Saturday, March 31

Exodus 10:21-11:8

Psalms 42, 43, 137, 144

2 Corinthians 4:13-18

Mark 10:46-52

Mark 10: 46-52

“Take heart; rise, he is calling you.”  And throwing off his mantle he sprang up and came to Jesus.

How is it that the blind man can see Jesus, and know he has the power to heal, and he exercises the courage to ask for healing?  And yet the great multitude within which Jesus is standing, who can see Jesus, are asking nothing from Jesus.  Our eyes are a great gift but they can also be a burden.  The multitudes see Jesus and they judge him to be just like any other Rabbi - a great teacher.  And since this passage reveals nothing about miracles being done in Jericho before this encounter with the blind man, they do not perceive the healing power of Jesus.  The blind man only knows of Jesus from what he has heard from his place on the roadside.

Imagine being that blind man; each day sitting there on the roadside as people pass into and out of Jericho, hearing bits and pieces of the story of Jesus.  No one taking time with you to give you the whole story in one sitting.  As you sit there in the sun begging, you weave together in your mind the story of Jesus from the fragments you have heard, and begin to formulate your own picture of who and what Jesus really is and what he is really doing.  Without the hindrance of sight and in the absence of judgment you weave a story based on facts and not the perceptions that sight can create.  The blind man’s picture of Jesus was so perfect in his mind that he was able to spring from his seated position on the ground, to his feet, and move towards Jesus.  He was drawn to Jesus and God was guiding him. ( for no one comes to Jesus except through the Father).  

We Christians have been hearing about Jesus all our lives, from the very day of our birth.  We have been creating in our mind a picture of who Jesus is and what he can do in and with our lives.  If all of a sudden we heard the words from the lips of another person, “Take heart; rise, Jesus is calling you.”  Would we be throwing off our mantles and springing to our feet and racing towards Jesus?  Or would we be as blind as the multitudes who when seeing Jesus, only saw a great teacher?  We are called to love the Lord our God with our whole heart, our whole mind and our whole soul.  Nothing about loving based on sight. 

Lord give me the faith of a blind man that I might know you not by what I see but by what you reveal to me in my time with you in prayer and meditation.

“Take heart; rise, he is calling you.”

Bob Felice

Friday, March 30

Exodus 9:13-35

Psalms 22, 141, 143

2 Corinthians 4:1-12

Mark 10:32-45

Mark 10:38-48

The passage challenges us with the notion that to be great in life, you must be a servant.  Unfortunately, that concept runs counter to what many of us have been led to believe by our culture.  We often are caught up with the belief that the definition of success is having power, prestige, and possessions.  We define the perfect vacation where we can go totally relax and be pampered/indulged by wait staff.  We relish being served by others.

However, Jesus measured greatness in terms of service, not status. In fact, that is exactly what he called himself - a servant.  In the business world, many books have been written on leadership, but few on servanthood.  Servanthood runs counter to the world's idea of greatness.  In the rat race of life, climbing up the corporate ladder is the goal of many.  We would rather be generals than privates.  Everyone wants to be a leader; few strive to be a servant.  But God wants us to be servants.  He wants us to give our time and talents to others, not keeping it to our own pursuits.  God also tests us by asking us to serve in ways that don't always play to our strengths, but rather where the needs are at the moment.  He does that to test our maturity.  He does that to test our character.  It's been said that the true measure of one's character is what you do when no one is looking.  Jesus said, "You can tell what they are by what they do."

God calls us to a service beyond what we understand.  He has created us for a life of good deeds.  Whenever we serve others in any way, we are actually serving God.  There is no insignificant service to God - - it is all important in His eyes.

Doug Hart

Thursday, March 29

Exodus 7:25-8:19

Psalms 131, 132, 133, 140, 142

2 Corinthians 3:7-18

Mark 10:17-31

At the beginning of Exodus, Chapter 8, we hear God tell Moses, “Go to Pharaoh and say to him, ‘This is what the LORD says:  Let my people go, so that they may worship me.’” (NIV)  In reading all of today’s readings, it was this phrase that stuck with me.  It’s probably because I’ve always had a problem with the idea that God needs us to worship Him.  I mean, God’s not human.  Although we always seem to be attributing human qualities to God, we know that He is a spiritual being, all powerful and all knowing.  He can’t possibly have a fragile ego.  He certainly can’t be so insecure that He needs us to reassure Him of His greatness.  Of course, most believers would argue that it isn’t God who needs us to worship Him.  It’s just the opposite.  We need to engage in the act of worshiping, whether it’s through quiet prayer or boisterous singing.  It’s good for us, and it strengthens our relationship with God.  It is an essential spiritual practice.

