save himself! Let this Messiah, this king of Israel, come down now from the cross, that we may see and believe." Those crucified with him also heaped insults on him.
At noon, darkness came over the whole land until three in the afternoon. And at three in the afternoon Jesus cried out in a loud voice, "Eloi, Eloi, lema sabachthani?" (which means "My God, my God, why have you forsaken me?").
When some of those standing near heard this, they said, "Listen, he's calling Elijah."
Someone ran, filled a sponge with wine vinegar, put it on a staff, and offered it to Jesus to drink. "Now leave him alone. Let's see if Elijah comes to take him down," he said.
With a loud cry, Jesus breathed his last.
The curtain of the temple was torn in two from top to bottom.
And when the centurion, who stood there in front of Jesus, saw how he died, he said, "Surely this man was the Son of God!"
Some women were watching from a distance. Among them were Mary Magdalene, Mary the mother of James the younger and of Joseph, and Salome. In Galilee these women had followed him and cared for his needs. Many other women who had come up with him to Jerusalem were also there.
It was Preparation Day (that is, the day before the Sabbath). So as evening approached, Joseph of Arimathea, a prominent member of the Council, who was himself waiting for the kingdom of God, went boldly to Pilate and asked for Jesus' body. Pilate was surprised to hear that he was already dead. Summoning the centurion, he asked him if Jesus had already died. When he learned from the centurion that it was so, he gave the body to Joseph. So Joseph bought some linen cloth, took down the body, wrapped it in the linen, and placed it in a tomb cut out of rock. Then he rolled a stone against the entrance of the tomb. Mary Magdalene and Mary the mother of Joseph saw where he was laid.
Suggested Practice:
Some ideas for reflection:
1.Click on the link for information about Eastridge’s Good Friday contemplative open worship service.
2. Take small strip of cloth. Tie it around your wrist in representation of Christ’s grave clothes. For the next couple of days, let it remind you of Jesus’ sacrifice and the suffering he went through. On Easter morning, cut it off and celebrate the victory over death!
3. Spend some time reflecting on the crucifixion of Jesus. Write out your thoughts, perhaps in the form of a prayer, a poem, scattered thoughts. Put words on paper to help you meditate on Jesus’ death.
3/31/10
Maundy Thursday 4/1
Mark 14:32-72
They went to a place called Gethsemane, and Jesus said to his disciples, “Sit here while I pray.” He took Peter, James and John along with him, and he began to be deeply distressed and troubled.
“My soul is overwhelmed with sorrow to the point of death,” he said to them. “Stay here and keep watch.”
Going a little farther, he fell to the ground and prayed that if possible the hour might pass from him.
“Abba , Father,” he said, “everything is possible for you. Take this cup from me. Yet not what I will, but what you will.”
Then he returned to his disciples and found them sleeping. “Simon,” he said to Peter, “are you asleep? Could you not keep watch for one hour?
Watch and pray so that you will not fall into temptation. The spirit is willing, but the flesh is weak.”
Once more he went away and prayed the same thing.
When he came back, he again found them sleeping, because their eyes were heavy. They did not know what to say to him.
Returning the third time, he said to them, “Are you still sleeping and resting? Enough! The hour has come. Look, the Son of Man is delivered into the hands of sinners. Rise! Let us go! Here comes my betrayer!”
Just as he was speaking, Judas, one of the Twelve, appeared. With him was a crowd armed with swords and clubs, sent from the chief priests, the teachers of the law, and the elders.
Now the betrayer had arranged a signal with them: “The one I kiss is the man; arrest him and lead him away under guard.” Going at once to Jesus, Judas said, “Rabbi!” and kissed him. The men seized Jesus and arrested him.
Then one of those standing near drew his sword and struck the servant of the high priest, cutting off his ear.
“Am I leading a rebellion,” said Jesus, “that you have come out with swords and clubs to capture me? Every day I was with you, teaching in the temple courts, and you did not arrest me. But the Scriptures must be fulfilled.”
Then everyone deserted him and fled.
A young man, wearing nothing but a linen garment, was following Jesus. When they seized him, he fled naked, leaving his garment behind.
They took Jesus to the high priest, and all the chief priests, the elders and the teachers of the law came together.
Peter followed him at a distance, right into the courtyard of the high priest. There he sat with the guards and warmed himself at the fire.
The chief priests and the whole Sanhedrin were looking for evidence against Jesus so that they could put him to death, but they did not find any.
Many testified falsely against him, but their statements did not agree.
Then some stood up and gave this false testimony against him: “We heard him say, ‘I will destroy this temple made with human hands and in three days will build another, not made with hands.’ ”
Yet even then their testimony did not agree.
Then the high priest stood up before them and asked Jesus, “Are you not going to answer? What is this testimony that these men are bringing against you?”
But Jesus remained silent and gave no answer.
Again the high priest asked him, “Are you the Messiah, the Son of the Blessed One?”
“I am,” said Jesus. “And you will see the Son of Man sitting at the right hand of the Mighty One and coming on the clouds of heaven.”
The high priest tore his clothes. “Why do we need any more witnesses?” he asked.
“You have heard the blasphemy. What do you think?”
They all condemned him as worthy of death.
Then some began to spit at him; they blindfolded him, struck him with their fists, and said, “Prophesy!” And the guards took him and beat him.
While Peter was below in the courtyard, one of the servant girls of the high priest came by.
When she saw Peter warming himself, she looked closely at him.
“You also were with that Nazarene, Jesus,” she said.
But he denied it. “I don’t know or understand what you’re talking about,” he said, and went out into the entryway.
When the servant girl saw him there, she said again to those standing around, “This fellow is one of them.”
Again he denied it.
After a little while, those standing near said to Peter, “Surely you are one of them, for you are a Galilean.”
He began to call down curses, and he swore to them, “I don’t know this man you’re talking about.”
Immediately the rooster crowed the second time. Then Peter remembered the word Jesus had spoken to him: “Before the rooster crows twice you will disown me three times.” And he broke down and wept.
Reflection/Prayer:
In the cross, in the cross,
Be my glory ever;
Till my raptured soul shall find
Rest beyond the river.
-Traditional Hymn, words by Fanny Crosby
They went to a place called Gethsemane, and Jesus said to his disciples, “Sit here while I pray.” He took Peter, James and John along with him, and he began to be deeply distressed and troubled.
“My soul is overwhelmed with sorrow to the point of death,” he said to them. “Stay here and keep watch.”
Going a little farther, he fell to the ground and prayed that if possible the hour might pass from him.
“Abba , Father,” he said, “everything is possible for you. Take this cup from me. Yet not what I will, but what you will.”
Then he returned to his disciples and found them sleeping. “Simon,” he said to Peter, “are you asleep? Could you not keep watch for one hour?
Watch and pray so that you will not fall into temptation. The spirit is willing, but the flesh is weak.”
Once more he went away and prayed the same thing.
When he came back, he again found them sleeping, because their eyes were heavy. They did not know what to say to him.
Returning the third time, he said to them, “Are you still sleeping and resting? Enough! The hour has come. Look, the Son of Man is delivered into the hands of sinners. Rise! Let us go! Here comes my betrayer!”
Just as he was speaking, Judas, one of the Twelve, appeared. With him was a crowd armed with swords and clubs, sent from the chief priests, the teachers of the law, and the elders.
Now the betrayer had arranged a signal with them: “The one I kiss is the man; arrest him and lead him away under guard.” Going at once to Jesus, Judas said, “Rabbi!” and kissed him. The men seized Jesus and arrested him.
Then one of those standing near drew his sword and struck the servant of the high priest, cutting off his ear.
“Am I leading a rebellion,” said Jesus, “that you have come out with swords and clubs to capture me? Every day I was with you, teaching in the temple courts, and you did not arrest me. But the Scriptures must be fulfilled.”
Then everyone deserted him and fled.
A young man, wearing nothing but a linen garment, was following Jesus. When they seized him, he fled naked, leaving his garment behind.
They took Jesus to the high priest, and all the chief priests, the elders and the teachers of the law came together.
Peter followed him at a distance, right into the courtyard of the high priest. There he sat with the guards and warmed himself at the fire.
The chief priests and the whole Sanhedrin were looking for evidence against Jesus so that they could put him to death, but they did not find any.
Many testified falsely against him, but their statements did not agree.
Then some stood up and gave this false testimony against him: “We heard him say, ‘I will destroy this temple made with human hands and in three days will build another, not made with hands.’ ”
Yet even then their testimony did not agree.
Then the high priest stood up before them and asked Jesus, “Are you not going to answer? What is this testimony that these men are bringing against you?”
But Jesus remained silent and gave no answer.
Again the high priest asked him, “Are you the Messiah, the Son of the Blessed One?”
“I am,” said Jesus. “And you will see the Son of Man sitting at the right hand of the Mighty One and coming on the clouds of heaven.”
The high priest tore his clothes. “Why do we need any more witnesses?” he asked.
“You have heard the blasphemy. What do you think?”
They all condemned him as worthy of death.
Then some began to spit at him; they blindfolded him, struck him with their fists, and said, “Prophesy!” And the guards took him and beat him.
While Peter was below in the courtyard, one of the servant girls of the high priest came by.
When she saw Peter warming himself, she looked closely at him.
“You also were with that Nazarene, Jesus,” she said.
But he denied it. “I don’t know or understand what you’re talking about,” he said, and went out into the entryway.
When the servant girl saw him there, she said again to those standing around, “This fellow is one of them.”
Again he denied it.
After a little while, those standing near said to Peter, “Surely you are one of them, for you are a Galilean.”
He began to call down curses, and he swore to them, “I don’t know this man you’re talking about.”
Immediately the rooster crowed the second time. Then Peter remembered the word Jesus had spoken to him: “Before the rooster crows twice you will disown me three times.” And he broke down and wept.
Reflection/Prayer:
Jesus, keep me near the cross,
There a precious fountain
Free to all, a healing stream
Flows from Calvary’s mountain.
Near the cross, a trembling soul,
Love and mercy found me;
There the bright and morning star
Sheds its beams around me.
Near the cross! O Lamb of God,
Bring its scenes before me;
Help me walk from day to day,
With its shadows o’er me.
Near the cross I’ll watch and wait
Hoping, trusting ever,
Till I reach the golden strand,
Just beyond the river.
Be my glory ever;
Till my raptured soul shall find
Rest beyond the river.
-Traditional Hymn, words by Fanny Crosby
3/30/10
Wednesday 3/31
Mark 14:12-31
On the first day of the Festival of Unleavened Bread, when it was customary to sacrifice the Passover lamb, Jesus’ disciples asked him, “Where do you want us to go and make preparations for you to eat the Passover?”
So he sent two of his disciples, telling them, “Go into the city, and a man carrying a jar of water will meet you. Follow him. Say to the owner of the house he enters, ‘The Teacher asks: Where is my guest room, where I may eat the Passover with my disciples?’
He will show you a large room upstairs, furnished and ready. Make preparations for us there.”
