Though I had no time yesterday to post anything about it, yesterday was Ash Wednesday and the beginning of Lent!
We had a beautifully solemn service which was well-attended. We had visitors, which was always exciting--Abbi's parents and eight brothers and sisters all came, and brought two other families from their church. One family knows Amy and her family, and has been reading Amy's blog--which is the most fabulous place to go if you are looking for ways to integrate the church calendar and its symbols in a family setting--and they seemed to have really enjoyed the service.
For Lent, we always give up dessert as a family, and I'm not sure what else, if anything, I'm going to do. I always try to give up yelling at my kids (--grin--but I am also serious), and I try to read the Scriptures and pray more faithfully during Lent.
I would love to also blog about some of the Scriptures I read, but I don't know if I have the time or the space this year to do Lent any differently than the preceding weeks and months have been. The only thing I can see to change is to turn my circumstances--which seem so out of my control--into part of my Lent. Instead of being frustrated that I don't have time for things I want to do, I will try to embrace the limitations as a Lenten abstinence. Instead of complaining about the things I can't do, or the things I have to do (driving kids, email, helping with homework) that take time away from what I want to do (read, blog, Facebook), I will try to offer them up, in prayer, as a sacrifice.
I think the aroma will be more pleasing!
Showing posts with label Lenten Scripture meditations. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Lenten Scripture meditations. Show all posts
Thursday, February 18, 2010
Tuesday, March 31, 2009
Lenten Thoughts
"The word is near you, on your lips and in your heart" (that is, the word of faith that we proclaim); because if you confess with your lips that Jesus is Lord and believe in your heart that God raised him from the dead, you will be saved. (Romans 10:8-9)
"The word is near you, on your lips and in your heart"--this phrase jumped out at me this morning. I love its concreteness and physicality. What is more near to me than my own lips, my own heartbeat? My God is that near! My faith is as real as my own belief (with more than that as its basis, and yet as simple as that). My own confession of Christ's lordship in my life re-invigorates my faith each morning and gives my life direction. It's as simple as a quick prayer to commit my day to Him.
Well, we're coming up on Holy Week, and the homestretch of Lent, and I'm hanging in there with my disciplines. I have not been as faithful in reading the Daily Office as I intended--though I haven't missed more than two days in a row, and I have been able to catch up the days I've missed. I haven't blogged about these Lenten scriptures as often as I intended, due to lack of time. And I sure miss dessert, though I've broken even that intention on a couple of social occasions. (Although I must say, it took incredible willpower to walk away from my favorite kind of donut that the nice man at the bank offered me on Saturday when I was starving! I hardly ever eat donuts, and this one looked like it was from a really good local bakery.)
Am I closer to God? Am I stronger spiritually? I'm not thinking in those terms, actually. I feel like this Lent has been about not striving, just resting in God. One idea that has remained at the forefront, for me, is that Lent is not about self-improvement. I think in the past, I have recognized that, and at the same time, have thought, why not make it an opportunity to try to do exactly that!
But this year, that idea was extended so helpfully. A couple weeks ago, one of the men at our church spoke on this topic at one of our Wednesday night prayer services. He said, "Lent is not about self-improvement...it's about the opposite of that! We meditate on our own mortality, our sinful natures and our inability to save ourselves, and we recognize how many aspects of life are completely beyond our control."
All of us nodded. Looking around at the small group, everyone there knew about "beyond our control." A cancer diagnosis, financial reversals, career upheaval and failure, sales bottoming out, teenagers, toddlers...and ourselves. In fact, the Scripture passage he was speaking from was in Romans, where Paul exclaims, "I know that nothing good lives in me, that is, in my sinful nature. For I have the desire to do what is good, but I cannot carry it out. For what I do is not the good I want to do; no, the evil I do not want to do—this I keep on doing." How we can all relate!
So we trust in God, not in ourselves. We walk with the Spirit, rather than trying to improve our flesh. We rest in Him and what He has done. We remember how much of life is beyond our control...but the life of the Spirit is right there "near you, on your lips and in your heart." We can't go wrong if we cling to Him!
"The word is near you, on your lips and in your heart"--this phrase jumped out at me this morning. I love its concreteness and physicality. What is more near to me than my own lips, my own heartbeat? My God is that near! My faith is as real as my own belief (with more than that as its basis, and yet as simple as that). My own confession of Christ's lordship in my life re-invigorates my faith each morning and gives my life direction. It's as simple as a quick prayer to commit my day to Him.
