Lent Day #40

Matthew 27:57-66 (NRSV)

⁵⁷When it was evening, there came a rich man from Arimathea, named Joseph, who was also a disciple of Jesus. ⁵⁸He went to Pilate and asked for the body of Jesus; then Pilate ordered it to be given to him. ⁵⁹So Joseph took the body and wrapped it in a clean linen cloth ⁶⁰and laid it in his own new tomb, which he had hewn in the rock. He then rolled a great stone to the door of the tomb and went away. ⁶¹Mary Magdalene and the other Mary were there, sitting opposite the tomb. ⁶²The next day, that is, after the day of Preparation, the chief priests and the Pharisees gathered before Pilate ⁶³and said, "Sir, we remember what that impostor said while he was still alive, 'After three days I will rise again.' ⁶⁴Therefore command the tomb to be made secure until the third day; otherwise his disciples may go and steal him away, and tell the people, 'He has been raised from the dead,' and the last deception would be worse than the first." ⁶⁵Pilate said to them, "You have a guard of soldiers; go, make it as secure as you can." ⁶⁶So they went with the guard and made the tomb secure by sealing the stone.

 

THOUGHTS:

The gospels tell us that Jesus was laid in the tomb on Friday evening, but they don't tell us a lot about the events of that Saturday. 

It was the Sabbath, so the disciples wouldn't have been working. 

 

I imagine they were in shock.  They had seen Jesus perform so many miracles -- it is possible that some of them held out a little hope that he would pull off a miraculous show-stopper to cheat death even as he hung on the cross.  Their hearts must have felt completely torn apart when they realized he had died.  They may have been skeptical about him being able to rise from the dead.  (Once dead, isn't it had to do anything -- including raise yourself?)   Yet the Romans remembered his words and stationed guards to prevent the disciples from pulling off any pranks.  They acknowledge that they think the story of a resurrected Jesus would not go well for them.

 

Today, we know the rest of the story.  Even while envisioning the Christ laying in the tomb, we know that tomorrow that tomb will be empty.  As we think about these events today, we aren't mired in grief, but rather wait in anticipation.  We sit watch ... waiting for tomorrow morning ...

 

PRAYER:

Today, spend some time thinking about your Lenten experience -- ponder something that sticks out in your mind or how your heart has been affected this year.  Consider where you think God may be calling you as Easter approaches.  Pray -- chat with God about these things...

Lent Day #39 - Good Friday

Matthew 26:62-66 (ESV)
62 And the high priest stood up and said, "Have you no answer to make? What is it that these men testify against you?" 63 But Jesus remained silent. And the high priest said to him, "I adjure you by the living God, tell us if you are the Christ, the Son of God." 64 Jesus said to him, "You have said so. But I tell you, from now on you will see the Son of Man seated at the right hand of Power and coming on the clouds of heaven." 65 Then the high priest tore his robes and said, "He has uttered blasphemy. What further witnesses do we need? You have now heard his blasphemy. 66 What is your judgment?" They answered, "He deserves death."

THOUGHTS:
Today is "Good Friday". Why do we call the day Jesus died "good"?

It is a day that proclaims God's purpose of loving and redeeming the world
through the cross of our Lord, Jesus Christ. It is a day that is good because
God was drawing the world to God's self in Christ. As seen in John's gospel,
particularly, God was in control. God was not making the best of a bad
situation, but was working out God's intention for the world — winning salvation
for all people. We call it "good" because we look backward at the crucifixion
through the lens of Easter! (From http://archives.umc.org/frames.asp?url=http%3A//www.gbod.org/worship/default.asp%3Fact%3Dreader%26item_id=2619&loc_id=9%2C10,32,49)

There is a great article by George S. Johnson in "The Lutheran" this month about the 'other' reason Jesus died on the cross. It acknowledges that Jesus died to atone for our sins, but it also points out that that isn't the reason that the Roman government hung him on a cross. The article focuses on looking at the reasons that scripture gives for how Jesus ends up on the cross, including:

• advocating that there are things more important than rules;
• violating Jewish laws governing actions on the Sabbath;
• blasphemous teachings about forgiveness;
• confronting the system of domination that violated God's intentions; and
• exposing corruption in religion.

When you read your Bible, do you see Jesus as subversive and countercultural?

