Utterly Astounded - March 25

Today’s Readings: AM Psalm 95 [for the Invitatory] 88; PM Psalm 91, 92; Gen. 47:1-26; 1 Cor. 9:16-27; Mark 6:47-56

Today’s Reflection

When he saw that they were straining at the oars against an adverse wind, he came towards them early in the morning, walking on the lake. He intended to pass them by. But when they saw him walking on the lake, they thought it was a ghost and cried out; for they all saw him and were terrified. But immediately he spoke to them and said, ‘Take heart, it is I; do not be afraid.’ Then he got into the boat with them and the wind ceased. And they were utterly astounded. –Mark 6: 48-51

This week I was in a discussion group on Zoom that met three times over the course of the week. We were learning about a new model for incorporating seekers and newcomers into Christian communities of faith. And we were learning by doing, experiencing a glimpse into the course by immersing ourselves as participants would. So, the first thing one does in this course is to go around the group and respond to the prompt, “What has been the heart of your week?”

One day we responded to a variation on this, “What has been the heart of Lent for you this year?” As we went around and shared, when I decided to share, I said that the heart of Lent for me this year is trust. I shared how this year the season of Lent is coinciding with a season in life in which I am looking for a new home for my family. And as I shared with the group, as someone who likes to have a plan, it is hard not to know where we will be living when our lease ends later this spring. For those who have experienced the process of finding a new home, there are many unknowns and many factors that seem beyond our control. You may find just the right home, but it is all still in the seller’s hands as to whether they will accept your offer or someone else’s. All of this is to say, there is much to feel stressed and worried about when finding a new home. In other words, there are many opportunities to put our trust in God.

In today’s Gospel, Jesus is out for his morning walk—walking on the water, as only Jesus could do! He wasn’t planning to stop by to hang out with his friends out on their boat, but when he saw that they were rowing into some harsh winds and then were feeling even more panicked when they thought they saw a ghost (Jesus walking on the water), Jesus decided to make a detour on his morning walk: “But immediately he spoke to them and said, ‘Take heart, it is I; do not be afraid.’ Then he got into the boat with them, and the wind ceased. And they were utterly astounded.” What Jesus did is instructive: 1) he set aside his own plans, 2) he shared words of comfort, and most importantly 3) he made a point to get into the boat with them. This last part is especially key to building trust. While Jesus’ words, “Take heart, it is I; do not be afraid,” were surely comforting to his friends, what ultimately set them at ease and helped them to truly believe that everything would be OK was Jesus getting to the boat with them. It was then that the waves of worry ceased.

But what is left unstated in this story that seems important to consider is that his friends let Jesus get into the boat with them—even though, at first, they thought he was a ghost! Sometimes someone may come toward us wanting to help and we may, out of our own fears or sense of wanting to take care of things for ourselves, not let them get into the boat with us. So, while Jesus’ friends are depicted in the story as being kind of helpless and overwhelmed, they did do one very important thing: when Jesus came toward them, even though they were scared and confused, they let Jesus get into the boat with them. And when they did, they began to see more clearly (so much that they were utterly astounded!) that they could trust that Jesus would always be with them.

Becky+

Questions for Reflection

Recall a time when it felt difficult to trust in Jesus or in another person. What happened that restored your sense of trusting in Jesus or in your companion? What can you do in your relationships with others that would help strengthen the sense of mutual trust?

Daily Challenge

I preached my sermon on the first Sunday of Lent all around the idea about Lent being about trust, our trusting God as well as developing trusting relationships with others by sharing our stories with one another. You can listen to the sermon again here.

Made for God - March 23

Today’s Readings: AM Psalm 119:97-120; PM Psalm 81, 82; Gen. 45:16-28; 1 Cor. 8:1-13; Mark 6:13-29

Indeed, even though there may be so-called gods in heaven or on earth—as in fact there are many gods and many lords—yet for us there is one God, the Father, from whom are all things and for whom we exist, and one Lord, Jesus Christ, through whom are all things and through whom we exist. (1 Cor. 8:5-6)

Reading this eighth chapter of Paul’s first letter to the Corinthians, I was struck by these verses right in the middle of an exploration of what the eating habits of a first century Christian might look like. The apostle Paul helps those in Corinth connect their beliefs in the teachings and ministry of Jesus to life in community with others. While this letter gives meaningful guidance to the people two thousand years ago, it also imparts theological statements that continue to define Christianity today.

There must have been questions about whether it was acceptable to eat food others have prepared in sacrifice to idols, perhaps upon the great Green Egg of Bacchus. Paul welcomes the query, reaffirming the monotheistic foundation of following God, “we know that ‘no idol in the world really exists’, and that ‘there is no God but one’.”

He does something interesting in the next words: he concedes that there could be other gods in the world. Paul allows that there are many lords and leaders who would try to guide and govern our lives. How wise, considering those to whom he is writing are in Greece, where the cultural rhythms include honoring the gods and retelling the myths of the deities upon the mountain. Paul does not argue and dispute. Instead, he opens his mind widely in welcome and chooses to say this next: the existence of those other divine entities does not matter. Here is what does matter: for us there is one God. For us there is one Creator. In our hearts, we will follow God.

Paul takes it one step further, laying out what Christians believe about God by expressing who God is: God is the Father from whom all things are…and for God all things came to be. It is for God that we exist.

Let that sit with you…as I am sitting with it, too. The preposition “for” sticks with me…it is for God that we exist. How does that shift the perception of what is important for each of us today? How can that tiny, huge statement serve as the lens to realign or refocus our eyes upon the God-space of existence?

But wait, Paul has more. If you keep reading now, your mind and heart will be doubly stretched…with no extra shipping and handling fees.

Paul says, while there is one God the Father, also there is one Lord, Jesus Christ. It is this Lord and King who governs our lives, not an emperor or governor or worldly leader. Jesus is the channel…through Jesus all things are. This language ties Jesus as a person of the Trinity from before creation, though he was born and present as a human later. Furthermore, Paul writes that it is through Jesus that we exist. It is through the Son that we see the path more clearly that God has called us to.

We are created by God and for God. All creation came through the channel of Jesus. I imagine a ten-year-old Jesus alongside God the Father, walking the rows of a creation warehouse…and Jesus holds out his hand to brush just a touch of each item he walks past. Maybe that is a little bit of what a blessing is…to feel just the lightest touch of the Divine.

I pray that today you are grounded in who you are and whose you are, as you are made for God. Let that knowledge lift your eyes to welcome those in need around you. May God’s grace fill and overwhelm you, for you are wonderfully and beautifully made.

-- Katherine+

Questions for Reflection

For whom are you doing things today? To whom do you belong?

Daily Challenge

Reflect on this sentence: "It is for God that I exist."

What comes up for you? Spend a few minutes journaling. Pay attention to feelings and images that arise.

Making the Story Known - March 21

Today’s Readings: AM Psalm 80; PM Psalm 77, [79]; Gen. 44:18-34; 1 Cor. 7:25-31; Mark 5:21-43

On Sunday morning, I met an Evangelist.  He wasn’t your typical evangelist, but he looked at me eagerly as I greeted people before the service.  “Do you know Paw Patrol?” he asked.   I shook my head responding that I knew very little, and he wanted to tell me a whole lot more.  Over the next ninety seconds or so, I received a beautiful explanation of the power of Paw Patrol and why I should be watching Paw Patrol.  His parents joked about how he loved to spread the good news of Paw Patrol.  I think they are on to something.

In the Gospel stories, people experience life-changing healing.  Hemorrhaging stops in today’s story by a woman who encounters God, pressing through a crowd.  At the same time, a man named Jairus is concerned about his own daughter’s health. She is near the point of death, the crowd is already grieving the loss, and Jesus places his hand on her own hand and her life is restored. 

