Jesus’ Triumphal Entry into Jerusalem
After he had said this, he went on ahead, going up to Jerusalem.
When he had come near Bethphage and Bethany, at the place called the Mount of Olives, he sent two of the disciples, saying, ‘Go into the village ahead of you, and as you enter it you will find tied there a colt that has never been ridden. Untie it and bring it here. If anyone asks you, “Why are you untying it?” just say this: “The Lord needs it.” ’ So those who were sent departed and found it as he had told them. As they were untying the colt, its owners asked them, ‘Why are you untying the colt?’ They said, ‘The Lord needs it.’ Then they brought it to Jesus; and after throwing their cloaks on the colt, they set Jesus on it. As he rode along, people kept spreading their cloaks on the road. As he was now approaching the path down from the Mount of Olives, the whole multitude of the disciples began to praise God joyfully with a loud voice for all the deeds of power that they had seen, saying,
‘Blessed is the king who comes in the name of the Lord!
Peace in heaven,and glory in the highest heaven!’
Some of the Pharisees in the crowd said to him, ‘Teacher, order your disciples to stop.’ He answered, ‘I tell you, if these were silent, the stones would shout out.’ (Luke 19)
When I was growing up in Lincoln, Nebraska we would often have parades in the summer with all the neighborhood kids. So on Palm Sunday this year we gave out tabourines to the kids in worship and we marched around the Sanctuary, beating on the tambourines and collecting money for One Great Hour of Sharing. I expected it to be a good way to enter into the celebration and festivity of the day, but I was overwhelmed by the interaction between the children and the adults. What I had expected to be a little 3 minute parade turned into a 6-7 minute connection and affirmation between the adults and the children as we collected more money that we could have imagined in those little OGHS fish. And the money we collected will go to build up the Kingdom of God as disaster relief efforts around the world. Certainly the children who encouraged us in our giving on Palm Sunday were blessed in the name of the Lord!
Wednesday, March 31, 2010
Day 34- With Christ in, over, and around us in the wilderness
I thank God today for the devotions of Michael Lindvall "Knowing God's Triune Story". I met Michael at the Association of Presbyterian Christian Educators (APCE) this year and was introduced to his devotional guide as the 2010 Moderator's Lenten Bible Study. And it is every bit as good as the Moderator, Bruce Reyes-Chow had suggested. While I have been writing devotions each morning for my congregations, I have been fed by the devotional insights of Michael Lindvall.
This morning as I was feeling particularly overwhelmed by the demands of life and ministry and relationships, Michael reminded me of the Prayer of St. Patrick of Ireland (translated from Gaelic by Kuno Meyer): "I rise today through God's strength to pilot me...Christ with me, Christ before me, Christ behind me, Christ in me, Christ beneath me, Christ above me. Christ on my right, Christ on my left, Christ when I lie down, Christ when I sit down, Christ when I arise. Christ in the heart of everyone who thinks of me, Christ in the mouth of everyone who speaks of me, Christ in every eye that sees me, Christ in every ear that hears me. I arise today through the mighty strength, the invocation of the Trinity, through belief in threeness, through the confession of the oneness of the Creator of Creation" (St. Patrick as quoted in The Presbyterian Outlook, May 13, 1996)
If you are feeling overwhelmed this morning by life, I invite you to pray the Prayer of St. Patrick today as your own prayer for Christ to be with, in, over and under you as you journey through the wilderness with Christ.
This morning as I was feeling particularly overwhelmed by the demands of life and ministry and relationships, Michael reminded me of the Prayer of St. Patrick of Ireland (translated from Gaelic by Kuno Meyer): "I rise today through God's strength to pilot me...Christ with me, Christ before me, Christ behind me, Christ in me, Christ beneath me, Christ above me. Christ on my right, Christ on my left, Christ when I lie down, Christ when I sit down, Christ when I arise. Christ in the heart of everyone who thinks of me, Christ in the mouth of everyone who speaks of me, Christ in every eye that sees me, Christ in every ear that hears me. I arise today through the mighty strength, the invocation of the Trinity, through belief in threeness, through the confession of the oneness of the Creator of Creation" (St. Patrick as quoted in The Presbyterian Outlook, May 13, 1996)
If you are feeling overwhelmed this morning by life, I invite you to pray the Prayer of St. Patrick today as your own prayer for Christ to be with, in, over and under you as you journey through the wilderness with Christ.
Tuesday, March 30, 2010
The 33rd Day in the Wilderness with Jesus Christ
As Jesus prepared his disciples for his death on the cross and resurrection to new life he said: "I will not leave you orphaned; I am coming to you. In a little while the world will no longer see me, but you will see me; because I live you also will live. On that day you will know that I am in the Father, and you in me, and I in you." (John 14:18-20)
As I stood with a friend at his mother's funeral, I was aware that he and I were both orphans- our parents had both died and even though we were fully grown adults, that we were orphans. Then the funeral started and Pastor Laura read this line from John 14, a line that often gets left out in the funeral litany, and I heard Jesus speaking those words to me and my friend for the first time. It is a comfort to know that even when our earthly parents do pass on, that we have the promise from Christ that we are not orphans. We have a heavenly Father to care for us, and protect us and advise us, and keep a room for us in his house.
As an earthly father and grandfather, I hope all my children and children-in-law and grandchildren and grandchildren-to-be know that there is always a place in my house for them. As a spiritual father at Covenant, I hope and pray that my spiritual children and grandchildren will know that this home, Covenant Presbyterian Church, is their home. They are always welcomed here. They don't need a reservation. They/we are family.
As I stood with a friend at his mother's funeral, I was aware that he and I were both orphans- our parents had both died and even though we were fully grown adults, that we were orphans. Then the funeral started and Pastor Laura read this line from John 14, a line that often gets left out in the funeral litany, and I heard Jesus speaking those words to me and my friend for the first time. It is a comfort to know that even when our earthly parents do pass on, that we have the promise from Christ that we are not orphans. We have a heavenly Father to care for us, and protect us and advise us, and keep a room for us in his house.
As an earthly father and grandfather, I hope all my children and children-in-law and grandchildren and grandchildren-to-be know that there is always a place in my house for them. As a spiritual father at Covenant, I hope and pray that my spiritual children and grandchildren will know that this home, Covenant Presbyterian Church, is their home. They are always welcomed here. They don't need a reservation. They/we are family.
Monday, March 29, 2010
Day 32 in the Wilderness- Joy and Agony together
As we celebrate the triumphal entry of Jesus into Jerusalem, we are profoundly aware that this journey into Jerusalem is not triumphal in the way we usually think of triumph. Jesus does not win a contest. In fact, his journey into Jerusalem is his final journey, culminating in his arrest in the Garden of Gethsemane, trial before the Sanhedrin and Pilate and crucifixion at Golgatha. The triumph is that Jesus dies on our behalf so that in his resurrection we are raised with him above our sin into new life. It is a paradox of the Triune God who is willing to participate in the very depths of human existence so that he can redeem us to new life by his death.
When I was thinking about the paradox built into this event, I was struck by the Olympic mantra "The Thrill of Victory and the Agony of Defeat" and the whole idea that the world is made up of one winner and everyone else is a loser. Christ turns this around by his willingness to be THE loser, dying on the cross for the sins of all people, so that all the rest of us can be WINNERS instead of sinners.
It was the Paralymics and not the Olympics where I saw this radical reversal of what we normally think of in Olympic competition. When the Paralympians marched in their Vancouver opening ceremony weeks after the "other Olympics" they were accompanied by their trainers and people who would help them compete. They each had a "disability" that they had to overcome just to compete in the games. And yet there was a joy and a triumphal attitude in these athletes that was contagious. And there were not just one winner and many losers but all winners by virtue of what each had overcome to get there. One athlete in particular grabbed my attention, Lauren Woolstencroft from Canada. She was born without either leg below the knee and without her left arm below the elbow. And she won, not one or two gold medals but 5 gold medals in virtually every downhill skiing event possible. She was truly an Olympic Golden Girl and a testimony to the way that faith can transform hardship and trajedy into joy and triumph.
When I was thinking about the paradox built into this event, I was struck by the Olympic mantra "The Thrill of Victory and the Agony of Defeat" and the whole idea that the world is made up of one winner and everyone else is a loser. Christ turns this around by his willingness to be THE loser, dying on the cross for the sins of all people, so that all the rest of us can be WINNERS instead of sinners.
It was the Paralymics and not the Olympics where I saw this radical reversal of what we normally think of in Olympic competition. When the Paralympians marched in their Vancouver opening ceremony weeks after the "other Olympics" they were accompanied by their trainers and people who would help them compete. They each had a "disability" that they had to overcome just to compete in the games. And yet there was a joy and a triumphal attitude in these athletes that was contagious. And there were not just one winner and many losers but all winners by virtue of what each had overcome to get there. One athlete in particular grabbed my attention, Lauren Woolstencroft from Canada. She was born without either leg below the knee and without her left arm below the elbow. And she won, not one or two gold medals but 5 gold medals in virtually every downhill skiing event possible. She was truly an Olympic Golden Girl and a testimony to the way that faith can transform hardship and trajedy into joy and triumph.
