RSS

Tag Archives: christianity

Ezekiel 36:16-28

23 Mar

16 Again the word of the Lord came to me: 17 “Son of man, when the people of Israel were living in their own land, they defiled it by their conduct and their actions. Their conduct was like a woman’s monthly uncleanness in my sight. 18 So I poured out my wrath on them because they had shed blood in the land and because they had defiled it with their idols. 19 I dispersed them among the nations, and they were scattered through the countries; I judged them according to their conduct and their actions. 20 And wherever they went among the nations they profaned my holy name, for it was said of them, ‘These are the Lord’s people, and yet they had to leave his land.’ 21 I had concern for my holy name, which the people of Israel profaned among the nations where they had gone.

22 “Therefore say to the Israelites, ‘This is what the Sovereign Lord says: It is not for your sake, people of Israel, that I am going to do these things, but for the sake of my holy name, which you have profaned among the nations where you have gone. 23 I will show the holiness of my great name, which has been profaned among the nations, the name you have profaned among them. Then the nations will know that I am the Lord, declares the Sovereign Lord, when I am proved holy through you before their eyes.

24 “‘For I will take you out of the nations; I will gather you from all the countries and bring you back into your own land. 25 I will sprinkle clean water on you, and you will be clean; I will cleanse you from all your impurities and from all your idols. 26 I will give you a new heart and put a new spirit in you; I will remove from you your heart of stone and give you a heart of flesh. 27 And I will put my Spirit in you and move you to follow my decrees and be careful to keep my laws. 28 Then you will live in the land I gave your ancestors; you will be my people, and I will be your God. 

Ezekiel 36:16-38

Dear God, you long for us so much! That’s the weirdest thing about you , in my mind. You long for us so much. I long for my children in a huge way, but you long for us even more. You want us. You want to restore us. You want relationship with us. You want our worship, but it’s so you can pour yourself into us. If you poured yourself into us without our worship, the consequences would be terrible. Who would I be if you just poured yourself into me without me first submitting myself to you? But the big picture is that you want this. It’s so weird!

As I sit here in Kansas this morning, with several hours before I leave for the airport, I have some options. I wasn’t sure what I was going to do. But it’s Sunday. I have a rental car. While I was talking to my wife on the phone this morning, the thought occurred to me, “Why wouldn’t I go to church?” Good question. At home, my wife is Catholic so I attend Catholic church with her, but I’m out here on my own this morning. I can choose whatever I want. So here’s the weird thing. As I looked up churches around me, I found myself being skeptical of worship styles and what I would like and what I wouldn’t, so I ultimately decided it would probably be best if I find a Catholic church.. So I found one less than two miles from me, and I am planning to hit the 8:30 mass. If nothing else, I have a pretty good idea what it will be like, and I know I’ll be able to worship you there.

Father, I want to find a place to corporately worship you this morning. This isn’t for appearances. This isn’t duty. It’s need on my part. Sure, I don’t have to do it, and maybe my day will be fine, but I will be better if I do this. If I find myself worshipping you through joining others to read your word, sing songs to you, and hear a homily prepared by someone who loves you. I will watch others as they take the eucharist, knowing I’m not really that different from the Catholics in the room, but respectful of how they feel about the importance of the eucharist and that I shouldn’t partake if I don’t believe in transubstantiation. I’m looking forward to this. It won’t guarantee me a good day, but it will be a touchpoint with you as I go through my day, and it will give me a better shot of responding in your love and with your Spirit when challenges arise. Be with me today.

I pray this in Jesus and with your Holy Spirit,

Amen

 
Leave a comment

Posted by on March 23, 2025 in Ezekiel, Restore: A Guided Lent Journal for Prayer and Meditation

 

Tags: , , , , , ,

Mark 9:1-6

16 Mar

2 After six days Jesus took Peter, James and John with him and led them up a high mountain, where they were all alone. There he was transfigured before them. 3 His clothes became dazzling white, whiter than anyone in the world could bleach them. 4 And there appeared before them Elijah and Moses, who were talking with Jesus.