You and I are followers of Jesus because others proclaimed the power of God in their lives.  We get caught up in the story, moved to compassion, love, and transformation, not because a church has a good youth program and the ‘right’ people at church (whatever that means), but because of the power of God to heal and restore life. 

In one weekend I personally witnessed three different stories of remarkable compassion (that I can’t write about), people in our community trying to selflessly help others be whole, without any credit to themselves.  If these were just isolated events, we might say people are good.  I’d like to suggest that attributing acts of healing and kindness to individuals misses what is really at work, that is the power of God.  If God is the source of love, it is God’s work in each of us that is transforming this world into the kingdom of God.

As I reflect this morning, it dawns on me how important it is to be evangelists to the power of the love of Christ.  To my new three-year-old Paw Patrol evangelist friend: I hope I live with the same passion for telling the story of God’s love and healing power as you do for Paw Patrol.  Thank you for reminding me to tell the story and to invite others into the story too.  God is so good and Jesus’s healing love is all around us.  We just need to help make the story known.

John+

Questions for Self-Reflection:  How have you seen the work of God alive in your own life?  Where have you seen healing, hope, and miracles?

Daily Challenge:  Tell someone how God has changed your life.  Try inviting someone to church, not because of the programs the church offers, but because of what God has done in your life. 

Bird Songs in the Storm - March 18

Today’s Readings: AM Psalm 95 [for the Invitatory] 69:1-23(24-30)31-38; PM Psalm 73
Gen. 43:1-15; 1 Cor. 7:1-9; Mark 4:35-41

Today’s Reflection

As for me, I am afflicted and in pain; your help, O God, will lift me up on high.
I will praise the Name of God in song; I will proclaim his greatness with thanksgiving. —Psalm 69: 31-32

As I sit here in early morning hours at my kitchen counter to write this reflection, it is still dark outside. But I hear the beginnings of a thunderstorm brewing and as the rain is beginning to fall. The sound of the thunder, though it is still too dark to see the clouds in the sky, prompted me to check the weather app on my phone, revealing that we have a very tempestuous, rain-soaked day ahead. And yet, even with all these sounds and signs of a stormy day, I hear something else in the quiet of the morning: I hear birds singing perched amongst all the trees of my backyard.

Even as the thunder continues to rumble, these birds are continuing to sing—and not only that, but what sounded at first as a single bird or maybe two, when I opened my backdoor to hear them more clearly, I could tell that more and more birds were joining in. I wondered what birds I was hearing, singing and calling to one another in the darkness and the thunder before daybreak. I took out my Cornell bird app and held it out into the darkness to get a sampling of the sounds, and quickly I learned I was hearing Carolina Wrens, Northern Cardinals, Purple Finches, and American Robins. It’s a beautiful choir of bird voices being raised just outside my windows, even as the lightning is beginning to flash and the thunderstorms are moving in for the rest of the morning.

The Psalm we read for this morning is also about a day where waters are rising up to the psalmist’s neck, maybe a thunderstorm has brought with it a flood not unlike the one likely to overcome my flood-prone street this morning. For the first 13 verses of this 38-verse psalm, the psalmist is describing how overwhelmed and full of despair they are feeling as they look around at the circumstances they are facing. Here’s a sampling: “Save me, O God, for the waters have risen up to my neck. I am sinking in deep mire, and there is no firm ground for my feet. I have come into deep waters, and the torrent washes over me. I have grown weary with my crying; my throat is inflamed; my eyes have failed from looking for my God” (vv. 1-4).

But then in verse 14, the psalmist’s lament takes a turn into a different theme, moving from a description of how hard things are and into remembering that God is there and realizing that God can be turned to for help: “But as for me, this is my prayer to you, at the time you have set, O Lord: ‘In your great mercy, O God,
answer me with your unfailing help. Save me from the mire; do not let me sink;  let me be rescued from those who hate me and out of the deep waters. Let not the torrent of waters wash over me, neither let the deep swallow me up; do not let the Pit shut its mouth upon me. Answer me, O Lord, for your love is kind; in your great compassion, turn to me’” (vv. 14-18). The psalmist then gets distracted by complaining to God about adversaries for a long stretch, in verses 19-30—even in ancient days people got under each other’s skin, distracting them from more important things (sounds familiar, yes?).

Eventually, once the psalmist gets those complaints out of their system, we return to a strong sense that God is there, holding out love and grace and acceptance to us, even as life’s storms make the waters rise up to our necks, threatening to knock us off our feet, and even as adversaries make us frustrated and annoyed and miserable at times. In the end, the psalmist takes heart and is reminded to trust in God, who is faithful and abounding in steadfast love for each one of us—especially when the rains are falling fast, and the floods are rising up all around us. I hope that just as the torrents are beginning to come down as I finish writing this reflection now, just after 7 o’clock this morning, that we can find a way to keep singing as the rain comes down and the thunder booms:

As for me, I am afflicted and in pain;
your help, O God, will lift me up on high.
I will praise the Name of God in song;
I will proclaim his greatness with thanksgiving. …
For the Lord listens to the needy,
and his prisoners he does not despise.
Let the heavens and the earth praise him,
the seas and all that moves in them.  (vv. 31-32, 35-36)

Becky+

Questions for Self-Reflection

Just as we can hear birds singing even as the rain and thunder come, what signs of hope have you seen even in the midst of challenging times?

Daily Challenge

Pick one or two verses from Psalm 69 that seem most meaningful to you. Find a piece of paper on which you can copy it out in your own writing, and then keep coming back to the verse throughout the day or the week to begin to memorize it and make it your own.

Joseph and the Reckoning of His Brothers - March 16

Today’s Readings: AM Psalm 72; PM Psalm 119:73-96; Gen. 42:18-28; 1 Cor. 5:9-6:8; Mark 4:1-20

Hard decisions. Have you ever been in the position of having to make a really hard choice? Maybe choosing between two people, knowing that in choosing, one of those will be left behind? The portions of Genesis 42 appointed this week walk us through a painful story of ups and downs, choices and consequences.

Jacob, son of Isaac, lives in Canaan and has twelve sons. The ten older sons abuse and torment their younger brother Joseph, selling him into slavery. Joseph becomes a powerful assistant to the Pharaoh in Egypt, and even serves as governor. Meanwhile, famine is widespread around the area – except for Egypt where there are copious amounts of grain for bread. Jacob sends all but one of his remaining sons to buy grain, keeping Benjamin at home and safe.

Joseph, now bilingual and well above the lowly state his brothers left him in, recognizes his brothers, though they do not realize in whose presence they find themselves. The men bow down to the governor. Through an interpreter who translates his words into Hebrew, Joseph demands of them, “Where do you come from?” They stutter and stammer, “From the land of Canaan to buy food.” Joseph, continuing his harsh exterior, says, “You are spies. You have come to see the nakedness of the land!” The brothers vehemently deny being spies and say that they come from twelve brothers, the youngest staying behind and the other is no more.

Joseph demands that they be tested. They must bring their youngest brother to see him – the one kept at home for safety – or else the rest will not be released. He imprisons them for three days. Then, there is an updated offer placed on the table: “If you are honest men, let one of your brothers stay here where you are imprisoned. The rest of you shall go and carry grain for the famine of your households, and bring your youngest brother to me. Thus your words will be verified and you shall not die.”

The ten brothers confer in their native tongue while Joseph stands waiting. They agree to Joseph’s proposal. They reflect, “Alas, we are paying the penalty for what we did to our brother; we saw his anguish when he pleaded with us, but we would not listen. That is why this anguish has come upon us.” Reuben says, “Did I not tell you not to wrong the boy? But you would not listen. So now there comes a reckoning for his blood.” Through and through, the sons of Jacob realize that their actions are not without consequences. They accept that their pattern of abuse and bullying has been deeply destructive.