***
Well, we're coming up on Holy Week, and the homestretch of Lent, and I'm hanging in there with my disciplines. I have not been as faithful in reading the Daily Office as I intended--though I haven't missed more than two days in a row, and I have been able to catch up the days I've missed. I haven't blogged about these Lenten scriptures as often as I intended, due to lack of time. And I sure miss dessert, though I've broken even that intention on a couple of social occasions. (Although I must say, it took incredible willpower to walk away from my favorite kind of donut that the nice man at the bank offered me on Saturday when I was starving! I hardly ever eat donuts, and this one looked like it was from a really good local bakery.)
Am I closer to God? Am I stronger spiritually? I'm not thinking in those terms, actually. I feel like this Lent has been about not striving, just resting in God. One idea that has remained at the forefront, for me, is that Lent is not about self-improvement. I think in the past, I have recognized that, and at the same time, have thought, why not make it an opportunity to try to do exactly that!
But this year, that idea was extended so helpfully. A couple weeks ago, one of the men at our church spoke on this topic at one of our Wednesday night prayer services. He said, "Lent is not about self-improvement...it's about the opposite of that! We meditate on our own mortality, our sinful natures and our inability to save ourselves, and we recognize how many aspects of life are completely beyond our control."
All of us nodded. Looking around at the small group, everyone there knew about "beyond our control." A cancer diagnosis, financial reversals, career upheaval and failure, sales bottoming out, teenagers, toddlers...and ourselves. In fact, the Scripture passage he was speaking from was in Romans, where Paul exclaims, "I know that nothing good lives in me, that is, in my sinful nature. For I have the desire to do what is good, but I cannot carry it out. For what I do is not the good I want to do; no, the evil I do not want to do—this I keep on doing." How we can all relate!
So we trust in God, not in ourselves. We walk with the Spirit, rather than trying to improve our flesh. We rest in Him and what He has done. We remember how much of life is beyond our control...but the life of the Spirit is right there "near you, on your lips and in your heart." We can't go wrong if we cling to Him!
Monday, March 23, 2009
Multiplication in God's Economy
When Jesus looked up and saw a great crowd coming toward him, he said to Philip, "Where shall we buy bread for these people to eat?" He asked this only to test him, for he already had in mind what he was going to do.
Philip answered him, "Eight months' wages would not buy enough bread for each one to have a bite!"
Another of his disciples, Andrew, Simon Peter's brother, spoke up, "Here is a boy with five small barley loaves and two small fish, but how far will they go among so many?" (John 6:5-9)
Such a familiar story. But this morning it reminded me of a few things.When Jesus asks, "Where shall we buy bread for these people to eat?," Philip answers him practically, humanly--even doing a little math in his head, perhaps--that financially, it is impossible. How very like practical me!
What was Jesus testing in Philip when he asked him this question? He probably already knew Philip's bent for thinking concretely. Was he testing his compassion? I think my reaction, after stating the facts, would be to conclude, "They're going to have to leave now. We're going to have to draw this meeting to a close and send everybody on their way. They can stop at the market on the way home!"
Andrew is the hero of this story, of course. He happens to be the one who discovers the boy's small lunch, but he has enough imagination to bring it to Jesus' attention, rather than sending the boy on his way. He has little hope that it will go very far, but perhaps a few people could be fed with it, he thinks.
How many times have I missed out on God's miraculous multiplication of resources by concluding that something is simply impossible? How often have I failed to bring even the slim resources that I have to the Lord, to see what He might do with them?
I am too quick to say, "There isn't enough time, money, or energy for that, Lord. That person or that need is going to have to be filled some other way. I can't do it." Instead, I should prayerfully bring that need to the Lord along with what little I may have to give...and see what He does!
Absolutely, my family comes first. My marriage, my kids' education, our church family--these are things that will consume the bulk of my time and attention. But I want to be a kingdom thinker. I can spend a few minutes in prayer on needs that are beyond my capacity to meet. I can bring a little imagination into the next "impossible" equation, give a little thought to who I know who might be interested in the need, I can attend a meeting or write a letter. I can write a few more small checks.
Lord, help me change my focus on what I don't have to give, to what I do have!
Tuesday, March 17, 2009
Tuesday Misc.
Happy St. Patrick's Day! Have you sung St. Patrick's Breastplate yet?
Today's Scripture thought:
But this is what I commanded them, saying, 'Obey My voice, and I will be your God, and you will be My people; and you will walk in all the way which I command you, that it may be well with you.'
Yet they did not obey or incline their ear, but walked in their own counsels and in the stubbornness of their evil heart, and went backward and not forward. (Jer. 7:23-24)
Lord, help me incline my ear to your voice, and obey it, and walk in the ways you command. Help me not to to trust in my own counsel, or the stubbornness of my own heart; keep me from evil, and lead me forward in your way, not mine. Amen.
I recently updated the prayer requests in my sidebar to add our church member Barbara, our upcoming Holy Week services at Light of Christ, and concerns regarding the start-up of the new theater program.