5 Peter said to Jesus, “Rabbi, it is good for us to be here. Let us put up three shelters—one for you, one for Moses and one for Elijah.” 6 (He did not know what to say, they were so frightened.)

Mark 9:1-6

Dear God, it’s Transfiguration Sunday in the Catholic church, so it makes sense that Sister Miriam would have chosen this passage for today’s verse in Restore: A Guided Lent Journal for Prayer and Meditation. However, she only did the first sentence of verse 5, and I am drawn to verse 6. In it, Peter confesses through Mark that he had no idea what he was saying or doing because he was so scared. It’s a little like me when I describe myself looking like an idiot. “This is what I said, but I had no idea what I was saying.” For me, the reminder here is to just allow myself to be in the moment. Don’t try to take control of it. Don’t try to make more or less of it than it is. Just be in the moment and let the Holy Spirit drive my response.

But going back to Sister Miriam’s sentence for the day, “Rabbi, it is good for us to be here,” it is a reminder that this is an important story for us to know. I don’t know if or how many other times Jesus met with Moses and Elijah (or others) during his earthly journey. He got away to pray by himself a lot, including the 40 days in the wilderness and several other examples. But at least one of them was captured for posterity. So that there were witnesses to your true deity as represented in the flesh in Jesus, all man and all God. It’s so awesome to consider. And I’m sure Peter, James, and John remembered this event even at the end of their lives.

Father, it is good that I am here this morning. And I am in the midst of a local tragedy, and I do not know how to respond. There is a 9,000-acre fire near my home, and while I am not personally threatened, many I know are in some way or another. Some are without power from downed power lines. Some need to evacuate from their homes. Some who I don’t know have already lost their home, livestock, barns, etc. So in this moment, as I consider my response, it is good that I am here. To pray. To not freak out and get in the way of others who have a job to do, but to seek to support in any way that I can. I worship you, Father. I pray for rain. I pray for a change in the weather to reduce the wind. I pray for your supernatural hand to move and protect the firefighters, the homeowners, and the livestock. I pray that you will not let this pain be wasted, but make it count for your glory and to draw all of us, including me, closer to you.

I pray this in Jesus and with your Holy Spirit,

Amen

 
Leave a comment

Posted by on March 16, 2025 in Mark, Restore: A Guided Lent Journal for Prayer and Meditation

 

Tags: , , , , , ,

Joel 2:12-13

12 Mar

12 Yet even now, says the Lord,
    return to me with all your heart,
with fasting, with weeping, and with mourning;
13     rend your hearts and not your clothing.
Return to the Lord your God,
    for he is gracious and merciful,
slow to anger, abounding in steadfast love,
    and relenting from punishment.

Joel 2:12-13

Dear God, this is the passage from Sister Miriam in Restore: A Guided Lent Journal for Prayer and Meditation. I don’t know that much about Joel as a prophet or as a book, so I went back to read the introduction in my NIV Study Bible from the 1980s. When describing the overall message of the book, the NIV Study Bible says at the end, “…he describes the day as one of punishment for unfaithful Israel as well. Restoration and blessing will come only after judgment and repentance.”

Oh, God, can I skip the judgment and just go to repentance? Does judgment have to come first? Coincidentally, I was talking with my wife yesterday about standing before you at judgment day. What will you say? How horrifying will it be to stand before you, even with Jesus’s blood covering me to atone for my sins? Will you make an account of my sins, or will you give me a pass? What will that look like?

Then there is our country now. I’ve talked about my conversations with friends about our country and how things are currently going. I have no idea what to make of what is happening at a national level. I know there are plans. I know they are being executed. Will the ultimate results of them be good, bad, or just kicking the can down the road one more election cycle? Will they give the Christian church that has thrown its weight behind the current administration the power it craves and finish off its corruption, thereby causing its collapse and leaving those faithful to you as a remnant? Will the church and the country have to take three steps back in order to start moving forward again?

This all plays into Joel’s call to return to you. All of us start to create idols. Idols of power. Idols of money and what we think is security. Idols of our spouses and our children. I could go on and on. And you will allow our idols to fail. You will allow pain. You will allow us to wander away so that we might come to the end of ourselves. What kind of judgment from you will be waiting for me at the end of my rope? Will it be as Joel describes here, or will it be more like the Prodigal Father who waits for his son to come home after he’s learned how much he needs his father.