Joseph hears and understands every word exchanged. He turns away and weeps. He selects Simeon to stay as the collateral. It is not clear what else Joseph says to his nine brothers who are sent away home. What we do read is that Joseph gives orders to fill bags belonging to the sons of Jacob – fill them with grain, plus the monies that had been confiscated through their imprisonment, and extra provisions for the journey home.

Upon homecoming, the nine traveling sons of Jacob retell the events, referring to Joseph as “the lord of the land” who spoke harshly to them and charged them with being spies. The brothers plead their honesty, though when they empty their sacks, they are filled with grain and the bags of money they brought on the trip.

Did they look as if they were thieves? While the nine have survived the peril of their journey, what remains of the relationship between them and their father? Perhaps now the deceitfulness of their habits is laid bare. Can you imagine the tension at play here?

It is tragic, really. We have such a deep propensity to love and cherish one another, and yet sometimes what we do is taunt and diminish those closest to us. Those actions leave scars. Lent is a time to look at the wounds we have caused. Lent is a time to lean against God for support as we are deeply honest with ourselves and others. Lent is a time to examine where we have been and dream about where we might go, illumined by the hope granted in the resurrection of Jesus. We know now that that hope is ahead.

-- Katherine+

Questions for Reflection

God is not mentioned in this story from Genesis 42. Where do you see God in this story? Where may God be with you on days that the presence of the Divine is not something you recognize or feel?

Daily Challenge

Sit down and imagine how this story of Jacob’s sons is inviting you to live differently. Pray to God for the wisdom of sight and understanding, to know this story more deeply and live into it with God’s wisdom and faithfulness.

Council of Advice - March 14

Today’s Readings: AM Psalm 56, 57, [58]; PM Psalm 64, 65; Gen. 41:46-57; 1 Cor. 4:8-20(21); Mark 3:7-19a

I’ve always thought of the twelve disciples as people who were swept up in Jesus’s movement, compelled to go along for how it would change their lives. Historically, I have placed the emphasis on how following Jesus changed the disciples’ lives, but another question could be asked.  How did the disciples change Jesus’s life? 

In this morning’s Gospel, a crowd begins to follow Jesus, specifically a “great multitude from Galilee.”  He orders the disciples to have a boat ready, “because of the crowd, so they would not crush him.”  There is no wasting time in the Gospel of Mark.  From the beginning Jesus is engaged in action, changing the world through his healing and curing. 

And then he goes up the mountain and appoints twelve to “be with him” (v 14), “and then he went home” (v 19).  While I certainly don’t want to suggest the Son of God doesn’t have the power to change the world on his own, it seems important that Jesus has a council of advice, or a team of people to support him.  Maybe it is possible that he could do this on his own, but he doesn’t.  He invites a group to join him and support him and be with him.

We are all engaged in the work of healing and ministry by virtue of our Baptism.  Our lives are the mission fields that Jesus invites us into. A more targeted question is who are the people we have invited into our lives for the specific purpose of supporting our faith lived out?  Do you have a council of advice that gives you support, challenge, vision, and encouragement? 

Faithfully,

John+

Questions for Self-Reflection:  Who are the specific people who help you on applying your faith in your daily life?  Have these people naturally found this role, or did you invite them into it?  Why does this matter?  How could you be more intentional in cultivating supporting relationships?

Daily Challenge:  Invite someone new into your council of advice. Here is an article about seeking a younger mentor that could challenge your assumptions about whom to invite in. 

Invitation - March 11

Today’s Readings:  AM Psalm 95 [for the Invitatory] 40, 54; PM Psalm 51, Gen. 40:1-23; 1 Cor. 3:16-23; Mark 2:13-22

Just before we begin reading the scripture passages appointed for the day in Morning Prayer, we say what is called an invitatory psalm. Usually that is a portion of Psalm 95, beginning, “Come, let us sing to the Lord; let us shout for joy to the Rock of our salvation.” These words are a prayer inviting us to be in God’s presence as we begin our day. These verses beckon us to ground our day in thanksgiving, no matter what, because God has created all that we are and that surrounds us. As such, in gratitude we are also invited to get down on our knees to pray.

On Fridays in Lent, we pray the whole of this psalm, rather than only the first seven verses in the Book of Common Prayer. Here’s what I note in pondering these additional verses of the psalm. The speaker shifts from the voice of a worship leader or friend to the voice of God. The words change from esteeming the Lord and describing what God has done, to stating what humans have done – and ought not do – in relationship to God.

Let’s look deeper. We read in verse 8: “Harden not your hearts, as your forebears did in the wilderness, at Meribah, and on that day at Massah, when they tempted me.”

Do you find yourself wondering what happened at Meribah and Massah?

In Exodus 17, the chronicles of Moses and the Israelites in the wilderness continue. The people are complaining, hungry, and thirsty. And complaining. They plead with Moses again and again, “Why did you bring us out of Egypt, to kill us and our children and livestock with thirst?” Moses is frustrated beyond belief and cries out to God, “What shall I do with this people? They are almost ready to stone me.” The Lord tells Moses to go ahead to the rock at Horeb, where God will be standing on a rock…and when that rock is struck, water will gush forth and provide refreshment for the Israelites. That place is named Massah and Meribah, meaning “Test” and “Quarrel”, for these days in the wilderness were full of hardship and testing. And Moses was done without God’s saving help.

This wilderness context helps us understand what is going on in this latter part of Psalm 95. That theme continues as we read verse 9 and through the end of the psalm: “They put me to the test, though they had seen my works.” That makes more sense, right?

Then, verses 10 and 11: “Forty years long I detested that generation and said, ‘This people are wayward in their hearts; they do not know my ways.’ So I swore in my wrath, ‘They shall not enter into my rest.’” Recalling Moses and the wandering wilderness stories of the Old Testament, I can understand these verses better, though it hurts to hear that our unchangeable God would detest a generation and remain distant from them.

Like many parts of the Bible, reconciling and receiving the message takes time and prayer. Holy Scripture helps us reflect on our own lives and how we might lean more toward God and bend away from those things that detract us from faithful living. Others’ stories and prayers help us see and understand. Regardless, we sit with this scripture. We pray it on Fridays in Lent as we are invited into a prayerful time. Perhaps we will be moved to softened hearts and deeper reliance upon God, minimizing the testing and quarreling.

-- Katherine+

Questions for Reflection

What practices help you get into a prayerful mindset during the day?

How do you begin prayers? How do you end them?

Daily Challenge

Read Psalm 95 again. Write down the word or phrase that helps open your heart to God. Use that word or phrase in the days ahead as a word of focus and invitation to cover your day in prayer.

Even now you are still not ready - March 10

Today’s Readings: AM Psalm 50; PM Psalm [59, 60] or 19, 46; Gen. 39:1-23; 1 Cor. 2:14-3:15; Mark 2:1-12

Have you ever felt guilty about how faithful you are, or maybe more specifically about how you live into your faith?  I do all the time.  I spend a lot of time reading stories in Scripture and learning about the lives of other faithful people. It’s still amazing to me that all of the disciples dropped everything and followed Jesus leaving behind careers and family and probably a whole lot of what they felt was security.   Would I have done the same?  I hope so, but I also doubt it.

Becky and Katherine kicked off a discussion on a book titled “Good Enough” by Kate Bowler.  I wasn’t privy to the conversation as I led a Bible study at the same time, but I am intrigued by the title.  I am guessing it’s a reminder that many of us are saddled with the feeling that we are not good enough.  Even when intellectually, we can believe that God’s grace that we experience in Jesus Christ still touches our lives, we can’t seem to let go of not being good enough.  We ask ourselves over and over, “God may love me and forgive me, but why I am not a better Christian?” 

Paul has an interesting take on the Christian faith as he writes to the church in Corinth.  “Even now you are still not ready,” he tells them, people who follow Jesus, and yet have not fully embraced the ethic that Paul imagines is necessary for the Christian life. 