Thank you, all you prayer warriors, for lifting us up!
And don't miss the praise update there, you who have been praying for Christian friends for our teenagers! Bantam13 now has solid friendships with 4 Christian homeschooled boys, three of whom are also 7th graders, and one is a younger brother. Now there is another Christian boy right down the street that he just met at one of the other boys' houses, also a 7th grader at a private Christian school, who is also becoming a friend. One thing they all have in common is skateboarding, and most of their time together is spent constructing ramps and practicing tricks. Several of them play instruments, and they dream of forming a band someday when they're more accomplished. We're hoping a number of them will get involved in theater with us too! It's been a surprising and wonderful answer to that prayer.
Finally, I completely forgot to announce the Lenten Blog Carnival, at Homemaking Through the Church Year! If you need a little inspiration here, halfway through Lent, Jessica has got a nice collection of links, and she's added to it in subsequent posts as well. Check it out for some Lenten encouragement.
And if you're in the mood for Lenten humor, I've discovered (by way of Undercurrent of Hostility) a hilarious blog, written by a Catholic nun, called Ask Sister Mary Martha. Today's post will give humorous yet serious encouragement to those who are fasting this Lent--as most of us should be, she says!
***
Today's Scripture thought:
But this is what I commanded them, saying, 'Obey My voice, and I will be your God, and you will be My people; and you will walk in all the way which I command you, that it may be well with you.'
Yet they did not obey or incline their ear, but walked in their own counsels and in the stubbornness of their evil heart, and went backward and not forward. (Jer. 7:23-24)
Lord, help me incline my ear to your voice, and obey it, and walk in the ways you command. Help me not to to trust in my own counsel, or the stubbornness of my own heart; keep me from evil, and lead me forward in your way, not mine. Amen.
***
I recently updated the prayer requests in my sidebar to add our church member Barbara, our upcoming Holy Week services at Light of Christ, and concerns regarding the start-up of the new theater program.
Thank you, all you prayer warriors, for lifting us up!
And don't miss the praise update there, you who have been praying for Christian friends for our teenagers! Bantam13 now has solid friendships with 4 Christian homeschooled boys, three of whom are also 7th graders, and one is a younger brother. Now there is another Christian boy right down the street that he just met at one of the other boys' houses, also a 7th grader at a private Christian school, who is also becoming a friend. One thing they all have in common is skateboarding, and most of their time together is spent constructing ramps and practicing tricks. Several of them play instruments, and they dream of forming a band someday when they're more accomplished. We're hoping a number of them will get involved in theater with us too! It's been a surprising and wonderful answer to that prayer.
***
Finally, I completely forgot to announce the Lenten Blog Carnival, at Homemaking Through the Church Year! If you need a little inspiration here, halfway through Lent, Jessica has got a nice collection of links, and she's added to it in subsequent posts as well. Check it out for some Lenten encouragement.
And if you're in the mood for Lenten humor, I've discovered (by way of Undercurrent of Hostility) a hilarious blog, written by a Catholic nun, called Ask Sister Mary Martha. Today's post will give humorous yet serious encouragement to those who are fasting this Lent--as most of us should be, she says!
Thursday, March 12, 2009
Bad News & Prayer Requests--and a Bright Spot
Well, it's been a week of bad news. Besides Bantam13 getting cut, I got news that the church we thought was able to host our new theater group's classes and rehearsals has re-evaluated their usage policies and are no longer able to host us. So it's back to Square One on that front, with our informational meeting only two weeks away.
But these bumps in the road seem like a kiddie rollercoaster compared to the life-and-death dilemmas of so many. Because there is no end to the number of folks in need of prayer, I limit prayer requests posted on my blog to those that I know personally. And my heart is heavy for two women and their families tonight.
One is Barbara, whom I posted about before. She found out today that her cancer is significantly more advanced than they thought--is actually a Stage IV, with lymph nodes involved. It is early yet, though, and there is a 30-50% chance that she can still be cured, with aggressive chemotherapy for the next 6-12 months. Will you please lift up your prayers for Barbara's complete healing, and for our little congregation as we support her and her family in practical and spiritual ways for the duration?
Tomorrow, another woman, who has only visited our church a couple of times, will be induced to give birth to her second-born, who appears to have significant parts of his brain missing. She and her husband (who leaves for Iraq in a week) may have many difficult decisions to make about his care, if he lives. This young woman says she feels more at home at Light of Christ than anywhere else they have visited, and she plans to make it her church home for the year that her husband is deployed. Please, join me in prayer for this young woman and her family as well, and for our congregation's role in ministering to them.
Scripture thoughts from today's readings:
Indeed, just as the Father raises the dead and gives them life, so also the Son gives life to whomever he wishes. (John 5:21)
O Lord, have mercy on Barbara, and on this baby boy.