Father, my God, I love you and I am grateful for you. Forgive me of my sins as I forgive those who sin against me. Lead me away from temptation. Deliver me from evil. Give me my daily bread–no more and no less. You are the one and only glorious God. Once again, I love you.

I pray this in Jesus and with your Holy Spirit,

Amen

 
Leave a comment

Posted by on March 12, 2025 in Joel, Restore: A Guided Lent Journal for Prayer and Meditation

 

Tags: , , , , , , ,

2 Corinthians 6:1-10

10 Mar

6 As we work together with him, we entreat you also not to accept the grace of God in vain. 2 For he says,

“At an acceptable time I have listened to you,
    and on a day of salvation I have helped you.”

Look, now is the acceptable time; look, now is the day of salvation! 3 We are putting no obstacle in anyone’s way, so that no fault may be found with our ministry, 4 but as servants of God we have commended ourselves in every way: in great endurance, afflictions, hardships, calamities, 5 beatings, imprisonments, riots, labors, sleepless nights, hunger; 6 in purity, knowledge, patience, kindness, holiness of spirit, genuine love, 7 truthful speech, and the power of God; with the weapons of righteousness for the right hand and for the left; 8 in honor and dishonor, in ill repute and good repute. We are treated as impostors and yet are true, 9 as unknown and yet are well known, as dying and look—we are alive, as punished and yet not killed, 10 as sorrowful yet always rejoicing, as poor yet making many rich, as having nothing and yet possessing everything.

2 Corinthians 6:1-10

Dear God, Paul really gets on a roll here. Sister Miriam focuses on verse 2 in Restore: A Guided Lent Journal for Prayer and Meditation, but it’s verses 3-10 that really struck me this morning. I am just picturing Paul sitting somewhere either writing this feverishly or dictating it to someone who is feverishly trying to keep up with what he is saying here.

I like how I see Paul’s “fruits of the Spirit” from Galatians 5 weave their way into his other writings. It’s one of his themes. Part of his stump speech. They appear here: patience, kindness, love.

But I think the point of all of this is to encourage the Corinthians (and me) to accept the responsibility inherent in receiving your grace. To whom much is given, much is required. What do you require of me today? I doubt it will be to physically suffer as Paul did, but it might mean exposing myself to ridicule out of my love for you. It might mean embarrassment. It might even mean losing a donor who doesn’t like my devotion to you. I don’t know. But I know that I need to be prepared now for when that moment comes. I cannot wait until I am challenged to decide I will stand up to that challenge. I need to decide it now.

Father, I am your child. I love you. I make mistakes all of the time. Not only ever day, but as much as every hour or more. I am sorry. But I accept both your grace and the responsibility that comes with that grace. Sister Miriam talks about the courage to explore the parts of our heart that we have kept from you and hear you say, “It’s time now. Let’s look at these things together. I am with you. You are never alone. it is time to allow these places to surface so you can be well.” So I invite you in. I accept your presence in every part of my heart. I pray that you will be gentle with me.

I pray all of this in Jesus and with your Holy Spirit,

Amen

 
Leave a comment

Posted by on March 10, 2025 in 2 Corinthians, Restore: A Guided Lent Journal for Prayer and Meditation

 

Tags: , , , , , , , ,

Roman 10:5-13

09 Mar

5 Moses writes concerning the righteousness that comes from the law, that “the person who does these things will live by them.” 6 But the righteousness that comes from faith says, “Do not say in your heart, ‘Who will ascend into heaven?’ ” (that is, to bring Christ down) 7 “or ‘Who will descend into the abyss?’ ” (that is, to bring Christ up from the dead). 8 But what does it say?

“The word is near you,
    in your mouth and in your heart”

(that is, the word of faith that we proclaim), 9 because if you confess with your mouth that Jesus is Lord and believe in your heart that God raised him from the dead, you will be saved. 10 For one believes with the heart, leading to righteousness, and one confesses with the mouth, leading to salvation. 11 The scripture says, “No one who believes in him will be put to shame.” 12 For there is no distinction between Jew and Greek; the same Lord is Lord of all and is generous to all who call on him. 13 For “everyone who calls on the name of the Lord shall be saved.”