“Even now you are still not ready.”  He sees the community in Corinth as infants in their faith without not only the knowledge but the ability to live into the faith as we ultimately will be able to one day.  And he loves the community in Corinth.  He begins his epistle with these words: “I give thanks to my God always for you because of the grace of God that has been given you in Christ Jesus.”  He loves them and recognizes God’s work in them, and yet sees them still as infants!

You and I do not have to have perfected our Christian Faith.  We just have to agree to love Jesus and follow him.  And this means we get to grow in his love.  What new ways of love will we learn tomorrow?

John+

Questions for Self-Reflection:  Where do you think you have come up short in your Christian faith?  Who do you admire that you think has figured it all out?  What are some ways of living that you have found impossible yourself and let others inspire you to consider? 

Daily Challenge:  Come up with three ways that you would like to grow in your faith in the coming year.  Write them down on a postcard and put them somewhere that you will see regularly in your house. 

'God is there, and more near to us than we are to ourselves'

Today’s Readings: AM Psalm 119:49-72; PM Psalm 49, [53]; Gen. 37:25-36; 1 Cor. 2:1-13; Mark 1:29-45

Today’s Reflection

But we speak God’s wisdom, secret and hidden, which God decreed before the ages for our glory. None of the rulers of this age understood this; for if they had, they would not have crucified the Lord of glory. But, as it is written, ‘What no eye has seen, nor ear heard, nor the human heart conceived, what God has prepared for those who love him’— these things God has revealed to us through the Spirit; for the Spirit searches everything, even the depths of God. For what human being knows what is truly human except the human spirit that is within? So also no one comprehends what is truly God’s except the Spirit of God. Now we have received not the spirit of the world, but the Spirit that is from God, so that we may understand the gifts bestowed on us by God. And we speak of these things in words not taught by human wisdom but taught by the Spirit, interpreting spiritual things to those who are spiritual. —1 Corinthians 2: 7-13

We humans like to think that if we can understand something, we can control it—or at least have some sense that we can predict how things may unfold, or what may happen next, of what the outcome will be. The scientific revolution was centered in our ability to apply a methodology in which we formulate a hypothesis for why something happens in a certain way, and then using our senses to make observations that we consider as evidence for why our hypothesis is proven to be true or not true. Oftentimes this may involves quantifying what we observe—how many of something, or how long something lasted, or how often something happened, and so on. Bringing our senses together with our rationality through carrying out the scientific method, we believe that we can have more understanding of why things are as they are, and by so understanding our world have some semblance of how we might have more control over some aspects of the physical world. (Apologies to any scientists reading this reflection—this reflection is written by someone fully steeped in the humanities disciplines of rhetoric, literature, and theology who has not taken a science course in well over 25 years.)

As Paul wrote to the Corinthians, however, there are many aspects of our world that remain beyond our human observation and comprehension: “But we speak God’s wisdom, secret and hidden, which God decreed before the ages for our glory. … ‘What no eye has seen, nor ear heard, nor the human heart conceived, what God has prepared for those who love him’— these things God has revealed to us through the Spirit.’” In other words, there is a level of existence that is divine, beyond what our human eyes, ears, or understanding can observe or rationally understand. This doesn’t mean, though, that we cannot access this divine wisdom, that which God has prepared for those who love him. Rather, what this means (or so it seems to me) is that in order to connect with the divine we must go through life relying not solely on our physical senses and our rational mind to guide us, but more importantly we must live into being children of God who, through the Holy Spirit at work in us, so that we can also navigate our lives and relationships on a level that transcends what can be sensed physically and understood rationally. As Paul further reflected: “Now we have received not the spirit of the world, but the Spirit that is from God, so that we may understand the gifts bestowed on us by God. And we speak of these things in words not taught by human wisdom but taught by the Spirit, interpreting spiritual things to those who are spiritual.”

In the 1660s, an English priest named Thomas Traherne composed many beautiful meditations on such things. As we close today’s time of daily reflection, I leave you meditate on Paul’s words alongside Traherne’s ponderings about what is Infinite. May we find within a sense that who we are and the God we believe in is even “more near to us than we are to ourselves.”

—Becky+

Few will believe the soul to be infinite: yet Infinite is the first thing which is naturally known. Bounds and limits are discerned only in a secondary manner. Suppose a man were born deaf and blind. By the very feeling of his soul, he apprehends infinite about him, infinite space, infinite darkness. He thinks not of wall and limits till he feels them and is stopped by them. That things are finite therefore we learn by our senses. But infinity we know and feel by our souls: and feel it so naturally, as if it were the very essence and being of the soul. The truth of it is, it is individually in the soul: for God is there, and more near to us than we are to ourselves. So that we cannot feel our souls, but we must feel Him, in that first of properties, infinite space. And this we know so naturally, that it is only primo et necessario cognitum in rerum naturd: of all things the only first and most necessarily known. For we can unsuppose Heaven and Earth and annihilate the world in our imagination, but the place where they stood will remain behind, and we cannot unsuppose or annihilate that, do what we can. Which without us is the chamber of our infinite treasures, and within us the repository and recipient of them.

Thomas Traherne, Centuries of Meditations, “The Second Century: Meditation Number 81,” p 132. New York: Cosimo Classics, 2007.

Questions for Reflection

In what ways are you able to connect with a God who exists and loves us in infinite ways that transcend what we can physically sense or rationally understand? What strikes you as beautiful and true about a God who is with us and loves us more than we can ask or imagine? How do we believe and trust in God who surpasses our human understanding?

Daily Challenge

Find a quiet space and time to just be with God today, space and time in which you can just sit with God and bask in knowing you are loved and precious in God’s heart.

Follow me! - March 8

Today’s Readings:  AM Psalm 45; PM Psalm 47, 48, Gen. 37:12-24; 1 Cor. 1:20-31; Mark 1:14-28 

When our first child was born, a dear friend gave us a series of board books. The thick pages are worn with years of reading, dropping, gnawing, and the like. Our kids are still drawn to the images of goslings named Gossie and Gertie, who are best friends. Where one goes, the other joins. To wear their shiny boots in the rain. To check out the barnyard animals. To dive in the pond. One day, Gossie calls her best goose buddy to follow onto the next venue: stomping in a mud puddle. Gertie makes a different choice. She does not want to jump in the mud. Gossie tries again, “Follow me!” – but Gertie chases a hopping frog. Gossie, now visibly upset, demands, “Follow me!” – but Gertie is tailing a butterfly. Gossie is frustrated that her best friend will not do everything she wants to do. Then, Gertie turns around and calls for Gossie, saying, “Follow me! It’s dinnertime!” Gossie follows Gertie and the yellow goslings happily eat dinner together.

Sometimes, we need a really good reason to follow someone.

In Mark’s good news appointed for today, we hear a story of following a call. Jesus comes to Galilee, proclaiming the gospel of God’s kingdom. He calls out to whomever will listen, “The time is fulfilled, and the kingdom of God has come near; repent, and believe in the good news.” Then, Jesus walks by the water and sees brothers Simon and Andrew throwing nets into the lake, trying to catch fish. Jesus calls out, “Follow me and I will make you fish for people.” Do you know what those guys did? They dropped their nets and immediately followed Jesus. A bit down the coastline, Jesus sees Zebedee’s boys, James and John, who are repairing the tears in their nets. Surely there is conversation going on as they are preparing for the next haul of fish. Immediately Jesus calls out to them, perhaps saying the same invitation, “Follow me and I will make you fish for people.” James and John drop the nets, leaving the boat, their dad and the hired hands, and they follow Jesus.