Sunday, March 28, 2010
Day 31 in the Wilderness with Jesus Christ
"Jesus Christ, though he was in the form of God,
did not regard equality with God
as something to be exploited,
but emptied himself,
taking the form of a slave,
being born in human likeness.
And being found in human form,
he humbled himself
and became obedient to the point of death—
even death on a cross." (Phil 2:6-8)
This passage from Paul's letter to the Philippians is humbling and essential to our journey with Christ this Lent. In Christ, God is expressing God's desire to get down on our level and to walk with us in our life journeys. God is even willing to crawl with us if necessary, the way a parent or grandparent gets on the ground with an infant who is learning to roll over or crawl. We had that opportunity in our recent trip to Germany as we got on the ground with Evan. As we got on his level and connected with him, he learned to roll over and had the biggest smile on his face. So it is when we realize that God has come down to us to be with us, to teach us and to live with us in Jesus Christ!
There was a prayer from the Taize worship service that remembers the God who accomodates to us in Christ: "Risen Jesus, you are there close beside each person, you descend to where we are, to the very lowest point of our human condition, and you take upon yourself all that hurts us, both in ourselves and in others. You accompany every human being. Go with us as we leave this place. Remind us daily that we represent you to the world." Amen
did not regard equality with God
as something to be exploited,
but emptied himself,
taking the form of a slave,
being born in human likeness.
And being found in human form,
he humbled himself
and became obedient to the point of death—
even death on a cross." (Phil 2:6-8)
This passage from Paul's letter to the Philippians is humbling and essential to our journey with Christ this Lent. In Christ, God is expressing God's desire to get down on our level and to walk with us in our life journeys. God is even willing to crawl with us if necessary, the way a parent or grandparent gets on the ground with an infant who is learning to roll over or crawl. We had that opportunity in our recent trip to Germany as we got on the ground with Evan. As we got on his level and connected with him, he learned to roll over and had the biggest smile on his face. So it is when we realize that God has come down to us to be with us, to teach us and to live with us in Jesus Christ!
There was a prayer from the Taize worship service that remembers the God who accomodates to us in Christ: "Risen Jesus, you are there close beside each person, you descend to where we are, to the very lowest point of our human condition, and you take upon yourself all that hurts us, both in ourselves and in others. You accompany every human being. Go with us as we leave this place. Remind us daily that we represent you to the world." Amen
Wednesday, March 24, 2010
Day 30- Walking with Jesus through Holy Week
Isn’t it amazing to imagine that we stand within the same community of disciples who witnessed the risen Christ on that first Easter morning! And like those disciples, Mary Magdalene, Peter, and John; we are also called to go and tell someone. Unlike those disciples, we know enough about what happens on Holy Week to actually invite our friends or our family to come with us and see this whole story unfold. If you have never been to the array of services that happen on Holy Week, I would invite you to make a commitment to walk with Jesus Christ through his last week. On Palm Sunday the children and Choir will lead the way into the sanctuary as we sing Hosanna, Loud Hosanna. The choir will sing and the Rainbow Bells will ring as we remember the Triumphal entry of Jesus into Jerusalem. I will be preaching on the theme “The Joy of Victory and the Agony of Defeat” as we remember that Jesus' entry into Jerusalem was the first step in his journey to the cross. On Maundy Thursday, we will gather in Fellowship Hall, just as Jesus gathered with his disciples in the Upper Room to share a communion meal around tables. Our elders will preside at each of the individual tables as we experience what it would have been like to break bread together and share this special meal in small groups. We will have the music of our Praise Team as background to this gathering and we will witness the washing of the disciples’ feet as we hear the story read from the Gospel of John.
On Good Friday we will hear the story of Jesus trial and crucifixion presented in story, music and pictures. We will imagine what it would have been like to be in the shadows during the trial of Jesus or at the foot of the cross during the crucifixion. We will come face to face with the Wondrous Love of God revealed on the Cross. And then on Sunday morning as the dawn is breaking we will gather outside as Mary and the Women did when they went to the tomb on that first Easter morning. We will hear the songs of faith and share the stories of faith as we become the people of faith. We will be fed by modern day angels (messengers of God) as the Men’s group cooks breakfast for us on Easter morning. Then we will join with the Chancel Choir and the Instrumental Ensemble “Atonement” to raise our voices in celebration of the Resurrection of Jesus Christ at our 8:30 and 11 am worship services. We will celebrate between the services with breakfast and an Easter Egg hunt for the children as we’re reminded of the mystery and new life of that first Easter morning.
Now you know the plan. What none of us knows is how God will use that plan to transform us and build up God’s kingdom.
On Good Friday we will hear the story of Jesus trial and crucifixion presented in story, music and pictures. We will imagine what it would have been like to be in the shadows during the trial of Jesus or at the foot of the cross during the crucifixion. We will come face to face with the Wondrous Love of God revealed on the Cross. And then on Sunday morning as the dawn is breaking we will gather outside as Mary and the Women did when they went to the tomb on that first Easter morning. We will hear the songs of faith and share the stories of faith as we become the people of faith. We will be fed by modern day angels (messengers of God) as the Men’s group cooks breakfast for us on Easter morning. Then we will join with the Chancel Choir and the Instrumental Ensemble “Atonement” to raise our voices in celebration of the Resurrection of Jesus Christ at our 8:30 and 11 am worship services. We will celebrate between the services with breakfast and an Easter Egg hunt for the children as we’re reminded of the mystery and new life of that first Easter morning.
Now you know the plan. What none of us knows is how God will use that plan to transform us and build up God’s kingdom.
Tuesday, March 23, 2010
29th Day in the Wilderness with Christ
I love drama in worship. Part of the reason I like it is that it allows us to enter viscerally into the biblical stories and even start to imagine how the people must have felt or how we would have felt if we had been there. It brings our emotions into the story. Like the times I have run down the aisle during church, to welcome the prodigal home. It is a strange feeling to be running in a Geneva preaching gown but it is helpful to remember how the father would have felt as he ran with his arms open to receieve his lost child.
I love the acting out of the Last Supper that we have done as a congregation: the Men's reenactment to the Women of Easter Play to the youth acting out the Seder Supper Passover. It is always exciting to enter into the role of disciple and start to imagine how one would have felt.
This year for Maundy Thursday we will be having our communion meal around tables with elders presiding at each table in Fellowship Hall. We will all have a chance to use our imagination to remember that first Seder Meal as it was transformed by Jesus into the communion meal we share even today.
I love the acting out of the Last Supper that we have done as a congregation: the Men's reenactment to the Women of Easter Play to the youth acting out the Seder Supper Passover. It is always exciting to enter into the role of disciple and start to imagine how one would have felt.
This year for Maundy Thursday we will be having our communion meal around tables with elders presiding at each table in Fellowship Hall. We will all have a chance to use our imagination to remember that first Seder Meal as it was transformed by Jesus into the communion meal we share even today.
Monday, March 22, 2010
Day 28- In the Wilderness with Christ
Yesterady, I had the opportunity to walk the "Stations of the Cross" in the Great Room with the "Unbinding Your Heart" class. I was struck by the words of Christ "My destinity was to die for you but your's is to live for me." It was a poignant reminder that when Jesus tells his disciples "If any want to become my followers, let them take up their cross daily and follow me. For those who would save their life will lose it, but those who lose their life for my sake will save it." (Luke 9:23,23), that he was telling them to live, full robust, daring lives for him.
I was thinking about those people who have taken up their crosses in history- Martin Luther, Martin Luther King Jr., John Calvin, Mother Theresa, Dietrich Bonhoeffer. They each made a difference in the world. I am also struck by those people who are slightly less famous, but who have made a difference in the faith community in which we live- Jim Naylor, Kelly Cox, Bill Brewer, Calvin Ross, Sarah Johnesee. I have been reminded this week of each of these saints and the vitality and life that they shared in Christ. And they are only a few of the saints who have touched my life and yours at Covenant. I invite you to remember some of those who have taken up their crosses and followed Christ in their lives and the impact they have had in our lives.
I am reminded of the Heidelberg Chatechism: "What is my only comfort in life and death? That in life and in death I belong not to myself but to my faithful savior Jesus Christ, who at the cost of his own blood has fully paid for all my sins and has completely freed me from the dominion of the devil; that he protects me so well that without the will of my Father in heaven not a hair can fall from my head; indeed, that everything must fit his purpose for my salvation. Therefore, by his Holy Spirit, he also assures me of eternal life, and makes me wholeheartedly willing and ready from now on to live for him."
