Wednesday, March 31

Wednesday of Holy Week

John Donne, Priest (1631)

Lamentations 2:1-9, 14-17

Psalms 55, 74

2 Corinthians 1:23-2:11

Mark 12:1-11

Mark 12: 1-11

This parable of the vineyard planted by the faithful farmer who expects his servants to work hard and bring in a great harvest of grapes resonates with us because all of us have expectations of how our best-made plans should turn out. God is no different and we are His servants of whom He expects much. In this story, though, the servants turn out, beat and finally kill the farmer's own son in their attempt to take the vineyard for themselves. Jesus says the farmer's wrath will be terrible and that the vineyard will be given to others who will start anew and who will do his will.

This analogy of the old covenant being replaced by the new is clear, but we should not be too quick in thinking it has only to do with what happened two thousand years ago. We must be honest and ask how we are to God's bidding. There must be an assessment of our responsiveness to what Jesus' own example should elicit from us. We are too quick to presume upon grace and too slow in answering the admonishment of God.

Fr. David Puckett

Tuesday, March 30

Tuesday of Holy Week

Lamentations 1:17-22

Psalms 6, 12, 94

2 Corinthians 1:8-22

Mark 11:27-33

The French novelist, Alphonse Karr, is often quoted, “The more things change, the more they stay the same.” This is true of people in general. However, throughout the ages, this seems also to be the theme of God’s people. Beginning in the Old Testament in David’s Psalms, to the New Testament in Paul’s writings, through the present day, God’s people seem to have a common theme. We tend to whine and complain (our lamentations) and try to fix things ourselves before we turn to God. This has not worked for us for thousands of years, so why do we keep doing it? Throughout the scripture readings suggested for today it becomes clear that if we Fully Rely On God, he will not reject us. My dear friend Shelley Preston lived this example every day of her life. She called it the F.R.O.G. concept, which seems very simple when you think of it. Whether facing learning disabilities or her final battle with cancer, she never complained and always relied on our God to strengthen and sustain her. No matter what our adversities or hardships, we should always FROG. In Psalm 94 it states that “the Lord has become my fortress, and God the Rock in whom I take refuge.” God should always be the first place where we take refuge. Should you not be the one to change the cycle so things are not the same anymore?

Lori Burney

Monday, March 29

Monday of Holy Week

John Keble, Priest (1866)

Lamentations 1:1-2, 6-12

Psalms 51:1-18, 69:1-23

2 Corinthians 1:1-7

Mark 11:12-25

Mark 11: 12-25

God wants for us to follow him (obviously). He does not want us to be distracted and wants us to worship for him for the right reasons. He does not want us to worship him because our peers are, and he does not want us to follow him because we need guidance at certain moments of our lives. He appreciates us worshipping him in the most random of times, not just in a Sunday church mass. We should not feel obligated to worship him but we should want to glorify him.

Nobody understands why Jesus destroyed the fig tree, but it could possibly be in order to rid everybody of distractions that prevent people from coming to God first for guidance. God is not completely predictable, and we should not expect him to be. We should allow ourselves to put our trust in him because our faith is never consistent, and there is no right or wrong way to worship him, as long as we believe in him. God so badly wants us to come to him when we have issues in our lives, and he desires to help us through our struggles.

God is a mystery to any human. It is crucial to understand that in this life we will not receive all of the answers to all of our questions. He knows our faith. He loves us. He wants to be our best friend.

Connie Gilbert

Sunday, March 28

Palm Sunday

Zechariah 9:9-12 or Zechariah 12:9-11, 13:1, 7-9

Psalms 24, 29, 103

1 Timothy 6:12-16

Luke 19:41-48

Today's readings start with Luke 19:42-48 and Jesus states in verse 46 "my house will be a house of prayer;” but you have made it “a den of robbers.” A contrasting theme continues throughout the readings of God's love, peace and hope vs. Man's greed, violence and vengeance.