I wonder, what had been stirring in Simon and Andrew’s hearts before Jesus called out to them? Did James and John feel an inkling that some big change was about to present itself? Were they praying to the Lord for a call? Answering God’s call is a bold move. And yet, in the moment, maybe it just feels like the right next thing. These brothers followed Jesus. And Jesus worked with them, training them into a new skill – sowing the seeds of faithfulness as they became fishers of people.

May God open our ears today to hear Jesus calling to us, “Follow me!” – and in the footsteps of John, James, Andrew, and Simon, may we move our feet to walk alongside Jesus in faith.

-- Katherine+

Questions for Reflection

When someone calls you to follow, how do you respond? With questions? Agreement? Do you invite others to join you? How does it feel to follow someone else?

When have you felt God nudging you to follow?

Daily Challenge 

Lent can be a time for establishing a new spiritual discipline. These spaces of structure are ways to follow God more closely. Consider living into a rule of life - and following the precepts outlined for faithful living. Or, spend time reading the Rule of St. Benedict.

The Urgency of Mark's Lent - March 7

Today’s Readings: AM Psalm 41, 52; PM Psalm 44; Gen. 37:1-11; 1 Cor. 1:1-19; Mark 1:1-13

Almost out of nowhere comes the Gospel of Mark, action-packed and filled to the brim with excitement.  There is no birth narrative, just a ruffian named John hanging out in the wilderness in camel’s hair eating locusts and wild honey.  I’m guessing that means he doesn’t keep bees, just robs wild ones, which is even more profound.  He is proclaiming to the world the importance of repentance, and then Jesus comes to visit him in the wilderness to be baptized.  At that moment the heavens are torn open, a loud voice proclaims Jesus’s arrival.  He is cast into the wilderness and then we experience all of Lent in just one sentence: “He was in the wilderness for forty days, tempted by Satan; and he was with the wild beasts; and the angels waited on him.” 

The one-sentence Lent.  No forty days of social media fasting, or readings of books and reflections.  No agonizing stories, sermons, or visions.  All we get is one sentence that includes Satan, wild beasts, and angels all in the wilderness.  Mark does not waste any words.   And I am left wondering what the urgency of Mark can offer our Lenten practice. 

It’s an alarming yet hopeful image of Lent that we are offered this morning.  Mark reminds us that in this period of wilderness, Jesus was not only tempted by Satan but residing with wild beasts.  The urgency of Mark reminds us that in this period of self-examination, reflection, and repentance, we might discover that we too reside much closer to those things that we want to be freed from.  It is Mark that reminds us of the proximity of evil in our own lives.  We can’t ignore how close these things are, covered up with stories, images, and reflections.  We live way too close to the things that work to erode the kingdom of God! 

But Mark also offers us a profoundly hopeful image.  Even in the closeness of those forces that work to destroy, Jesus was not alone in the wilderness.  “And the angels waited on him.”  For us too, in this season of self-examination, reflection, and repentance, God’s presence is there to guide us and protect us. 

We are invited into a Holy Lent, and urgent practice of self-examination and yet with the promise that God is with us in all that we could discover.

John+

Questions for Self-Reflection:  How do you examine your own life?   What have you taken on or given up this Lent?  What is the role that repentance plays in your faith journey?

Daily Challenge:  It is not too late to develop a Lenten discipline.  Pick something and write it down!.  One fun challenge to learn more about the Church and Saints is the Lent Madness offered by Forward Day by Day.  Learn more here.

The Source of Our Strength - March 5

Today’s Readings: AM Psalm 30, 32; PM Psalm 42, 43; Ezek. 39:21-29; Phil. 4:10-20; John 17:20-26

Today’s Reflection

I can do all things through him who strengthens me. –Philippians 4: 13

This verse from Philippians 4 is one that you might find printed on a bookmark or magnet, or perhaps on your favorite coffee cup. We like this verse because it is very positive and encouraging—it literally has that ‘can do’ mindset.

Of course, in our very individualistic culture, many of us tend to be focused on the first part: “I can do.” However, that is only part of the story. How can we do all things? “Through him who strengthens me.” The source of our strength, the source of what nourishes us to make us strong for what we are called to be and called to do, is God who made us and loves us and is with us through all things.

As we are reminded in the verses we read from Philippians 4 today, Paul knows what it is both to be well-fed and to be hungry, to have plenty and to be in need. The secret, he writes to his friends in Philippi, is knowing that no matter how much he has or does not have materially, God will always give him enough to strengthen him for what he faces both today and in the days to come. And how does he strengthen Paul, how does he provide nourishment? God strengthens Paul (and us) by setting us in communities, by giving us companions and partners to come alongside us in our times of distress. As Paul writes, “I can do all things through him who strengthens me. In any case, it was kind of you to share my distress.”

God has strengthened us, Paul writes, through placing you and I in each other’s lives to share in whatever life holds: plenty and want, joy and distress. God has given us one another to strengthen us. The people in Philippi had been great supporters and encouragers of Paul and his ministry: “when I left Macedonia, no church shared with me in the matter of giving and receiving, except you alone.” Paul had received sustenance from these loyal friends in Philippi since the earliest days of his working for the Gospel. Here, Paul is acknowledging the Philippians faithful friendship and support. He is expressing his gratefulness to God for strengthening him through them—and he wants them to know that the love and support flow both ways, as he prays for them: “And my God will fully satisfy every need of yours according to his riches in glory in Christ Jesus.”

Becky+

Questions for Reflection      

Reflect on a challenging time in your life, some time when it seemed like you would not have enough. Looking back, how do you see how God placed friends alongside you to strengthen you in your time of need? And how have you been that source of strength for others?

Daily Challenge

Write a note of thanks for someone through whom God has given you strength. Pray that God would place on your heart someone whom you can share with and nourish them so that they may be strong to do what God has in store for them.

Truth-telling – March 4

Today’s Readings: AM Psalm 95 ,  31; PM Psalm 35, Ezek. 18:1-4,25-32; Phil. 4:1-9; John 17:9-19

Sin is hard. And uncomfortable. It is the kind of thing that, when read about on paper or computer screen, can be kept at an arm’s length. It is someone else’s problem to reorder and reconcile. When we see sin and pain lived out in our own household, in relationships, or recalled from our earlier years, it is more intense. Messy. Inescapable. But what about something like generational sin? Some hold that the wrongdoings of prior generations trickle down and besmirch the children and grandchildren who follow. I wonder if you have seen such dynamics at play? I wonder if you have felt as if the actions of a parent or grandparent have cast a shadow on your life. How easy would it be to talk about such an experience? It is complicated and painful to know about and live into.

The Christian doctrine of original sin is an extension of the ancestral flaw mindset – the sins of Adam and Eve at creation tainted all who would follow. It is through baptism that the smudge of generational sin is washed away. We see generational sin explored several places in the Bible – one prominent place is in the Ten Commandments:

“You shall not make for yourself an idol, whether in the form of anything that is in heaven above, or that is on the earth beneath, or that is in the water under the earth. You shall not bow down to them or worship them; for I the Lord your God am a jealous God, punishing children for the iniquity of parents, to the third and the fourth generation of those who reject me, but showing steadfast love to the thousandth generation of those who love me and keep my commandments.” (Exodus 20:4-6)

The commandment spells out how, because of God’s nature as a disciplinarian, children will continue to be punished if their parents have sinned – and this will continue for generations.

There are parts of Holy Scripture that approach ancestral sins differently. In Deuteronomy 24:16, one of the laws written states, “Parents are not to be put to death for their children, nor children put to death for their parents; each will die for their own sin.” In today’s lectionary in Ezekiel 18, we hear a similar update through the prophet Ezekiel’s lips: God claims all lives: the life of the parent as well as the life of the child; it is only those who sin who will die. (v. 4)

Later in Ezekiel 18, the prophet gives good counsel regarding what to do, in spite of the messiness of sin and destruction in this world: Repent and turn from all your transgressions; otherwise, they will become stumbling blocks. In cleansing yourself, adopt a new heart and a new spirit. Turn your life toward God and live.