I was thinking about those people who have taken up their crosses in history- Martin Luther, Martin Luther King Jr., John Calvin, Mother Theresa, Dietrich Bonhoeffer. They each made a difference in the world. I am also struck by those people who are slightly less famous, but who have made a difference in the faith community in which we live- Jim Naylor, Kelly Cox, Bill Brewer, Calvin Ross, Sarah Johnesee. I have been reminded this week of each of these saints and the vitality and life that they shared in Christ. And they are only a few of the saints who have touched my life and yours at Covenant. I invite you to remember some of those who have taken up their crosses and followed Christ in their lives and the impact they have had in our lives.
I am reminded of the Heidelberg Chatechism: "What is my only comfort in life and death? That in life and in death I belong not to myself but to my faithful savior Jesus Christ, who at the cost of his own blood has fully paid for all my sins and has completely freed me from the dominion of the devil; that he protects me so well that without the will of my Father in heaven not a hair can fall from my head; indeed, that everything must fit his purpose for my salvation. Therefore, by his Holy Spirit, he also assures me of eternal life, and makes me wholeheartedly willing and ready from now on to live for him."
Saturday, March 20, 2010
In the Wilderness with Christ- Day 27
When Jesus was in the synagogue in Nazareth, he read Isaiah 61 "The Spirit of the Lord is upon me, because he has anointed me to bring good news to the poor. He has sent me to proclaim release to the captives and recovery of sight the blind, to let the oppressed go free, to proclaim the year of the Lord's favor". (Luke 4:18,19)
Sometimes we are tempted to think that Jesus was only speaking those words of healing and hope to people long ago and a place far away. But yesterday, I had the opportunity to see these words of hope come alive in our church, among our people. I had a chance to see one our our folks eat for the first time in three months- it was a miracle. I heard from another of our sisters in faith, that she had started to walk again- another miracle. And a Presbyterian colleague reported that he had just returned from a medical mission to Haiti where they treated 1100 patients in 8 different villages- many miracles. Jesus Christ is still healing and we are still proclaiming that good news today.
Sometimes we are tempted to think that Jesus was only speaking those words of healing and hope to people long ago and a place far away. But yesterday, I had the opportunity to see these words of hope come alive in our church, among our people. I had a chance to see one our our folks eat for the first time in three months- it was a miracle. I heard from another of our sisters in faith, that she had started to walk again- another miracle. And a Presbyterian colleague reported that he had just returned from a medical mission to Haiti where they treated 1100 patients in 8 different villages- many miracles. Jesus Christ is still healing and we are still proclaiming that good news today.
Friday, March 19, 2010
Day 27 in the Wilderness- Lions and Tigers and Bears
"The wolf shall live with the lamb, the leopard shall lie down with the kid, the calf and the lion and the fatling together, and a little child shall lead them." (Isaiah 11:6)
Yesterday, the second to last day of spring break, it was beautiful outside and everyone and his brother went to the zoo. And I also went to the zoo with my future grandkids, Phoenix and Gracie. I love the zoo and I'm always on the lookout for people to go with me to the zoo and Gracie and Phoenix and their mom, Brooke (Adam's fiance) were willing partners, so we went. It was amazing how close we could get to the lions and the gorillas. Only a sheet of plexiglass separated us. And I remembered this summer when I visited the Little Rock Zoo with my already grandkids, Ashton and Ethan, and we were actually in the cage with the parrots and birds. It reminded me of the Isaiah 11 passage and that we are still far from that time Isaiah spoke of and that the painter Edward Hicks painted. We can get close to creation but we are still far from being reconciled with creation. But that is my prayer, that as Ashton, Ethan, Phoenix, Gracie and Evan grow up, that they will grow up into a world that is more peaceful and in harmony between humans, animals and nature.
Yesterday, the second to last day of spring break, it was beautiful outside and everyone and his brother went to the zoo. And I also went to the zoo with my future grandkids, Phoenix and Gracie. I love the zoo and I'm always on the lookout for people to go with me to the zoo and Gracie and Phoenix and their mom, Brooke (Adam's fiance) were willing partners, so we went. It was amazing how close we could get to the lions and the gorillas. Only a sheet of plexiglass separated us. And I remembered this summer when I visited the Little Rock Zoo with my already grandkids, Ashton and Ethan, and we were actually in the cage with the parrots and birds. It reminded me of the Isaiah 11 passage and that we are still far from that time Isaiah spoke of and that the painter Edward Hicks painted. We can get close to creation but we are still far from being reconciled with creation. But that is my prayer, that as Ashton, Ethan, Phoenix, Gracie and Evan grow up, that they will grow up into a world that is more peaceful and in harmony between humans, animals and nature.
Thursday, March 18, 2010
Gathering around the Table- Day 26 in the Wilderness
I am on a roll, three meals in a row with with friends in faith at church. We had a wonderful meal prepared by Roger and the men on Wednesday evening. We gathered for breakfast and Bible study and prayer at the Riverside Cafe for the Men's Prayer Breakfast Thursday morning and I just got back from the Karl Barth Study lunch at LaGalette. Is all this eating necessary in the Kingdom of God? Luke 13:29 says: "Then people will come from east and west, from north and south, and will eat in the kingdom of God." When we gather together at table there is a certain fellowship that happens. We find ourselves in fellowship even as we are fed. So it is good and biblical to gather at table with brothers and sisters in Christ. "When he was at table with his disciples, Jesus said 'This is my Body broken for you". Our communion meal is a time of being with God and with each other in Christ.
But what about the wilderness? The Psalmist asks: "Can God spread a table in the wilderness?"(Psalm 78:19) When I was growing up my family used to go out for breakfast in the park. We weren't a camping family but there was something about eating outside that was appealing to my mom and dad. It was kind of like the story of Jesus after the resurrection eating breakfast with his disciples on the sea of Galilee. We somehow felt nearer to nature and to God when we broke our evening fast and ate breakfast in the midst of nature. Of course when I went hiking with the youth in the mountains of Sonlight Camp in Colorado our meals were a time of respite from the strenuous hiking. And when we gathered one evening, fished at a lake, and ate the fish we had caught and cleaned ourselves, we felt particularly close to God and to God's creation and to each other. And so even and especially in the wilderness, we need to take time to break bread with each other and fellowship at Christ's table.
Psalm 23 speaks of a God who feeds and comforts us in the wilderness: "The Lord is my shepherd, I shall not want. He makes me lie down in green pastures; he leads me beside still waters; he restores my soul. He leads me in right paths for his name's sake. Even though I walk through the darkest valley, I fear no evil; for you are with me; your rod and your staff- they comfort me. You prepare a table in the presence of my enemies; you anoint my head with oil; my cup overflows. Surely goodness and mercy shall follow me all the days of my life, and I shall dwell in the house of the Lord my whole life long."
But what about the wilderness? The Psalmist asks: "Can God spread a table in the wilderness?"(Psalm 78:19) When I was growing up my family used to go out for breakfast in the park. We weren't a camping family but there was something about eating outside that was appealing to my mom and dad. It was kind of like the story of Jesus after the resurrection eating breakfast with his disciples on the sea of Galilee. We somehow felt nearer to nature and to God when we broke our evening fast and ate breakfast in the midst of nature. Of course when I went hiking with the youth in the mountains of Sonlight Camp in Colorado our meals were a time of respite from the strenuous hiking. And when we gathered one evening, fished at a lake, and ate the fish we had caught and cleaned ourselves, we felt particularly close to God and to God's creation and to each other. And so even and especially in the wilderness, we need to take time to break bread with each other and fellowship at Christ's table.
Psalm 23 speaks of a God who feeds and comforts us in the wilderness: "The Lord is my shepherd, I shall not want. He makes me lie down in green pastures; he leads me beside still waters; he restores my soul. He leads me in right paths for his name's sake. Even though I walk through the darkest valley, I fear no evil; for you are with me; your rod and your staff- they comfort me. You prepare a table in the presence of my enemies; you anoint my head with oil; my cup overflows. Surely goodness and mercy shall follow me all the days of my life, and I shall dwell in the house of the Lord my whole life long."
Wednesday, March 17, 2010
Day 25 in the Wilderness- Team Work
Twenty-five was my favorite number when I played team sports- basketball and baseball. My biggest problem with team sports was that they never actually were about team but about individuals- what individual do we claim for the victory or blame for the defeat. Perhaps that's why I ended up concentrating on track as my main sport in college. Then you only had yourself to blame in victory or defeat.
Have you ever paused to consider how the Triune God is the perfect team. Consider the words of Jesus, "Do you not believe that I am in the Father and the Father is in me? The words that I say to you I do not speak on my own ; but the Father who dwells in me does his works". (John 14:10) And later Jesus says, "I have said these things to you while I am still with you. But the Advocate , the Holy Spirit, whom the Father will sned in my name, will teach you everything and bring all remind you of all that I have said to you." (John 14:25,26) There is no sense of ownership in these words of Jesus. Everything is shared between the Father and the Son and the Holy Spirit.