The disciples left, went into the city and found things just as Jesus had told them. So they prepared the Passover.
When evening came, Jesus arrived with the Twelve.
While they were reclining at the table eating, he said, “Truly I tell you, one of you will betray me—one who is eating with me.”
They were saddened, and one by one they said to him, “Surely not I?”
“It is one of the Twelve,” he replied, “one who dips bread into the bowl with me.
The Son of Man will go just as it is written about him. But woe to that man who betrays the Son of Man! It would be better for him if he had not been born.”
While they were eating, Jesus took bread, and when he had given thanks, he broke it and gave it to his disciples, saying, “Take it; this is my body.”
Then he took the cup, and when he had given thanks, he gave it to them, and they all drank from it.
“This is my blood of the covenant, which is poured out for many,” he said to them.
“Truly I tell you, I will not drink again of the fruit of the vine until that day when I drink it new in the kingdom of God.”
When they had sung a hymn, they went out to the Mount of Olives.
“You will all fall away,” Jesus told them, “for it is written:
“ ‘I will strike the shepherd,
and the sheep will be scattered.’
But after I have risen, I will go ahead of you into Galilee.”
Peter declared, “Even if all fall away, I will not.”
“Truly I tell you,” Jesus answered, “today—yes, tonight—before the rooster crows twice you yourself will disown me three times.”
But Peter insisted emphatically, “Even if I have to die with you, I will never disown you.” And all the others said the same.
Reflection:
"Behold, the hour cometh . . . that ye shall be scattered." John 16:32
Jesus is not rebuking the disciples, their faith was real, but it was disturbed; it was not at work in actual things. The disciples were scattered to their own interests, alive to interests that never were in Jesus Christ. After we have been perfectly related to God in sanctification, our faith has to be worked out in actualities. We shall be scattered, not into work, but into inner desolations and made to know what internal death to God's blessings means. Are we prepared for this? It is not that we choose it, but that God engineers our circumstances so that we are brought there. Until we have been through that experience, our faith is bolstered up by feelings and by blessings. When once we get there, no matter where God places us or what the inner desolations are, we can praise God that all is well. That is faith being worked out in actualities.
". . . and shall leave Me alone." Have we left Jesus alone by the scattering of His providence? Because we do not see God in our circumstances? Darkness comes by the sovereignty of God. Are we prepared to let God do as He likes with us - prepared to be separated from conscious blessings? Until Jesus Christ is Lord, we all have ends of our own to serve; our faith is real, but it is not permanent yet. God is never in a hurry; if we wait, we shall see that God is pointing out that we have not been interested in Himself but only in His blessings. The sense of God's blessing is elemental.
"Be of good cheer, I have overcome the world." Spiritual grit is what we need.
-Oswald Chambers
My Utmost For His Highest
On the first day of the Festival of Unleavened Bread, when it was customary to sacrifice the Passover lamb, Jesus’ disciples asked him, “Where do you want us to go and make preparations for you to eat the Passover?”
So he sent two of his disciples, telling them, “Go into the city, and a man carrying a jar of water will meet you. Follow him. Say to the owner of the house he enters, ‘The Teacher asks: Where is my guest room, where I may eat the Passover with my disciples?’
He will show you a large room upstairs, furnished and ready. Make preparations for us there.”
The disciples left, went into the city and found things just as Jesus had told them. So they prepared the Passover.
When evening came, Jesus arrived with the Twelve.
While they were reclining at the table eating, he said, “Truly I tell you, one of you will betray me—one who is eating with me.”
They were saddened, and one by one they said to him, “Surely not I?”
“It is one of the Twelve,” he replied, “one who dips bread into the bowl with me.
The Son of Man will go just as it is written about him. But woe to that man who betrays the Son of Man! It would be better for him if he had not been born.”
While they were eating, Jesus took bread, and when he had given thanks, he broke it and gave it to his disciples, saying, “Take it; this is my body.”
Then he took the cup, and when he had given thanks, he gave it to them, and they all drank from it.
“This is my blood of the covenant, which is poured out for many,” he said to them.
“Truly I tell you, I will not drink again of the fruit of the vine until that day when I drink it new in the kingdom of God.”
When they had sung a hymn, they went out to the Mount of Olives.
“You will all fall away,” Jesus told them, “for it is written:
“ ‘I will strike the shepherd,
and the sheep will be scattered.’
But after I have risen, I will go ahead of you into Galilee.”
Peter declared, “Even if all fall away, I will not.”
“Truly I tell you,” Jesus answered, “today—yes, tonight—before the rooster crows twice you yourself will disown me three times.”
But Peter insisted emphatically, “Even if I have to die with you, I will never disown you.” And all the others said the same.
Reflection:
"Behold, the hour cometh . . . that ye shall be scattered." John 16:32
Jesus is not rebuking the disciples, their faith was real, but it was disturbed; it was not at work in actual things. The disciples were scattered to their own interests, alive to interests that never were in Jesus Christ. After we have been perfectly related to God in sanctification, our faith has to be worked out in actualities. We shall be scattered, not into work, but into inner desolations and made to know what internal death to God's blessings means. Are we prepared for this? It is not that we choose it, but that God engineers our circumstances so that we are brought there. Until we have been through that experience, our faith is bolstered up by feelings and by blessings. When once we get there, no matter where God places us or what the inner desolations are, we can praise God that all is well. That is faith being worked out in actualities.
". . . and shall leave Me alone." Have we left Jesus alone by the scattering of His providence? Because we do not see God in our circumstances? Darkness comes by the sovereignty of God. Are we prepared to let God do as He likes with us - prepared to be separated from conscious blessings? Until Jesus Christ is Lord, we all have ends of our own to serve; our faith is real, but it is not permanent yet. God is never in a hurry; if we wait, we shall see that God is pointing out that we have not been interested in Himself but only in His blessings. The sense of God's blessing is elemental.
"Be of good cheer, I have overcome the world." Spiritual grit is what we need.
-Oswald Chambers
My Utmost For His Highest
3/29/10
Tuesday 3/30
Mark 11:1-11
As they approached Jerusalem and came to Bethphage and Bethany at the Mount of Olives, Jesus sent two of his disciples, saying to them, “Go to the village ahead of you, and just as you enter it, you will find a colt tied there, which no one has ever ridden. Untie it and bring it here.
If anyone asks you, ‘Why are you doing this?’ say, ‘The Lord needs it and will send it back here shortly.’ ”
They went and found a colt outside in the street, tied at a doorway. As they untied it, some people standing there asked, “What are you doing, untying that colt?” They answered as Jesus had told them to, and the people let them go. When they brought the colt to Jesus and threw their cloaks over it, he sat on it. Many people spread their cloaks on the road, while others spread branches they had cut in the fields.
Those who went ahead and those who followed shouted,
“Hosanna! ”
“Blessed is he who comes in the name of the Lord!”
“Blessed is the coming kingdom of our father David!”
“Hosanna in the highest heaven!”
Jesus entered Jerusalem and went into the temple courts. He looked around at everything, but since it was already late, he went out to Bethany with the Twelve.
Reflection:
Hosanna to our conquering King!
The prince of darkness flies,
His troops rush headlong down to hell
Like lightning from the skies.
There, bound in chains, the lions roar,
And fright the rescu'd sheep,
But heavy bars confine their power
And malice to the deep.
Hosanna to our conquering King,
All hail, incarnate love!
Ten thousand songs and glories wait
To crown thy head above.
Thy victories and thy deathless fame
Thro' the wide world shall run,
And everlasting ages sing
The triumphs thou hast won.
-Isaac Watts
As they approached Jerusalem and came to Bethphage and Bethany at the Mount of Olives, Jesus sent two of his disciples, saying to them, “Go to the village ahead of you, and just as you enter it, you will find a colt tied there, which no one has ever ridden. Untie it and bring it here.
If anyone asks you, ‘Why are you doing this?’ say, ‘The Lord needs it and will send it back here shortly.’ ”
They went and found a colt outside in the street, tied at a doorway. As they untied it, some people standing there asked, “What are you doing, untying that colt?” They answered as Jesus had told them to, and the people let them go. When they brought the colt to Jesus and threw their cloaks over it, he sat on it. Many people spread their cloaks on the road, while others spread branches they had cut in the fields.
Those who went ahead and those who followed shouted,
“Hosanna! ”
“Blessed is he who comes in the name of the Lord!”
“Blessed is the coming kingdom of our father David!”
“Hosanna in the highest heaven!”
Jesus entered Jerusalem and went into the temple courts. He looked around at everything, but since it was already late, he went out to Bethany with the Twelve.
Reflection:
Hosanna to our conquering King!
The prince of darkness flies,
His troops rush headlong down to hell
Like lightning from the skies.
There, bound in chains, the lions roar,
And fright the rescu'd sheep,
But heavy bars confine their power
And malice to the deep.
Hosanna to our conquering King,
All hail, incarnate love!
Ten thousand songs and glories wait
To crown thy head above.
Thy victories and thy deathless fame
Thro' the wide world shall run,
And everlasting ages sing
The triumphs thou hast won.
-Isaac Watts
3/28/10
Monday 3/29
Mark 14:3-9
While he was in Bethany, reclining at the table in the home of Simon the Leper, a woman came with an alabaster jar of very expensive perfume, made of pure nard. She broke the jar and poured the perfume on his head.
Some of those present were saying indignantly to one another, “Why this waste of perfume?
It could have been sold for more than a year’s wages and the money given to the poor.” And they rebuked her harshly.
“Leave her alone,” said Jesus. “Why are you bothering her? She has done a beautiful thing to me. The poor you will always have with you, and you can help them any time you want. But you will not always have me. She did what she could. She poured perfume on my body beforehand to prepare for my burial.
Truly I tell you, wherever the gospel is preached throughout the world, what she has done will also be told, in memory of her.”
Suggested Practice:
Pray through the scripture below. Read through it slowly, perhaps aloud, and spend time in adoration of God.
Psalm 84
How lovely is your dwelling place,
Lord Almighty!
My soul yearns, even faints,
for the courts of the Lord;
my heart and my flesh cry out
for the living God.
Even the sparrow has found a home,
and the swallow a nest for herself,
where she may have her young—
a place near your altar,
Lord Almighty, my King and my God.
Blessed are those who dwell in your house;
they are ever praising you.
Blessed are those whose strength is in you,
whose hearts are set on pilgrimage.
As they pass through the Valley of Baka,
they make it a place of springs;
the autumn rains also cover it with pools.
They go from strength to strength,
till each appears before God in Zion.
Hear my prayer, Lord God Almighty;
listen to me, God of Jacob.
Look on our shield, O God;
look with favor on your anointed one.
Better is one day in your courts
than a thousand elsewhere;
I would rather be a doorkeeper in the house of my God
than dwell in the tents of the wicked.
For the Lord God is a sun and shield;
the Lord bestows favor and honor;
no good thing does he withhold
from those whose walk is blameless.
