Monday, March 19, 2007
Matthew
26:69-72
Peter
was sitting outside in the courtyard when one of the High Priest’s servant
girls came to him and said, “You, too, were with Jesus of Galilee” But he
denied it in front of them all. “I don’t know what you are talking about,” he
answered, and went out to the entrance of the courtyard. Another servant girl
saw him and said to the men there, “He was with Jesus of
In
this passage, Peter symbolizes the pride we have of our own strength. This disciple says he would never disown Jesus, but
does it three times. In another situation, in
Sometimes I think I can do it all. I would never
deny Jesus to my friends. But just like Peter, I say I won’t, but really I do
all the time. I deny him time and time again. I don’t blatantly come out and
say, “I do not believe in Jesus Christ.” But I deny Christ in small ways in
order to hide the guilt. Instead of saying, “I’m sorry, I can’t go to the
party, I’ll be at a prayer meeting,” I’ll simply say “I have other plans.”
Peter
is the guy we read about in the Bible who is so easy to criticize. Maybe it is
because we see ourselves in him- we build up our own pride and fall time and
time again. It is not until the end of the Gospel of John that we see Peter
truly changed. Jesus asks him three times “Simon, son of John, do you love me?”
After Christ asks the third time, Peter is truly hurt and humiliated because he
is reminded of his three-time denial of Christ. But, even through Peter’s
weakness and sins, Jesus still pours
grace and mercy on him, shown in John 21 giving him the awesome responsibility
of following Him and feeding His sheep!
How
awesome our God is! Even though we deny Him and lie to Him and break promises,
He still wants us to be His child
because he loves us that much, spilling forgiveness over our self-inflicted
wounds, and filling us with amazing joy! He wants us to spread the Good News! How difficult do you think it is to be
one of Christ’s disciples? This goes beyond the physical measures of Army Boot
camp, past the mental challenges of
This
is what it takes to be a disciple of Christ.
Are
you up to the challenge?
Tuesday,
March 20, 2007
read Hebrews 12 1-4
As for us, we have this large crowd of
witnesses around us. So then, let us rid ourselves of everything that gets in
the way, and of the sin which holds on to us so tightly, and let us run with
determination the race that lies before us. Let us keep our eyes fixed on
Jesus, on whom our faith depends from beginning to end. He did not give up
because of the cross! On the contrary, because of the joy that was waiting for
him, he thought nothing of the disgrace of dying on the cross, and he is now
seated at the right side of God’s throne. Think of what he went through; how he
put up with so much hatred from sinners! So do not let yourselves become
discouraged and gives up. For in your struggle against sin you have not yet had
to resist to the point of being killed.
Life
tends to get incredibly busy. Meetings to attend, children’s activities, work,
shopping, caring for elderly parents, church activities, and the list goes on
and on. How do we strike a balance in the busyness of life? As we look to the
scriptures for answers to our prayers, consider the words of Paul in Hebrews
12:1-4:
Therefore,
since we are surrounded by such a huge crowd of witnesses to the life of faith,
let us strip off every weight that slows us down, especially the sin that so
easily hinders our progress. And let us run with endurance the race that God
has set before us. We do this by keeping our eyes on Jesus, on whom our faith
depends from start to finish. He was willing to die a shameful death on the
cross because of the joy he knew would be his afterwards. Now he is seated in
the place of highest honor beside God’s throne in heaven. Think about all he
endured when sinful people did such terrible things to him, so that you don’t
become weary and give up. After all, you have not yet given your lives in your
struggle against sin.
What
powerful words these are to me. Keep you eyes on Jesus. That is the key. How do
we handle all the ups and downs of life? By keeping our eyes on Jesus. By going
back and rereading Hebrews 10, of the great cloud of witnesses that have gone
before us, living their faith and at times, dying for their faith. The prize
isn’t on earth or even in this lifetime. The prize is the gift of eternal life
that Jesus grants to all believers. So, take heart, my friends. When life piles
too much on your plate, when life is coming at you fast and hard, take time to
keep your eyes on Jesus. He restores our strength, he restores our perspective,
and he restores our souls. Thanks be to God!
Wednesday
March 21, 2007
read 2 John 1-3
From the Elder – to a dear Lady and to
her children, whom I truly love. And I am not the only one, but all who know
the truth love you, because the truth remains in us and will be with us
forever. May God the Father and Jesus Christ, the Father’s son, give us grace,
mercy, and peace; may they be ours in truth and love.
