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Luke 13:11-13a

07 Apr

11 To illustrate the point further, Jesus told them this story: “A man had two sons. 12 The younger son told his father, ‘I want my share of your estate now before you die.’ So his father agreed to divide his wealth between his sons.

13 “A few days later this younger son packed all his belongings and moved to a distant land…“

Luke 13:11-13a

Dear God, I don’t think we sit with the father in the parable (you) enough. We don’t know how much time passes between verse 13 and verse 20 (“So he returned home to his father. And while he was still a long way off, his father saw him coming. Filled with love and compassion, he ran to his son, embraced him, and kissed him.”), but it was long enough for a famine to set it and drive the boy to his knees, so it was presumably a long time. And you sit there and wait for so many of us. You just wait, and wait, and wait.

There’s a lot that happens while we wait in situations like this. There’s a lot of second-guessing–at least there is for humans. Is there second-guessing on your part too? There’s sorrow. Mourning. Anger. Frustration. There’s pain. To think of the pain that you expose yourself to is incredible. I know the pain I’ve felt, and it must be insignificant compared to what you feel and on a much broader scale. What a mess life can be.

Father, going off of what I prayed yesterday and combining it with this prayer and scripture today, grant me the serenity to accept the things I cannot change, courage to change the things I can, and the wisdom to know the difference.

In Jesus’s name I pray,

Amen

 
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Posted by on April 7, 2022 in Luke

 

The Serenity Prayer

06 Apr

Dear God, as my wife and I were praying together this morning, this is the prayer (from AA) that came to mind. I don’t know exactly how my prayers for you to act impact your ability, willingness, or decision to act or change course, but I do know that the more I know you–the more I pray to you–the more it changes me. I don’t know if this quote is truly from C.S. Lewis, but in the movie Shadowlands, his character tells a friend, “I don’t pray because it changes God. I pray because it changes me.”

So Father, please grant me the serenity to accept the things I cannot change. There is so much I want to change, but I am humbled by my inability to change any of it. That humility drives me to my knees. Sometimes I’m on my knees before you and sometimes I’m on my knees feeling sorry for myself. But if I try to put my energy into changing what I cannot affect then I am being a fool. So I need to serenity from you to let go. I need the serenity of you to forgive myself. I need the serenity from you to move on in other directions. Then there are times when action is required but it can be scary. I don’t want to get out of my comfort zone and challenge or confront. Speak to me when those times present themselves and give me the courage when I need it. Give me the wisdom I need to know the difference between your call to wait and your call to act.

In Jesus’s name I pray,

Amen

 
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Posted by on April 6, 2022 in Miscellaneous, Musings and Stories

 

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Isaiah 43:16-19

03 Apr

“I am the Lord, who opened a way through the waters, making a dry path through the sea. I called forth the mighty army of Egypt with all its chariots and horses. I drew them beneath the waves, and they drowned, their lives snuffed out like a smoldering candlewick.

“But forget all that— it is nothing compared to what I am going to do. For I am about to do something new. See, I have already begun! Do you not see it? I will make a pathway through the wilderness. I will create rivers in the dry wasteland.”
Isaiah 43:16-19

Dear God, while I haven’t been as consistent about journaling lately, I have been spending time listening to scripture, reading scripture and listening to Christian content. And that’s all good and well, but I find that these are the times that end up speaking the most to me. It’s about me actively participating in our time and not passively taking it in.

In this case, I read this passage yesterday as part of the church’s readings for the day, and I was drawn to it. One thing that strikes me about it is that, in fact, I seem to forget about what you’ve done in the past too often. You’ve done amazing things for me, and still I doubt. On the other hand, there are times when I can worship an idyllic time in the past and try to return to that glory. Much like our country with World War II. That was a great, hard-fought victory, and we have not only taken credit for it (away from you, I might add), but we have also tried to live in the “greatness” (however we choose to define that) of that time and tried to replicate it now. Politicians have literally clung to it as a mantra. Let’s go back. Let’s live that greatness again. But that’s not what you’re calling the Israelites to do through Isaiah in this passage. You want to do something new that is even greater than your past glorious victories.

