When Moses was getting ready for his forty-year journey in the wilderenss he asked God, who shall I say sent me, God replies: "Thus you shall say to the Israelites, 'The Lord, the God of your ancestors, the God of Abraham, the God of Isaac and the God of Jacob, has sent me to you.'" (Exodus 3:15a) God was telling Moses that not only was he going into the wilderness with thousands of people from the 12 tribes of Israel but that they we also travelling with the forebearers who have gone before them and the descendents who will follow them.
Joan and I were reminded of this when we visited the Heifer International Center yesterday in Little Rock. We had ordered a brick to be placed in the plaza in front of the Heifer Education Center in honor of our parents, Bob and Carolyn and Jack and Almira. It was exciting to see the brick with their names inscribed on the walkway, since they are an implicit part of every journey of faith Joan and I take together. When we have gone in mission to Israel, Mexico and New Mexico, their influence is part of that journey. When we travelled to Germany to visit our son Stuart and his family or to England to celebrate our 25th Anniversary, we remember our families of origin who were willing to go on adventures as a family and experience different parts of the world. And as we serve the church in Wichita and Little Rock, we are walking in the footsteps of our parents who served God in churches everywhere they went.
And now our calling is to continue to share that faith with the generation to come so that they might not be afraid of the wildernesses that are ahead of them. Whether the wilderness is a country or city or town different from any we grew up in, we know that God is with us on that journey. With every different job experience and every new community we meet, God is there to nurture us,guide us and remind us that we are part of a larger community that includes those who have gone before us and those who will come after us.
Saturday, February 27, 2010
Thursday, February 25, 2010
Friday, Day 9 in the Wilderness- Resting
"Remember the Sabbath day and keep it holy. Six days you shall labor and do all your work. But the seventh day is sabbath to the Lord your God; you shall not do any work- you, your son or your daughter, your male or female slave, your livestock ot he alien that lives in your town." Exodus 20:8-10
Sometimes we forget that the commandment to rest is actually a command, not a suggestion. We get caught up in the business of life and forget that God desires us to rest for God's sake as well as our own.
I was the one in Germany who had to be talked into resting. And when we did take time off from visiting and touring, I discovered that the rest time was some of the best time we had together as family. We napped with Evan. We played Starwars with Ethan and Ashton. We took walks to the bakery with both of the grandkids. We had a snow ball battle in which no grandfather or father or grandchildren were injured in the process. We had wonderful meals at home and a chance to watch the Olympics and snuggle with grandkids early in the morning. I thank God for the Sabbath.
Prayer: Dear God of the Sabbath, thank you for commanding us to rest, so that we might enjoy community, build relationships and be renewed and energized to be a faith family together. In the name of Christ I pray, by the power of your Holy Spirit, I live. Amen
Sometimes we forget that the commandment to rest is actually a command, not a suggestion. We get caught up in the business of life and forget that God desires us to rest for God's sake as well as our own.
I was the one in Germany who had to be talked into resting. And when we did take time off from visiting and touring, I discovered that the rest time was some of the best time we had together as family. We napped with Evan. We played Starwars with Ethan and Ashton. We took walks to the bakery with both of the grandkids. We had a snow ball battle in which no grandfather or father or grandchildren were injured in the process. We had wonderful meals at home and a chance to watch the Olympics and snuggle with grandkids early in the morning. I thank God for the Sabbath.
Prayer: Dear God of the Sabbath, thank you for commanding us to rest, so that we might enjoy community, build relationships and be renewed and energized to be a faith family together. In the name of Christ I pray, by the power of your Holy Spirit, I live. Amen
Day 8 In the Wilderness- Bread for the Journey
"Give us this day our daily bread"
This line in the Lord's Prayer is crucial for our journey in the wilderness. When we read about Jesus' journey and his ability to fast for 40 days and to resist the temptation "If you are the Son of God, then turn these stones into bread", we are profoundly aware that we cannot do this. We cannot exist without food for 40 days so as we go on our wilderness journey we will need bread for the journey.
When we were travelling with our family in Germany, eating was a special time of getting warm (it was cold in Germany in February), of getting fed (we worked up an appetite going through castles and cathedrals) and getting acquainted with the local people and customs. We met more people in our eating time than any other time so that the journey was not so strange. We met the waitress in Worms, who directed us to the Martin Luther museum. We met the owner of a ma and pa restaurant near Stuart and Megan's village who held Evan while we got ready to leave. We had time with our grandchildren getting to know them better. Every meal was a time of fellowship and fun. One day we even decided that it would be fun to eat each meal in a different country so we had breakfast in Trier, Germany; lunch in Luxenburg; and dinner in a Patissserie in Thionsville, France.