Recently, I was reading a book* by a man writing about, among other things, his travels in Bhutan.  What impressed this guy about the Bhutanese was the way they did almost everything very deliberately, very attentively.  Even a simple handshake was a truly meaningful act.  He went on to say he felt the word “attention” was underrated.  While he sat at his computer and typed the words of his book, his 2-year-old daughter sat at his feet, vying for his attention.  What did she want?  His love?  Not exactly.  She wanted his “pure, undiluted attention.”  The writer observed that perhaps love and attention really are the same thing.  Not “counterfeit attention” (people, especially kids, can spot that), but genuine attention.  Isn’t that how it is with worship?  When we worship, we show our love for God by giving Him our “pure, undiluted attention.” 

This Lenten season, are you giving God the attention He deserves?

Evelyn Snow

*The book referenced is The Geography of Bliss by Eric Weiner (2008)

Wednesday, March 28

Exodus 7:8-24

Psalms 119:145-176, 128, 129, 130

2 Corinthians 2:14-3:6

Mark 10:1-16

2 Corinthians 2:14-26

“…in Christ we speak as persons of sincerity, as persons sent from God and standing in His presence.”

A few of us were able to be at the recent Diocesan Council meeting and were privileged to hear Bishop Andy’s inspiring (in today’s terminology, awesome) address.  His text (Isaiah 55v.11) which I have written just below, amplifies and completes the text I have chosen from today’s appointed readings.  It is from Isaiah 55:v.11 and is as follows:

“…so shall my word be that goes out of my mouth; it shall not return to me empty….” 

Thus it seems we are not only as Christians appointed as persons speaking for God, in His presence, but we are assured that there will be an outcome from whatever we say and do.  It strikes me we would be wise to pray deeply that the things we say and do have the effect that God wants and do not come back empty.

All my life I have believed that most Anglicans, and that includes Episcopalians, find that their evangelism fits most comfortably in the example we set in the way we conduct our lives and the ways in which we interact with others.  We do not feel called to knock on doors or hand out tracts on street corners, but are more likely to work in the ways of the church, to give our time and our talents and our money to the many opportunities which increasingly seem to exist today.  But given that our words (and actions) will not have the wrong effect we have to be careful. This does not mean being fearful, for we have our Lord within us and behind us, guiding us to do the right thing.

Of course we shall sometimes fail – we are human after all.  But I take comfort from knowing that we can be forgiven and learn from our mistakes.

As we move on in this Lent season I pray that we can all be ready to listen to the words of Jesus, to reflect them in what we say and do. To speak with sincerity as persons sent from God, and that our words and actions do not return empty. 

Ron Merrett

Tuesday, March 27

Exodus 5:1-6:1

Psalms 121, 122, 123, 124, 125, 126

1 Corinthians 14:20-40

Mark 9:42-50

Included among today’s readings are six of the 15 Psalms known as the Songs of Ascents.  As I read in preparation for this meditation my first impression was that overall, these psalms seem rather cheerful for Lent; more like hymns of rejoicing than penitential reflections.  The name “Song of Ascents” has an upbeat, almost buoyant, feeling to it.

But upon re-reading, I found the architects of our lectionary were perfectly right to include these in our Lenten readings.  It seems very possible that these Psalms were uppermost in Jesus’ mind when He was “led up by the Spirit into the wilderness.”*  The Songs of Ascents were (are) associated in Jerusalem with the Jewish Feast of Tabernacles, which commemorates Israel’s period of wandering in the wilderness.  Certainly it seems likely that Jesus would have found comfort and strength, as he prepared “to be tempted by the devil,”* in the message of protection dominant throughout these psalms.  “I lift up my eyes to the hills, From whence does my help come?  My help comes from the Lord, who made heaven and earth” (Psalm 121:1-2 RSV).

Each psalm also sings of peace, joy after suffering and God made manifest to his people, messages recurrent throughout Lent, Holy Week and Easter. As we know from the Beatitudes, the labors for God in this life bring a blessed “harvest” of Easter joy.  The Psalms for today end with 126:5-6 “May those who sow in tears reap with shouts of joy!  He that goes forth weeping, bearing the seed for sowing, shall come home with shouts of joy, bringing his sheaves with him.”  Throughout Lent and the painful events commemorated in Holy Week, we also remember what is to come.  These six Songs of Ascents remind us that God will lead us through the wilderness (whatever that wilderness may be) to Easter, when we will come rejoicing.  