How we can use this in our life today? Jesus in Luke is also weeping that a huge opportunity for peace has been missed because many did not recognize God coming to them. This is so true today in 2010. But we do not give up hope because it was lost two thousand years ago. The readings go on to encourage and promise us:

1 Timothy 6:12-12 Fight the good fight of the faith,

Psalm 29:11 The LORD gives strength to his people; the LORD blesses his people with peace, in

Psalm 10:34-5

⁴who redeems your life from the pit
and crowns you with love and compassion,

⁵who satisfies your desires with good things
so that your youth is renewed like the eagle's

Zech. 9:9-12

¹²Return to your fortress, O prisoners of hope;
even now I announce that I will restore twice as much to you.

After everything else, in Zech 13:8-9 is graphically violent yet hopeful: if not struck down, we will be refined. While fire is certainly painful, the refining makes us pure. If we choose to follow Christ, we can be purified. This won't be an easy life; it will be as painful as fire. However, fight to faithfully follow Christ with faith is the best life and to be refined and ready to live with Christ as an eternal reward.

The message of what we can use today in 2010 can be to tie the contrast of a hard life being a refining life and not lose hope. Fight the good fight and go for the refined gold.

from Zech 13: 7-9
I will refine them like silver
and test them like gold.

Eleanor Sheldon

Saturday, March 27

Charles Henry Brent, Bishop of the Philippines, & Western New York (1929)

Exodus 10:21-11:8

Psalms 42, 43, 137:1-6, 144

2 Corinthians 4:13-18

Mark 10:46-52

Psalm 42

“Why are you downcast, O my soul?

Why so disturbed within me? Put your hope in God,

for I will yet praise him, my Savior and my God.”

Do you ever feel downcast? Not from regret or guilt, but being in an emotional low within your everyday life. You might be in what St. John of the Cross describes as the dark night of the soul.

Our lives are more often than not full and overflowing with activity, busyness, hurry; so there are times we need silence and solitude (the dark night…) to renew us, to center our lives and bring us closer to God. We’re not talking about deep anguish or depression, but a period of time with a feeling of dryness, emptiness, aloneness, maybe even a feeling of loss.

So what do we do? St. John suggests that we should be still, allow all the physical, emotional, psychological, even spiritual senses to be silenced, then to wait, listen, and put our hope in God. It is very tempting to seek release or to blame others for our times of solemnness, but I would suggest that we should be grateful for the opportunity to be at an emotional standstill and hopefully better attuned to let the Lord do his work within us.

To get the most from this journey through the dark night we should be guided by the words of St. John “Oh, then, spiritual soul, when you see your appetites darkened, your inclinations dry and constrained, your faculties incapacitated for any interior exercise, do not be afflicted; think of this as a grace, since God is freeing you from yourself and taking from you your own activity.”

Note: The reference for this meditation and the quotes of St. John of the Cross comes from the book “Celebration of Discipline” by Richard J. Foster.

Travis McDermott

Friday, March 26

Exodus 9:13-35

Psalms 95, 22, 141, 143:1-11

2 Corinthians 4:1-12

Mark 10:32-45

Mark 10:35-40

Then James and John, the sons of Zebedee, came to him. "Teacher," they said, "we want you to do for us whatever we ask."
"What do you want me to do for you?" he asked.
They replied, "Let one of us sit at your right and the other at your left in your glory."
"You don't know what you are asking," Jesus said. "Can you drink the cup I drink or be baptized with the baptism I am baptized with?"
"We can," they answered.
Jesus said to them, "You will drink the cup I drink and be baptized with the baptism I am baptized with,
but to sit at my right or left is not for me to grant. These places belong to those for whom they have been prepared."

Oh, the boldness and arrogance of James and John to ask Jesus to do whatever they ask. But, who’s asking whom? Where did they get such an idea?
Far too often we think we know the answer, we think we know someone so well, or we think we know God so well.
How humbling it is to be reminded in this passage that we have little to no idea.

No matter. Jesus responds.
He asks.
He listens.
He cares.
He is gentle.
He is wise.
He is truthful.
He is the Servant.
He knows we are merely children who earnestly want to be with Him.
He proceeds to the cross to drink His cup.
He dies.
He loves you.
He lives in glory.

We are selfish.
We want glory.
We are unknowing.
We are small.
We need to be rescued from ourselves.
We wouldn’t come close to seeing Him in His glory, if not for child-like faith, forgiveness and grace.