So it is with the community of faith in our wilderness time together. The Men's Second Chance Valentine Dinner and the Women's Salad Supper were both opportunities to enjoy fellowship in the midst of Lent. The Wednesday Night suppers are a great time for the extended family of faith to gather and be nurtured as we share birthdays and anniversaries together. And our communion meals on the first Sunday of each month in morning worship and the fourth Sunday at the evening Taize worship services are opportunities to gather around the Lord's Table and to be fed by our Savior Jesus Christ. And then our Food Cupboard and Lord's Diner outreach become places where we share that meal and the bread of God with others. I thank God this Lent for opportunites to feed others, to be fed and to gather as the community of faith around the bread of Christ.
This line in the Lord's Prayer is crucial for our journey in the wilderness. When we read about Jesus' journey and his ability to fast for 40 days and to resist the temptation "If you are the Son of God, then turn these stones into bread", we are profoundly aware that we cannot do this. We cannot exist without food for 40 days so as we go on our wilderness journey we will need bread for the journey.
When we were travelling with our family in Germany, eating was a special time of getting warm (it was cold in Germany in February), of getting fed (we worked up an appetite going through castles and cathedrals) and getting acquainted with the local people and customs. We met more people in our eating time than any other time so that the journey was not so strange. We met the waitress in Worms, who directed us to the Martin Luther museum. We met the owner of a ma and pa restaurant near Stuart and Megan's village who held Evan while we got ready to leave. We had time with our grandchildren getting to know them better. Every meal was a time of fellowship and fun. One day we even decided that it would be fun to eat each meal in a different country so we had breakfast in Trier, Germany; lunch in Luxenburg; and dinner in a Patissserie in Thionsville, France.
So it is with the community of faith in our wilderness time together. The Men's Second Chance Valentine Dinner and the Women's Salad Supper were both opportunities to enjoy fellowship in the midst of Lent. The Wednesday Night suppers are a great time for the extended family of faith to gather and be nurtured as we share birthdays and anniversaries together. And our communion meals on the first Sunday of each month in morning worship and the fourth Sunday at the evening Taize worship services are opportunities to gather around the Lord's Table and to be fed by our Savior Jesus Christ. And then our Food Cupboard and Lord's Diner outreach become places where we share that meal and the bread of God with others. I thank God this Lent for opportunites to feed others, to be fed and to gather as the community of faith around the bread of Christ.
Wednesday, February 24, 2010
Day 7- Light in the Wilderness
"The Lord is my light and my salvation; whom shall I fear? The Lord is the stronghold of my life; of whom shall I be afraid." (Psalm 27:1,2)
As I study this passage for Sunday, I am reminded of our trips to Westminster Woods and the moment in almost every trip when we realize that even though we know our way pretty well, that we really should have brought our flashlights with us. It gets really dark in the woods, and there are so many things to stumble over in the dark. Inevitably the person with the flashlight becomes the person you want to draw close to as we walk through the woods together.
So it is in our faith journey. There are certainly times when we think we have it all figured out and we are ok walking along on familiar paths without a light. But then we stumble. There is a rock or a branch that wasn't there before. Something blocks our way in the journey of life and we start to be afraid. We lose our job, we struggle in a relationship or we fail just when we think we are invincible. The light doesn't get rid of the obstacles but helps us to see and deal with the hurdles we encounter. The Psalmist is making the same point in the Twenty-seventh Psalm. "Though an army encamp against me, my heart shall not fear; though war rise up against me, yet I will be confident." The light that the Psalmist is talking about is the light of Christ shining in the darkness. We often evoke this light imagery in Advent but I think it is equally important in our Lenten journey through the wilderness. We need the light of Christ so that we will not fear as we journey in the wilderness.
This year Joan and I presented our VBS curriculum "Renaissance Faire: A Rebirth in Faith" at the Association of Presbyterian Church Educators Cofnerence in Nashville. People loved the pictures and the stories we shared and it was a joy to share what we had learned with the greater church. We were also nurtured by the conference and especially the evening that Amy Grant came and sang and chatted with us. Her song "Thy Word" is a regular part of our worship services so it was wonderful to hear her telling stories of her life and family and then to share this song that speaks a word of hope and light into our lives. "Thy Word is a lamp unto my feet and a light unto my path...When I feel afraid, think I've lost my way, still you're there right beside me. And nothing I will fear as long as you are near, please be near me to the end." That is our prayer for our wilderness journey. As the church, let us reflect the light of Christ. Let us be that body people draw close to on our wilderness journey.
