RISE: Lenten Devotion Day 34

Lenten Devotion Day 34

RISE

"The Son of Man is to be betrayed into human hands, and they will kill him,

 and three days after being killed, he will rise again." 

Mark 9:31

A storm rises. Thunder echoes through the mountain valleys. Rain begins to fall. Mountains disappear behind a wall of fog. They will appear again...but not yet. Rain will nourish the ground and flowers will sprout from it. Life will rise from the storm...but not yet.

As we rapidly approach Holy Week we remember the rise of an approaching storm. Thunderous words of betrayal, denial, and judgment echoed in the streets. Tears fell. Jesus....betrayed...arrested...beaten...condemned. His body disappears behind a wall of stone. He will appear again...but not yet. His death will plant seeds of doubt and we wait to see what those seeds will grow. But we know...life will rise from behind that stone.

We know...

Easter is coming

RISE

and see

Jesus lives!

SURROUND: Lenten Devotion Day 32

Lenten Devotion Day 32

SURROUND

As the mountains surround Jerusalem, so the Lord surrounds his people,

from this time on and forevermore. 

Psalm 125:2

Nothing makes for a greater day than to snuggle on the sofa with loving arms wrapped around you...watching the ACC tournament :)  Ok, the basketball is irrelevant (to this post at least - although my team is winning at the moment - Go Heels). What matters is the arms wrapped around me. Tomorrow marks 23 years in which those arms have been wrapped around me. I cannot express the feelings of blessing and thanksgiving that accompany that statement. I sometimes feel guilty that some never find intimate love and yet I have had it so abundantly for so long. I hate to be greedy...but I love to be loved.

When I think of the feeling of abundant love that comes from my husband's arms surrounding me, I can't help but feel awe at the thought that God's love also surrounds me. While my husband must occasionally let me go...God never does. The immense love that I feel from my marriage pales in comparison to the love of God that surrounds me every second of every day.

I pray that your Lenten journey has been one in which you find yourself surrounded by God's love. In the midst of your reflection and repentance I hope you have felt the forgiveness of God enfold you. 

May his arms 

SURROUND 

you

and may you feel abundantly loved.

TEMPER: Lenten Devotion Day 31

Lenten Devotion Day 31

TEMPER

Do not be like a horse or a mule, without understanding, 

whose temper must be curbed with bit and bridle, else it will not stay near you. 

Psalm 32:9

If you have ever been in a car accident you know to take a moment to give thanks to Prince Rupert of the Rhine (1660) and Austrian Chemist Rudolph Reiden (1900). What? You don't know either of them? Well, give thanks to them anyway because Prince Rupert was the first to discover that heat can strengthen glass and Reiden was the first to patent "tempered" or "toughened" glass that is used in automobiles today. I'm no expect but the basic premise is that glass that is manufactured with internal stresses caused by heat will shatter differently than regular glass. "Tempering creates balanced internal stresses which cause the glass, when broken, to crumble into small granular chunks instead of splintering into jagged shards. The granular chunks are less likely to cause injury." (Wikipedia). So, anyone saved from a face full of jagged shardS in an automobile accident knows to say "Thanks" to Prince Rupert and Seiden.

How we temper ourselves matters as much as how our automobile windows are tempered...and much for the same reason. We are reminded often in scripture that our God is slow to anger and we are called to do that same. James 1:19-20 states: "You must understand this, my beloved:let everyone be quick to listen, slow to speak, slow to anger; for your anger does not produce God's righteousness." 

Anger in itself is not a bad thing...Jesus was got angry at times. It is how the anger is expressed that matters. To 'fly off the handle' and 'have a quick fuse' means that we are reacting with our animalistic instincts. Anger explodes from us in much the same way glass is shattered - with sharp barbs that inflict serious damage to all in its path. We all endure stresses that make us angry but if we temper ourselves and can slow our anger down so that we can think it through, process it, find ways to let the stresses be used for good - then when our anger is expressed it is more like the shattering of tempered glass - with edges that are less sharp and less damage inflicting for those in its path.

How we 

TEMPER 

ourselves matters

GO: Lenten Devotion Day 30

Lenten Devotion Day 30

GO

Go therefore and make disciples of all nations, 

baptizing them in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit, 

and teaching them to obey everything that I have commanded you. 

And remember, I am with you always, to the end of the age."

Matthew 28:19-20

Go! It is a simple word. We are doing it constantly as we go to work, go to the store, go to school, go to church, go to the movies...well, you get the point. We "go" a lot. I sometimes wonder how many times in a week I pick up those keys and "go."

As I reflect on my Lenten journey I am also encouraged to stop and wonder how many times I pick up my cross and go. My keys are simple tools to allow me to "go" at a quicker and more efficient pace. Picking up a cross on the other hand...well...there is nothing seemingly quick or efficient about that. To pick up the cross and "go" is burdensome, slow, intentional, and troublesome. So, as I think about the mission of the church - "Go therefore and make disciples" - I am overwhelmed all over again with the impact of that simple word "go."

It isn't just about the mode of which you go (plane, train, automobile) but it is also about the purpose of why you go. It is about the attitude of how you go. "Go, therefore and make disciples..." calls us to live a life that is indeed burdensome, slow, intentional, and sometimes troublesome. It calls us to indeed pick up the cross and not the keys. It calls us to a lifetime of self-denial and seeking others. For some, this seems too much to bear and perhaps that is why Jesus ends it with a promise..."remember, I am with you always..."