Thanks be to God, Amen.

Shari and Ian Watson

Thursday, March 25

Holy Day

The Annunciation of Our Lord Jesus Christ to The Blessed Virgin Mary

Exodus 7:25-8:19

Psalms 131, 132, 140, 142

2 Corinthians 3:7-18

Mark 10:17-31

Mark 10:17-31

17Now as He was going out on the road, one came running, knelt before Him, and asked Him, "Good Teacher, what shall I do that I may inherit eternal life?" 18Jesus said to him, "Why do you call Me good? No one is good but One, that is, God.” 19You know the commandments: “Do not commit adultery," "Do not murder," "Do not steal," "Do not bear false witness," “Do not defraud," "Honor your father and your mother," 20And he answered and said to Him, "Teacher, all these things I have kept from my youth." 21Then Jesus, looking at him, loved him, and said to him, "One thing you lack: Go your way, sell whatever you have and give to the poor, and you will have treasure in heaven; and come, take up the cross, and follow Me." 22But he was sad at this word, and went away sorrowful, for he had great possessions. 23Then Jesus looked around and said to His disciples, " How hard it is for those who have riches to enter the kingdom of God! 24And the disciples were astonished at His words. But Jesus answered again and said to them, "Children, how hard it is for those who trust in riches to enter the kingdom of God! 25 It is easier for a camel to go through the eye of a needle than for a rich man to enter the kingdom of God." 26And they were greatly astonished, saying among themselves, "Who then can be saved?" 27But Jesus looked at them and said, "With men it is impossible, but not with God; for with God all things are possible." 28Then Peter began to say to Him, “See, we have left all and followed You." 29So Jesus answered and said, "Assuredly, I say to you, there is no one who has left houses or brothers or sisters or father or mother or wife or children or lands, for My sake and the gospel's, 30who shall not receive a hundredfold now in this time - houses and brothers and sisters and mothers and children and lands, with persecutions - and in the age to come, eternal life. 31But many who are first will be last, and the last first."

In his book, Crazy Love, Francis Chan writes; "It's easy to fill ourselves up with other things and then give to God whatever is left." KariAnn Lessner taught the same message, as she "stuffed a jar" during Cup of Wonder. My message to you today, is to give to God first and the rest will fall into place. At home, at church, at work, live this message, teach this message. Especially to our children, teach them this simple but valuable lesson, because as Proverbs 20:11 says, "Even a child is known by his deeds." In the verses above, Jesus talks "lovingly," but he also talks straight to the man asking what he has to do to get to heaven. Jesus told him up front, give away the barriers you have that prevent you from serving God. I don't believe it means for us to get rid of all of our possessions, just don't let these things get in the way of following Jesus Christ. During this Lenten time, I challenge all who read this to give to God first, then fill yourself with what is left.

Gracious and loving God, thank you for the roof over our head, the food on our table and the many "things,” that fill our lives. Help us to use those "things" to serve others, and let them not get in the way of our love and service to you. I pray this in Jesus' name. Amen.

Julianne Mani

Wednesday, March 24

Exodus 7:8-24

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

2 Corinthians 2:14-3:6

Mark 10:1-16

When I was a college student, finishing up my last semester as an education major, I was given my student teaching assignment which led me to a third grade classroom in a small Spring Branch elementary school. There I met Glynis Peterson, the teacher who would mentor me during my final days before graduation. She welcomed me with a hug and a genuine gladness in my being there. During the next four months as we shared a classroom full of joyful, energetic third graders, a special bond between us grew. I not only watched and took careful notes on Glynis' abilities as a teacher, but I observed and admired the qualities she possessed as a human and as a Christian.

She exuded an attitude of selflessness and encouragement each and every day. Her strong faith and daily commitment to her relationship with God were things I had never before witnessed and I liked the way being around her made me feel. Glynis took a deep interest in her students and in all those around her, asking questions and finding plenty of opportunities to offer praise. One day in particular sticks in my mind. Our classroom had become warm and stuffy and an air-conditioning repairman had been sent to fix what appeared to be a broken thermostat. Upon completing the repair, Glynis thanked him and complimented the fine job he had done in a way that went beyond what many of us would offer up to an almost complete stranger. Her warmth was not reserved for those she knew...Glynis showed kindness and generosity to everyone she met and I watched and took it to heart during my time with her. Our friendship quickly grew and I vowed to stay close with Glynis even after graduation, as I moved on to a teaching position of my own.