As I study this passage for Sunday, I am reminded of our trips to Westminster Woods and the moment in almost every trip when we realize that even though we know our way pretty well, that we really should have brought our flashlights with us. It gets really dark in the woods, and there are so many things to stumble over in the dark. Inevitably the person with the flashlight becomes the person you want to draw close to as we walk through the woods together.
So it is in our faith journey. There are certainly times when we think we have it all figured out and we are ok walking along on familiar paths without a light. But then we stumble. There is a rock or a branch that wasn't there before. Something blocks our way in the journey of life and we start to be afraid. We lose our job, we struggle in a relationship or we fail just when we think we are invincible. The light doesn't get rid of the obstacles but helps us to see and deal with the hurdles we encounter. The Psalmist is making the same point in the Twenty-seventh Psalm. "Though an army encamp against me, my heart shall not fear; though war rise up against me, yet I will be confident." The light that the Psalmist is talking about is the light of Christ shining in the darkness. We often evoke this light imagery in Advent but I think it is equally important in our Lenten journey through the wilderness. We need the light of Christ so that we will not fear as we journey in the wilderness.
This year Joan and I presented our VBS curriculum "Renaissance Faire: A Rebirth in Faith" at the Association of Presbyterian Church Educators Cofnerence in Nashville. People loved the pictures and the stories we shared and it was a joy to share what we had learned with the greater church. We were also nurtured by the conference and especially the evening that Amy Grant came and sang and chatted with us. Her song "Thy Word" is a regular part of our worship services so it was wonderful to hear her telling stories of her life and family and then to share this song that speaks a word of hope and light into our lives. "Thy Word is a lamp unto my feet and a light unto my path...When I feel afraid, think I've lost my way, still you're there right beside me. And nothing I will fear as long as you are near, please be near me to the end." That is our prayer for our wilderness journey. As the church, let us reflect the light of Christ. Let us be that body people draw close to on our wilderness journey.
Tuesday, February 23, 2010
Day Six in the Wilderness- Stay Together
I always find it interesting to note that after Jesus' wilderness temptations, as he starts his ministry that he calls twelve very flawed people- his disciples- to journey with him. I always imagine that it would have been easier for him to journey by himself but for some reason, Jesus' first act was to call people to share with him in his journey. And so it is with the people of God. When God called Moses, God called him to go to the people of Israel and take them also into the wilderness. When God called Abraham and Sarah, he also called the thousands of descendant who would come after them. When Paul wrote his letters it was to the whole church at Corinth, Ephesus and Galatia. God always calls us in community as the whole people of God to journey together in our journeys of faith. We aren't called to do it all alone. We are not lone rangers in our faith journeys.
It is like the journey our senior highs take to hike the mountains of Colorado. We do not send them out on their own. If we did they would probably perish. Instead we send them out with a guide who knows the mountains and knows how to gauge the weather warnings to stay safe on the journey. We send them out in a group who looks after each other. If one person has trouble with their backpack, we don't leave them behind but we share part of their burden so that they can continue. And on the trip we become profoundly aware that God is with us on the journey- in the beauty of creation, in the image of each person we travel with and in the strength God's spirit gives us to continue on the journey. The power of this trip is that we can't do it on our own, any more than we can go on our Christian journey of faith alone. We are part of a community even and especially as we travel through the wildnerness of life together.
Think about the journeys you have taken and the people you have journeyed with. I remember each person that went with me on the backpacking trip five years ago and some difference they made in the trip. I remember how fun it was in my recent Germany trip to share these new experiences and trials of travel with each other and how together we were able to turn things that would have been problems into times that were fun and memorable and tranforming.
I guess God knew what he was talking about when he said "It's not good that man should be alone". I guess Jesus knew what he was talking about when he sent the disciples out two by two. I guess the Apostle Paul knew what he was talking about when he said "If one member suffers, all suffer together with it; if one member is honored, all rejoice together. Now you are the body of Christ and individually members of it." (1 Cor. 12:26,27)
It is like the journey our senior highs take to hike the mountains of Colorado. We do not send them out on their own. If we did they would probably perish. Instead we send them out with a guide who knows the mountains and knows how to gauge the weather warnings to stay safe on the journey. We send them out in a group who looks after each other. If one person has trouble with their backpack, we don't leave them behind but we share part of their burden so that they can continue. And on the trip we become profoundly aware that God is with us on the journey- in the beauty of creation, in the image of each person we travel with and in the strength God's spirit gives us to continue on the journey. The power of this trip is that we can't do it on our own, any more than we can go on our Christian journey of faith alone. We are part of a community even and especially as we travel through the wildnerness of life together.
Think about the journeys you have taken and the people you have journeyed with. I remember each person that went with me on the backpacking trip five years ago and some difference they made in the trip. I remember how fun it was in my recent Germany trip to share these new experiences and trials of travel with each other and how together we were able to turn things that would have been problems into times that were fun and memorable and tranforming.