Such is a team in it's best sense. The team works together, builds each other up, and shares in the successes AND the failures. The team is not about blaming but about sharing the good news. E. Stanley Ott wrote a book, "Transform Your Church with Ministry Teams" and he reminded me of the ministry we share regularly at Covenant. "And when member of a staff team are enjoying friendship with other team members, being encouraged in their faith and faithfulness, and relishing the challenge of their ministries, their attitude will be infused throughout the entire congregation." (pg. 45) As we laughed and cried our way through our most recent staff meeting I was glad that we function as a ministry team and I am glad that ministry teams are thriving at Covenant. The Bulletin folders are a ministry team that gets together and does a task but in the process builds each other up. The Men's and Women's Bible Studies on Sunday morning and Tuesday afternoon and Thursday morning are groups that not only study a book or scripture but also attend to the emotional and spiritual needs of the members and the church. The choir not only sings together but prays together and supports each other. And the list goes on. I am profundly aware that as we go through the wilderness, we cannot do it alone and so I thank God for the ministry teams that we share in Christ.
Have you ever paused to consider how the Triune God is the perfect team. Consider the words of Jesus, "Do you not believe that I am in the Father and the Father is in me? The words that I say to you I do not speak on my own ; but the Father who dwells in me does his works". (John 14:10) And later Jesus says, "I have said these things to you while I am still with you. But the Advocate , the Holy Spirit, whom the Father will sned in my name, will teach you everything and bring all remind you of all that I have said to you." (John 14:25,26) There is no sense of ownership in these words of Jesus. Everything is shared between the Father and the Son and the Holy Spirit.
Such is a team in it's best sense. The team works together, builds each other up, and shares in the successes AND the failures. The team is not about blaming but about sharing the good news. E. Stanley Ott wrote a book, "Transform Your Church with Ministry Teams" and he reminded me of the ministry we share regularly at Covenant. "And when member of a staff team are enjoying friendship with other team members, being encouraged in their faith and faithfulness, and relishing the challenge of their ministries, their attitude will be infused throughout the entire congregation." (pg. 45) As we laughed and cried our way through our most recent staff meeting I was glad that we function as a ministry team and I am glad that ministry teams are thriving at Covenant. The Bulletin folders are a ministry team that gets together and does a task but in the process builds each other up. The Men's and Women's Bible Studies on Sunday morning and Tuesday afternoon and Thursday morning are groups that not only study a book or scripture but also attend to the emotional and spiritual needs of the members and the church. The choir not only sings together but prays together and supports each other. And the list goes on. I am profundly aware that as we go through the wilderness, we cannot do it alone and so I thank God for the ministry teams that we share in Christ.
Tuesday, March 16, 2010
Day 24- A New Way in the Wilderness
Do you ever just wish for a god who was completely predictable all the time; where there was no mystery and you could understand everything about that god? I must admit that even as a theologian who is trained to appreciate the paradoxes that are part of our faith, that there are times when easy, simple and straightforward might be appealing. And yet the one Triune God of Scripture is indeed the God of mystery and selfless love and paradox who reveals himself to us in ways that are both enlightening and confusing at the same time. When this God of Abraham and Isaac and Jacob called the people into the wilderness with signs and wonders through Moses,they thought the journey would be short and straight and sweet. Then they spent the next forty years in the wilderness, learning who God is and who they were as God's chosen people. Through the prophet Isaiah, God explained in part why it took so long: "I am about to do a new thing; now it springs forth, do you not perceive it? I will make a new way in the wilderness and rivers in the desert." (Isaiah 43:19) God was teaching the people a new way of being the people of God and that way was through a relationship of love and trust with God and with each other.
Shortly before his death, Jesus told the disciples "'And you know the way to the place where I am going' Thomas said, 'Lord we do not know where you are going. How can we know the way?' Jesus said to him, 'I am the way and the truth and the life. No one comes to the Father except through me. If you know me, you will know my Father also. From now on you do know him and have seen him.'" (John 14:4-7) Jesus was telling his disciples the same thing, that following the way of the Triune God is not about travelling the same path over and over again but about being open to new paths, new relationships and new ways of experiencing and expressing God's love. And Jesus is careful not to conceptualize this but rather to personalize it. It is through Jesus, God's Son, that we know God fully and completely and yet...there is always a mystery and a what next and a new possibility that God offers in Christ.
The early Christian community that started to live out the teachings of Christ were not called Christians but rather "The Way". It was a reminder that our Christian faith is not static but a dynamic expression of God's love alive in the world through Christ by the power of the Holy Spirit. So as we spend time together in the wilderness with Christ this Lent, let us look not to the way we have always done things but to a New Way to walk through the wilderness with Christ. As we build a new chapel in Westminster Woods, as we give out prayer shawls to people in times of need, as we worship in different ways this Lent, help us to see Christ along the Way.
Shortly before his death, Jesus told the disciples "'And you know the way to the place where I am going' Thomas said, 'Lord we do not know where you are going. How can we know the way?' Jesus said to him, 'I am the way and the truth and the life. No one comes to the Father except through me. If you know me, you will know my Father also. From now on you do know him and have seen him.'" (John 14:4-7) Jesus was telling his disciples the same thing, that following the way of the Triune God is not about travelling the same path over and over again but about being open to new paths, new relationships and new ways of experiencing and expressing God's love. And Jesus is careful not to conceptualize this but rather to personalize it. It is through Jesus, God's Son, that we know God fully and completely and yet...there is always a mystery and a what next and a new possibility that God offers in Christ.
The early Christian community that started to live out the teachings of Christ were not called Christians but rather "The Way". It was a reminder that our Christian faith is not static but a dynamic expression of God's love alive in the world through Christ by the power of the Holy Spirit. So as we spend time together in the wilderness with Christ this Lent, let us look not to the way we have always done things but to a New Way to walk through the wilderness with Christ. As we build a new chapel in Westminster Woods, as we give out prayer shawls to people in times of need, as we worship in different ways this Lent, help us to see Christ along the Way.
Monday, March 15, 2010
Day 23 in the Wilderness- Partner for the Journey
"Then the Lord God said, 'It is not good that man should be alone; I will make him a helper as his partner." (Gen. 2:15)
It is not good to be in the wilderness alone. When God created Adam, he also created Eve. When when Noah spend forty days and forty nights on the ark it was with his wife and their sons and daughter-in-laws (and Noah's wife's name was not "Joan of Ark"). When God called Abraham to journey to a far away land he called Sarah on that same journey. And when Jesus sent out the disciples in mission, he sent them out two by two. God created us in community in the very beginning and intends for us to be in community with God and with each other throughout our adventures in life. It is good to have a partner in the wilderness.
We were very excited this week when our son Adam and Brooke told us they were going to be married. We are excited to welcome Brooke into our family and her kids Phoenix and Gracie as our newest grandchildren. Who we share our life with is one of the biggest determinants of success or failure in life. God's call to partnership is part of what determines who we become in our life journey. It has been a joy to see Adam and Brooke developing as partners- in church, in music, in parenting, in life.
It doesn't seem that long ago when Joan and I got married. (We just celebrated our 25th wedding anniversary at Covenant Presbyterian Church.) We have always claimed each other as partners in the adventures in life whether it was raising a family, leading church, teaching college classes together, travelling or participating in Presbytery. God intended Adam and Eve to take that notion of partnership seriously and joyfully and I see our Adam and his Eve-Brooke taking that call to partnership seriously and joyfully as well.
It is not good to be in the wilderness alone. When God created Adam, he also created Eve. When when Noah spend forty days and forty nights on the ark it was with his wife and their sons and daughter-in-laws (and Noah's wife's name was not "Joan of Ark"). When God called Abraham to journey to a far away land he called Sarah on that same journey. And when Jesus sent out the disciples in mission, he sent them out two by two. God created us in community in the very beginning and intends for us to be in community with God and with each other throughout our adventures in life. It is good to have a partner in the wilderness.
We were very excited this week when our son Adam and Brooke told us they were going to be married. We are excited to welcome Brooke into our family and her kids Phoenix and Gracie as our newest grandchildren. Who we share our life with is one of the biggest determinants of success or failure in life. God's call to partnership is part of what determines who we become in our life journey. It has been a joy to see Adam and Brooke developing as partners- in church, in music, in parenting, in life.
It doesn't seem that long ago when Joan and I got married. (We just celebrated our 25th wedding anniversary at Covenant Presbyterian Church.) We have always claimed each other as partners in the adventures in life whether it was raising a family, leading church, teaching college classes together, travelling or participating in Presbytery. God intended Adam and Eve to take that notion of partnership seriously and joyfully and I see our Adam and his Eve-Brooke taking that call to partnership seriously and joyfully as well.
