Request for Prayers
This coming weekend, the Independent Catholic Christian Church will be having its first jurisdictional Gathering. On Saturday, God willing, I will be ordaining our seminarians Michael and Carol to the minor order of Doorkeeper and our seminarian Marian to the minor order of Acolyte. Please pray that the Gathering is a time of grace for our community, and please especially pray for those being ordained.
In Memoriam: Larry Norman
For many, this is not a familiar name, but if you remember the early contemporary Christian music of the late '60s and '70s, then you know who Larry was. Please check out Michael Spencer's post on Larry's ministry and passing at http://www.internetmonk.com/archive/larry-norman-tribute#comment-203992
Here is one of his songs from YouTube:
--------------
Now playing: The Outlaw/music by Larry Norman
via FoxyTunes
Before there was the big industry of CCM, there was Larry.
Here is one of his songs from YouTube:
--------------
Now playing: The Outlaw/music by Larry Norman
via FoxyTunes
Before there was the big industry of CCM, there was Larry.
Progress=2, 1, then none.
I am making progress since coming home from rehab following my knee replacement. Initially, I used a walker most of the time at home. I then progressed to 2 crutches. I am now down to 1 crutch and have put the walker away. Sometimes around the house I can manage without crutches altogether.
If you know me at all, you know my tendency toward clumsiness. With knee replacement, it is imperative to be careful not to fall. A fall can ruin the prosthesis and mean more surgery. Especially when we have had a storm like yesterday, this concerns me. Though likely out of context, the words of a number of Psalms have come to have renewed meaning for me. Here are a few verses:
If you know me at all, you know my tendency toward clumsiness. With knee replacement, it is imperative to be careful not to fall. A fall can ruin the prosthesis and mean more surgery. Especially when we have had a storm like yesterday, this concerns me. Though likely out of context, the words of a number of Psalms have come to have renewed meaning for me. Here are a few verses:
Psalm 17.5:
"My steps have held fast to your paths; my feet have not slipped."
Psalm 18.36:
"You gave me a wide place for my steps under me, and my feet did not slip."
Psalm 37.23:
"Our steps are made firm by the Lord, when he delights in our way."
Psalm 37.31:
"The law of their God is in their hearts; their steps do not slip."
There are countless others, but with care and the Lord's protection, I anticipate a full, accident free recovery.
Feast of the Chair of St. Peter at Antioch
Chris Tessone, a priest of the jurisdiction of which I'm a part, has an excellent post about today's feast, and the issues of church polity it raises. I would just add one thought, about infallibility.
The essence of idolatry is to attribute to a creature attributes that properly belong to God. Only God is infinite -- we as humans are by definition finite in every respect. God is omniscient -- we are not. God is omnipresent -- we are not. God is eternal -- we are not, and only know eternal life through God's gift.
Infallibility belongs in this category. No human being, regardless of the office he or she holds, can ever make any statement that is infallible. Nor can any book or institution claim infallibility or inerrancy. The belief that was promulgated by the Roman Catholic denomination at its first Vatican council, that the bishop of Rome is infallible when speaking ex cathedra, is an attempt to claim for a human being something that properly belongs only to God. Similarly, the teaching of the Southern Baptist Convention and others that the Bible cannot contain error is an attempt to claim for a book something that properly belongs only to God.
The Scriptures are a great gift to us, and through them we come to know God's self-revelation through Jesus Christ, fully God (and therefore genuinely infallible) and fully human, and our great redemption through Christ's death and resurrection. We believe that bishops and other church leaders are given grace to lead the church. But to attribute infallibility to either the Bible or church leaders is to distort their roles and put them in the place of the God to whom both are meant to point.
The essence of idolatry is to attribute to a creature attributes that properly belong to God. Only God is infinite -- we as humans are by definition finite in every respect. God is omniscient -- we are not. God is omnipresent -- we are not. God is eternal -- we are not, and only know eternal life through God's gift.
Infallibility belongs in this category. No human being, regardless of the office he or she holds, can ever make any statement that is infallible. Nor can any book or institution claim infallibility or inerrancy. The belief that was promulgated by the Roman Catholic denomination at its first Vatican council, that the bishop of Rome is infallible when speaking ex cathedra, is an attempt to claim for a human being something that properly belongs only to God. Similarly, the teaching of the Southern Baptist Convention and others that the Bible cannot contain error is an attempt to claim for a book something that properly belongs only to God.