Walter Brueggemann wrote an article on Ezekiel, and he held up this important aspect of Ezekiel’s role: the prophet was honest about what he saw happening in Jerusalem. He named the dynamics of hypocrisy, avoidance, and whitewashing the pain and brokenness surrounding them. To whom did he address these truths? The religious community – the body Ezekiel said was responsible for truth-telling. Bruggemann wraps up his reflection with this conclusion: it is in speaking truthfully about human realities of war, deceit, abuse, and pain that we – the Church – and we as humans are prepared to receive the peace that God promises. In fact, it is that peace spoken of in Philippians 4:7, “And the peace of God, which surpasses all understanding, will guard your hearts and your minds in Christ Jesus.”

On Ash Wednesday this week, we were invited to enter into a holy Lent “by self-examination and repentance; by prayer, fasting, and self-denial; and by reading and meditating on God's holy Word.” (BCP 265) I pray that through self-examination, each of us will see and know the truths we need to voice. I pray that the shadows that loom over us will be cast away, so that each of us can turn toward God and live fully and faithfully.

- Katherine+

Questions for Reflection

What truths do you need to speak of? What generational sins and pain do you hope to shed, so that you will adopt a new heart and a new spirit, turning your life toward God and living fully?

Daily Challenge

Want to read more of the Walter Bruggemann article referenced in the reflection? Find that story here: https://www.religion-online.org/article/truth-telling-and-peacemaking-a-reflection-on-ezekiel/

Standing in Awe

Today’s Readings: AM Psalm 37:1-18; PM Psalm 37:19-42; Hab. 3:1-10(11-15)16-18; Phil. 3:12-21; John 17:1-8

Most Wednesdays, I lead two different Bible studies with a group of Men from Saint Stephen’s and a Young Adult group.  At both gatherings, we always begin with three questions, one of which is “Where did you see God this week?”  The answers vary from week to week and hopefully the practice is making it a little easier for all of us to see God in our daily lives. 

Almost every week, a few of the answers pertain to nature.  “Walking my dog last night, I was struck by the largeness of the moon.”  Or “we went camping and just being outside was where I saw God.”  Even in a community of churchgoers, people who are consistently here on Sunday mornings, receiving the Eucharist weekly, the answer to where one sees God is often in nature.

I’m not especially surprised.  I love being outside and dazing at the vast expanse of space, or standing in a river or on a trail, away from the constraints and worries of the pressures of professional life or parenting.  And it often reminds me of how large God is and how small we really are. 

This morning is one of the rare instances where we hear from the minor prophet Habakkuk who dates back to around the late seventh century BCE. This final section is a prayer that aims to arouse God into action in dealing with the wicked in the world.  Habakkuk begins the prayer by recounting the vastness of God, “O Lord, I have heard of your renown, and I stand in awe, O Lord of your work.”   Later Habakkuk continues, “His glory covered the heavens, and the earth was full of his praise.  For Habakkuk, recognizing that God was bigger than humanity become necessary for how God would also handle the brokenness of humanity. 

What strikes me most is how Habakkuk might be identifying a helpful tool in praying for God’s deliverance from the challenges of our lives – that is standing in awe.  I’ve certainly been awe-inspired with architecture and maybe ancient cathedrals set to elicit this kind of emotional response, but mother nature does it naturally (pun intended) 

Maybe there is some wisdom in taking the posture of Habakkuk, “O Lord, I have heard of your renown, and I stand in awe, O Lord, of your work.”  To balance the worry of the world we should look for the vastness and greatness of God.

John+

Questions for Self-Reflection:  Where have you seen God lately? What experiences cause you to stand in awe?  What is your most memorable moment in mother nature?

Daily Challenge:  Take a walk today or do something outside you wouldn’t normally do.  If you live near Saint Stephen’s, I suggest Jemison Trail, Cahaba River Park, or Oak Mountain Park.

Pondering Our Ashness - March 2

Today’s Readings: AM Psalm 32 and 143; PM Psalm 102, 130; Amos 5:6-15; 2 Corinthians 5:20b—6:10; Matthew 6:1-6,16-21

Today’s Reflection

The way of Ash Wednesday and of Lent, indeed our lifelong way as followers of Christ, is a way that is countercultural—not only running counter to the ways of the world, but even running counter to the ways in which we, as believers, are tempted to practice our faith. In Matthew’s Gospel, Jesus gives us a series of “do not… but” statements. First, Jesus gives us a negative picture of what “practicing your piety before others” can look like—piety gone wrong, if you will… what we should not do. And then, after each “do not” picture of piety gone wrong, Jesus gives us a picture of a better way, of piety gone right: “But when you give alms, do not let your left hand know what your right hand is doing… But whenever you pray, go into your room and shut the door … But when you fast, put oil on your head and wash your face, so that your fasting may not be seen by others … But store up for yourselves treasures in heaven… for where your treasure is, there your heart will be also” (Matthew 6).

And so, Ash Wednesday, and indeed every day of our life in Christ, is a study in paradoxes and incongruities. In Paul’s second letter to the Corinthians, we hear this about Jesus: “For our sake he made him to be sin who knew no sin, so that in him we might become the righteousness of God” (2 Corinthians 5). And then we hear this about ourselves, those who follow Christ: “We are treated as impostors, and yet are true; as unknown, and yet are well known; as dying, and see—we are alive; as punished, and yet not killed; as sorrowful, yet always rejoicing; as poor, yet making many rich; as having nothing, and yet possessing everything” (2 Corinthians 6).

As Christians, we live a life of paradox. We are to be in the world, but not of it. We know that we are both sinful and yet fully saved from our sins. We are stuck, on the one hand, in the mud and muck of this fallen world—and yet we are also set free, like a kite or a banner, free to fly and wave in the wind, yet anchored by the security we have in Christ, so that we do not fly off into the atmosphere of our own inclinations. We may have moments of realization that we are drowning and dying in a sea of mistakes and regrets—and then we are brought back up to the surface, brought back to life, realizing the undying hope we have in Christ. We feel unknown, and yet can take comfort that in Christ we are fully known. We realize that while, at the end of the day, we may have nothing in the eyes of this world, in terms of status or wealth or other measures of success—and yet, in Christ (and all that has already been done for us through his incarnation and crucifixion and resurrection) we, in fact, already possess everything that is truly needful.

As we begin our observance of this Holy Season of Lent, I pray that each day we will be able to remember who we are in Christ: people who have nothing and yet possess everything. I leave you to reflect on this poem by Walter Brueggemann, “Marked by Ashes.” I pray we all may have a Holy Lent.

Becky+

Marked by Ashes

Walter Brueggemann

Ruler of the Night, Guarantor of the day . . .
This day — a gift from you.
This day — like none other you have ever given, or we have ever received.
This Wednesday dazzles us with gift and newness and possibility.
This Wednesday burdens us with the tasks of the day, for we are already halfway home
     halfway back to committees and memos,
     halfway back to calls and appointments,
     halfway on to next Sunday,
     halfway back, half frazzled, half expectant,
     half turned toward you, half rather not.

This Wednesday is a long way from Ash Wednesday,
   but all our Wednesdays are marked by ashes —
     we begin this day with that taste of ash in our mouth:
       of failed hope and broken promises,
       of forgotten children and frightened women,
     we ourselves are ashes to ashes, dust to dust;
     we can taste our mortality as we roll the ash around on our tongues.

We are able to ponder our ashness with
   some confidence, only because our every Wednesday of ashes
   anticipates your Easter victory over that dry, flaky taste of death.

On this Wednesday, we submit our ashen way to you —
   you Easter parade of newness.
   Before the sun sets, take our Wednesday and Easter us,
     Easter us to joy and energy and courage and freedom;
     Easter us that we may be fearless for your truth.
   Come here and Easter our Wednesday with
     mercy and justice and peace and generosity.