Romans 10:5-13

Dear God, I never get excited about reading Romans. I probably should. I guess it just seems so academic to me. It feels like he’s teaching a class, and I cannot just take bits and pieces here and there like I prefer to do. For example, today, Sister Miriam just has verse 11 as her verse of meditation from Restore: A Guided Lent Journal for Prayer and Meditation, but it’s really out of context without the verse around it. But then they are out of context without chapter 9. And when you go back to chapter 9, you realize it is a continuation from chapter 8. It’s just very verbose and almost cryptic. I’d rather someone like Paul, Peter, or John just beat me over the head with what they are saying instead of taking so many words to build the foundation and justification for their argument. Don’t get me wrong. I understand why they did it that way, and I think that way is right. It can just be hard for me to digest given how I tend to read scripture (which is probably wrong since these were mainly written as letters to groups of people or individuals).

So what is Sister Miriam trying to get me to focus on by just pulling out Romans 10:11?

On this first Sunday of Lent, we are led by the Spirit into the desert with Jesus…In the desert, things become very clear. We see our idols–the things we grasp at for salvation other than God. We see where we hide behind our fig leaves of self-righteousness and shame. We see where our sin has wreaked havoc in our lives and in the lives of others.

I had an email exchange with a friend whom I respect as a Godly man. He loves you. He is also very upset right now and some developments in the world. While we lament the same things, I feel like I am reminded time and again the last few years that there is a difference between despair and lament. As long as you are my God, I will not despair (except when I lose faith and I do, indeed, despair), but I will lament things that make me sad and concerned. And you use that lament to comfort me, motivate me, and draw me closer to yourself. If someone came along tomorrow and fixed everything that I am currently lamenting, I might be tempted to worship that person and turn my eyes from you. I might want to make them my idol. I like how Sister Miriam says, “In the desert, things become very clear. We see our idols.” Why does it often take a desert to reveal our idols? Maybe because we look to our idols to comfort us in the desert, and when they fail us (and they will always fail us eventually) we see them for what they are. Or at least you are trying to reveal them for what they are. We just have to be willing to let go of them and allow the Holy Spirit to help us see them as you see them.

Father, I know I still have idols I’m not aware of. My bank account and how much is in it is an idol. I’m sure it is. I know how I feel if I have different amounts in it. A lot makes me happier. Just a little makes me fearful. So it’s certainly in there somewhere. And I know there are other idols. I know I can look to see who is or isn’t in any given political office and make it an idol to get my person in that position one way or another. But that is fool-hearted. One I’ve talked to you about in the past is my interest or need for the U.S. military to be the strongest in the world so I will feel safe. But am I really safe? Do I need to be safe? My nice little neighborhood in my small town can be a place where I find refuge instead of finding my refuge in you. The examples are everywhere. I confess them to you this morning, in this desert place. Be glorified. You are my God.

I pray this in Jesus and with your Holy Spirit,

Amen

 
Leave a comment

Posted by on March 9, 2025 in Restore: A Guided Lent Journal for Prayer and Meditation, Romans

 

Tags: , , , , , , , , ,

Psalm 30

06 Mar

Psalm 30

Thanksgiving for Recovery from Grave Illness

A Psalm. A Song at the dedication of the temple. Of David.

1 I will extol you, O Lord, for you have drawn me up
    and did not let my foes rejoice over me.
2 O Lord my God, I cried to you for help,
    and you have healed me.
3 O Lord, you brought up my soul from Sheol,
    restored me to life from among those gone down to the Pit.

4 Sing praises to the Lord, O you his faithful ones,
    and give thanks to his holy name.
5 For his anger is but for a moment;
    his favor is for a lifetime.
Weeping may linger for the night,
    but joy comes with the morning.

6 As for me, I said in my prosperity,
    “I shall never be moved.”
7 By your favor, O Lord,
    you had established me as a strong mountain;
you hid your face;
    I was dismayed.

