Palm Sunday

Our readings for Palm Sunday are:

1. Isaiah 50: 4-7
   
2. Psalms 22:8-9, 17-18, 19-20, 23-24
   
3. Philippians 2: 6-11
   
4. Mathew 26: 14-27:66
   

• Courage to hope
  
• The prophet lets those who will listen know that God is in their midst, and that He is their hope, their shield.  Hope demands courage.  Courage to see beyond today, past mere survival.  But hope needs a voice.
• Who are some of those voices for hope in our day?
• Do we have enough such people in our midst?
• Where will these prophets come from?
• Could you be one?
  

• Awesome God
  
• Awe is not something that we talk about in the everyday.  Maybe we should.
• What has God done in your life that was awesome?
• Did that surprise you in any way?
• How did that awesomeness of God change you?
  

• Giving it away
  
• Generosity, the giving of our very selves away, is a hallmark of the committed Christian.  Yet true generosity is never easy.
• What are some acts of generosity have you seen that inspire you?
• How do you know when you have given enough?
• Is there such a thing as "enough"?
  

• Resurrection improbable
  
• I should think that most of us could identify with Peter.  He loved Jesus, life no longer made any sense without Jesus.  At the same time, Peter had family, friends who depended on him, and survival instinct took over at a crucial moment and Peter caved, looking for safety.
• Have you ever sacrificed your principles in fear?
• How did you come back to God?
• How did you come back to and for yourself?
• Was God able to redeem that failure on your part?
• Is that redemption still ongoing?
  

• Preparation for Reconciliation
  

1. Where is God calling me into greater hope in my life?
2. When was the last time that you spoke to God of his awesomeness?
   
3. Where might God be calling you to different/new ways of being generous?
   
4. Where is God offering me resurrection in my life?
   

Just Another Prisoner

My legion is the only real home that I have ever known.
My commander has been like a father to me for years.
My brothers in arms the family I never had.
I owe them everything.

This dirty rabble on the fringes of the empire is barely worth the effort.
They don't appreciate the benefits of peace and order,
Preferring instead to squabble among themselves
Over obscure cleanliness laws and where to worship.

And here comes the loser in the latest of their feuds.
He looks badly used, wrung out, a sorry specimen indeed.
The guard appears to have had their sport with him.
All will soon be over for this one.  He's half dead already.

And yet, his eyes, despite sweat, blood and tears -
Those eyes look 'round with compassion.
Compassion!?
That makes no sense, for he is about to find his end here, today.

For all I've heard about this rebel,
His screams of agony are just as loud as any other.
He thrashes on the cross as much as the next victim.
His blood spills just as much.

And yet, his eyes, despite sweat, blood and tears -
They sought me out, not to ask for mercy from me,
But to ask for mercy for me.
As if He saw in me more than I can see in myself.

Who then can this hopeless wreck of a man be?
His doom written in every inch of his tortured frame,
His end spoken in every ragged, heaving breath,
His vitality dripping from the wood to the earth.

And yet, his eyes, despite sweat, blood and tears -
Invite me into their depths,
Calling me to leave safety, security, plenty behind.
And follow His way of sorrows to freedom.

I look around, afraid that my brothers might see -
See my agony at His agony, see my doubts taking wing -
Catch me in this blasphemy against all I once held dear.
Catch me setting aside all sense and prudence.

And yet, his eyes, despite sweat, blood and tears -
Welcome me, fearful wretch that I am.
Calm my fears, give me courage, help me take a stand.
And I know what I must do.

First I lay down my sword and spear, then the helmet.
Everyone on that lonely hill pauses, and sees me for the first time.
My armor next, and finally my sandals.
And I walk away from the slaughter to find my new home, my new family.

With His eyes ever upon me.

Shalom!

Fifth Sunday of Lent

Our readings for the 5th Sunday in Lent are:

1. Ezekiel 37: 12-14
   
2. Psalms 130: 1-2, 3-4, 5-6, 7-8
   
3. Romans 8: 8-11
   
4. John 1: 1-45
   

• Courage to hope
  
• The cynic oftentimes is one who has been hurt too often, been disappointed in their hope so many times that they can no longer muster the courage to hope.  So they retreat into a fortress of angry cynicism where they are miserable, but at least safe from the unexpected disappointment.
• Has anyone in your life ever disappointed you?
• How did you get through that disappointment?
• Did you ever learn to trust them again?
• Has God ever disappointed you?
  

• Forgive like God
  
• Forgiving another is, perhaps, the holiest thing that we can do.  It is the most precious gift that we can offer another, and even more a gift that we offer to ourselves.
  
• Who has been particularly hard for you to forgive?
• What made that forgiveness hard?
• Are you still glad that you forgave them?
• What benefit is there to not forgiving?
  

