Lent Day #10

Luke 15:11-24 (ESV)
11 And [Jesus] said, "There was a man who had two sons. 12 And the younger of them said to his father, 'Father, give me the share of property that is coming to me.' And he divided his property between them. 13 Not many days later, the younger son gathered all he had and took a journey into a far country, and there he squandered his property in reckless living. 14 And when he had spent everything, a severe famine arose in that country, and he began to be in need. 15 So he went and hired himself out to one of the citizens of that country, who sent him into his fields to feed pigs. 16 And he was longing to be fed with the pods that the pigs ate, and no one gave him anything.

17 "But when he came to himself, he said, 'How many of my father's hired servants have more than enough bread, but I perish here with hunger! 18 I will arise and go to my father, and I will say to him, "Father, I have sinned against heaven and before you. 19 I am no longer worthy to be called your son. Treat me as one of your hired servants."' 20 And he arose and came to his father. But while he was still a long way off, his father saw him and felt compassion, and ran and embraced him and kissed him. 21 And the son said to him, 'Father, I have sinned against heaven and before you. I am no longer worthy to be called your son.' 22 But the father said to his servants, 'Bring quickly the best robe, and put it on him, and put a ring on his hand, and shoes on his feet. 23 And bring the fattened calf and kill it, and let us eat and celebrate. 24 For this my son was dead, and is alive again; he was lost, and is found.' And they began to celebrate."

THOUGHTS:
Today is homecoming here at GMU, and this parable is about a different kind of homecoming. This is one of my favorite passages of scripture. And it needs a new name! It isn't about reckless extravagance of the younger son, but rather about the loving grace of the father.

The story begins with the younger son going and asking for his share of the inheritance. Now, I have a good relationship with my dad and he's been very generous to me my whole life, but if I walked up to him one day and said, "Hey pops, put your will into effect now because I have things I want to do with that money" ... well, you can guess how far that idea would fly...

Rather than calling out the ungrateful little twerp, dear old dad in the parable says "OK." This blows my mind, and the story has barely begun. He enacts his will. In a way, the father declares himself DEAD. Let that sink in for a moment...

So what happens next? The son takes what was probably one heck of a fun trip! Let's modernize this to say he went to Mardi Gras in N'Orleans, took a Caribbean cruise, and then headed off to Vegas where he partied with all the high rollers until his luck ran out and his funds ran dry. Sure, it was irresponsible at best, but it's OK to admit that he probably had a lot of fun.

Of course, he goes from the top of the world to the gutter. He ends up feeding the pigs and dreaming of eating their food. Remember, this is a story being told by a Jew to a Jewish crowd, so we have to assume that the connotations of caring for unclean animals and willingness to eat slop would have been noticed. He would certainly be considered unclean now. He wants to go home, but he knows he burned that bridge, so he starts rationalizing ways to make it work. He says, "I'll be a servant -- I'll live at home, but not as part of the family...the scraps on the margins there are good enough for me now." So he makes his way home, a broken shell of his former self.

He plans out this nice apology to try to win his father over, but while he is still a long way off, his father saw him. Why do you think the father saw him a long way off? Maybe he was looking down the driveway hoping and waiting for his son to come home...and if so, it probably wasn't the first time he was there. I get the sense that the father had a great longing for his son to return. The son probably looks like a tattered beggar on his way up the lane, so his wastefulness is probably rather apparent to the father. So when the father sees the son, he RUNS to meet him, EMBRACES him, and KISSES him. This all happens before the son apologizes, confesses, seeks forgiveness, or even says "hello". When the son tries to apologize, the father shrugs it off and throws a party.

In the midst of that embrace, I think it probably sets in on the son that he had also died. He had thrown his former life away, and any life he had now was due to being resurrected by his father. What a homecoming! If the father is a stand in for God, does he act the way you expect God to act? During Lent, we seek to return to God the way the son returned to the father. We acknowledge that we are dead in our sins. We trust, hope, and pray that God is as loving and merciful as Jesus portrays him in this parable.