John
sent this letter to a “chosen lady and her children”, which is the synonym for
a church and its members. I find the image of the church being a parent very
compelling. As a new mother, I can see that the relationship is a rewarding and
demanding one. Rewarding because of the unconditional love and trust that are
the cornerstones of this relationship. Demanding because the “details” in which
this love shows are not always easy to live. My love to my child manifests in
creating a nurturing environment in which he can be safe, knows that he is
loved no matter what, and gets all that he needs (not necessarily all that he
wants). On the other hand, I also have to let go, allow my child to learn, to
make mistakes, to take his first steps and eventually walk unassisted. Some
days, it takes all my energy (and a little more) to be this patient, nurturing
person. It is a daily struggle, rewarded by bright smiles and big hugs.
There
is one big difference between parenthood and the church-member relationship,
though: While the parent / child roles are defined in one unambiguous way, we
have a dual role in our church: We are the children who are learning, who are
being nurtured, who know that they are loved, but then we ARE the church, and
are responsible for creating just this environment that we are craving. In
this, we are more like grown-up children rather than babies. We still are our
parents’ children, but we also have responsibilities of our own, and play an
active part in shaping the relationship with our parents.
God’s love to us is
unconditional, irrevocable, never-ending, but our compassion and patience with
our “siblings” aren’t always. We need God’s love, grace, mercy and peace to
live up to our full potential. Loving one another doesn’t mean that we gloss
over things that are not ok, or that we pretend to be someone we are not. We
don’t have to try to make ourselves nicer, more loveable, or more successful
than we really are. Truth and love are closely linked, and remember, this love
is unconditional. Let us try to see each other in truth, as God created and
intended us, and treat each other with love, compassion, and such that we can
see that big bright smile on the other person’s face more often.
Thursday,
March 22, 2007
Luke 24:13-19
On that same
day two of Jesus’ followers were going to a village named Emmaus, about seven
miles from Jerusalem, and they were talking to each other about all the things
that had happened. As they talked and discussed, Jesus himself drew near and
they saw him, but somehow did not recognize him. Jesus said to them, “What are
you talking about to each other, as you walk along?” They stood still, with sad
faces. One of them, named Cleopas, asked him, “Are
you the only visitor in Jerusalem who doesn’t know the things that have been
happening there these last few days?”
I chose this scripture
about a woman named Mary for one reason—because she was identified as the wife
of Cleopas, one of the two disciples that Jesus met
on the way to Emmaus. We know a man named Cleopas
(Cleo). He is from Zimbabwe and attended First Church more than 15 years ago
while a graduate student at Pitt. He is an impressive scientist and often made
thoughtful and thought-provoking comments in the Adult Sunday School (Seekers)
class. Since leaving Pittsburgh he and his family have lived for years in
Missouri. Now his son Shingi has returned to
Pittsburgh as a freshman at CMU.
It seems
appropriate for Cleo’s name to be linked for me to this scripture which begins
on the road to Emmaus. The passage, particularly the resurrection story,
challenges our scientific understanding of the world and requires that we seek
the underlying message and truth of the scripture.
What happened to
those women, including Cleopas’ wife Mary, when they went
to the tomb and Jesus’ body wasn’t there? What were Cleopas
and the other disciple feeling and thinking as they took that walk, three days
after Jesus was crucified? The sense of loss must have been overwhelming. So
when they encountered Christ and remembered what he said as he broke bread with
them, they must have been infused with hope. “Jesus is alive,” the angel said.
One way to
understand this story, which begins as a walk to Emmaus, is as an allegory for
seeking Jesus in ones life. In fact, there is a spiritual renewal program
called “The Walk to Emmaus” sponsored by the Upper Room, an arm of the General
Board of Discipline of the United Methodist Church. The purpose of the program
is to “renew Christian people as disciples of Jesus Christ and as active
members of the body of Christ in mission to the world.” It emphasizes servant
hood and encourages Christ's disciples to “act in ways appropriate to being a
servant of all."
Isn’t that what we
as the Church are privileged to pursue together? To look for Christ in every
circumstance and everyone we meet, to remember his life and example, to break
bread together, and to care for each other in this world?
Dear God—Creator, Redeemer, Sustainer: We are grateful for
the life and example of Christ and for the resurrection story. Be with us on
our own walks to Emmaus and help us to be your disciples. Amen.
Friday,
March 23, 2007
James
1:3
For you know that when your faith is tested, your endurance
has a chance to grow.
If we have open
hearts, our faith will be tested constantly in this world. Where is God
in Darfur? In Iraq? Where is God in our own pain and suffering? In
our personal disappointments?
In "Shadowlands", the film based on the life of C.S.
