Do not rush to Easter this year. Linger at the Last Supper and lay claim to Christ's self-giving. Intently watch the events of Good Friday unfold and consider how you are connected with the betrayal of Christ. Note the pain and anguish of the crucifixion and see the cost of Christ's self-giving. Stand in the shadows on Holy Saturday and see the tomb with the stone still across the entrance and envision what the world must have been like with Christ dead and buried along with our hopes and dreams. Then, return to the empty tomb and marvel at God's power to resurrect. As you encounter the Risen Christ, consider the possibilities for your life when you give it over to the God who dies for us, but also have the power to bring life out of death.

Our Lenten disciplines are coming to an end. The real measure of how Lent went for us will be seen when we meet the Risen Christ. Are we open and willing to follow him? Have we emptied ourselves enough to make room for God to fill us anew? Any changes we made during Lent must find their place in the aftermath of Easter. Christ is Risen. What does that mean for each of us?

Peace,

Richard

God at work

I found myself affirming two of the themes form our readings this week in my sermon -- the role of community and God to support us -- but, I ignored the theme of self-forgiveness and found myself attracted to the theme of God as initiator when I explored the Jeremiah 31 passage.

The first two themes may be obvious. We know the need for community. We can point to numerous biblical examples (God creating Eve to be in community with Adam; God calling Israel, a group of people, into being; Jesus calling disciples and sending them out in pairs; and the desperate need of the early church to be in community together) that remind us that God always calls God's people into community. Can you remember a time when community played a powerful role in your life?

The discussion of community made me wonder how differently communities are being formed these days with so much technology at hand. Would this blog qualify as some form of community? If not, what would we need to change about how we use blog technology to become a community?

As I played with the importance of community in the biblical text, I was struck by the loneliness and forsakenness Jesus chose. Why did he choose that? Or why did God let it be thrust upon him? So that he would overcome even loneliness and forsakenness for our sake.

We also know that God loves us and find comfort in that, even in the face of our failings. I have often thought that if everyone truly believed that they had value simply because they were a child of God and claimed by God, we would have a lot less problems in our world that grow out of people needing to prove themselves or claim value for themselves (often at the expense of others).

I'm not sure why self-forgiveness never made it to the sermon (perhaps I should forgive myself for that!). Perhaps it was a Freudian slip on my part. On the other hand, I remember reading that section and wondering how to distinguish self-forgiveness from rationalization. Sometimes I think we live in a world that too readily lets people off the hook and denies them the chance to grow through a challenge and learn from the experience. Maybe part of the role community should play is to hold us accountable and help us discern if we need to forgive ourselves in that particular moment, or if we need to persevere and work through the challenge.

Although the chapter did not address this, I found it compelling to think that God would "write the law" on our hearts. In other words, God will initiate in us what we need to change. Wow! It has me wondering if I do not see change as often as I would like because I have consciously, or unconsciously, subverted God's attempt to change me. I also found it freeing to think that God joins with me in my effort to change, rather than it being all up to me. Can you see ways in which God is at work in your life? Or ways in which you have resisted God's attempt to change you?

I am reminded that Lent leads us to Holy Week and the empty tomb. Is there a better way of for God to define, "I will be their God and they will be my people" than to welcome us at the empty tomb?

Peace,

Richard

Surprising developments

From my experience, the author correctly notes that we will discover some surprising things as e continue down our Lenten journey. Question: Has anything surprising happened to you during this Lenten journey?

I am wondering if we make these discoveries because the new pattern we create leads us to surprising things or if our focus on the Lenten discipline makes us aware of God's Spirit in a new way, which opens us up to what God desires to do in our lives. Question: Has your Lenten journey opened you up to God's guiding?

My Lenten experience so far this year has been the best one that I can recall. I'm not sure if is because I made myself publicly accountable, so I have had to continue; or if beginning Lent with 5 or so hours of reflection in the sanctuary (I was there for all four of the gathering times in the sanctuary) would have made any year more meaningful; or if the praying for members is just the right discipline for me this year. I do know that my experience has connected me more with God this year than usually happens.

But, it is still work. Or at least it requires work some of the time. If I am not careful, I find myself trying to accomplish x number of prayers for the day without really praying. Then, I have to stop and reclaim the prayerful approach I need.