Several years ago, my wife and I were at a retreat and I heard you say something to me through the story in Haggai about the rebuilding of the temple. They were trying to duplicate Solomon’s Temple and you told them that you had a new Temple for them to build–a different Temple. I told my wife that I heard your Spirit telling me that I was trying to recapture a time in my life when things were at their apex. All of my actions were pointed towards making things the way they once were. But you told me that you had something new for us to build. It would be different, but better. We’ve tried to build that over the last few years. I pray that we are doing the right things because sometimes the evidence I see with my eyes tells me I’m doing it wrong. But that’s not what faith is, I suppose. Faith is believing in what I cannot see and rejecting man’s wisdom and embracing yours.

Father, I pray that you will guide me today. Keep me in this moment. Keep me only on today. Give me ears to hear and eyes to see. Make me slow to speak and intent on listening. Help me to discern and understand beyond what my mind would normally understand. Help me to learn what I don’t know and do what I didn’t know I should do. Make it all for your glory, regardless of what it costs me.

In Jesus’s name I pray,

Amen

 
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Posted by on April 3, 2022 in Isaiah

 

1 Timothy 2:1-6

28 Mar

I urge you, first of all, to pray for all people. Ask God to help them; intercede on their behalf, and give thanks for them. Pray this way for kings and all who are in authority so that we can live peaceful and quiet lives marked by godliness and dignity. This is good and pleases God our Savior, who wants everyone to be saved and to understand the truth. For, There is one God and one Mediator who can reconcile God and humanity—the man Christ Jesus. He gave his life to purchase freedom for everyone. This is the message God gave to the world at just the right time.
1 Timothy 2:1-6

Dear God, I guess this would be a good time to pray for everyone. Pray for Putin, Zelensky, and everyone in Ukraine and Russia. Pray for world leaders in general. They need you. We need you. I hate not only the death, but the terrorization of people. The trauma. The devastation. There are 9 refugees (3 women and 6 children) living in our small town right now and we are looking at different ways to help them, but given everything that is wrong in their lives there is so little we can do. Their husbands/fathers are home in Ukraine fighting.

Father, this is one of those times when I need the Holy Spirit to pray with moanings to deep for understanding. Holy Spirit, move in the hearts of those who are making decisions. Give the Ukrainians success on the battlefield and end this war quickly. Let the world survive this conflict without it escalating further. Help us all to be drawn to you.

In Jesus’s name I pray,

Amen

 
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Posted by on March 28, 2022 in 1 Timothy

 

Psalm 1:1-3

27 Mar

Oh, the joys of those who do not follow the advice of the wicked, or stand around with sinners, or join in with the mockers. But they delight in the law of the Lord, meditating on it day and night. They are like trees planted along the riverbank, bearing fruit each season. Their leaves never wither, and they prosper in all they do.

Psalm 1:1-3

Dear God, I came across a translation of this well-know passage this morning in the Steven Purcell book Even Among These Rocks: A Spiritual Journey. But he didn’t have these words. He had a translation from somewhere between the 8th and 3rd centuries, B.C.

Certainly, verse 1 is the most different, but it does kind of fit. I guess the ultimate goal in being Christlike is that point where you are beyond greed (I’m not there yet), beyond hatred (I’m not there yet), an no longer nourish illusions (I’m not 100% sure what the translator means here, but I don’t think I’m there yet either). I also like the next part: “But they delight in the way of grace and keep their hearts open day and night.” Nope, not there yet either. I’m closer today than I was yesterday. I’m closer this year than I was last year. I’m closer now at 52 than I was at 42.

I was reading an article last night from Christianity Today about deconstructing faith. That’s become a hot button topic lately and I don’t want to do into it too deeply here, but there were a couple of quotes from the author, Kirsten Sanders, that stood out to me:

“Truth about God isn’t always easy, however. Faith that begins in earnest commitment sometimes must advance through a period of slow questioning, of confusion, of switchbacks and labored ascent.”

