40 words of Lent: reject (3/31/2021)

Isaiah 53:3-4  

He was despised and rejected by others;
and as one from whom others hide their faces[b]
    he was despised, and we held him of no account. 

and carried our diseases;
yet we accounted him stricken,
    struck down by God, and afflicted
a man of suffering and acquainted with infirmity; 
Surely he has borne our infirmities

What do we reject?

        and what are our reasons for rejecting something or even someone?

Video reflection: 

https://youtu.be/Ps2T9CKP1KU

 

40 words of Lent: Pray (3/30/2021)

 

Jesus was praying in a certain place, and after he had finished, one of his disciples said to him, “Lord, teach us to pray, as John taught his disciples. (Luke 11:1)

Video reflection: https://youtu.be/OibbqfNWvXo (was cut short - so here is the rest of my reflection)

There are many ways, techniques and resources to help us to learn how to pray.  We can read books, take classes  or seminars.  The variety of resources  help us to expand and enhance our prayer life.

Yet, at its core - prayer is about a conversation between us - individually and corporately - and God.  It is the sharing of our life with the One in whose image we are created.  It is offering our laments to the One who hung on the cross.  It is inviting the One who sustains us to walk with us in our daily  lives.

It is more than saying particular words or prayers (though they can be helpful - a few examples below).  It is also listening and resting in God's presence.  It is paying attention to what God has to say to us through scripture, music, conversation with others and the like.  God speaks as much as God listens.

So before you begin any prayer....pause...take a breath...or two...open yourself up to the loving presence of God before you even say or think a word.

Listen, God is talking

              and that very Spirit intercedes for us with sighs too deep for words (Romans 8:26)

Here are a few prayers for this day: 

Prayer for Overcoming Indifference

For the sin of silence,
For the sin of indifference,
For the secret complicity of the neutral,
For the closing of borders,
For the washing of hands,
For the crime of indifference,
For the sin of silence,
For the closing of borders.
For all that was done,
For all that was not done,
Let there be no forgetfulness before the Throne of
Glory;
Let there be remembrance within the human heart;
And let there at last be forgiveness
When your children, O God,
Are free and at peace.

From Chaim Stern, editor, Gates of Repentance (Central Conference of American Rabbis, 1978).

For all those who are confronted by seeming boundaries, limitations, and impossibilities, this is a psalm reminding us of who God is—in God’s wholly otherness and God’s holy withness. 

God 
Creator, Hoverer 
You speak and we form 
You breathe life and we awake 
You said “it is good” and we believe 
God 
The Red Sea before us, shouting impossibility 
They say we can’t, we shouldn’t, and we wouldn’t 
Words seeded from our youth, the limits and the lies 
There must be truer truths in us to confound, resist, defy 
Created from nothing, said something, made everything 
This God 
The Lord will fight for us, so we need only to be still 
Still our soul, stand out loud, trusting that God is 
El Roi, God who sees, bears witness to a name 
At her sound, ___ leaps, demands possibility 
Immanuel, God with us, for us, within us 
God 
You said “it is good” and we believe 
You breathe life and we awake 
You speak and we form 
Creator, Hoverer 
God 

(REV. GAIL SONG BANTUM, A Rhythm of Prayer (pp. 12-13). The Crown Publishing Group)  

For God’s Unfailing Grace 
God, we give you thanks for the grace 
that lies at the heart of our faith. 
Even as we fall short in our response 
to your love and your call, your grace still abounds. 
We see your grace in the sunlight that warms the earth 
and in the stars that light the sky. 
We see it in the manger at Bethlehem 
and the cross of Calvary. 
In your grace we find peace and healing for troubled lives. 
In your grace we see promise for justice and mercy in a troubled world. 
As you envelop us, enliven us, and embrace us, 
we celebrate you as the God of grace. Amen.

