What Was I Going To Say?

"Holy One, there is something I wanted to tell you,

but there has been errands to run, bills to pay, meetings to attend, washing to do...

and I forget what it is I wanted to say to you,

and forget what I am about or why.

O God, don't forget me please, for the sake of Jesus Christ"

(attributed to a poem by Ted Loder)

There used to be a popular television commercial showing a housewife going about a hectic, but probably typical, day.  The dog is barking, the doorbell is ringing, the baby is crying, the chores are waiting and finally she can take it no more and she looks to the heavens and cries - "Calgon! Take me away!"  And the next scene is our harried housewife is now relaxed and smiling in a tub brimming with Calgon bubble bath. She is saved.  Wouldn't it be nice to have such salvation in a bottle?

In the season of Lent, Christians are expected to spend time getting away from the hustle and bustle of everyday life. We are called to deny our busy-ness and instead be still before God - find peaceful, quiet solitude with God and listen as He speaks.  It doesn't sound like it should be hard...until you try it. Commitment to daily scripture reading, prayer time, meditation and contemplation are essential to deepening our relationship with God - and one would think that if it is essential it would be easier for us to accomplish - until you try.

There are always errands to run, bills to pay, meetings to attend, washing to do...and before you even get a grip on a new day, it is gone. Soon it is bedtime and you are trying to cram God into the last few minutes of your day...only now you are too tired to listen, to distracted to focus. The poem above is adapted from a poem by Ted Loder - it is a quote I read last night in a book about the importance of seeking God and strengthening our soul in ministry. It really hit home for me - not just for my journey but for all of us as Christians. How often have we tried to fit God into our busy day only to forget what we had to say? 

Salvation in a bottle? No. We have a salvation that is much better than that. It is not the comfort of a bubble bath which will soon turn tepid and unpleasant. It is the lasting, steadfast comfort of a Holy Trinity - Creator, Savior, Advocate. Our busy day will not yield itself to this Holy Trinity - it is up to us to yield ourselves for it.  

As we enter this coming Sunday into the Passion Week, let the Church sit ourselves down in the quiet and let Jesus take us away into a place of reflection, devotion, repentance and redemption. Jesus hasn't forgotten us, let's not forget to spend time with Him.

The Power of Love

" I am the Alpha and Omega," says the Lord God, who is and who was and who is to come, the Almighty." Revelation 1:8

I cannot seem to stop looking at the videos and still images of the horrific tsunami that has devastated the nation of Japan. I see images like the one above and really just cannot seem to get my mind wrapped around the power and might of nature. Yachts atop houses - cars left on top of a three story building - entire towns wiped of the map! It is just so surreal.

Last night I read Revelation 1:8 and found there a surprising comfort in the words; a comfort I haven't felt in quite a few days as I've watched this natural disaster unfold. As powerful as these waters were - there is one who is yet more powerful! God is the Alpha and Omega - the beginning and the end (and all that is between). God is ever present, steadfast and eternal - the All Mighty!

Wow, that says a lot when we have just witness the mighty power of nature! My heart is broken for these people and the journey that they are just beginning; a journey of rebuilding and going on with life amidst unbearable pain and loss. But I am reminded that our God is bigger than this disaster. God is more powerful than these raging waters.

God will be able to comfort and bring peace to those who mourn - God will be able to bring gratitude to those who have lost everything - God will be able to mend the broken hearts and renew the crushed spirits of these people! And that is a power greater than any destructive force around - it is the power of love, grace and mercy.

Precious God, may your grace and comfort fall in a mighty way upon the people of Japan. As new threats arise I pray for your power to overcome any more harm to those who have survived. May those who have lost every material thing be blessed with spiritual wealth. May those who have lost loved ones feel your peace and love as they grieve. May the leaders lean upon your guidance and submit to your will in handling this crisis. Strengthen the rescue workers and provide for them the comfort and compassion they will need to carry out the difficult task of recovery and rescue. May the shelters be safe havens of peace and health for those who suffer. And Merciful God - may the world take notice of this event and may we all learn from it better how to love our neighbor as ourself.

Amen