Day 14: Finding flexibility

Scripture Readings: Jeremiah  4.9-10, 19-28 and John 5.19-29

Jeremiah tells his audience to turn away from their sins and turn back to God. He calls the people “stiff necked”. They refuse to learn from their mistakes and misfortune and continue with their stubborn un-God-like ways. Sound familiar?  It does to me… according to Dictionary.com stiff necked is defined as: stubborn, obstinate, intractable, willful, pigheaded. Yikes…pigheaded. But I must admit stubborn and willful could be something I relate to.

I like things a certain way in my home, in my family, my church, my country and my politics. What’s wrong with the way things are, I ask internally? And things seem to move too fast and “people’s” priorities seem to be changing. I am uncomfortable and unsure in change. Yet, I know that God is always here with me, with you, with us. How do I balance my experience with the change of the future? The answer lies in God and with God in me and in His community of faith. 

The Gospel of John tells us that Jesus is God in the flesh, born to die as God’s sacrifice for human sin (interpreted by me as stubborn, willful, and pigheaded). John encourages us to believe in Christ… to love Christ with our whole heart just as God in Christ loved us. God loved us enough to send his Son Jesus to die on a cross for us and our willful ways. We in turn are to love others with that same sacrificial love… a love that is caring, giving, open, and flexible. Even in troubled times, or when we are stuck in a negative pattern, we are called as disciples to be love and to act in love to those around us. 

The answer to my dilemma is within. God is in us, in me and in our hearts. We need to listen with an open heart during this time of Lent… a time of listening, waiting and sacrifice. Maybe in the sacrifice we can find openness and flexibility to let God work in us and among us. This is my prayer.

Christ is the light of the world and the bread of life; we are called to continue His work today!

Sherrye Bass, Executive Assistant to Dr. Fiedler, Genesis Class member

Day 13: Shepherds after my own heart

Scripture Readings: Jeremiah  3.6-18 and John 5.1-18

Jeremiah 3 can be a little rough. Maybe I’m the only one who struggles relating to the characters in this story. But, I’m going to jump out on a limb and suggest that most of us have never become harlots. I do, however, relate on a very basic human level, and, I would venture to say that we all struggle with faithlessness and falseness.

We all have a past. We all have a present. We have our own struggles, personal demons, sins, which cripple us to varying degrees – that keep up from living a full life of peace.

In John 5, Jesus comes across a crippled man and asks him, “Do you want to be made well?” (v. 6) That may seem like an unnecessary question which would receive an obvious “Yes!”, but there have been times in my life when I wasn’t quite ready to make the changes needed to be made well. There can be a subconscious satisfaction with the status quo. And devoting my life to following the examples of Jesus Christ is hard. I am confronted daily with the need for grace, the need to say “Yes!” to God and “No!” to my status quo.

So how do we do it? How do we change the ways that are so much a part of who we are in order to live a life more fully for God. In Jeremiah 3:15, God tells us, “I will give you shepherds after my own heart, who will feed you with knowledge and understanding.”

God will provide shepherd’s after God’s own heart. People who will show you and me the way. How AWESOME is that!?! I find some much needed comfort in knowing that I’m not going through this alone – this everyday thing we call life.  

Where do you find your comfort? Knowing Jesus invites us to being made whole? Knowing God will provide the shepherds to lead us down the right paths?

For me it means that I seek comfort in the knowledge that God is not through with me yet. Not a day goes by when God is not at work – even on my days of rest. But Jesus answered them, “My Father is still working, and I also am working.” (John 5:17)

Kat Kaden, Media Resources Manager, Rotunda Board Chair, Chancel Choir and UrbanLife member

Day 12: Blind Faith

Scripture Readings: Jeremiah  2.1-13 and John 4.43-54

The season of Lent has always been for me a time of reflection. This year I am reflecting on what God’s plan is for my life. Am I living my best life – the life that God intended me to live? How do I know that I’m on the best path? These are big questions and are difficult to digest. How do I reconcile my human desire for knowing in my head that I’m walking down the right path with my heart’s desire to trust in God and to rely on him for direction?