Lord Almighty,
blessed are those who trust in you.
While he was in Bethany, reclining at the table in the home of Simon the Leper, a woman came with an alabaster jar of very expensive perfume, made of pure nard. She broke the jar and poured the perfume on his head.
Some of those present were saying indignantly to one another, “Why this waste of perfume?
It could have been sold for more than a year’s wages and the money given to the poor.” And they rebuked her harshly.
“Leave her alone,” said Jesus. “Why are you bothering her? She has done a beautiful thing to me. The poor you will always have with you, and you can help them any time you want. But you will not always have me. She did what she could. She poured perfume on my body beforehand to prepare for my burial.
Truly I tell you, wherever the gospel is preached throughout the world, what she has done will also be told, in memory of her.”
Suggested Practice:
Pray through the scripture below. Read through it slowly, perhaps aloud, and spend time in adoration of God.
Psalm 84
How lovely is your dwelling place,
Lord Almighty!
My soul yearns, even faints,
for the courts of the Lord;
my heart and my flesh cry out
for the living God.
Even the sparrow has found a home,
and the swallow a nest for herself,
where she may have her young—
a place near your altar,
Lord Almighty, my King and my God.
Blessed are those who dwell in your house;
they are ever praising you.
Blessed are those whose strength is in you,
whose hearts are set on pilgrimage.
As they pass through the Valley of Baka,
they make it a place of springs;
the autumn rains also cover it with pools.
They go from strength to strength,
till each appears before God in Zion.
Hear my prayer, Lord God Almighty;
listen to me, God of Jacob.
Look on our shield, O God;
look with favor on your anointed one.
Better is one day in your courts
than a thousand elsewhere;
I would rather be a doorkeeper in the house of my God
than dwell in the tents of the wicked.
For the Lord God is a sun and shield;
the Lord bestows favor and honor;
no good thing does he withhold
from those whose walk is blameless.
Lord Almighty,
blessed are those who trust in you.
Sunday 3/28
1 Corinthians 13
If I speak in human or angelic tongues, but do not have love, I am only a resounding gong or a clanging cymbal. If I have the gift of prophecy and can fathom all mysteries and all knowledge, and if I have a faith that can move mountains, but do not have love, I am nothing.If I give all I possess to the poor and give over my body to hardship that I may boast, but do not have love, I gain nothing.
Love is patient, love is kind. It does not envy, it does not boast, it is not proud. It does not dishonor others, it is not self-seeking, it is not easily angered, it keeps no record of wrongs. Love does not delight in evil but rejoices with the truth.
It always protects, always trusts, always hopes, always perseveres.
Love never fails. But where there are prophecies, they will cease; where there are tongues, they will be stilled; where there is knowledge, it will pass away. For we know in part and we prophesy in part, but when completeness comes, what is in part disappears. When I was a child, I talked like a child, I thought like a child, I reasoned like a child. When I became a man, I put the ways of childhood behind me.
For now we see only a reflection as in a mirror; then we shall see face to face. Now I know in part; then I shall know fully, even as I am fully known.
And now these three remain: faith, hope and love. But the greatest of these is love.
Reflection:
Yes, my beloved, this is how my life will be consumed. I have no other means of proving my love for you other than that of strewing flowers, that is, not allowing one little sacrifice to escape, not one look, one work, profiting by all the smallest things and doing them through love.
I desire to suffer for love and even to rejoice through love; and in this way I shall strew flowers before your throne. I shall not come upon one without unpetalling it for you.
While I am strewing my flowers, I shall sing, for could one cry while doing such a joyous action? I shall sing even when I must gather my flowers in the midst of thorns, and my song will be all the more melodious in proportion to the length and sharpness of the thorns.
-St. Therese of Lisieux
Story of a Soul
If I speak in human or angelic tongues, but do not have love, I am only a resounding gong or a clanging cymbal. If I have the gift of prophecy and can fathom all mysteries and all knowledge, and if I have a faith that can move mountains, but do not have love, I am nothing.If I give all I possess to the poor and give over my body to hardship that I may boast, but do not have love, I gain nothing.
Love is patient, love is kind. It does not envy, it does not boast, it is not proud. It does not dishonor others, it is not self-seeking, it is not easily angered, it keeps no record of wrongs. Love does not delight in evil but rejoices with the truth.
It always protects, always trusts, always hopes, always perseveres.
Love never fails. But where there are prophecies, they will cease; where there are tongues, they will be stilled; where there is knowledge, it will pass away. For we know in part and we prophesy in part, but when completeness comes, what is in part disappears. When I was a child, I talked like a child, I thought like a child, I reasoned like a child. When I became a man, I put the ways of childhood behind me.
For now we see only a reflection as in a mirror; then we shall see face to face. Now I know in part; then I shall know fully, even as I am fully known.
And now these three remain: faith, hope and love. But the greatest of these is love.
Reflection:
Yes, my beloved, this is how my life will be consumed. I have no other means of proving my love for you other than that of strewing flowers, that is, not allowing one little sacrifice to escape, not one look, one work, profiting by all the smallest things and doing them through love.
I desire to suffer for love and even to rejoice through love; and in this way I shall strew flowers before your throne. I shall not come upon one without unpetalling it for you.
While I am strewing my flowers, I shall sing, for could one cry while doing such a joyous action? I shall sing even when I must gather my flowers in the midst of thorns, and my song will be all the more melodious in proportion to the length and sharpness of the thorns.
-St. Therese of Lisieux
Story of a Soul
Saturday 3/27
Mark 7:1-13
The Pharisees and some of the teachers of the law who had come from Jerusalem gathered around Jesus and saw some of his disciples eating food with hands that were defiled, that is, unwashed. (The Pharisees and all the Jews do not eat unless they give their hands a ceremonial washing, holding to the tradition of the elders.
When they come from the marketplace they do not eat unless they wash. And they observe many other traditions, such as the washing of cups, pitchers and kettles. )
So the Pharisees and teachers of the law asked Jesus, “Why don’t your disciples live according to the tradition of the elders instead of eating their food with defiled hands?”
He replied, “Isaiah was right when he prophesied about you hypocrites; as it is written:
“ ‘These people honor me with their lips,
but their hearts are far from me.
They worship me in vain;
their teachings are merely human rules.’
You have let go of the commands of God and are holding on to human traditions.”
And he continued, “You have a fine way of setting aside the commands of God in order to observe your own traditions! For Moses said, ‘Honor your father and mother,’ and, ‘Anyone who curses their father or mother is to be put to death.’ But you say that if anyone declares that what might have been used to help their father or mother is Corban (that is, devoted to God)—then you no longer let them do anything for their father or mother.
Thus you nullify the word of God by your tradition that you have handed down. And you do many things like that.”
I firmly believe people have hitherto been a great deal too much taken up about doctrine and far too little about practice. The word doctrine, as used in the Bible, means teaching of duty, not theory. I preached a sermon about this. We are far too anxious to be definite and to have finished, well-polished, sharp-edged systems - forgetting that the more perfect a theory about the infinite, the surer it is to be wrong, the more impossible it is to be right.
-George MacDonald
from a letter to his father
The Pharisees and some of the teachers of the law who had come from Jerusalem gathered around Jesus and saw some of his disciples eating food with hands that were defiled, that is, unwashed. (The Pharisees and all the Jews do not eat unless they give their hands a ceremonial washing, holding to the tradition of the elders.
When they come from the marketplace they do not eat unless they wash. And they observe many other traditions, such as the washing of cups, pitchers and kettles. )
So the Pharisees and teachers of the law asked Jesus, “Why don’t your disciples live according to the tradition of the elders instead of eating their food with defiled hands?”
He replied, “Isaiah was right when he prophesied about you hypocrites; as it is written:
“ ‘These people honor me with their lips,
but their hearts are far from me.
They worship me in vain;
their teachings are merely human rules.’
You have let go of the commands of God and are holding on to human traditions.”
And he continued, “You have a fine way of setting aside the commands of God in order to observe your own traditions! For Moses said, ‘Honor your father and mother,’ and, ‘Anyone who curses their father or mother is to be put to death.’ But you say that if anyone declares that what might have been used to help their father or mother is Corban (that is, devoted to God)—then you no longer let them do anything for their father or mother.
Thus you nullify the word of God by your tradition that you have handed down. And you do many things like that.”
I firmly believe people have hitherto been a great deal too much taken up about doctrine and far too little about practice. The word doctrine, as used in the Bible, means teaching of duty, not theory. I preached a sermon about this. We are far too anxious to be definite and to have finished, well-polished, sharp-edged systems - forgetting that the more perfect a theory about the infinite, the surer it is to be wrong, the more impossible it is to be right.
-George MacDonald
from a letter to his father
3/25/10
Friday 3/26
1 Chronicles 16:1-34
They brought the ark of God and set it inside the tent that David had pitched for it, and they presented burnt offerings and fellowship offerings before God.2 After David had finished sacrificing the burnt offerings and fellowship offerings, he blessed the people in the name of the Lord.
Then he gave a loaf of bread, a cake of dates and a cake of raisins to each Israelite man and woman.
He appointed some of the Levites to minister before the ark of the Lord, to extol, thank, and praise the Lord, the God of Israel:5 Asaph was the chief, and next to him in rank were Zechariah, then Jaaziel, Shemiramoth, Jehiel, Mattithiah, Eliab, Benaiah, Obed-Edom and Jeiel. They were to play the lyres and harps, Asaph was to sound the cymbals, and Benaiah and Jahaziel the priests were to blow the trumpets regularly before the ark of the covenant of God.
That day David first appointed Asaph and his associates to give praise to the Lord in this manner:
Give praise to the Lord, call on his name;
make known among the nations what he has done.
Sing to him, sing praise to him;
tell of all his wonderful acts.
Glory in his holy name;
let the hearts of those who seek the Lord rejoice.
Look to the Lord and his strength;
seek his face always.
Remember the wonders he has done,
his miracles, and the judgments he pronounced,
you his servants, the descendants of Israel,
his chosen ones, the children of Jacob.
He is the Lord our God;
his judgments are in all the earth.
He remembers his covenant forever,
the promise he made, for a thousand generations,
the covenant he made with Abraham,
the oath he swore to Isaac.
He confirmed it to Jacob as a decree,
to Israel as an everlasting covenant:
“To you I will give the land of Canaan
as the portion you will inherit.”
When they were but few in number,
few indeed, and strangers in it,
they wandered from nation to nation,
from one kingdom to another.
He allowed no one to oppress them;
for their sake he rebuked kings:
“Do not touch my anointed ones;
do my prophets no harm.”
Sing to the Lord, all the earth;
proclaim his salvation day after day.
Declare his glory among the nations,
his marvelous deeds among all peoples.
For great is the Lord and most worthy of praise;
he is to be feared above all gods.
For all the gods of the nations are idols,
but the Lord made the heavens.
Splendor and majesty are before him;
strength and joy are in his dwelling place.
