SHADOW: Lenten Devotion Day 22

Lenten Devotion Day 22

SHADOW

By the tender mercy of our God, the dawn from on high will break upon us, 

to give light to those who sit in darkness and in the shadow of death, 

to guide our feet into the way of peace." 

Luke 1:78-79

As I was out on an early morning walk with my dog I found myself reflecting on the powerful words of the priest Zechariah upon the birth of his son - John the Baptist. His words have been in my heart often lately because he is proclaiming what a savior will mean for the world...and it is beautiful news.

We all need some beautiful news once in a while do we not? Zechariah provides it as he relates God's promise to bring a light into this world darkened by suffering and loss. This light is one meant especially for those who sit in darkness and in the shadow of death. The light, he says, will guide us into the way of peace.

I wonder about that peace. As I watch people I care about struggle with heartbreak and loss I yearn for that peace for them. As I watch the news and imagine what it must be like to try to raise my child in a country where acts of terrorism are a daily reality I yearn for that peace. 

Out of the shadow of death and darkness Jesus will guide our feet into the way of peace. He will guide our feet...it occurs to me that we often sit back and wait for Jesus to make it all better. Jesus will bring it...Jesus will do it...Jesus will make it...but Zechariah said Jesus will guide us. According to the dictionary to "guide" is to "show the way by leading, directing, or advising or one who serves as a model for others, as in a course of conduct." 

Jesus came to guide us - to model for us and to show us the way - so that WE might be the ones to do and to be and to act. If we want peace it is up to us to work for it. Jesus came to show us the way and guide our feet to it...but it seems to me much of the work along the journey is our responsibility. 

Jesus showed the way out of the 

SHADOW

it is up to us to step into the light

and live

as he taught us.

INJUSTICE: Lenten Devotion Day 4

Lent Photo Devotion: Day 4

INJUSTICE

The spirit of the Lord God is upon me, because the Lord has anointed me; he has sent me to bring good news to the oppressed, to bind up the brokenhearted, to proclaim liberty to the captives, and release to the prisoners; to proclaim the year of the Lord's favor, and the day of vengeance of our God; to comfort all who mourn; to provide for those who mourn in Zion— to give them a garland instead of ashes, the oil of gladness instead of mourning, the mantle of praise instead of a faint spirit. 

Isaiah 61:1-3a

There is no denying that this world is full of injustice. It is for this reason that the Gospel message is so important for it brings the good news that injustice will not have the last word and it will not be part of our eternal future.

This past Wednesday we put ashes upon our heads and took a moment to regret and confess the many ways that we contribute to injustice: we withhold our love from some, we seek to promote self over other, we worry for our own gain and deny responsibility for our brothers and sisters in need, we turn a blind eye to oppression as long as we are not oppressed, we fail to understand the brokenhearted, we ignore the captive, and act as judge over others. For these reasons we take up that bowl full of ash and regret.

The promise of Isaiah's proclamation and Christ's life, however, is that we move beyond the ashes and regret and actually change our ways so that we take a stand against all types of injustice. It is even in our vows when joining the United Methodist Church: "Do you resist the freedom and power God gives you to resist evil, injustice and oppression in whatever forms they present themselves?"

And the people of God say: YES! because it is our calling to "bring good news to the oppressed, to bind up the brokenhearted, to proclaim liberty to the captives, and release to the prisoners; ...to comfort all who mourn; ... to give them a garland instead of ashes, the oil of gladness instead of mourning, the mantle of praise instead of a faint spirit. 

In this Lenten season I pray by the light of Christ we might see all forms of injustice around us and seek ways to take a stand against it...let us trade in our bowl of ash for a garland of peace.

INJUSTICE

take up your ashes and repent

A Snuggle with Jesus

Madonna and Child by

Giovanni Battista Salvi da Sassoferrato

Advent is over and we sit solidly in the midst of Christmas. The above painting by Sassoferrato seems to sum it all up doesn't it? The peace on the faces of mother and child...the joy of this moment snuggled together...the hope of what will be...the love between mother and son. It is one of my favorite images of Mary and her precious son.