The loving grace of the father is what the story is all about, so let's call it "The Parable of the Loving Father". We'll finish this parable on Monday when we look at the dialogue between the father and the elder brother.

PRAYER:
Dear God, we trust that you are a loving parent to us all. We thank you for giving us all that we have, even though we know we don't deserve it. We ask your forgiveness for using so much of it for our own purposes, rather than to do your work in the world. We ask that you daily renew our hearts to your will and help us to know and serve you. We trust that your grace really is sufficient for us. All this and more we pray. Amen.

Lent Day #9

Today we are going to finish our look at Abram / Abraham in Genesis. There is so much depth to his story, and we've only scratched the surface. A couple days ago, we looked at the the significance of the binding of Issac in Genesis chapter 22 and yesterday we condsidered Abraham's prophetic role and that Isaac was quite possibly an adult at the time of the story. Today we finish this story...

GENESIS 22:9-14 (NJPS)
9 They arrived at the place of which God had told him. Abraham built an alter there; he laid out the wood; he bound his son Isaac; he laid him on the alter, on top of the wood. 10 And Abraham picked up the knife to slay his son. 11 then an angel of the Lord called to him from heaven: "Abraham! Abraham!" And he answered, "Here I am." 12 And he said, "Do not raise your hand against the boy, or do anything to him. For now I now that you fear God, since you have not withheld your son, your favored one, from me." 13 When Abraham looked up, his eye fell upon a ram, caught in the thicket by its horns. So Abraham went and took the ram and offered it up as a burnt offering in place of his son. 14 And Abraham named that side Adonai-yireh, whence the present saying, "On the mount of the Lord there is vision."

If we assume that Isaac is an adult and Abraham is upwards of 115 years old, then Isaac could probably have overpowered Abraham if he wanted to, so in verse 9 when Abraham binds up Isaac on the alter, Isaac has to be a willing participant! Why don't Christians ever talk about the courageous sacrifice that Isaac was willing to make? My Jewish Study Bible calls him the prototype of the Jewish martyr.

GENESIS 22:15-18 (NJPS)
15 The Angel of the Lord called to Abraham a second time from heaven, 16 and said, "By Myself I swear, the Lord declares; Because you have done this and have not withheld your son, you favored one, 17 I will bestow My blessing upon you and make your descendants as numerous as the stars of heaven and the sands on the seashore; and your descendants shall seize the gates of their foes. 18 All the nations of the earth shall bless themselves by your descendants, because you have obeyed My command."

It appears that the sacrifice Abraham makes is somehow atoning for the whole world: "Because you have done this ... All the nations of the earth shall bless themselves by your descendants, because you have obeyed My command." Has this come to pass, or is this yet to come? It seems like many of the nations of the earth curse offspring of Isaac (the Jews). As Christians, we probably want to say that this blessing evantually came through Jesus the Christ, but it doesn't seem like all the nations of the earth *are* blessing themselves by Him -- not yet anyway.

Looking at the progression of Genesis 22:1-18 as a whole, it challenges me. I consider how hard it is to follow God's will sometimes. Think about it... It appears that God's will was to deceive Abraham ... that God's will was for Abraham to attempt to kill his son ... that God's will was to have Abraham tie his son upon the alter ... to have Isaac endue the knowledge that his dear daddy was going to sacrifice him ... to have to stop Abraham with his arm raised, just moments before he slits Isaac's throat ... and that God's will was only then to reveal to Abraham a substitute sacrifice.

Huh? If the purpose was to test Abraham, why would a sacrifice still be necessary once the cat is out of the bag? Shouldn't it go, "Abraham stop! You've passed the test. Now, cut only the ropes that bind your son and take him home to celebrate." If there is going to be an animal in the thicket, I expect it to be a nice plump sheep for Abraham to take home for a feast to reward him for passing the test. That's not the way the story goes. Instead, God fulfills the prophecy that Abraham makes in verse 8, when Abraham said, "God will see to the sheep for His burnt offering." Maybe he is rewarding Abraham's belief that God would find a way to ensure that Isaac was able to have progeny. We don't know.