Ascribe to the Lord, all you families of nations,
ascribe to the Lord glory and strength.
Ascribe to the Lord the glory due his name;
bring an offering and come before him.
Worship the Lord in the splendor of his holiness.
Tremble before him, all the earth!
The world is firmly established; it cannot be moved.
Let the heavens rejoice, let the earth be glad;
let them say among the nations, “The Lord reigns!”
Let the sea resound, and all that is in it;
let the fields be jubilant, and everything in them!
Let the trees of the forest sing,
let them sing for joy before the Lord,
for he comes to judge the earth.
Give thanks to the Lord, for he is good;
his love endures forever.
Reflection:
I do not, in my private capacity, believe that a baby gets his best physical food by sucking his thumb; nor that a man gets his best moral food by sucking his soul, and denying its dependence on God or other good things. I would maintain that thanks are the highest form of thought; and that gratitude is happiness doubled by wonder.
–G.K. Chesterton
A Short History of England
i thank You God for most this amazing
day: for the leaping greenly spirits of trees
and a blue true dream of sky; and for everything
which is natural which is infinite which is yes
(i who have died am alive again today,
and this is the sun's birthday; this is the birth
day of life and of love and wings: and of the gay
great happening illimitably earth)
how should tasting touching hearing seeing
breathing any--lifted from the no
of all nothing--human merely being
doubt unimaginable You?
(now the ears of my ears awake and
now the eyes of my eyes are opened)
-e.e. cummings
They brought the ark of God and set it inside the tent that David had pitched for it, and they presented burnt offerings and fellowship offerings before God.2 After David had finished sacrificing the burnt offerings and fellowship offerings, he blessed the people in the name of the Lord.
Then he gave a loaf of bread, a cake of dates and a cake of raisins to each Israelite man and woman.
He appointed some of the Levites to minister before the ark of the Lord, to extol, thank, and praise the Lord, the God of Israel:5 Asaph was the chief, and next to him in rank were Zechariah, then Jaaziel, Shemiramoth, Jehiel, Mattithiah, Eliab, Benaiah, Obed-Edom and Jeiel. They were to play the lyres and harps, Asaph was to sound the cymbals, and Benaiah and Jahaziel the priests were to blow the trumpets regularly before the ark of the covenant of God.
That day David first appointed Asaph and his associates to give praise to the Lord in this manner:
Give praise to the Lord, call on his name;
make known among the nations what he has done.
Sing to him, sing praise to him;
tell of all his wonderful acts.
Glory in his holy name;
let the hearts of those who seek the Lord rejoice.
Look to the Lord and his strength;
seek his face always.
Remember the wonders he has done,
his miracles, and the judgments he pronounced,
you his servants, the descendants of Israel,
his chosen ones, the children of Jacob.
He is the Lord our God;
his judgments are in all the earth.
He remembers his covenant forever,
the promise he made, for a thousand generations,
the covenant he made with Abraham,
the oath he swore to Isaac.
He confirmed it to Jacob as a decree,
to Israel as an everlasting covenant:
“To you I will give the land of Canaan
as the portion you will inherit.”
When they were but few in number,
few indeed, and strangers in it,
they wandered from nation to nation,
from one kingdom to another.
He allowed no one to oppress them;
for their sake he rebuked kings:
“Do not touch my anointed ones;
do my prophets no harm.”
Sing to the Lord, all the earth;
proclaim his salvation day after day.
Declare his glory among the nations,
his marvelous deeds among all peoples.
For great is the Lord and most worthy of praise;
he is to be feared above all gods.
For all the gods of the nations are idols,
but the Lord made the heavens.
Splendor and majesty are before him;
strength and joy are in his dwelling place.
Ascribe to the Lord, all you families of nations,
ascribe to the Lord glory and strength.
Ascribe to the Lord the glory due his name;
bring an offering and come before him.
Worship the Lord in the splendor of his holiness.
Tremble before him, all the earth!
The world is firmly established; it cannot be moved.
Let the heavens rejoice, let the earth be glad;
let them say among the nations, “The Lord reigns!”
Let the sea resound, and all that is in it;
let the fields be jubilant, and everything in them!
Let the trees of the forest sing,
let them sing for joy before the Lord,
for he comes to judge the earth.
Give thanks to the Lord, for he is good;
his love endures forever.
Reflection:
I do not, in my private capacity, believe that a baby gets his best physical food by sucking his thumb; nor that a man gets his best moral food by sucking his soul, and denying its dependence on God or other good things. I would maintain that thanks are the highest form of thought; and that gratitude is happiness doubled by wonder.
–G.K. Chesterton
A Short History of England
i thank You God for most this amazing
day: for the leaping greenly spirits of trees
and a blue true dream of sky; and for everything
which is natural which is infinite which is yes
(i who have died am alive again today,
and this is the sun's birthday; this is the birth
day of life and of love and wings: and of the gay
great happening illimitably earth)
how should tasting touching hearing seeing
breathing any--lifted from the no
of all nothing--human merely being
doubt unimaginable You?
(now the ears of my ears awake and
now the eyes of my eyes are opened)
-e.e. cummings
Thursday 3/25
Mark 9:35-41
Sitting down, Jesus called the Twelve and said, “Anyone who wants to be first must be the very last, and the servant of all.”
He took a little child whom he placed among them. Taking the child in his arms, he said to them,
“Whoever welcomes one of these little children in my name welcomes me; and whoever welcomes me does not welcome me but the one who sent me.”
“Teacher,” said John, “we saw someone driving out demons in your name and we told him to stop, because he was not one of us.”
“Do not stop him,” Jesus said. “No one who does a miracle in my name can in the next moment say anything bad about me, for whoever is not against us is for us.
Truly I tell you, anyone who gives you a cup of water in my name because you belong to the Messiah will certainly be rewarded.
Reflection:
In this life we cannot do great things. We can only do small things with great love. –Mother Teresa
If I can stop one heart from breaking,
I shall not live in vain;
If I can ease one life the aching,
Or cool one pain,
Or help one fainting robin
Unto his nest again,
I shall not live in vain.
-Emily Dickinson
Prayer:
Lord, help me to be faithful in the simple, everyday things you call me to do. May I be content with the work you give me and show your love moment to moment. Lead me in the way everlasting, one step at a time. Amen.
Sitting down, Jesus called the Twelve and said, “Anyone who wants to be first must be the very last, and the servant of all.”
He took a little child whom he placed among them. Taking the child in his arms, he said to them,
“Whoever welcomes one of these little children in my name welcomes me; and whoever welcomes me does not welcome me but the one who sent me.”
“Teacher,” said John, “we saw someone driving out demons in your name and we told him to stop, because he was not one of us.”
“Do not stop him,” Jesus said. “No one who does a miracle in my name can in the next moment say anything bad about me, for whoever is not against us is for us.
Truly I tell you, anyone who gives you a cup of water in my name because you belong to the Messiah will certainly be rewarded.
Reflection:
In this life we cannot do great things. We can only do small things with great love. –Mother Teresa
If I can stop one heart from breaking,
I shall not live in vain;
If I can ease one life the aching,
Or cool one pain,
Or help one fainting robin
Unto his nest again,
I shall not live in vain.
-Emily Dickinson
Prayer:
Lord, help me to be faithful in the simple, everyday things you call me to do. May I be content with the work you give me and show your love moment to moment. Lead me in the way everlasting, one step at a time. Amen.
3/23/10
Wednesday 3/24
Ephesians 2:13-22
But now in Christ Jesus you who once were far away have been brought near by the blood of Christ.
For he himself is our peace, who has made the two one and has destroyed the barrier, the dividing wall of hostility, by setting aside in his flesh the law with its commands and regulations. His purpose was to create in himself one new humanity out of the two, thus making peace, and in one body to reconcile both of them to God through the cross, by which he put to death their hostility. He came and preached peace to you who were far away and peace to those who were near.
For through him we both have access to the Father by one Spirit.
Consequently, you are no longer foreigners and strangers, but fellow citizens with God’s people and also members of his household, built on the foundation of the apostles and prophets, with Christ Jesus himself as the chief cornerstone. In him the whole building is joined together and rises to become a holy temple in the Lord.
And in him you too are being built together to become a dwelling in which God lives by his Spirit.
Reflection:
Four Things Which Bring Great Peace
The Voice of Christ:
My Child, I will teach you now the way of peace and true liberty. Seek, child, to do the will of others rather than your own. Always choose to have less rather than more. Look always for the last place and seek to be beneath all others. Always wish and pray that the will of God be fully carried out in you. Behold, such will enter into the realm of peace and rest.
The Disciple:
O Lord, this brief discourse of Yours contains much perfection. It is short in words but full of meaning and abounding in fruit. Certainly if I could only keep it faithfully, I should not be so easily disturbed. For as often as I find myself troubled and dejected, I find that I have departed from this teaching. But You Who can do all things, and Who always love what is for my soul's welfare, give me increase of grace that I may keep Your words.
-Thomas A. Kempis
The Imitation of Christ
Philippians 2:1-8
Therefore if you have any encouragement from being united with Christ, if any comfort from his love, if any common sharing in the Spirit, if any tenderness and compassion, then make my joy complete by being like-minded, having the same love, being one in spirit and of one mind. Do nothing out of selfish ambition or vain conceit. Rather, in humility value others above yourselves,
not looking to your own interests but each of you to the interests of the others.
In your relationships with one another, have the same attitude of mind Christ Jesus had:
Who, being in very nature God,
did not consider equality with God something to be used to his own advantage;
rather, he made himself nothing
by taking the very nature of a servant,
being made in human likeness.
And being found in appearance as a human being,
he humbled himself
by becoming obedient to death—
even death on a cross!
But now in Christ Jesus you who once were far away have been brought near by the blood of Christ.
For he himself is our peace, who has made the two one and has destroyed the barrier, the dividing wall of hostility, by setting aside in his flesh the law with its commands and regulations. His purpose was to create in himself one new humanity out of the two, thus making peace, and in one body to reconcile both of them to God through the cross, by which he put to death their hostility. He came and preached peace to you who were far away and peace to those who were near.
For through him we both have access to the Father by one Spirit.
Consequently, you are no longer foreigners and strangers, but fellow citizens with God’s people and also members of his household, built on the foundation of the apostles and prophets, with Christ Jesus himself as the chief cornerstone. In him the whole building is joined together and rises to become a holy temple in the Lord.
And in him you too are being built together to become a dwelling in which God lives by his Spirit.
Reflection:
Four Things Which Bring Great Peace
The Voice of Christ:
My Child, I will teach you now the way of peace and true liberty. Seek, child, to do the will of others rather than your own. Always choose to have less rather than more. Look always for the last place and seek to be beneath all others. Always wish and pray that the will of God be fully carried out in you. Behold, such will enter into the realm of peace and rest.
