Lent 2010 #26

Psalm 126 (NRSV)

¹When the Lord restored the fortunes of Zion, we were like those who dream.

²Then our mouth was filled with laughter, and our tongue with shouts of joy; then it was said among the nations, "The Lord has done great things for them."

³The Lord has done great things for us, and we rejoiced.

⁴Restore our fortunes, O Lord, like the watercourses in the Negeb.

⁵May those who sow in tears reap with shouts of joy.

⁶Those who go out weeping, bearing the seed for sowing, shall come home with shouts of joy, carrying their sheaves.

THOUGHTS:

This is a great Psalm for those of us students wondering if all this studying and suffering through paper after paper and reading page after page is really worth it.  Question, why would anyone weep while planting seed?   Because these were times of drought and sowing seed was a time of high anxiety.  Would the seed and the effort of sowing be wasted? The Psalm reminds the people that the bleak days, such as those while in slavery will turn to joy.  It can remind us students that if we are faithful to God and diligently pursue our studies God will bless us. 

PRAYER: 

Lord some days life is difficult and I am weary and sometimes even teary.  Surround me with your love and blessing so that I might do the best I am capable of.

--
Rev. Tom Knoll, Pastor First Trinity Lutheran, Washington D.C.

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These devotions for young adults are provided by:

Lutheran Campus Ministry at George Mason University http://www.gmu.edu/org/lutheran

Lutheran Student Association at the University of Maryland http://terpconnect.umd.edu/~lutheran/lsa/

DC Young Adults http://www.dcyoungadults.org/

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Lent 2010 #25 -- Fast-food people?

Psalm 53 (The Message)

A David Psalm

 ^1-2 Bilious and bloated, they gas, "God is gone."
   It's poison gas—
      they foul themselves, they poison
   Rivers and skies;
      thistles are their cash crop.
   God sticks his head out of heaven.
      He looks around.
   He's looking for someone not stupid—
      one man, even, God-expectant,
      just one God-ready woman.

 ³ He comes up empty. A string
      of zeros. Useless, unshepherded
   Sheep, taking turns pretending
      to be Shepherd.
   The ninety and nine
      follow the one.

 ⁴ Don't they know anything,
      all these impostors?
   Don't they know
      they can't get away with this,
   Treating people like a fast-food meal
      over which they're too busy to pray?

 ⁵ Night is coming for them, and nightmare—
      a nightmare they'll never wake up from.
   God will make hash of these squatters,
      send them packing for good.

 ⁶ Is there anyone around to save Israel?
      God turns life around.
   Turned-around Jacob skips rope,
      turned-around Israel sings laughter.

THOUGHTS:

The Message is Eugene Peterson's interpretive translation of the Bible in an attempt to capture the vitality of the scriptures.  It isn't a study Bible, and it isn't the most "academic" of translations.  Yet, sometime I find it to be incredibly thought provoking -- especially after reading the same passage in my New Revised Standard Version (NRSV).  It encourages me to look at the passage a new light.  This Psalm is a great example of this:

I can easily plow past verse 4 in the NRSV which talks about evildoers "who eat up my people as they eat bread, and do not call upon God?"
The Message phrases this as impostors "treating people like a fast-food meal over which they're too busy to pray?"

That got me to stop and think about the ways I have treated people as a means to an end, such as the cafeteria workers who serve my food.
It forced me to recognize that I am sometimes too distracted by my agenda to fully listen to the person with whom I'm conversing.
I recognized how impatient I can be with telemarketers and salespeople who come knocking at my door to try to sell me things I don't need.

It got me to realize that sometimes I am the impostor.

Take some time today to think a minute to be honest with yourself and with God as you think about the ways that you might treat people like a fast-food meal over which you are too busy to pray.  Then, repent of these ways, and celebrate by skipping rope, singing, and laughing.