As all new mothers know, those serene mother-child images last about as long as it take to capture it in a photograph. All too soon it will be diaper changing, feeding time, unexplained crying fits and more. Peace is shattered by necessity...but it doesn't diminish the love, the joy and the hope between mother and child.

Yesterday, during our Children's Sermon, the gentleman teaching the kids said, "What holiday did we just celebrate?" The kids responded, "Christmas." Then he asked the next question that made me almost swoon with anxiety...."So what is the next holiday we will celebrate?"  What?? Seriously?? I haven't recovered from Christmas yet and already you want to talk about what is next? What happened to Christmas peace? 

Shattered by necessity I suppose....the necessity to move along with the calendar. As I calmed my weary body, I was reminded of the image of Madonna and Child - the call of necessity doesn't diminish the love, joy, hope...and yes, even the peace of life. 

2013 is knocking at our door. Lent is fast approaching, Easter is on the way, bible studies must be started, leadership development is vital to new committees and leaders; the 'to-do" list is endless. Your list may be different but it is no less demanding. So today, I take time to sit - as Madonna with child - and just settle in with Jesus for a moment of comfortable snuggling. Necessity is all around me but for this moment - I choose peace and that settles my anxiousness for the obligations that are coming as quickly as this new year. 

In those moments where I feel overwhelmed with necessity, I must remind myself that necessity doesn't diminish the peace, hope, love and joy of my life in Christ. Rather, as a servant to Christ, it is within the necessity that I find peace, hope, love and joy - for it is in the "doing" of my faith that I experience the peace, hope, love and joy of my faith. 

As we journey into a new year with new obligations and new expectations, let us remember to carry our peace, hope, love and joy of Christmas with us. Don't pack them away with the Christmas decorations but carry them with you into the work of 2013. Embrace the new year in such a way that the "necessities" are not burdens but instead are expressions of a iife lived peacefully, lovingly, joyfully and hopefully in Christ Jesus.

...And don't forget to take time each day for a comforting snuggle with Jesus! Take a moment from the call of necessity and sit with him, converse with him, be at peace with him...it just might make that "to-do" list a lot more appealing. 

So long 2012 and Hello 2013....may you blossom forth in God's blessing upon all the world.

Light is Coming

From the rising of the sun to its setting the name of the Lord is to be praised.

Psalm 113:3

I have never in my life been a morning person. I have always preferred to experience the sunset and enjoy the calm of evening rather than the expectant hustle of morning preparation. Perhaps it is an issue of aging, or perhaps I just have too much on my mind these days but I suddenly find sleep elusive and as a result, I am forced  to witness the birth of each new day. What a glorious gift it is...even if I am sometimes witnessing it through eyes that are blurry and sleep deprived.

I sit and stare out my window at darkness. I pray. I think. I sometimes write. I enjoy the sounds of my sleeping household. Ever so patiently and serenely the world begins to take shape around me. It begins with the first shadowy outlines of the trees outside my window. The sky begins to turn a lighter shade of black and the world stands in dark contrast. Light is coming. 

Another glance out the window and suddenly the trees are visible and the first splash of color spreads across the sky. Light is coming.

Hues of blue begin to deepen...clouds of red, purple, pink dot the horizon. Light is coming.

I have not yet seen the light. The sun has yet to peak above the edge of the earth but all of creation is now proclaiming its imminent arrival. Birds are singing, the colors deepen and signs of life appear...because light is coming.

From the rising of the sun to its setting the name of the Lord is to be praised. The earth is in full praise mode today. I think I shall be also...because light is coming.

The Advent season is over but the Christmas season is at hand. On Christmas Eve we lit the Christ Candle and proclaimed that into the world has come a great light...Christ, our King. It is a bold proclamation to make given the deep darkness of the world around us. However, in the flames of that candle something else becomes visible: the outline of hope, the first shadows of peace, the initial colors of joy...all made possible because light is coming.

Come, Lord Jesus, Come.

Expecting Something?

 After those days his wife Elizabeth conceived, 

and for five months she remained in seclusion. 

She said, "This is what the Lord has done for me 

when he looked favorably on me and took away

 the disgrace I have endured among my people." 

