2007
Lenten Devotional
A
Journey Together!
Wednesday,
February 21, 2007
ASH WEDNESDAY
Acts 2:42
The Believers Form a
Community
“All the
believers devoted themselves to the apostles’ teaching, and to fellowship, and
to sharing in meals, and to prayer.”
David will confirm that I was the first one to
sign up for a scripture choice. This year I wanted to have “first pick”- no
excuses or complaints then if I stumble around while trying to write. My choice
was guided by the words “The Believers Form a Community”, also titled in the
NIV Version as “The Fellowship of The Believers”.
It seems that the word
“community” is used far and wide these days, on TV and radio, in commercials
and on reality shows, in PTA meetings and City Council Halls. In fact any
possible gathering of people- any place, any time, any where- can be called a
community. I was listening to a news magazine show on TV the other week about a
group gathering information on the importance of religion in the lives of 20/30
year-olds in our country. Much of the data was not surprising given our
changing culture. I was, however, disturbed to hear so many young people say
that they believed in God, thought about God, even worshiped God but did not
wish or need to do these things in any kind of group, particularly organized
religious groups
The very first community
most of us belong to is a family. And whether we choose them or not, the
members of our family belong to us, they are our community. Despite differences, disagreements, and
struggles our family remains our family. Of course we get to choose how we
interact in our family, how we give or withhold love, how we are in fellowship
with each and every member. But no matter what happens, our family remains our
family.
So too in the
church/faith community we do not always choose who belongs to our community.
And so too there may be disagreements, differences, and struggles. And just
like the family unit, love weaves itself in and out of the community. Those who
chose to be part of the early church community were in such a minority at the
time that they found it absolutely necessary to meet constantly in community-
to learn the teaching of the apostles, to share stories during fellowship, to
come close to one another and to Christ through the breaking of bread, and to
lift to God in prayer the concerns of heart and soul, and community.
O God,
help us to see throughout the coming journey of our church that each one of us
is a precious fiber, a golden thread in the ongoing weaving of the work of
God’s hands. We are all carried forward through the strength of the community
called
Thursday, February
22, 2007
John 14:12
“I tell
you the truth, anyone who believes in me will do the same works I have done,
and even greater works, because I am going to be with the Father.
Jesus says these words to his disciples after
the Last Supper, as they are coming to terms with the reality that he will no
longer be with them. It is interesting that he does not address this line to
them only. Rather, he states that anyone
who believes in him will do these works. And not just anyone at that particular
moment in time, but anyone…period.
What to do with this? How intimidating is this? Believing in Jesus should make
us feel good…feel loved…feel safe in God’s grace… But it also means we have a
terrifying and daunting responsibility to continue the work he began in the
world and that we have a claim to the
same power that he had…the grace and power of God…to do this work. How can we
do the same work that Jesus did? We are not divine...but through Jesus we are
adopted heirs of God, his adopted brothers and sisters, and the same Holy
Spirit works in and through our lives that worked in and through Jesus.
Not many people believe in or routinely perform
miracles these days. That is a shame in some ways. But I do not think that
Jesus is mainly referring to the miracles he performed when he says this to his
disciples. The greatest and most radical works that Jesus did involved
accepting, loving, caring for, and seeking justice for the lowliest people he
encountered and to respect and love all, no matter who they were or where they
came from. If the approximately 2 billion people who count themselves as
Christian today took this part of the Gospel message to heart instead of squabbling
over their differences and protecting their privileges, what a difference it
would make in the world!! Now THAT would be a miracle. Thank God for the many
Christians who are indeed faithful to this message and who have carried on the
work of Jesus over the years.
Loving
God, we are intimidated by the work you have set before us, but we trust in you
to supply us with the power and the faith and the grace that we need to live
radically your Gospel message after the example of your son. Help us to believe.
Help us to trust. Help us to act. Help us to change the world. Amen.
Friday,
February 23, 2007
James 5:13
Are any of
you suffering hardships? You should pray. Are any of you happy? You should sing
praises
When I selected this verse it was because I
thought to myself, I have hardships. (I won’t bore you with the details). But,
now that I am sitting here thinking about what my hardships are, maybe I really
can’t call anything I am going through a hardship.