Saturday, March 13, 2010
Day 22 in the Wilderness- Tabernacling with God
"For in the day of trouble God will keep me safe in his dwelling; he will hide me in the shelter of his tabernacle and set me on a high rock."(Psalm 27:5)
When the Israelites were in the wilderness God tabernacled with them. God gave them explicit instructions on building the tabernacle, but it was God's presence that made the tabernacle a place where they experienced God in their midst. As I write this devotion, our youth are at Sterling with advisors Joe and Katie. They are worshipping at the Sterling College auditorium in which God's presence is palpable and real. I remember the times I had the privilege of serving communion with the youth at Sleepless and feeling the energy of God and God's people in that place. I remember feeling that same energy in worship at Westminster Woods as we would worship God on the edge of the woods and the water and know that God was tabernacling with us there. As I write this devotion, the new chapel is being built at Westminster Woods and I know that it will be a place where our young people meet God in the wilderness. Today, I thank God that God is still tabernacling with us today. And I look forward to going "to church" tommorrow knowing that God is tabernacling with us in the sanctuary of Covenant as well.
When the Israelites were in the wilderness God tabernacled with them. God gave them explicit instructions on building the tabernacle, but it was God's presence that made the tabernacle a place where they experienced God in their midst. As I write this devotion, our youth are at Sterling with advisors Joe and Katie. They are worshipping at the Sterling College auditorium in which God's presence is palpable and real. I remember the times I had the privilege of serving communion with the youth at Sleepless and feeling the energy of God and God's people in that place. I remember feeling that same energy in worship at Westminster Woods as we would worship God on the edge of the woods and the water and know that God was tabernacling with us there. As I write this devotion, the new chapel is being built at Westminster Woods and I know that it will be a place where our young people meet God in the wilderness. Today, I thank God that God is still tabernacling with us today. And I look forward to going "to church" tommorrow knowing that God is tabernacling with us in the sanctuary of Covenant as well.
Friday, March 12, 2010
Day 21 in the Wilderness- Imago Dei
One of the greatest gift we have in relating to each other is to see the image of God, Imago Dei, in each other. I remember when I was hiking with the senior highs in Colorado, I was expecting to see the glory of God in the wonder and majesty of creation and instead I saw the glory and majesty of God in the grimey faces of my fellow travellers. Ray Anderson reminds us in his book On Being Human, that "each human person exists in the image and likeness of God." Of course you don't have to believe Ray or me, you just have to believe Scripture: "Then God said, 'Let us make humankind in our image, according to our likeness...so God created humankind in his image, in the image of God he created them; male and female he created them." (Genesis 1:26,27)
Today I received some wonderful pictures on the internet and was reminded of that wonderful "Imago Dei" in each picture: my youngest grandson Evan; my friends and collegues in ministry- Eric, Laura and Daisy; my hiking buddies from my one Sonlight Backpacking trip.
Dear God who guides us as a loving Daddy/Mommy, walks with us as Brother and breathes your own very life into us as Loving Spirit, I thank you that I need only look to my brother or sister in Christ from any nation to see your image. In Christ I pray, in God I trust, in the Holy Spirit I live. Amen
Today I received some wonderful pictures on the internet and was reminded of that wonderful "Imago Dei" in each picture: my youngest grandson Evan; my friends and collegues in ministry- Eric, Laura and Daisy; my hiking buddies from my one Sonlight Backpacking trip.
Dear God who guides us as a loving Daddy/Mommy, walks with us as Brother and breathes your own very life into us as Loving Spirit, I thank you that I need only look to my brother or sister in Christ from any nation to see your image. In Christ I pray, in God I trust, in the Holy Spirit I live. Amen
Thursday, March 11, 2010
Day 20 in the Wilderness- Don't forget your humanity
One of my pet peeves is when a politician or sports figure falls into disgrace through some indiscretion, people inevitably say: "He or she's only human." I find that disturbing because I recall the scripture from Genesis after God created humanity and said "It was very good." We were created to be the best of God's creatures, not the worst. The Westminster Shorter Catechism response to the question, "What is the chief end of humanity" is "To glorify God and enjoy God forever." And so I am saddened when we suggest with our words that poor ethical behavior is "only human".
Karl Barth says we must first go to Christ to learn about our humanity and then to Adam. Theologian Paul Lehmann says: "God's purpose is to make and keep human life fully human in the world". Ray Anderson in his book On Being Human says: "The humanity of Christ, by which he shares our creaturely nature and bears our sin, discloses the radical form of true humanity and how reconciliation leads to wholeness and holiness alike" (pg. 19)
Jesus Christ gives us a glimpse of who God is but he also gives us a vision of who we are in our best human selves- compassionate, caring, selfless, creative, forgiving and merciful. Psalm 8 says: "When I look at the heavens, the work of thy fingers, the moon and the stars which thou hast established. What is man that thou art mindful of him?...Yet thou has created him little less than God and dost crown him with glory and honor." (Psalm 8:3-5)
I must admit I was pleased after the US/Canada hockey game, not with the result but to hear the sports announcers comment as they celebrated the character of the hockey players "There are some real human beings." As we journey in the wilderness, let us remember that we are HUMAN BEINGS created in the image of the Triune God as revealed in Christ. Amen
Karl Barth says we must first go to Christ to learn about our humanity and then to Adam. Theologian Paul Lehmann says: "God's purpose is to make and keep human life fully human in the world". Ray Anderson in his book On Being Human says: "The humanity of Christ, by which he shares our creaturely nature and bears our sin, discloses the radical form of true humanity and how reconciliation leads to wholeness and holiness alike" (pg. 19)
Jesus Christ gives us a glimpse of who God is but he also gives us a vision of who we are in our best human selves- compassionate, caring, selfless, creative, forgiving and merciful. Psalm 8 says: "When I look at the heavens, the work of thy fingers, the moon and the stars which thou hast established. What is man that thou art mindful of him?...Yet thou has created him little less than God and dost crown him with glory and honor." (Psalm 8:3-5)
I must admit I was pleased after the US/Canada hockey game, not with the result but to hear the sports announcers comment as they celebrated the character of the hockey players "There are some real human beings." As we journey in the wilderness, let us remember that we are HUMAN BEINGS created in the image of the Triune God as revealed in Christ. Amen
Wednesday, March 10, 2010
Day 19 in the Wilderness- Endurance and Character
"Therefore, since we are justified by faith, we have peace with God though our Lord Jesus Christ, though whom we have obtained access to this grace in which we stand; and we boast in our hope of sharing the glory of God. And not only that, but we also boast in our suffering, knowing that suffering produces endurance, and endurance produces character, and character produces hope, and hope does not disappoint us, because God's love has been poured into our hearts through the Holy Spirit that has been given us." (Romans 5:1-5)
This Romans passage was in my devotional reading for today from Michael Lindvall's book "Knowing God's Triune Story". It is a great devotional book and a wonderful reminder of all the places where God's Triune story shines through in scripture. I have to admit that I have read this passage many times and been baffled by it's claims many times but never realized that the Trinity was explicitly named in this passage. Perhaps the mystery of God in relationship with Godself and with us is part of the answer to how Paul could make the claim that suffering ultimately produces hope.
This morning already I have spoken and prayed with people whose places of business were broken into, another who was in the hospital trying to recover from a chronic disease and another who is battling with the fatigue of cancer. I have written notes to a young person who just lost their job, and talked with another whose work is in jeopardy. None of these people spoke positively of the suffering and yet...they did have hope. Where did it come from?
As I read the writing of Paul and reflect on the people of God, I am convinced that the hope in the midst of suffering does come from the Triune God who does not lose hope in us- in the wilderness with Moses or on the cross of Christ or in the Spirit that came upon the fearful disciples in that Upper Room. This God is in a passionate relationship with us and will not let us go. This God is with us in our suffering and so we do have hope. And in the process of living with this God who suffers with us and receiving the hope that God alone brings, we discover that we can endure. And we develop as disciples whose strength of character depends not on the circumstances of life but our faith in Christ. And whose character does not shift with the whims of culture but is rooted firmly in the Triune God whose being and action are one.
This Romans passage was in my devotional reading for today from Michael Lindvall's book "Knowing God's Triune Story". It is a great devotional book and a wonderful reminder of all the places where God's Triune story shines through in scripture. I have to admit that I have read this passage many times and been baffled by it's claims many times but never realized that the Trinity was explicitly named in this passage. Perhaps the mystery of God in relationship with Godself and with us is part of the answer to how Paul could make the claim that suffering ultimately produces hope.
This morning already I have spoken and prayed with people whose places of business were broken into, another who was in the hospital trying to recover from a chronic disease and another who is battling with the fatigue of cancer. I have written notes to a young person who just lost their job, and talked with another whose work is in jeopardy. None of these people spoke positively of the suffering and yet...they did have hope. Where did it come from?
