More like Christ, leading to Christ

And when they came to the disciples, they saw a great crowd around them, and scribes arguing with them. And immediately all the crowd, when they saw him, were greatly amazed and ran up to him and greeted him. And he asked them, “What are you arguing about with them?” And someone from the crowd answered him, “Teacher, I brought my son to you, for he has a spirit that makes him mute. And whenever it seizes him, it throws him down, and he foams and grinds his teeth and becomes rigid. So I asked your disciples to cast it out, and they were not able.” And he answered them, “O faithless generation, how long am I to be with you? How long am I to bear with you? Bring him to me.” And they brought the boy to him. And when the spirit saw him, immediately it convulsed the boy, and he fell on the ground and rolled about, foaming at the mouth. And Jesus asked his father, “How long has this been happening to him?” And he said, “From childhood. And it has often cast him into fire and into water, to destroy him. But if you can do anything, have compassion on us and help us.” And Jesus said to him, “‘If you can’! All things are possible for one who believes.” Immediately the father of the child cried out and said, “I believe; help my unbelief!” And when Jesus saw that a crowd came running together, he rebuked the unclean spirit, saying to it, “You mute and deaf spirit, I command you, come out of him and never enter him again.” And after crying out and convulsing him terribly, it came out, and the boy was like a corpse, so that most of them said, “He is dead.” But Jesus took him by the hand and lifted him up, and he arose. And when he had entered the house, his disciples asked him privately, “Why could we not cast it out?” And he said to them, “This kind cannot be driven out by anything but prayer.” Mark 9: 14-29

Bless the LORD, O my soul,
and all that is within me,
bless his holy name!...
The LORD works righteousness
and justice for all who are oppressed.
He made known his ways to Moses,
his acts to the people of Israel.
The LORD is merciful and gracious,
slow to anger and abounding in steadfast love. Psalms 103: 1, 6-8

Many things are broken in this world, and many good people are upset by injustice, cruelty, and suffering.  I’ve noticed that in many instances this awareness of injustice and cruelty then leads good people to become angry, cruel, and unjust to other people – lashing out with accusations and name-calling, and a spiral of anger, cruelty, and injustice perpetuates.  It makes my heart so sad.  I have to admit that BOTH the injustice AND the anger make me angry too.  I see many places in the Psalms where the Lord’s wonderful ways are extolled, and His ways look quite different from ours: merciful, gracious, compassionate, slow to anger, and abounding in steadfast love. As Christ’s disciple, I want to be more like God than like the angry mob, but I also know I am to be Christ’s hands and feet in the world.  How can I do both? In my despair about this, I cried out to the Lord, and in one week was led to both these passages – through a sermon and in my wonderful Bible study class.

I was privileged to be able to hear the Stated Clerk of the PCUSA preach at our church, using the passage from Mark, above.   He used the passage to point out that Scripture teaches us not to lean on our own ways, for they are faulty – both as individuals and as the Church.  This passage teaches us that the faithful pray and lead others to Christ, and Christ heals.  Through Christ, we can make things happen that we can’t do through our own power, or by our own ways.

One of my favorite passages of Scripture is helpful to me here, “Trust in the Lord with all your heart, and lean not on your own understand;  in all your ways submit to him, and he will make your paths straight.  Do not be wise in your own eyes;  fear the Lord and shun evil.” (Proverbs 3: 5-7).  So when I find myself becoming angry at either the injustice OR the anger, I pray to God in trust and ask to become more like Him: merciful, gracious, compassionate, slow to anger, and abounding in steadfast love. Does it always work?  No, but God isn’t finished with me yet.

Prayer: Lord of my life, please make me more like you - merciful, gracious, compassionate, slow to anger, and abounding in steadfast love - and through this to point more people to you.  For you, alone, can solve the problems this world faces.  So many are hurting; so many are angry.  You died and rose again so that we could be restored to you and reconciled to one another.  Yet we throw that away in our anger.  Please reach down to this hurting world that needs Your love, and help us to reach up as well.  Amen

Lori Snyder-Sloan (reprinted from 2017 Lenten devotional)

  

The Right Thing

Finally, brothers, whatever is true, whatever is honorable, whatever is just, whatever is pure, whatever is lovely, whatever is commendable, if there is any excellence, if there is anything worthy of praise, think about these things. Philippians 4:8

I have been thinking recently about thinking, and ethics, and knowing what the right thing is in a given moment. In our human experience we will make millions of decisions. They can be as simple as what will I have for breakfast or as complicated as who I will marry and share my life with. As a project manager, one of my key roles is to guide a decision making process. I don’t often have to face the weight of a decision, but I am relied upon to identify the risks, benefits and considerations of the options on the table. We use a formatted template to call these decisions out, we review them with teams of people who make recommendations and in some cases we send them on to the top organizational leaders to take all the options, review the recommendations and make a final decision. I have often heard that those in top leadership roles hand off smaller decisions to their trusted leaders and support personnel so that they do not become distracted by the small decisions. 