I see this tying in with the author's comment about God being at work in our weakness. When we are vulnerable, when we recognize our weakness, when we feel helpless, then, we often are ready to fall on our knees and seek God's guidance. Our Lenten discipline can remind us of our inability to accomplish much or remind us when we fail that we cannot do it alone, and perhaps lead us to falling on our knees and seeking God's guidance. I think that when I am doing my praying best this Lent, it is when I am focusing on how I need God to guide my prayers and somehow use those prayers to connect me in ways I could not envision myself. Question: Do you find your Lenten discipline exposes your weakness and drives you back to God?

Peace,

Richard

Law and grace

Although I am not sure this chapter (or my sermon) actually addresses the fundamental issues Paul has when discussing law and grace, I do think Paul's quote, "For I do not do what I want, but I do the very thing I hate," speaks to our Lenten experiences. We set a good goal; we know what we need to do to accomplish it; then we do not do it; in fact, we may do exactly the opposite of what we want to do.

In response to that human failing, we reminded of the importance of developing a rhythm as we engage our Lenten discipline. Have you created a new rhythm to your day that incorporates what you have added or given up this Lent?

I have discovered that I need to get my prayers done in the morning before people arrive at the office, or it becomes more difficult to make it happen. I have also discovered that if I end up having to do some of the praying at home, I need to be sitting at the kitchen table. The comfortable chair near the TV or laptop does not work!

the author also reminds us to see how law and grace can be part of our rhythm. Again, I am not sure that is the context in which is writing, but I recognize the issue the author addresses -- we need the discipline (read law) to give us structure for our Lenten discipline; we need grace to keep the law from destroying us when we fall short of our goal. I did not mention it in the sermon, but I thought the author made a powerful reference when she introduced the idea of bringing gentleness, or a gentle spirit (my words) to the process. I believe that gentle spirit also becomes a visible by-product of our Lenten discipline that others will be able to see and appreciate) in our lives.

Finally, the reference to God creating became critical to my reflections. Not as an argument for me to bring order to my life, but because of the questions it raised -- why did God create? or why did God bring order to chaos? Because God wanted to set the stage for having a loving relationship with humans. I found the answer to be a powerful reminder for why I am engaging in a Lenten discipline -- to grow in my relationship with God and grow in my relationship with others. Can you see how your Lenten discipline is allowing you to grow in relationship with God and with others?

Peace,

Richard

Lenten intrusion

We are asked this week to find one aspect from our wilderness experience to focus on for the remainder of Lent. I suppose I have already done that by beginning my commitment to pray daily for members on Ash Wednesday. If you are picking one aspect of your life, hang on to the authors' reminder to make it something regular and reasonable.

1. Regular -- if we are not engaged regularly by what we give up or add to our lives, then we miss the opportunity to be instructed by our Lenten discipline.

2. Reasonable -- I'm not sure whether I like this suggestion or not. On the one hand, I know what it can be like to fail quickly at my Lenten discipline and have Lent become six weeks of daily reminders of my failure. On the other hand, I like the idea of being challenged in the Lenten discipline.

I'd be curious how you have made your choice of what to make as your Lenten discipline.

3. I would also add accountability as an important part of the Lenten journey. For some, being accountable only to oneself works. For others, we may need to declare to our small group or to a friend or family member what we are doing for Lent so that we can be held accountable. One of the reasons I have made my Lenten discipline this year a matter of public record is that I really wanted to accomplish my goal, and I knew that being accountable to others made it more likely to happen. Believe me, every day that accountability factors into how I schedule my time to ensure that I have the proper time set aside for prayer.

I'd be interested if others share their Lenten discipline each year, and if, with whom?

Finally, I have discovered that my Lenten discipline is intruding on the rest of my life. In a concrete way, when I go to pray for a family or person, I look them up in the database and try to visualize where they live and who they are. That has led to discovering changes that have to made in the database or information we need to have for people, which is an added intrusion to my day (I might add my intrusions are filtering to Sue, the church secretary, as well).

But, I am also finding that as I pray for people, it is bringing to mind things I might want to do for them or comments that need to be shared with them. The Lenten discipline is taking on a life of its own. I have to say that giving up chocolate sometimes caused a new pattern (i.e. -- switching from M&Ms to a Payday candy bar) to emerge, but I do not recall the changing pattern bring a such a positive element to my life.

I wonder if you have discovered unintended consequences from your Lenten discipline this year?

peace,

Richard