• Pleasing to God
  
• "Why am I here?" is a question that each of us ought to ask ourselves at least from time to time.
• What sort of a reception are you looking forward to when you die?
• What sort of an expression do you think God wears when He looks on you today?
• What sort of an expression do you wear when you gaze on God in your prayer?
• Would you rather a different exchange of glances between the two of you?
  

• Resurrection, here, now
  
• Each of these epic Gospel readings for the 3rd, 4th, & 5th Sunday of Lent are a journey of the out there, the theory, to where Jesus stands, here, now.
• How does hope of your resurrection change your life on an ongoing basis?
• How does hope of the resurrection of your family, community, God's people worldwide change your life on an ongoing basis?
• What is one grace that you would want to appropriate today?
• What's holding you back?
  

• Preparation for Reconciliation
  

1. Where is God calling me into greater hope in my life?
2. Where would God call me to be more free, by being more forgiving?
   
3. When was the last time that I took time to gaze upon the Face of God?
   
4. Where is God offering me resurrection in my life?
   

The Smell of Lazarus

My brother left us suddenly.
It was an August like no other.
The hot dry winds raking the landscape.
Merciless as death itself.

When Jesus finally came to our village,
My sister and I were wrung out.
Our grief the only thing left to us.
All else seemed to have left us.

I ran out to greet Him,
Not knowing what I would say,
Needing to share my grief
With someone less bitter than I.

Jesus spoke of resurrection
And hope, and life, and all
All I knew was loss,
And emptiness.

Jesus told us to roll away the stone
Set there to protect all that was left of poor Lazarus.
I felt I could not take a desecration of his wasted remains,
But Jesus insisted.

We did what He said,
And got what we expected.
Gagging on the waves of fetid air
Rolling from the grave.

I don't know why we obeyed.
It seemed so futile at the time.
But Jesus had always been good to us.
So faithful, wise, and kind.

I felt as though He must have some purpose.
Jesus just stood there for a moment.
Then commanded my brother forth.
Inviting him back to his family here.

I helped him out of his burial bands.
Crying over him with tears of joy.
Forgetting all the mourners and guests,
In an outpouring of love.

Finally I turned to Jesus.
Stumbled over my words of thanks.
He, He just looked at me with eyes of tenderness.
And He reminded me that my brother still needed a bath.

Shalom!

Fourth Sunday of Lent

Our readings for the 4th Sunday in Lent are:

1. Exodus 17: 3-71 Samuel 16: 1b, 6-7, 10-13a
   
2. Psalms 23: 1-3A, 3B-4, 5, 6
3. Ephesians 5: 8-14
   
4. John 9: 1-6, 13-17, 34-38
   

• Choose wisely
  
• We all have many choice to make in any given day.  The implications of some of those choices are not clear until long after we have made the choice.  That is particularly critical when we are choosing leaders for ourselves.
• Where do you go for leadership?
• How is that working out for you?
• What do you think God looks for in leaders of His people?
• Do you think that you have any of those qualities?
• What do you plan to do about the rest of leadership qualities that you don't have?
  

• Footprints in the sand
  
• Many of the great mystics have gone through dark nights of the soul - places in their lives where God seemed altogether absent, often when they most needed God.
• Have you ever been through a "dark night of the soul"
• Did that experience have an impact on your faith?
• What did you learn from it?
  

• Pleasing to God
  
• "Why am I here?" is a question that each of us ought to ask ourselves at least from time to time.
• Has the answer to that question changed at all through the years?
• Do you think that's because God's mission for you changed, you matured some along the way, the needs around you changed or a combination of all of the above?
• If you had to sum it up in one sentence, what would you say pleases God?
  

• Institutional blindness
  
• Institutions seem to have a stubbornness, an inertia of their own.  At some point, a fortress mentality develops in an effort to protect what is good and wholesome at the core, but soon the fortress needs a protection of its own in our minds, and so on, until it becomes easy to forget what we are protecting.  As individuals, its easy to feel totally incapable of making a difference in such a culture.
• Are there any fortresses in our church, community, families that we jealously guard that don't need guarding?
• How comfortable would we be if some of those walls were to come down?
  
• How can we contribute to bringing some of those walls down?
  

• Preparation for Reconciliation
  

1. Am I a good leader at home, the office, my community?
2. Where/how can I take better advantage of desolation in my life??
   
3. Why did God bring me here, today, in this state?
   
4. Where is God calling me to to see where others do not?
   

My Lost Son

We thought it tragic once we realized,
That our baby boy Jacob had been born blind.
Ely, his father, and I, we were frantic,
Combing through our past, looking for the fault,
The flaw that bore this rotten fruit in our lives.

Eventually the old village rabbi taught us
To accept Jacob, both for what he could achieve,
And for what he would never achieve.
No matter what else happened, on thing we knew,
This poor baby was our son, and we his parents.

He had a hard life growing up.
The other boys in the village setting traps for him.
Tripping him, bumping him, reminding him
Over and over that he was different,
And if different, then unworthy of anything but their cruel sport.