I question why God would tempt people if he really knows what is in our hearts. Testing his follower like this makes it look like God is insecure, but that can't be right, can it? God seems to need to find out if God's chosen apprentice is more than just a fair weather friend -- that Abraham would be obedient even if it seems that God is breaking the promise of a great nation fathered by Isaac, even as it seems that God is merely toying with him. I'm not pleased with the emotional trauma that God makes Abraham and Isaac endure. I'm uncomfortable with the fact that God in no way uses this opportunity to condemn human sacrifice -- instead, he commends Abraham for being willing to go through with it! In the end I have to acknowledge that God's ways truly are beyond my comprehension.

What about you ... what do you think?

PRAYER:
Dear Lord, Thank you for all things. I even thank you for my confusion, for it reminds me that no matter how often I think I "get it", I still don't know it all. As I accumulate knowledge, I realize how much I don't know. I pray only that you light the path far enough for me to attempt to follow your lead. I ask that you give me the courage to be obedient to your will. I hope that you open me up to possibilities beyond my dreams, and I look forward to learning to know you more. In Jesus name, Amen.

Lent Day #8

We've been looking at the story of Abram / Abraham starting with Abram's call story in Genesis 12 and then with Abraham pleading for God's grace to be expansive in Geneis 18. Yesterday we started to look the significance of the binding of Issac in Genesis chapter 22. Today, we continue with this story...

GENESIS 22:3-8 (NJPS)
3 So early next morning, Abraham saddled his ass and took with him two of his servants and his son Isaac. he split the wood for the burnt offering, and he set out for the place of which God had told him. 4 On the third day Abraham looked up and saw the place from afar. 5 Then Abraham said to his servants, "You stay here with the ass. the boy and I will go up there; we will worship and we will return to you."

6 Abraham took the wood for the burnt offering and put it on his son Isaac. He himself took the firestone and the knife; and the two walked off together. 7 Then Isaac said to his father Abraham, "Father!" And he answered, "Yes, my son." And he said, "Here are the firestone and the wood; but where is the sheep for the burnt offering?" 8 And Abraham said, "God will see to the sheep for His burnt offering, my son." And the two of them walked on together.

In verse 5 Abraham tells his servants: "we will return". That's *we*, referring to Abraham and Isaac. If Abraham thinks that he's sacrificing his son, why does he say that they will both return? Does he already know that this is a test -- that he isn't expected to go through with it. Has he figured this out? Does he have any intention of actually slitting Isaac's throat? Is he hiding his fatal intentions from his servants and/or his son? Is he in denial, or is expressing hope that God won't renege on covenant -- on the promise that Isaac will be a great nation? If we take verse 8 into account, where Abraham tells Issac that "God will see to the sheep", it appears that Abraham has hope or faith that God will find a way to prevent him from carrying out the very task that God assigned him to do!

Hmm, so how old is Isaac at this point anyway? Until recently, I was under the impression we were talking about a young child who was maybe 5-8 years old. What about you? Look at verse 6 --- Abraham piles the wood for the pyre onto Isaac to carry. We aren't just talking about a couple small logs, but enough to conduct a burnt offering. That gets me thinking that this kid had to have been at least a teenager. Most rabbinic commentators see him as an adult -- and Abraham is really freaking old by this point! (He was 100 when Isaac was born!) It makes sense that Isaac is carrying the wood since he's probably much stronger than Abraham by this point...

PRAYER FOR PERSONAL DEDICATION:
(from the Lutheran Book of Prayer, Concordia 1970)

Lord of my life, I know that my life is not my own. By Your death and resurrection You made me Your own. Help me to live under Your direction, always ready to hear the call, "Follow Me"; always aware of Your presence; always knowing that I have received the gift of Your Spirit; always living so that others may receive Your love and mercy through me.