As I read the writing of Paul and reflect on the people of God, I am convinced that the hope in the midst of suffering does come from the Triune God who does not lose hope in us- in the wilderness with Moses or on the cross of Christ or in the Spirit that came upon the fearful disciples in that Upper Room. This God is in a passionate relationship with us and will not let us go. This God is with us in our suffering and so we do have hope. And in the process of living with this God who suffers with us and receiving the hope that God alone brings, we discover that we can endure. And we develop as disciples whose strength of character depends not on the circumstances of life but our faith in Christ. And whose character does not shift with the whims of culture but is rooted firmly in the Triune God whose being and action are one.
Tuesday, March 9, 2010
Day 18 in the Wilderness- What's next?
We're just about half way through our wilderness time: like Jesus after the first temptation, without bread to eat and yet getting ready for the second temptation to take the world's version of power ; or like the Israelites who had received manna in the wilderness but still weren't convinced Moses knew where they were going; or Noah and his family who had a boatload of animals but no land in sight. The middle of the wilderness is a scary place to be. It is tempting to bail out of the journey at that point because it is difficult to see the end.
And yet this is the time when the Holy Spirit, freed of all the constaints we impose, is free to act. It is the time when we are free to think outside the box, because we've lost track of the edges of the box. It's a time to move forward because it's just too far to go back. Our mission committee met to figure out how we going to raise $2,000 for our part of the Habitat for Humanity Build and decided to have a "Palm Sunday Cake Auction" to raise a significant portion of the mission money. It is a time when the "Faith Connection" met on Sunday night without the usual commitment of young people from First Presbyterian or Westwood or Covenant and yet we had a wonderful Spirit filled worship service with college students from Russia, Tanzania, Uganda, and all around the world. Palm Sunday is three weeks away and yet the next two weeks will be a time to celebrate a grant from Self Development of People to Sunflower Action Community and a time to receive three new members, Susan, Kevin and Danielle as brothers and sisters at Covenant.
There's no going back but the adventure in faith is always before us. Blessings on the journey as the Spirit that drove us into the wilderness continue to guide us, inspire us and revive us to journey on.
And yet this is the time when the Holy Spirit, freed of all the constaints we impose, is free to act. It is the time when we are free to think outside the box, because we've lost track of the edges of the box. It's a time to move forward because it's just too far to go back. Our mission committee met to figure out how we going to raise $2,000 for our part of the Habitat for Humanity Build and decided to have a "Palm Sunday Cake Auction" to raise a significant portion of the mission money. It is a time when the "Faith Connection" met on Sunday night without the usual commitment of young people from First Presbyterian or Westwood or Covenant and yet we had a wonderful Spirit filled worship service with college students from Russia, Tanzania, Uganda, and all around the world. Palm Sunday is three weeks away and yet the next two weeks will be a time to celebrate a grant from Self Development of People to Sunflower Action Community and a time to receive three new members, Susan, Kevin and Danielle as brothers and sisters at Covenant.
There's no going back but the adventure in faith is always before us. Blessings on the journey as the Spirit that drove us into the wilderness continue to guide us, inspire us and revive us to journey on.
Monday, March 8, 2010
Day 17 in the Wilderness- Finding a Safe Place to Rest
"Lord prepare me to be a sanctuary, pure and holy, tried and true." These first words in the song "Sanctuary" provide a wonderful challenge for living in the wilderness today. Our world is so busy and "productive" and "crazy" (as my brother so often says) that we need to intentionally seek out those places that are sanctuary for us so that we can find peace within ourselves.
Margaret Wheatley makes this point in an article "Reclaiming Time to Think" in her book Finding Our Way: Leadership For an Uncertain Time. She says "As the world speeds up, we're forfeiting these wonderful human capacities. Do you have as much time to think as you did a year ago?...But don't expect anyone to give you this time. You need to claim it for yourself." (pg. 214-215) She is challenging us to take time, find a place to rest, so that we can think and feel and care.
As I write this devotion, I am at one of my favorite sanctuary places, "The Daily Grind". It is a quiet coffee shop near my home. I know the proprietor. His family in Pratt is connected to the church where my son Adam is youth director. It is a quiet comfortable place...to have a cup of coffee, to feel welcomed and to think.
I was at an Association of Presbyterian Church Educatiors Conference in Vancouver several years ago and the keynote speaker and author Leonard Sweet, challenged us to think of the church after the model of Starbucks. It is a place where hospitality is central, where community is provided and where people learn the language (tall skinny late' !?)in order to participate fully in community and hospitality and refreshment. He argued that the church is such a place. I resisted the image because of the crassly commercial nature of Starbucks. But as I sit in my own coffee shop "The Daily Grind" I resonate with the idea that our churches are sanctuaries, where we come in from the wilderness, find community, hospitality and a connection in Christ. As I listened to new members sharing the warmth of community they felt at Covenant, I was encouraged that sometimes we are that safe place to rest, think, and center ourselves on Christ as we prepare to face the wilderness that is all around us.
Margaret Wheatley makes this point in an article "Reclaiming Time to Think" in her book Finding Our Way: Leadership For an Uncertain Time. She says "As the world speeds up, we're forfeiting these wonderful human capacities. Do you have as much time to think as you did a year ago?...But don't expect anyone to give you this time. You need to claim it for yourself." (pg. 214-215) She is challenging us to take time, find a place to rest, so that we can think and feel and care.
As I write this devotion, I am at one of my favorite sanctuary places, "The Daily Grind". It is a quiet coffee shop near my home. I know the proprietor. His family in Pratt is connected to the church where my son Adam is youth director. It is a quiet comfortable place...to have a cup of coffee, to feel welcomed and to think.
I was at an Association of Presbyterian Church Educatiors Conference in Vancouver several years ago and the keynote speaker and author Leonard Sweet, challenged us to think of the church after the model of Starbucks. It is a place where hospitality is central, where community is provided and where people learn the language (tall skinny late' !?)in order to participate fully in community and hospitality and refreshment. He argued that the church is such a place. I resisted the image because of the crassly commercial nature of Starbucks. But as I sit in my own coffee shop "The Daily Grind" I resonate with the idea that our churches are sanctuaries, where we come in from the wilderness, find community, hospitality and a connection in Christ. As I listened to new members sharing the warmth of community they felt at Covenant, I was encouraged that sometimes we are that safe place to rest, think, and center ourselves on Christ as we prepare to face the wilderness that is all around us.
Sunday, March 7, 2010
Day Sixteen in the Wilderness- Curiosity over judgement
On Saturday, I had a chance to sit in on a Southwest Kansas cluster gathering of the churches at Dodge City. It was part of Presbytery's sabbatical year of Bible study, prayer and discernment. The consultant, Larry Peers from Alban Institute, challenged us to suspend our judgement for the day and replace it instead with curiosity. I think that is good advice for our lifetime wilderness journey as well.
Certainly the Apostle Paul was curious when he travelled to Ephesus, Corinth, Galatia, Philippi and Athens and Rome and all the cultures he encountered on the way. He didn't succumb to fear but operated with a curiosity that allowed him to share the gospel by drawing alongside the people he encountered.
Curiosity has served me well in my faith journey as well. Curiosity allowed me to go on an Interfaith Trip to Israel, the Occupied Territories and Jordan 20 years ago with Joan and a group of Presbyterian pastors and last year with Christian, Jewish and Muslim friends and learn about their faiths as I became more grounded in and committed to my Presbyterian Christian faith. My faith curiosity was fed this winter as I travelled with and explored Germany with Joan, my son Stuart, daughter-in-law Megan and grandkids. And my curiosity is fed each month as I gather at Brotherhood with folks from around the world- Russia, Ethiopia, Uganda, Tanzania- and worship the Triune God.
Certainly the Apostle Paul was curious when he travelled to Ephesus, Corinth, Galatia, Philippi and Athens and Rome and all the cultures he encountered on the way. He didn't succumb to fear but operated with a curiosity that allowed him to share the gospel by drawing alongside the people he encountered.
Curiosity has served me well in my faith journey as well. Curiosity allowed me to go on an Interfaith Trip to Israel, the Occupied Territories and Jordan 20 years ago with Joan and a group of Presbyterian pastors and last year with Christian, Jewish and Muslim friends and learn about their faiths as I became more grounded in and committed to my Presbyterian Christian faith. My faith curiosity was fed this winter as I travelled with and explored Germany with Joan, my son Stuart, daughter-in-law Megan and grandkids. And my curiosity is fed each month as I gather at Brotherhood with folks from around the world- Russia, Ethiopia, Uganda, Tanzania- and worship the Triune God.