*Matthew 4:1, RSV

Karen Montgomery

Monday, March 26

Exodus 4:10-31

Psalms 31, 35

1 Corinthians 14:1-19

Mark 9:30-41

What Was It You Disputed Among Yourselves?

One of the most painful experiences I have had as an Episcopalian, first as a lay servant and now as priest, has been witnessing conflict in the Church.  In fact, we have been living in an era of considerable crisis in the Episcopal Church, and it has dawned as the Church is struggling against a cultural tide rising hard against mainline churches.  So there has been intense pressure on an institution, which, just a generation ago, appeared to be a bastion of respect and influence in American life.  Who could expect our legendary fine manners to prevail in such circumstances?  (More often than not, they haven’t).  Like the disciples on the road with Jesus (Mark 9:30-41), we blithely take up with sundry disputes rather than with serious discipleship--as if we, like they, do not realize where Jesus is really heading.  He is always moving us on toward Calvary, ever calling us to take up our cross and to follow him.  As He leads the way, Jesus may stop from time to time to inquire, “What is it you are disputing among yourselves?”  He already knows our deepest truth, so we can dispense with any pretense of innocence.

Fr. Bill Fowler

FIFTH SUNDAY OF LENT

Sunday, March 25 

Exodus 3:16-4:12

Psalms 118, 145

Romans 12:1-21

John 8:46-59

Words and Phrases from Today’s Readings

Joanne Polansky

Saturday, March 24

Exodus 2:23-3:15

Psalms 33, 102, 108

1 Corinthians 13:1-13

Mark 9:14-29

Hills and Valleys

The Old Testament and the gospel readings have a lot in common. God approaches Moses in a miraculous way (a burning bush that does not burn) and Moses is overwhelmed by his unworthiness. “…Who am I, that I should go to Pharaoh….” (Exodus 3:11) and, again, “…what shall I tell them.…” (Exodus 3:13).  Peter, James and John come down from the mountain after their own devastating encounter with the living God (the Transfiguration) and what do they find?  Disciples who have failed to cast out a demon (Mark 9:18).

So we have two themes:  God intervening in our lives to encourage us and to ask us to go out into the world to do His work; and our own feeling of unworthiness, reinforced by the pressures from an increasingly secular world.

The worst part of a mountaintop experience is coming down – usually with a bang!

I pray that God will come to you from time to time – perhaps in a home group, or during worship, or, as He did to me, during a retreat like Cursillo.  Even more I pray that you can live faithfully in the valleys of your life by following regular routines of daily bible reading and prayer.

God bless you from far away!

David Brown

Friday, March 23

Exodus 2:1-22

Psalms 95, 107

1 Corinthians 12:27-13:3

Mark 9:2-13

Exodus 2:17-19  But some shepherds came and drove them away.  Then Moses got up and defended them and watered their flocks.  When they returned to their father Reuel, he said to them, “How is it you have returned so soon today?”  They answered, “An Egyptian saved us from the interference of the shepherds.  He even drew water for us and watered the flock!”

Psalm 95, 6-7  Come, let us bow down in worship: let us kneel before the Lord who made us.  For he is our God, and we are the people he shepherds, the flock he guides. 

Psalm 107, 15  Let them give thanks to the Lord for his kindness and his wondrous deeds to the children of men.

1 Corinthians 13:1-3  If I speak with human tongues and angelic as well, but do not have love.  I am a noisy gong, a clanging cymbal.  If I have a gift of prophecy and, with full knowledge, comprehend all mysteries, if I have faith great enough to move mountains, but have not love, I am nothing.  If I give everything I have to feed the poor and hand over my body to be burned, but have not love, I gain nothing.

Mark 9:11-12  Finally they put to him this question: “Why do the scribes claim that Elijah must come first?”  He told them: “Elijah will indeed come first and restore everything.  Yet why does Scripture say of the Son of Man that he must suffer much and be despised?

Jesus gives his life for us.  Love being the core.

What guides your daily activities?  I often get lost in simple tasks and others expectations of me. 

Do our actions have much purpose without love?

Take time to reflect.