It's been twenty years since I spent a fall semester student teaching along side Glynis. She and her husband were at our wedding and have celebrated each anniversary that David and I have enjoyed with cards expressing well wishes and support. They have been involved in the lives of our children, Lauren and Kevin, writing letters and making phone calls even during the busiest of times. Today, we visit Glynis, her husband, and her elderly father that she cares for as often as possible, and in doing so, I see my children growing in character as a result of knowing her. I feel myself wanting to be a better person as a result of our friendship.

So in reading 2 Corinthians 2:14 - 3:6, it's only natural that Glynis came to my mind. Chapter 3 reads, "You show that you are a letter from Christ, the result of our ministry, written not with ink but with the Spirit of the living God, not on tablets of stone but on tablets of human hearts." I often marvel at how many human hearts Glynis has touched and I smile at how her showing the love of Jesus inspires my family to do the same.

Who is it for you that demonstrates this ability to touch human hearts and in doing so, spreads "the fragrance of the knowledge of Him?" May we all strive to do so.

Beth McGee

Tuesday, March 23

Gregory the Illuminator, Bishop & Missionary of Armenia (332)

Exodus 5:1-6:1

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

1 Corinthians 14:20-33a, 39-40

Mark 9:42-50

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

What is it about a phone ringing in the middle of the night?

Immediately my heart starts pounding. Thoughts race through my head. Which son? Which parent? My brother? What's wrong? How wrong? It's 3:00 in the morning. I pick up the phone. A thousand possibilities have already raced through my mind. My friend says I "horrible-ize." Don’t we all "horrible-ize" when the phone rings at 3:00 in the morning? Then I hear his voice over the phone. He's OK (Thank you, Lord), but he's not Ok. He talks non stop. His voice is unsteady. Life is at a very difficult place. I want to help. I know I can't fix it. I listen a lot, I talk some, and then I know for certain where to find the help and comfort that he needs. And I always go to the Psalms. So after I listen, and after I talk, I read out loud over the phone. Most often there's no way to explain or understand why "this" has happened. But when I read the Psalms, there is the comfort. So I always go to the Psalms.

And I read…

"I lift up my eyes to the hills. Where does my help come from? My help comes for the Lord, the Maker of heaven and earth.”

"He will not let your foot slip--he who watches over you will not slumber."

"The Lord watches over you--the Lord is your shade at your right hand; the sun will not harm you by day nor the moon by night. The Lord will keep you from all harm--he will watch over your life; the Lord will watch over your coming and going both now and forevermore."

He's there I tell him. He's with you. He won't let the flood waters engulf you. He won't let the torrent sweep over you. He won't let the raging waters sweep you away. He is there. What greater comfort can there be?

So, if you receive a call from a loved one in the middle of the night, or if the flood waters are rising all around you, or if you simply want to feel the comfort of His eternal presence, I encourage you to go to the Psalms.

Melinda VanPaasschen

Monday, March 22

James De Koven, Priest (1879)

Exodus 4:10-20(21-26)27-31

Psalms 31, 35

1 Corinthians 14:1-19

Mark 9:30-41

PSALMS 31:3

Since you are my rock and fortress,

for the sake of your name lead and guide me. NIV

God is truly merciful, but he does not shield us from adversity. Psalms 31 reminds us that pain and suffering is part of life. It is so easy to be grateful to God when things go our way, but it is through pain that we have the opportunity to get closer to God. God knows our pain. He sees it all. Yet, we cannot always understand our own pain. We ask “Why me?” or “How will I manage?” We can become despondent. However, when we accept that pain is part of God’s plan for us we can turn to Him for mercy and understanding.

Our Lenten walk is a time to examine our sorrows and fears, being particularly mindful of any troubles that we have brought on ourselves through sin. What keeps us awake at night? What or who do we fear? Who are our enemies or critics? What have we done to dishonor God? When we identify our troubles, we can then look to God and say as David said, “My times are in your hands.” We must accept that God controls everything about us. In doing so, we can embrace and live His plan for us. We are at peace.