Jacob eventually found a well-frequented spot to beg,
Settled in with a band of similarly crippled outcasts,
And seemed to have found his place in life.
Off to the side, squarely on the edges,
At least able to survive.

We had gotten used to the idea of never being in temple with Jacob,
Never getting to know one village girl after another
Who caught his eye -
Never getting to hold grandchildren fathered by him.
At least able to survive.

And now this.

He came bursting into the house
Full of news of this miraculous healing
From a traveling rabbi who bears watching.
Jacob praising his name without ceasing.
Leaving his father and I to wonder.

Wonder why God, in all His wisdom,
Would visit a blind son on our lives,
And now, out of nowhere,
Heal Jacob for no apparent reason,
After all that we have been through.

The local religious authorities interviewed us,
Looking for some deep insight into this happening.
We knew that they would cheerfully
Throw us out of the synagogue
If we breathed a word in favor of this Jesus.

Jacob no longer understands us.
He scoffs at our cowardice before the authorities.
He had nothing to lose, everything to gain
When he regained his sight.  For us,
We could easily lose the only family and friends we ever had.

We hear from Jacob from time to time.
He sends word home of where this Jesus of his has taken him.
We resign ourselves that Jacob has found happiness
Far from home, far from his roots.
At least able to survive.

Shalom!

Third Sunday of Lent

Our readings for the 3rd Sunday in Lent are:

1. Exodus 17: 3-7
   
2. Psalms 95: 1-2, 6-7, 8-9
   
3. Romans 5: 1-2, 5-8
   
4. John 4: 5-42
   

• Up against the wall
  
• The Israelite people were watching their flocks and herds slowly die of thirst, they knew that they would be next.  Two questions doubtless came to mind: surely a loving God would not want His people to die needlessly, and where did we go wrong?  Or more deeply: what kind of God would let his "beloved" people suffer this way?  Moses was just a convenient whipping boy.
• Has God ever treated you badly?
• What sort of questions did that raise in your heart at the time?
• How did you pray through that?
• How did that experience change you?
  

• Give me a soft heart, and the courage to listen to it
  
• It's so easy to get attached to our own thinking.  The longer that we believe something, the more other beliefs come to be based on that core set of beliefs, the less likely we are to think critically about why we feel the way that we do.
• How has God softened your heart through the years?
• What sort of reluctance/resistance did you have while that was going on?
• Was the process worth it?
  

• Peace with God
  
• I believe judgement day is going to be healing if we let it.  Instead of a stern magistrate seated high on a lofty bench, I imagine God sitting next to me as He shows me His Presence through all that I have experienced, where I missed the chance to live in that Presence, and to find healing and peace if I'm willing to accept it.
• How do you know when you are not at peace with God?
• How do you restore that peace?  What is your prayer practice?
• How do you think God responds to that work on your part?
  

• Drawing closer
  
• Jesus has a knack for moving from the here and now, and gradually leading to everywhere and eternity.  The here and the now, like Jacob's well and the heat of the day, become a starting point for conversion, a seed bed for relationship.
• How would you characterize some of your most important relationships?
• What makes those relationships special to you?
• What does God give you in those relationships?
• How do you nurture those relationships?
• How do you know when those relationships need more attention?
• How do you know when God needs more of your attention?
  

• Preparation for Reconciliation
  

1. Do I resent God for anything going on in my life?
2. Where might God be calling me to listen more?
   
3. What am I doing today to become more peace filled?
   
4. Where is God calling me to deeper trust and obedience?
   

The Abandoned Water Jar

I had wanted to leave Sychar for years.
The knowing looks that friends and family gave me
The children who would point me out to their friends
The rabbi who looks the other way when I walk by,

All of these remind me of my past,
My failed relationships,
The wreckage of my heart
Mocks me in their eyes at every street corner.

Yet I cannot leave this place,
It has been home for all of my life.
What would I do in some foreign village?
At least here, I have a name.

I look forward to drawing the water.
It gives me a little rest from the others.
This simple task eases my heartache
And gives meaning to my life.

My young children are grateful when I return.
Looking at me with tenderness.
At least for now, until they, too, grow old enough
To take scandal from me, their own mother.

He startled me when He spoke.
Clearly He was a Jew.
Yet he did not despise me
Even though He knew me well.

He offered acceptance, respect,
And most of all, faithfulness and relationship.
And suddenly, I saw my village
The same way that He did.

We all thirsted for relationship,
Proud though we were
All of us more alike than different.
And suddenly, I knew to forgive.

Running through the town square, I was a sight.
This time, I didn't mind the stares, the pointing fingers.
As I told person after person to come to the well,
To meet He who before our father Jacob is I AM.

The walk to the well is just a long.
The sun is just as hot in the sky.
But I draw joy from that day,
And a new name -

They call me "Bringer of Jesus".

Shalom!