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"For a Time Such as This"   March 24, 2016

3/26/2016

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... And who knows whether you have not attained royalty for such a time as this?"  Esther 4:13-14





Listen to:   Michael Card,  "El Shaddai"   https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=tLM48ySdIDw

Today Jewish people everywhere are celebrating the feast of Purim, just as Christians are preparing for Maundy Thursday (Holy Thursday), when Jesus spent his last Passover with his disciples.  He washed their feet and prepared them for his arrest and death.  Maundy Thursday, (which comes from the Latin translation of the word "command," from when Jesus said, “a new commandment I give to you…to love one another as I have loved you” John 13:34) is a somber occasion.  Purim on the other hand is joyous, although at its heart it tells a chilling story.   Based on the book of Esther, the Jewish people living in exile in Persia are arraigned to be murdered due to a devious plot by Haman, the king’s adviser.   Mordecai, a pious Jew, happens to be the uncle to Queen Esther, who has kept her Jewish identity secret.  Now Mordecai goes and encourages Esther to do what is in her power to stop the carnage.  It means taking a risk and exposing who she really is.  She risks death for going before the King without being summoned.  Yet as Mordecai points out to Esther, perhaps it has been ordained (although God is never mentioned) for her to be queen for such a time as this, so she can save her people.  Esther does act and her people are saved.  

As a Christian I have a great affinity for the story of Esther.   I see in her a semblance of Jesus: whose true identity is hidden by spiritual blindness, Pilate calls him King (John 19:19) as does  Paul “He who is the blessed and only Sovereign, the King of kings and Lord of lords,” (1 Tim. 6:15) and whose mission is to save all people from eternal death.  The rejoicing of Purim parallels the rejoicing on Easter Sunday, when Christ is Risen and death is defeated.

Jesus knew it was his time and even prayed in the Garden of Gethsemane to prepare himself (John 13:1; Matt. 26:36-46).  Esther knew it was time to act, but before she went before the King unbidden (worthy of the death sentence) she fasted for three days.  Both Jesus and Esther achieved their goals with great preparation and even suffering.  The stories ask us:  are we aware of our own time – the times God calls us to act?   There are big moments surely, but every day is a “time such as this.”  We are called to stand up for others, to stand up and act in the name of Christ through love, kindness and self-sacrifice.

Such heroic, noble acts are our heritage.  We may not be a Queen Esther or a King Jesus, but we are called to follow their example.  To prepare ourselves for action; to pray and fast, especially as explained in Isaiah 58:6: "No, this is the kind of fasting I want: Free those who are wrongly imprisoned; lighten the burden of those who work for you. Let the oppressed go free, and remove the chains that bind people."  To act on behalf of others.  To take risks of love in the darkest of moments.  All these acts result in the great rejoicing for which Purim and Easter are noted. To act according to Queen Esther’s and King Jesus’ example brings us joy and fills us with a sense of purpose and fulfillment.

As we prepare for the holiest days of the Christian year, let us remember that Jesus came for a time such as this.   Whatever we are going through, whatever we have done, Jesus came for this.  For this time.   For all times.  For right now, whatever we are facing.  Jesus came for a time such as this.

Let us reflect on our lives and know Jesus came for times such as these. Remember those times.  The fears and worries. The depression and anxieties. The threats and presence of death.  Jesus faced it all for us and with us.   Let us sit with this as we sit with Jesus over the next three days.

Then on Easter Sunday let the feast begin and let us rejoice:  Christ is Risen! He is Risen indeed! Alleluia!      

Prayer:   God of all Times:  Teach us to see that it is always time to do what is right, and that we are created especially for times such as these.  With your help, may we act in love in these time
s.


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"What Do You Want Me To Do for You?"  March 18, 2016

3/18/2016

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“What do you want me to do for you?” Luke 18:40; Mark 10:51; Matt. 20:32  

Listen to: Danny Gokey,  "Tell Your Heart To Beat Again"
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=azYK8I2uoog
 
“What do you want me to do for you?”  How often are we asked this question?  Usually by business or sales person who wants to assist in selling something or fixing a problem we might have.   Maybe our doctor or lawyer might ask us a version of this question to help us with something we are facing.   It is noteworthy that this is the last question that Jesus asks someone in need before his triumphal entry into Jerusalem -- which we celebrate as Palm Sunday – this Sunday, March 20.  In Luke, it is a blind beggar who is the last person Jesus heals.  In Mark the blind beggar’s name is Bartimaeus.  In Matthew it is two blind men whom Jesus aids.  In each case they cry out, “Jesus, or Lord, Son of David, have mercy on me!”  The crowd tries to silence the cries with rebukes, but fails. They continue to shout out until Jesus stops and asks, “what do you want me to do for you?”

