Palm Sunday, April 1, 2012

The Education for Ministry Program is designed to prepare participants for the ministry of their daily lives.   Weekly meetings include Bible study and theological reflection on the implications of our readings and discussions.  The following mediation is the culmination of this process from the group that currently meets at St. Francis every Thursday night. The group spent several weeks dissecting and studying the readings, sharing our thoughts at our meetings and through on-line conversations.  In the midst of our written and verbal exchanges, one member found herself “educated for ministry”.

Psalm 24, 29; Zech. 9:9-12; 1 Tim. 6:12-16; Psalm 103; Zech. 12:9-11,13:1,7-9; Luke 19:41-48

Monday I was frazzled, as I had to run around for the high school play decorating task that was dropped in my lap.  Unable to find reams of black paper, I called Flexcon out in Spencer and discovered that they had the paper but were closing in just thirty minutes.  I could make it. 

I got behind every school bus, tractor, student driver etc. imaginable.  I was so stressed that I called out to God, “Why are you putting all of these obstacles in my way if I’m doing a good deed for the kids?”  Oh, be careful what you wish for.  At 3:59, I frantically rang the doorbell to the warehouse.  An older disheveled gentleman opened the door and I pleaded with him to let me in. 

As he was showing me around and telling me every story under the sun, I found myself getting very agitated. Hey, I had to get back to the high school and this guy was wasting my time.  And then he said that he hated church because all of the churches that came in to get the paper always took more than they needed and did it because they wanted to make sure there wasn’t anything left for the teachers. Okay, now I was sure I was in the presence of a madman and I really wanted to get out of there.  He went on to tell me that he didn’t believe in this Jesus stuff.  All he saw was that a man came to town 2000 years ago and he told everyone if they believed in him things would get better, but from where he was standing in his life, things didn’t seem any better.

Take a deep breath.  See that this guy is coming from a very hurt place.  God, what do I say now?  I mean, truly, God, put some wise words in my mouth.  I couldn’t just agree with this guy, which was what I wanted to do and then get out of there.  But I thought of our readings.  We at St. Francis all know and try to understand those readings.  We accept a Jesus who  is the “almighty king” riding in on the donkey, who shows love and compassion, who bridges the gap of communication with a God  “bathed in unapproachable light”.  But how to do convey those words to someone who has lost or never had the same faith we do?  I calmly smiled at the man and said, “Well, I’m a Christian.  I do believe with all my heart that Jesus came 2000 years ago to save me, to save you, to save us.   And I know that because of this, I will go to Heaven and see those whom I have lost along the way.  I could be wrong and when I die, well then I guess I’ll find out.  But it’s this fact that gets me through the tough days like you seem to be having, sir.”  (Ugh!!! Did I say anything worthwhile?)  But then he smiled back at me and said, “you are one of the nicest ladies who has ever come here.  Take as much paper as you want.  And thank you.”

So on my calm journey back home, I was left to reflect on those readings.  How do we as Christians tell the story of “this Jesus” to those who perhaps have never heard, who perhaps are really hurting this Easter season, who perhaps are lost or doubtful?  How do we act in response?  Maybe just to listen to an old man and take a little extra paper.

(Lori Welch)

 

Saturday, March 31,2012

We had no one signed up for this day so I have decided to share with you a blog post that I read earlier in Lent and found helpful. While it may seem "too late" to be sharing it now, on the one hand (a) it is never too late when you are talking about faith and (b) we are about to enter Holy Week and her suggestions seem to me just as pertinent to keeping a Holy Week as they are to keeping a Holy Lent. So maybe just pick the six or seven that seem best for you to"try on" this next week, and save the full list for next Lent! ;-)
RMS 

Here is a link to the original post by Nadia Bolz-Weber, whose 40 ideas for keeping a Holy Lent I have cut and pasted below. 