8 To you, O Lord, I cried,
    and to the Lord I made supplication:
9 “What profit is there in my death,
    if I go down to the Pit?
Will the dust praise you?
    Will it tell of your faithfulness?
10 Hear, O Lord, and be gracious to me!
    O Lord, be my helper!”

11 You have turned my mourning into dancing;
    you have taken off my sackcloth
    and clothed me with joy,
12 so that my soul may praise you and not be silent.
    O Lord my God, I will give thanks to you forever.

Dear God, a psalm of reorientation. That’s what this is. I thought about Walter Brueggemann’s classifications for psalms as I read that this morning, and also as I saw the heading for this psalm the compiler of Psalms provided. Things were good, then they were bad, now they are good again because you provided. I was oriented, I was disoriented for a time, and now I am reoriented in a wiser, better position that I was before the disorientation. I’ve lived this psalm. I am still living it in some ways. In some ways I am oriented. There are parts of my life that are disoriented, and I still can’t make sense of them. And then there are areas in which I am reoriented and wiser than I was before. I suppose that is the journey I will continue to be on as long as I am here.

Sister Miriam James Heidland, the author of Restore: A Guided Lent Journal for Prayer and Meditation focused on verse 10 today: “Hear, O Lord, and be gracious to me! O Lord, be my helper.” That is the cry of a lot of hearts right now. It is the cry of people in war zones. It is the cry of victims of domestic abuse, human trafficking, the poor, the sick, parents, etc. It is the cry of so many.

Here is a quote from Sr. Miriam’s entry for today on this verse that resonates with me: “Each person’s relationship with Christ is unique and unrepeatable. As God loves each of us in a way he loves no other person, so too we love God in a way that no one else loves God. The shape of our heart is precious to him; he knows the distinct contours that belong to us alone.”

Father, one of the reasons I like to be around other Christians is that I get to know they God they know. And I get to share with them the God I know. The piece of you that I feel like is unique to me. The pieces of you that is unknown to me, but they can share. Thank you for…well, everything. Thank you for everything, Father. Thank you for everything, Jesus. Thank you for everything, Holy Spirit. May I use everything you’ve given me to honor you and take the piece of you I know about to others.

I pray this in Jesus and with your Holy Spirit,

Amen

 
Leave a comment

Posted by on March 6, 2025 in Psalms, Restore: A Guided Lent Journal for Prayer and Meditation

 

Tags: , , , , , , ,

Wisdom 11:21-26

05 Mar

21 For it is always in your power to show great strength,
and who can withstand the might of your arm?
22 Because the whole world before you is like a speck that tips the scales
and like a drop of morning dew that falls on the ground.
23 But you are merciful to all, for you can do all things,
and you overlook people’s sins, so that they may repent.
24 For you love all things that exist
and detest none of the things that you have made,
for you would not have formed anything if you had hated it.
25 How would anything have endured if you had not willed it?
Or how would anything not called forth by you have been preserved?
26 You spare all things, for they are yours, O Lord, you who love the living.

Wisdom 11:21-26

Dear God, my wife and I have decided to use a Lenten devotional book together called Restore: A Guided Lent Journal for Prayer and Meditation that a friend gave her. Since she’s Catholic and her friend is Catholic the books is Catholic as well. I’m actually interested to see what kinds of things might be outside of my experience. What scriptures from the Catholic Bible will be new. In this case, we are starting off with something from Wisdom. Okay. I’m in. What do you have for me this morning from Wisdom?

When I read this, I think about your restrained power. I saw a YouTube video yesterday of actors being asked, “If there is a heaven, what do you hope God says to you when you arrive?” In it, Dustin Hoffman leads off by quoting Robert DeNiro in saying, “If there is a God, he’s got a lot of explaining to do.”

My thoughts immediately went to Job and your words to him starting in chapter 38. Who are we to question you. You owe me no explanation. You owe me nothing.