The way of man is not in himself, nor in our friend's hands, nor in our enemies' hands, but in God's.

Ellen DeSanctis

Sunday, March 21

The Fifth Sunday of Lent

Thomas Ken, Bishop of Bath & Wells (1711)

Exodus 3:16-4:12

Psalms 118, 145

Romans 12:1-21

John 8:46-59

“Do not conform any longer to the pattern of this world, but be transformed by the renewing of your mind.” This quote could easily be taken from Stephen Covey’s bestseller The 7 Habits of Highly Effective People, but these are the words of St. Paul, written almost 2000 years ago, to instruct early followers of Christ on how to be “living sacrifices, holy and pleasing to God” (Rom. 12:2, NIV).

Through the “renewing” of our minds, Paul says we will be able to “test and approve what God’s will is – his good, pleasing and perfect will” (Rom. 12:2). Then, we will be better able to lovingly serve each other and God according to our individual gifts and be true living sacrifices. Paul goes on to illustrate what a living sacrifice to God looks like. Again, Covey’s writings on character ethics come to mind. Paul describes some of the same characteristics Covey’s principle-centered “effective” people tend to exhibit. Paul admonishes us to keep our egos in check and not think of ourselves too highly; to use our talents to the fullest and let others use theirs; to be patient; to be faithful in prayer; to give to those in need; to be hospitable; not to be conceited or too proud to associate with people of lower status; to rejoice with those who rejoice and mourn with those in mourning; to live in peace and to not seek revenge against our enemies. And, all the while, we are to be joyful and not lack zeal.

If this sounds like a tall order, that’s because it is. We are too human to be perfect living sacrifices to God. But meaningful change is possible – no, it’s guaranteed - if we look deep within ourselves for guidance from God, not from the world outside of us, garner our strength from Him and transform our lives from the inside out.

This Lent, let us renew both our minds and our hearts so that we may better discern God’s “good, pleasing and perfect will,” take action accordingly to serve Him, and act with sincere love for one other.

Evelyn Snow

Saturday, March 20

Cuthbert, Bishop of Lindisfarne (687)

Exodus 2:23-3:15

Psalms 33, 107:33-43, 108:1-6

1 Corinthians 13:1-13

Mark 9:14-29

1 Corinthians 13

This passage, one full of beautiful metaphors and parallelism, is one we all know as the "love" passage and have heard and read it hundreds of times. It's probably one of our favorite readings because these words are a good rule to live by, a rule that transcends time. However, this passage, so popular at weddings, is not about emotion or romance; rather it teaches us about "true" love and is applicable to the relationship between man and woman, or the relationship between family members, or between friends. The passage even speaks to our relationship with our enemies. To understand love, we need to look at Christ's example. His dying on the cross for us was the ultimate love. Thus love means the self sacrifice of oneself, the denying of one's own desires, for the good of someone else, even for our enemies. This is the template that we must follow, which starts with a conscious decision, an act of will in which we determine in our minds that this is what we'll do, accompanied by an asking of God's grace to help us accomplish what seems impossible. So what is love? -

It is patient with the imperfect.

It actively does good.

It is not possessive. It does not compete. It lets others be first.

It is humble, has good manners, is courteous.

It is not selfish.

It is not irritable or rough. It is graceful under pressure

It keeps no account of wrongs. It forgets them.

It is silent about the shortcomings of others.

It sings of the goodness of others.

It helps all people.

It believes the best of others.

It never gives up, but reaffirms constancy of purpose.

It remains loyal to the end.

It always wins, because it has more value than anything in life.

Finally, we know that we are not alone, as we strive to love, for we have God's grace, as well as His example. By giving ourselves up to Him, we can "love."

Elizabeth and Ian Bremner

Friday, March 19

Holy Day - St. Joseph

Exodus 2:1-22

Psalms 95, 102, 107:1-32

1 Corinthians 12:27-13:3

Mark 9:2-13

Have you ever cried out in the wilderness? Has your heart ever been so blighted and withered that you forgot to eat your food? In the course of your life, have you been broken?