I guess God knew what he was talking about when he said "It's not good that man should be alone". I guess Jesus knew what he was talking about when he sent the disciples out two by two. I guess the Apostle Paul knew what he was talking about when he said "If one member suffers, all suffer together with it; if one member is honored, all rejoice together. Now you are the body of Christ and individually members of it." (1 Cor. 12:26,27)
Monday, February 22, 2010
Day Five in the Wilderness- Finding Forte/Strength
"You who live in the shelter of the Most High, who abide in the shadow of the Almighty, will say to the Lord, 'My refuge and my fortress: my God in whom I trust.'" Psalm 91:1,2
When I read this passage after our trip to Germany, I was reminded of the many fortress castles that people put their trust in and were disappointed. We saw a magnificent castle in Heidelberg built on the side of a hill in the 17th century And yet it had been destroyed first by the 30 years war and then by lighting in the 18th century. It was a poignant reminder that no matter how strong we build our fortresses that they can't really protect us from the worst that humanity and nature can throw at us. Within the Heidelberg Castle is the largest winevat in the world. Another place that people go for comfort is "liquid strength" and that never seems to work either. But as we looked down on the city of Heidelberg from the castle and saw the Cathedral, we became aware of where our real strength comes from. It doesn't come from the church per say but from the one to whom the church points- our God revealed in Jesus Christ. That's why Martin Luther wrote "A Mighty Fortress is Our God." Our strength and comfort come from the Triune God.
Now this wasn't news to us since we had gone to Heidelberg because of the Heidelberg Catechism. The Heidelberg Catechism was written in 1562 by Professor of Theology, Zacharias Ursinus and preacher, Kaspar Olevianus to try to bring the gap between the Lutherans (followers of Luther) and the Reformers (followers of Calvin). The Catechism was written to bring these sides together around the sovereignty and grace of God revealed in Jesus Christ. But as we stood in the ruins of the castle, looking down at the city with the church in the very midst we were reminded visually of the God who chooses to dwell with us and in whose shadow we are blessed to live and abide. The first line of the catechsim is the best known and a powerful reminder that God is our strength and shield and comfort in life and death.
Heidelberg Chatechism
Q. What is your only comfort in life and death?
A. That I belong- body and soul, in life and in death- 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 according to 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.
When I read this passage after our trip to Germany, I was reminded of the many fortress castles that people put their trust in and were disappointed. We saw a magnificent castle in Heidelberg built on the side of a hill in the 17th century And yet it had been destroyed first by the 30 years war and then by lighting in the 18th century. It was a poignant reminder that no matter how strong we build our fortresses that they can't really protect us from the worst that humanity and nature can throw at us. Within the Heidelberg Castle is the largest winevat in the world. Another place that people go for comfort is "liquid strength" and that never seems to work either. But as we looked down on the city of Heidelberg from the castle and saw the Cathedral, we became aware of where our real strength comes from. It doesn't come from the church per say but from the one to whom the church points- our God revealed in Jesus Christ. That's why Martin Luther wrote "A Mighty Fortress is Our God." Our strength and comfort come from the Triune God.
Now this wasn't news to us since we had gone to Heidelberg because of the Heidelberg Catechism. The Heidelberg Catechism was written in 1562 by Professor of Theology, Zacharias Ursinus and preacher, Kaspar Olevianus to try to bring the gap between the Lutherans (followers of Luther) and the Reformers (followers of Calvin). The Catechism was written to bring these sides together around the sovereignty and grace of God revealed in Jesus Christ. But as we stood in the ruins of the castle, looking down at the city with the church in the very midst we were reminded visually of the God who chooses to dwell with us and in whose shadow we are blessed to live and abide. The first line of the catechsim is the best known and a powerful reminder that God is our strength and shield and comfort in life and death.
Heidelberg Chatechism
Q. What is your only comfort in life and death?
A. That I belong- body and soul, in life and in death- 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 according to 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.
Friday, February 19, 2010
Day Four in the Wilderness- Put on the Armor of God
When Joan and I presented the Renaissance Faire VBS Curriculum at this year's Association of Presbyterian Church Educators (APCE) Conference we had the whole group sing a song Joan had adapted to describe the whole armor of God in Ephesians 6:10-13 "Finally, be strong in the Lord and in the strength of his power. Put on the whole armor of God, so that you will be able to stand agaist the wiles of the devil. For our struggle in not against enemies of blood and flesh, but against the rulers, against the powers, against the cosmic powers of this present darkness, agaist the spiritual forces of evil in the heavenly places. Therefore take up the whole armor of God, so that you may be able to withstand on that evil day, and having done everything, to stand firm." When we were singing the song in Nashville: "Salvation- Goodness- Truth and Peace- Truth and Peace" to the tune of "Heads-Shoulders-Knees and Toes"; I didn't imagine that just weeks later I would be trying on armor in Germany. It was however, a good exercise in learning what that verse of Ephesians really meant.