The Disciple:
O Lord, this brief discourse of Yours contains much perfection. It is short in words but full of meaning and abounding in fruit. Certainly if I could only keep it faithfully, I should not be so easily disturbed. For as often as I find myself troubled and dejected, I find that I have departed from this teaching. But You Who can do all things, and Who always love what is for my soul's welfare, give me increase of grace that I may keep Your words.
-Thomas A. Kempis
The Imitation of Christ
Philippians 2:1-8
Therefore if you have any encouragement from being united with Christ, if any comfort from his love, if any common sharing in the Spirit, if any tenderness and compassion, then make my joy complete by being like-minded, having the same love, being one in spirit and of one mind. Do nothing out of selfish ambition or vain conceit. Rather, in humility value others above yourselves,
not looking to your own interests but each of you to the interests of the others.
In your relationships with one another, have the same attitude of mind Christ Jesus had:
Who, being in very nature God,
did not consider equality with God something to be used to his own advantage;
rather, he made himself nothing
by taking the very nature of a servant,
being made in human likeness.
And being found in appearance as a human being,
he humbled himself
by becoming obedient to death—
even death on a cross!
Tuesday 3/23
1 Samuel 7:1-13
So the men of Kiriath Jearim came and took up the ark of the Lord. They brought it to Abinadab’s house on the hill and consecrated Eleazar his son to guard the ark of the Lord.
The ark remained at Kiriath Jearim a long time—twenty years in all.
Then all the people of Israel turned back to the Lord. So Samuel said to the whole house of Israel, “If you are returning to the Lord with all your hearts, then rid yourselves of the foreign gods and the Ashtoreths and commit yourselves to the Lord and serve him only, and he will deliver you out of the hand of the Philistines.”
So the Israelites put away their Baals and Ashtoreths, and served the Lord only.
Then Samuel said, “Assemble all Israel at Mizpah, and I will intercede with the Lord for you.”
When they had assembled at Mizpah, they drew water and poured it out before the Lord. On that day they fasted and there they confessed, “We have sinned against the Lord.” Now Samuel was serving as leader of Israel at Mizpah.
When the Philistines heard that Israel had assembled at Mizpah, the rulers of the Philistines came up to attack them. When the Israelites heard of it, they were afraid because of the Philistines. They said to Samuel, “Do not stop crying out to the Lord our God for us, that he may rescue us from the hand of the Philistines.”
Then Samuel took a suckling lamb and sacrificed it as a whole burnt offering to the Lord. He cried out to the Lord on Israel’s behalf, and the Lord answered him.
While Samuel was sacrificing the burnt offering, the Philistines drew near to engage Israel in battle. But that day the Lord thundered with loud thunder against the Philistines and threw them into such a panic that they were routed before the Israelites.
The men of Israel rushed out of Mizpah and pursued the Philistines, slaughtering them along the way to a point below Beth Kar.
Then Samuel took a stone and set it up between Mizpah and Shen. He named it Ebenezer, saying, “Thus far the Lord has helped us.”
So the Philistines were subdued and they stopped invading Israel’s territory. Throughout Samuel’s lifetime, the hand of the Lord was against the Philistines.
Suggested Practice:
Take a small rock, or a note card of some kind, and write on it, “Thus far the Lord has helped me.” Put it where you will see it often - on your desk, on the refrigerator, in your car, etc. Each time you see it take a moment to remind yourself of God’s faithfulness. Remind yourself how he has been faithful to you and trust that he will continue to be. Remind yourself that every success and every blessing is a result of God’s faithfulness. “Thus far the Lord has helped me.”
So the men of Kiriath Jearim came and took up the ark of the Lord. They brought it to Abinadab’s house on the hill and consecrated Eleazar his son to guard the ark of the Lord.
The ark remained at Kiriath Jearim a long time—twenty years in all.
Then all the people of Israel turned back to the Lord. So Samuel said to the whole house of Israel, “If you are returning to the Lord with all your hearts, then rid yourselves of the foreign gods and the Ashtoreths and commit yourselves to the Lord and serve him only, and he will deliver you out of the hand of the Philistines.”
So the Israelites put away their Baals and Ashtoreths, and served the Lord only.
Then Samuel said, “Assemble all Israel at Mizpah, and I will intercede with the Lord for you.”
When they had assembled at Mizpah, they drew water and poured it out before the Lord. On that day they fasted and there they confessed, “We have sinned against the Lord.” Now Samuel was serving as leader of Israel at Mizpah.
When the Philistines heard that Israel had assembled at Mizpah, the rulers of the Philistines came up to attack them. When the Israelites heard of it, they were afraid because of the Philistines. They said to Samuel, “Do not stop crying out to the Lord our God for us, that he may rescue us from the hand of the Philistines.”
Then Samuel took a suckling lamb and sacrificed it as a whole burnt offering to the Lord. He cried out to the Lord on Israel’s behalf, and the Lord answered him.
While Samuel was sacrificing the burnt offering, the Philistines drew near to engage Israel in battle. But that day the Lord thundered with loud thunder against the Philistines and threw them into such a panic that they were routed before the Israelites.
The men of Israel rushed out of Mizpah and pursued the Philistines, slaughtering them along the way to a point below Beth Kar.
Then Samuel took a stone and set it up between Mizpah and Shen. He named it Ebenezer, saying, “Thus far the Lord has helped us.”
So the Philistines were subdued and they stopped invading Israel’s territory. Throughout Samuel’s lifetime, the hand of the Lord was against the Philistines.
Suggested Practice:
Take a small rock, or a note card of some kind, and write on it, “Thus far the Lord has helped me.” Put it where you will see it often - on your desk, on the refrigerator, in your car, etc. Each time you see it take a moment to remind yourself of God’s faithfulness. Remind yourself how he has been faithful to you and trust that he will continue to be. Remind yourself that every success and every blessing is a result of God’s faithfulness. “Thus far the Lord has helped me.”
3/21/10
Monday 3/22
Psalm 139
You have searched me, Lord,
and you know me.
You know when I sit and when I rise;
you perceive my thoughts from afar.
You discern my going out and my lying down;
you are familiar with all my ways.
Before a word is on my tongue
you, Lord, know it completely.
You hem me in behind and before,
and you lay your hand upon me.
Such knowledge is too wonderful for me,
too lofty for me to attain.
Where can I go from your Spirit?
Where can I flee from your presence?
If I go up to the heavens, you are there;
if I make my bed in the depths, you are there.
If I rise on the wings of the dawn,
if I settle on the far side of the sea,
even there your hand will guide me,
your right hand will hold me fast.
If I say, “Surely the darkness will hide me
and the light become night around me,”
even the darkness will not be dark to you;
the night will shine like the day,
for darkness is as light to you.
For you created my inmost being;
you knit me together in my mother’s womb.
I praise you because I am fearfully and wonderfully made;
your works are wonderful,
I know that full well.
My frame was not hidden from you
when I was made in the secret place.
When I was woven together in the depths of the earth,
your eyes saw my unformed body.
All the days ordained for me
were written in your book
before one of them came to be.
How precious to me are your thoughts, God!
How vast is the sum of them!
Were I to count them,
they would outnumber the grains of sand—
when I awake, I am still with you.
If only you, God, would slay the wicked!
Away from me, you who are bloodthirsty!
They speak of you with evil intent;
your adversaries misuse your name.
Do I not hate those who hate you, Lord,
and abhor those who are in rebellion against you?
I have nothing but hatred for them;
I count them my enemies.
Search me, God, and know my heart;
test me and know my anxious thoughts.
See if there is any offensive way in me,
and lead me in the way everlasting.
Suggested Practice:
The Prayer of Examen is an ancient practice of the church. In its simplest form, it is an examination of conscience and a reflection on our lives with God. The Prayer of Examen is usually done once or twice daily, most often just before bed. There are five steps, or parts to the prayer. First is thanksgiving. Thank God for who he is and what he’s done in your life. Second is intention. Pray to God about your desires for yourself and others. Thirdly, examination. How have you experienced God’s love today? Where did he show up? Thank him for these things. Fourth is contrition. How did you fail to respond to God’s love today? Confess these shortcomings to God. Finally, hope. Commit to God how you will let him lead you into tomorrow.
Try this exercise for a week or so. During lent it is extremely important to examine our lives and hearts before God and invite him to change what is out of alignment with his will.
You have searched me, Lord,
and you know me.
You know when I sit and when I rise;
you perceive my thoughts from afar.
You discern my going out and my lying down;
you are familiar with all my ways.
Before a word is on my tongue
you, Lord, know it completely.
You hem me in behind and before,
and you lay your hand upon me.
Such knowledge is too wonderful for me,
too lofty for me to attain.
Where can I go from your Spirit?
Where can I flee from your presence?
If I go up to the heavens, you are there;
if I make my bed in the depths, you are there.
If I rise on the wings of the dawn,
if I settle on the far side of the sea,
even there your hand will guide me,
your right hand will hold me fast.
If I say, “Surely the darkness will hide me
and the light become night around me,”
even the darkness will not be dark to you;
the night will shine like the day,
for darkness is as light to you.
For you created my inmost being;
you knit me together in my mother’s womb.
I praise you because I am fearfully and wonderfully made;
your works are wonderful,
I know that full well.
My frame was not hidden from you
when I was made in the secret place.
When I was woven together in the depths of the earth,
your eyes saw my unformed body.
All the days ordained for me
were written in your book
before one of them came to be.
How precious to me are your thoughts, God!
How vast is the sum of them!
Were I to count them,
they would outnumber the grains of sand—
when I awake, I am still with you.
If only you, God, would slay the wicked!
Away from me, you who are bloodthirsty!
They speak of you with evil intent;
your adversaries misuse your name.
Do I not hate those who hate you, Lord,
and abhor those who are in rebellion against you?
I have nothing but hatred for them;
I count them my enemies.
Search me, God, and know my heart;
test me and know my anxious thoughts.
See if there is any offensive way in me,
and lead me in the way everlasting.
Suggested Practice:
The Prayer of Examen is an ancient practice of the church. In its simplest form, it is an examination of conscience and a reflection on our lives with God. The Prayer of Examen is usually done once or twice daily, most often just before bed. There are five steps, or parts to the prayer. First is thanksgiving. Thank God for who he is and what he’s done in your life. Second is intention. Pray to God about your desires for yourself and others. Thirdly, examination. How have you experienced God’s love today? Where did he show up? Thank him for these things. Fourth is contrition. How did you fail to respond to God’s love today? Confess these shortcomings to God. Finally, hope. Commit to God how you will let him lead you into tomorrow.
Try this exercise for a week or so. During lent it is extremely important to examine our lives and hearts before God and invite him to change what is out of alignment with his will.
3/20/10
Sunday 3/21
Matthew 18:21-35
Then Peter came to Jesus and asked, “Lord, how many times shall I forgive someone who sins against me? Up to seven times?”
Jesus answered, “I tell you, not seven times, but seventy-seven times.
“Therefore, the kingdom of heaven is like a king who wanted to settle accounts with his servants. As he began the settlement, a man who owed him ten thousand bags of gold was brought to him.