Mary Patton

Thursday, March 22

Exodus 1:6-22

Psalms 69, 73

1 Corinthians 12:12-26

Mark 8:27-9:1

Good morning, God. Thank you for reminding me of how my spiritual ancestors suffered under the tyrannical pharaoh, yet you were in the midst of them, using the lowly yet brave midwives to exemplify faithful servanthood.  Even in their justified fear they obeyed you, not your enemy.  There is so much tyranny, brutality, hopelessness and oppression in our world today.  Who are your faithful servants in the midst of this?  Is it I, Lord?

Thank you for the psalmist who felt he was drowning in the pressures and demands of life, yet called out to you for redemption and salvation.  My life is sometimes overwhelming and I am so blinded by minutiae that I cannot see you in its midst.  Please open my eyes and purify my heart.

Thank you for leading me to your body, the Church.  Am I a fully functioning body part?  Lead me on to seek needed rehabilitation so that I may both suffer and rejoice with my fellow members for your sake.

What’s that you say?  I must lose my life in order to save it?  Blessed Jesus, you have my all this day; for all that I am and have and know and desire is from you. I ask only that you free me to be your slave, your faithful servant.

Portia Sweet

Wednesday, March 21

Genesis 50:15-26

Psalms 101, 109, 119:121-144

1 Corinthians 12:1-11

Mark 8:11-26

Genesis 50:15-26

Today’s passage from Genesis shows another beautiful example of forgiveness in the life of Joseph.

His brothers betrayed him by selling him into slavery.  Then they broke their father’s heart by faking his death.

In a time of need, they came to Joseph, hat in hand.  He forgave them, and used his new authority in Egypt to help them.

Now we read that Jacob has died.  It would be easy for Joseph to be angry, bitter and depressed.  I still miss my father, and would not blame Joseph one bit for feeling cheated out of the many years he could have had with Jacob before they were actually reunited.

Times like these can stir up strife in families, and Joseph’s brothers thought it might be time for him to seek revenge (v.1).  However Joseph continued to show love, grace and compassion to his brothers.  He was very close to his father, a major reason his brothers had despised him in the first place.  But rather than lashing out, knowing his father would not be there to be upset by any more sibling rivalry, he did not treat his brothers differently.

He knew that God had vindicated him and blessed him.  He also knew that any time lost with his father would be made up for in eternity.

Amen to that.

Susannah Westlake

Tuesday, March 20

Genesis 49:29-50:14

Psalms 94, 95, 97, 99,100

1 Corinthians 11:17-34

Mark 8:1-10

In the preparation of this meditation I read the assigned passages in Eugene Peterson’s “The Message” (given in italics).  What a down-beat theme most of that seemed to be.  Lamentations – Jerusalem remembers the day she lost everything - Jerusalem, who out-sinned the world, is an outcast.  Psalm 51 – I know how bad I’ve been -.  Psalm 69 - God, God save me, I’m in over my head -.  Even in Mark’s Gospel Jesus curses a fig tree!   However, by the time I got to Paul’s 2nd Corinthians the message became clear to me – God of all healing counsel!  He comes alongside us when we go through hard times and before you know it he brings us alongside someone else who is going through hard times so we can be there for that person just as God was there for us.

I give thanks for the wonderful loving and helpful congregation we have at Holy Spirit – the parish really is a family of friends helping friends In the name of Christ.  So, the message that I see is that in a recent sermon to us by John Newton (and “echoed” by Bishop Doyle in his Diocesan Address) – Do not be afraid – Jesus is right there with you. 

We all have that pride and ill placed self-assurance that we can beat all the hard times alone and we keep it all ”secret.”  Well, it seldom works.  Step one is right there in Psalm 69 and one should acknowledge - God, God save me, I’m in over my head.  Step two is to tell the secret and you will see the flood gates of support pouring out relief.  

Remember - DO NOT BE AFRAID.

John McGarvey

Monday, March 19

Genesis 48:8-22

Psalms 19, 46, 66, 67

Romans 8:11-25

John 6:27-40

Mark 7:24-37

The Syrophenician Woman

This Greek woman knew Christ in her heart before she encountered him. “As soon as she heard about him.”  Then woman was desperate and she went in faith believing to find Jesus.  She “begged” Jesus to heal her daughter.  She believed that He would.

Jesus told her that healing is the children’s bread.  He meant that it should be extended to the Jews first but prophetically demonstrating that it would be extended to the Gentiles as well.

This woman humbled herself totally before Christ when she said “even the dogs under the table eat the children’s crumbs.”