What an unusual question to ask.  “What do you want me to do for you?”   Jesus can see that they are blind.  However, Jesus doesn’t presume to know what it is that they want.  Maybe they want  money.   Something to eat.  To have a blessing.  There are many things they may want.   Jesus wants them to be able to name what they want.    “Lord, I want to see,/We want our sight” is their response: which Jesus grants.  It is the final healing miracle in the synoptic gospels (Matthew, Mark & Luke) before Jesus enters Jerusalem and the saga of Holy Week unfolds.

If Jesus were to ask each of us, “What do you want me to do for you?”  How would we answer him?  What is it that we want?    Holy Week wants us to focus on this question.   Otherwise, what does Jesus’ suffering, death, and resurrection matter?  It becomes just a riveting story about terrible things that happened to a good person with victorious ending. That's all.  We have to know what we want.

As people of faith, this upcoming week is the epicenter of our spiritual walk.  What do you want me to do for you?  Jesus asks.  Can we answer this basic question.  What do we need to see?  Is it in matters of faith?  How our life is going?  How well we are loving?  The lens through which we view the world? How we judge others? Are we worried about somebody? Something?  Who am I, really? What is my purpose in life?  In all that is happening around me, what am I not seeing?

If we want to change, we need to name our need.  We need to be willing to come up against the judgment and rebukes of the crowd who would silence us. Sometimes the voice of that crowd is in our head, all the opinions we have internalized over the years.   So we need to be able to shout out to Jesus, “Lord, I want to see!”

This Holy Week, hear Jesus as he asks, “What do you want me to do for you?”  Hear that question, as he washes the feet of the disciples. As he is betrayed and denied by those he loves.  As he prays in Gethsemane.  As he is being tortured and mocked by soldiers.  As he is condemned by the officials of religion, state, and mob rule.  As he suffers and dies on the cross.  Hear that question with all the love he has to offer:  “What do you want me to do for you?”

Answer him.

Then may you see!

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"It's Crocus Day!"   March 4, 2016

3/4/2016

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​“Rejoice with Jerusalem, and be glad for her,  all you who love her; rejoice with her in joy,   all you who mourn over her— 11 that you may nurse and be satisfied from her consoling breast; that you may drink deeply with delight   from her glorious bosom. 12 For thus says the Lord: I will extend prosperity to her like a river,     and the wealth of the nations like an overflowing stream; and you shall nurse and be carried on her arm, and dandled on her knees. 13 As a mother comforts her child, so I will comfort you;     you shall be comforted in Jerusalem.  Isaiah 66: 11-13”


LISTEN TO:   Unspoken  "Good Fight"
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=SwcwnVRIxp4

 
Yesterday was The Crocus Day.  Every year I look forward to it.  It’s the day when out of the blue, in the midst of winter, the crocus flower appears.  Yesterday, in the bitter cold of the Northeast, I saw my first bundle of crocuses in my front yard. They huddled under a bush, as if taking shelter from the bitter winds.  However, there they were, in royal purple glory, heralds of spring around the corner, despite the signs to the contrary.

The crocus flower is a symbol of cheerfulness and glee.  When the land still looks bare, the wind has a bite to it, and perhaps our interior landscape matches the cloudy skies overhead, it is important to have a reminder that life changes.  We change.  The little crocus invites us to lift our spirits, to notice those treasures and moments in life that bring us happiness and make us grateful.  They remind us of the changes we can do to make a difference. There are crocuses hiding under the bushes everywhere, if we but take the time to see.

This Sunday is the Fourth Sunday in Lent, called in Latin “Laetere Sunday,” from the opening verses of Isaiah 66:  “Rejoice with Jerusalem….”  Laetere means rejoice. We have turned the corner of Lent, we are drawing closer to Jesus, and the mood brightens.  It is considered a day of relaxation from Lenten rigors, with Easter now in sight.   It reminds us that on every significant and difficult journey we need a break.   Whether it’s a job project, a complicated relationship, or just in the midst of life’s forays, we need moments to renew, to breathe, to regain our strength, even to rejoice in our accomplishments and God's love.  Even the great prophet Elijah had to flee to the mountaintop and rediscover the presence of God (1 Kings 19) and Jesus withdrew to pray and be alone (Luke 5:16). Surely we can take the time we need to stop and admire the crocuses.

Today, take time for the crocuses – whatever they represent for you.  Find joy and cheer in this day.  Stop and lighten the load.  Breathe in the new life. Make some small change that makes a difference.  Remember, spring is near.  So is the Lord.
 
Prayer:  “God of new beginnings, show me in the midst of my winter that your spring awaits.  Help me find hope and renewal.”

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    Moirajo is a minister, social worker, wife, mother, writer and animal lover. That's just for starters. Join the story, there's so much we can share together! 

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