My step brother is a writer, IT programmer, and professor. I find that many individuals in these careers spend a large amount of time thinking. They consider storylines and the impacts of a code/programming point and how it will impact things further down the line. They consider how their teaching will impact the students that they are charged with bringing into the next group of leaders, and thinkers. There are many careers where thinking and considering are a big part of the work that is done and the decisions that are made. On his blog, my step brother recently wrote “Doing the right thing isn’t always easy and it doesn’t always feel great, but it shouldn’t feel…ugly. Or empty. Or stretched thin between far distant facts that we had to scrounge for on the fringe despite our own intuition.”

It might feel like a jump, but all of these led me to this verse in Philippians. Think about things, think about benefits, think about risks. Think about how it will feel to make the decision. Think about how it will feel looking back on it. Do the right thing, whenever you can, and regardless of who is watching. Sometimes I think about the inconveniences of doing the right thing and when I think about the wrong thing and the guilt that will be associated, I am often driven to the “right” even it is overly burdensome. Have you made decisions that have felt bad, or ugly? Have you compromised your personal values to do something that is “right” for the greater good? Have you talked to God about these decisions while you were making them? After? Long after? Have you knowingly done the wrong thing and had to live with it after? How were you able to reconcile this?

Prayer: God who knows all of our struggles, be with us as we make decisions.  Help us to strive to do the right thing even when it is hard. Help us to dissect a decision and listen to our intuition. Help to bring us peace during our time on earth. Amen.   

Christi Moock    

The Widow's Offering

He sat down opposite the treasury, and watched the crowd putting money into the treasury. Many rich people put in large sums. A poor Widow came and put in two small copper coins, which are worth a penny. Then he called his disciples and said to them,” Truly I tell you, this poor widow has put in more than all those who are contributing to the treasury. For all of them have contributed out of heir abundance, but she out of her poverty has put in everything she had, all that she had to live on”. Mark 12: 41-44  

Lent is a time for repentance, prayer, preparation and deprivation. These traits are highlighted in Mark's Gospel. This story also appears in the Gospel of Luke. When we were children one of the big questions we asked or were asked was “What are you giving up for Lent?” 

How often do we give from our abundance?  Someone once said give until it feels good. That is good advice. Whether we are giving money, time, talent, service to others or giving kindness. 

Prayer: Dear Lord God,  thank you for all the gifts you have given to us. Help us to realize that all things belong to you and we are required to share what we have with others. In Jesus' name.  Amen. 

Kathy Kuehn (reprinted from the 2017 Lenten devotional)

Renewal

...We do not lose heart...though outwardly we are wasting away, yet inwardly we are being renewed day by day. 2 Corinthians 4:16   

I remind you to kindle afresh the gift of God which is in you by the laying on of  my hands. 2 Timothy 1:6   

He saved us, not on the basis of deeds which we have done in righteousness, but according to His mercy, by the washing of regeneration, and renewing by the Holy Spirit. Titus 3:5   

You lay aside the old self, which is being corrupted...and....be renewed in the spirit of your mind, and put on the new self, created to be like God in true righteousness and holiness. Ephesians 4:22-24  

This is the time of year when nature stirs up yearnings for new life while surrounding us with things that have lived through their seasons. The recent warm weather has encouraged green hope to sprout up from the grey ground, pushing through tawny leaves that are returning to the soil. There is a reminder of the promise of renewal for everything and everybody, through the miracles of God's energy in and around us.

My work as a musician gives me fallow periods, more often when the school year is dormant, but most of the time I find myself in the middle of myriad projects.  This can be taxing, as the work hours of each day can begin very early and, especially for musical theatre work, end quite late. I usually sense too late that I have upset the balance of activity I need in order to have fresh energy for everything in my life. My habit of overcommitting seems a noble one, since I can help a greater number of people; but the fact that I am starting to yearn for a day off makes me frame this activity more truthfully as being at odds with my spiritual needs and beliefs.

In rest there is a returning to the spiritual life inside of me, a stirring up of everything that is at my core. As in dreams, rest can give me the separation to help shed the spiritual weight of accumulated burdens. My weakness and weariness are derived from a lack of centering and grounding in the self that God has formed in me, and too much focus on what I perceive to be duty. But there is always a chance at refreshment for the spirit, a cleansing of the clutter of activity, and the absorption of divine energy. We were created to be vessels and communicators of God's love and power.

There is a plant in my living room which is hard for me to reach for watering, and it has been knocked down many times by my bulls-in-a-china-shop teenage kittens. It has been lying on its side, roots drying out, for weeks, while I have been limping along with minimal household maintenance. I was amazed to see the other day that the tendrils facing the window have crept onto the windowsill and sent small flowers up toward the light. Without even having the proper nourishment, this plant has not only survived but thrived. Somehow, that plant has found what it has needed to flourish and live its live fully.

I might feel like I am not in an optimal place to be my true self and do what I was meant to do, but God finds ways to provide what I need. God is patient with my learning, and if I simply open to receive renewal and guidance, God is already there in my roots.