And now, because God gave me a little bright spot tonight in this series of sad news, I will share it with you.
Tonight at bedtime, Bantam4 and I were using my fingers to count how many boys and how many girls (children) were in our family. He was getting a little hung up by wanting to count Daddy as one of "Mommy's boys" and Mommy as one of "Mommy's girls."
So I asked him "How many Daddys are there?"
"One!" he exclaimed.
"How many Mommys?"
"One," he said, with pleasure.
"Now," said Mommy, with a warning note that this next question would be harder, "how many kids in our family?"
"A LOT," he stated emphatically.
But these bumps in the road seem like a kiddie rollercoaster compared to the life-and-death dilemmas of so many. Because there is no end to the number of folks in need of prayer, I limit prayer requests posted on my blog to those that I know personally. And my heart is heavy for two women and their families tonight.
One is Barbara, whom I posted about before. She found out today that her cancer is significantly more advanced than they thought--is actually a Stage IV, with lymph nodes involved. It is early yet, though, and there is a 30-50% chance that she can still be cured, with aggressive chemotherapy for the next 6-12 months. Will you please lift up your prayers for Barbara's complete healing, and for our little congregation as we support her and her family in practical and spiritual ways for the duration?
Tomorrow, another woman, who has only visited our church a couple of times, will be induced to give birth to her second-born, who appears to have significant parts of his brain missing. She and her husband (who leaves for Iraq in a week) may have many difficult decisions to make about his care, if he lives. This young woman says she feels more at home at Light of Christ than anywhere else they have visited, and she plans to make it her church home for the year that her husband is deployed. Please, join me in prayer for this young woman and her family as well, and for our congregation's role in ministering to them.
***
Scripture thoughts from today's readings:
Indeed, just as the Father raises the dead and gives them life, so also the Son gives life to whomever he wishes. (John 5:21)
O Lord, have mercy on Barbara, and on this baby boy.
***
And now, because God gave me a little bright spot tonight in this series of sad news, I will share it with you.
Tonight at bedtime, Bantam4 and I were using my fingers to count how many boys and how many girls (children) were in our family. He was getting a little hung up by wanting to count Daddy as one of "Mommy's boys" and Mommy as one of "Mommy's girls."
So I asked him "How many Daddys are there?"
"One!" he exclaimed.
"How many Mommys?"
"One," he said, with pleasure.
"Now," said Mommy, with a warning note that this next question would be harder, "how many kids in our family?"
"A LOT," he stated emphatically.
Tuesday, March 10, 2009
Scripture Thoughts for Today
These are the verses that jumped out at me today:
But my people have changed their glory for something that does not profit...my people have committed two evils: they have forsaken me, the fountain of living water, and dug out cisterns for themselves, cracked cisterns that can hold no water. (Jer. 2:11,13)
And because we still haven't heard what happened with Bantam13:
Hear my cry, O God, and listen to my prayer.
I call upon you from the ends of the earth
with heaviness in my heart;
set me upon the rock that is higher than I. (Psalm 61:1-2)
For God alone my soul in silence waits;
truly, my hope is in him.
(Psalm 62:6)
I have often tried to dig my cisterns for myself...but in this difficult circumstance, by God's mercy, I am sustained by the fountain of living water!
But my people have changed their glory for something that does not profit...my people have committed two evils: they have forsaken me, the fountain of living water, and dug out cisterns for themselves, cracked cisterns that can hold no water. (Jer. 2:11,13)
And because we still haven't heard what happened with Bantam13:
Hear my cry, O God, and listen to my prayer.
I call upon you from the ends of the earth
with heaviness in my heart;
set me upon the rock that is higher than I. (Psalm 61:1-2)
For God alone my soul in silence waits;
truly, my hope is in him.
(Psalm 62:6)
I have often tried to dig my cisterns for myself...but in this difficult circumstance, by God's mercy, I am sustained by the fountain of living water!
Thursday, March 05, 2009
Anticipating
It's so true that sometimes anticipation is as great as the fulfillment!
I have been occupied lately with administrative details, both for the new theater group and in the planning of our first Holy Week at Light of Christ, and I am so excited about both!
I am the coordinator for the Easter Vigil, the long Saturday night service which calls for much creativity and celebration. I've been having a blast thinking through, with others and to myself (it filled my dreams last night!), all the possibilities for the readings, in particular--and it's so exciting to settle on some and imagine how it all will work!
For the theater group, I know a secret. I know what our first show next fall PROBABLY will be. And I'm so excited about it!
I am also working hard on getting the word out about both. We're still early in the process of advertising our Holy Week services, but the word is spreading about the March 26 informational meeting for the theater group. It sounds like it is going to be well-attended!
