10 I want to know Christ[a] and the power of his resurrection and the sharing of his sufferings by becoming like him in his death - Philippians 3:10
Death and resurrection. It's what the Lent and Easter season is all about. Really, it is what life itself is about. Death and resurrection is all around us: winter to spring; caterpillar to butterfly; seed to flower. We even find the death and resurrection theme in our life experiences: our empty nests often leads to grandchildren; graduation can lead to an exciting career. Brene Brown describes the process of forgiveness as a death of an old relationship and the resurrection of a new one.
In any instance of death and resurrection that we can come up with, one thing is true. The resurrected thing is always quite different—and usually better—than the thing that died. I can't help but think of a cartoon I once saw that showed a very old man and woman up in heaven enjoying all the wonders that heaven offers. The man said to the woman, “See, Harriet, if you weren't so insistent about watching our cholesterol, carbs and fat, we could have been here years ago!” And if I knew how great grandkids were, I would have had a few more children!
However, there is a lot to be said for the pre-resurrection stage of things as well. I love caterpillars. I love to watch it snow in winter. I love that stage in a new relationship where the other person seems perfect. And I loved being a mom.
We need not rush the resurrections in our lives. There is a lot for us to learn beforehand, and God has given us much to enjoy in those experiences. But we also need not fear the future! God promises greater and better. As we soak up the death and dying experiences of Lent, we always hold the sure and certain hope Easter resurrection.
Holy God,
Help us to see the joy and beauty of every pre-resurrection experience and not fear what is to come. Amen.
Wednesday, February 24, 2016
Wednesday, February 17, 2016
A Better Fast
“‘Why have we fasted,’ they say, ‘and you have not seen it? Why have we humbled ourselves, and you have not noticed?’ “Yet on the day of your fasting, you do as you please and exploit all your workers.
“Is not this the kind of fasting I have chosen: to loose the chains of injustice and untie the cords of the yoke, to set the oppressed free and break every yoke? Is it not to share your food with the hungry and to provide the poor wanderer with shelter— when you see the naked, to clothe them, and not to turn away from your own flesh and blood?”
Isaiah 58:3, 6-7 NIV
How is your Lenten fast going? Did you give up chocolate? Wine or beer? Are you fasting from meat or carbs? Maybe you've chosen one day a week to not eat at all. In his book, Wondrous Encounters: Scriptures for Lent, Richard Rohr remarks: “The poor body is always the available scapegoat to avoid touching our purse, our calendar, or our prejudices.”
Don't get me wrong, I think fasting for Lent (however you choose to do it) is a good thing. It helps us to refocus and keep ourselves reminded that we are called to return to God in Lent. But we must remember that these fasts are for no one but ourselves. God is not impressed, and frankly, neither is anybody you try to regale with tales of your awesome abilities of self-denial.
If your fast leads you to deeply desire what God desires, then we’ve got a fast that is truly worth something! And what kind of fast does God desire? …please refer to the scripture above, or better yet, read all of Isaiah 58.
This Lent, let us all strive to loose the chains of injustice and break the yoke of oppression. Let us feed the hungry, house the homeless, and offer care to the sick. Sometimes all it takes is a willingness to listen to someone else’s story without pre-conceived ideas of how they came to be in need to open our hearts enough to take on the kind of fast God really wants from us. Go a little deeper this year and make your fast count.
Holy God,
We humans can trivialize anything. Help us to want more from ourselves this Lent. Show us the way. Amen.
“Is not this the kind of fasting I have chosen: to loose the chains of injustice and untie the cords of the yoke, to set the oppressed free and break every yoke? Is it not to share your food with the hungry and to provide the poor wanderer with shelter— when you see the naked, to clothe them, and not to turn away from your own flesh and blood?”
Isaiah 58:3, 6-7 NIV
How is your Lenten fast going? Did you give up chocolate? Wine or beer? Are you fasting from meat or carbs? Maybe you've chosen one day a week to not eat at all. In his book, Wondrous Encounters: Scriptures for Lent, Richard Rohr remarks: “The poor body is always the available scapegoat to avoid touching our purse, our calendar, or our prejudices.”