PRAYER: 

Lord God, we confess that we can become distracted and inward focused.  Open our eyes to the beauty and dignity of all that you have made, and enable us to fully appreciate it in the moment.  We pray in the name of Jesus the Christ, AMEN.

--

Thoughts by Ben Buss, Lutheran Campus Minister at George Mason University.

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These devotions for young adults are provided by:

Lutheran Campus Ministry at George Mason University http://www.gmu.edu/org/lutheran

Lutheran Student Association at the University of Maryland http://terpconnect.umd.edu/~lutheran/lsa/

DC Young Adults http://www.dcyoungadults.org/

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Lent 2010 #19

Psalm 39 (NRSV)

I said, "I will guard my ways that I may not sin with my tongue;
       I will keep a muzzle on my mouth
               As long as the wicked are in my presence."

I was silent and still; I held my peace to no avail;
       My distress grew worse, my heart became hot within me.
               While I mused, the fire burned; then I spoke with my tongue:

"Lord, let me know my end, and what is the measure of my days;
       Let me know how fleeting my life is.
               You have made my days a few handbreadths,
                       And my lifetime is as nothing in your sight.

Surely everyone stands as a mere breath.
       Surely everyone goes about like a shadow.
               Surely for nothing they are in turmoil;
                       They heap up, and do not know who will gather.

And now, O Lord, what do I wait for? My hope is in you.

Deliver me from all my transgressions.
       Do not make me the scorn of the fool.
               I am silent; I do not open my mouth,
                       Or it is you who have done it.

Remove your stroke from me; I am worn down by the blows of your hand.

You chastise mortals in punishment for sin,
       Consuming like a moth what is dear to them;
               Surely everyone is a mere breath.

Hear my prayer, O Lord, and give ear to my cry;
       Do not hold your peace at my tears.
               For I am your passing guest, an alien, like all my forebears.

Turn your gaze away from me, that I may smile again,
       Before I depart and am no more."

THOUGHTS:

I have from time to time been inspired by the third chapter of James to try to "tame my tongue."  So I aim for wit that is less sharp, less directed at others, less likely to incite anger or shame in others.  Invariably these efforts fall short:  Just when I think I've got things under control, I let my guard down, open my mouth, and something comes out that I REALLY regret.

Though the Psalmist bites his tongue for a different reason, I recognize the same tension building the longer I keep my mouth shut: A strong sense of mortality and sinfulness, as I am left alone with nothing but my own thoughts rattling around my head.  And just as the Psalmist concludes, I want God to turn away from me and my guilt and shame.

Only one thing turns the gaze away, of course, and the price is unimaginably high.  On the cross, Jesus turns our mortality and sinfulness upon himself.  Beholding that sight, we might want to try to do it for ourselves instead.  Step in and save him the trouble—it's our fault, after all, not his.  But to no avail.  Only the cross is enough; only the Son's sacrifice is enough.

So like the Psalmist, we do finally keep silence before the awesome majesty of God.  And then we cannot keep our mouths shut any longer, so we open our hearts and mouths and cry, "Deliver us!"  We wait for our Lord and place our hope solely in him.

PRAYER: 

Let us pray:  God, our Creator and Redeemer, we cannot tame our worst habits by our own power, but by your power you blot out our offenses, and strengthen us to overcome them.  Even so, come, Lord Jesus.  Amen

--
Thoughts by Jon Myers, ELCA seminarian at Princeton Theological Seminary

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These devotions for young adults are provided by:

Lutheran Campus Ministry at George Mason University http://www.gmu.edu/org/lutheran

Lutheran Student Association at the University of Maryland http://terpconnect.umd.edu/~lutheran/lsa/

DC Young Adults http://www.dcyoungadults.org/

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Lent 2010 #15

Psalm 63:1-8

1 O God, you are my God, earnestly I seek you; my soul thirsts for you, my body longs for you, in a dry and weary land where there is no water.