Day 1: Pray for your enemies
Day 2: Walk, carpool, bike or bus it.
Day 3: Don’t turn on the car radio
Day 4: Give $20 to a non-profit of your choosing

Day 5: Take 5 minutes of silence at noon
Day 6: Look out the window until you find something of beauty you had not noticed before
Day 7: Give 5 items of clothing to Goodwill
Day 8: No bitching day
Day 9: Do someone else’s chore
Day 10: Buy a few $5 fast food gift cards to give to homeless people you encounter

Day 11: Call an old friend
Day 12: Pray the Paper (pray for people and situations in today’s news)
Day 13: Read Psalm 139 http://bible.oremus.org
Day 14: Pay a few sincere compliments
Day 15: Bring your own mug
Day 16: Educate yourself about human trafficking www.praxus.org

Day 17: Forgive someone
Day 18: Internet diet
Day 19: Change one light in your house to a compact florescent
Day 20: Check out morning and evening prayer at http://dailyoffice.wordpress.com
Day 21: Ask for help
Day 22: Tell someone what you are grateful for

Day 23: Introduce yourself to a neighbor
Day 24: Read Psalm 121 http://bible.oremus.org
Day 25: Bake a cake
Day 26: No shopping day
Day 27: Light a virtual candle http://rejesus.co.uk/spirituality/post_prayer/
Day 28: Light an actual candle

Day 29: Write a thank you note to your favorite teacher
Day 30: Invest in canvas shopping bags
Day 31: Use Freecycle www.freecycle.org
Day 32: Donate art supplies to your local elementary school
Day 33: Read John 8:1-11 http://bible.oremus.org
Day 34: Worship at a friend’s mosque, synogogue or church and look for the beauty

Day 35: Confess a secret
Day 36: No sugar day – where else is there sweetness in your life?
Day 37: Give $20 to a local non-profit
Day 38: Educate yourself about a saint www.catholic.org/saints
Day 39: Pray for peace
Day 40: Pray for your enemies (you probably have new ones by now) then decide which of these exercises you’ll keep for good

Friday, March 30, 2012

My husband and I read Psalms 22, 141 and 143: 1-12 for our Lenten meditation.  I found it interesting that despite reading the exact same passages, the parts that held significance to us were different. 

• Psalm 22: 1 “My God, my God, why have you forsaken me?  Why are you so far from saving me, from the words of my groaning…”

• Psalm 141: 1 “O Lord, I call to you; come quickly to me.  Hear my voice when I call to you…”
  
• Psalm 143: 1 “Hear my prayer, O Lord; give ear to my supplications in your faithfulness; answer me in your righteousness…”

When reading the psalms, I was struck at how different the prayers or “praises” to God were presented.  They truly do represent a full range of “Israel’s religious faith.” Having grown up attending a variety of different churches (Fundamentalist, Presbyterian, Southern Baptist), I felt dismayed at each church’s need to emphasize that their forms of worship, prayer or beliefs were the only true way to have a meaningful  and genuine relationship with God.  Now as an adult and assisting with Church School, I am learning and relearning parts of the Bible.  I find reassurance that there is no one way to worship and to be a servant of God.

Psalm 22 by King David refers to pain and anguish he experienced in his commitment to God.  Ted took from this psalm that he too, finds strength from God to believe in him and follow a path to him.  The path that we encounter will be fraught with challenges and difficult footing.  This may come in the form of people that have different beliefs or life’s challenges that we encounter along the way.  With God’s love and support, we find strength and guidance and we will remain strong and find our way back when we stray.

We each must find what provides the strength and wisdom to get there.  We should not feel bad or guilty if others don’t share the same beliefs, but stay true to ourselves along the way.

(Jennifer and Ted Kremer)

Thursday, March 29, 2012

My heart is not proud, Lord, my eyes are not haughty;

I do not concern myself with great matters or things too wonderful for me.

But I have calmed and quieted myself, I am like a weaned child with its mother; like a weaned child I am content.   (Psalm 131)

Perhaps I was drawn to this particular Psalm amongst all of the other readings for today because I am currently nursing my daughter.  Although I love the relationship, sometimes I do look forward to the day that I will no longer be the sole source of nutrition for her as it can be an all-consuming responsibility.  But what does it mean to be content like a weaned child?  I’ve been thinking about this a lot for a few weeks.  Apparently when you have a newborn at home you have tons of time to think, though not so much time with two hands free to type.  