It is not easy to ask for these things, Lord, because I know that I have much to give up. I can no longer pretend that my life is my own. My prayer is my surrender to Your care and direction. I want to follow, Lord, but it is very hard. I will get very tired. I will make selfish mistakes. I will fail time and again. I will fall.

Show me again that there is love and forgiveness and mercy in Your hand. Use me in spite of my reluctance, doubt, and disobedience.

Pour into me Your good Spirit, so that I am not afraid to follow and fall and follow again. Amen.

NOTES:
We still need a couple volunteers for the Hypothermia Shelter on Friday evening. Feel free to bring an interested friend. We'll be serving food to up to 85 homeless folks and getting to spend some time eating with them and talking to them. We'll leave campus at 4:15pm, serve food, eat, and clean up between 5pm and 8pm, and return to campus before 9pm. RSVP on Facebook or by contacting me at bbuss (at) gmu (dot) edu

Lent Day #7

We've been looking at the story of Abram / Abraham starting with Abram's call story in Genesis 12 and then with Abraham pleading for God's grace to be expansive in Geneis 18. We're going to skip over Lot trying to protect God's visitors from the violent inhospitality of Sodomites. As the mobs near overtaking him, the visitors spare Lot and his family before destruction of Sodom. Now we're going to spend a few days working through story of the binding of Isaac in Genesis chapter 22.

GENESIS 22:1-2 (NJPS)
1 Some time afterward, God put Abraham to the test. He said to him, "Abraham," and he answered, "Here I am." 2 And He said, "Take your son, your favored one, Isaac, whom you love, and go to the land of Moriah, and offer him there as a burnt offering on one of the heights that I will point out to you."

If your first thought as someone living in modern times is "What kind of crazy person would even consider killing his own child?" -- you aren't alone. It is worth remembering that Abraham lived in time and place where many gods were worshipped and sacrifices were always getting bigger and you never really knew what you had to do to please the gods, but some priest would tell you and you would do it. If things went well afterward, you would offer a bigger sacrifice as thanks. If things went badly, you offered a more drastic sacrifice under the assumption that the last offering wasn't good enough. Human sacrifice was not uncommon. For a more in-depth analysis of this world, wait until Rob Bell's "The gods aren't angry tour" comes out on DVD.

I want to pull out some things that really struck me in recent study of this passage with a Hebrew Bible professor at a local seminary. First, looking at verse 2 where it says "your favored one". This is apparently far weaker in English than the original Hebrew, which gives the sense of "your own soul". Wow!

If you start poking into it, we see that Abraham's legacy is inextricably bound up with Isaac's -- he is named as the heir who will inherit God's covenant with Abraham, though both of his children will be great nations...

GENESIS 17:17-21 (NJPS)
17 Abraham threw himself on his face and laughed, as he said to himself, "Can a child be born to a man a hundred years old, or can Sarah bear a child at ninety?" 18 And Abraham said to God, "O that Ishmael might live by your favor!" 19 God said, "Nevertheless, Sarah your wife shall bear you a son, and you shall name him Isaac; and I will maintain My covenant with him as an everlasting covenant for his offspring to come. 20 As for Ishmael, I have heeded you. I hereby bless him. I will make him fertile and exceedingly numerous. He shall be the father of twelve chieftains, and I will make of him a great nation. 21 But My covenant I will maintain with Isaac, whom Sarah shall bear to you at this season next year."

This shadows the language earlier in Genesis 17 when God makes the covenant with Abraham. Therefore, in some ways Abraham's life centers around Isaac -- it is as if his son were himself because all Abraham's hopes are riding on Isaac. (No pressure kid.) The order of the terms in Genesis 22:2 is also important -- they indicate increasing tension. Read it this way: "I want you to take your son. Not just your son, but your favored son, the one who is the core of your being. Yes, I mean Isaac -- the one you love. I want you to kill him as an offering to me." WHAM! Can't you just imagine how this takes Abraham's breath away? All this time setting up a legacy, a rightful heir born when Abraham is 100, and now God wants the kid back!

What would you do?