Since he was not able to pay, the master ordered that he and his wife and his children and all that he had be sold to repay the debt.
“The servant fell on his knees before him. ‘Be patient with me,’ he begged, ‘and I will pay back everything.’
The servant’s master took pity on him, canceled the debt and let him go.
“But when that servant went out, he found one of his fellow servants who owed him a hundred silver coins. He grabbed him and began to choke him. ‘Pay back what you owe me!’ he demanded.
“His fellow servant fell to his knees and begged him, ‘Be patient with me, and I will pay you back.’
“But he refused. Instead, he went off and had the man thrown into prison until he could pay the debt.
When the other servants saw what had happened, they were greatly distressed and went and told their master everything that had happened.
“Then the master called the servant in. ‘You wicked servant,’ he said, ‘I canceled all that debt of yours because you begged me to. Shouldn’t you have had mercy on your fellow servant just as I had on you?’
In anger his master handed him over to the jailers to be tortured, until he should pay back all he owed.
“This is how my heavenly Father will treat each of you unless you forgive a brother or sister from your heart.”
Reflection:
One evening recently the members of my parish formed a big circle inside the church. The ends of the circle overlapped and my husband, the priest, faced a subdeacon. He bowed to touch the floor, then said, "Please forgive me, my brother, for any way I have sinned against you." Greg responded, "I forgive you," then bowed and asked forgiveness in turn. When my husband gave it, the two embraced, then each moved on to the next person in line.
As the circle advanced, every person had a turn to stand face to face with every other person, asking and giving forgiveness. Joy mingled with tears. A woman I'd quarreled with opened her arms wide and said with a smile, "C'mere. This is going to take awhile."
We do this every year at the beginning of Lent, just as Orthodox Christians do all over the world. But when I described it to a non-Orthodox friend she wondered how we could give forgiveness without discussion and negotiation. The other person might hurt you again. You might even suspect their repentance is phony.
How can you give forgiveness? By remembering how much God has to forgive you. It's that simple. Forgiveness is never what a person deserves--if we got what we deserved, it wouldn't be forgiveness. When we forgive, we give a costly gift, just as God gives us, and we can't control whether the other person will use that gift well or badly. But we can refuse to go on being chained to their past behavior through bonds of anger and judgment. Anger is an acid that destroys its container. We give forgiveness every year because we need to do that to stay healthy. We ask for forgiveness, because we need that even more.
-Frederica Mathewes-Green (Eastern Orthodox writer)
Prayer:
Our Father in heaven,
hallowed be your name,
your kingdom come,
your will be done,
on earth as it is in heaven.
Give us today our daily bread.
And forgive us our debts,
as we also have forgiven our debtors.
And lead us not into temptation,
but deliver us from the evil one.
Then Peter came to Jesus and asked, “Lord, how many times shall I forgive someone who sins against me? Up to seven times?”
Jesus answered, “I tell you, not seven times, but seventy-seven times.
“Therefore, the kingdom of heaven is like a king who wanted to settle accounts with his servants. As he began the settlement, a man who owed him ten thousand bags of gold was brought to him.
Since he was not able to pay, the master ordered that he and his wife and his children and all that he had be sold to repay the debt.
“The servant fell on his knees before him. ‘Be patient with me,’ he begged, ‘and I will pay back everything.’
The servant’s master took pity on him, canceled the debt and let him go.
“But when that servant went out, he found one of his fellow servants who owed him a hundred silver coins. He grabbed him and began to choke him. ‘Pay back what you owe me!’ he demanded.
“His fellow servant fell to his knees and begged him, ‘Be patient with me, and I will pay you back.’
“But he refused. Instead, he went off and had the man thrown into prison until he could pay the debt.
When the other servants saw what had happened, they were greatly distressed and went and told their master everything that had happened.
“Then the master called the servant in. ‘You wicked servant,’ he said, ‘I canceled all that debt of yours because you begged me to. Shouldn’t you have had mercy on your fellow servant just as I had on you?’
In anger his master handed him over to the jailers to be tortured, until he should pay back all he owed.
“This is how my heavenly Father will treat each of you unless you forgive a brother or sister from your heart.”
Reflection:
One evening recently the members of my parish formed a big circle inside the church. The ends of the circle overlapped and my husband, the priest, faced a subdeacon. He bowed to touch the floor, then said, "Please forgive me, my brother, for any way I have sinned against you." Greg responded, "I forgive you," then bowed and asked forgiveness in turn. When my husband gave it, the two embraced, then each moved on to the next person in line.
As the circle advanced, every person had a turn to stand face to face with every other person, asking and giving forgiveness. Joy mingled with tears. A woman I'd quarreled with opened her arms wide and said with a smile, "C'mere. This is going to take awhile."
We do this every year at the beginning of Lent, just as Orthodox Christians do all over the world. But when I described it to a non-Orthodox friend she wondered how we could give forgiveness without discussion and negotiation. The other person might hurt you again. You might even suspect their repentance is phony.
How can you give forgiveness? By remembering how much God has to forgive you. It's that simple. Forgiveness is never what a person deserves--if we got what we deserved, it wouldn't be forgiveness. When we forgive, we give a costly gift, just as God gives us, and we can't control whether the other person will use that gift well or badly. But we can refuse to go on being chained to their past behavior through bonds of anger and judgment. Anger is an acid that destroys its container. We give forgiveness every year because we need to do that to stay healthy. We ask for forgiveness, because we need that even more.
-Frederica Mathewes-Green (Eastern Orthodox writer)
Prayer:
Our Father in heaven,
hallowed be your name,
your kingdom come,
your will be done,
on earth as it is in heaven.
Give us today our daily bread.
And forgive us our debts,
as we also have forgiven our debtors.
And lead us not into temptation,
but deliver us from the evil one.
Saturday 3/20
Job 11:7-20
Can you fathom the mysteries of God?
Can you probe the limits of the Almighty?
They are higher than the heavens above—what can you do?
They are deeper than the depths below—what can you know?
Their measure is longer than the earth
and wider than the sea.
“If he comes along and confines you in prison
and convenes a court, who can oppose him?
Surely he recognizes deceivers;
and when he sees evil, does he not take note?
But the witless can no more become wise
than a wild donkey’s colt can be born a human being.
“Yet if you devote your heart to him
and stretch out your hands to him,
if you put away the sin that is in your hand
and allow no evil to dwell in your tent,
then, free of fault, you will lift up your face;
you will stand firm and without fear.
You will surely forget your trouble,
recalling it only as waters gone by.
Life will be brighter than noonday,
and darkness will become like morning.
You will be secure, because there is hope;
you will look about you and take your rest in safety.
You will lie down, with no one to make you afraid,
and many will court your favor.
But the eyes of the wicked will fail,
and escape will elude them;
their hope will become a dying gasp.”
Story:
If the horse had been any good - or if he had known how to get any good out of the horse - he would have risked everything on a breakaway and a wild gallop. But he knew he couldn’t make that horse gallop. So he went on at a walking pace and the unseen companion walked and breathed beside him. At last he could bear it no longer.
“Who are you?” he said, scarcely above a whisper.
“One who has waited long for you to speak,” said the Thing. Its voice was not loud, but very large and deep.
“Are you- are you a giant?” asked Shasta.
“You might call me a giant,” said the Large Voice. “But I am not like the creatures you call giants.”
“I can’t see you at all,” said Shasta, after staring very hard. Then (for an even more terrible idea had come into his head) he said, almost in a scream, “You’re not - not something dead, are you? Oh please - please do go away. What harm have I ever done you? Oh, I am the unluckiest person in the whole world!”
Once more he felt the warm breath of the Thing on his hand and face. “There,” it said, “that is not the breath of a ghost. Tell me your sorrows.”
Shasta was a little reassured by the breath: so he told how he had never known his real father or mother and had been brought up sternly by the fisherman. And then he told the story of his escape and how they were chased by lions and forced to swim for their lives; and of all their dangers in Tashbaan and about his night among the tombs and how the beasts howled at him out of the desert. And he told about the heat and thirst of their desert journey and how they were almost at their goal when another lion chased them and wounded Aravis. And also, how very long it was since he had had anything to eat.
“I do not call you unfortunate,” said the Large Voice.
“Don’t you think it was bad luck to meet so many lions?” said Shasta.
“There was only one lion,” said the Voice.
“What on earth do you mean? I’ve just told you there were at least two the first night, and-”
“There was only one: but he was swift of foot.”
“How do you know?”
“I was the lion.” And as Shasta gaped with open mouth and said nothing, the Voice continued. “I was the lion who forced you to join with Aravis. I was the cat who comforted you among the houses of the dead. I was the lion who drove the jackals from you while you slept. I was the lion who gave the Horses the new strength of fear for the last mile so that you should reach King Lune in time. And I was the lion you do not remember who pushed the boat in which you lay, a child near death, so that it came to shore where a man sat, wakeful at midnight, to receive you.”
“Then it was you who wounded Aravis?”
“It was I.”
“But what for?”
“Child,” said the Voice, “I am telling you your story, not hers. I tell no one any story but his own.”
“Who are you?” asked Shasta.
“Myself,” said the Voice, very deep and low so that the earth shook: and again “Myself”, loud and clear and gay: and then the third time “Myself”, whispered so softly you could hardly hear it, and yet it seemed to come from all round you as if the leaves rustled with it.
Shasta was no longer afraid that the Voice belonged to something that would eat him, nor that it was the voice of a ghost. But a new and different sort of trembling came over him. Yet he felt glad too.
-C.S. Lewis
The Chronicles of Narnia, The Horse and His Boy
Can you fathom the mysteries of God?
Can you probe the limits of the Almighty?
They are higher than the heavens above—what can you do?
They are deeper than the depths below—what can you know?
Their measure is longer than the earth
and wider than the sea.
“If he comes along and confines you in prison
and convenes a court, who can oppose him?
Surely he recognizes deceivers;
and when he sees evil, does he not take note?
But the witless can no more become wise
than a wild donkey’s colt can be born a human being.
“Yet if you devote your heart to him
and stretch out your hands to him,
if you put away the sin that is in your hand
and allow no evil to dwell in your tent,
then, free of fault, you will lift up your face;
you will stand firm and without fear.
You will surely forget your trouble,
recalling it only as waters gone by.
Life will be brighter than noonday,
and darkness will become like morning.
You will be secure, because there is hope;
you will look about you and take your rest in safety.
You will lie down, with no one to make you afraid,
and many will court your favor.
But the eyes of the wicked will fail,
and escape will elude them;
their hope will become a dying gasp.”
Story:
If the horse had been any good - or if he had known how to get any good out of the horse - he would have risked everything on a breakaway and a wild gallop. But he knew he couldn’t make that horse gallop. So he went on at a walking pace and the unseen companion walked and breathed beside him. At last he could bear it no longer.
“Who are you?” he said, scarcely above a whisper.
“One who has waited long for you to speak,” said the Thing. Its voice was not loud, but very large and deep.