The Scriptures are a great gift to us, and through them we come to know God's self-revelation through Jesus Christ, fully God (and therefore genuinely infallible) and fully human, and our great redemption through Christ's death and resurrection. We believe that bishops and other church leaders are given grace to lead the church. But to attribute infallibility to either the Bible or church leaders is to distort their roles and put them in the place of the God to whom both are meant to point.
Friday Cat Blogging
First, here is a picture from a couple of weeks ago of Allie peeking out from behind the refrigerator -- it came out very surrealistic:
Next, here is a picture from a couple of nights ago of both cats on the couch -- I've created a little cubbyhole for Allie, which she finds comforting -- I've concluded that she's somewhat agoraphobic:
Charles is not shy at all -- when friends were over for Vespers on Wednesday, he jumped up by one of them and promptly rolled over and demanded that she give him a bellyrub (a demand with which she happily complied).
Next, here is a picture from a couple of nights ago of both cats on the couch -- I've created a little cubbyhole for Allie, which she finds comforting -- I've concluded that she's somewhat agoraphobic:
Charles is not shy at all -- when friends were over for Vespers on Wednesday, he jumped up by one of them and promptly rolled over and demanded that she give him a bellyrub (a demand with which she happily complied).
A little child shall lead them.
Yesterday was our granddaughter, Grace's 4th birthday. Before church yesterday she was excitedly talking with a friend and asked her if she wanted to come to church and Sunday school with her. The girl asked her mom, and they both came. My daughter reported that Sarah's friend loved Sunday school.
It is so easy for children to share with their friends about that which excites them. What is our problem? "The wolf shall live with the lamb, the leopard shall lie down with the kid, the calf and the lion and the fatling together, and a little child shall lead them" (Is 11:6).
It is so easy for children to share with their friends about that which excites them. What is our problem? "The wolf shall live with the lamb, the leopard shall lie down with the kid, the calf and the lion and the fatling together, and a little child shall lead them" (Is 11:6).
Book Meme
Chris tagged me with a book meme that is going around (Grab the nearest book that is at least 123 pages long, open to p. 123, go down to the 5th sentence, type in the following 3 sentences.) My book is Cyril of Jerusalem's Catechetical Lectures.
"The Son of Man shall come to the Father, according to the Scripture which was just now read, on the clouds of heaven, drawn by a stream of fire, which is to make trial of men. Then if any man's works are of gold, he shall be made brighter; if any man's course of life be like stubble, and unsubstantial, it shall be burnt up by the fire. And the Father shall sit, having His garment white as snow, and the hair of His head like pure wool Daniel 7:9."
"The Son of Man shall come to the Father, according to the Scripture which was just now read, on the clouds of heaven, drawn by a stream of fire, which is to make trial of men. Then if any man's works are of gold, he shall be made brighter; if any man's course of life be like stubble, and unsubstantial, it shall be burnt up by the fire. And the Father shall sit, having His garment white as snow, and the hair of His head like pure wool Daniel 7:9."
Ember Friday Prayer and Cat Blogging Post
First, an Embertide prayer all bishops should pray fervently, from the 1928 Book of Common Prayer:
ALMIGHTY God, our heavenly Father, who hast purchased to thyself an universal Church by the precious blood of thy dear Son; Mercifully look upon the same, and at this time so guide and govern the minds of thy servants the Bishops and Pastors of thy flock, that they may lay hands suddenly on no one, but faithfully and wisely make choice of fit persons, to serve in the sacred Ministry of thy Church, And to those who shall be ordained to any holy function, give thy grace and heavenly benediction; that both by their life and doctrine they may show forth thy glory, and set forward the salvation of all men; through Jesus Christ our Lord. Amen.
Sadly, Charles has picked up an additional bad habit:
And I am happy to report that Allie is beginning to feel comfortable, at least some of the time, socializing with the rest of us rather than hiding under bed, couch, bookcase, or behind refrigerator:
ALMIGHTY God, our heavenly Father, who hast purchased to thyself an universal Church by the precious blood of thy dear Son; Mercifully look upon the same, and at this time so guide and govern the minds of thy servants the Bishops and Pastors of thy flock, that they may lay hands suddenly on no one, but faithfully and wisely make choice of fit persons, to serve in the sacred Ministry of thy Church, And to those who shall be ordained to any holy function, give thy grace and heavenly benediction; that both by their life and doctrine they may show forth thy glory, and set forward the salvation of all men; through Jesus Christ our Lord. Amen.