For a child to be weaned, they have reached a certain milestone in life.  This is usually the culmination of the first year’s busy schedule of learning to smile, sit, crawl, eat table food, walk, and numerous other developmental skills.  Not that learning and development stops at that point, but it is sort of like a graduation to the next phase of life.  For me, graduations have always been times of contemplation.  Not only of where I am going next in my life, but also realizing that I’ve been running through my life leading up to graduation.  In today’s world it is so challenging to remember to stop and smell the roses.  One more chore, one more assignment, one more email, and the list goes on of all the little things that keep us from relaxing and enjoying the fruits of our labor.  Graduations seem to be a unique lull in activity that allow for rest and contemplation.  Assignments leading up to the end have all been submitted, tasks closed out, and the new responsibilities have not begun yet.  It is a brief reprieve from the relentless to do list.  It is almost scary.  And yet, it is the rare opportunity to be truly calm, quiet, content.  

When you find yourself in such a time stop – whether it be a graduation, between jobs, or just a really good vacation – take advantage of the opportunity to evaluate your life.   My heart is not proud, my eyes are not haughty; I do not concern myself with great matters or things too wonderful for me.  What can be done better?  Do relationships in my life need more time invested?  Have I overlooked something that fulfills me?  It is so easy to get caught up in getting to the next part of life that we often forget to enjoy the present, to enjoy the people around us, and to be thankful for what we have.  

Something I have been striving for is not waiting until graduation or a vacation to think about things like this.  I have been trying to contemplate my life, where my time is spent, and to be thankful for what I have on a daily basis.  There is nothing like having a child to make you be thankful for every day.  The milestones are so close together, the changes happen so quickly.  Everyone around me tells me to enjoy her while she is little because they grow up so fast.  One day she smiles, the next day she laughs, and then she is babbling at me.  And yet at the very same time, it is so easy to lose track of time with all the new responsibilities and tasks associated with a baby. It is almost too easy to revert to “survival mode” and let life whiz right by.  So back to my opening line, I will try my hardest not to dream of when my daughter is weaned, and instead enjoy all the quiet moments of snuggling.  But in doing that, I hope to find the quiet and contentment that the Psalmist is speaking of.  

(Amanda Kirchner) 

Wednesday, March 28,2012

Psalm 128, 129, 130 Exod. 7:8-24; 2 Cor. 2:14-3:6; Mark 10:1-16

“With the Lord is unfailing love, and with him is redemption.” Psalm130: 7

The readings today speak of perspective and persistence. During Lent, it is important to meditate on lessons given to us throughout the year in our own lives, while reflecting and giving ourselves perspective.

The Psalms for today remind us that crying out to God for help is ok. In our daily lives, we are pushed down and tested in many ways. The situations and experiences throughout our lives are pieces of fabric, interwoven into a patchwork quilt that makes us who we are. He asks us to remain strong because of his promise. Persistence. The wear and tear is for his purpose, one that we cannot perfectly know. Perspective. He hears us when we cry out.  He asks us to go out into the world as a letter from Christ, representing the spirit of a living God in our hearts. Confidence in Christ is ours to share with those around us. The competence comes from God our father and creator. 

The following reflection has always brought me comfort in times of trial. It redirects me, helps me gain perspective, and helps me to remain persistent in being a light of Christ. May all our quilts be thread bare and worn, allowing Christ to shine through.

(H. Gladwin)

God's Quilt

As I faced my Maker at the last judgment,
I knelt before the Lord along with all the other
souls. Before each of us laid our lives like the
squares of a quilt in many piles.

An Angel sat before each of us sewing our quilt
squares together into a tapestry that is our life.
But as my angel took each piece of cloth off the
pile, I noticed how ragged and empty each of my
squares was. They were filled with giant holes.
Each square was labeled with a part of my life
that had been difficult, the challenges and temptations
I was faced with in everyday life. I saw hardships
that I endured, which were the largest holes of all.

I glanced around me. Nobody else had such squares.
Other than a tiny hole here and there, the other
tapestries were filled with rich color and the
bright hues of worldly fortune. I gazed upon my own
life and was disheartened. My angel was sewing the
ragged pieces of cloth together, thread bare and
empty, like binding air.

Finally the time came when each life was to be displayed,
held up to the light, the scrutiny of truth. The
others rose, each in turn, holding up their
tapestries. So filled their lives had been.