PRAYER FOR GRACE TO ADJUST MYSELF:
(From "My Prayer Book", Concordia 1980)

Gracious God, heavenly Father, I must confess that I am sometimes upset by the many changes that come in life. I find it difficult to make the necessary adjustments. I do not ask to understand, but help me, I pray You, always to realize that no matter what happens to me, and what changes must be made, You still love me and will make every experience work together for my good.

Give me the faith to trust Your promise, "My grace is sufficient for you." In mercy forgive all grumbling and complaining of which I have been guilty in the past. Teach me to follow the example of Jesus, my Savior and Lord, who in trial and tribulation said, "Not My will, but Thine, be done." In that spirit I shall be able to meet whatever life has in store for me. For Jesus' sake. Amen.

Lent Day #6

Yesterday, we started looking at the story of Abram / Abraham, which covers Genesis chapters 12-25. We started at the beginning, but now we'll skip ahead a bit. Abram is now known as Abraham and Sarai is now known as Sarah. Lot has separated from Abraham to settle in the more fertile plains near Sodom. Abraham has a son, Ishmael, who is the daughter of Sarah's maidservant Hagar (yes, this is a cause for dramatic conflicts in the family). In Genesis chapter 18, God announces to Abraham and Sarah that even though she is past menopause, they will have a child of their own. Picking up immediately after that story...

GENESIS 18:17-21 (NJPS)
17 Now the Lord had said, "Shall I hide from Abraham what I am about to do, 18 since Abraham is to become a great an populous nation and all the nations of the earth are to bless themselves by him? 19 For I have singled him out, that he may instruct his children and his posterity to keep the way of the Lord by doing what is just and right, in order that the lord may bring about for Abraham what He has promised him." 20 Then the Lord said, "The outrage of Sodom and Gomorrah is so great, and their sin so grave! 21 I will go down to see whether they have acted altogether according to the outcry that has reached Me; if not, I will take note."

This passage portrays God's internal dialogue -- God is debating if Abraham needs to know about the planned destruction of Sodom for being violently inhospitable to foreigners visiting the city. God has just visited Abraham and now they are walking toward Sodom in the fashion of Abraham walking his guest to the curb to say goodbye. It appears that God is making a last minute decision about whether his plans should be shared, or remain secret. It is evident that God opts to treat his chosen one with respect by sharing the plan, and the conversation continues...

GENESIS 18:22-32 (NJPS)
22 The men went on from there to Sodom, while Abraham remained standing before the Lord. 23 Abraham came forward and said, "Will You sweep away the innocent along with the guilty? 24 What if there should be fifty innocent within the city; will You then wipe out the place and not forgive it for the sake of the innocent fifty who are in it? 25 Far be it from You to do such a thing, to bring death upon the innocent as well as the guilty, so that innocent and guilty fare alike. Far be it from You! Shall not the Judge of all the earth deal justly?" 26 And the Lord answered, "If i find within the city of Sodom fifty innocent ones, I will forgive the whole place for their sake." 27 Abraham spoke up, saying, "Here I venture to speak to my Lord, I who am but dust and ashes: 28 What if the fifty innocent should lack five? Will you destroy the whole city for want of the five?" And He answered, "I will not destroy if I find forty-five there." 29 But he spoke to Him again, and said, "What if forty should be found there?" And He answered, "I will not do it for the sake of forty." 30 And he said, "Let not my Lord be angry if I go on: What if thirty should be found there?" And He answered, "I will not do it if I find thirty there." 31 And he said, "I venture again to speak to my Lord: What if twenty should be found there?" And He answered, "I will not destroy, for the sake of the twenty." 32 And he said, "Let not my Lord be angry if I speak but this last time: What if ten should be found there?" And He answered, "I will not destroy, for the sake of the ten."