Sadly, Charles has picked up an additional bad habit:
And I am happy to report that Allie is beginning to feel comfortable, at least some of the time, socializing with the rest of us rather than hiding under bed, couch, bookcase, or behind refrigerator:
On the Road Again!
Well the doctor said I could drive once I felt up to it. Today was the first day it wasn't pouring rain or snowing or yukky out and I had someone to help me to the parking lot. My physical therapist helped me out when we were finished. The car started up immediately and I was on my way!!!
Picture from http://www.automotive.com/2006/12/toyota/corolla/photos/index.html
Check out Phyllis Tickle's post
Phyllis Tickle has written a number of books on fixed hour prayer. She now has a blog and today's post is particularly relevant to those of us observing Lent. It can be found at http://blog.beliefnet.com/thedivinehoursoflent/2008/02/wednesday-february-13-2008.html.
Blessings.
Blessings.
Powered by ScribeFire.
"She said yes."
These are the words that began the phone call from my son, Christian, yesterday. He proposed to his girlfriend, Marisa, and she said yes. Here's a picture of the two of them last Memorial Day weekend in front of The Breakers, when the whole gang visited. We are thrilled to have Marisa officially become part of our family. She's a sweetie. No date has yet been set.
God Sightings
Once again The Lutheran has some insightful articles apropos for Lent. Check out "God Sightings."
February 2008 issue
February 2008 issue
God sightings Make it your Lenten practice to watch for God's activity Where I live in the beautiful north woods of Wisconsin, restaurants still serve fish on Friday nights. I wonder if anyone thinks of sacrifice these days while eating walleye. I also wonder what people think about during Lent in 2008. All rituals can be empty or inspiring depending on clarity and earnestness. Here’s a suggestion: Let’s all give up mistrusting God for Lent. Wouldn’t that be worth a Hallelujah chorus or two? How would we even start trusting, you might be thinking? Theologian Dietrich Bonhoeffer (famous for several things, including the term “cheap grace”) suggested that trust follows obedience. Likewise, obedience follows trust. If we trust that what Jesus said is true, we will act. If you act on God’s behalf, you will see that God can multiply your efforts. If you separate trust and obedience, the church quickly becomes a mere social gathering with a tired conscience and good intentions.  Let’s get more specific. Wouldn’t it be wonderful if we could experience spiritual renewal this Lent as easily as King Josiah (2 Chronicles 34:14)? His servants brought up a dusty old book from the basement that turned out to be the Scriptures. He read it and called for immediate national repentance and a “return to the Lord.”Can you imagine the king thinking: “Oh, did God mean every Sabbath? Uh ... what exactly does ‘humble yourself before God’ mean? Whoops, I’m not sure I trust God, but I believe God exists. Is that enough? Hmm … I thought ‘grace’ meant I don’t have to worry about obedience? Really? I thought everyone went to heaven.” What would it mean for us to confess and “return to the Lord”? I suspect any attempt at spiritual growth and change will begin with Bible study and prayer. If we take a good look at what Jesus came to do (besides die), we might also get a clearer look at what God is still doing in the world. If we begin to see that God is, in fact, still specifically active in the world, it will refuel us to more resurrection life than we can imagine. I believe that at the heart of our infamous Lutheran shyness is insecurity about claiming anything but grace in the name of Christ. It’s not that we are genetically silent or evangelically impaired. I think we aren’t quite sure where and how to look for what my sister-in-law calls “God sightings.” When I spent time studying the book of Isaiah a couple of years ago, I was prompted to write Holy Purpose: The Blessings of Service, Obedience, and Faith for the “Lutheran Voices” series (Augsburg Fortress, 2007). I wanted to help people have more confidence in seeing where God has been in their pasts and in their present. If I could retitle the book now, I’d call it “A Field Guide for God Watching.” The cover art would be a picture of people in bird-watching gear: the scared, the excited, the puzzled and, of course, the bored teenager waiting in the car with headphones on—all watching for the elusive migration of the Spirit. Once you begin to trust what many dismiss as spiritual coincidences, it becomes difficult to keep what