While we were visiting Stuart and Megan and the grandkids in Germany, we went to the town of Kaiserslautern to see the Cathedral. Right outside the Cathedral was an impromptu Medieval Festival to raise money for Haiti Relief. One of the characters, Thies the Wildhunter, invited me to try on the chain mail and armor. It was hard to get on and took three of us (I now know why knights have helpers). It was heavy, but it was distributed over the whole body and didn't feel as heavy on the body as it did off. And when you had the armor on, you did need to stand firm with you feet apart to keep your balance. And it did protect the body.
It was fun to be dressed as a knight after reading about knights my whole life. It was especially fun to see my grandsons looking up to me with amazement and even a little pride. Then it was fun to share the armor with them and let them try it on for size. So it is with the Armor of God. One does need help putting on the full armor of God. Those are our mentors and teachers along the way. The armor seems heavy when you are young in the faith, but as you live into the faith, it starts to feel like outer skin. It becomes part of you. And it does protect you on the outside and give you courage on the inside. Such is faith. I thank God for the impromptu opportunity to try on armor and to understand just a little better the imagery Paul uses in Ephesians to describe the whole armor of God: belt of truth; breastplate of righteousness; shoes of the gospel of peace; shield of faith; helmet of salvation; sword of the Spirit- which is the word of God.
While we were visiting Stuart and Megan and the grandkids in Germany, we went to the town of Kaiserslautern to see the Cathedral. Right outside the Cathedral was an impromptu Medieval Festival to raise money for Haiti Relief. One of the characters, Thies the Wildhunter, invited me to try on the chain mail and armor. It was hard to get on and took three of us (I now know why knights have helpers). It was heavy, but it was distributed over the whole body and didn't feel as heavy on the body as it did off. And when you had the armor on, you did need to stand firm with you feet apart to keep your balance. And it did protect the body.
It was fun to be dressed as a knight after reading about knights my whole life. It was especially fun to see my grandsons looking up to me with amazement and even a little pride. Then it was fun to share the armor with them and let them try it on for size. So it is with the Armor of God. One does need help putting on the full armor of God. Those are our mentors and teachers along the way. The armor seems heavy when you are young in the faith, but as you live into the faith, it starts to feel like outer skin. It becomes part of you. And it does protect you on the outside and give you courage on the inside. Such is faith. I thank God for the impromptu opportunity to try on armor and to understand just a little better the imagery Paul uses in Ephesians to describe the whole armor of God: belt of truth; breastplate of righteousness; shoes of the gospel of peace; shield of faith; helmet of salvation; sword of the Spirit- which is the word of God.
Thursday, February 18, 2010
Learning- A Guide on Day Three in the Wilderness
When Jesus was in the wilderness, being tempted by Satan he quoted Deuteronomy 6 twice and Deuteronomy 8 once. "Do not put the Lord your God to the test." "You shall worship the Lord your God and serve only him." "Man cannot live by bread alone but by every word that proceeds from the mouth of God." I never stopped to think where Jesus learned these lessons of scripture until I realized this week that Deuteronomy 6 is where the Shema states "Hear O Israel: The Lord is our God, the Lord alone. You shall love the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your might. Keep these words that I am commanding you this day in your heart. Recite them to your children and talk about them when you are at home and when you are away, when you lie down and when you rise." I am guessing that the words of Deuteronomy are words that Joseph and Mary told Jesus as Jesus walked to the well with Mary or hung out at the carpenters shop with Joseph learning a trade. They were part of the everyday life of Jesus family and they were the words that he realied upon to deal with the temptations in the wilderness of life.
These words came to life as we were wandering around the first Berg Nanstein Castle in Landstuhl with our grandchildren in Germany. It was a small castle but because they had been there before they were ours guides. They showed us the "dungeon", the "look out tower" and all along the way we were swordfighting and imagining what life would have been like back then. They were our guides through this castle. We entered into their world to understand their castle and in the process it became our castle. We fell in love with it in part because we caught the love that they had.
So it is with our faith journey. We can't force anyone to see or feel anything that isn't there for them but we can draw alongside each other as guides. We can share what we know and what we feel and the excitement that is in our hearts and minds and it is contageous. And when we share our faith with our children and grandchildren as we walk by the way, when we rise and when we lie down, it becomes a faith and love we hold together.