Jesus responded to her heart’s cry, her faith and her humility and her daughter was delivered.

The Healing of the Deaf and Mute Man

Some people brought a man who could not hear or speak and they begged Jesus to heal him.

Jesus put his fingers in the man’s ears and touched his tongue and looked to heaven and the man was healed. This fulfilled the word spoken of Jesus in Isaiah 35:6

Let us seek Jesus with all our hearts in faith and humility this lententide and consider all that is ours being Gentiles grafted into the vine.

We thank our Heavenly Father that we are welcomed at the children’s table.

Healing is ours to give and to receive. Look around you and see that the harvest is white. Then look up to your Father in heaven and He will do the works and give you the words for others. Intercede and let the heart cry out for the sheep…      

Joyce Westlake

FOURTH SUNDAY OF LENT

Sunday, March 18 

Genesis 48:8-22

Psalms 19, 46, 66, 67

Romans 8:11-25

John 6:27-40

The gospel reading in John takes place the day after Jesus fed the five thousand.  Jesus knows that many in the crowd are there just for some more free food, so he says: "Do not work for food that spoils, but for food that endures to eternal life, which the Son of God will give you.  On him God the father has placed his seal of approval."  I don't think we're talking about employment or earning money here, and the people didn't seem to think that either, because they ask Jesus what the works are that God requires.  Jesus answers, "The work of God is this: to believe in the one he has sent."

Believe in Jesus.  That's all we have to do.  Jesus later says, "For my Father's will is that everyone who looks to the Son and believes in him shall have eternal life, and I will raise him up on the last day."  How simple it is once you do believe, but it's not easy getting there for most of us.  It certainly wasn't easy for that crowd because they immediately asked for a miraculous sign even though Jesus had just given them one the day before.

As we prepare for Easter I wonder if as modern believers we don't continually ask God for miraculous signs too.  As I fail in my fast from whatever I gave up, or don't spend the extra time allotted for prayer or bible study during Lent, am I not now more focused on the works I'm doing or failing to do?  Then I pray for help from God to be miraculously more self disciplined.  Of if I am successful does it not become a source of pride?   Oh the musings of mortal man.

But Romans 8 tell us, "And if the Spirit of him who raised Jesus from the dead is living in you.  He who raised Christ from the dead will also give life to your mortal bodies through his spirit who lives in you."  Now that is really a miraculous sign.

Dear Lord, we pray that your Spirit in us becomes more and ourselves less.  Let our thoughts be on you and others. Amen.

Bernadette Ellis

Saturday, March 17

Genesis 47:27-48:7

Psalm 87, 90, 136

1 Corinthians 10:1-13

Mark 7:1-23

Mark 7:1-23

This morning’s reading from Mark once again pits Jesus against the Pharisees, who are shocked to find the disciples aren’t following their extensive purity codes for processing and eating foods.  These codes, developed by scribes and elders, are part of an oral tradition which supplements the law handed to Moses by God, the covenant of the 10 commandments.  Jesus’ response to the Pharisees’ criticism is one that we have come to expect: he points out their hypocrisy, saying that they are so concerned with following human rules and traditions that they fail to observe God’s commands.  And once again Jesus turns tradition upside down, pointing out that it’s not what goes into a person that defiles them, but that which comes out of a person, from the evil intentions that reside in every human heart.

Each of us has darkness within us:  shadowy impulses, thoughts and desires that try as we might to suppress them, keep popping up.  And often the more we try to deny our sin to ourselves and others - the more we try to appear sinless and perfect -the more darkness grows inside of us.  This is true just as much of the disciples as it was the Pharisees.  It is a part of human nature.

Yet Jesus today offers us a new way of following the same commandments God gave to Moses.  This new way involves the transformation of our innermost being – changing our character into the heart and mind of God’s character.  In order to do this, we must confront the shadows in each of our hearts.  Even if we don’t acknowledge them, God already knows that they are there.  There is no shame in naming our sin.  A mentor of mine, Episcopal priest and Jungian analyst Pittman McGeehee, tells me often that there is a difference between a thought thought, a thought spoken, a thought written, and a thought acted. 

Once we discover and name those shadows that arise from our broken human hearts, we can begin the process of being made whole.  This takes courage, but thanks to Jesus we have the hope of being transformed.  Jesus can and will heal us if we ask him to. In this way we keep the covenant God made to Moses, passed down to Jesus, and finally to us.