you’ve seen to yourself. That is “witness” in the best sense of the word. You have to have a story to tell before you can talk convincingly about God. Looking through the lens of what I would call “the Messiah’s job description” in Isaiah (42:1-9, 61:1-2), I began to ask people: Have you experienced God’s wisdom when you prayed for guidance and good judgment? (God cares about justice, both fairness and good judgment). Have you ever thought you didn’t have strength to make it through some difficult time? When you prayed for strength, did you receive it? (God strengthens the weak.) Have you ever walked in the valley of the shadows and lost hope for the future? Did you believe you were at a dead end and suddenly found yourself at a spaghetti junction? (Jesus brought hope to the hopeless, including the dying.) Finally, and these are the hardest God sightings to share because of the pain and guilt associated with them: When have you had a wholehearted experience of guilt and shame lifted from your life? (Jesus came to forgive and release those who could only ask for mercy.) When you have some guidance for prayer and reflection, like the four categories in Isaiah, you’ll find the Spirit can begin to reveal where God has been answering prayers and sending you divine assistance. When I road-tested this idea with people in our congregation, I saw awareness and excitement dawn in the eyes of many. The stories, and tears, began to flow. When people talk about “God sightings,” it encourages their joy and my faith. Here are some real life stories from Wisconsin: • “I’m not sure why I was prompted to get involved with Habitat for Humanity. Must have been a God thing.”If you would like to trust God more, start with prayer. Here are some things we can learn from Martin Luther about prayer, in various passages from The Book of Concord: “The prerequisite to trusting that God will hear the cries of our hearts is an earnest desire to be obedient. This is the first and most important point, that all our prayers must be based on obedience to God, regardless of our person, whether we be sinners or saints, worthy or unworthy. “Where there is true prayer there must be earnestness. “It is our duty to pray because God has commanded it. “Pray earnestly and very specifically.” When you pray specifically, you give God an opportunity to encourage you with answered prayers. Pray for more faith, which is trust that God answers prayer and keeps promises. Pray for God to give you an undivided heart, the will to be obedient. Pray for eyes to see where God has given you wisdom, encouraged you to consider your responsibility for those with few resources or ability to improve their lives, given you strength from outside yourself, brought hope to what seemed like a hopeless situation, and took the worst moments of your life and used them for holy purposes. Those are good places to begin to look for “God sightings” this Lent. But don’t take my word for it, ask God. |
Friday Cat Blogging
I am happy to report that last Saturday, I adopted two cats -- Charles and Allie.
Charles was named after a basketball player, Charles Barkley, who must have made of lot of touchdowns or RBI's or the like, but I have renamed him Charles Borromeo-w, as is more suitable for a cat living in a religious household. Sadly, he is a vandal and a user of recreational drugs -- he chewed open a bag of catnip his aunts Carol and Lyngine gave him and got high while I was at work one day, and has chewed holes in his food bag (despite there being food in his bowl) and a treat bag (all safely in cabinets now). But he is very sweet and affectionate, and follows me around hoping for a treat or a bellyrub, both of which he frequently gets. Here is a picture of him on one of the couches (he has taken naps on all four couches):
Allie is cloistered, observing strict enclosure. She spent the first day under a bookcase using the Lutheran Family Bible Game as a pillow (an ELCA pastor friend gave this to me some years ago), hiding behind the stacked Grove's Dictionary of Music (Third Edition). The second day, she spent under the one couch with flaps at the bottom that can hide her. The third day, she was under my bed, before finding the tiny area behind the refrigerator, where she spends most of her time now. I had a nice picture of her peering out from behind the refrigerator, but my cameraphone was full and it didn't save -- I'll try to take another one. In the meantime, here is a picture of her under the bookcase next to the Lutheran game -- which you can see much better than her face:
I hope to have better pictures next Friday!