When I read the passage of John 4:43-54, I am inspired by the faith shown by the royal official. This royal official lived in Capernaum and heard that Jesus was in Cana and he traveled all the way to Cana to ask for Jesus’ help. This distance is about 20-25 miles, or a day’s walk on foot. The nobleman begged Jesus to come with him back to Capernaum to heal his son. Jesus’ response was, “Unless you see signs and wonders you will not believe.” After this, the nobleman seemed not to understand what Jesus meant and asked again, “Sir come down before my little boy dies.” Rather than Jesus returning with the official, he simply said, “Go; your son will live.” It is at this point that the official’s faith inspires me. John reports that “The man believed the words that Jesus spoke to him and started on his way.”  The official had enough faith to believe in that moment that Jesus had healed his son. It is also interesting to note the length of time the official took to return home. He encountered his slaves on his return journey and they reported that the fever left his son at 1 in the afternoon the previous day. The official had so much faith that he did not hurry home to be by his son’s bedside. What an extraordinary amount of faith!

As you reflect on this scripture in John, what are the things in your life that you struggle with to have blind faith? Are there things that you find it hard to give up to God completely? Does your human mind get in your way of discovering your heart’s true desire?

The hope in the resurrection is our guide forward as Christians. If we have faith and trust in God completely, amazing things will happen in our lives.

Please pray with me:
Heavenly Father, thank you for making me human, and giving me such an inquisitive mind. Please help me calm my mind and open my heart to receive the Holy Spirit. I hope that I may have faith as strong as that of the royal official: to believe that in Jesus, all things are possible. Amen.

Alexis Fletcher, Chancel Choir and UrbanLife member

Day 11: All the nourishment you need

Scripture Readings: Jeremiah  1.11-19 and John 4.27-42

At first Jesus is talking to this women. She leaves the scene, and tells a group of people in town about Jesus. While she is out of the picture Jesus refuses to eat anything. (No, he wasn't watching his figure) and his disciples are urging him to eat. But he won’t. So, finally they ask the right question. Why? Why won't Jesus eat something? He says, “My food is to do what the one who sent me wants me to do.” This one line of dialog pretty much sums up everything we are taught. You do what the Big Man wants you do, and that's all the nourishment you need. Anyways, so many people in town already believe in Jesus. The people beg Jesus to stay and so he does. More people convert, and they tell the women some good news. “First we believe because of what you told us, now we believe because of what heard from ourselves. He is the one who will save the world.”

As I was reading this I thought about my trip. As you probably know, a group of us went to Israel. I went on the trip with my grandmother, grandfather and father. On this trip we went to two places Jesus could have been buried. The first one was the Holy Sepulchre Church, which I personally have a hard time believing, and the Garden tomb. To me, this was real deal. It’s a tiny cave in the middle of a garden. We were only allowed to go in groups of six or seven, and so my family all went last as a group. Standing in this cave I got chills. And my family just suddenly got the urge to circle up and pray in this tomb. You know my entire life I was told that there is a God. And I believed because they told me. But now I believe because I heard for myself in that tomb.

Halie Harrison, FUMC youth, Higher Ground member

Day 10: My Mountain or Yours?

Scripture Readings: Deuteronomy 11.18-28 and John 4.1-26

 

The woman said to him, “Sir, I perceive that you are a prophet. Our fathers worshipped on this mountain; and you say that in Jerusalem is the place where men ought to worship.” Jesus said to her, “Woman, believe me the hour is coming when neither on this mountain nor in Jerusalem is the place where men ought to worship…But the hour is coming, and now is, when the true worshippers will worship the Father in spirit and truth, for such the Father seeks to worship him.” (John 4:1-26)

During my first pastorate in Harrisburg, PA, I served on a committee that was to plan a state convention of Christian youths from many denominations. Everything went surprisingly well as we came to the task of concluding the conference. Unaware that the communion rail could be a place of contention rather than unity, I proposed that we conclude the conference with a service of Holy Communion. Immediately, one member of the panel protested: “Out of the question.” “Why?” I wanted to know and he answered quickly, “Because we do not all have the same concept of The Lord’s Supper!” Still thinking this was just a misunderstanding of each other, I said: “OK, what is your church’s understanding?” and he replied in some detail. When he finished, however, I said: “That’s essentially what I believe...” “Oh no, you don’t!.” And after a pause, he concluded: “We cannot come to the communion rail together!” And we didn’t.

