Blog Archives

HOLY WEEK: Nails

3/31/2021

When you were stuck in your old sin-dead life, you were incapable of responding to God. God brought you alive—right along with Christ! Think of it! All sins forgiven, the slate wiped clean, that old arrest warrant canceled and nailed to Christ’s cross. Colossians 2:14 - Message

As we enter the heart of Holy Week, the image of Jesus nailed to the cross comes front and center. The nails made sure that Jesus was fastened securely to the cross, there was no escape. The nail gives us the most visceral experience of the suffering of Jesus. There on the cross for several hours Jesus hung, with unending, excruciating pain. The nails made sure Jesus would hurt in the worst way possible. Nailed to that cross were all the sins of the world. Nailed to the cross was the debt owed God. Nailed to the cross was Love, a love that attached itself unconditionally to us, refused to let us go, committed to opening the doors of eternal life for us.

This is the deepest mystery of our faith. God in human flesh, was willing to endure the sting of the nails for us. In this we see the power of unconditional love, a love so deep, so profound it would not let us go. We can't comprehend such love. However, if we open our hearts, we can receive it. It can transform our lives. It can lift us up out of our despair, our guilt, our shame. out of any situation in which we are stuck. In a sense we can say Jesus, through the cross, has spiritually nailed himself to us so that our lives are forever attached to his, by the power of the Holy Spirit. What joy it is to know this! Because of the nails, we can journey through the passion and death of Jesus in the hands of divine love, and recommit ourselves to following the footsteps of our Lord. Let us chose to be nailed to love, to service, to each other the way Jesus allowed himself to be nailed for us. Amen

0 Comments

Lent 5: Light

3/31/2021

0 Comments

"You are the light of the world" (Matthew 5:14)
"Again Jesus spoke to them, saying, “I am the light of the world. Whoever follows me will not walk in darkness, but will have the light of life" (John 8:12)

From your Lent in a Bag, take out your votive candle and turn it on. If you don't have Lent in a Bag, find a candle and light it.

As we draw towards the end of Lent and the beginning of Holy Week, we are reminded that soon the forces of darkness will take over. The light will dim. Often on Good Friday at the end of worship the Christ Candle is the only candle left illuminating the sanctuary. This reminds us in our grief what the gospel proclaims, "The light shines in the darkness, and the darkness has not overcome it" (John 1:5).
Jesus has died, but the promise of the resurrection is fast and sure. So even in the darkest of moments we have hope.

We live in a spiritually dark world, where mass shootings are commonplace, inequalities seem impossible to change, where faith seems to divide instead of unite. Even in these difficult times we are called to reflect the light of Jesus. We are living lanterns, called to cast our light into some dark corner. Where today will you shine? Who will you care for? What kind words and encouraging words will you speak? To whom suffering, hurting person will your presence bring comfort? Be the light people need to make their way in these uncertain times, and never underestimate the good that one light, shining brightly, can bring to a troubled heart. Despite the darkness, let us be like Jesus and shine bright!

0 Comments

Lent 4: Clothespin

3/31/2021

0 Comments

Think of yourselves the way Christ Jesus thought of himself. He had equal status with God but didn’t think so much of himself that he had to cling to the advantages of that status no matter what. Not at all. When the time came, he set aside the privileges of deity and took on the status of a slave, became human! Having become human, he stayed human. It was an incredibly humbling process. He didn’t claim special privileges. Instead, he lived a selfless, obedient life and then died a selfless, obedient death—and the worst kind of death at that—a crucifixion. (Philippians 2:5-8; MSG)

Take out of the Lent in a Bag the clothespin. Using your creative mind, see this clothespin as a human figure.

At the heart of Christian mystery is the revelation that God became human. Only God in human form could bring us true forgiveness. More to point, God loved humanity so much that he wanted to be as close as possible. God wants nothing more than for us to draw close, and to be in relationship with us. As a result, God took on human form in Jesus.

In Jesus we see God. When Jesus speaks we hear God's voice. When Jesus heals we feel the wholeness God has in store for us. When Jesus forgives, we experience the absolute pardon that our spirits crave in order to be free.

The incarnation, God-taking-on-human-flesh, is the deepest mystery that we can't comprehend by intellect, only by faith. Love is like that. Love is something we embrace with our heart not our mind. As a result, we are called to embrace Christianity fundamentally not a a practice but as a relationship. A relationship with Jesus Christ which overflows to relationships with one another.

The journey of Lent leads us in the footsteps of Jesus. Every step God draws nearer to us, teaches us through Jesus how precious we are to God. Precious enough to take on human form. Precious enough to die for us on the cross.