Charles was named after a basketball player, Charles Barkley, who must have made of lot of touchdowns or RBI's or the like, but I have renamed him Charles Borromeo-w, as is more suitable for a cat living in a religious household. Sadly, he is a vandal and a user of recreational drugs -- he chewed open a bag of catnip his aunts Carol and Lyngine gave him and got high while I was at work one day, and has chewed holes in his food bag (despite there being food in his bowl) and a treat bag (all safely in cabinets now). But he is very sweet and affectionate, and follows me around hoping for a treat or a bellyrub, both of which he frequently gets. Here is a picture of him on one of the couches (he has taken naps on all four couches):
Allie is cloistered, observing strict enclosure. She spent the first day under a bookcase using the Lutheran Family Bible Game as a pillow (an ELCA pastor friend gave this to me some years ago), hiding behind the stacked Grove's Dictionary of Music (Third Edition). The second day, she spent under the one couch with flaps at the bottom that can hide her. The third day, she was under my bed, before finding the tiny area behind the refrigerator, where she spends most of her time now. I had a nice picture of her peering out from behind the refrigerator, but my cameraphone was full and it didn't save -- I'll try to take another one. In the meantime, here is a picture of her under the bookcase next to the Lutheran game -- which you can see much better than her face:
I hope to have better pictures next Friday!
But God Can
Over breakfast I was looking though the latest issue of The Lutheran and came across this article.
Story by Glen A. Bengson
'But God can'
Ash Wednesday reminds us God renews, reforms, revives our lives
I had baptized 4-year-old Sarah and her brother some months before and was visiting the family to see how things were going. “Has Sarah mentioned anything about the experience?” I asked her mother.
“Oh, yes,” she answered. “She said the pastor made a cross on her forehead. I told her, ‘But you can’t see it now.’
“‘But God can,’ replied Sarah.”
When the ashes of Ash Wednesday welcome us into the disciplines of Lent and Christian life, we begin that 40-day journey of repentance and renewal confident that, indeed, “God can.” God can bring life out of death. God can join water and word, bread and wine, repentance and forgiveness, and cross and community to fashion a new beginning and a new people in Christ. God can renew and reform and revive my life because of Jesus.
The sign of the cross we share marks us as one body witnessing to God’s gracious presence. We bear the sign of our baptism as we receive those ashes. We enter the baptismal life of daily repentance, as Martin Luther reminded the church in the first of those famous 95 Theses: “When our Lord Jesus Christ said, ‘Repent,’ he meant the whole life of the believer to be one of repentance.”
Lent begins with that invitation to renewed repentance, to submit once more to what only God can do with sinners: turn them into saints. Lent has historically been the time of baptismal preparation—baptism celebrated as the sun rose on Easter morn, baptism into the Risen Lord for a daily journey of faith, hope and love.
Sarah was too young to know the full implications of that water, those words and that sign. But by the power of the Spirit, active through family, sponsors and congregation, she grew to trust that the promise of God in Christ was for her. “God can.”
Ash Wednesday leads us into the Lenten disciplines of faith, the practices of Christian life that reflect the presence of Christ in our life. The Gospel text for Ash Wednesday is Matthew 6:1-6 , 16-21. Jesus calls his disciples to give, pray and fast—without fanfare, without trumpets blaring and without grumpy faces.
But Jesus does assume they will do them: “When you give … when you pray … when you fast.” The caution is to do these traditional disciplines in ways that honor God and serve the neighbor, rather than bringing attention to the disciple.
“When you give alms” challenges us to use the gifts God has placed in our hands to empower others. Our giving may begin with thoughts of charity but the goal is the strengthening of the lives of others so they also serve God and their neighbor.
Whether it is money given to the ELCA World Hunger Appeal; time dedicated to volunteer efforts at the local food pantry, feeding program or Habitat for Humanity project; or the yield from the annual spring cleaning given to a neighborhood clothes closet—our giving seeks to serve the neighbor God has first given us.
And “giving alms” may mean other ministry as well. How about those who give up vacations for mission trips to Honduras, the Gulf Coast or their own nearby inner city? We serve, and hopefully learn, as we experience in a new way the lives of people both different and the same as ourselves.
Call to loving community
“When you pray” invites us to open our hearts and lives to the movement of God’s Spirit, to commend our world to God’s care and to ask God’s leading to discover the ministry that our neighbor may need. This seems to be the breadth of the prayer Jesus taught those first disciples. When you pray, give thanks for and place yourself at the service of God’s kingdom and will and have confidence in the Lord’s care even to the end. At the prayer’s center, the petitions for “daily bread” and “forgiveness” call us into loving community in the Lord who gives and forgives.