Upon reading John 4:1-26, I have often recalled that incident because Jesus was confronted with a similar attitude. There were seemingly insurmountable barriers between Jews and Samaritans and Jews seeking to travel from Judea to Galilee were confronted with a heavy choice: they could go directly through Samaria and make the journey in three days; or they could avoid Samaria and take a circuitous route that would take about twice as long. So why not take the short route through Samaria? Because of four centuries of unmitigated hostility between Jews and Samaritans. To put it simply: their unresolved past made for an impossible present and no hope for an improved future. Jews hated Samaritans and the hostility was mutual---and to travelers an experience ranging from “unpleasant” to“dangerous.”

To make things even worse, the Samaritan who encounters Jesus the Jew at the well of Jacob is a woman and no Jew of any virtue would converse with a woman, let alone a Samaritan woman! And that was not all: this woman was obviously a woman of ill repute. She could have drawn water from a well closer than this remote watering spot. Probably she did not dare to draw water at the town well because of her despised status among the virtuous women of the town. So when she asked Jesus, “How is it that you, a Jew, ask a drink of me, a woman of Samaria?”, there were barriers that seemed impassable.

As he often did, Jesus turned the tables on her and said that, if she knew who he was, he could give her “living water.”Although the well of Jacob was very deep, its source was not running water from a spring, but water collected from the rain. So what Jesus had to give her was the best of all waters in taste and in purity.

When she realized that this man refused to be put off by the social and religious barriers of Jews and Samaritans, she asks him, “Sir, you have nothing to draw with, and the well is deep; where do you get that living water? Are you greater than our father Jacob, who gave us this well, and drank from it himself, and his sons, and his cattle?” (4:11,12). And Jesus replies: “Everyone who drinks of this water will thirst again, but whoever drinks of the water that I shall give him will never thirst; the water that I shall give him will become in him a spring of water welling up to eternal life” (4:13,14). John, the writer of this gospel, is saying that this is the vital difference in what Jesus offers the woman at the well and all others. The woman, a hated Samaritan, has the opportunity to receive the living water of eternal life. If a Samaritan can be offered that water, who can be denied? (Patience, Lord: we’ll find someone!)

This conversation—forbidden in the minds of most Jews and Samaritans—is heady, unsettling, almost too good to be true. So, in a very human response, she returns to the traditional arguments between Samaritans and Jews: “Sir, I perceive that you are a prophet. Our father worshipped on this mountain; and you say that in Jerusalem is the place where men ought to worship.” “This mountain” was the Samaritan mountain of Gerizim and the mountain of worship in Jerusalem is Mount Zion. So which mountain in the right place, the place ordained by the Lord?

The reply of Jesus cuts through the question of my mountain or yours: “Woman, believe me, the hour is coming when neither on this mountain nor in Jerusalem will you worship the Father…But the hour is coming, and now is, when the true worshippers will worship the Father in spirit and truth, for such the Father seeks to worship him. God is spirit, and those who worship him must worship in spirit and truth”(4:21-24).

True and spiritual worship is possible on, but not limited to, both your mountain and mine. Sincere, acceptable worship is not limited to times, places, rituals, and creeds, for the God of Jesus Christ and our Father is not limited by human barriers, nor the egotistic pride that erects them.

Thought for the day---from Edwin Markham’s poem, “Outwitted.”

                  “He drew a circle that shut me out-

                  Heretic, rebel, a thing to flout.
                  But love and I had the wit to win:
                  We drew a circle and took him in!

     

Prayer for today: LORD HELP ME TODAY TO DRAW BIGGER CIRCLES!

Rev. Larry Althouse, FUMC staff 1978-1993, retired.