(Prayers for Life's Ordinary and Extraordinary Moments . Upper Room)

40 words of Lent: Gaze (3/29/2021)

 

Psalm 53:2 "God looks down from heaven on humankind to see if there are any who are wise, who seek after God"

Psalm 141:8 "But my eyes are turned toward you, O God my Lord; in you I seek refuge and do not leave me defenseless"

Video reflection: https://youtu.be/PfRxU0SQqp4

40 Words of Lent: Follow (3/27/2021)

 

In reflecting on these Lenten words, I have often let whatever first comes to mind be the basis of my reflection.  Today is no exception.  Listen first to this song before continuing: https://youtu.be/nkFz6I1Lh2g

I always liked how this movie took popular songs and used them to express faith.  In fact, it actually is much better in relationship to following Jesus than another person (as it could be akin to stalking).

The level of discipleship proclaimed in this song invites deep commitment and reflection of the love that Jesus gives to us.  

Listen again to this song and use it as a prayer, seeking God's strength 

Love him, I love him, I love him
And where he goes I'll follow, I'll follow, I'll follow

I will follow him, follow him wherever he may go
There isn't an ocean too deep
A mountain so high it can keep me away

I must follow him (follow him), ever since he touched my hand I knew
That near him I always must be
And nothing can keep him from me
He is my destiny (destiny)

I love him, I love him, I love him
And where he goes I'll follow, I'll follow, I'll follow
He'll always be my true love, my true love, my true love
From now until forever, forever, forever

Songwriters: Arthur Altman / Franck Pourcel / Jacques Plante / Norman Gimbel / Paul Mauriat

I Will Follow Him lyrics © Universal Music Publishing Group, Suisa

40 Words of Lent: Renew (3/26/2021)

  "Its' time to renew"  your subscription to....

         Most of my "subscriptions" nowadays are either to my prescriptions or to online streaming services for my tv.  Most of them renew automatically and I don't give it much thought until I get a notice and/or there's a debit in my bank account.  Life just continues on at its regular pace without much thought as to what I am renewing and why.

    Sometimes, I think our faith can be the same - we "have it" and don't think too much about it until we need it, often in a crisis of one type or another.  As Lutherans, our original "subscription" came at baptism, for many as infants.  Maybe we "renewed" it a bit at confirmation, but most of the time we don't think much about it - the what and the why of our faith.

    In worship, we recite the Creeds (Apostle's & Nicene) which remind us about what we believe about God as God comes to us as the Father, and the Son and the Holy Spirit.  We read scripture to remind ourselves about how God has acted in the midst of the world and in relationship with others.  We pray,  often doing more talking than listening, for all that is going on in our lives.

Yet, what is our commitment to this faith beyond the reminders and the prayers?  

Like vows that are renewed between couples, how might we renew our commitment in our relationship to God?  We could use our Affirmation of Baptism promises: 

You have made public profession of your faith.  Do you intend to continue in the covenant God made with you in Holy Baptism:
 To live among God’s faithful people,
To hear the word of God and share in the Lord’s Supper,
To proclaim the good news of God in Christ through word and deed,
To serve all people, following the example of Jesus,
And to strive for justice and peace in all the earth?
 
If so, please answer:  I do, and I ask God to help and guide me.

Much of this is about how we will live out our faith, our covenant with God.   It is the "doing" of that relationship.

What about the renewal of  that relationship?

What might you say to God in your own words about the importance of this relationship?  Beyond the words of the Creeds or scripture, what is it about God that touches your life?  How does the character of God shape your own life?

The song "Ten Thousand Reasons" gives a sense of this as it lifts up praises to God.  Verse 2 sings "You're rich in love, and you're slow to anger.  Your name  is great, and your heart is kind.  For all your goodness, I will keep on singing ten thousand reasons for my heart to find." (All Creation Sings hymnal; text: Matt Redman & Jonas Myrin)

I invite you to renew your relationship with God, praising those characteristics of God that impact your life and that you want to live into daily.