Our prayers may take many forms. We pray around family tables filled with the signs of God’s gracious love, both food and each other. We gather for the more formal prayers of Sunday morning, culminating in the Great Thanksgiving of the whole people of God for the greatest gift of all.
The words that “Jesus took the bread, blessed, broke and gave it” to be shared by all who are hungry for hope recall the miraculous feedings of the thousands. We remember that “Give us today our daily bread” is a prayer for not only me—but for all with whom I share this great blue ball of life.
Another kind of prayer may enter our minds—the active prayer of our advocacy for those who hunger or have other needs. God promises the words to speak to those in power and positions of influence that God’s advocacy for the “least of these,” our brothers and sisters, may be heard. Public policies shaped for the good of all people call forth prayers of praise and thanksgiving.
Down to earth
“When you fast” brings us back down to earth. These words connect us once again to our dependence on God for all that enables life. We are dust. Only the breath of God’s Spirit gives life.
Fasting means far more than striving for a smaller waistline or even healthier eating habits. How can we not “fast” when so many go hungry, unable to enjoy our luxury of voluntary fasting? How can we not fast when earth cries out for relief from the burdens of greater and grander human demands on its resources? How can we not fast when we find ourselves succumbing to the tempting come-ons of consumerism?
Fasting is about disciplining our personal lifestyle as well as our corporate behavior as stewards of God’s creation.
In the Jewish Passover liturgy, one of the refrains of the prayers is dayenu, meaning “it would have been enough.” (“Had God brought us out of Egypt and not divided the sea for us, dayenu; had God brought us to Mount Sinai and not given us the Torah, dayenu.”)
God always provides enough. Fasting helps us to connect once again with the “enough” we receive from God. When you fast, you commit yourself to work so all your neighbors on earth might experience God’s “enough” for their lives.
Perhaps these Lenten disciplines might serve as a “catechism” for intentional life in Jesus’ name. We are dust, but precious dust, enlivened by the breath of the Spirit. We are marked by the sign of the cross, washed in water, shaped by the word, fed at the table.
In our fasting we feast on the promises of our Savior. In our prayers we offer ourselves in his service, even as we acknowledge our utter dependence on God’s grace and power.
We know it is a big commitment to accept the disciplines of Lent. We confess we may not be able to see the results very clearly.
But God can.
http://www.thelutheran.org/article/article.cfm?article_id=6955&id=1
Story by Glen A. Bengson
'But God can'
Ash Wednesday reminds us God renews, reforms, revives our lives
I had baptized 4-year-old Sarah and her brother some months before and was visiting the family to see how things were going. “Has Sarah mentioned anything about the experience?” I asked her mother.
“Oh, yes,” she answered. “She said the pastor made a cross on her forehead. I told her, ‘But you can’t see it now.’
“‘But God can,’ replied Sarah.”
When the ashes of Ash Wednesday welcome us into the disciplines of Lent and Christian life, we begin that 40-day journey of repentance and renewal confident that, indeed, “God can.” God can bring life out of death. God can join water and word, bread and wine, repentance and forgiveness, and cross and community to fashion a new beginning and a new people in Christ. God can renew and reform and revive my life because of Jesus.The sign of the cross we share marks us as one body witnessing to God’s gracious presence. We bear the sign of our baptism as we receive those ashes. We enter the baptismal life of daily repentance, as Martin Luther reminded the church in the first of those famous 95 Theses: “When our Lord Jesus Christ said, ‘Repent,’ he meant the whole life of the believer to be one of repentance.”
Lent begins with that invitation to renewed repentance, to submit once more to what only God can do with sinners: turn them into saints. Lent has historically been the time of baptismal preparation—baptism celebrated as the sun rose on Easter morn, baptism into the Risen Lord for a daily journey of faith, hope and love.
Sarah was too young to know the full implications of that water, those words and that sign. But by the power of the Spirit, active through family, sponsors and congregation, she grew to trust that the promise of God in Christ was for her. “God can.”
Ash Wednesday leads us into the Lenten disciplines of faith, the practices of Christian life that reflect the presence of Christ in our life. The Gospel text for Ash Wednesday is Matthew 6:1-6 , 16-21. Jesus calls his disciples to give, pray and fast—without fanfare, without trumpets blaring and without grumpy faces.
But Jesus does assume they will do them: “When you give … when you pray … when you fast.” The caution is to do these traditional disciplines in ways that honor God and serve the neighbor, rather than bringing attention to the disciple.