This Lent let us be drawn closer than ever to Jesus, God-made-Flesh and be filled with the grace that Jesus pours out upon us. Take the hand of Jesus, and continue on the remaining journey of Lent, knowing how precious you are, how much God loves you, be open the the experience that God cherishes you. Knowing that, let us take the hand of a neighbor, and pass on the compassion of God that has so embraced us.

0 Comments

Lent 3: Dissolving Paper

3/31/2021

0 Comments

I will treat them with kindness, even though they are wicked. I will forget their sins" (Hebrews 8:12 CEV)
"As far as the east is from the west, so far hath he removed our transgressions from us"(Psa. 103:12 KJV)

Instructions: From your Lent in a Bag, take out the piece of dissolvable paper. If you don't have Lent in a Bag, just take a small piece of paper. Reflect on the habits you would like to change about yourself, or a sin that you are struggling with. Write it on the paper. After reading the reflection below, place the dissolvable paper in a bowl of water and reflect how it dissolves so you can't read it anymore. Or you can take your piece of paper, tear it into small pieces, and burn them in a very sturdy, large glass mixing bowl. Pour water on the burnt paper when finished. Or if you prefer, simply throw the pieces away in the garbage.

The season of Lent is the perfect time for self-examination. Every day we are called to slow down enough to reflect on our behavior, to think out how we are treating others. We reflect on how we have been treated, and if we are able to fully forgive. If we were to judge ourselves next to the Ten Commandments, would we pass with flying colors? I suspect each of us would find ourselves wanting if we were honest with ourselves and before God.

Look at this list and reflect on it:

Do not worship any other god than the one true God. All other gods are false gods. Worship God alone.
Do not make idols or images in the form of God. An idol can be anything (or anyone) you worship by making it more important than God. If something (or someone) has your time, attention and affections, it has your worship. It could be an idol in your life. Don't let anything take the place of God in your life.
Do not treat God's name lightly or with disrespect. Because of God's importance, his name is always to be spoken of reverently and with honor. Always honor God with your words.
Dedicate or set aside a regular day each week for rest and worship of the Lord.
Give honor to your father and mother by treating them with respect and obedience.
Do not deliberately kill a fellow human being. Don't hate people or hurt them with words and actions.
Do not have sexual relations with anyone other than your spouse. Respect your body and other people's bodies.

Do not steal or take anything that doesn't belong to you, unless you have been given permission to do so.
Do not tell a lie about someone or bring a false accusation against another person. Always tell the truth.
Do not desire anything or anyone that does not belong to you. Comparing yourself to others and longing to have what they have can lead to jealousy, envy, and other sins. Be content by focusing on the blessings God has given you and not what he has not given you. Be thankful for what God has given you.

We come to realize that we are fragile human beings, prone to sin. 1John 1:8 reminds us: "If we say we have no sin, we deceive ourselves, and the truth is not in us" ESV. Understanding this about ourselves, we realize that confession and repentance are daily spiritual disciplines that establishes humility and honesty within us. Furthermore, we know that our human nature is easy to fall into despair, thinking we'll never improve, or the guilt of sin or inability to forgive will never leave our hearts. This is where again, we must turn to the promise of God to us in scripture. Re-read the verses above from Hebrews and Psalm 103. God forgets our sins! God removes us from our sins, as far as the east is from the west. As the water dissolved into water, or the water was reduced to ash, so are the sins we confess before God and ask forgiveness.

We may be tempted to hang on to the pain, the hurt, the guilt. That is part of the human condition. Reflect on this illustration from Christian author Corrie Ten Boom about lingering feelings we have after we are forgiven or we forgive:

Corrie ten Boom told of not being able to forget a wrong that had been done to her. She had forgiven the person, but she kept rehashing the incident and so couldn't sleep. Finally Corrie cried out to God for help in putting the problem to rest. "His help came in the form of a kindly Lutheran pastor," Corrie wrote, "to whom I confessed my failure after two sleepless weeks." "Up in the church tower," he said, nodding out the window, "is a bell which is rung by pulling on a rope. But you know what? After the sexton lets go of the rope, the bell keeps on swinging. First ding, then dong. Slower and slower until there's a final dong and it stops. I believe the same thing is true of forgiveness. When we forgive, we take our hand off the rope. But if we've been tugging at our grievances for a long time, we mustn't be surprised if the old angry thoughts keep coming for a while. They're just the ding-dongs of the old bell slowing down." "And so it proved to be. There were a few more midnight reverberations, a couple of dings when the subject came up in my conversations, but the force -- which was my willingness in the matter -- had gone out of them. They came less and less often and at the last stopped altogether: we can trust God not only above our emotions, but also above our thoughts."