40 Words of Lent: Sacrifice (3/25/2021)

 Isaiah 53:4-5  

Surely he has borne our infirmities
    and carried our diseases;
yet we accounted him stricken,
    struck down by God, and afflicted.
5 But he was wounded for our transgressions,
    crushed for our iniquities;
upon him was the punishment that made us whole,
    and by his bruises we are healed.

This passage of scripture is a portion of what is often called the "Suffering servant" reading.  We often hear it during Lent and Holy Week.  It has been used to describe Jesus and the sacrifice that he made for us on the cross.

Today, we most often view sacrifice as something that we give up for the sake of a person or a purpose.

The Latin origins of the word "sacrifice" means to make sacred and holy.  Frederick Buechner writes "to sacrifice something is to make it holy by giving it away for love" (Beyond Words, pg. 352)

I haven't often thought of sacrifice as holy.

Think about how that understanding enriches the sacrifice of Jesus - it is more than his dying for our sakes.  It is about the divine love that shines forth even in the midst of death and violence.  Even as the sky darkened, earthquakes shattered the earth and the temple curtain was torn - the light of Christ's sacrifice overcame all that  violence with the sacred-ness of his relationship with all his beloved people.

When we hear the word "sacrifice" may we always pair it with sacred, holy and love! 

40 Words of Lent: Precious (3/24/2021)

 

Video reflection: https://youtu.be/tjGVgzy_TBE

2 Peter 1: 3-4 His divine power has given us everything needed for life and godliness, through the knowledge of him who called us by his own glory and goodness. 4 Thus he has given us, through these things, his precious and very great promises, so that through them you may escape from the corruption that is in the world

(Did you know: the letters of Peter use the word "precious" more than any other book in the Bible)

40 Words of Lent: Memory (3/23/2021)

 

Video reflection: https://youtu.be/MUm5CQLT4ck

Memory or remember

      or to re-member: to reconnect to someone or something

What was the most memorable Easter memory for you?

What photos do you have - and are willing to share - of favorite memories (Easter or otherwise)?

Hear is one of my step-dad, Pastor Lee Dyer from Easter worship (video reflection will explain)

: 

40 Words of Lent: Value (3/22/2021)

 

How do we determine the value of something?

Came across this story as an illustration: 

A father said to his daughter “You graduated with honors, here is a car I acquired many years ago. It is several years old. But before I give it to you, take it to the used car lot downtown and tell them I want to sell it and see how much they offer you. 

The daughter went to the used car lot, returned to her father and said, “They offered me $1,000 because it looks very worn out.” The father said, ”Take him to the pawnshop.” 

The daughter went to the pawnshop, returned to her father and said, ”The pawn shop offered $100 because it was a very old car.” The father asked his daughter to go to a car club and show them the car. 

The daughter took the car to the club, returned and told her father,” Some people in the club offered $100,000 for it since it’s an iconic car and sought out after by many.” 

The father said to his daughter, ”The right place values you the right way,” If you are not valued, do not be angry, it means you are in the wrong place. Those who know your value are those who appreciate you. Never stay in a place where no one sees your value.

Matthew 10:29-31: Are not two sparrows sold for a penny? Yet not one of them will fall to the ground apart from your Father. And even the hairs of your head are all counted. So do not be afraid; you are of more value than many sparrows.

The world will place a variety of values on the lives of others.  Our worth is often based on economics, appearance, prestige, success, and the like.  A person's value can waver from day to day.

Yet, we are created in the image of God and our God's beloved.  Our value has already been determined and proclaimed "very good".

As we look into the faces of others, do we value them as God values us?

When we look in the mirror, do we see the inexorable value that God created us to be?

When we proclaim that "God so loved the world that he sent his only Son" (John 3:16) that includes you, me and everyone!

Because as I will often say: "God don't make no junk!)"

40 Words of Lent: Creation (3/20/2021)

 

Hymn: "Earth is Full of Wit and Wisdom" https://youtu.be/BhD50CXZQ3Q

For today's reflection on the word "Creation", I share the hymn and lyrics from the above song.