But then I also thought about kind of my age-old questions when people complain about how you work: “How would you prefer God act?” Do we want you to smite and kill evildoers? Well, what if my sins put me on the wrong side of that line? Do we expect you to stop all natural disasters and question why you didn’t make the earth completely stable and safe for us? That doesn’t seem reasonable. Do we want you to eliminate all illness? I don’t think we want to never die. That doesn’t make sense. Do we want you to eliminate all injustice and harm we do to each other like human trafficking, war, etc.? Maybe that should be our responsibility. I guess I would ask Mr. Hoffman and Mrs. DeNiro what you have to answer for and how they would prefer you handle it.

Father, there is a lot of anger in people out there, and I’m sorry it gets misdirected at you. I know that is Satan’s plan, and it’s a good plan. And I know I’ve blamed you for things. There have been times when I haven’t liked how you get things done. I haven’t liked your plan. But you are my God. I am your creation. You owe me nothing. I owe you everything. And yet, as Wisdom puts it here, you show such restraint! You overlook my sins so I have a chance to repent. You could smite the whole lot of us, but you don’t. Thank you, Father. And thank you for the reconciliation you gave to all of us through the journey of Jesus. The entire journey of a piece of you. From before creation to this moment, you made a way for all of us. You made a way for me. You have done more than I could ever have asked you to. I love you.

I pray this in Jesus and with your Holy Spirit,

Amen

P.S. I forgot to read the commentary for this passage from the book. The first paragraph is important: “Here we begin, dear friends. Ash Wednesday. Our foreheads are marked with the blackness of death while the words ‘Repent and believe in the gospel’ or ‘Remember that you are dust, and to dust you shall return’ are spoken over us.” That’s a nice humble reminder of our place in this world and your creation as well. Why do any of us think we deserve your goodness. We don’t. You freely give it. You freely love us. But it’s not something that you owe us. So here I am to worship you with nothing to offer but the life you gave me.

 
Leave a comment

Posted by on March 5, 2025 in Restore: A Guided Lent Journal for Prayer and Meditation, Wisdom

 

Tags: , , , , , , , , , ,

Mark 10:17-28

04 Mar

17 As Jesus was starting out on his way to Jerusalem, a man came running up to him, knelt down, and asked, “Good Teacher, what must I do to inherit eternal life?”

18 “Why do you call me good?” Jesus asked. “Only God is truly good. 19 But to answer your question, you know the commandments: ‘You must not murder. You must not commit adultery. You must not steal. You must not testify falsely. You must not cheat anyone. Honor your father and mother.’[e]”

20 “Teacher,” the man replied, “I’ve obeyed all these commandments since I was young.”

21 Looking at the man, Jesus felt genuine love for him. “There is still one thing you haven’t done,” he told him. “Go and sell all your possessions and give the money to the poor, and you will have treasure in heaven. Then come, follow me.”

22 At this the man’s face fell, and he went away sad, for he had many possessions.

23 Jesus looked around and said to his disciples, “How hard it is for the rich to enter the Kingdom of God!” 24 This amazed them. But Jesus said again, “Dear children, it is very hard[f] to enter the Kingdom of God. 25 In fact, it is easier for a camel to go through the eye of a needle than for a rich person to enter the Kingdom of God!”

26 The disciples were astounded. “Then who in the world can be saved?” they asked.

27 Jesus looked at them intently and said, “Humanly speaking, it is impossible. But not with God. Everything is possible with God.”

28 Then Peter began to speak up. “We’ve given up everything to follow you,” he said.

Mark 10:17-28

Dear God, Peter reveals in verse 28 that they all had the same question this man had: What must I do to inherit eternal life? The same is true today. This can be a preoccupation for some. It can be what everything is all about. Why do I worship God? So I can have eternal life. Why do I do nice things for others? Go to church? Because I think there is a carrot for me at the end of it. There is eternal bliss. Power.

So why am I here this morning? Is that my goal? Am I trying to check a box and justify myself to you like Peter did in verse 28? Or am I just here to worship the God of the universe? Am I here because this is where I find peace, comfort, and direction for my life? Like most things in my life, the majority of the time I am here for the right reasons, but I know there are times when I’m here because I’m trying to justify myself before you.