Day 9: He must become greater

Scripture Readings: Deuteronomy  10.12-22 and John 3.22-36

As I read today’s scripture, it is verse 30 “He must become greater; I must become less” that gets to the heart of the passage. John not only says these words, he embodies the words through his actions and his responses. John had been baptizing people in Judea and when Jesus begins also begins to baptize   John’s followers question why there are two groups baptizing and why Jesus becomes greater.  I would argue that it is a human response to question when power is shifting away from us.  John however puts those thoughts into perspective for them by saying:

“A man can receive only what is given him from heaven. You yourselves can testify that I said, ‘I am not the Christ but am sent ahead of him.’ The bride belongs to the bridegroom. The friend who attends the bridegroom waits and listens for him, and is full of joy when he hears the bridegroom’s voice. That joy is mine, and it is now complete. He must become greater; I must become less”. (John 3:27-30)

John’s life was completely devoted to Christ. His every action and word was loyal to the work of spreading the good news and he found his joy in doing so.
 

He must become greater; I must become less.

On any given day you will hear someone utter the phrase “It’s not about you!” in our house. Most of the time the children are saying it to each other, often we are saying it to the children, and on occasion it is even said from one adult to the other.  As I reflect on this passage I can’t help wonder if God is saying the same thing to me. Am I allowing Him to become a “greater” part of me? Have I finally stopped feeling that “it’s all about me”?  Do I have Him deep within my thoughts and heart so that when I plan my day and life He is at the center? Is He in yours?

He must become greater; I must become less.

We must allow Christ deep within our hearts and minds so that our limits and fears are small and His everlasting joy and love are “greater”. And then and only then can we be who He intended. Loyal servants in our thoughts, actions, and words while spreading the good news.

Anamaria Mares, Agape Sunday school member

Day 8: Light and Darkness

Scripture Readings: Deuteronomy 9.23-10.5 and John 3.16-21

 

For God so loved the world that he gave his only Son, so that everyone who believes in him may not perish but may have eternal life. Indeed, God did not send the Son into the world to condemn the world, but in order that the world might be saved through him.  Those who believe in him are not condemned; but those who do not believe are condemned already, because they have not believed in the name of the only Son of God.  And this is the judgment, that the light has come into the world, and people loved darkness rather than the light because their deeds were evil.  For all who do evil hate the light and do not come to the light, so that their deeds may not be exposed.  But those who do what is true come to the light, so that it may be clearly seen that their deeds have been done in God. (John 3:16-21)

John 3:16 is one of the most, if not the most, recognized verse for Christians in all of the New Testament.  We see it on bumper stickers and on signs in the stands of sporting events.  Many of us have the verse memorized.  And this makes sense, for it is one of the foundations of our faith.  It is an amazing sign of love.  God gave us something.  He sacrificed his Son for us.  We neither deserved this act of love nor did we earn it.  God gave us this gift of grace free of charge.  After all, you cannot earn a gift.

 

A week removed from Valentine’s Day, we can remember to emulate this kind of self-sacrificial love, not only with our spouse or significant other, but also to all of those we come into contact with.  We are called to love the light, to be a city on a hill.  As the verses that follow mention, God sent his Son into the world to save it, not to condemn it.  As we go out and spread this Good News, we should focus on this love and the grace of our God and remember not to condemn others. 

 

I love the use of light and darkness in these verses.  It is natural to not want our mistakes or flaws to be cast into the light.  We would rather keep them in the dark, unexposed.  But it is only the light of Christ, not the darkness, than can purify our sins and make us whole and one with God.  This may be difficult, change always is.  But if we focus on where that light may lead us, to a life eternal with a God who is love, then we may pass on and share that light with others.  The more light there is, the more praise God receives, and the less power darkness will hold over our lives and our world.  So to praise our Father in heaven, let us all light up the darkness together through the saving grace of our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ.

 

Jonathan Reed, Assistant Director of UrbanLife 

Day 7: Room for the Spirit

Scripture Readings: Deuteronomy 9.13-21 and John 2.23-3.15

In each of these passages we see a tension between our finite, human understanding of how we relate to God, and the kind of relationship God longs to have with us. The Deuteronomy text recalls the time the Israelites turned away from Yahweh and created an idol to serve as the object of their worship. In John, we find Nicodemus questioning how a person can be born of the spirit after that person has already been born of the flesh. The Israelites had fallen prey to the culture around them, where various tribes and peoples worshipped objects that represented many different gods. They had difficulty letting go of “the norm” and fully trusting in the unique relationship they had with the one true God. Nicodemus had fallen prey to a false sense of religiosity that led him to believe true worship and right relationship with God depended on following a preset script of rules, rituals, and obligations. He couldn’t quite grasp what Jesus meant when he said, “no one can see the kingdom of God without being born from above.”