Those in power saw Jesus as a threat to the peace and security of their society, yet many of us prefer to picture Jesus in a nice peaceful role. When we receive communion, do we remember that the death of Jesus was the consequence for confronting oppression?


A couple of quotes from the article:

"The proclamation of the gospel includes a declaration of God's justice: God's action to bring about an alternative to violence, greed, hunger and domination."


"As I read the Scriptures, I'm reminded that Jesus died because he was considered a threat to a society that neglected the poor and worshiped the sword."

I can't help but notice a parallel to a martyr from a more recent time: Martin Luther King, Jr. also died challenging the status quo. His powerful words show he knew he was well outside the bounds of the established system:

"These are extreme times, and the question isn't whether or not we will be extremists, but what kind of extremists we will be. Will you be extremists for love or for hatred?"

Read Matthew 16:24-25 (ESV):

24 Then Jesus told his disciples, "If anyone would come after me, let him deny himself and take up his cross and follow me. 25 For whoever would save his life will lose it, but whoever loses his life for my sake will find it.

What is your cross?

PRAYER:

God, today as I ask that you help me to understand what cross you've given me to bear. Help me to faithfully carry out the tasks that you have given to this servant of yours. For the sake of Jesus. AMEN.

Lent Day #38 - Maundy Thursday

John 13:3-17 (ESV)
3 Jesus, knowing that the Father had given all things into his hands, and that he had come from God and was going back to God, 4 rose from supper. He laid aside his outer garments, and taking a towel, tied it around his waist. 5 Then he poured water into a basin and began to wash the disciples' feet and to wipe them with the towel that was wrapped around him. 6 He came to Simon Peter, who said to him, "Lord, do you wash my feet?" 7 Jesus answered him, "What I am doing you do not understand now, but afterward you will understand." 8 Peter said to him, "You shall never wash my feet." Jesus answered him, "If I do not wash you, you have no share with me." 9 Simon Peter said to him, "Lord, not my feet only but also my hands and my head!" 10 Jesus said to him, "The one who has bathed does not need to wash, except for his feet, but is completely clean. And you are clean, but not every one of you." 11 For he knew who was to betray him; that was why he said, "Not all of you are clean."

12 When he had washed their feet and put on his outer garments and resumed his place, he said to them, "Do you understand what I have done to you? 13 You call me Teacher and Lord, and you are right, for so I am. 14 If I then, your Lord and Teacher, have washed your feet, you also ought to wash one another's feet. 15 For I have given you an example, that you also should do just as I have done to you. 16 Truly, truly, I say to you, a servant is not greater than his master, nor is a messenger greater than the one who sent him. 17 If you know these things, blessed are you if you do them."

THOUGHTS:
Today is "Maundy Thursday" or "Holy Thursday". Today the Church remembers:

• The Last Supper
• The Institution of the Eucharist (communion)
• Jesus washing the feet of the disciples
• Judas betraying Jesus
• Jesus praying in the Garden of Gethsemane
• The arrest of Jesus
• etc.

The Gospels are jam packed with the events of Jesus life corresponding to today and tomorrow.

I'm looking at the message accompanying the foot-washing. We, as disciples of the Christ, are called to service. Foot-washing is foreign to our context -- we don't walk around every day on dusty ground in sandals. Some churches still do it to commemorate the event, and it can be a powerful reminder of both our call to service, and our call not to prevent ourselves from being served.

The first part of this seems easier. When we are able to knock down the walls of selfishness around us, we see the needs of others. Helping them feels good. It can be "cool" to serve others. Feeding the homeless, giving money to charity, we like these things. It makes me feel generous and philanthropic. No matter how small, service to others feels good and right -- maybe even natural.

Jesus points out that serving and caring for others doesn't make us better than them. We care for them because we are like them. Sure, there may be differences, but we are all human. We all struggle. Sometimes the situations we find ourselves in get the best of us.

We aren't as good at accepting the service of others. We like to feel independent. "I don't need your help -- I can do it on my own. I can take care of myself. I can dig myself out of this hole." This is selfish pride. Like Simon Peter, we arrogantly assert that we don't need the body of Christ (our communities) to dote on us. Instead of feeling entitled to be cared for, we feel entitled to be independent. We don't want to feel like a charity case.

The "Maundy" in "Maundy Thursday" is derived from the first word of the Latin version of John 13:34 (ESV):

34 "A new commandment I give to you, that you love one another: just as I have loved you, you also are to love one another."