“Are you- are you a giant?” asked Shasta.
“You might call me a giant,” said the Large Voice. “But I am not like the creatures you call giants.”
“I can’t see you at all,” said Shasta, after staring very hard. Then (for an even more terrible idea had come into his head) he said, almost in a scream, “You’re not - not something dead, are you? Oh please - please do go away. What harm have I ever done you? Oh, I am the unluckiest person in the whole world!”
Once more he felt the warm breath of the Thing on his hand and face. “There,” it said, “that is not the breath of a ghost. Tell me your sorrows.”
Shasta was a little reassured by the breath: so he told how he had never known his real father or mother and had been brought up sternly by the fisherman. And then he told the story of his escape and how they were chased by lions and forced to swim for their lives; and of all their dangers in Tashbaan and about his night among the tombs and how the beasts howled at him out of the desert. And he told about the heat and thirst of their desert journey and how they were almost at their goal when another lion chased them and wounded Aravis. And also, how very long it was since he had had anything to eat.
“I do not call you unfortunate,” said the Large Voice.
“Don’t you think it was bad luck to meet so many lions?” said Shasta.
“There was only one lion,” said the Voice.
“What on earth do you mean? I’ve just told you there were at least two the first night, and-”
“There was only one: but he was swift of foot.”
“How do you know?”
“I was the lion.” And as Shasta gaped with open mouth and said nothing, the Voice continued. “I was the lion who forced you to join with Aravis. I was the cat who comforted you among the houses of the dead. I was the lion who drove the jackals from you while you slept. I was the lion who gave the Horses the new strength of fear for the last mile so that you should reach King Lune in time. And I was the lion you do not remember who pushed the boat in which you lay, a child near death, so that it came to shore where a man sat, wakeful at midnight, to receive you.”
“Then it was you who wounded Aravis?”
“It was I.”
“But what for?”
“Child,” said the Voice, “I am telling you your story, not hers. I tell no one any story but his own.”
“Who are you?” asked Shasta.
“Myself,” said the Voice, very deep and low so that the earth shook: and again “Myself”, loud and clear and gay: and then the third time “Myself”, whispered so softly you could hardly hear it, and yet it seemed to come from all round you as if the leaves rustled with it.
Shasta was no longer afraid that the Voice belonged to something that would eat him, nor that it was the voice of a ghost. But a new and different sort of trembling came over him. Yet he felt glad too.
-C.S. Lewis
The Chronicles of Narnia, The Horse and His Boy
3/19/10
Friday 3/19
Reflection:
I have found in many books many different ways of going to God and many different practices in living the spiritual life. I began to see that this was only confusing me, as the only thing I was seeking was to become wholly God’s. Thus, I resolved to give my all for God’s all. After having given myself wholly to God that he might take away my sin, I renounced, for the love of God, everything that was not God, and I began to live as if there was none but God and I in the world.
Sometimes I imagined myself standing before him as a poor criminal at the feet of the judge. At other times I beheld him in my heart as my Father and as my God. I worshiped him as often as I could, keeping my mind in his holy presence and recalling it back to God as often as I found it had wandered from him.
I found a great deal of pain in this exercise, and yet I continued it even in the midst of all the difficulties that occurred, trying not to trouble myself or get angry when my mind had wandered involuntarily. I made this my business throughout the entire day in addition to my appointed times of prayer.
At all times, every hour, every minute, even at my busiest times, I drove away from my mind everything that was capable of interrupting my thought of God.
This has been my practice since the first days I entered into religion. Though I have done it imperfectly, I have found great advantages in this practice. I am aware, however, that all of these advantages are to be attributed to the mercy and goodness of God, because we can do nothing without him—especially me!!
But when we are faithful in keeping ourselves in his holy presence, keeping him always before us, this not only prevents our offending him or doing something displeasing in his sight (at least willfully), but it also brings to us a holy freedom, and if I may say so, a familiarity with God wherein we may ask and receive the graces we are so desperately in need of.
In short, by often repeating these acts they become habitual, and the presence of God becomes something that comes naturally to us. Give God thanks with me for his great goodness toward me, which I can never sufficiently admire, and for the many favors he has done for so miserable a sinner as I am.
-Brother Lawrence
The Practice of the Presence of God
Psalm 1
Blessed are those
who do not walk in step with the wicked
or stand in the way that sinners take
or sit in the company of mockers,
but who delight in the law of the Lord
and meditate on his law day and night.
They are like a tree planted by streams of water,
which yields its fruit in season
and whose leaf does not wither—
whatever they do prospers.
Not so the wicked!
They are like chaff
that the wind blows away.
Therefore the wicked will not stand in the judgment,
nor sinners in the assembly of the righteous.
For the Lord watches over the way of the righteous,
but the way of the wicked will be destroyed.
I have found in many books many different ways of going to God and many different practices in living the spiritual life. I began to see that this was only confusing me, as the only thing I was seeking was to become wholly God’s. Thus, I resolved to give my all for God’s all. After having given myself wholly to God that he might take away my sin, I renounced, for the love of God, everything that was not God, and I began to live as if there was none but God and I in the world.
Sometimes I imagined myself standing before him as a poor criminal at the feet of the judge. At other times I beheld him in my heart as my Father and as my God. I worshiped him as often as I could, keeping my mind in his holy presence and recalling it back to God as often as I found it had wandered from him.
I found a great deal of pain in this exercise, and yet I continued it even in the midst of all the difficulties that occurred, trying not to trouble myself or get angry when my mind had wandered involuntarily. I made this my business throughout the entire day in addition to my appointed times of prayer.
At all times, every hour, every minute, even at my busiest times, I drove away from my mind everything that was capable of interrupting my thought of God.
This has been my practice since the first days I entered into religion. Though I have done it imperfectly, I have found great advantages in this practice. I am aware, however, that all of these advantages are to be attributed to the mercy and goodness of God, because we can do nothing without him—especially me!!
But when we are faithful in keeping ourselves in his holy presence, keeping him always before us, this not only prevents our offending him or doing something displeasing in his sight (at least willfully), but it also brings to us a holy freedom, and if I may say so, a familiarity with God wherein we may ask and receive the graces we are so desperately in need of.
In short, by often repeating these acts they become habitual, and the presence of God becomes something that comes naturally to us. Give God thanks with me for his great goodness toward me, which I can never sufficiently admire, and for the many favors he has done for so miserable a sinner as I am.
-Brother Lawrence
The Practice of the Presence of God
Psalm 1
Blessed are those
who do not walk in step with the wicked
or stand in the way that sinners take
or sit in the company of mockers,
but who delight in the law of the Lord
and meditate on his law day and night.
They are like a tree planted by streams of water,
which yields its fruit in season
and whose leaf does not wither—
whatever they do prospers.
Not so the wicked!
They are like chaff
that the wind blows away.
Therefore the wicked will not stand in the judgment,
nor sinners in the assembly of the righteous.
For the Lord watches over the way of the righteous,
but the way of the wicked will be destroyed.
3/17/10
Thursday 3/18
Prayer:
Lord, I believe. Help my unbelief. (Mark 9:24)
John 6:54-69
Whoever eats my flesh and drinks my blood has eternal life, and I will raise them up at the last day. For my flesh is real food and my blood is real drink. Whoever eats my flesh and drinks my blood remains in me, and I in them. Just as the living Father sent me and I live because of the Father, so the one who feeds on me will live because of me. This is the bread that came down from heaven. Your ancestors ate manna and died, but whoever feeds on this bread will live forever.”
He said this while teaching in the synagogue in Capernaum.
On hearing it, many of his disciples said, “This is a hard teaching. Who can accept it?”
Aware that his disciples were grumbling about this, Jesus said to them, “Does this offend you? Then what if you see the Son of Man ascend to where he was before! The Spirit gives life; the flesh counts for nothing. The words I have spoken to you—they are full of the Spirit and life. Yet there are some of you who do not believe.” For Jesus had known from the beginning which of them did not believe and who would betray him.
He went on to say, “This is why I told you that no one can come to me unless the Father has enabled them.”
From this time many of his disciples turned back and no longer followed him.
“You do not want to leave too, do you?” Jesus asked the Twelve.
Simon Peter answered him, “Lord, to whom shall we go? You have the words of eternal life. We have come to believe and to know that you are the Holy One of God.”
Reflection:
To a spiritual community that offers formula in place of faith, a belief that Jesus was the Son of God and God as well is more than a description of the Messenger of the gospel, it is entwined in the message itself, and the idea seems as necessary as the word He speaks. There is no question that a part of what we believe as Christians is that Jesus was in fact God. We cling to this as truth, we cling to that which we do not understand, just as love causes a man to cling to a woman, and love causes a father or mother to connect deeply with his or her child. Indeed, as Jesus looks across the social landscape into the fear-filled eyes of the inhabitants of the lifeboat, He does not offer a formula that will help us win the game, He offers Himself.
I want to tell you without reservation that if there is any hope for you and me, for this planet set kilter in the fifteen-billion light year expanse of endless mystery, the hope would have to be in this Man who contends He is not of us, but with us, and simply IS. I AM WHO I AM.
-Donald Miller
Searching For God Knows What
Lord, I believe. Help my unbelief. (Mark 9:24)
John 6:54-69
Whoever eats my flesh and drinks my blood has eternal life, and I will raise them up at the last day. For my flesh is real food and my blood is real drink. Whoever eats my flesh and drinks my blood remains in me, and I in them. Just as the living Father sent me and I live because of the Father, so the one who feeds on me will live because of me. This is the bread that came down from heaven. Your ancestors ate manna and died, but whoever feeds on this bread will live forever.”
He said this while teaching in the synagogue in Capernaum.
On hearing it, many of his disciples said, “This is a hard teaching. Who can accept it?”
Aware that his disciples were grumbling about this, Jesus said to them, “Does this offend you? Then what if you see the Son of Man ascend to where he was before! The Spirit gives life; the flesh counts for nothing. The words I have spoken to you—they are full of the Spirit and life. Yet there are some of you who do not believe.” For Jesus had known from the beginning which of them did not believe and who would betray him.
He went on to say, “This is why I told you that no one can come to me unless the Father has enabled them.”
From this time many of his disciples turned back and no longer followed him.
“You do not want to leave too, do you?” Jesus asked the Twelve.
Simon Peter answered him, “Lord, to whom shall we go? You have the words of eternal life. We have come to believe and to know that you are the Holy One of God.”
Reflection:
To a spiritual community that offers formula in place of faith, a belief that Jesus was the Son of God and God as well is more than a description of the Messenger of the gospel, it is entwined in the message itself, and the idea seems as necessary as the word He speaks. There is no question that a part of what we believe as Christians is that Jesus was in fact God. We cling to this as truth, we cling to that which we do not understand, just as love causes a man to cling to a woman, and love causes a father or mother to connect deeply with his or her child. Indeed, as Jesus looks across the social landscape into the fear-filled eyes of the inhabitants of the lifeboat, He does not offer a formula that will help us win the game, He offers Himself.