Whoa! The man who we saw obeying God without a recorded peep yesterday in Genesis 12 is today questioning God with questions that border on manipulative. Look at the language: "Far be it from You to do such a thing ... Far be it from You! Shall not the Judge of all the earth deal justly!" He's basically telling God, "No, no, no -- you don't want to do that. Let me tell you what you want to do." Granted, he does it all very politely, but his pleading keeps going, bargaining God all the way down to agreeing to spare the entire city if a mere 10 innocent people can be found!

Look at the first half of verse 25 more closely: "Far be it from You to do such a thing, to bring death upon the innocent as well as the guilty, so that innocent and guilty fare alike." Abraham appears to be setting up to ask for the innocent to be spared, but look at the solution he seeks as the passage goes on. Abraham is asking God to show mercy, sparing *ALL* the inhabitants of the city "for the sake of the innocent". Doesn't it seem like Abraham starts off saying that God should punish justly, and then follows that up by begging for God to bestow grace universally?

How far do you hope that God's grace reaches?
Do you hope that there are a chosen few who are saved?
Do you hope that people get what we deserve based on our innocence or guilt?
Do you hope that those who believe exactly as you do are saved while those who think differently are left out of the party?
Do you hope that God's grace extends to all of humanity?
Do you hope that God's grace envelopes all of creation without limit?

Do you, like Abraham, pray for God's grace to extend farther than individuals ... beyond "fair" ... exceeding mere justice?

PRAYER:
Dear Lord, we thank you for all the blessings that you bestow upon your creation. We don't presume to understand your ways, or to have a better plan than you do. We plea today that your grace extends farther than our own. We know that we are as undeserving as everyone else and we humbly hope that your will is so gracious and merciful that it shocks us. Strengthen our faith and continue to bless us in work and service for You, through Christ. Amen.

NOTES:
1. These devotions are sponsored by GMU Lutheran Campus Ministry, which is is part of Northern Virginia Lutheran Campus Ministries. Our ministry is focused on students attending George Mason University or other colleges in northern Virginia -- and we don't just mean Lutherans ... we welcome everyone! For more information, see http://gmu.edu/org/lutheran
2. Please feel free to share these devotions with your friends. They are accessible from the "Lenten Devotions" Facebook group at http://gmu.facebook.com/group.php?gid=7958874287, or you can subscribe to the RSS feed: http://feeds.feedburner.com/LentenDevotions

Lent Day #5

The Bible starts off in Genesis with the creation of everything, Adam and Eve getting exiled from the garden of Eden, the first murder, the development of culture, and the corruption of society. God takes a universal approach to things with Noah and the flood -- basically "rebooting" the system by killing nearly everyone. The Noah story ends at the end of Genesis chapter 9, followed by two chapters of lineage listings covering 10 generations and roughly 400 years with no mention God. During this time, humanity spreads across the world. Then we hit chapter 12, and God singles out one individual living in Mesopotamia...

GENESIS 12:1-6 (NJPS)
1 The Lord said to Abram, "Go forth from your native land and from your father's house to the land that I will show you.
2 I will make of you a great nation,
And I will bless you;
I will make your name great,
And you shall be a blessing.
3 I will bless those who bless you
And curse him that curse you;
And all the families of the earth
Shall bless themselves by you."
4 Abram went forth as the Lord had commanded him, and Lot went with him. Abram was seventy-five years old when he left Haran. 5 Abram took his wife Sarai and his brother's son Lot, and all the wealth that they had amassed and the persons that they had acquired in Haran; and they set out for the land of Canaan. When they arrived in the land of Canaan, 6 Abram passed through the land as far as the site of Shechem, at the terebinth of Moreh. The Canaanites were then in the land.

This is how the story of Abram / Abraham begins. Imagine it. Abram has lived in his father's house for 75 years -- and then God shows up and says "Gather your things, leave your father behind, and hit the road. Stick with me & I'll make you legendary. All the people of the world will consider themselves blessed because of you." Much of the promises to Abram get interpreted as reversing some of the curses put upon Adam and Eve when they were exiled from the garden.