Earth is full of wit and wisdom sounding God’s delighted laugh.
From the tiny roly-poly to the tree-top-tall giraffe,
all creation sings in wonder; even rocks and trees rejoice
as they join the ringing chorus: echoes of our Maker’s voice.
 
Earth is full of wit and wisdom, woven into harmony.
Every creature has a purpose; every flower and bumble-bee,
spider, human, redwood, gecko, monkey, chicken, mouse and snake,
live within a single fabric: cloth that only God could make.
 
Earth is full of wit and wisdom: penguin, platypus and snail,
cactus, sea-slug, oak and algae, from the microbe to the whale.
In this great and strange creation, with a breath God gives us birth;
 born of soil to live as stewards, called to love and serve the earth

text: Adam M.L. Tice: Music: W. More, Columbian Harmony: Reprinted under ONE LICENSE #734594-A.

What other specific ways do you see the "wit and wisdom" of God's creating power at work?

40 Words of Lent: Abundant (3/19/2021)

"My cup overflows" (Psalm 23:5b)

In reflecting on today's word, how would you answer the following:

Do you live out of a sense of scarcity or abundance?

Do you feel like you have enough, not enough or more than enough? 

    Is that proverbial cup - half full or half empty?

         Or is it overflowing?

We are "encouraged" by today's culture to view our lives from a sense of scarcity; that somehow if we had that "one thing more" that we would be happy, satisfied, fulfilled.  Then there is always one more thing, one more goal to fulfill, one more ... (fill in your own response)

Yet, God has already provided all that we really need for life.  In the beginning, as God created the heavens and the earth more than enough was provided for all. 

 Our cups overflow!

When there are those in the world who truly do not have enough food, clothing, shelter and the like is is because of the hoarding of the abundance by others (see parable from yesterday)

In what ways, is your cup overflowing with Christ's grace?

 

40 Words of Lent: Store (3/18/2021)

 "store up for yourselves treasures in heaven" (Matthew 6:20)

Video reflection:  https://youtu.be/_DSL19j7D0Y

Reflect on this parable in relationship to today's Lenten word: Store

Luke 12:16-21

Then Jesus told them a parable: “The land of a rich man produced abundantly. 17 And he thought to himself, ‘What should I do, for I have no place to store my crops?’ 18 Then he said, ‘I will do this: I will pull down my barns and build larger ones, and there I will store all my grain and my goods. 19 And I will say to my soul, Soul, you have ample goods laid up for many years; relax, eat, drink, be merry.’ 20 But God said to him, ‘You fool! This very night your life is being demanded of you. And the things you have prepared, whose will they be?’ 21 So it is with those who store up treasures for themselves but are not rich toward God.”

40 Words of Lent: Judge (3/17/2021)

 "Judge not, lest ye be judged" (Matthew 7:1)

We do have a human proclivity to rush to judgment - sometimes subconsciously so.  I remember catching myself a number of years ago when at a Chinese take out restaurant and the young woman behind the counter, asked to take our order.  My first thought (thankfully not said out loud) was how good her English was.  I had prematurely/pre-judged and assumed that she would have poor English and I was caught in my interior shame.

Recently, many Asian-Americans have become victims of vicious attacks as they have been prejudged by the color of their skin.  While it is difficult, on the one hand, to comprehend the violence that has been perpetuated on them, I am faced with my own bias nonetheless.