I wasn’t thrilled when I first learned that my knowledge of God would always be incomplete. I felt, for a time, unmoored. Like many seminary students, I had been praying for years to a God who I had pictured as being just like me, only larger, through difficult days of uncertainty and loneliness. I loved that God and know that he loves me. Rather than only feeling closer to the God I loved, I learned that there was a clear limit to what I could know. I would need to learn to love God in the dark.

I think there is an inherent discomfort for all humans in just how small and insignificant we are. There is a limit to our abilities–a limit that you do not have. You are omnipotent, and we are not. You are omniscient, and we are not. I think the key to being at peace and sinking into a life beyond greed, hatred, and illusions is getting to a point of complete surrender that we are simply not you and there is a part where we need to accept our ignorance and sink into your grace.

Father, help me get better today at getting beyond greed, replacing hatred with grace and mercy, and rejecting illusions. I confess that I will not get all of the way there today. I’m sorry for that. But help me to at least move along in my journey.

In Jesus’s name I pray,

Amen

 
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Posted by on March 27, 2022 in Miscellaneous, Musings and Stories

 

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“I want! I want!”

26 Mar

Dear God, I was going through the Lenten book Even Among These Rocks: A Spiritual Journey by Steven Purcell this morning and I came across this picture. It so lines up with the spirit I am getting from the masses in our country right now. Conservative or liberal, rich or poor, young or old, these words seem to be ruling the day: “I want! I want!” And the ladder to the moon seems to emphasize the idea that we will not be denied. Of the image, Purcell wrote: “William Blake’s simple etching illustrates the point that sin is neve the solitary escapade of desire that we imagine it to be, but more fundamentally the rejection of our relational identity. The ladder depicts an apparently innocuous ascent. Where the ladder will lead is perhaps immaterial. What is at stake are the relationships which are affected by his act. What we see in Blakes etching is how movements away from our neighbor and toward our own desires in the spirit of ‘I want, I want,’ neglect the communal image of God impressed on our being.”

I was listening to a podcast this morning that was taking a thoughtful view of trans girls/women competing with girls and women in athletics. While I don’t want to get into the specifics here, there does seem to be a theme in the story of someone deciding they want something for themselves at any cost forgetting, neglecting, or intentionally ignoring “the communal image [you] impressed on our being.” Where is loving your neighbor as yourself?

Of course, this is just one example. There are those, both conservative and liberal, who want ultimate political power so they can control their enemies. There are some who want more and more materially regardless of what it costs others. There are others who want to experience all of the carnal gratifications the human existence has to offer.

In his temptations in the desert, Jesus resisted all of the temptations to impress Satan and break relationship with you. He loved you with all of his heart, mind, and strength. As he left the desert, he loved his neighbor as himself. And he taught us to do the same. Help me to do the same today. Help me to love you. Help me to love others. Be glorified through me for your glory’s sake.

In Jesus’s name I pray,

Amen

 
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Posted by on March 26, 2022 in Miscellaneous, Musings and Stories

 

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“It’s Time” by Wayne Watson

24 Mar

It happened many years ago
The memories still haunt you though
And who’s to blame, you really don’t know
You’re just locked all alone in these chains

Some times it’s hard to live at all
The pictures of your history call
Your mind’s a decorated wall
But the Lord has the cure for your pain

It’s time, come back to the land of the living
Come home to the land of the forgiving
Jesus will be faithful to the end

It’s time, break the tangled webs that bind you
Let the grace of God unwind you
Give the Lord your broken heart to mend
It’s time, it’s time

You’ve had your little victories
But perfection’s pretty hard to please
And guilt is an annoying breeze
That blows all that’s peaceful away

And life is too short to go on living like this
Or to brood over who’s done you wrong
If the years pass you by, look at all that you’ll miss
You’ve been walking in shadows too long

It’s time, come back to the land of the living
Come home to the land of the forgiving
Jesus will be faithful to the end

Written by Wayne Watson

Dear God, there are a lot of people who need the message of this song. I still remember getting this CD when is came out in 1992. It was a new song on his greatest hits album, “How Time Flies.” I also remember playing it for a friend with a difficult past. Yesterday morning, after not having heard or thought of it for literally a couple of decades, for some reason it came to mind. I played it while I was getting ready for work and it always amazes me how lyrics come back to me instantly. You have done something unbelievable in our minds when it comes to music.