My angel looked upon me, and nodded for me to rise.
My gaze dropped to the ground in shame. I hadn't had
all the earthly fortunes. I had love in my life,
and laughter. But there had also been trials of
illness, and death, and false accusations that took
from me my world as I knew it. I had to start over
many times. I often struggled with the temptation to
quit, only to somehow muster the strength to pick
up and begin again. I spent many nights on my knees
in prayer, asking for help and guidance in my life.

I had often been held up to ridicule, which I endured
painfully, each time offering it up to the Father in
hopes that I would not melt within my skin beneath
the judgmental gaze of those who unfairly judged me.

And now, I had to face the truth. My life was what
it was, and I had to accept it for what it was. I
rose and slowly lifted the combined squares of my
life to the light. An awe-filled gasp filled the air.
I gazed around at the others who stared at me with
wide eyes. Then, I looked upon the tapestry before me.
Light flooded the many holes, creating an image, the
face of Christ.

Then our Lord stood before me, with warmth and love
in His eyes. He said, "Every time you gave over your
life to Me, it became My life, My hardships, and My
struggles. Each point of light in your life is when
you stepped aside and let Me shine through, until
there was more of Me than there was of you!

May all our quilts be thread bare and worn, allowing Christ to shine through.

~author unknown

Tuesday, March 27, 2012

Readings: Exodus 5:1-6:1; 1 Corinthians 14:20-33a, 39-40; Mark 9:42-50; Psalms 120-127

"Do good, O Lord, to those who are good and those who are upright in their hearts. But those who turn aside to their own crooked ways the Lord will lead away with evildoers. Peace be upon Israel!" (Psalm 125:4-5) 

 

Our sons recently asked us, "Why do adults (read: parents) who say they don't like violence (read: first-person shooter video games) watch violent TV shows like NCIS?" And we answered, "Good question." (Read: we need a little time to come up with a good explanation...) 

We do watch NCIS and other special agent/police/some-sort-of-law-enforcement television shows, and we also read a lot of mysteries – murder mysteries, in fact. What we explained to the boys is that we like these procedural types of fiction, not because of the violence, but because of the stories’ responses to violence. The formula is for a hero of some sort to find the truth behind the violence, bring the perpetrator to justice, and restore order. In a world that we increasingly recognize is dangerous, and worse, arbitrary, the sense of order and control that mystery stories provide is comforting – despite their violence.

Violence, justice and a desire for order are commonalities in the Bible readings for today. The passage from Exodus sets up the need for a hero to put things right, to get the Pharaoh to set the Israelites free. In the ensuing chapters, God does so. But God’s acts are filled, at least to our 21^st century suburban American ears, with gratuitous violence. Why does this Old Testament story feel like a first-person shooter game? Our family is new to the Episcopal Church, and we read in the pamphlet A Faith for Thinking People an idea we’ve always believed but hadn’t articulated: “As God leads us to new discoveries through science, historical research, and the use of our reason, we find meaning in the Bible which previous generations did not see.” Presumably the reverse also is true. We suspect that listeners closer to the Exodus story, and closer to experiencing arbitrary violence, might have felt the same comfort in God’s actions as we find in those of Special Agent Leroy Jethro Gibbs.

Later in the Old Testament, the writers of the Psalms, and we when we read them, ask and thank God for protection from evil. The type of relationship where one – parent/special agent/God – has the power to affect the behavior of another is straightforward and reassuring. But as 21^st century Christians, we also are called to be heroes, and our stories are more likely to involve the small offenses of daily life than the dramatic violence of NCIS or the story of the Exodus. Paul’s letter to the Corinthians moves us into relationship with one another: “those who speak in a tongue do not speak to other people but to God; ... On the other hand, those who prophesy speak to other people for their building up and encouragement and consolation...For you can all prophesy one by one, so tht all may learn and all be encouraged." (I Corinthians 14:2-3; 31) And while such responses may not make for exciting stories, we know they may be plenty heroic, and equally pleasing to God. “[For] God is not a God of disorder but of peace." (I Corinthians 14:33)

(Mary Beth and Scott Dziewietin)