Compare verse 34 to verses 14-15. These are mutual relationships. We are all to love one another. We are all to serve one another. Are there times that we try to prevent others from loving and serving us? Are there ways that we can be more open to allowing others to support us, even as we work to better support them?

PRAYER:
Dear Lord, today we pray that you give us the strength to love and serve those around us, while giving us a humble heart open to allowing others to meet our needs as well. For Jesus sake. AMEN.

Lent Day #37

John 12:31-33 (NRSV)
³¹"Now is the judgment of this world; now the ruler of this world will be driven out. ³²And I, when I am lifted up from the earth, will draw all people to myself." ³³He said this to indicate the kind of death he was to die.

THOUGHTS:
These words were spoken by Jesus in the days before his crucifixion. John tells us that he said them to indicate the nature of his death -- lifted up from the earth upon a cross.

Think about it. Jesus says that the world was judged crucifixion. He says that when he is lifted up upon a cross, he will draw all people to himself. A few days later on the cross, in Luke 23:34 (ESV):

34 And Jesus said, "Father, forgive them, for they know not what they do." And they cast lots to divide his garments.

The judgement of Jesus is one of grace and forgiveness. The judgement of Jesus is mercy for all people. This is certainly good news!

PRAYER:
Holy God, we thank for you your grace and forgiveness, which we know we could never earn. Help us to accept the knowledge that we are so dearly beloved. Help us to share this good news with all people through our lives. Allow us the privilege of serving you. AMEN.

Lent Day #36

James 2:14-18 (NET)
14 What good is it, my brothers and sisters, if someone claims to have faith but does not have works? Can this kind of faith save him? 15 If a brother or sister is poorly clothed and lacks daily food, 16 and one of you says to them, "Go in peace, keep warm and eat well," but you do not give them what the body needs, what good is it? 17 So also faith, if it does not have works, is dead being by itself. 18 But someone will say, "You have faith and I have works." Show me your faith without works and I will show you faith by my works.

THOUGHTS:
Martin Luther didn't like James, dismissing it as "an epistle of straw" at odds with the "good news" found in the Pauline doctrine of justification by grace through faith. Compare the verses above to Ephesians 2:8-9 (CEV):

8 You were saved by faith in God, who treats us much better than we deserve. This is God's gift to you, and not anything you have done on your own. 9 It isn't something you have earned, so there is nothing you can brag about.

James pulls from Hebrew history and the teachings of Jesus to make the point that faith is active. It isn't merely a profession from our mind and lips. It isn't just a feeling resting in our hearts. Faith manifests itself in how we live our lives.

I admit that I am sometimes intoxicated with God's grace. My faith finds a home in this message of grace that comes out of the Gospels and Paul's letters. I struggle with judgement that isn't coated with grace. Yet I value James as an important reminder that our faith is lived out. If you have an extra half-hour this week, read all of James (it's quite short).

Remember that we cannot earn salvation with our works, but also pray about how your actions represent your faith. Is our faith alive -- moving us to act, or is it just a collection of inanimate thoughts? Jesus says those who believe do his work (AKA "God's will"). See John 14:12, (ESV):

"Truly, truly, I say to you, whoever believes in me will also do the works that I do; and greater works than these will he do, because I am going to the Father."

Do you live like you believe?


PRAYER:
Oh God, we know that our actions fall short, and we praise you for loving and accepting us anyway. Fill us with your love for all people, so that our faith bubbles out of us into our actions -- so that we live our faith. May we always do your will. In Jesus name we pray. AMEN.

Lent Day #35

Mark 11:12-14,20-25 (ESV)

12 On the following day, when they came from Bethany, he was hungry. 13 And seeing in the distance a fig tree in leaf, he went to see if he could find anything on it. When he came to it, he found nothing but leaves, for it was not the season for figs. 14 And he said to it, "May no one ever eat fruit from you again." And his disciples heard it.

20 As they passed by in the morning, they saw the fig tree withered away to its roots. 21 And Peter remembered and said to him, "Rabbi, look! The fig tree that you cursed has withered." 22 And Jesus answered them, "Have faith in God. 23 Truly, I say to you, whoever says to this mountain, 'Be taken up and thrown into the sea,' and does not doubt in his heart, but believes that what he says will come to pass, it will be done for him. 24 Therefore I tell you, whatever you ask in prayer, believe that you have received it, and it will be yours. 25 And whenever you stand praying, forgive, if you have anything against anyone, so that your Father also who is in heaven may forgive you your trespasses."