The ELCA has called for a time of lament for anti-Asian racism.  Here is the Order of Service that I will be leading in the live video: (full statement and worship resource):   https://documentcloud.adobe.com/link/review?uri=urn:aaid:scds:US:3aafee99-3c51-4bf1-b53f-78b70f73890f

Video of Service: https://youtu.be/pl3svxXDSbA

INVITATION TO SOLIDARITY

Since the pandemic started in early 2020, there have been more than 3,000 reported incidents of anti-Asian racism, according to Stop AAPI Hate, an initiative that tracks violence and harassment among Asian Americans and Pacific Islanders. In January 2021 these violent attacks targeted the elderly. An 84-year-old Thai man was shoved to the ground as he was taking his morning walk in San Francisco. In the neighboring city of Oakland, a 91-year-old man was pushed down, which caused him to fall face first into the pavement. For a community whose elders are deeply respected and looked up to as the source of communal and filial unity and wisdom, this hits hard.

 I invite you to a communal confession to show our solidarity with our Asian siblings.  

 OPENING LITANY

God of all people and the whole of creation,

make us into who you have created us to be.

Make us your hands, your feet, your eyes, your lips,

your body in the world.

Spirit of Peace, reconcile us,

connect us to yourself, to each other.

You are the source of our healing and hope,

for if one is hurt, all of us are hurt.

Clothe us, your body in the world,

with your love, mercy and grace.  Amen.

 

COMMUNAL CONFESSION

Asian siblings are hurting. How do we, the church, hear their painful cry, and act together in solidarity? We pray … Lord, have mercy.

 Are Asians invisible? They are branded as the model minority — therefore, not expected to speak up. They cry for justice. Can anyone hear them? We pray … Lord, have mercy.

 Asians are feared as a community. Asians have complex cultures and languages, so they are generally omitted. How can we, the church, offer our curiosity and respect when we encounter a multitude of gifts in diversity and uniqueness? We pray … Lord, have mercy.

 Asian children are called many names, most recently “coronavirus,” or yelled at to “go home.” When we, the church, ask, “Who is our neighbor?,” how can we truly mean it in welcoming words and actions? We pray … Lord, have mercy.

 Asians are used by the mainstream dominant culture to shame and put a wedge against other communities of color. Claiming our calling that all are created in God’s image, how can we stand in solidarity with those hurting? We pray … Lord, have mercy.

 God’s forgiveness is greater than any hurt and pain of the body. For Asian theologies, forgiveness is an invitation to examine and reexamine what constitutes our identity, not only our individual identity but, most especially, our communal identity. May God’s forgiveness invite us all to face who we are truly as members of the body of Christ. May this rich promise embrace us all, taking away the pain of our battered body.  Amen.

 

EMBODIED BLESSING AND HEALING

At a protest against anti-Asian racism, Black and Asian ministers shared stories of embodied hurt and a form of an embodied movement as non-verbal gestures of healing and blessing. In solidarity with our Asian American and Pacific Islander siblings in Christ, I invite you to join me in this embodied blessing and healing.

 First I will demonstrate with a brief meaning; then you will follow me; then we will move together in silence.

Take a deep breath. Exhale.

Place hands on heart. I see myself – acknowledge my own feelings – my own body.

Bow. Acknowledging sacredness, resilience, humanity, strength in myself. Bow.

Look around. I see you.

Cup hands to ears. I hear you.

Fold arms across chest. Mourning, feeling collective sadness, grief, lament, anger.

Bow. Acknowledging sacredness, resilience, humanity, strength in others.

Open hands, palm up, with a breath. Receiving blessings from God and from one another.

Touch with one hand and extend the other hand to another person. Heart-to-heart compassion.

Let us now begin this embodied blessing and healing together in silence.

Let us begin by taking a deep breath.

The blessing is repeated in action without spoken words.

Amen.

 

LAMENTING RACISM

The sin of racism hurts communities of color, fractures human relationships, and denies God’s good creation. Lament is a way for us to recognize the harm caused by racism.

 Nothing can separate us from the love of God in Christ Jesus (Romans 8:35-39). God’s grace in Christ frees us for the difficult work of recognizing and lamenting racism.

 We are all part of one body in Christ, called to act with equity, fairness, and justice. God’s saving love creates grace-filled spaces within us and within our relationships. God’s saving love calls and leads us toward rooting out the racism that continues to infect the body.