We don't know if God had spoken to Abram before, or if he heard this audibly or in his head. The variables are mostly unknown. It appears that Abram was fairly well-off already as he had amassed wealth and slaves. Whatever factors came into play, Abram left home with his wife Sarai, his nephew Lot, and all of their wealth. He gives up the security of his land and kin and hits the road.

Many of us have left our families to go to college, to take jobs, or to explore other opportunities. This is more dramatic. Even today, we would find it odd for someone to leave their line of work, their home, and their family -- with no plan and no specific destination. It would probably have been more odd then, when the norm was to stay with your family and almost everyone continued in the family business.

Think about how amazing it is that Abram was open and receptive to hearing what God was calling him to do. Sure he was promised a lot, but look at what he sacrificed. Think about how much trust he had to place in God in order to be receptive to being called to a completely new life, even in old age. Most of us are still young. Are we listening to what God is calling us to do? Are we willing to risk what we have for the sake of the unknown if that is where we feel God is leading us?

PRAYER:
Dear Lord, may you open our hearts and minds to your will. We pray that you give us the courage to follow where you lead us. We know that everything we have is a gift from you. Even our very own lives are gifts from you, and we humbly offer them for your use. In Jesus name, Amen.

NOTES:
If you are registered to vote in Virginia, Maryland, or the District of Columbia -- the primaries are tomorrow (Tuesday 2/12/2008). Virginia does not do registeration by party, so as long as you are registered to vote, you can take the ballet for whichever primary you are interested in voting in, but not both.

First Sunday in Lent

It might supprise you, but Sundays are not part of Lent. (Go ahead, grab a calendar and count out the 40 days of Lent starting with Ash Wednesday -- you'll find you have to skip Sundays to make it work out.) There are "Sundays in Lent" not "Sundays of Lent". The reason for this is that EVERY Sunday is a joyful celebration of the resurrection of Jesus the Christ. As my pastor when I was growing up used to say "We are an Easter people!" -- meaning that Christians are rooted in the resurrection and never completely blot it from view. Sundays during Lent should seem even more special and celebratory because Sundays are "Feast Days" when fasts are to be broken. See http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Lent#Fasting_and_abstinence (right above the "Holy Days" heading) or http://www.lexorandi.org/lent.html. For some people, this makes fasting from something during Lent MORE difficult because they still experience it on Sundays.

How you choose to observe the Sundays in Lent is up to you, but if you are observing a spiritual practice during Lent, remember today that the purpose of all things things is to help us grow closer God, who loves us so much that Jesus suffered and died and was raised again for our sake to reconcile the world to God. Every Sunday, we celebrate the fact that we know the tomb is empty!

Anyway, my Lenten devotions won't appear in the same way on the Sundays in Lent. Instead, I'll just offer a few quotes or links to things I read recently that were interesting.

=========

If you want a relationship with the biblical God, you have to let Him determine the scope and nature of your relationship. You have to give Him his freedom. This is one of the differences between true spirituality and a mechanistic imitation, one of the differences between rationalized and relational. God is a Person and He is free, and He is Lord of the living Body. - From http://nextreformation.com/?p=1970

In Monk Habits For Everyday People, author Dennis Okholm rightly observes that, "We hear what we are trained to hear. And if we have been trained well to be possessive consumers, then we may not be well trained to hear the needs of others or the voice of God." If we take Shelly Lazarus' challenge seriously and observe our country's consumer credit crisis, then we can agree that we have been trained to be "possessive consumers."
- From http://www.churchmarketingsucks.com/archives/2008/01/a_readers_resol.html

But as people of faith, we know that the change must go deeper than politics. In fact, unless change goes deeper, politics won't really change. And no matter which candidate finally wins this presidential election, he or she will not be able to really change the big things in the U.S. and the world that must be changed, unless and until there is a real movement pushing for those changes from outside of politics. Because when politics fails to resolve or even address the most significant moral issues, what often occurs is that social movements rise up to change politics; and the best social movements always have spiritual foundations.
- From http://blog.beliefnet.com/godspolitics/2008/01/the-power-of-change-by-jim-wal.html