Father, you are my God. I worship you. My life is worth nothing to me (mostly). At least, I want my life to be worth nothing to me. If the reality is that I lived this one life on earth and I used it to worship you and love others and there is no eternal reward at the end of it, then I’m okay with that. It’s not about me anyway. It’s about you. I don’t know what being with you one day will be like. “I can only imagine.” But I trust you that, if that is what you have for me, then it will be an existence that transcends everything I can know now. And I recognize that I will be the least in your new earth. But I welcome that if it means I get to keep worshipping you. So, for however many days I have left on earth, I offer then to you with no reservations or regrets. Prepare my heart today for Ash Wednesday and the Lenten season. Be glorified through me.

I pray all of this in Jesus and with your Holy Spirit,

Amen

 
Leave a comment

Posted by on March 4, 2025 in Mark

 

Tags: , , , ,

Luke 6:37-42

02 Mar

37 “Do not judge others, and you will not be judged. Do not condemn others, or it will all come back against you. Forgive others, and you will be forgiven. 38 Give, and you will receive. Your gift will return to you in full—pressed down, shaken together to make room for more, running over, and poured into your lap. The amount you give will determine the amount you get back.”

39 Then Jesus gave the following illustration: “Can one blind person lead another? Won’t they both fall into a ditch? 40 Students are not greater than their teacher. But the student who is fully trained will become like the teacher.

41 “And why worry about a speck in your friend’s eye when you have a log in your own? 42 How can you think of saying, ‘Friend, let me help you get rid of that speck in your eye,’ when you can’t see past the log in your own eye? Hypocrite! First get rid of the log in your own eye; then you will see well enough to deal with the speck in your friend’s eye.

Luke 6:37-42

Dear God, I’m not sure I’ve ever put the whole “blind leading the blind” part of this speech by Jesus with the part about not judging people, but it’s right in the middle of it.

What a weird God you are! Don’t you realize you have all of this power you could use to just zap any of us or anything? Everything. In my head, I’m going back to the illustration a local pastor did a couple of Christmases ago about the incarnation when he compared humans on earth to a planet of ravenous dogs who needed saving. As I sit and think about your love and mercy to us, I think about my wife’s and my dog. She is not the smartest we’ve ever owned, but she’s awfully sweet. And we are sweet to her even though we have all of the “power” in the relationship. We love on her. We greet her warmly in the morning. We take her out for walks. We take her to the park. We feed her regularly and even pick up her poop, whether she poops in public or in our yard. We lie on the floor with her and cuddle with her. We will bring her onto the sofa and cuddle with her there too. And for the first time with all of the pets we’ve owned, we will take her on trips with us. We want her with us. We love her. Yes, we have all of the power in our relationship. Yes, we could be cruel to her, and we have nothing compelling us to be extra good to her beyond it being illegal for us to be abusive to her, not feed her and not give her an opportunity to go to the bathroom. But we are comfortable with ourselves. We have nothing to prove. And we know that our home will be more harmonious–we will be more harmonious–if we show her the love she deserves as our pet.

So, in a weird way, that is you with us. Yes, you put this world in motion and we are living in it, but that’s not enough for you. You want to know us. You want to be kind to us. And as much as I get frustrated if other dogs are aggressive with her or mean to her at the dog park–or if she is the same way with them, which is almost never–you get frustrated with me when I am mean to someone, judgmental, or even blind and leading them astray out of my ignorance and am acting out of my judgment that they need my ignorant “wisdom” to improve their life.

Father, I get to talk about the nonprofit where I work this morning at a church. Ostensibly, I’m going there to inspire them to give money to us for our work, but I want it to be more. I want to help bring people out of their ignorance when it comes to the opportunity to love their neighbors. So give me your words for your people this morning. I am too ignorant to know what they need. I am just a little person who touches a little piece of our society that most of them don’t touch. Help me to share that piece of your creation with them, and use involvement with our work to bring them joy.