Sarah Taylor

Friday, March 16

Genesis 47:1-26

Psalms 88, 91, 92

1 Corinthians 9:16-27

Mark 6:47-56

Mark:  6:47-56 - Jesus Walks on the Water

In the reading from Mark, we are told that the disciples cried out and were terrified when they saw Jesus walk across the lake out to their boat.  Mark does not sympathize or make excuses for the disciples at being frozen, jaws dropped on the deck of the boat, at the site of Jesus walking on the water.  No, instead he rather severely criticizes them, and says that their “hearts were hardened”, like those that opposed Jesus.  Just before this, the disciples had witnessed the feeding of the five thousand, and if they had truly believed that it was Jesus that was responsible for that event, then they would not be afraid now.  But they had doubted, and decided that there must have been some other explanation for all those baskets of crumbs that they gathered.  They simply did not understand.

I don’t know about you, but I take great comfort in the fact that the disciples, the inner circle of Jesus’s ministry on earth, could be blind at times to the magnitude of what Jesus was doing here on earth, and who he really was.

I’ve seen God’s miracles in my life and the lives of those I love, but I do have a tendency to be like the disciples and only notice the really big things.  I also know a few people that see miracles all around them.  You probably know a few as well, or maybe you are one of those people.  I am drawn to those people as I can sense their great faith, and I wish for it.

I pray for the faith to see more of God’s miracles.

Melonye Suarez

Thursday, March 15

Genesis 46:1-7, 28-34

Psalms 42, 43, 85, 86

1 Corinthians 9:1-15

Mark 6:30-46

Mark 6:31

Jesus said to them, “Come away to a deserted place all by yourselves and rest a while.”  For many were coming and going, and they had no leisure even to eat.

Check your calendar.  What does it look like?  If I needed a 3-hour time slot in your calendar, when would it be available?  Our times are filled with family, work and personal commitments.  There is a soccer game for one child on Saturday morning and another one for another child Saturday afternoon.  You have a doctor’s appointment that will take half the day.  There is a high school reunion and a conference to go to out of state.  There is a board meeting for the non-profit you support and several committee meetings to attend.  There is that report due at work by the end of the week.  A grandchild’s birthday is this week.  How do we juggle our time to get everything accomplished?  When do we have a time for ourselves? 

The Gospel of Mark is an action-packed narrative of Jesus’ life and death.  During Jesus’ life, he moves back and forth among the villages teaching and preaching and instructing his disciples.  The disciples were with Jesus every step of the way.  Jesus realized that his disciples’ schedules were way too packed with events and meetings.  Jesus called them away – away from their busyness and away from the people.  Jesus called the disciples to a quiet place.  Jesus knew that for the disciples to be able to follow their calling that they must be rested. 

We too need to be rested if we are going to follow our own calling in life.  Jesus is calling us during this Lent 2012 to come away to a quiet place.  Jesus is calling us to rest.  Jesus is calling us to look at what is important – really important – in our lives. 

Will we spend time in that quiet place?

Fr. John Pitts

Wednesday, March 14

Genesis 45:16-28

Psalms 81, 82, 119:97-120

1 Corinthians 8:1-13

Mark 6:13-29

Psalm 119:97-120

This reading from Psalm 119 expresses the satisfaction that can be found in aligning your will with God's.  When you have complete faith that God is with you, and within you, a freedom that is “sweeter than honey” fills your heart.  By casting away doubt and fear, anxiety slips away and you are given peace.  God wants us to trust Him, but each of us knows how difficult it is to do that consistently without slipping.  In the small matters of our day-to-day lives, it's easy to worry; in the larger matters, it's even easier.  My wife Mags and I are expecting a baby on March 31, and we are unspeakably excited about what lies ahead; this will be our first child.  Inevitably, with our feelings of excitement comes fear of the unknown, so it's important for us to tame that fear with a belief that God is true to his word.  It is liberating to know that our son or daughter's precious life is in the hands of an ever-present, loving Father.  Trusting in God is our privilege, our comfort, and our eternal calling.

Mark E. Ramey, Jr.