Friday, March 5, 2010
Day Fifteen in the Wilderness- Temptations
One of the things I don't want in the wilderness is temptation and yet that is the very thing that I'm sure would follow me into the wilderness, even and especially if I am with Jesus. Even the Apostle Paul said "I do not understand my own actions. For I do not do what I want, but I do the very thing I hate." (Romans 7:15)
What is it that gets in the way of your doing and being the person God wants you to be? For me that temptation is television. While the Olympics were on, it was a way to connect with the world and start conversations and learn about other countries and people. Now that the Olympics are over it is just a way to waste time alone. Sometimes it is a good relaxant but often it is just a distaction and waste of time and temptation. It's like the fictional conversation from one old devil to a young one that C. S. Lewis writes about in Screwtapes Letters: "All healthy and outgoing activites which we want him to avoid can be inhibited and nothing given in return, so that at last he may say as one of my own patients said on his arrival down here, 'I now see that I spent most of my life in doing neither what I ought nor what I liked.'" (page 64, Macmillan Edition, 1960) C.S.Lewis was writing before television was such a great distraction, but he is making the point that whatever distracts us from the purpose and power and presence of God is a worthy temptation. What is your distraction...internet, television, alchohol, drugs, food, fear, work.
Whatever it might be, let us fervently pray that God will lead us not to temptations and when that temptation has a prominent place in our home and lives, that God will deliver us.
What is it that gets in the way of your doing and being the person God wants you to be? For me that temptation is television. While the Olympics were on, it was a way to connect with the world and start conversations and learn about other countries and people. Now that the Olympics are over it is just a way to waste time alone. Sometimes it is a good relaxant but often it is just a distaction and waste of time and temptation. It's like the fictional conversation from one old devil to a young one that C. S. Lewis writes about in Screwtapes Letters: "All healthy and outgoing activites which we want him to avoid can be inhibited and nothing given in return, so that at last he may say as one of my own patients said on his arrival down here, 'I now see that I spent most of my life in doing neither what I ought nor what I liked.'" (page 64, Macmillan Edition, 1960) C.S.Lewis was writing before television was such a great distraction, but he is making the point that whatever distracts us from the purpose and power and presence of God is a worthy temptation. What is your distraction...internet, television, alchohol, drugs, food, fear, work.
Whatever it might be, let us fervently pray that God will lead us not to temptations and when that temptation has a prominent place in our home and lives, that God will deliver us.
Thursday, March 4, 2010
Day Fourteen in the Wilderness- Music
Whenever I encounter the question, "If you were on a desert island, what would you take?", I have evolved to including two items in my list every time: the Bible and a guitar. I guess I would answer the same if I were asked what I would take "into the wilderness". The Bible is an easy answer since it is "The Book" that tells the story of God's love so convincingly and dynamically that one can read it over and over again and continue to discover something new and exciting and life changing every time. I love to read and the Bible is a virtual library of poetry, prose, narrative, soap opera, adventure, romance, theology and mystery. The Bible is God's love letter to us and if I were on a desert island or in the wilderness, I would want to be reminded over and over again in many different ways of that love.
The second item I would take is just as vital to my physical and emotional and spiritual wellbeing- my guitar. Now I am not a great guitar player or a great songwriter and yet the guitar gives me an opportunity to express myself through music and I have discovered that for me, that is a life giving, life saving necessity. During times in my life when I was going through a time of struggle and change, I have found myself writing songs. In those times in my life where things are going well and I look for a creative outlet to share that positive feeling- I write songs. When I worship in small groups or alone, I find that singing is a vital part of that worship experience for me. I understand that music is not as crucial of a part of everyone's worship or creative experience but I do think that everyone has a creative outlet that allows them to express themselves when words don't seem to be enough- knitting, cooking, music, physical exercise, woodcarving, carpentry, art, scrapbooking, dancing, poetry. Just as Scripture is God's word of love to us, these creative outlets are often our word of thanks and gratitude and creativity and joy back to God. It is exciting to pass this love of music on to my sons and sons and daughters in faith.
It has been a joy to see and listen to the CD that Ryan and Josh and Adam have made together and to rejoice in their chance to make music together. I am happy that Adam has been able to dedicate a room in his house in Pratt to be a music studio. In a sense it is a sanctuary, because beatiful, creative music is made in that place and spiritual gifts of singing, playing and songwriting are encouraged. It is an expression of Psalm 150:
"Praise the Lord! Praise God in the sanctuary; praise him in his mighty firmament! Prasie him for his mighty deeds; praise him according to his surpassing greatness! Praise him with trumpet sound; Praise him with lute and harp! Praise him with tambourine and dance; praise him with strings and pipe! Praise him with clanging cymbals; praise him with loud crashing cymbals! Let everything that breathes praise the Lord! Praise the Lord!"
The second item I would take is just as vital to my physical and emotional and spiritual wellbeing- my guitar. Now I am not a great guitar player or a great songwriter and yet the guitar gives me an opportunity to express myself through music and I have discovered that for me, that is a life giving, life saving necessity. During times in my life when I was going through a time of struggle and change, I have found myself writing songs. In those times in my life where things are going well and I look for a creative outlet to share that positive feeling- I write songs. When I worship in small groups or alone, I find that singing is a vital part of that worship experience for me. I understand that music is not as crucial of a part of everyone's worship or creative experience but I do think that everyone has a creative outlet that allows them to express themselves when words don't seem to be enough- knitting, cooking, music, physical exercise, woodcarving, carpentry, art, scrapbooking, dancing, poetry. Just as Scripture is God's word of love to us, these creative outlets are often our word of thanks and gratitude and creativity and joy back to God. It is exciting to pass this love of music on to my sons and sons and daughters in faith.
It has been a joy to see and listen to the CD that Ryan and Josh and Adam have made together and to rejoice in their chance to make music together. I am happy that Adam has been able to dedicate a room in his house in Pratt to be a music studio. In a sense it is a sanctuary, because beatiful, creative music is made in that place and spiritual gifts of singing, playing and songwriting are encouraged. It is an expression of Psalm 150:
"Praise the Lord! Praise God in the sanctuary; praise him in his mighty firmament! Prasie him for his mighty deeds; praise him according to his surpassing greatness! Praise him with trumpet sound; Praise him with lute and harp! Praise him with tambourine and dance; praise him with strings and pipe! Praise him with clanging cymbals; praise him with loud crashing cymbals! Let everything that breathes praise the Lord! Praise the Lord!"
Wednesday, March 3, 2010
Day Thirteen in the Wilderness with Christ- Patience
The Apostle Paul wrote to the Romans "But if we hope for what we do not see, we wait for it with patience." (Romans 8:25) He lists patience at one of the fruits of the Spirit in his letter to the Galatians: "The Fruit of the Spirit is love, joy, peace, patience, kindness and self-control." (Galatians 5:22) Of all the fruits of the Spirit, I think patience is the one that is hardest to learn, to live and enjoy. We learn patience sitting in a hospital bed waiting to recover from a mysterious disease or waiting beside the bed waiting for a loved one to recover. We learn patience waiting for a child to come home from his or her first date or waiting for a child coming home from their first day at school or waiting for a son or daughter or husband or wife or brother or sister to come home from his or her deployment to war. Pateince is hard to learn. I have been known to discourage people from praying for patience because the answer to those prayers is usually long and trying. And yet patience is one of the six fruits of the spirit, right up there with love and kindness. It must be of great value to God and an important gift to us as God's people. And it is invaluable as we find ourselves more and more engaged in the wilderness of life.
The root of the word "patience" is the Latin "pati" or "to bear". The meaning is "sustaining pain, long suffering, waiting for calmness, perserverence". It is the gift God gives us in the very person of Jesus Christ, who suffered on our behalf so that in our suffering we would know that we are never alone. And yet patience is not a veil of tears activity but as way of expressing faith in the midst of stuggle. It is not a curse of God, but rather a gift of God to allow us to get through the difficult parts of life. So I thank God for patience as we head into day 13 in the wilderness. And I pray along with Reinhold Neibuhr, the whole Serenity prayer:
"God, grant me the serenity to accept the things I cannot change. Courage to change the things I can, and the wisdom to know the difference. Living one day at a time; enjoying one moment at a time; accepting hardship as the pathway to peace. Taking as He did, this sinfulworld as it is. Not as I would have it. Trusting that He will make all things right if I surrender to His Will. That I may be reasonably happy in this life, and supremely happy in the next."
The root of the word "patience" is the Latin "pati" or "to bear". The meaning is "sustaining pain, long suffering, waiting for calmness, perserverence". It is the gift God gives us in the very person of Jesus Christ, who suffered on our behalf so that in our suffering we would know that we are never alone. And yet patience is not a veil of tears activity but as way of expressing faith in the midst of stuggle. It is not a curse of God, but rather a gift of God to allow us to get through the difficult parts of life. So I thank God for patience as we head into day 13 in the wilderness. And I pray along with Reinhold Neibuhr, the whole Serenity prayer:
"God, grant me the serenity to accept the things I cannot change. Courage to change the things I can, and the wisdom to know the difference. Living one day at a time; enjoying one moment at a time; accepting hardship as the pathway to peace. Taking as He did, this sinfulworld as it is. Not as I would have it. Trusting that He will make all things right if I surrender to His Will. That I may be reasonably happy in this life, and supremely happy in the next."