And somehow, homeschooling continues amidst the exciting busy-ness. Thank you, Lord!
I've been keeping up with the Daily Office, but I'm having trouble finding a verse to meditate on. The Deuteronomy and Hebrew readings are all about those who are filled with unbelief--lots of warnings there.
The one verse that struck me was Jesus' response to Nicodemus, after he tried to explain about being born again and about the wind blowing where it wills: "If I have told you earthly things and you do not believe, how can you believe if I tell you heavenly things?"
I think of earthly things like the water of baptism, the bread and wine of communion, oil for healing, hands clapping or raised in worship. Don't these earthly elements precede belief and participation in heavenly things? Is it even possible to reverse the order? We often try, but Christ, here, says no.
I have been occupied lately with administrative details, both for the new theater group and in the planning of our first Holy Week at Light of Christ, and I am so excited about both!
I am the coordinator for the Easter Vigil, the long Saturday night service which calls for much creativity and celebration. I've been having a blast thinking through, with others and to myself (it filled my dreams last night!), all the possibilities for the readings, in particular--and it's so exciting to settle on some and imagine how it all will work!
For the theater group, I know a secret. I know what our first show next fall PROBABLY will be. And I'm so excited about it!
I am also working hard on getting the word out about both. We're still early in the process of advertising our Holy Week services, but the word is spreading about the March 26 informational meeting for the theater group. It sounds like it is going to be well-attended!
And somehow, homeschooling continues amidst the exciting busy-ness. Thank you, Lord!
***
I've been keeping up with the Daily Office, but I'm having trouble finding a verse to meditate on. The Deuteronomy and Hebrew readings are all about those who are filled with unbelief--lots of warnings there.
The one verse that struck me was Jesus' response to Nicodemus, after he tried to explain about being born again and about the wind blowing where it wills: "If I have told you earthly things and you do not believe, how can you believe if I tell you heavenly things?"
I think of earthly things like the water of baptism, the bread and wine of communion, oil for healing, hands clapping or raised in worship. Don't these earthly elements precede belief and participation in heavenly things? Is it even possible to reverse the order? We often try, but Christ, here, says no.
Tuesday, March 03, 2009
Suddenly, Things Have Been Very Busy!
Last Friday night, the kids and I went back to see a musical at Wheaton Academy that so many friends and acquaintances where in. It was Into The Woods, and they did a wonderful job! It had been 15 years or so since I'd last seen the show, and it was amazing how differently it hit me at this stage of life. I never really "got" the darker Act Two, last time, but as a parent now launching teenagers, it was most poignant! I realized how much the show is about the pain of growing up, even at my age.
Then on Saturday, I met with a family who is considering homeschooling...went to the grocery and made food for guests on Sunday while the kids cleaned up the kids...enjoyed our guests for a relaxing Sunday afternoon...then Papa Rooster and I had a great visit with our friend who had surgery, and her husband, on Sunday night.
On Monday, the older kids had a day off of school, so I took Blondechick16 to our two favorite resale shops to freshen up her wardrobe...then back home to drop her off and pick up boys for dental check-ups...then driver education classes and piano lessons.
And now it's Tuesday and we're headed back to the dentist, since Bantam13 needs sealants, preferably before he gets braces put on next week. As long as I had to go, I asked for appointments for the three youngest as well--and then everybody's 6 month cleanings will be done except for Blondechick's. (One of the only things that really bugs me about having a large family is getting everybody in to the dentist! Not counting Papa Rooster, that's 14 appointments a year to schedule and sit through!)
Then this afternoon, a new session of theater classes begins. This time just the two middle boys are taking them. B13 is going to try out a film-making class, a new offering by the California director who's here to direct this session's production, The Wizard of Oz. (Auditions Friday!) And B10 didn't blink when I asked him what class he wanted to be in--he wants to take a dance class again, and this time he wants his OWN tap shoes!
(Remember the kid who couldn't stop doing somersaults? Same one! As his dance teacher said, "Some kids just want to stand there, but he really likes to move!")