As I think of this promise I think of Jesus, stumbling through the streets of Jerusalem. Beaten and abused he is struggling to carry his cross when Simon of Cyrene comes forward to help ease the load. Jesus says, "Take up your cross and follow me" (Matthew 16.24) but to that costly task he says, I will be your Simon of Cyrene - I will be there with you. In Matthew 11:29-30 Jesus says "Take my yoke upon you, and learn from me; for I am gentle and humble in heart, and you will find rest for your souls. For my yoke is easy, and my burden is light."

To "GO" is a frightening thing for many of us. To answer that call seems an overwhelming prospect. Just remember, when God calls us to go - God gives us the way.

GO

And remember

He is with you always

WATER: Lenten Devotion Day 29

Lenten Devotion Day 29

WATER

"I baptize you with water for repentance, but one who is more powerful than I is coming after me; 

I am not worthy to carry his sandals. He will baptize you with the Holy Spirit and fire.

Matthew 3:11

On my morning walk I came across a weeping tree. Ok, not a real weeping tree but I could not help but notice that of all the trees that surround my home there was only one tree that had water dripping off of it. Being the curious sort, I went in for a closer look. (The picture doesn't do justice but that white dot in the middle is a water droplet). After a few puzzling moments of trying to determine why this one tree was weeping it finally hit me. As I looked around I noticed the way the grass and fallen leaves were sparkling in the morning sun - frost. All around me was an icy glaze shimmering in the rising light. The sun was just peaking over the top of the church and hitting the yard...and the weeping tree.

Of course, I realized then that the sun was simply melting the frost that had formed on the tree and now that it was warming up it was beginning to melt. Soon, other trees would be sparkling with water droplets on their branches and all the earth would look bedazzled in silvery splendor. 

There are mornings, like this one, in which it is clear that the entire purpose of the earth is to serve as a witness to the glory of God. As I walked and felt myself warmed by the rising sun I began to think again about that tree. Isn't it just like God to provide such a beautiful and simple reminder of what life in Christ is like. 

That icy tree transformed under the ray of the rising sun...as it warmed, the ice melted, and water formed that now drips down and baptizes the earth, the flowers and the insects below it so that they too understand provision, love, fruitfulness and life. 

Isn't that was Christ has done for each of us? Under the ray of the Risen Son we are transformed so that our cold, hard hearts melt.The icy ways of this world begin to sparkle in the light of Christ and soon the Baptism waters are dripping from our hands, our heads, and our hearts. 

WATER

Dripping

flowing from the Son's warm light

WATER

SILENCE: Lenten Devotion Day 28

Lenten Devotion Day 28

SILENCE

For God alone my soul waits in silence, for my hope is from him. 

Psalm 62:5

Life is loud. The busier we get the louder life becomes. We endure a whirlwind of noise, expectation, and chaos and then wonder why God has been silent. A couple of years ago I found myself weary of the noise of life. God's voice seemed a distant whisper and I felt great emptiness at the silence of his voice. I set out on a quest to hear God once more and ultimately came to the conclusion that God was not silent...I was simply in the midst of so much noise that I couldn't hear God. I tried many things to silence the world around me which ultimately let me to another conclusion...I also had to silence myself.

With the help of meditation, poetry, a spiritual director and a Tibetan Singing Bowl I relearned silence and reconnected with the voice of God. "For God alone my soul waits in silence, for my hope is in him." 

Are you struggling to hear from God? Is your Lenten self-examination leaving you empty? Try taking the time to quiet your soul...REALLY quiet your soul. Each day carve out 30 minutes to just sit in silence and listen. Pray first and then devote 30 minutes to not think about anything but to simply listen in the silence for God's voice. After 30 minutes, try to journal or write down your thoughts and what you heard. You might be surprised at how clear 

God's voice comes 

in the

SILENCE

HAPPY: Lenten Devotion Day 27

Lenten Devotion Day 27

HAPPY

Those who want to do right more than anything else are happy, because God will fully satisfy them.

Matthew 5:6

What does it mean to be happy? 

For my puppy it only takes some baseballs and she is happy as can be...but then again she is happy eating cat poo out of yard so I don't consider her a great witness on the subject.

What does it mean to be happy?

“Happy are people who are hopeless, because the kingdom of heaven is theirs. 

“Happy are people who grieve, because they will be made glad. 

 “Happy are people who are humble, because they will inherit the earth.

 “Happy are people who are hungry and thirsty for righteousness, 

because they will be fed until they are full.

 “Happy are people who show mercy, because they will receive mercy.

 “Happy are people who have pure hearts, because they will see God. 

 “Happy are people who make peace, because they will be called God's children.

“Happy are people whose lives are harassed because they are righteous, 

because the kingdom of heaven is theirs.

 “Happy are you when people insult you and harass you and speak 

all kinds of bad and false things about you, all because of me.

 Be full of joy and be glad, because you have a great reward in heaven. In the same way, people harassed the prophets who came before you.

Matthew 5:3-12

It means even in 

hopeless, sorrowful, humble, starving, compassionate, heartfelt, chaotic, harassed, bullied living - 

God is with you.

HAPPY