Tuesday, March 13

Genesis 45:1-15

Psalm 78

1 Corinthians 7:32-40

Mark 6:1-13

Being a Good Example for Our Children

I will never forget holding my oldest son for the first time, the excitement of becoming a mother to a beautiful son and the amazing blessing God had placed in my hands.  The immediate and overwhelming feeling of love and protection I felt for him was truly indescribable.  I cannot help remembering how at that moment that I convinced myself I was going to be the perfect mother to him and he was going to be the perfect son for me.  Well, we all know how this story unfolds!  While I truly still have that overwhelming feeling of love and protection for my son, I am not the perfect mom and he is not the perfect son, and luckily for both of us, God does not expect us to be perfect.  What He does expect of us, however, is to learn from our mistakes and to look to Him in hope and to pass that expectation of hope onto our future generations.  How many mistakes are we repeating over and over and yet God continues to forgive and to forgive?  At what point are we to take responsibility for those sins and to stop the behavior of our ancestors?  We need to teach our youth through OUR example to be good stewards, faithful servants and men and women who walk the path our God intends us to walk.

Psalm 78 illustrates this beautifully.  The example I have taken from this and hope to carry with me through the Lenten season is “...so the next generation would know them, even the children yet to be born, and they in turn would tell their children.  Then they would put their trust in God and would not forget his deed but would keep his commands.”   Psalm 78:6-7.

Courtneay Odden

Monday, March 12

Genesis 44:18-34

Psalms 77, 79, 80

1 Corinthians 7:25-31

Mark 5:21-43

I chose Mark's verse 5:21-43 where Jesus healed a woman who had a terrible illness for many years, and also raised a dead child to live again. 

The woman sought out Jesus who was in the area in hopes of finding him to ease her illness.  She went up behind him and merely touched his cloak believing that would be enough to heal her.  The parents of the child believed that Jesus could heal their child also.  When they learned she had died while searching for Jesus they were devastated.  However, Jesus went to their home and raised the child because the parents had such strong faith in Him.  The crowds laughed when Jesus went to see the dead child because they had no faith.  However, the parents believed in Jesus and still had faith.

Faith is the answer.  A strong belief that Jesus will be there for us, hold us, embrace our hearts, and heal us is all we need.  We can't see, but when our hearts are strong with Him, our faith will shows us that He will heal.  Faith in God is the healer.  Sometimes our faith is challenged, but God does not desert us.  When challenged our faith can grow stronger in God's plan and eventually we will be healed forever and be held in His loving arms for eternity.

Stephanie Hart

THIRD SUNDAY OF LENT

Sunday, March 11

Genesis 44:1-17

Psalms 34, 93, 96

Romans 8:1-10

John 5:25-29

Back when I was 13 years old, I had just lost my first boyfriend and I was pretty distraught.  My brother, who was in high school at the time, offered some perspective that has stuck with me over the years.  He said that life is made of highs and lows, and it’s important that we experience both.  He said that it’s during these low times when we grow the most as people, and the change and transformation we experience will ultimately make us stronger.

I was reminded of this conversation recently when I was thinking on the change we’re undergoing at Holy Spirit.  It was so hard to let our rectors go, and it sometimes feels like we’re being forced off the high dive and into the unknown.  It’s also difficult to hear of individuals and families who have chosen not to take this leap with the rest of us.

But this Sunday, I looked around and saw the chairs filled.  I saw familiar faces and laughed and talked in fellowship after church.  The people are the church, and every single person is an important member of our family at Holy Spirit.  This is a time of change, and it’s a time to leap off that high dive, having faith that God will deliver us through this time and transform us into a stronger church.

Faithfully,

Susan Diemont-Conwell

Saturday. March 10

Genesis 43:16-34

Psalms 23, 27, 75, 76

1 Corinthians 7:10-24

Mark 5:1-20

"For he who was called in the Lord as a slave is a freedman of the Lord.

Likewise he who was free when called is a slave of Christ.

You were bought with a price; do not become slaves of men.

So, brothers and sisters, in whatever condition each was called,

there let him remain with God." 1 Corinthians 7:22-24 (ESV)

Several years ago, I was asked to sing at the funeral of a young man who had taken his life after a long battle with drugs. The church was filled to bursting with people from the community - including a motley crew of friends - many of whom had not been inside the doors of a church in a long time. My nervous-Nelly brain kicked into overdrive as people began to whisper and point at some of "Jack's" friends - most of whom sported multiple tattoos, piercings and torn shirts with the name of bands not celebrated in church circles.

As I sang the opening hymn, "Jack's" mom came to sit in the front pew along with the mother of his best friend.  The mother of "Jack's" best friend (let's call her Shirley) stood and approached the microphone at the lectern.  She shared of her great love for "Jack."  How along with her son, he had made several attempts to eat her out of house and home.  She told funny little stories about how the boys had shared a love for all things Star Wars and an affinity for loud music. As she painted beautiful word pictures, I watched both sides of the church (motley crew & church folk) lean forward to catch every word; laughing and crying - she had them eating out of the palm of her hand.