As we enter into the second week of our Lenten journey, where are you finding the struggles in your relationship with God? Does the culture around you make it difficult to focus on this season of fasting, self examination, and repentance? Have you struggled inwardly with “going through the motions” of religious rituals and disciplines, but still feel there should be something more spiritual to your experience of the Divine?

Nicodemus deserves some credit for recognizing something special about Jesus and seeking him out. But he gets caught up in his worldview of what it means to be born – to be human. Jesus responds that we must be born “of water and Spirit.” By including both, Jesus acknowledges the fullness of our humanity – and the fullness of God’s kingdom. Yes, we are each born from the water of the womb, and what we do with our earthly lives in the here and now matters. But there is also a spiritual realm to our existence, and to God’s kingdom, which we must embrace in order to be in right relationship with God and neighbor. Conforming to the culture around us, thinking we have all the answers, or believing we can ritualize our way into the kingdom – these approaches will always leave us wanting for a truly intimate encounter with God. Ultimately, we must be open to work the Spirit within our individual lives and amongst the community of believers, for “the spirit blows where it chooses, and you hear the sound of it, but you do not know where it comes from or where it goes. So it is with everyone who is born of the Spirit.”

Rev. Becky Walker, Associate Minister/Minister of Adult Education

Day 6: Tradition

Scripture Readings: Deuteronomy 9.4-12 and John 2.13-22

When I went up the mountain to receive the stone tablets, the tablets of the covenant that the Lord made with you, I remained on the mountain forty days and forty nights; I neither ate bread nor drank water. And the Lord gave me the two stone tablets written with the finger of God; on them were all the words that the Lord had spoken to you at the mountain out of the fire on the day of the assembly. At the end of forty days and forty nights the Lord gave me the two stone tablets, the tablets of the covenant. Then the Lord said to me, “Get up, go down quickly from here, for your people whom you have brought from Egypt have acted corruptly. They have been quick to turn from the way that I commanded them; they have cast an image for themselves.” (Deuteronomy 9:9-12)

In this passage Moses is recounting the events surrounding the giving of the Ten Commandments. Notice first that the tradition of spending forty days in preparation for a profound religious event is a very old tradition. Our tradition of forty days of Lent is an offspring of this. Of course, in our modern world we find it difficult to spend forty minutes in preparation to hear the voice of God, and like the Israelites we become impatient waiting for God’s word and create our own image of who God is and what God wants.

The Passover of the Jews was near, and Jesus went up to Jerusalem. In the temple he found people selling cattle, sheep, and doves, and the money changers seated at their tables. Making a whip of cords, he drove all of them out of the temple, both the sheep and the cattle. He also poured out the coins of the money changers and overturned their tables. He told those who were selling the doves, “Take these things out of here! Stop making my Father’s house a marketplace!” – John 2:13-16

And here we see the image of God we here in America so often make for ourselves. In spite of our pledge that we are a nation under God, too often we are a nation who worships the “invisible hand of the marketplace.” People flock to churches who preach the “prosperity gospel.”  Pastor’s tell them, “God wants you to be rich.” And so we turn our temples into marketplaces once again selling consumerism instead of citizenship in the kingdom of God.

What does God really want for us? Jesus, whose life, crucifixion and resurrection we seek to contemplate these forty days, sums it up in John 15:12, “This is my commandment, that you love one another as I have loved you.” Now let’s be clear.

The love Jesus is talking about is not a warm fuzzy feeling for those we already think are lovable. Jesus cares about, nurtures and heals even those who hate him and kill him. He does not wish us wealth or fame or power over others or even fleeting pleasures. He wishes us something much better. “I have said this that my joy may be in you, and that your joy may be complete.” – John 15:11

Being full of the love of God is the true joy and it is a spring of living water bubbling up into eternal life. The Jesus who died on the cross for his enemies, rose to forgive and love them, forever. This is the image we must contemplate for these forty days. Prepare ye the way of the Lord.