We pray as we wait for the Risen One who comes soon.

From Walter Brueggemann, Prayers for a Privileged People (Nashville: Abingdon Press, 2008).

Questions for Reflection

I wonder what Walter Brueggemann’s poem brings to mind for you when he writes of the “taste of ash in our mouth,” and of “ponder[ing] our ashness with some confidence.” I wonder what it means for us to “submit our ashen way” to God.

Daily Challenge

In this Season of Lent, consider taking on a Lenten practice beyond these Daily Reflection emails. The VCS Stations of the Cross consist of fourteen selected commentaries, each on reflecting on a biblical passage in dialogue with a work of art. Two Stations of the Cross will be posted on the VCS web site or sent out through their Station of the Cross email list each week beginning today and running through Good Friday.

Life and hope and satisfaction - March 1

Today’s Readings: AM Psalm 61, 62; PM Psalm 68:1-20(21-23)24-36
Gen. 21:1-21; Heb. 11:13-22; John 6:41-51

“So Jesus said to them, ‘Very truly, I tell you, unless you eat the flesh of the Son of Man and drink his blood, you have no life in you. Those who eat my flesh and drink my blood have eternal life, and I will raise them up on the last day;”        (John 6:53-54)

In high school chemistry, we learned about ions – when atoms had negatively charged electrons that were not equally matched with the positively charged protons. Some elements are more prone to let go of their electrons. Others are more comfortable holding on to extra electrons. And in doing so, these particles are drawn to others who help neutralize them, so that they move to a lower energy level.

This reminds me of how we humans operate emotionally and relationally. Sometimes we are prone to get immersed in lots of grumbling and complaining – like the people around Jesus who were uncertain about his teachings. We find ourselves in tangles of drama, getting tripped up and stuck. Maybe there is a person who can come in and listen to our concerns and serve as the balm that brings us to a closer sense of peace and understanding – not resolving the chaos of the world but bringing us to a lower energy level for the present moment, so that we can move forward.

I am reminded of a woman named Lynn. She felt concern and consternation for much in the world, and she readily shared her worries with those who would listen. She had a highly critical eye and upon entering her home, Lynn was quick to comment on the status of my hairstyle - more often than not, it was a negative critique. We would talk of theology and the church. It felt like Lynn was testing me, evaluating if I was an acceptable priest to be in her presence. Then, we would pray and share Eucharist. Something visible would shift about Lynn. She was more relaxed. At peace. Pleased. Lynn felt about the Body and Blood of Christ what Jesus promises in this reading from John 6 today – it gave her life and hope and satisfaction.

This morning, how do you find yourself? At a higher, unstable energy level like a volatile ion? I don’t know about you, but I need the nourishment of prayer. I need the enrichment that comes from Christ-filled community. I need the words of Jesus, for they soothe me, ground me, encourage me. What do you need to help you feel nourished and secure today?

- Katherine+

Questions for Reflection

Who is a calming, loving person in your life? Who speaks truths that you are willing to hear and receive?

What does participating in the Eucharist do within you?

Daily Challenge

Journal today about your energy and anxiety levels. What is unsettling to you? What can you take to Jesus in prayer? Where do you feel the Holy Spirit stirring you to life more fully into the life that God has promised in Christ?

The Cock Crowed - February 28

Today’s Readings: AM Psalm 25; PM Psalm 9, 15; Prov. 27:1-6,10-12; Phil. 2:1-13; John 18:15-18,25-27

Simon Peter is best just known as Peter and is arguably the most famous disciple.  It is Peter who receives the “keys to the kingdom” and becomes the foundation of Christianity.  Peter’s name in Greek means, ‘rock’ and it is on ‘rock’ that the church is built, a fun play on Peter’s name.  Often lauded as the first Bishop in Christianity, we trace our roots to Peter who Jesus entrusted with the responsibility of church and leadership. 

For this reason, my ears always perk up when I hear Peter’s name, Peter who is the subject in today’s lectionary reading.  Without knowing the full story, why might expect Peter to be the most faithful leader of all twelve, one who abandons the way of the world for the way of Jesus Christ, with unabashed faithfulness and remarkable courage. That is not the story in today’s reading.

In today’s passage from John’s Gospel, Peter is with another disciple in Jerusalem being questioned by the high priest.   It is part of the passion narrative that we hear on Good Friday just before the crucifixion. The high priest is questioning Jesus and it would be helpful to have some of the details verified from Jesus’s friends.  Peter becomes the source of questioning, and he denies any knowledge of his relationship with Jesus, not once but three times. 

The very person who the life of the church is entrusted to Jesus denies him multiple times.  It’s one of the biggest blunders in leadership we have ever witnessed, and I wonder if it was necessary for Peter’s own growth, humility, and compassion.

 A lot of things are weighing heavy on our lives.  Even as it feels for most of us the challenging season of Covid might be winding down, we are faced with a catastrophic war on the Eastern brink of Europe that could change the world forever.  In our own country, the political fighting that we experience at every election seems to embody leaders who are so confident that their answer is the right answer.  And the end result is always polarization.  Sometimes I wonder how much conflict really stems from the lack of humility and absolute certainty.  Maybe all conflict is really about ego.  

Peter realized his mistake when the cock crowed.  What will it take for us to do the same?

John+

Questions for Self-Reflection:  Who are the people you try to emulate in your life?  What mistakes have they made and how have they handled those mistakes?

Daily challenge:   Take a moment to reflect on your own leadership style.  What can we learn from Peter in this story?

'Everything I have ever done' - February 26

Today’s Readings: Psalm 119:33–40; Genesis 24:12-20; 2 Tim. 1:1-14; John 4:4–26

Today’s Reflection

O Almighty God, whose most blessed Son revealed to the Samaritan woman that He is indeed the Christ, the Savior of the World; grant us to drink of the well that springs up to everlasting life that we may worship you in spirit and in truth through your Son, Jesus Christ our Lord. Amen.

Today is the feast day of Photini, the name later given to the Samaritan who meets Jesus at the well, as we read in John 4. Her name Photini (or Photine or Photina) means “the luminous one.” When Jesus tells the woman that he knows of her five marriages, and that the man with whom she was living at the time wasn’t in fact her husband, the woman immediately recognizes Jesus as a prophet. It is strikingly clear to her that Jesus has special knowledge—as she declares later, “he told me everything I have ever done!”

However, the important take-away we learn about Jesus in this part of the story is not so much that he knows things. What is most important to notice here is what Jesus does with that knowledge. Jesus knows all about this woman’s life—including a number of things that she would rather him not know, being that her initial response to Jesus asking her to go get her husband is, “I have no husband.” Jesus reveals that he already knows all about it—and that he is asking her for water and having a deep conversation with her in spite of all that—or, I would argue, maybe even because of all that.

While we often focus on what we learn about Jesus’ attributes through this story, it makes sense that on her feast day we should focus on what we learn about her. As mentioned, we learn that this woman has some complicated history—we might even say she has some personal baggage. However, we also learn that this woman has religious knowledge; she is keenly aware of the differences between the Jews and the Samaritans, “Our ancestors worshiped on this mountain [Gerazim], but you say that the place where people must worship is in Jerusalem.” And then, in response to Jesus’ discussion of “true worshipers” who “will worship the Father in spirit and truth,” the woman shares another thing that she knows: “I know that Messiah is coming… When he comes, he will proclaim all things to us.” It is then that Jesus reveals that he, “the one who is speaking to you,” is the Messiah. At that point, their conversation comes to an end, interrupted by the arrival of Jesus’ disciples, who though “astonished” that Jesus was speaking with this Samaritan woman, chose to keep their judgy-ness to themselves for a change.