Tuesday, March 2, 2010
Day Twelve in the Wilderness- Directions
One of my favorite disciples, Thomas, once broke the cardinal rule (supposedly) of all men...he asked for directions. After Jesus had said "In my Father's house there are many dwelling places. If it were not so, would I have told you that I go to prepare a place for you? And if I go and prepare a place for you, I will come again and will take you to myself, so that where I am, there you may be also. And you know the way you are going", Thomas asked "Lord, we do not know where you are going. How can we know the way?" I am thankful that Thomas had the courage and honesty to ask the question so that we could hear the timeless, priceless answer "I am the way, the truth and the life." It got me thinking about where we go for directions in our lives.
When we were traveling in Germany we were often lost and supremely thankful for the GPS system that Stuart and Megan had in their caravan. It was a comfort to hear the British accented voice saying "Turn left in 200 meters". We didn't understand the street signs (they were in German) so we just trusted that the "British lady" knew what she was doing. We did get a map as well but we discovered that none of us was very adept at reading a German road map. One day, we were meeting Stuart in Worms, Germany since he had to fly a mission while we were visiting Heidelberg. For that day, we printed out a mapquest set of directions (like we would do in America)and hoped that somehow he would be able to find us in this completely foreign country and city. As one might imagine, he got completely lost and finally called up Joan on the cell phone. Her advice was to "look for the steeple of St. Peter's Cathedral and our guest house is right next to it". He did what his mother told him, and within minutes was able to join us at the guest house.
This life parable was a reminder to me of the guides we rely on in our faith journeys in the wilderness. We listen to those voices who have been there before. That "cloud of witnesses" (that Paul talks about in Hebrews 12) are like that GPS system that continually guided us in our journey around Germany. We also look to our roadmap- scriptures- to guide us. We continue to be thankful for Martin Luther's efforts to translate the scriptures into the vernacular of the people since we became very aware of how hard it is to read a map or road signs in a foreign language. And we look to the church to be our guide in those times when all else fails. It was conforting to Stuart to be able to look up in his confusion and see the steeple of the church and to follow it to sanctuary.
While I was writing this devotion, a person came in to sit in our sanctuary at Covenant. She just wanted to spend a little time in the sanctuary in the midst of the wilderness of life. So as we struggle to hear the words of Christ, through the "cloud of witnesses", through the scripture and through the church, we are reminded that it is ultimately Christ who we seek: "The way, the truth and the life".
When we were traveling in Germany we were often lost and supremely thankful for the GPS system that Stuart and Megan had in their caravan. It was a comfort to hear the British accented voice saying "Turn left in 200 meters". We didn't understand the street signs (they were in German) so we just trusted that the "British lady" knew what she was doing. We did get a map as well but we discovered that none of us was very adept at reading a German road map. One day, we were meeting Stuart in Worms, Germany since he had to fly a mission while we were visiting Heidelberg. For that day, we printed out a mapquest set of directions (like we would do in America)and hoped that somehow he would be able to find us in this completely foreign country and city. As one might imagine, he got completely lost and finally called up Joan on the cell phone. Her advice was to "look for the steeple of St. Peter's Cathedral and our guest house is right next to it". He did what his mother told him, and within minutes was able to join us at the guest house.
This life parable was a reminder to me of the guides we rely on in our faith journeys in the wilderness. We listen to those voices who have been there before. That "cloud of witnesses" (that Paul talks about in Hebrews 12) are like that GPS system that continually guided us in our journey around Germany. We also look to our roadmap- scriptures- to guide us. We continue to be thankful for Martin Luther's efforts to translate the scriptures into the vernacular of the people since we became very aware of how hard it is to read a map or road signs in a foreign language. And we look to the church to be our guide in those times when all else fails. It was conforting to Stuart to be able to look up in his confusion and see the steeple of the church and to follow it to sanctuary.
While I was writing this devotion, a person came in to sit in our sanctuary at Covenant. She just wanted to spend a little time in the sanctuary in the midst of the wilderness of life. So as we struggle to hear the words of Christ, through the "cloud of witnesses", through the scripture and through the church, we are reminded that it is ultimately Christ who we seek: "The way, the truth and the life".
Monday, March 1, 2010
Day 11 in the Wilderness- Worship Together
Last week we started our worship service with the words:
Leader: In this season, we worship remembering Jesus death in love for us and all people.
People: Lent is a time of tears.
Leader: But out of tears, joy is born- the joy of sin forgiven, hope reborn, and life restored.
People: We stand in awe of the God who brings joy out of tears, and life out of death.
Unison: Let us worship with reverence.
It is a reminder that worship is an imprtant part of our journey in the wilderness and that communal worship is a place we find the strength and wisdom to journey on.
While we were in Germany, we worshipped once at the Base Chapel (on Boy Scout Sunday) and once at St. Peter's Cathedral in Worms. You couldn't ask for two more different worship services. At the Base Chapel the service was in English, and while it was a Lutheran Style worship service we recognized every element of worship. At St. Peter's Catherdral, the worship service was a Catholic service in German and while we recognized the major elements of worship, we were at a lost to know exactly what was happening at any point. We were glad that Martin Luther translated the Bible and the worship service into the vernacular of the people. We do like knowing what's going on and what's being said.
And yet in both worship services, we felt the presence of God. In the worship service on Base it was the presence of the incarnate God finding expression through a young Eagle Scout and his brother (a Life Scout) who read the scriptures, not with perfection but with energy and enthusiasm. They read like modern day James and John, Sons of Thunder and disciples of Jesus Christ. The sanctuary was modern and modest and it was the community in which we felt the presence of Christ. At St. Peter's Catherdal in Worms, the Priest stood in the front of the church in his best vestments as the intermediary between us in the wooden pews and heaven, represented by the beautiful gold inlaid statues at the front of the sanctuary. It was absolutely beautiful and awe inspiring. The canter was note perfect even as she battled a cold. And as the priest offered the meditation, the laughter of the congregation warmed us to the words we couldn't understand. And so I read a Children's Bible to Ethan as we listened to worship in a foreign language and sensed the presence of God here in the awesome beauty of the sanctuary and the light laughter of the people of God.
It was hard to leave Germany but I thank God that the first event when I returned was the Ash Wednesday Worship service at Covenant. Even though I had to leave Stuart and Megan and our grandchildren in Germany and Joan in Little Rock, I was thankful for my faith family at Covenant. And when one is in the wilderness, it is good to worship and to realize that in one's loneliness that God is with us and the people of God support us.
Leader: In this season, we worship remembering Jesus death in love for us and all people.
People: Lent is a time of tears.
Leader: But out of tears, joy is born- the joy of sin forgiven, hope reborn, and life restored.
People: We stand in awe of the God who brings joy out of tears, and life out of death.
Unison: Let us worship with reverence.
It is a reminder that worship is an imprtant part of our journey in the wilderness and that communal worship is a place we find the strength and wisdom to journey on.
While we were in Germany, we worshipped once at the Base Chapel (on Boy Scout Sunday) and once at St. Peter's Cathedral in Worms. You couldn't ask for two more different worship services. At the Base Chapel the service was in English, and while it was a Lutheran Style worship service we recognized every element of worship. At St. Peter's Catherdral, the worship service was a Catholic service in German and while we recognized the major elements of worship, we were at a lost to know exactly what was happening at any point. We were glad that Martin Luther translated the Bible and the worship service into the vernacular of the people. We do like knowing what's going on and what's being said.
And yet in both worship services, we felt the presence of God. In the worship service on Base it was the presence of the incarnate God finding expression through a young Eagle Scout and his brother (a Life Scout) who read the scriptures, not with perfection but with energy and enthusiasm. They read like modern day James and John, Sons of Thunder and disciples of Jesus Christ. The sanctuary was modern and modest and it was the community in which we felt the presence of Christ. At St. Peter's Catherdal in Worms, the Priest stood in the front of the church in his best vestments as the intermediary between us in the wooden pews and heaven, represented by the beautiful gold inlaid statues at the front of the sanctuary. It was absolutely beautiful and awe inspiring. The canter was note perfect even as she battled a cold. And as the priest offered the meditation, the laughter of the congregation warmed us to the words we couldn't understand. And so I read a Children's Bible to Ethan as we listened to worship in a foreign language and sensed the presence of God here in the awesome beauty of the sanctuary and the light laughter of the people of God.
It was hard to leave Germany but I thank God that the first event when I returned was the Ash Wednesday Worship service at Covenant. Even though I had to leave Stuart and Megan and our grandchildren in Germany and Joan in Little Rock, I was thankful for my faith family at Covenant. And when one is in the wilderness, it is good to worship and to realize that in one's loneliness that God is with us and the people of God support us.
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