These words came to life as we were wandering around the first Berg Nanstein Castle in Landstuhl with our grandchildren in Germany. It was a small castle but because they had been there before they were ours guides. They showed us the "dungeon", the "look out tower" and all along the way we were swordfighting and imagining what life would have been like back then. They were our guides through this castle. We entered into their world to understand their castle and in the process it became our castle. We fell in love with it in part because we caught the love that they had.
So it is with our faith journey. We can't force anyone to see or feel anything that isn't there for them but we can draw alongside each other as guides. We can share what we know and what we feel and the excitement that is in our hearts and minds and it is contageous. And when we share our faith with our children and grandchildren as we walk by the way, when we rise and when we lie down, it becomes a faith and love we hold together.
Lost- Day Two in the Wilderness
"I once was lost but now I'm found"
These famous words from the hymn "Amazing Grace" certainly describe the starting point for many of our journeys, and journeys of faith are no different. Right when we think we have everything figured out, we discover that we're actually lost and need help. When we dare to ask for help is when we start to be found.
I had this experience when Joan and I started our trip to Germany. We met in Dallas-Fort Worth Airport so easily without any real planning ahead of time that I commented "I know my way around airports pretty well. I figured we could find our way." That was in America. After 10 hours on an airplane flying through the night to Frankfort, Germany we woke up (actually we hadn't slept much) to a completely different airport, where the signs were mostly German and our cell phones didn't work. We saw a sign that said "Meeting Place" so we started walking to that place assuming that maybe in this country everyone ended up at one common meeting place. When we got there there was still no sign of our son and his family. We were lost. We had no German money, no cell phone and we didn't know where our family was. We knew that we needed to talk to our family to let them know when we were so that we could find them and they could find us.
I exchanged some dollars for Euros, asked how to operate a pay phone (how quickly we forget in this age of cell phones) and finally got hold of our son Stuart. They were back at the gate where we had come out after customs. They were there waiting for us and would have found us if I hadn't been so anxious just to start walking without any idea of where I was going. We found them and it was a grand reunion with son and daughter-in-law and grandkids after five months apart.
As I started reflecting this Lent, I was struck by the reality that our faith journeys are like that. Right when we think we have everything all figured out, when we try to go off on our own, when we trust random signs more than trusted friends and family, when we are out of communication- we are in trouble and usually lost. When we take the time before we start to talk with God and when we keep those lines of communication open through prayer, then God will find us and guide us and walk with us on our journey. Prayer is our connection with God, and if we find that we can't reach God through our impromptu personal prayers, we can always fall back on the "Old Fashioned" prayer that Jesus taught us so long ago:
Our Father, who art in heaven, hallowed be Thy name. Thy kingdom come, Thy will be done, on earth as it is in heaven. Give us this day our daily bread and forgive us our debts as we forgive our debtors; and lead us not into temptation, but deliver us from evil. For Thine is the kingdom and the power and the glory forever. Amen
As we prayer this prayer together in hospital rooms, in church, in mission trips, in crisis and even on international plane rides we know that the God who created us is with on on every journey of life. Amen
These famous words from the hymn "Amazing Grace" certainly describe the starting point for many of our journeys, and journeys of faith are no different. Right when we think we have everything figured out, we discover that we're actually lost and need help. When we dare to ask for help is when we start to be found.
I had this experience when Joan and I started our trip to Germany. We met in Dallas-Fort Worth Airport so easily without any real planning ahead of time that I commented "I know my way around airports pretty well. I figured we could find our way." That was in America. After 10 hours on an airplane flying through the night to Frankfort, Germany we woke up (actually we hadn't slept much) to a completely different airport, where the signs were mostly German and our cell phones didn't work. We saw a sign that said "Meeting Place" so we started walking to that place assuming that maybe in this country everyone ended up at one common meeting place. When we got there there was still no sign of our son and his family. We were lost. We had no German money, no cell phone and we didn't know where our family was. We knew that we needed to talk to our family to let them know when we were so that we could find them and they could find us.
I exchanged some dollars for Euros, asked how to operate a pay phone (how quickly we forget in this age of cell phones) and finally got hold of our son Stuart. They were back at the gate where we had come out after customs. They were there waiting for us and would have found us if I hadn't been so anxious just to start walking without any idea of where I was going. We found them and it was a grand reunion with son and daughter-in-law and grandkids after five months apart.