Prayer: Hear me, Holy Spirit, and help me to receive you as I release the barriers that my habits have built up. Help me to open up to you and to let myself be regenerated by your energy. Reveal to me how the water of my baptism continually blesses and cleanses me in the unreachable places. Forgive the well-meaning blunders of my days, and hone me in your fire so that I can be more like you in this world that needs our spirits to shine. Help me to be aware of your presence, and grateful for the renewing mystery of that presence. Amen.

Mollie Manner (reprinted from 2017 Lenten devotional)

 

Goodbye Stale Prayers

Rejoice always, pray without ceasing, give thanks in all circumstances; for this is the will of God in Christ Jesus for you. 1 Thessalonians 5:16-18 (New Oxford Bible)  

While driving to an appointment, I was listening to the Bott (Christian) radio network.  The pastor was teaching on the topic of prayer.  He caught my attention when he asked the following two questions:  1) “Are your prayers becoming stale”?  2) “Do you find yourself praying for the same things and using the same words over and over”?  

If the answer was yes, he suggested we try praying the scriptures.  I wasn’t sure I wanted to listen anymore as that idea had been introduced to me several years ago and after trying it for a week or so I went back to praying in my own words.  Somehow praying scripture made me feel I had lost the intimacy I feel when talking to God in my own words. 

However, the next morning, I decided to give it a try.  I did as the pastor suggested and prayed from the book of Psalms because as he said the whole book of Psalms is a book of praise.  I started with Psalm 23 because the words are familiar and I am comfortable saying them. 

After I prayed the first line:  “The Lord is my shepherd, I shall not want.” I stopped.  Then in my own words I praised Jesus for shepherding me through a difficult time.  I moved on to the next sentence:  “He makes me to lie down in green pastures; he leads me beside the still waters; he restores my soul.”  Then I thanked Him for the necessities of life especially a home in which to find solace. 

With each line of the 23^rd Psalm, I found that I could stop and add my own words of praise, thanks or petition.  This was definitely a new way for me to pray.  It allowed me to maintain that closeness that I had missed in my previous attempts to pray the scriptures. 

My long range plan is to choose each morning one of the many names there are for Jesus and the scripture describing that name, i.e.,  Shepherd, Light of the World, Savior, etc.  Now I’ve said good-bye to stale, repetitive prayers. 

If you find that your prayers have become stale and repetitive, perhaps praying the scriptures would be of help to you, too.  

Prayer: Father, we praise you for the beautiful words in the Holy Bible, and we thank you for hearing our prayers in whatever words we say them when they come from our hearts.  In your Son Jesus’ holy name we pray.   Amen.

Judy Welch (reprinted from the 2017 Lenten devotional)

Psalm 46

 

God is our refuge and strength,

    an ever-present help in trouble.

Therefore we will not fear, though the earth give way

    and the mountains fall into the heart of the sea,

though its waters roar and foam

    and the mountains quake with their surging.

 

There is a river whose streams make glad the city of God,

    the holy place where the Most High dwells.

God is within her, she will not fall;

    God will help her at break of day.

Nations are in uproar, kingdoms fall;

    he lifts his voice, the earth melts.

 

 The Lord Almighty is with us;

    the God of Jacob is our fortress.

 

 Come and see what the Lord has done,

    the desolations he has brought on the earth.

  He makes wars cease

    to the ends of the earth.

He breaks the bow and shatters the spear;

    he burns the shields with fire.

 He says, “Be still, and know that I am God;

    I will be exalted among the nations,

    I will be exalted in the earth.”

 

 The Lord Almighty is with us;

    the God of Jacob is our fortress. Psalm 46

Rejoice in Hope

Therefore, I urge you, brothers and sisters, in view of God’s mercy, to offer your bodies as a living sacrifice, holy and pleasing to God—this is your true and proper worship.  Do not conform to the pattern of this world, but be transformed by the renewing of your mind. Then you will be able to test and approve what God’s will is—his good, pleasing and perfect will. For by the grace given me I say to every one of you: Do not think of yourself more highly than you ought, but rather think of yourself with sober judgment, in accordance with the faith God has distributed to each of you.   For just as each of us has one body with many members, and these members do not all have the same function, so in Christ we, though many, form one body, and each member belongs to all the others.  We have different gifts, according to the grace given to each of us. If your gift is prophesying, then prophesy in accordance with your[a] faith; if it is serving, then serve; if it is teaching, then teach; if it is to encourage, then give encouragement; if it is giving, then give generously; if it is to lead, do it diligently; if it is to show mercy, do it cheerfully.

Love must be sincere. Hate what is evil; cling to what is good.  Be devoted to one another in love. Honor one another above yourselves.  Never be lacking in zeal, but keep your spiritual fervor, serving the Lord. Be joyful in hope, patient in affliction, faithful in prayer.  Share with the Lord’s people who are in need. Practice hospitality. Romans 12:1-13