Her final story was about the last time "Jack" was at her house, about two weeks prior to that day. Shirley said that the boys had barreled into her kitchen, throwing open the refrigerator and the pantry - doing their usual "food raid job." She noticed something on "Jack's" earlobe and asked him about it. He said that he'd gotten his ear pierced because he thought it looked cool. Having recently taken a bible study where the subject of slave vs. freedman was the topic, she told him one of the things that she had learned was that in biblical times, an earring was a sign of slavery. Then as only someone who loved "Jack" could have (knowing many of the demons that haunted him daily with regard to drugs) she asked him point blank, "Who are you a slave to 'Jack?'  The world and those drugs or Jesus Christ?" Shirley said, "'Jack' just smiled at me and shrugged." and then she turned to the crowd at his funeral and posed the same question... "Who are YOU a slave to?"

You could have heard a pin drop. People on both sides of the church held her gaze as she quoted from today's scripture, "You were bought with a price!" I don't think any of us who were there that day have forgotten the message she sent loud and clear that day. 

Your taskmaster may not be drugs or alcohol, but is your Master Jesus? Remember, you were bought with a price...

KariAnn Lessner

Friday, March 9

Genesis 43:1-15

Psalms 69, 73

1 Corinthians 7:1-9

Mark 4:35-41

God Answers Prayer

A man I knew was in a treatment program for alcohol addiction.  A speaker mentioned that he believed that God always answered payers.  The man disagreed strongly and said: “I know that God doesn’t always answer prayers because when I was at the depths of my drinking I prayed earnestly that God would take my life, let me die, or give me the courage to kill myself, and I am still here.”  The speaker replied kindly: “You’re wrong. God answered your prayer.  The answer was No!”

At times when my faith is weak I sometimes wonder if God is listening.  But it is usually because I’m not getting the answer I wanted.  I not only wanted ask for God’s will but also to dictate what that would be, and it doesn’t work that way.  In Psalm 73 the writer bemoans the fact that wrongdoers succeed, that it makes no sense to play by the rules.  But after sincere prayer he sees that such worldly success is fleeting and that God is indeed faithful always to those who sincerely seek to do his will.

The disciples are quick to give up on Jesus when the storm threatens to capsize their boat but are of course rescued by the calming words of Jesus. Jesus chides them for their lack of faith, so quick to disappear in time of trouble.  The fact is that God is faithful and always answers prayer. Our job is to have faith and to be willing to listen for an answer we didn’t expect.

Bob Lowe

Thursday, March 8

Genesis 42:29-38

Psalms 70, 71, 74

1 Corinthians 6:12-30

Mark 4:21-34

I enjoy reading several verses from different chapters together.  When read together, they seem to reinforce each other.  Today, the theme that weaves through these verses is freedom to choose.

The Genesis reading begins with a favorite story of Joseph and his brothers. This is the part of the story where the brothers will find out their long “lost” brother is now in a position of power, not slavery because they chose to sell him into slavery.  In Psalms 71, the writer chooses to praise God even though his life has had troubles.  To paraphrase, he chooses to have faith, and he will be restored.  Corinthians gets right to the point - “I have the right to do anything…but not everything is beneficial.”

Gracefully God gives us this power to choose, and it can be gift or a grenade.  We can choose to honor God, and be in a relationship (the ultimate friend or loved family member) with Him.  Or not.

“Do you not know that your bodies are temples of the Holy Spirit, who is in you, whom you have received from God? You are not your own; you were bought at a price. Therefore honor God with your bodies.”  (Found in 1 Corinthians 6)

I know I am only beginning to scratch the surface of understanding God’s gift; I may be trying to choose what is best but is that enough?  In the final reading in Mark, I take great comfort to listen more:

     “Pay close attention to what you hear. The closer you listen, the more understanding you will be given—and you will receive even more.  To those who listen to my teaching, more understanding will be given. (Mark 4:24-25 New Living Translation)

This Lent, instead of giving up something, be encouraged and choose to listen and pray to understand.

There are those who know they know. There are those who know they do not know.  There are those who do not know that they do not know. Now, which one of these are you?

-Forward Day-by-Day, February 10, 2012

Eleanor Sheldon