As I started reflecting this Lent, I was struck by the reality that our faith journeys are like that. Right when we think we have everything all figured out, when we try to go off on our own, when we trust random signs more than trusted friends and family, when we are out of communication- we are in trouble and usually lost. When we take the time before we start to talk with God and when we keep those lines of communication open through prayer, then God will find us and guide us and walk with us on our journey. Prayer is our connection with God, and if we find that we can't reach God through our impromptu personal prayers, we can always fall back on the "Old Fashioned" prayer that Jesus taught us so long ago:
Our Father, who art in heaven, hallowed be Thy name. Thy kingdom come, Thy will be done, on earth as it is in heaven. Give us this day our daily bread and forgive us our debts as we forgive our debtors; and lead us not into temptation, but deliver us from evil. For Thine is the kingdom and the power and the glory forever. Amen
As we prayer this prayer together in hospital rooms, in church, in mission trips, in crisis and even on international plane rides we know that the God who created us is with on on every journey of life. Amen
Wednesday, February 17, 2010
Ash Wednesday, 40 Days in the Wilderness
Forty Days in the Wilderness
Deuteronomy 8:1-10; Luke 4:1-13
What would your response be if I told you that for the next 40 days
We would be spending that time in the wilderness.
Would you be excited about the possibility or terrified?
I would guess terrified.
And yet that’s what Lent is intended to be
40days in the wilderness with Christ just as the Israelites
Spent 40 years in the wilderness with God.
For Jesus the forty days were not just figurative.
In my visit to the Holy Land, I got a chance to see the wilderness
where Jesus was tempted
And it really is hostile dessert- not a nice retreat.
Humorously there is a restaurant there today
Called the Wilderness Temptation Restaurant
Maybe the place the angels took Jesus
To nurture him back afterwards
But the wilderness for Jesus was a time of real testing.
Just as the wilderness for the Israelites was a time of testing.
The Israelites were tested with temptation to worship idols- and they failed.
Jesus was tempted to worship Satan and he responded
“You shall worship the Lord your God and serve him alone.”
The Israelites were tempted to take more manna than was allotted them
And they failed. Jesus was tempted with bread and responded
“You shall not live by bread alone but by every word that
Proceeds from the mouth of God.”
The Israelites demanded water from God and Moses struck the rock and
Water did appear- but in the process they lost the right to enter
The Promised Land because they had tested God
Jesus was tempted to throw himself down from the Temple
And he responded “You shall not test the Lord your God.”
So in every case the Israelites failed their temptations
And yet Jesus came through with flying colors.
So it doesn’t seem like a good idea for us mere humans
To purposely go into the wilderness.
Perhaps that’s why Jesus says in his prayer
“Lead us not into temptation”
Since we are more like the Israelite people than Jesus
We succumb to temptation more
It seems than we resist.
And yet this Lenten time in the wilderness in not a time to put
Ourselves into more temptation but rather to acknowledge
The temptations we face everyday
And the wilderness that is part of our regular life.
This Lent we recognize that the wilderness is all around us
And that there are temptations that are part of that
Everyday wilderness.
When I was visiting my son and his family in Germany
They have Armed Forces TV which is like US TV
Except instead of the commercials they have
A stream of public service announcements
That try to help soldiers cope with
The temptations of life.
Depression, sexual harassment, family violence,
Sexting on internet, corruptions and greed.
It was actually depressing to watch commercials.
But we have temptations on our television in America as well
It’s just disguised better.
Television's purpose seems to be tempting us to eat more, spend more, covet everything our neighbor has, and wish that we were different than we are.
-The temptation of the internet is with us daily and parental controls
May be even more helpful for the adults than the kids;
-The economic wilderness has become more prominent
As credit card companies and banks try to entice us
To spend more money than we have;
-The political wilderness in which debate and destroy
And win at all cost seems scarier and more hopeless
And more contentious than just decades ago.
-And there is even the religious wilderness which constantly tempts
Us to a corporate mode of consumerism where bigger is better.
So the truth is that we are in the wilderness, whether we like it or not.
We are tempted whether we acknowledge those temptations
As acts of Satan or just a way of life.
And the good news in this Lenten Season is that God will not give up
On us any more than God gave up on the Israelites.
Just as God tabernacled with the Israelites in their wilderness
Just as Jesus wonders into the very real wildernesses that we endure-
We know that the Triune God is with us in our wilderness journey.
And unlike Jesus, we are not forced to endure our wilderness time alone.
We have our church family, our pastors, to surround and support us
When we dare to acknowledge the wildernesses we encounter.
We have a community of faith that believes God is with us
by the power of the Holy Spirit not just two thousand years ago
but in the very wildernesses we wander today.
And God will not give up on us.
God will not abandon us.
God is with us- Emmanuel.
I invite you to journey with me and your church family during Lent
in a series of Lenten devotions each day in the next 40 days
on this blog site named appropriately- Adventures-in-Faith
In this time together we will reflect together on where God is in the midst of our wilderness.