Don't get me wrong, I think fasting for Lent (however you choose to do it) is a good thing. It helps us to refocus and keep ourselves reminded that we are called to return to God in Lent. But we must remember that these fasts are for no one but ourselves. God is not impressed, and frankly, neither is anybody you try to regale with tales of your awesome abilities of self-denial.
If your fast leads you to deeply desire what God desires, then we’ve got a fast that is truly worth something! And what kind of fast does God desire? …please refer to the scripture above, or better yet, read all of Isaiah 58.
This Lent, let us all strive to loose the chains of injustice and break the yoke of oppression. Let us feed the hungry, house the homeless, and offer care to the sick. Sometimes all it takes is a willingness to listen to someone else’s story without pre-conceived ideas of how they came to be in need to open our hearts enough to take on the kind of fast God really wants from us. Go a little deeper this year and make your fast count.
Holy God,
We humans can trivialize anything. Help us to want more from ourselves this Lent. Show us the way. Amen.
Wednesday, February 10, 2016
Wearing Our Ashes
As my Lenten discipline for this year, I have committed to writing weekly devotions.
12 Yet even now, says the Lord,
return to me with all your heart,
with fasting, with weeping, and with mourning;
13 rend your hearts and not your clothing.
Return to the Lord, your God,
for he is gracious and merciful,
slow to anger, and abounding in steadfast love,
and relents from punishing.
14 Who knows whether he will not turn and relent,
and leave a blessing behind him,
a grain offering and a drink offering
for the Lord, your God?-Joel 2:12-14
It's Ash Wednesday. Time to remember that we are dust and to dust we shall return. Time to enter the season of Lent when we are to “die to ourselves.” But how? Many of us do that by giving up something we enjoy or taking on a new discipline. Unfortunately some of us use these sacrifices and disciplines to do anything but die to ourselves. We brag about what we are giving up for Lent. We give up sweets in hope of losing a few pounds. Our ashes - in whatever form we choose to wear them - draw attention to ourselves rather than to God even when we don't intend them to.
Lent isn't a time to show others how spiritual you are. And it's not about telling others how spiritual they are not. It's simply about God and trying to experience how unfathomably holy God is. It is about resting fully in his love and grace and in the knowledge that he is God. It is about fully understanding how not-God we really are and giving up trying to be God.
These things don't happen because we put ashes on our head or skip a few meals or write a few devotions. It is a work done by the Holy Spirit that happens deep within our hearts and changes us forever. Don’t give up the sacrifices and disciplines, though. They are useful for helping the Holy Spirit work within us. They can help us focus on her guidance. Just don't depend on the outward work to change the inside by itself.
Holy and mighty God,
Rend our hearts this Lent that we may fully return to you. Amen.
12 Yet even now, says the Lord,
return to me with all your heart,
with fasting, with weeping, and with mourning;
13 rend your hearts and not your clothing.
Return to the Lord, your God,
for he is gracious and merciful,
slow to anger, and abounding in steadfast love,
and relents from punishing.
14 Who knows whether he will not turn and relent,
and leave a blessing behind him,
a grain offering and a drink offering
for the Lord, your God?-Joel 2:12-14
It's Ash Wednesday. Time to remember that we are dust and to dust we shall return. Time to enter the season of Lent when we are to “die to ourselves.” But how? Many of us do that by giving up something we enjoy or taking on a new discipline. Unfortunately some of us use these sacrifices and disciplines to do anything but die to ourselves. We brag about what we are giving up for Lent. We give up sweets in hope of losing a few pounds. Our ashes - in whatever form we choose to wear them - draw attention to ourselves rather than to God even when we don't intend them to.
Lent isn't a time to show others how spiritual you are. And it's not about telling others how spiritual they are not. It's simply about God and trying to experience how unfathomably holy God is. It is about resting fully in his love and grace and in the knowledge that he is God. It is about fully understanding how not-God we really are and giving up trying to be God.
These things don't happen because we put ashes on our head or skip a few meals or write a few devotions. It is a work done by the Holy Spirit that happens deep within our hearts and changes us forever. Don’t give up the sacrifices and disciplines, though. They are useful for helping the Holy Spirit work within us. They can help us focus on her guidance. Just don't depend on the outward work to change the inside by itself.
Holy and mighty God,
Rend our hearts this Lent that we may fully return to you. Amen.
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