Luke 1:24-25

My husband always says, "Beware of angels appearing and proclaiming 'Do not be afraid,' because when that happens someone ends up pregnant." While he certainly exaggerates, he does have a point when it comes to the birth narratives. Mary, Joseph, Zechariah all received that angelic "Do not be afraid" message to prepare them for the births of their sons but I can't help but notice someone is missing from that list...where was Elizabeth's angel?

Elizabeth and Zechariah were "getting on in years" according to the text. She had no doubt prayed and waited for the arrival of a child of her own and year after year was met with bitter disappointment. I have no doubt that Zechariah felt the same, it was a bitter reality in that day to be without an heir. They had anticipated a baby so long and yet none had come and years had trickled by. 

Mary and Joseph had no such expectation for a child, not yet anyway. So an angel visits each to break the news - a baby is on the way! Not just any baby, mind you, but God's son and they have been chosen to become his parents...no pressure there right? Without the angel's visit Mary would have been in grave danger. There would have been no doubt in anyone's mind that she had been unfaithful to Joseph and the penalty could have been death. However, the angel prepares Mary to understand what is happening to her body and it prepares Joseph to understand what is happening to his future wife. They are chosen - they are blessed. This is the message the angel must bring so that they would understand God breaking into their lives in such an incredible, and unexpected, way.

Zechariah receives his angel visit while alone in the temple, serving his priestly duties. He is then rendered mute so he cannot tell anyone what he heard or witnessed - not even his beloved Elizabeth. Where is her angel visit? Why is it that Mary, Joseph and Zechariah all get a warning, all get a preview of the exciting news while Elizabeth is left in the dark?

I smile every time I read her response, "This is what the Lord has done for me..." I hear it as a statement full of years of expectation. Mary and Joseph had no expectation of a baby to come so soon, they needed to be told so they could understand and manage the situation. Zechariah? I can't help but wonder if Zechariah had lost hope over the years. Perhaps he had stopped expecting joyful news as each month passed and Elizabeth's body reveled the disappointing truth - no baby - not yet. When the angel declares the coming birth Zechariah responds - how can this be? we are old. Yes, I think he had given up the expectation of a child and so the angel had to come and prepare him for the acceptance of the unexpected.

Elizabeth, however, gets no such heads up - no angelic warning - no preparation for such an incredible event. Why? "This is what the Lord has done for me..." she says. In that statement I hear her smile - you know the smile - the kind that comes only when what you knew would happen finally happens and you get to say, "I told you so." I can't help but wonder if the reason Elizabeth is the only one that doesn't get an angelic visit is because Elizabeth is the only one that was expecting God to do this very kind of thing. I don't think Elizabeth had ever stopped believing that God would give her a child...I think she expected it...she anticipated it. She didn't need an angel to say, "Surprise! You are with child" because every single month she watched her body for the signs of what she trusted would some day be...a baby. Patiently, expectantly, faithfully...Elizabeth watched and waiting for what she knew God would some day bring her.

In this season of Advent we are encouraged to watch and wait expectantly for what God is about to do. We re-live and remember the birth stories and how God broke into this world in such an amazing fashion and yet at the same time we are called to watch and wait for re-entry...the day when Jesus returns and God's Kingdom is fulfilled. Everyone wants to look for signs of this next big event - just the other day a woman stopped me to ask me if I had noticed the sun was burning more intensely than every before. No, I replied I had not noticed and so she warned me it was a sign of the Lord's returning. People are looking for signs - 12/12/12  or 12/21/12 or national conflicts or river's running red or you name it - folks are surveying the world around them and wondering - when will it come and what will be the sign that warns us so we will know to prepare?

I picture Elizabeth, standing in her doorway, holding her swollen belly with that knowing smile on her face...she didn't need a sign. She didn't need a warning. She didn't need a messenger. She had expected all along for God to show up - she had never once stopped expecting it she just stood ready to receive it.

Stand ready to receive the gift that was promised: Hope, Joy, Peace and Love. Live each moment as if you expect these gifts to already be within you and around you. Then you won't need to worry about the coming of Jesus - for he will already be present.