2 I have seen you in the sanctuary and beheld your power and your glory.

3 Because your love is better than life, my lips will glorify you.

4 I will praise you as long as I live, and in your name I will lift up my hands.

5 My soul will be satisfied as with the richest of foods; with singing lips my mouth will praise you.

6 On my bed I remember you; I think of you through the watches of the night.

7 Because you are my help, I sing in the shadow of your wings.

8 My soul clings to you; your right hand upholds me.

THOUGHTS: 

The very poetry in this psalm appeals to me.

Verse 1 "O God, you are my God, earnestly I seek you,"

The imagery of seeking God reminds me of a beautiful Michael W. Smith song built around the metaphor of a game of Hide and Seek.

"Of my young heart beating fast behind the willow tree


I was counting out loud, and I only peeked a time or two


And the only purpose in my life was finding you


Singing, "Ollie, Ollie, everybody free!"


Now was I chasing you or were you chasing me?"

Verse 1 continues "My soul thirsts for you, my body longs for you, in a dry and weary land where there is no water."

I have thirsted for completeness before- have you? Sometimes our lives can leave us so empty, so broken. We can try to make it on our own, but ultimately fall down again.

"We all grow up and put away our childhood games


But deep inside I wonder if we really change


'Cause I'm still seeking, though I've learned to hide so well

And I can still remember how it felt


Singing, "Ollie, Ollie everybody free!"


Will I ever find someone pursuing me?

Verses 3-4 "Because your love is better than life, my lips will glorify you- I will praise you as long as I live and in your name I will lift up my hands!"

How wonderful is it that we are pursued! How beautiful is it to be loved by our Creator so unconditionally. How can we keep from singing at this knowledge?

"And then you caught me by surprise

I found my tears are in your eyes

I hear my heart inside of you

At last I've found somebody who


Can free my soul


And love me too"

Verses 5-6 "My soul will be satisfied as with the richest of foods; with singing lips my mouth will praise you.  On my bed I remember you; I think of you through the watches of the night."

At last, we are full. At last, we are satisfied. We are the free and beloved children of God- oh how blessed are we!

"I can't believe we hide so long and run so well


When all the while we're aching to be caught and held


But it's only in surrender that our freedom comes


And so I run abandoned to your waiting arms


Singing, "Ollie, Ollie everybody free!


I belong to you and you belong to me!"

Verses 7-8 "Because you are my help, I sing in the shadow of your wings. My soul clings to you; your right hand upholds me."

When we run into his arms and are covered "in the shadow of his wings," truly we can do anything. We are part of his family, now and forever. We belong and will never be alone.

And we are free. : )

Excerpts from Michael W. Smith, Everybody Free 

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Thoughts by Rachael Dickson, senior history major, happy member of Lutheran Campus Ministry at GMU

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These devotions for young adults are provided by:

Lutheran Campus Ministry at George Mason University http://www.gmu.edu/org/lutheran

Lutheran Student Association at the University of Maryland http://terpconnect.umd.edu/~lutheran/lsa/

DC Young Adults http://www.dcyoungadults.org/

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Feel free to share them with your friends!

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Lent 2010 #11 (after fixing some numbering)

I just noticed that I slipped in numbering these devotions: Sundays aren't counted in the 40 days of Lent.  Taking that into account, now we are back to #11.  I've fixed the numbering at http://lentendevotions.blogspot.com

Psalm 105:1-6 (NRSV)

1O give thanks to the Lord, call on his name, make known his deeds among the peoples. 
2Sing to him, sing praises to him; tell of all his wonderful works. 
3Glory in his holy name; let the hearts of those who seek the Lord rejoice. 
4Seek the Lord and his strength; seek his presence continually. 
5Remember the wonderful works he has done, his miracles, and the judgements he has uttered, 
6O offspring of his servant Abraham, children of Jacob, his chosen ones. 




THOUGHTS: 

There is one line that stuck out to me.  "Seek the Lord and his strength; seek his presence continually."  I have spent quite a while thinking about
this one passage and why it sticks out to me. I realized the reason this struck me was how simple it seemed to seek the God, yet at the same time how hard it is to remember.