“When you give alms” challenges us to use the gifts God has placed in our hands to empower others. Our giving may begin with thoughts of charity but the goal is the strengthening of the lives of others so they also serve God and their neighbor.
Whether it is money given to the ELCA World Hunger Appeal; time dedicated to volunteer efforts at the local food pantry, feeding program or Habitat for Humanity project; or the yield from the annual spring cleaning given to a neighborhood clothes closet—our giving seeks to serve the neighbor God has first given us.
And “giving alms” may mean other ministry as well. How about those who give up vacations for mission trips to Honduras, the Gulf Coast or their own nearby inner city? We serve, and hopefully learn, as we experience in a new way the lives of people both different and the same as ourselves.
Call to loving community
“When you pray” invites us to open our hearts and lives to the movement of God’s Spirit, to commend our world to God’s care and to ask God’s leading to discover the ministry that our neighbor may need. This seems to be the breadth of the prayer Jesus taught those first disciples. When you pray, give thanks for and place yourself at the service of God’s kingdom and will and have confidence in the Lord’s care even to the end. At the prayer’s center, the petitions for “daily bread” and “forgiveness” call us into loving community in the Lord who gives and forgives.
Our prayers may take many forms. We pray around family tables filled with the signs of God’s gracious love, both food and each other. We gather for the more formal prayers of Sunday morning, culminating in the Great Thanksgiving of the whole people of God for the greatest gift of all.
The words that “Jesus took the bread, blessed, broke and gave it” to be shared by all who are hungry for hope recall the miraculous feedings of the thousands. We remember that “Give us today our daily bread” is a prayer for not only me—but for all with whom I share this great blue ball of life.
Another kind of prayer may enter our minds—the active prayer of our advocacy for those who hunger or have other needs. God promises the words to speak to those in power and positions of influence that God’s advocacy for the “least of these,” our brothers and sisters, may be heard. Public policies shaped for the good of all people call forth prayers of praise and thanksgiving.
Down to earth
“When you fast” brings us back down to earth. These words connect us once again to our dependence on God for all that enables life. We are dust. Only the breath of God’s Spirit gives life.
Fasting means far more than striving for a smaller waistline or even healthier eating habits. How can we not “fast” when so many go hungry, unable to enjoy our luxury of voluntary fasting? How can we not fast when earth cries out for relief from the burdens of greater and grander human demands on its resources? How can we not fast when we find ourselves succumbing to the tempting come-ons of consumerism?
Fasting is about disciplining our personal lifestyle as well as our corporate behavior as stewards of God’s creation.
In the Jewish Passover liturgy, one of the refrains of the prayers is dayenu, meaning “it would have been enough.” (“Had God brought us out of Egypt and not divided the sea for us, dayenu; had God brought us to Mount Sinai and not given us the Torah, dayenu.”)
God always provides enough. Fasting helps us to connect once again with the “enough” we receive from God. When you fast, you commit yourself to work so all your neighbors on earth might experience God’s “enough” for their lives.
Perhaps these Lenten disciplines might serve as a “catechism” for intentional life in Jesus’ name. We are dust, but precious dust, enlivened by the breath of the Spirit. We are marked by the sign of the cross, washed in water, shaped by the word, fed at the table.
In our fasting we feast on the promises of our Savior. In our prayers we offer ourselves in his service, even as we acknowledge our utter dependence on God’s grace and power.
We know it is a big commitment to accept the disciplines of Lent. We confess we may not be able to see the results very clearly.
But God can.
http://www.thelutheran.org/article/article.cfm?article_id=6955&id=1
Progress Report
Tuesday I saw the surgeon for a post-op visit. He was pleased with my progress and because it's my left knee, he will let me drive again when I feel comfortable doing so. YEAH!! I felt great at the visit, then had physical therapy at home in the afternoon and all was well. But Tues. evening and yesterday were something else again. The pain was horrible. I think I did too much on Tues. Last night's sleep was better. I still hurt but...The physical therapist will be here in about 25 minutes and then we'll see what the rest of the day brings.
All I know is that God is my strength and I can do nothing apart from his grace. Needless to say, I didn't make it to Ash Wednesday service yesterday, but even as Ray and I prayed together last night, I was very aware of the reminder, "Remember that you are dust and to dust you shall return. Peace.