Rev. Tom Downing, Pastor Emeritus/Minister of Senior Adult Ministries

Day 5: Laws of Love

Scripture Readings: Deuteronomy 8.11-18 and John 2.1-12

These passages strike me as a reminder that God’s laws for us are signs he loves us, and when we follow them, we are showing we love Him.

In the Old Testament verse, the Hebrews needed constant reminders that God was their deliverer; it was not through their efforts that they reached the Promised Land, or were allowed to defeat their enemies.  In the New Testament verse, Jesus, by changing water into wine, reminded the wedding guests that they needed help, and Jesus represents God saving His “best” for last (verse 10), by sending Jesus.

I was unchurched as a kid, and I felt left out often, when attending funerals or weddings, and I would see that most others were familiar with the rituals (“The Lord’s Prayer”, for example).  With no background to help explain, I still instinctively knew that some sense of obedience to a Higher authority was present in most people I met.  I could also tell that those who had it seemed to have some sense of belonging or confidence that I did not have.  As I got older, and my own struggles with life came into more clear view, I was aware I could not always find strength to cope within myself.  After meeting my wife, and seeing her faith experience, I began to yearn for “something else” in this faith arena.

I knew I did not have all the answers.

 

I found a faith experience at First Church, joining and being baptized in my 30’s; BUT, I also found that having that faith did not shield me from wants or cares.

Like the Hebrews, in my early faith journey I wanted to have God deliver me MY WAY, or to take care of my problems MY WAY.  Silly me, I did not realize that sometimes, if not often, my way is just not going to happen.  AND, also, sometimes, if not often, my way would not have been best.  Being unable to fix everything or everyone, including myself, is the human condition.

The Old Testament verses say we should not let our hearts “become proud” so that we “will forget the Lord your God”.  Deut. 8:14.  The New Testament wedding story showed Jesus’ power to meet our every need.  God will provide, I suppose, is the message, and He may do so using something ordinary like water, or even using humble people like us.  Frankly, the older I get (now 60), the more I am perfectly happy to let God handle my biggest problems, HIS way.  I guess that means I am slowly getting the message; at least I hope so.

 

Mike Holloway, 2013 Church Council Chair, Chancel Choir, Class Etc. & 1stEco Team member

Day 4: God will deliver

Scripture Readings: Deuteronomy 7.12-16 and John 1.35-42

You may say to yourselves, “These nations are stronger than we are. How can we drive them out?”  But do not be afraid of them; remember well what the  Lord  your God did to Pharaoh and to all Egypt.  You saw with your own eyes the great trials, the signs and wonders, the mighty hand and outstretched arm, with which the  Lord  your God brought you out. The  Lord  your God will do the same to all the peoples you now fear.  Moreover, the  Lord  your God will send the hornet among them until even the survivors who hide from you have perished.  Do not be terrified by them, for the  Lord  your God, who is among you, is a great and awesome God.  The  Lord  your God will drive out those nations before you, little by little. You will not be allowed to eliminate them all at once, or the wild animals will multiply around you.  But the  Lord  your God will deliver them over to you, throwing them into great confusion until they are destroyed.  He will give their kings into your hand, and you will wipe out their names from under heaven. No one will be able to stand up against you; you will destroy them.  The images of their gods you are to burn in the fire. Do not covet the silver and gold on them, and do not take it for yourselves, or you will be ensnared by it, for it is detestable to the  Lord  your God.  Do not bring a detestable thing into your house or you, like it, will be set apart for destruction. Regard it as vile and utterly detest it, for it is set apart for destruction. (Deuteronomy 7:17-26)

God will deliver you from your oppressors if you have faith in him. While it may not happen overnight, God will help those who stay faithful to him. This passage  uses the Israelites as an example. They were enslaved by the Egyptians for a few hundred years before God finally saved them.  So even when it feels as if you are alone and the odds are against you, God will always be there to help you through your problems in the end because nothing is impossible with God on your side. All he wants in return is for you to not want what is detestable to Him because doing so will make you grow further from Him. 