I take from this that our relationships with God can always be better.  It is important that we always attempt to put Him into a more central place in our lives.  This is something we practice in Lent and need to continue the rest of the year.







PRAYER: 




Heavenly Father, Allow the spiritual practices we develop this Lent, be fruitful to us and others.  May these habits continue with us when we move into other seasons of the year.  Amen



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Thoughts by Christopher Bergtholdt, a Senior at George Mason University involved with LCM-GMU




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These devotions for young adults are provided by:

Lutheran Campus Ministry at George Mason University http://www.gmu.edu/org/lutheran

Lutheran Student Association at the University of Maryland http://terpconnect.umd.edu/~lutheran/lsa/

DC Young Adults http://www.dcyoungadults.org/

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Lent 2010 #9 - Faith and Doubt

Psalm 27 (NRSV)

1 The Lord is my light and my salvation; whom shall I fear? The Lord is the stronghold of my life; of whom shall I be afraid?
2 When evildoers assail me to devour my flesh— my adversaries and foes— they shall stumble and fall.
3 Though an army encamp against me, my heart shall not fear; though war rise up against me, yet I will be confident.

4 One thing I asked of the Lord, that will I seek after: to live in the house of the Lord all the days of my life, to behold the beauty of the Lord, and to inquire in his temple.
5 For he will hide me in his shelter in the day of trouble; he will conceal me under the cover of his tent; he will set me high on a rock.
6 Now my head is lifted up above my enemies all around me, and I will offer in his tent sacrifices with shouts of joy; I will sing and make melody to the Lord.

7 Hear, O Lord, when I cry aloud, be gracious to me and answer me!
8 "Come," my heart says, "seek his face!" Your face, Lord, do I seek.
9 Do not hide your face from me. Do not turn your servant away in anger, you who have been my help. Do not cast me off, do not forsake me, O God of my salvation!

10 If my father and mother forsake me, the Lord will take me up.
11 Teach me your way, O Lord, and lead me on a level path because of my enemies.
12 Do not give me up to the will of my adversaries, for false witnesses have risen against me, and they are breathing out violence.

13 I believe that I shall see the goodness of the Lord in the land of the living.
14 Wait for the Lord; be strong, and let your heart take courage; wait for the Lord!

THOUGHTS:

The psalmist begins with such confidence:  I won't fear when my enemies come to eat my flesh! (verses 1-3)

Yet, it is the pleading that catches my attention today: the cry for graciousness and for an answer (verse 7) and the request to not be forsaken (verse 9).

One of the things I value about the Bible is that it affirms us even in our questions.  We see that even great people of faith like King David, to whom this psalm is attributed, can bounce between assuredness and doubt in the flicker of an instant. People sometimes call this type of moment a crisis-of-faith, but I think these times help to form our faith.  

This summer, it was pointed out to me that we can only have faith when we doubt.  Certainty doesn't require faith.  Doubt does.  In the words of my friend, Pastor Jay Gamelin: 

"Faith is the ants in the pants of your doubt."

So the next time you find yourself wrestling with faith and doubt, remember that they work together, and remember the goodness of God.  As you journey though life, "be strong and let your heart take courage; wait for the Lord!" (verse 14)

PRAYER:

Almighty God, our light and salvation, dispel our fears and comfort us when the world seems to be consuming us.  Allow us to sit at your feet, and to learn your ways.  In the name of Jesus the Christ we pray. AMEN.

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Thoughts by Ben Buss, Lutheran Campus Minister at George Mason University

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These devotions for young adults are provided by:

Lutheran Campus Ministry at George Mason University http://www.gmu.edu/org/lutheran

Lutheran Student Association at the University of Maryland http://terpconnect.umd.edu/~lutheran/lsa/

DC Young Adults http://www.dcyoungadults.org/

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Feel free to share them with your friends!