I pray this in Jesus and with your Holy Spirit,

Amen

 
Leave a comment

Posted by on March 2, 2025 in Luke

 

Tags: , , , ,

“1974” by Amy Grant

27 Feb

“1974” by Amy Grant

We were young,
And none of us know quite what to say,
But the feeling moved
Among us in silence anyway.
Slowly we had made
Quite a change–
Somewhere we had crossed a big line.
Down upon our knees,
We had tasted holy wine,
And no one could sway us
In a life time.
Purer than the sky,
Behind the rain.
Falling down all around us,
Calling out from a boundless love.
Love had lit a fire;
We were the flame.
Burning into the darkness,
Shining out from inside us.
Not a word.
And no one had to say we were changed.
Nothing else we lived through
Would ever be same the same,
Knowing the truth
That we had gained.
Purer than the sky,
Behind the rain.
Falling down all around us,
Calling out from a boundless love.
Love had lit a fire;
We were the flame.
Burning into the darkness,
Shining out from inside us.
Stay with me.
Make it ever new,
So time will not undo,
As the years go by,
How I need to see
That’s still me.
Falling down all around us,
Calling out from a boundless love.
Yeah…
Burning into the darkness,
Shining out from inside us.
Purer than the sky,
Behind the rain.
Falling down all around us,
Calling out from a boundless love.
Love has lit a fire;
I am the flame.
Burning into the darkness,
Shining out from inside us.
Purer than the sky,
Behind the rain.
Falling down all around us,
Calling out from a boundless love. (Ohh…)
Love has lit a fire;
I am the flame.
Burning into the darkness,
Shining out from inside us.
Purer than the sky,
Behind the rain.
Falling down all around us,
Calling out from a boundless love.

Source: Musixmatch

Songwriters: Amy Grant / Jerry Mcpherson / Gary Chapman

Dear God, my wife and I are going to see Amy Grant in concert tomorrow night. I saw a lot of Christian concerts in the 1990s, but I never saw Amy Grant in concert for some reason. And I worked for Word at the time so I sold a ton of her stuff through Christian bookstores. I met her once at a sales conference for the House of Love album, but I’ve never heard her sing.

Regardless, here I am, about to see her in concert for the first time so I have been listening to some of her old songs to just reminisce a little. It was this song that kind of struck me this week when it came on. I remember it being on the Lead Me On album. I think it was the first track. No, “Lead Me On” might have been the first track. Anyway, it really captured the emotions 18-year-old me felt at the time. I had grown up Baptist and had “accepted Jesus” possibly as many as 30 times up to that point. Effective church sermons. Revivals. Fellowship of Christian Athletes conferences. But somehow I never felt like I got it right the previous time. I wasn’t getting the formula correct. I needed to do it again.

So I remember the emotions Grant reflects in this song that she apparently wrote with her husband at the time, Gary Chapman, and Jerry McPherson. I wonder what their conversations were like as they wrote this song. Now, 38 years and a lot of life and heartache later, if they could rewrite any of it, would they? Would they change the lyrics? I think it’s prescient to have the part that says:

Stay with me.
Make it ever new,
So time will not undo,
As the years go by,
How I need to see
That’s still me.

I remember the feelings of just sinking into you and that moment of feeling a complete connection with you, but I never seemed to carry it beyond a few days. There was no discipleship. Or there was not self-discipline in my discipleship or even a real knowledge of what discipleship between you and me should look like.

So now, 38 years later since I had my experience of learning what discipleship looks like for me–or beginning to learn what discipleship looks like for me–how do I think of myself in relation to this song? Where are the friends I had then? How are they doing? I can tell you that the ones I’ve kept up with have had sorrows and struggles, but they seem to still have an active faith in you. For that, I’m grateful. My faith and discipleship are certainly imperfect, but I guess I’m at least faithfully imperfect. Maybe getting a little closer to you on more days than I’m getting farther from you on others?

Father, I do love you. I do worship you. Even now, even in this mode of worship, I know that my worship is so inadequate for who you are compared with who I am, but this is what I can offer you in my limited mind and body. Help me to learn a little more today how to love you and how to love others. I love you, Lord, and I lift my voice to worship you. Oh, my soul, rejoice! Take joy my King in what you hear. May it be a sweet, sweet sound in your ears. (“I Love You Lord” by Laurie Klein)

I pray this in Jesus and with your Holy Spirit,

Amen

 
Leave a comment

Posted by on February 27, 2025 in Hymns and Songs

 

Tags: , , , , , , , , , , , ,

← Older posts
Newer posts →