 Within the whole human family, people of color have experienced both interpersonal aggression and structural oppression instead of abundant life. We recognize and lament the harm racism has caused to African Descent communities; American Indian and Alaska Native communities; Indigenous Peoples within Canada; Arab and Middle Eastern communities; Asian and Pacific Islander communities; and Latinx communities. We cry out to you,  hear our lament, O God.

 We have assigned the notion of race to human beings created in God’s own divine image. We have judged God’s beautiful diversity by our flawed and artificial standards. We cry out to you, hear our lament, O God.

 We have used language and images in ways that equate black and dark with dirt and sin, and that fail to welcome the treasures of darkness in God’s good creation. We cry out to you, hear our lament, O God.

 We have accepted practices in our churches and in our society that privilege whiteness over diversity and equity. We have been complicit in how racism continues to exclude and harm people of color. We cry out to you, hear our lament, O God.

 When one part of the body of Christ hurts, the whole body hurts. As we listen to people who are harmed by racism, we call to you, open our hearts, O God.   

 As we reflect on our daily interactions with people and communities of color, we call to you, open our hearts, O God.

 As we reconsider what we have been taught about race and racism, we call to you, open our hearts, O God.

 As we contemplate what we have done and what we have left undone, we call to you, open our hearts, O God.  

 As we labor to create a loving and safe community for our siblings of color, we call to you, open our hearts, O God.  

 Holy and merciful God, as your people we recommit ourselves to loving one another as you have loved us. Prepare us for this time of listening and discovery. We pray in the name of the one who has made us one, Jesus Christ our Lord. Amen.

 

Additional Prayers

O God of all, with wonderful diversity of languages and cultures you created all people in your own image. Free us from prejudice and fear, that we may see your face in the faces of our Asian siblings and people around the world; through Jesus Christ, our Savior and Lord. (Adapted from Evangelical Lutheran Worship Occasional Services for the Assembly, p.398)

 

O God, you form all humanity to bear your divine image, and you intend for everyone to live together in harmonious dignity. We pray for all people, whether ourselves or others, who suffer the cruelties of racial or ethnic prejudice. Grant your Spirit of power to all who are oppressed. Give healing to victims of violence, protection to the vulnerable and abused, better housing and worthy employment to the mistreated, courage to the fearful, a remedy for rage, strength to parents and caregivers, and hope to children and youth. Purge the privileged of their sense of superiority, and lead church and society to foster communities of equity and diversity; through Jesus Christ, our loving Savior.  Amen. (All Creation Sings, p. 50)

 

O God, in your divine mystery you embrace difference in unity, and you call your people to live in peace with all. We pray for an end to racial and ethnic prejudice. Free us from the dread of difference. Free the church from constricting traditions. Free our society from centuries of violence against the other. Break down the walls that separate your people by color, culture, or religion. Call us to repentance for our sins of racism and prejudice, known and unknown. Transform discrimination into a passion for justice. Guide us to nurture a society that embodies reconciliation and cooperation among all, for the sake of the one who embodies your love, Jesus Christ, our Savior and Lord.

Amen. (All Creation Sings, p. 51) 

40 Words of Lent: Strive (3/16/2021)

"Strive first for the kingdom of God... (Matthew 6:33) 
 

Strive: seek, desire, search for, require, demand; make great effort to achieve

What have been times in your life when you have strived for something?

       What have you put your full heart, mind, body and soul into?

         What has been a goal or purpose that you have been so passionate about that you could do nothing else but work towards it?

                                                    Strive first for the kingdom of God

Often those things that hold our attention so very much is because that mean so much to us, we love them so much that we can do no other.