And so, what did the woman do next? “She left her water jar and went back to the city.” And when she returned to the city, she shared the Good News of Jesus: “Come and see a man who told me everything I have ever done! He cannot be the Messiah, can he?” While she still has some doubts, her sense of wonderment that Jesus “told her everything she has ever done” triumphs over those questions. She shares her testimony, even though by sharing it she is reminding the community of things she would rather not remind them of—about herself and all her personal history­­­. What we learn about this woman is that she chose to share the news of the Messiah, the Christ, despite these very real, very personal repercussions.

As Jesus told the disciples, after the woman had gone on her way to share her testimony: “The reaper is already receiving wages and is gathering fruit for eternal life, so that sower and reaper may rejoice together.... I sent you to reap that for which you did not labor. Other have labored, and you have entered into their labor.” I take this to mean, situated just after the woman goes off to share the Good News and lead people back to listen to Jesus, that Jesus is saying that this woman is out sowing the seed of the Good News, and these disciples of his are simply entering in the work of evangelism that the woman has already begun. As John emphasized, “Many Samaritans from that city believed in him because of the woman’s testimony.”

What do we learn about ourselves when we hear the story of Jesus and the woman at the well? First, we learn that Jesus already knows all about us—and, as with the woman at the well, he still wants to talk with us and be with us anyway. I don’t know about you, but I find it extremely comforting that God knows everything I have ever done, everything I am doing, everything I will ever do. There’s nothing I have thought about, nothing that I have done (or left undone), that God doesn’t already know. There’s no need for artifice. God already knows all about it. And yet Jesus still loves me—and he still loves you. Nothing we have done, or ever will do, can ever scare Jesus away from us. He’s still there with us at the well, or anywhere else our journey may take us.

Second, we learn about moments of recognition—that moment when Jesus showed he knew who the Samaritan woman really is (five husbands and all), and that moment when the woman realized who he is (a prophet, and not only that, but the Messiah). Just as Jesus and the woman at the well had that moment of mutual recognition, so, too, do we have our own moments when we recognize who Jesus is to us, and when we realize (again and again) how fully we are known and loved by God. These moments of recognition or realization will hopefully inspire us to go out, leave behind our own jars of water, and go back to the people in our lives to share our own testimonies of meeting Jesus at the well—wherever that place of encounter with God may be for each of us.

Becky+

Questions for Reflection

Recall a time when someone figured out something about you without your ever saying a word. How did it feel that someone paid attention to the details not only of what was said, but of what had been left unsaid? Did you feel exposed and vulnerable—or seen and understood? How did you respond to this person’s recognition of you or something about your experience?

Daily Challenge

According to Know Your Mothers, “Photini engages in the longest recorded conversation with Jesus. One where she is not a passive listener but an engaged questioner and theological thinker. … Jesus revealed himself to Photini and proved how well he knew her, and how he saw her as a truth seeker. Jesus gained Photini’s trust and her life was radically changed.” Click here to read more about Photini and what we can learn from her story. 

Praying for Ukraine - February 25

Today’s Readings: AM Psalm 140, 142; PM Psalm 141, 143:1-11(12)
Prov. 8:1-21; Philemon 1-25; John 12:9-19

There is much turmoil in our world – in our neighborhoods, among our friends, across the globe amidst continued conflict in Ukraine. The psalms appointed for today – 140 and 142 in the morning and 141 and 143 in the afternoon – resonate so deeply with the wave of emotions swirling in my heart. The prayer of Psalm 140 calls out for deliverance from those who seek to hurt others. The psalmist asks that God guard her from those who have plotted and schemed. She cries out, “You are my God, give ear, O Lord, to the voice of my supplications.” There are verses asking that those committing injury be stopped by burning coals, deep pits to contain them, or evil itself to hunt down the violent. It ends with words of assurance, “I know that the Lord maintains the cause of the needy, and executes justice for the poor. Surely the righteous shall give thanks to your name; the upright shall live in your presence.”

Psalm 142 is a companion to Psalm 140. The heading indicates that this was a prayer issued when someone was in a cave. He lifts his voice to the Lord, crying out. He complains to God, telling God the whole story until he is empty of words. He knows that traps are all around, and he is a nobody to those around him. There is no safe place. He cries out to the Lord, “You are my refuge, my portion in the land of the living.” He is afraid and in peril. As the psalm ends, he asks that God save him from those who seek him. He asks that God bring him out of prison, so that he can praise the name of the Lord, who is faithful. He believes that God will deal bountifully with him.

I imagine Ukrainian men, women, and children praying these psalms. I hear their voices lifted fervently to God. They want the Lord to answer quickly, for their lives are in peril. They have fled their homes and pray for God to preserve their lives – and the integrity of their country.

Maybe you are like me: I do not know anyone personally in Ukraine. And yet, I believe that God, the Creator and Sustainer of the world, loves every single person. When we wage war upon one another, it grieves the heart of Jesus. I invite you to pray this prayer for the tensions across the world, written by the Rev. Dr. Sam Wells, vicar of St Martin-in-the-Fields, who visited Saint Stephen’s earlier this month:

God of peace, your prophet Isaiah promised

swords would be turned into ploughshares,

and your son’s mother Mary proclaimed

the mighty would be put down and the humble exalted:

visit the people of Ukraine;

deliver them from fear, violence,

attack, injury, destruction, death;

and give them courage, solidarity and allies

in their hour of vulnerability and sorrow.

Turn the hearts of those bent on war and invasion.

Strengthen the hand of all seeking to halt conflict,

restore order, and pursue justice.

And make this moment of peril

an occasion for your Holy Spirit to show your world

the cost of conflict and our dependence on one another.

In Christ our Lord, who went to his death because of our hatred,

and rose again because our hatred

is never stronger than your indomitable love. Amen

written by the Rev. Dr. Sam Wells, Vicar, St Martin-in-the-Fields

- Katherine+

Questions for Reflection

What concerns and fears are stirred by learning about conflict around the world? What are you doing in response?

Daily Challenge

I invite you to pray each of the psalms today. Sit in a place where you can be still and focus. Say the psalms aloud, one at a time. Listen for where God is stirring you, comforting you, present with you.

Bookends - February 24

Today’s Readings: AM Psalm 131, 132, [133]; PM Psalm 134, 135; Prov. 7:1-27; 1 John 5:13-21; John 11:55-12:8

One of the outcomes of a Covid home renovation was a large bookcase in my basement where the ever-growing Burruss library of books resides.  I can throw away a lot, but for some reason books seem to need to be rescued from the despair of another trip to Goodwill, and I can’t seem to let any of them go.  Several of the shelves have books that are held up by bookends, large and weighty objects that not only keep the books upright and straight, also but hold the books in position and give shape to the organization.  

Sometimes when I read a Scripture, I think of bookends.  What is said before a passage and what is said after a passage can give structure and meaning to what comes in the middle.  Today’s Epistle is one such passage.  John tells us that Jesus comes to offer us eternal life, then gives instruction about sin, and leaves us with a warning about idols.  The instructions are bookended by the warning on idols and Jesus’s vision of eternal life.  What is really offered in this pericope is a warning: idols keep us from eternal life.

An idol is simply that which we worship which is not God.  I’m wondering what idols keep us from finding eternal life.  What do we worship or love that is not made in the image of God?  We often think of things we love as giving meaning and value to our lives, and John the Evangelist tells us something quite different.  That very thing that we thought gave purpose, meaning, or security is actually the source of our own discomfort and agony.  Is it wealth, status, physical health, identity, friendship?  What are the chances that which we thought enhanced our life actually is destructive?

John+

Questions for Self-Reflection:  What modern idols are most prosperous in our society?  Which ones distract you the most?  Are there ways you can focus less on idols? 

Daily Challenge:  Think of what you try to acquire the most in life.  Consider what it would be like to focus on giving that ‘idol’ away.  Is there an action you can take today?