View or subscribe to these devotions by RSS or email from http://lentendevotions.blogspot.com

Also available on Facebook at http://www.facebook.com/group.php?gid=7958874287

Lent 2009 #40: Holy Saturday

Psalm 22:1-2,14-19 
1 My God, my God, why have you forsaken me? Why are you so far from helping me, from the words of my groaning?
2 O my God, I cry by day, but you do not answer; and by night, but find no rest.
14 I am poured out like water, and all my bones are out of joint; my heart is like wax; it is melted within my breast;
15 my mouth is dried up like a potsherd, and my tongue sticks to my jaws; you lay me in the dust of death.
16 For dogs are all around me; a company of evildoers encircles me. My hands and feet have shriveled;
17 I can count all my bones. They stare and gloat over me;
18 they divide my clothes among themselves, and for my clothing they cast lots.
19 But you, O Lord, do not be far away! O my help, come quickly to my aid!

THOUGHTS:

This Psalm starts with words later uttered by Jesus while hanging on the cross: "My God, my God, why have you forsaken me?"

Have you ever felt forsaken by God"

Does it ever feel like God is far away?

Today, we remember the Sabbath that Jesus spent dead ... in Hell according to some interpretations.

It's the epitome of being far away from God.  

Today, we contemplate how Jesus (God incarnate) suffered complete separation from his own divine nature.  

Our understanding is that Jesus did this so we wouldn't have to ... that in ways we can at best comprehend only abstractly, his death puts us into a better relationship with God.

Today, we allow ourselves to deal with our fear of being completely cut off from God.  Yet, we are not overcome with despair because there is hope ... a promise of new life around the corner.

PRAYER (adapted from "Lutheran Book of Prayer" Concordia Publishing House, 1970:

     Lord God almighty, we are silenced at the grave of your son.  We confess that a great mystery confronts us.  By faith we know that he who died is the one who unlocked the great secret of your love.  His tomb is our tomb.  He carried with him to the grave our sin and our death that he might break their hold on us.  

     Trusting in our Lord's promise to rise again, we come not to mourn, but to confess the sin that he would leave buried.  Have mercy on us!  Grant us the Easter faith that anticipates with joy the day on which, in him, we too come forth from the tomb to truly live.  We pray in his name and for his sake.  Amen.

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REMINDER: Carpool to worship with us (meet at SUB 1 room 207).  Email lutheran@gmu.edu if you have questions.

4/12 - EASTER: Meet at 10:25am to carpool to a local Lutheran congregation for Easter worship!

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These devotions are provided by Lutheran Campus Ministry at George Mason University .  Feel free to share them with your friends!  For more information on our ministry and events, see http://gmu.edu/org/lutheran  

You can subscribe to these devotions by RSS or email from http://lentendevotions.blogspot.com

Lent 2009 #30

Psalm 139:13-24 

13 For it was you who formed my inward parts; you knit me together in my mother's womb. 14 I praise you, for I am fearfully and wonderfully made. Wonderful are your works; that I know very well. 15 My frame was not hidden from you, when I was being made in secret, intricately woven in the depths of the earth. 16 Your eyes beheld my unformed substance. In your book were written all the days that were formed for me, when none of them as yet existed. 17 How weighty to me are your thoughts, O God! How vast is the sum of them! 18 I try to count them—they are more than the sand; I come to the end—I am still with you. 

19 O that you would kill the wicked, O God, and that the bloodthirsty would depart from me— 20 those who speak of you maliciously, and lift themselves up against you for evil!  21 Do I not hate those who hate you, O Lord? And do I not loathe those who rise up against you? 22 I hate them with perfect hatred; I count them my enemies. 23 Search me, O God, and know my heart; test me and know my thoughts. 24 See if there is any wicked way in me, and lead me in the way everlasting.


THOUGHTS by Ben Masters, a senior at GMU:

Happy Pride Week! 