Lewis, Lewis grieves deeply after the death of his wife, Joy, from cancer. A
friend, an Anglican priest, tries to comfort him by saying, "Only God
knows why these things happen." Lewis explodes, "Yes, God knows, but
does God care?"
This is an awful
observation coming from the man who is very likely the most
influential Christian writer of the 20th century. Earlier in his career, he had
written, "One must train the habit of faith." Yet after the death of
his beloved wife, this same man was not thinking of training his faith; it
would be a wonder to him that his faith endured.
The writer, Madeleine L'Engle sometimes uses phrases from the Psalms as titles
for her books. "The Rock That Is Higher Still", is her personal
account of her faith journey with Christ. I read the book many years ago and
that phrase from the New International Version of the Bible has
become part of me-a loved, much said verse, "Oh, set me upon the rock
that is higher still; for Thou has been my hope and my strong
tower..." (Psalm 61 verse 3) I can picture enduring faith in God as a rock
wall of granite, much taller than I am, against which I can lean securely.
One of my oldest
friends is someone who studied at Pittsburgh Theological Seminary and was a
Christian Education director in the Presbyterian Church for several years.
Often we enjoy long, meandering conversations which turn to matters
of the heart and soul. She and I have come to agree that we are not immune from
losing our faith in a loving Creator, that we should never take for granted the
grace that is the gift of faith. We pray for each other believing that:
"The
soul that to Jesus hath fled for repose,
I
will not, I will not desert to his foes;
That
soul, though all hell shall endeavor to shake,
I'll
never, no, never, no never forsake."
---"How Firm a Foundation Ye Saints of the Lord"
Saturday, March 24, 2007
I
John 4: 16
“We know how much God loves us, and we have put our trust in
his love. God is love, and all who live in love live in God, and God lives in
them.”
In the epistle of I
John we have a letter written in the spirit of the Gospel of John. Many
scholars would date this letter at the end of the 1st Century (about
95 AD). The Gospel, which it follows, was probably written about a decade
before (85 AD).
The themes of living
in the LIGHT and using love as a guide to our actions are similar to the
Gospel. There is a strong emphasis on the human reality of God’s action in
Christ. This was to counter a growing movement that claimed that divinity was
implanted in the human but did not share in the human reality – this Gnostic
trend was later declared a heresy.
Love becomes the
central focus for Christians – following the action of God’s love in Christ.
The term agape was used for this profound love. The Eucharist was referred to
as agape- a love feast - and Paul in Ephesians suggests that the whole law is
summed up in a single commandment, “You shall love your neighbor as yourself”.
This passage causes me
to raise another concern. It states that “all who live in love live in God”.
Can we really take that all to mean ALL? I realize the author of I John is
referring to all Christians for that is the context of the letter. But let’s
ask ourselves the question – does the God of our faith limit love to those who
are Christians? I can’t accept that the God of all ages and creation is this
limited. Yes, I believe that in the life and ministry of Jesus we have an
example of the great love God has for us. That does not limit the love of God
for all creation.
Gandhi would not become
a Christian because of the exclusion he experienced among Christians. He
followed a soul-force of love and non-violence. One can find similar examples
of other religious leaders- Jewish, Muslim, Buddhist, etc- who share the
message that love is a force at the heart of creation.
For me this passage
helps me understand the deep stream of God’s love, as I experience it as a
Christian and as I observe it in others who call upon God by different names.
Praise
be to God for the goodness of all creation and of God’s love for all God’s
children. AMEN
Sunday, March 25, 2007
1
Thessalonians 5:16-18
Rejoice
always; pray without ceasing; in everything give thanks: for this is what God
wants from you in your life in union with Christ Jesus.
I stand in line, a
refugee from disaster ~ waiting
for food to warm my
body, for words to nourish my soul.
“Thank you.” My words
come slowly and hard at first.
With new eyes I
observe those less fortunate than I ~
those who often stand
in line
to supply their needs,
to receive that they
may nurture others.
A question nags at me
~ did I not learn as a child
it is better to give
than to receive?
But loss and survival
reveal their answer: I am not
as self-reliant as I
would believe.
God has given me
everything ~ the self that others see,
The self that flows
through my work and words
and songs from my
heart, my every breath ~
as gifts to use wisely
and well.
Thus I learn to ask
from others, and receive
with thanksgiving and
humility that I may give in return.
New windows and walls
go up around me ~
our rebuilt lives
renew my hope
and set free my
anxieties.
As blossoms in the
snow reach
toward the light of
their Creator, so must I, too,
reach through the
darkness toward the Light.
Though I have no
control over the wind, the waters,
the actions of the
earth or of others,
I can choose how I
respond, and I must begin
with
a thankful heart