I want to tell you without reservation that if there is any hope for you and me, for this planet set kilter in the fifteen-billion light year expanse of endless mystery, the hope would have to be in this Man who contends He is not of us, but with us, and simply IS. I AM WHO I AM.
-Donald Miller
Searching For God Knows What
Wednesday 3/17
Mark 12:28-34
One of the teachers of the law came and heard them debating. Noticing that Jesus had given them a good answer, he asked him, “Of all the commandments, which is the most important?”
“The most important one,” answered Jesus, “is this: ‘Hear, O Israel: The Lord our God, the Lord is one.30 Love the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your mind and with all your strength.’
The second is this: ‘Love your neighbor as yourself.’ There is no commandment greater than these.”
“Well said, teacher,” the man replied. “You are right in saying that God is one and there is no other but him.
To love him with all your heart, with all your understanding and with all your strength, and to love your neighbor as yourself is more important than all burnt offerings and sacrifices.”
When Jesus saw that he had answered wisely, he said to him, “You are not far from the kingdom of God.” And from then on no one dared ask him any more questions.
Reflection:
So the ministers of the Spirit must minister to the Spirit that is in prison, which hath been in captivity in every one, that with the Spirit of Christ people may be led out of captivity up to God, the Father of spirits, do service to Him, and have unity with Him, with the Scriptures, and with one another. This is the word of the Lord God to you all, a charge to you all in the presence of the living God; be patterns, be examples, in all countries, places, islands, nations, wherever you come; that your carriage and life may preach among all sorts of people, and to them; then you will come to walk cheerfully over the world, answering that of God in every one; whereby in them ye may be a blessing, and make the witness of God in them to bless you: then to the Lord God you will be a sweet savor, and a blessing.
Therefore be still awhile from thy own thoughts, searching, seeking, desires, and imaginations, and be staid in the principle of God in thee, that it may raise thy mind up to God, and stay it upon God, and thou wilt find strength from him, and find him to be a God at hand, a present help in time of trouble, and of need. And thou being come to the principle of God, which hath been transgressed, it will keep thee humble; and the humble, God will teach his way, which is peace, and such he doth exalt.
-George Fox
Journals
Food for Though:
What does true Christianity look like? What does is mean to be authentic in faith? What does it mean to be a Kingdom person?
One of the teachers of the law came and heard them debating. Noticing that Jesus had given them a good answer, he asked him, “Of all the commandments, which is the most important?”
“The most important one,” answered Jesus, “is this: ‘Hear, O Israel: The Lord our God, the Lord is one.30 Love the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your mind and with all your strength.’
The second is this: ‘Love your neighbor as yourself.’ There is no commandment greater than these.”
“Well said, teacher,” the man replied. “You are right in saying that God is one and there is no other but him.
To love him with all your heart, with all your understanding and with all your strength, and to love your neighbor as yourself is more important than all burnt offerings and sacrifices.”
When Jesus saw that he had answered wisely, he said to him, “You are not far from the kingdom of God.” And from then on no one dared ask him any more questions.
Reflection:
So the ministers of the Spirit must minister to the Spirit that is in prison, which hath been in captivity in every one, that with the Spirit of Christ people may be led out of captivity up to God, the Father of spirits, do service to Him, and have unity with Him, with the Scriptures, and with one another. This is the word of the Lord God to you all, a charge to you all in the presence of the living God; be patterns, be examples, in all countries, places, islands, nations, wherever you come; that your carriage and life may preach among all sorts of people, and to them; then you will come to walk cheerfully over the world, answering that of God in every one; whereby in them ye may be a blessing, and make the witness of God in them to bless you: then to the Lord God you will be a sweet savor, and a blessing.
Therefore be still awhile from thy own thoughts, searching, seeking, desires, and imaginations, and be staid in the principle of God in thee, that it may raise thy mind up to God, and stay it upon God, and thou wilt find strength from him, and find him to be a God at hand, a present help in time of trouble, and of need. And thou being come to the principle of God, which hath been transgressed, it will keep thee humble; and the humble, God will teach his way, which is peace, and such he doth exalt.
-George Fox
Journals
Food for Though:
What does true Christianity look like? What does is mean to be authentic in faith? What does it mean to be a Kingdom person?
3/16/10
Tuesday 3/16
I Kings 19:9-18
And the word of the Lord came to him: “What are you doing here, Elijah?”
He replied, “I have been very zealous for the Lord God Almighty. The Israelites have rejected your covenant, torn down your altars, and put your prophets to death with the sword. I am the only one left, and now they are trying to kill me too.”
The Lord said, “Go out and stand on the mountain in the presence of the Lord, for the Lord is about to pass by.”
Then a great and powerful wind tore the mountains apart and shattered the rocks before the Lord, but the Lord was not in the wind. After the wind there was an earthquake, but the Lord was not in the earthquake. After the earthquake came a fire, but the Lord was not in the fire. And after the fire came a gentle whisper.
When Elijah heard it, he pulled his cloak over his face and went out and stood at the mouth of the cave.
Then a voice said to him, “What are you doing here, Elijah?”
He replied, “I have been very zealous for the Lord God Almighty. The Israelites have rejected your covenant, torn down your altars, and put your prophets to death with the sword. I am the only one left, and now they are trying to kill me too.”
The Lord said to him, “Go back the way you came, and go to the Desert of Damascus. When you get there, anoint Hazael king over Aram. Also, anoint Jehu son of Nimshi king over Israel, and anoint Elisha son of Shaphat from Abel Meholah to succeed you as prophet. Jehu will put to death any who escape the sword of Hazael, and Elisha will put to death any who escape the sword of Jehu.
Yet I reserve seven thousand in Israel—all whose knees have not bowed down to Baal and whose mouths have not kissed him.”
Reflection:
When I was a small girl, I was fascinated by all things religious and holy. God, obviously, fitted squarely into that category. God lived (so they told me) in our huge, greystone cathedral, and there, indeed, he was to be found--hiding in a gold box surrounded by flowers, candles, and velvet curtains. I spent hours in the silence and the darkness of the huge cathedral--often all alone--just sitting, breathing, awed by a deep, intuitive awareness that I sat with God.
Little did I know, at such a tender age, that I was engaged in contemplative prayer. I was simply absorbed by a sense of divine presence. It has never really gone away. As I grew older, however, life became busy and demanding. I went to college, then to Africa as a lay missionary teacher, and later founded the Volunteer Missionary Movement. I didn't really have the time to sit in dark and holy places, wide-eyed by mystery. I was very busy about the business of saving the world.
But I didn't save the world. That has already been done. I am in a sense--like everyone else--trying to save myself, to become fully myself for God. My journey is coming full circle. Older, wiser, and deeper than in those earlier years when I sat in the cathedral, I now sit again, not in my cathedral but in myself. I "sit" wherever I find myself, for my cathedral is within me.
I know now that no matter how far we travel, how much we accomplish, how deeply we suffer, or how joyfully we dance, God is always with us in all of those things for the whole of our life's journey. That dark, silent, and mysterious place stays with us, housing the holy. Like the Lenten experience, there are no extra props. There is just the darkness and the emptiness and, at the very heart of all that the divine presence, the Holy One whom we seek, breathing, hidden within us, eternally loving and waiting.
-Edwina Gateley
Contemplative Prayer
Suggested Practice:
Sit for a while in contemplative conversation with God. Repeat and mull over a line of scripture, speak simply and leave silence for God to answer, go outdoors to a quiet place and walk as you listen, contemplate how God has shown up in your day or your week, or simply sit in silence. Practice quiet, contemplative prayer.
And the word of the Lord came to him: “What are you doing here, Elijah?”
He replied, “I have been very zealous for the Lord God Almighty. The Israelites have rejected your covenant, torn down your altars, and put your prophets to death with the sword. I am the only one left, and now they are trying to kill me too.”
The Lord said, “Go out and stand on the mountain in the presence of the Lord, for the Lord is about to pass by.”
Then a great and powerful wind tore the mountains apart and shattered the rocks before the Lord, but the Lord was not in the wind. After the wind there was an earthquake, but the Lord was not in the earthquake. After the earthquake came a fire, but the Lord was not in the fire. And after the fire came a gentle whisper.
When Elijah heard it, he pulled his cloak over his face and went out and stood at the mouth of the cave.
Then a voice said to him, “What are you doing here, Elijah?”
He replied, “I have been very zealous for the Lord God Almighty. The Israelites have rejected your covenant, torn down your altars, and put your prophets to death with the sword. I am the only one left, and now they are trying to kill me too.”
The Lord said to him, “Go back the way you came, and go to the Desert of Damascus. When you get there, anoint Hazael king over Aram. Also, anoint Jehu son of Nimshi king over Israel, and anoint Elisha son of Shaphat from Abel Meholah to succeed you as prophet. Jehu will put to death any who escape the sword of Hazael, and Elisha will put to death any who escape the sword of Jehu.
Yet I reserve seven thousand in Israel—all whose knees have not bowed down to Baal and whose mouths have not kissed him.”
Reflection:
When I was a small girl, I was fascinated by all things religious and holy. God, obviously, fitted squarely into that category. God lived (so they told me) in our huge, greystone cathedral, and there, indeed, he was to be found--hiding in a gold box surrounded by flowers, candles, and velvet curtains. I spent hours in the silence and the darkness of the huge cathedral--often all alone--just sitting, breathing, awed by a deep, intuitive awareness that I sat with God.
Little did I know, at such a tender age, that I was engaged in contemplative prayer. I was simply absorbed by a sense of divine presence. It has never really gone away. As I grew older, however, life became busy and demanding. I went to college, then to Africa as a lay missionary teacher, and later founded the Volunteer Missionary Movement. I didn't really have the time to sit in dark and holy places, wide-eyed by mystery. I was very busy about the business of saving the world.
But I didn't save the world. That has already been done. I am in a sense--like everyone else--trying to save myself, to become fully myself for God. My journey is coming full circle. Older, wiser, and deeper than in those earlier years when I sat in the cathedral, I now sit again, not in my cathedral but in myself. I "sit" wherever I find myself, for my cathedral is within me.
I know now that no matter how far we travel, how much we accomplish, how deeply we suffer, or how joyfully we dance, God is always with us in all of those things for the whole of our life's journey. That dark, silent, and mysterious place stays with us, housing the holy. Like the Lenten experience, there are no extra props. There is just the darkness and the emptiness and, at the very heart of all that the divine presence, the Holy One whom we seek, breathing, hidden within us, eternally loving and waiting.
-Edwina Gateley
Contemplative Prayer
Suggested Practice:
Sit for a while in contemplative conversation with God. Repeat and mull over a line of scripture, speak simply and leave silence for God to answer, go outdoors to a quiet place and walk as you listen, contemplate how God has shown up in your day or your week, or simply sit in silence. Practice quiet, contemplative prayer.
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)