I, like most people, am dealing with medical
problems, not only my own but those of my family and friends. But, we have
access to wonderful doctors, hospitals and medicines to treat these problems.
People who have hardship are those without medical care, and hope.
As a one income family money is always a
problem, but a hardship? My family has never gone hungry. I have a warm, dry
place to live. I can get just about everything I need within a mile of my home.
I have a job. People who have hardship live on the streets, beg for food, and
sometimes there is no food at all, anywhere near them.
It is true that occasionally there are crimes
committed where I live, but in general I live in a quiet city neighborhood.
There are isolated bad things that happen in the city, but I don’t fear bombs,
or insurgents, or being attacked for my religious beliefs. Those who live in
constant fear from attack, they have hardship.
So, I think about how I pray, how I ask God to
help me with my problems. The world is such a hard place for so many, I really
have no reason to ask for anything more. God has seen to it that I have
everything that I need. Am I happy? I guess if I’m not then I should be. And
yet, when I pray I thank God for what I have, but I can’t say that I praise
God. Is it enough to thank God for a beautiful day, healthy children, good
things that happen?
In a nutshell, I need to work on prayer, make it
a habit, not just something I do when bad or good things happen; and to learn
to praise God. I have many, many reasons to sing God’s praises.
Saturday, February
24, 2007
Romans 15:13
I pray
that God, the source of hope, will fill you completely with joy and peace
because you trust in him. Then you will overflow with confident hope through
the power of the Holy Spirit.
With the start of a new year it is a time of new
beginnings and hope. But the source of hope is Jesus Christ, because with his
coming we have a new hope because he said “Come unto me all ye heavy laden and
I will give you rest.
The word hope means to look forward to something
with expectation, with a sense of longing. And trust means to be committed into
the care of another.
I have a confession to make. When I picked this
verse for the Lenten devotionals, I was feeling kind of down because I had just
returned from a visit to my aging mother and I listened to her talking about
every possible thing that could go wrong in life. It was the start of a new
year, a time of expectation and hope that the future looks bright. It was a
time of New Years resolutions and hope in the future. This was the exact
opposite of what I was feeling.
I picked this verse, because hope was what I
wanted to feel more than anything else with the start of the New Year. So what
should I do when my life feels like a desert.
Well I remember a time not so long ago, when I
felt the same way. I was unemployed and every morning I would go to the Library
for the Blind and Physically Handicapped to get onto the computer to send out
cover letters.
One day the Volunteer Coordinator, Jean, approached
me about volunteering at the library and I agreed. I got to know her quite
well. During this time my mother would call just about the time that I would
get a phone call to go for an interview some place. I was despondent, because
my job plans would be placed on hold once again and I needed the money. Jean
would say, “Do you believe in God? This is just a test”. I began to compare my
situation with the Jews living for forty years in the wilderness and having the
maze appear each morning.
Anyway during this time, I began to work every
extra reception at Heinz Hall. Often there would be leftover food at the
reception and the catering company’s owner, Arlette would say, “Take some food
home”. Also, the incredible thing about these offerings of food is they came
out of the blue. Also, patrons would tip me when I ushered not knowing that I
needed the money. These things never happened to me before and have not
happened since.
I feel this was an example of how God takes care
of us, when we trust in him.
Sunday, February 25, 2007
A Covenant
Prayer in the Wesleyan Tradition
I
am no longer my own, but thine.
Put
me to what thou wilt, rank me with whom thou wilt.
Put
me to doing, put me to suffering.
Let
me be employed by thee or laid aside for thee,
exalted
for thee or bought low by thee.
Let
me be full, let me be empty.
Let
me have all things, let me have nothing.
I
freely and heartily yield all things.
to
thy pleasure and disposal.
And
now, O glorious and blessed God,
Father,
Son, and Holy Spirit,
thou
art mine, and I am thine. So be it.
And
the covenant which I have made on earth,
let
it be ratified in heaven. Amen.