Mark Burton, Higher Ground member

Day 3: The Great Shema

Scripture Readings: Deuteronomy 7.12-16 and John 1.35-42

Moses, the reluctant leader, recites what becomes the great shema of the Israelite people: “Hear, O Israel: The Lord is our God, the Lord alone. “ Moses continues with a call to devotion and faithfulness in Deuteronomy 6. “You shall love the Lord your God with all your heart, and with all your soul, and with all your might.” How many of us recited those very words in catechism class or Sunday School? I always said the scripture with hesitation and a softer voice. The “all” and the “heart, soul, might” parts seemed too much to hope given my performance to date.

Moses describes the blessings for God’s people when they are obedient to their calling. The blessings cover everything: fruit of the womb and the ground, grain, wine, oil, flocks, health, and you name it. He warns against the snare of turning away from God. The Israelites declare intentions of purity and truth. Yet time and time again, their wanderlust finds them dancing with abandon in the temples of other gods.

In John 1, John the Baptist calls out to Jesus: “Look, there is the Lamb of God!” Imagine Jesus just walking by you. The men with John, including Andrew, immediately latch onto Jesus. Andrew grabs his brother and brings him along. “We have found the Messiah!” So begins the cadre of disciples who will follow Jesus until death and beyond. They pledge to never leave or forsake Him. We know the story: the disciples’ journeys are rocky and fraught with drama. Andrew’s brother, Simon Peter, is the very one who denies even knowing Jesus, as a crowd questions his loyalties.

I say the great shema with desire in my whole being to love God well. I want to pursue God as my greatest affection and to follow the Lamb. But I settle for so much less. I chase lesser loves. I walk away from blessings in search of who knows what.

I lean hard on the beginning of John 1. “And the Word became flesh and lived among us, and we have seen his glory, full of grace and truth.” I need the undeserved, unmerited favor of a covenant-keeping God. Grace saves me over and over. Truth calls me back to “The Lord is our God, the Lord alone.”

This Lenten season, may the Spirit work in you to rejuvenate and renew your love for God and for all human beings loved by God. May God Emmanuel, who became flesh and lived among us, shine grace and truth into every nook and cranny of your being. In this, may you find peace.

Joni Powers, FirstChurch member, author

Day 2: Grace and Response

Scripture Readings: Deuteronomy 7.6-11 and John 1.29-34

 

For you are a people holy to the Lord your God; the Lord your God has chosen you out of all the peoples on earth to be his people, his treasured possession. It was not because you were more numerous than any other people that the Lord set his heart on you and chose you—for you were the fewest of all peoples. It was because the Lord loved you and kept the oath that he swore to your ancestors, that the Lord has brought you out with a mighty hand, and redeemed you from the house of slavery, from the hand of Pharaoh king of Egypt. Know therefore that the Lord your God is God, the faithful God who maintains covenant loyalty with those who love him and keep his commandments, to a thousand generations, and who repays in their own person those who reject him. He does not delay but repays in their own person those who reject him. Therefore, observe diligently the commandment—the statutes, and the ordinances—that I am commanding you today.

Grace and response. That is the foundational understanding behind the Jewish law laid out in Deuteronomy (and elsewhere). God did something absolutely amazing. God delivered the Jewish people from bondage, and guided them to a land of their own. This wasn’t something they earned; God did it because God is full of grace and love. God made a promise, and God keeps promises.

So how was Israel to respond? What did God ask of them in return? God gave the people guidelines for how to live, and expected them to follow. It was how God asked Israel to respond to the grace they had been shown.

The exact same principle applies to us today. God has done something absolutely amazing for us through Jesus Christ. Forgiveness, reconciliation, healing, and a multitude of other gifts. We didn’t earn this. God did it because God is full of grace and love. And in response, God calls us to live our lives in a certain way. God calls us to live our lives as reflections of the grace and love that we have been shown.

I pray that we use this season of Lent to remind ourselves of the amazing grace that God has shown us. And to remind and dedicate ourselves that the only fitting response to what God has done for us is to devote every aspect of our lives to reflecting the grace and love we have been shown.