There have been so many good readings in the Daily Office, but time is short, so I will excerpt one that needs little comment. This should be a warning to our own nation, as it was to Israel! But during Lent, especially, we need to search our hearts as individuals for ways that we fall into this thinking, maybe not about wealth, but about accomplishment:
Be careful that you do not forget the LORD your God, failing to observe his commands, his laws and his decrees that I am giving you this day. Otherwise, when you eat and are satisfied, when you build fine houses and settle down, and when your herds and flocks grow large and your silver and gold increase and all you have is multiplied, then your heart will become proud and you will forget the LORD your God, who brought you out of Egypt, out of the land of slavery. He led you through the vast and dreadful desert, that thirsty and waterless land, with its venomous snakes and scorpions. He brought you water out of hard rock. He gave you manna to eat in the desert, something your fathers had never known, to humble and to test you so that in the end it might go well with you. You may say to yourself, "My power and the strength of my hands have produced this wealth for me." ...If you ever forget the LORD your God and follow other gods and worship and bow down to them, I testify against you today that you will surely be destroyed...for not obeying the LORD your God. (Deuteronomy 8:11-20)
Then on Saturday, I met with a family who is considering homeschooling...went to the grocery and made food for guests on Sunday while the kids cleaned up the kids...enjoyed our guests for a relaxing Sunday afternoon...then Papa Rooster and I had a great visit with our friend who had surgery, and her husband, on Sunday night.
On Monday, the older kids had a day off of school, so I took Blondechick16 to our two favorite resale shops to freshen up her wardrobe...then back home to drop her off and pick up boys for dental check-ups...then driver education classes and piano lessons.
And now it's Tuesday and we're headed back to the dentist, since Bantam13 needs sealants, preferably before he gets braces put on next week. As long as I had to go, I asked for appointments for the three youngest as well--and then everybody's 6 month cleanings will be done except for Blondechick's. (One of the only things that really bugs me about having a large family is getting everybody in to the dentist! Not counting Papa Rooster, that's 14 appointments a year to schedule and sit through!)
Then this afternoon, a new session of theater classes begins. This time just the two middle boys are taking them. B13 is going to try out a film-making class, a new offering by the California director who's here to direct this session's production, The Wizard of Oz. (Auditions Friday!) And B10 didn't blink when I asked him what class he wanted to be in--he wants to take a dance class again, and this time he wants his OWN tap shoes!
(Remember the kid who couldn't stop doing somersaults? Same one! As his dance teacher said, "Some kids just want to stand there, but he really likes to move!")
There have been so many good readings in the Daily Office, but time is short, so I will excerpt one that needs little comment. This should be a warning to our own nation, as it was to Israel! But during Lent, especially, we need to search our hearts as individuals for ways that we fall into this thinking, maybe not about wealth, but about accomplishment:
Be careful that you do not forget the LORD your God, failing to observe his commands, his laws and his decrees that I am giving you this day. Otherwise, when you eat and are satisfied, when you build fine houses and settle down, and when your herds and flocks grow large and your silver and gold increase and all you have is multiplied, then your heart will become proud and you will forget the LORD your God, who brought you out of Egypt, out of the land of slavery. He led you through the vast and dreadful desert, that thirsty and waterless land, with its venomous snakes and scorpions. He brought you water out of hard rock. He gave you manna to eat in the desert, something your fathers had never known, to humble and to test you so that in the end it might go well with you. You may say to yourself, "My power and the strength of my hands have produced this wealth for me." ...If you ever forget the LORD your God and follow other gods and worship and bow down to them, I testify against you today that you will surely be destroyed...for not obeying the LORD your God. (Deuteronomy 8:11-20)
Saturday, February 28, 2009
Encouragement from Deuteronomy
Today's reading contains a passage that has been meaningful to me at different points in my life. These are the words of Moses to the children of Israel, before entering the Promised Land where they would be engaging in battle:
If you say to yourself, "These nations are more numerous than I; how can I dispossess them?" do not be afraid of them. Just remember what the LORD your God did to Pharaoh and to all Egypt, the great trials that your eyes saw, the signs and wonders, the mighty hand and the outstretched arm by which the LORD your God brought you out. The LORD your God will do the same to all the peoples of whom you are afraid. Moreover, the LORD your God will send the pestilence against them, until even the survivors and the fugitives are destroyed. Have no dread of them, for the LORD your God, who is present with you, is a great and awesome God. The LORD your God will clear away these nations before you little by little; you will not be able to make a quick end of them, otherwise the wild animals would become too numerous for you. But the LORD your God will give them over to you, and throw them into great panic, until they are destroyed. (Deut. 7:17 23)
We can only apply these promises to areas of our lives in which we are obeying God's clear direction, but if we are, what encouragement is here! I think of the numerous nations as the many obstacles that we surely will encounter as we obey. But He says not to fear them! He says, instead, to remember all the ways that He has delivered us in the past, and to understand and believe that God will defeat these new enemies in the same way.
Moses reminds us that our God is a great and awesome God, a God who is present with us--so mighty and powerful, yet near and available to us always! May our intimacy with Him never cause us to forget his power and authority over all things.
Finally, I love Moses' explanation that God will not do these things all at once, "otherwise the wild animals would become too numerous for you." How often we would love to "make a quick end" of our problems! We may not appreciate what God may be protecting us from by clearing them away "little by little"--at a hen's pace, so to speak. This passage reminds me to be patient with circumstances, with myself, and with others, and to trust in God's timing.