So this morning, I sing this song for myself. I sing it for those I love. I sing it for the people in the meeting yesterday who showed up angry. A lot of the pain that controls us does so because we keep it a secret. So I pray that you would destroy the power of their/our secrets by safely exposing them to someone trustworthy in each of our lives. Expose and remove our shame. Along with the exposure, replace the shame, guilt, anger, depression, fear, sadness, etc. with the fruits of your Holy Spirit. Father, it’s time. Help us, please.

In Jesus’s name I pray,

Amen

 
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Posted by on March 24, 2022 in Hymns and Songs

 

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James 1:5-8

23 Mar

If you need wisdom, ask our generous God, and he will give it to you. He will not rebuke you for asking. But when you ask him, be sure that your faith is in God alone. Do not waver, for a person with divided loyalty is as unsettled as a wave of the sea that is blown and tossed by the wind. Such people should not expect to receive anything from the Lord. Their loyalty is divided between God and the world, and they are unstable in everything they do.
James 1:5-8

Dear God, this feels like me: asking you for wisdom and yet still keeping part of my faith in the world. Logic. Reason. Justice. My rights. I put stock in all of these.

Father, I’m really feeling it today. You’re all I have and I really need your wisdom. Speak to me. Raise up voices I can hear. Reveal your perception of my life and the events surrounding it to me. Whatever the outcomes, my they ultimately be for your glory.

In Jesus’s name I pray,

Amen

 
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Posted by on March 23, 2022 in James

 

Ephesians 6:10-12

22 Mar

A final word: Be strong in the Lord and in his mighty power. Put on all of God’s armor so that you will be able to stand firm against all strategies of the devil. For we are not fighting against flesh-and-blood enemies, but against evil rulers and authorities of the unseen world, against mighty powers in this dark world, and against evil spirits in the heavenly places.
Ephesians 6:10-12

Dear God, I so often forget this reality. I read this before my wife and I did our daily prayer together this morning so I incorporated it into our prayer. Whether it’s family conflicts, community conflicts, work conflicts, or world conflicts, what we see with our eyes and perceive with our minds is only part of the story. There is so much more happening, and I need you in the midst of so much unknown.

Father, help me to be your vessel today. Love through me. Bring peace through me. Heal my heart and heal other hearts around me, using me in whatever way you want. I am yours. I am all yours.

In Jesus’s name I pray,

Amen

 
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Posted by on March 22, 2022 in Ephesians

 

Jeremiah 17:5-6

21 Mar

This is what the Lord says: “Cursed are those who put their trust in mere humans, who rely on human strength and turn their hearts away from the Lord. They are like stunted shrubs in the desert, with no hope for the future. They will live in the barren wilderness, in an uninhabited salty land.
Jeremiah 17:5-6

Dear God, I do this. I do it all of the time. I put my trust in the economy. I put my trust my own ability. But if you are the vine and I am the branch then I will surely shrivel up and die apart from you.

I’m about to go into a finance committee in the next two hours. Things are good with our nonprofits finances. Will I pat myself on the back or worship you? Will I take credit before my board members or will I point them to you? The truth is, when I go back to the foundation of where each donation or other piece of revenue came from, I can point back to you and see how your hand influences every good thing.

Father, I’m coming back to the heart of worship, and it’s all about you. Thank you. Guide me. Encourage me. Enter the world through my life. And please heal the situations that are causing me pain and concern.

In Jesus’s name I pray,

Amen

 
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Posted by on March 21, 2022 in Jeremiah

 
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