 

Allen Zugelter, Director of Evangelism & UrbanLife

Ashes and Fasting – the Lenten Journey Begins

Scripture Readings: Isaiah 58.1-12 and Matthew 6.1-6, 16-20

As we enter into this sacred and holy time of Lent, many of us will choose to participate in some form of fasting. I always enjoy talking to people about the things they are “giving up” for Lent. Often it involves a change in diet, such as attempting to go forty days without eating chocolate or drinking one’s favorite diet soda. Others get a little more creative and choose to eliminate Facebook or ESPN time from their daily lives. I must admit, when I first began observing Lent, I did little more than participate in the “no chocolate” or “no TV” ritual. And while there is certainly nothing wrong with fasting from those things (and probably something quite healthy about it!), the Isaiah and Matthew texts we read as we begin this journey call us into a deeper understanding of fasting. They compel us to see our fast as something beyond ourselves – they call us to live out our fast as an act of spiritual worship.

In Isaiah 58.3, the people cry out to God, “Why do we fast, but you do not see? Why do we humble ourselves, but you do not notice?”

We should take seriously God’s response as we enter into this time of Lent – regardless of what it is we choose to “give up.” If we fight and quarrel, if we oppress others, if we serve our own interests – then it matters not to God that we humble ourselves by fasting or adorning the ritualistic ashes. The kind of fasting that God requires is clearly spelled out in verses 6-7:
     “to loose the bonds of injustice,
     to undo the thongs of the yoke,
     to let the oppressed go free,
     and to break every yoke…
     to share your bread with the hungry,
     and bring the homeless poor into your house;
     and when you see the naked to cover them,
     and not to hide yourself from your own kin.”

So what will be your fast this Lenten season? For the past two years, the United Methodist General Board of Church and Society has encouraged UMC members, groups, and congregations around the globe to observe an “Alcohol Free Lent.” This was not an attempt to return to the days of prohibition – but it was a reminder of our Wesleyan roots which identified the destructive nature of alcoholism as a societal sin, causing great suffering amongst families and individuals. The idea was not to shame anyone for drinking, but to bring awareness and dialogue to a social (and very personal) concern that affects millions of people worldwide every day. Many churches established a “Spirit Fund” to support organizations providing recovery and support services to persons affected by alcoholism. In this way, UMC members collectively participated in a fast that sought to break the bonds of an oppressive disease and bring the light of freedom to those who suffer its devastating effects.

Earlier this month, over 50 FirstChurch women participated in a retreat focused on the systemic sin of human trafficking. Although the subject matter was quite heavy, these women came away from the event inspired and passionate about the many ways they can be a part of the solution, and educate and empower others to do the same. There was no “fasting” involved in our Women’s Retreat, but what if this year our Lenten fast helped us strengthen our spiritual focus on freeing young women and girls from the bonds of sexual slavery?

In Matthew 6, Jesus warns against false piety, prayer, and fasting. He teaches that when we do these things, they should not be done for the sake of drawing attention to ourselves, but so that our Father will see it. Should not the fast that we choose be the type of fast that God not only sees – but the type of fast God chooses?

Today is Ash Wednesday, the beginning of the forty day journey toward Easter. When fasting, it can feel like a long time of wandering through the wilderness. We draw strength from ritual and community. I pray you will take the opportunity to participate in the ritual of the imposition of ashes this day, and that you will enter this season with a sense of repentance, spiritual discipline, and renewal. But even more, I pray that whatever disciplines and rituals you choose to observe this Lenten season, you will incorporate into your spiritual life a desire to “loose the bonds of injustice, let the oppressed go free, and break every yoke.”

In so doing,
“Your light shall break forth like the dawn, and your healing shall spring up quickly…
Then you shall call, and the Lord will answer;
you shall cry for help, and he will say,
Here I am.”

In the name of our Lord, our Savior, our Redeemer,
Amen.

Rev. Becky Walker, Associate Minister/Minister of Adult Education

Capture the Full Glory of Easter

We look forward to journeying with you throughout Lent as we seek the glory of Easter! Please consider the Power and Passion of the Resurrection story in your own life as staff and lay members post daily reflections on this blog.

If you would like to participate in Ash Wednesday Services, FirstChurch offers two services: a Come & Go Service from noon to 1:30 p.m. in Dickerson Chapel and a 7:30 p.m. worship service led by Allen Zugelter. More information can be found at firstchurchdallas.org.