Picture from http://travel.webshots.com/album/548226762DaCEND
All I know is that God is my strength and I can do nothing apart from his grace. Needless to say, I didn't make it to Ash Wednesday service yesterday, but even as Ray and I prayed together last night, I was very aware of the reminder, "Remember that you are dust and to dust you shall return. Peace.
Picture from http://travel.webshots.com/album/548226762DaCEND
Ash Wednesday
A parishioner wrote to Fr. Joseph and me and asked how we personally observe Ash Wednesday. Here is what I wrote back:
One thing I always do is take Ash Wednesday off from work. I try to use the day as a day of reflection. The words that are traditionally used when ashes are placed on Christians' heads are "Remember that you are dust, and to dust you shall return", and it is a day to reflect on our mortality, and where our life is going, in the knowledge that, sooner or later, it is going to end. It is easy to become so busy that we don't take the time to stop and think about the larger picture in our life (and being clergy, it is easy for me to even become too busy with church to do this!) , and Lent in general and Ash Wednesday in particular, gives us that opportunity to do that.
Often, funerals are a time when people, in the shock of grief, and realization that since life is short, they are not necessarily living as they wish they were. It might be helpful to think of Ash Wednesday as our own "funeral", where we come face to face with our mortality, mourn it, and come to terms with how it will affect our living. Of course, baptism is our "dying with Christ so that we might rise with Christ", and Lent was traditionally the time of preparation for baptism, ending in the Three Days when we celebrate Christ's death and resurrection. So as we contemplate our deaths on Ash Wednesday, we also look forward to the celebration of the Resurrection of Christ at Easter, which is a promise of our own resurrection.
One thing I always do is take Ash Wednesday off from work. I try to use the day as a day of reflection. The words that are traditionally used when ashes are placed on Christians' heads are "Remember that you are dust, and to dust you shall return", and it is a day to reflect on our mortality, and where our life is going, in the knowledge that, sooner or later, it is going to end. It is easy to become so busy that we don't take the time to stop and think about the larger picture in our life (and being clergy, it is easy for me to even become too busy with church to do this!) , and Lent in general and Ash Wednesday in particular, gives us that opportunity to do that.
Often, funerals are a time when people, in the shock of grief, and realization that since life is short, they are not necessarily living as they wish they were. It might be helpful to think of Ash Wednesday as our own "funeral", where we come face to face with our mortality, mourn it, and come to terms with how it will affect our living. Of course, baptism is our "dying with Christ so that we might rise with Christ", and Lent was traditionally the time of preparation for baptism, ending in the Three Days when we celebrate Christ's death and resurrection. So as we contemplate our deaths on Ash Wednesday, we also look forward to the celebration of the Resurrection of Christ at Easter, which is a promise of our own resurrection.
A good night's sleep
I came home yesterday morning from Kent Regency Rehab. I had not slept well since the surgery. At rehab, I would just doze off, and in would come someone for blood work or my vital signs. Last night, sleeping in my own bed with my husband was therapeutic in and of itself. For the first time I could comfortably sleep on my left and right sides--which I like to do.
This morning the visiting nurse came and opened my case. She declared me "perfect," the easiest case she's ever opened. She could not believe the shape I'm in. "But thanks be to God! He gives us the victory through our Lord Jesus Christ" (1 Cor 15:57).
The pain is negligible and I am looking forward to getting caught up on everything.
This morning the visiting nurse came and opened my case. She declared me "perfect," the easiest case she's ever opened. She could not believe the shape I'm in. "But thanks be to God! He gives us the victory through our Lord Jesus Christ" (1 Cor 15:57).
The pain is negligible and I am looking forward to getting caught up on everything.
Friday Cat-Blogging -- February 1, 2008
I have a momentous announcement to make -- tomorrow, I will be adopting two six-year old cats, Charles and Allie (although they may be given additional names in due course). I will be posting photos of them once I have them, but in the meantime, in honor of their imminent arrival and in honor of St. Ignatius of Antioch whose feast those of us using the traditional Western calendar celebrate today, I offer this icon of cats:
(Don't they look more like they're playing than like they're attacking and eating good St. Ignatius?)
(Don't they look more like they're playing than like they're attacking and eating good St. Ignatius?)
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