If you say to yourself, "These nations are more numerous than I; how can I dispossess them?" do not be afraid of them. Just remember what the LORD your God did to Pharaoh and to all Egypt, the great trials that your eyes saw, the signs and wonders, the mighty hand and the outstretched arm by which the LORD your God brought you out. The LORD your God will do the same to all the peoples of whom you are afraid. Moreover, the LORD your God will send the pestilence against them, until even the survivors and the fugitives are destroyed. Have no dread of them, for the LORD your God, who is present with you, is a great and awesome God. The LORD your God will clear away these nations before you little by little; you will not be able to make a quick end of them, otherwise the wild animals would become too numerous for you. But the LORD your God will give them over to you, and throw them into great panic, until they are destroyed. (Deut. 7:17 23)
We can only apply these promises to areas of our lives in which we are obeying God's clear direction, but if we are, what encouragement is here! I think of the numerous nations as the many obstacles that we surely will encounter as we obey. But He says not to fear them! He says, instead, to remember all the ways that He has delivered us in the past, and to understand and believe that God will defeat these new enemies in the same way.
Moses reminds us that our God is a great and awesome God, a God who is present with us--so mighty and powerful, yet near and available to us always! May our intimacy with Him never cause us to forget his power and authority over all things.
Finally, I love Moses' explanation that God will not do these things all at once, "otherwise the wild animals would become too numerous for you." How often we would love to "make a quick end" of our problems! We may not appreciate what God may be protecting us from by clearing them away "little by little"--at a hen's pace, so to speak. This passage reminds me to be patient with circumstances, with myself, and with others, and to trust in God's timing.
Thursday, February 26, 2009
Thoughts on John the Baptist
Today's Lenten Scripture thoughts:
In today's reading from John 1, John the Baptist says, twice, "I myself did not know him." He follows up that statement, the first time, with, "...but for this I came, baptizing with water...."
It kind of struck me what an odd assignment John was given! I wonder how God explained it to him. Was it in a dream, or a knowing that he had since childhood, or was it a voice: "Go and tell the people to repent. If they do, then baptize them. And watch for one on whom the Spirit descends and remains. He's the Son of God, and He will baptize with the Holy Spirit. That's the whole point of this."
So John obeys, thinking, "I have no idea who this guy is, but one of these days he's going to come along. In the meantime, my job is to call people to repent, and prepare the way for Him."
It seems that that is our job as well, during Lent--to repent, to prepare our hearts--without knowing when or how or if God is going to show up. We expect him to, just as John the Baptist expected Christ, but we don't profess to understand all that God may have in mind. "I myself did not know him."
In today's reading from John 1, John the Baptist says, twice, "I myself did not know him." He follows up that statement, the first time, with, "...but for this I came, baptizing with water...."
It kind of struck me what an odd assignment John was given! I wonder how God explained it to him. Was it in a dream, or a knowing that he had since childhood, or was it a voice: "Go and tell the people to repent. If they do, then baptize them. And watch for one on whom the Spirit descends and remains. He's the Son of God, and He will baptize with the Holy Spirit. That's the whole point of this."
So John obeys, thinking, "I have no idea who this guy is, but one of these days he's going to come along. In the meantime, my job is to call people to repent, and prepare the way for Him."
It seems that that is our job as well, during Lent--to repent, to prepare our hearts--without knowing when or how or if God is going to show up. We expect him to, just as John the Baptist expected Christ, but we don't profess to understand all that God may have in mind. "I myself did not know him."
Wednesday, February 25, 2009
Prayer Request...and an Ash Wednesday Scripture Meditation
We just received some disappointing and sobering news.
One of the women at our church went in today for exploratory surgery. She knew she had a cancerous tumor, which was going to be treated with radiation before removal, but then on one of the associated exams, some smaller spots elsewhere in her body were discovered. There was a good chance that these spots were not cancerous, but the only way to tell for sure was to go in and look.
This morning, that's what they did--and the small spots were cancerous.
So they eradicated them with tiny radiation "bombs" and they removed the main tumor today, instead of waiting. She'll still have to have radiation and chemo...and then, wait and pray that it doesn't return.
Will you join me, please, in lifting up Barbara before the Lord? She's about my age, and is the homeschooling mother of three children, 9, 6 and 1. She faithfully teaches the kids' Sunday School class and sets up and takes down our altar each week. She and her husband love the Lord, and they love our church--and we love them.
Lord, have mercy on Barbara and her family, for your Name's sake. Amen.