I will be drawing on my own experiences in the past several months to start the conversation
but I want you to feel free to take off from my stories and share you own stories.
In this way our devotional journey will truly be a shared communal journey.
I want you to know that you are not alone in your journey.
God is with you, God has given you a faith family to walk with you
And in Jesus Christ, God has set apart this time to draw alongside you
And take hold of your hand as you walk through the wilderness of life.
Deuteronomy 8:1-10; Luke 4:1-13
What would your response be if I told you that for the next 40 days
We would be spending that time in the wilderness.
Would you be excited about the possibility or terrified?
I would guess terrified.
And yet that’s what Lent is intended to be
40days in the wilderness with Christ just as the Israelites
Spent 40 years in the wilderness with God.
For Jesus the forty days were not just figurative.
In my visit to the Holy Land, I got a chance to see the wilderness
where Jesus was tempted
And it really is hostile dessert- not a nice retreat.
Humorously there is a restaurant there today
Called the Wilderness Temptation Restaurant
Maybe the place the angels took Jesus
To nurture him back afterwards
But the wilderness for Jesus was a time of real testing.
Just as the wilderness for the Israelites was a time of testing.
The Israelites were tested with temptation to worship idols- and they failed.
Jesus was tempted to worship Satan and he responded
“You shall worship the Lord your God and serve him alone.”
The Israelites were tempted to take more manna than was allotted them
And they failed. Jesus was tempted with bread and responded
“You shall not live by bread alone but by every word that
Proceeds from the mouth of God.”
The Israelites demanded water from God and Moses struck the rock and
Water did appear- but in the process they lost the right to enter
The Promised Land because they had tested God
Jesus was tempted to throw himself down from the Temple
And he responded “You shall not test the Lord your God.”
So in every case the Israelites failed their temptations
And yet Jesus came through with flying colors.
So it doesn’t seem like a good idea for us mere humans
To purposely go into the wilderness.
Perhaps that’s why Jesus says in his prayer
“Lead us not into temptation”
Since we are more like the Israelite people than Jesus
We succumb to temptation more
It seems than we resist.
And yet this Lenten time in the wilderness in not a time to put
Ourselves into more temptation but rather to acknowledge
The temptations we face everyday
And the wilderness that is part of our regular life.
This Lent we recognize that the wilderness is all around us
And that there are temptations that are part of that
Everyday wilderness.
When I was visiting my son and his family in Germany
They have Armed Forces TV which is like US TV
Except instead of the commercials they have
A stream of public service announcements
That try to help soldiers cope with
The temptations of life.
Depression, sexual harassment, family violence,
Sexting on internet, corruptions and greed.
It was actually depressing to watch commercials.
But we have temptations on our television in America as well
It’s just disguised better.
Television's purpose seems to be tempting us to eat more, spend more, covet everything our neighbor has, and wish that we were different than we are.
-The temptation of the internet is with us daily and parental controls
May be even more helpful for the adults than the kids;
-The economic wilderness has become more prominent
As credit card companies and banks try to entice us
To spend more money than we have;
-The political wilderness in which debate and destroy
And win at all cost seems scarier and more hopeless
And more contentious than just decades ago.
-And there is even the religious wilderness which constantly tempts
Us to a corporate mode of consumerism where bigger is better.
So the truth is that we are in the wilderness, whether we like it or not.
We are tempted whether we acknowledge those temptations
As acts of Satan or just a way of life.
And the good news in this Lenten Season is that God will not give up
On us any more than God gave up on the Israelites.
Just as God tabernacled with the Israelites in their wilderness
Just as Jesus wonders into the very real wildernesses that we endure-
We know that the Triune God is with us in our wilderness journey.
And unlike Jesus, we are not forced to endure our wilderness time alone.
We have our church family, our pastors, to surround and support us
When we dare to acknowledge the wildernesses we encounter.
We have a community of faith that believes God is with us
by the power of the Holy Spirit not just two thousand years ago
but in the very wildernesses we wander today.
And God will not give up on us.
God will not abandon us.
God is with us- Emmanuel.
I invite you to journey with me and your church family during Lent
in a series of Lenten devotions each day in the next 40 days
on this blog site named appropriately- Adventures-in-Faith
In this time together we will reflect together on where God is in the midst of our wilderness.
I will be drawing on my own experiences in the past several months to start the conversation
but I want you to feel free to take off from my stories and share you own stories.
In this way our devotional journey will truly be a shared communal journey.
I want you to know that you are not alone in your journey.
God is with you, God has given you a faith family to walk with you
And in Jesus Christ, God has set apart this time to draw alongside you
And take hold of your hand as you walk through the wilderness of life.
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)