Pride Week at Mason is a time when we celebrate and honor the lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender, questioning, queer and ally members of our community. This is a week when we have an opportunity to give thanks to God for our very being-- for being fearfully and wonderfully made, for being known by God even when our birth and ongoing growth is a secret to us. This is a week when we can return to God, our loving creator, and turn away from the ways we belittle each other's created-ness. Even though we argue over how people come to know themselves as LGBTQ (genetics, culture, sin, grace, etc.), the psalmist reminds us that God's thoughts are vast, and that when we try to count them they are more than the sand-- and yet at the end of the day God is still with us all.

But Pride Week also reminds me that the world is many times neither a safe nor loving place for LGBTQ people. Yesterday (Monday), protesters came from the Westboro Baptist Church to shout out messages of hate: that "God hates fags" and that God had condemned GMU for supporting programs like Pride Week, and that AIDS was God's curse to same-gender loving people. Like a lot of my friends, messages like that get a rise out of me and I want to echo the psalmist's feelings: I hate them, God, and they tell lies about you!  If only those hate-mongers would leave people alone! And yet, when I listen to the lines again, it strikes me almost as if Fred Phelps, founder of WBC, is saying those words: "O that you would kill the wicked, O God... Do I not hate those who hate you, O Lord? ...I hate them with perfect hatred; I count them my enemies." Didn't Jesus say something about loving enemies? Blessing those who curse me? Praying for those who mistreat me? (Yes, if I take Luke 6:27-28 seriously.)

And so, this Pride Week, as I begin to celebrate my LGBTQ and ally brothers and sisters, I hold the last two lines of the psalm close: "search me, O God, and know my heart... see if there is any wicked way in me, and lead me in the way everlasting." 

PRAYER:
Search me, O God, and know my heart. See if there is anything in me that scorns my neighbors. See if there is anything in me that keeps me from upholding their dignity as beings created in your image. See if there is anything that keeps me from dwelling in loving and just community with them, and lead me in the way everlasting-- the way of our brother Jesus. AMEN.

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Ben Masters is a senior at GMU involved with LCM.  He plans to spend the year after graduation involved with Lutheran Volunteer Corps, and he blogs at http://letusbebread.blogspot.com/

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JOIN US for worship this Wendesday at 7:47pm in the BISTRO as we celebrate PRIDE WEEK, exploring how we can all identify with living in exile or on the margins ... and how God's love reaches us wherever we are. http://GMU747.org
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These devotions are provided by Lutheran Campus Ministry at George Mason University .  Feel free to share them with your friends!  For more information on our ministry and events, see http://gmu.edu/org/lutheran  

You can subscribe to these devotions by RSS or email from http://lentendevotions.blogspot.com

Lent 2009 #27

Psalm 51:10-12

10 Create in me a clean heart, O God, and put a new and right spirit within me. 11 Do not cast me away from your presence, and do not take your holy spirit from me. 12 Restore to me the joy of your salvation, and sustain in me a willing spirit.

THOUGHTS by Chris Bergtholdt, junior at GMU:

So, first some context for these three lines. This Psalm is from right after Nathan confronts David about committing adultery with Bathsheba. The preceding verses are filled with David asking for God's forgiveness and describing the short falls of his human nature. These lines catch my attention. David is asking God to change him, to replace his sinful heart. David wants to be renewed. In the season of Lent, we are preparing for Easter. We are in a time of spiritual renewal before celebrating the resurrection of Christ. These three verses seem to sum up what we are trying to achieve in Lent.

PRAYER:

Heavenly Father, In this time of Lent, allow us to be renew by your spirit. Give to us clean hearts that we may better follow your ways. Be with us as we prepare to celebrate the joy in the gift of salvation that is Jesus Christ, Amen.

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These devotions are provided by Lutheran Campus Ministry at George Mason University . Feel free to share them with your friends! For more information on our ministry and events, see http://gmu.edu/org/lutheran

You can subscribe to these devotions by RSS or email from http://lentendevotions.blogspot.com