The king of Ninevah, when warned by Jonah that in forty days, judgment would fall upon his city, made a proclamation:
No human being or animal, no herd or flock, shall taste anything. They shall not feed, nor shall they drink water. Human beings and animals shall be covered with sackcloth, and they shall cry mightily to God. All shall turn from their evil ways and from the violence that is in their hands. Who knows? God may relent and change his mind; he may turn from his fierce anger, so that we do not perish." When God saw what they did, how they turned from their evil ways, God changed his mind about the calamity that he had said he would bring upon them; and he did not do it. (Jonah 3:7-9)
In many evangelical traditions, we are taught that our sins are forgiven, so why dwell on them? Once we're saved, we're always saved, no matter what we may do. Why meditate on Christ, crucified, for my sins--when I can picture him risen and victorious over sin and death?
I'm not eager to debate theology with anyone, but I think that it's simply common sense to remember, even if our sins are forgiven and salvation is assured us, that we are still sinners. We sin continually, and we are constantly in need of forgiveness. Our sinfulness, compared with the absolute holiness of God, OUGHT to elicit reactions in us like that of the King of Ninevah, or the tax collector, in today's Gospel reading:
But the tax collector, standing some distance away, was even unwilling to lift up his eyes to heaven, but was beating his breast, saying, 'God, be merciful to me, a sinner!' (Luke 18:13)
It seems to me very prideful to invoke the covering of Christ's blood upon us in such a way that we never have to ponder our many sinful tendencies, forgiven though they may be. But we don't need to grovel in sackcloth and ashes day after day, either! That is why the season of Lent is such a significant time. It's not about self-improvement, but it is a way that we remind ourselves of the holiness of God and for forty days, through fasting and prayer, we assume a humble posture before Him. Kinda like the people of Ninevah, and the tax collector.
If you're unable to attend an Ash Wednesday service, consider setting aside a few minutes today to pray through the liturgy for that service, which includes penitential psalms and readings and the litany of penitence, a confessional prayer.
One of the women at our church went in today for exploratory surgery. She knew she had a cancerous tumor, which was going to be treated with radiation before removal, but then on one of the associated exams, some smaller spots elsewhere in her body were discovered. There was a good chance that these spots were not cancerous, but the only way to tell for sure was to go in and look.
This morning, that's what they did--and the small spots were cancerous.
So they eradicated them with tiny radiation "bombs" and they removed the main tumor today, instead of waiting. She'll still have to have radiation and chemo...and then, wait and pray that it doesn't return.
Will you join me, please, in lifting up Barbara before the Lord? She's about my age, and is the homeschooling mother of three children, 9, 6 and 1. She faithfully teaches the kids' Sunday School class and sets up and takes down our altar each week. She and her husband love the Lord, and they love our church--and we love them.
Lord, have mercy on Barbara and her family, for your Name's sake. Amen.
***
The king of Ninevah, when warned by Jonah that in forty days, judgment would fall upon his city, made a proclamation:
No human being or animal, no herd or flock, shall taste anything. They shall not feed, nor shall they drink water. Human beings and animals shall be covered with sackcloth, and they shall cry mightily to God. All shall turn from their evil ways and from the violence that is in their hands. Who knows? God may relent and change his mind; he may turn from his fierce anger, so that we do not perish." When God saw what they did, how they turned from their evil ways, God changed his mind about the calamity that he had said he would bring upon them; and he did not do it. (Jonah 3:7-9)
In many evangelical traditions, we are taught that our sins are forgiven, so why dwell on them? Once we're saved, we're always saved, no matter what we may do. Why meditate on Christ, crucified, for my sins--when I can picture him risen and victorious over sin and death?
I'm not eager to debate theology with anyone, but I think that it's simply common sense to remember, even if our sins are forgiven and salvation is assured us, that we are still sinners. We sin continually, and we are constantly in need of forgiveness. Our sinfulness, compared with the absolute holiness of God, OUGHT to elicit reactions in us like that of the King of Ninevah, or the tax collector, in today's Gospel reading:
But the tax collector, standing some distance away, was even unwilling to lift up his eyes to heaven, but was beating his breast, saying, 'God, be merciful to me, a sinner!' (Luke 18:13)
It seems to me very prideful to invoke the covering of Christ's blood upon us in such a way that we never have to ponder our many sinful tendencies, forgiven though they may be. But we don't need to grovel in sackcloth and ashes day after day, either! That is why the season of Lent is such a significant time. It's not about self-improvement, but it is a way that we remind ourselves of the holiness of God and for forty days, through fasting and prayer, we assume a humble posture before Him. Kinda like the people of Ninevah, and the tax collector.
If you're unable to attend an Ash Wednesday service, consider setting aside a few minutes today to pray through the liturgy for that service, which includes penitential psalms and readings and the litany of penitence, a confessional prayer.
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)