                    Love the Lord your God with all your heart, soul, mind and strength

                                    God so loved the world that he gave his only Son 

God is so passionately in love with us that he strove to reveal that love to us by sending his Son and through the cross, we find the fullness of that love

Think about the word "strive" as it applies not to our own efforts, but how God seeks to reveal God's love to all

40 Words of Lent: Worry (3/15/2021)

 

Pastor Jen's video reflection: https://youtu.be/qXST_7kPfSU

Philippians 4:6

Do not worry about anyt6ings, but in everything by prayer and supplication with thanksgiving, let your requests be made known to God.

Matthew 6:25-34   

²⁵ “Therefore I tell you, do not worry about your life, what you will eat or what you will drink, or about your body, what you will wear. Is not life more than food, and the body more than clothing? ²⁶ Look at the birds of the air; they neither sow nor reap nor gather into barns, and yet your heavenly Father feeds them. Are you not of more value than they? ²⁷ And can any of you by worrying add a single hour to your span of life? ²⁸ And why do you worry about clothing? Consider the lilies of the field, how they grow; they neither toil nor spin, ²⁹ yet I tell you, even Solomon in all his glory was not clothed like one of these. ³⁰ But if God so clothes the grass of the field, which is alive today and tomorrow is thrown into the oven, will he not much more clothe you—you of little faith? ³¹ Therefore do not worry, saying, ‘What will we eat?’ or ‘What will we drink?’ or ‘What will we wear?’ ³² For it is the Gentiles who strive for all these things; and indeed your heavenly Father knows that you need all these things. ³³ But strive first for the kingdom of God and his  righteousness, and all these things will be given to you as well.   ³⁴ “So do not worry about tomorrow, for tomorrow will bring worries of its own. Today’s trouble is enough for today.

Here is an activity to do when your worries seem to overwhelm: 

Worry Notes Prayer activity: https://familyministrytools.org/2020/03/13/virus/?fbclid=IwAR2XL9rsc5YrZT3oedIz3YHE4j_3VDgPKbzU18Ra8nvn44HNK4XJmEwKFkg 

"Don't Worry, Be Happy" by Bobby McFerrin: https://youtu.be/d-diB65scQU

40 Words of Lent: PERFECT (3/13/2021)

"Be perfect, therefore, as your heavenly Father is perfect" (Matthew 5:48)

 I'm far from a perfectionist.  While Michael, my husband, wasn't necessarily concerned with being perfect, he did believe that there was a "right" way to do something (that I affectionately called the "Michael way").  My step-dad Lee was like this as well - most often occasioned when we had to set up the chairs in our worship space at church.  Using the tiles on the floor, each chair had to be a certain number os squares apart for each row (military precision, in other words) [note: they never met, yet somehow we're alike in a number of ways]. 

From the scripture above, "perfect" in Greek ( τέλειος, teleios) is less about having no faults, and more about a sense of completion, reaching an end goal.   Perfection in terms of wholeness and a sense of being fully as God intended for us and the world.  We could even see a sense of "shalom" which means not just peace, but wholeness and completeness.

Perfection as a way of faith is not about getting things "just so" for our own sakes, but seeking to live the perfect way of God.  The passage from Matthew (above) comes at the end of a passage about loving our enemies.  "If all you do is love the lovable, do you expect a bonus...Live out your God-created identity.  Live generously and graciously towards others, the way God lives toward you. " (Matthew 4:46, 48, The Message translation)

Our "perfection" is found in the fullness of God's love and grace that was poured out by Christ on the cross.  God's perfection was realized in Christ's suffering and death and came to its completion/perfection when he rose from the dead.

It is this perfect love that shapes us and guides us in our daily lives.

Thanks be to God!

40 Words of Lent: WISDOM (3/12/2021)

 “The simple things are also the most extraordinary things, and only the wise can see them.”  (Paulo Coelho, The Alchemist)

The book of Proverbs is all about what wisdom is and is not.  It invites the reader into discerning the importance of wisdom for everyday life.  While connected to this week's earlier word "know", wisdom offers more than just knowledge.  It is about taking what we know and using critical thinking to put it into practice. 