THOUGHTS:
It feels to me like when Jesus encounters the fig tree, we see a different side of Jesus. Hungry, he approaches a tree in the hopes of eating figs. Since it isn't fig season he finds none. Therefore, he curses the tree so that no one will ever eat from it again.

What emotions were running through Jesus that day?

Does it seem silly to you? Imagine a farmer who owned an orchard of apple trees in Maryland going out today, finding no apples, and therefore cutting down all the apple trees. What does this mean?

I expect Jesus to recognize that it isn't fig season and he's ruining a perfectly good fig tree. I expect him to think about all the hungry people the tree might be able to feed when fig season rolls around. He apparently doesn't.

Is the whole thing just an illustration of the power of faith for the disciples? Maybe, but couldn't that have been accomplished just as effectively by saying "Next time I see you, I want a few dozen figs." The next morning as they walk by, the disciples would be equally shocked. The teaching about the power of faith would pack the same power.

That brings me right back to wondering what emotions Jesus was dealing with the day he encountered the fig tree. Scripture records this event as happening within a couple of days after Palm Sunday. Is Jesus so focused on the end of his life that he lashes out in anger and bitterness at the world around him?

I consulted some resources that seem to chalk it up to "parabolic action" -- a lived out parable. My Bible commentary fumbles around a little bit, suggesting that maybe the fig tree represents the Jewish people -- that the unfruitful tree represets an unfaithful people symbolizing that this was not the proper time for the Jewish leaders to bear fruit by accepting Jesus.

Think about it. Pray about it. What do you think?

PRAYER:
Dear Lord, we admit that we sometimes struggle to understand. We ask that you guide us to understand those things you want us to know, and to help us to accept on faith those things that are beyond us. For Jesus sake, AMEN.

Sixth Sunday in Lent

It's Palm Sunday - the last Sunday in Lent. On Sundays, I change the format to share a few interesting quotes from things I've read lately. To see quotes from past Sundays, visit http://lentendevotions.blogspot.com/search/label/Sundays%20in%20Lent

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[Pastor Lisandro Orlov] said a lot of intriguing and challenging things about the relationship between the church and those in the world who are stigmatized and excluded. A few statements, in particular, really stood out for me. These aren't exact quotes, but they are close:

• Be more than the boundary established in your culture.
• My job each Sunday is to scandalize my parish.
• Be a sanctuary for the dignity of all people.

Pastor Lisandro was emphasizing that living the Gospel is not easy. It can mean walking with people and in places that are unfamiliar, uncomfortable, and sometimes unacceptable to people around you. But it's also incredibly important, enriching, and ultimately just.
- Nancy Michaelis, From http://blogs.elca.org/hungerrumblings/2008/02/scandalous.html

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Christians also worked off of the fact that hospitality was an expectation, a fundamental practice in the Christian community. It was also the way the Gospel was spread, by people who were traveling.

The other piece is that the church met in homes initially, so to be welcomed into households was to be welcomed into the church, which is God's household. There was this wonderful mix of theology and practice: the Church as the household of God. One of the key practices in God's household is to be as hospitable as God.
- Dr. Christine Pohl, From http://thewearypilgrim.typepad.com/the_weary_pilgrim/2008/02/the-church-as-g.html


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Inherent in a fast is a feast. When we fast from food, we feast on prayer and God's bountiful love. When we fast from divisive patterns of relating with others, we feast on the amazing awareness that each face we see is the face of Christ. When we fast from building social, economic, and political walls, we feast on our universal oneness with the One.
- Marilyn Brown Oden (Wilderness Wanderings), From http://blog.beliefnet.com/godspolitics/2008/03/voice-of-the-day-when-we-fast.html

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Jesus Christ was far less mainstream and far more controversial than Christians are willing to be. His lifestyle was well beyond the acceptable range for behaviour in your average Baptist or Free Methodist Church. He was accused, apparently in light of some supposed evidence, of living flagrantly and with moral license.
- Scott Williams, From http://scott.club365.net/2008/03/musings-from-salem-oregon.htm

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If loving other people is a bit of heaven then certainly isolation is a bit of hell, and to that degree, here on earth, we decide in which state we would like to live.
- Donald Miller, in "Blue Like Jazz"