So it is true when we are forgiven or we forgive. If we trust in God, who is faithful to forgive our sins, if we place our desire to be free in his hands, the bell will eventually lose its power to sound and eventually become quiet. Remember that God has already forgotten our sins. When we forgive, the feelings will fade if we remain faithful. We are free! So, remember this as your paper dissolves and burns and experience the release from all that holds us back from being who God has called us to be.

0 Comments

Lent 2: Stone

3/31/2021

0 Comments

"The Tempter came to Jesus and said, "If you are the Son of God, tell these stones to become bread" (Matthew 4:3)

From your Lent in a Bag, take out your stone. If you don't have Lent in a Bag, find a stone and hold it in your hand.

Our second week of Lent finds us in the wilderness with Jesus, as he is tested by God and tempted by the Evil One. Jesus has been fasting for weeks and is famished. In his weakened state, the Devil approaches. He doesn't seek to frighten Jesus or put him down. He talks to Jesus in a very matter-of-fact manner, conversationally, sympathetically, saying, "If you are the Son of God, tell these stones to become bread." Notice that the Devil doesn't say anything outlandish. Ever the practical-minded, he tries to tempt Jesus to do something that makes absolute sense. Jesus is very hungry. There are lots of stones out there in the wilderness. Jesus is dealing with both his Divine and human natures. The Devil enters the mix, and suggests, I imagine, in the mildest, most encouraging tone, "turn these stones into bread." By doing so, his divine nature is supporting his human nature, which is experiencing extreme hunger. What's so wrong in satisfying an ordinary human need like hunger? What's the big deal about one stone becoming bread, so Jesus can alleviate those hunger pangs?

A few things stand out here. First, we see how the Devil operates. Most often he doesn't tend to approach us in scary forms - like the ghoulish image of a red-horned creature with a pitchfork stinking of sulfur, or the terrifying distorted face of the possessed teen in The Exorcist. The Devil prefers to draw near to us in the most sympathetic and ordinary ways, coaxing us to deeds that seem ultimately reasonable, victim-free, solution -oriented. Like when the cashier gives us the wrong change. Or when he whispers us to say, "Don't get me wrong, I really like her and understand where she's coming from, BUT..." When you really need the extra money to pay for something your family needs, and an opportunity arises to fudge an invoice .. Or, you really WANT to pray now, but you've been waiting to see this movie for ages... I really had it on my list to call him today, but I'm worn out and it can wait until tomorrow... So how are we being tempted today? If this scripture teaches us anything, it is that the Tempter prefers to fly under the radar, to speak soothingly and gently in our ear, and lead us slowly but surely away from God's will. Why tempt with terror when honey will do?

Make no mistake, the Devil approaches us when we are weak, whether we know it or not. The Devil purports to resolve our conflict in a way that seems bottom line, reasonable and caring. Because it seems so reasonable, because we are in need, it makes sense and we tend to fall for it. Jesus demonstrated that he was the Son of God not in appeasing his human hunger, but in taking the godly approach. "One does not live on bread alone, but on every word that comes from the mouth of God" (Matt. 4:4). In declaring this, Jesus speaks of a fundamental spiritual hunger that is just as deep as bodily hungers, even deeper, and more profound. For Jesus the hunger for bread awakens not dampens, our awareness of our need for God.

Another significant point here is if Jesus fell for the Devil's trick, he would have used his divine powers in a self-serving way, when ultimately, our spiritual nature beckons us to other-serving ways. If Jesus followed the advice of the Devil, he would have ignored the ways of God. God does test us, often to instill in us trust. Jesus ultimately got bread, the "angels attended him," (Matt. 4:11) and he was cared for. The question becomes can we trust God's timing, God's plans for us, even when the way seems dim and we are uncomfortable? Remember the words of scripture, which although difficult to believe we are called to hold fast to: "The temptations in your life are no different from what others experience. And God is faithful. He will not allow the temptation to be more than you can stand. When you are tempted, he will show you a way out so that you can endure (1 Cor. 10:13, NLV)

What stones in our lives are tempting us to give in, give up to chose the Tempter's way? What needs are gnawing at us for attention? What deeper spiritual needs are awakening, if we just recall God's word speaking to us in the challenges, trials and tests we face? Turn away from the reasonable, soothing intoxicating voice of the Devil, listen for God's word -- and become the hold fast to the promise God made through the prophet Ezekiel: "And I will remove the heart of stone from your flesh and give you a heart of flesh" (Ezek.36.26)

0 Comments

HOLY WEEK: Nails

Lent 5: Light

Lent 4: Clothespin

Lent 3: Dissolving Paper

Lent 2: Stone

Author

Archives

Categories