Frederick Buechner writes "Wisdom is not only a matter of the mind, but of the heart..." (Beyond Words: daily readings in the ABCs of faith).  It does not rely purely about information, but how what we know can reveal the love of God in the midst of the world.  

Wisdom, often personified as female, is also seen as the ways in which the Spirit of God moves in our midst.  It was Wisdom that created the heavens and the earth (Prov. 3:19-20) and  the Spirit of Wisdom who rests upon us as our baptism (Isaiah 11:2).  It was the Wisdom of God who sent the prophets and apostles (Luke 11:49). Wisdom resides within Christ (Colossians 2:2-3).

The Spirit of God gives us the gift of wisdom to live our lives of faith.  It guides us beyond our knowledge to see the ways in which we are called to share the love and grace of Christ.

In James 3:13-18: Who is wise and understanding among you? Show by your good life that your works are done with gentleness born of wisdom. But if you have bitter envy and selfish ambition in your hearts, do not be boastful and false to the truth. Such wisdom does not come down from above, but is earthly, unspiritual, devilish. For where there is envy and selfish ambition, there will also be disorder and wickedness of every kind.  But the wisdom from above is first pure, then peaceable, gentle, willing to yield, full of mercy and good fruits, without a trace of partiality or hypocrisy. And a harvest of righteousness is sown in peace for[f] those who make peace." 

40 Words of Lent: RICHES (3/11/2021)

 

If I had a million dollars.... (see song link below)

Have you ever imagined what you could/would do if you received $1,000,000 (tax free)?

               What would you use it for first?
                        Pay off debts?
                             Buy something expensive?

                                  Invest it or put it in a savings account or the like?
                                       Give some to family and/or friends?

                                               Donate to your church or a charity?

Jesus said to the rich man: A certain ruler asked him, “Good Teacher, what must I do to inherit eternal life?” Jesus said to him, “Why do you call me good? No one is good but God alone. You know the commandments: ‘You shall not commit adultery; You shall not murder; You shall not steal; You shall not bear false witness; Honor your father and mother.’” He replied, “I have kept all these since my youth.” When Jesus heard this, he said to him, “There is still one thing lacking. Sell all that you own and distribute the money to the poor, and you will have treasure in heaven; then come, follow me.” But when he heard this, he became sad; for he was very rich. Jesus looked at him and said, “How hard it is for those who have wealth to enter the kingdom of God!  Indeed, it is easier for a camel to go through the eye of a needle than for someone who is rich to enter the kingdom of God.” (Luke 18:18-25)

In this story as well as others similar to it, being rich doesn't seem like a good thing in relationship to being a disciple. Jesus has more to say about money and wealth than about just about any other aspect of our lives.  He knows how important it is as a part of our daily lives.

Yet, he also knows how much our "riches" (whatever the amount) can grow in importance until it becomes the only thing of importance.  How many stories have we heard about those who win the lottery and eventually end up in debt and/or estranged from family and friends.

Scripture also tells us: For the love of money is a root of all kinds of evil, and in their eagerness to be rich some have wandered away from the faith and pierced themselves with many pains. (I Timothy 6:10)

and

Keep your lives free from the love of money, and be content with what you have; for he has said, “I will never leave you or forsake you.” (Hebrews 13:5) 

It is not riches in and of  itself that is either good or bad.  Money is a tool that we use to live in the world, but it does not bring us the fullness of life that we need.  It is inanimate and while it helps us eat, have shelter and the like, it does not bring life.

Jesus asks us to give up our dependence upon riches - for they will fade away (only need to watch the stock market to see how fickle money can be).  It is not about the amount of money, but rather the amount or priority that it takes in our lives.  While we may need money to live today, it cannot be the primary force or motivation in our lives.

Thinking back to what you might do with a million dollars, how might our faith change our decisions?  

Song link: https://open.spotify.com/track/0KeDuUqEX3P0cKzRD5pEom?si=623a544c3a38444e