“Hear my prayer, O Lord; let my cry for help come to you.”

Psalm 102 is the prayer of an afflicted man crying out to the Lord. He is desperate. He is broken. He sees that his days are vanishing. Yet, as he cries to the Lord for comfort, he also looks forward, to God’s steadfast presence for future generations.

As I write this, we are 10 days past the devastating earthquake in Haiti. The voices crying out in the wilderness are quieting; bodies yielding to injuries and days without food and water. Yet there continue to be a few miraculous rescues. There continues to be a thin strand of hope and faith that more people will be rescued, even though statistically, the time for hope is over. And we pray: for the souls of the departed; that more people will be found, for the rescuers and workers that are gathering to help in this desperate situation. Our thoughts turn to the survivors and their future. Our hope and faith turn to God’s steadfast presence for the living.

Sorrow and despair tempered by faith and hope, and by God’s compassionate presence in our lives.

Have you ever cried out in the wilderness? Has your heart ever been so blighted and withered that you forgot to eat your food? In the course of your life, have you been broken?

Joanne Polansky

Thursday, March 18

Cyril, Bishop of Jerusalem (386)

Exodus 1:6-22

Psalms 69:1-23(24-30)31-38, 73

1 Corinthians 12:12-26

Mark 8:27-9:1

1 Corinthians 12-26

Taken from The Message

I want you to think about how all this makes you more significant, not less. A body isn’t just a single part blown up into something huge. It’s all the different-but-similar parts arranged and functioning together. If Foot said, “I’m not elegant like Hand, embellished with rings; I guess I don’t belong to this body,” would that make it so? If Ear said, “I’m not beautiful like Eye, limpid and expressive; I don’t deserve a place on the head,” would you want to remove it from the body? If the body was all eye, how could it hear?

If all ear, how could it smell? As it is, we see that God has carefully placed each part of the body right where he wanted it.

I use The Message for my morning prayer time.... It gives a new perspective to passages that we have heard so often they become stale. Like the above I just love it! This is also “The Church” with all of us having our special gifts. Never is it more evident that with the Acolytes. They are all very different from each other but when they are on they come together to help lead the church in worship. They give such a big gift to us all. But like us all they get the gift as well! Every Sunday nine Acolytes show up to serve. They also serve for weddings and funerals. Rarely do they no! It is with an especially happy heart that I say “Thank you and Alleluia for our Acolytes.”

In Christ,
Lynn Mather

Wednesday, March 17

Patrick, Bishop & Missionary of Ireland (461)

Genesis 50:15-26

Psalms 101, 109:1-4(5-19)20-30, 119:121-144

1 Corinthians 12:1-11

Mark 8:11-26

Mark 8: 14-21

The Pharisees have said to Jesus that they have no bread to give the people. They have challenged Him following the miracle of the feeding of the multitude and now they profess their own ineptitude. Their words have a deeper truth than they are aware of. They mean this literally; Jesus points out their spiritual emptiness. The Pharisees have lost their calling to offer the people God's truth. They can only exist by God's grace but by Jesus' time they are invested in their power and in their fear. They are prevented by their own choices from knowing Him and cannot even recognize the significance of the numbers twelve and seven. Twelve for the people of the covenant and seven for God's perfect love. They miss or ignore what Jesus has offered.

We must be thoughtful, aware of how easily we can miss Jesus' presence and message. We can miss His truth and its challenge because of our own choices to replace His primacy with our self centered and ultimately unfulfilling priorities. Lent is a time to clean out the cluttered closets of our theology and return with clean hearts to the clarity of Jesus' word.

Fr. David Puckett

Tuesday, March 16

Genesis 49:29-50:14

Psalms 94, 97, 99

1 Corinthians 11:17-34

Mark 8:1-10

Mark 8: 1-10

Does it seem to you that there is an awful lot that needs doing? Tending to mundane daily tasks, performing our jobs well, rearing our children, participating in church life, providing for the needy and the afflicted, etc., etc., etc. -- how can we possibly get it all done?

The feeding of the four thousand is a glorious demonstration of Jesus' compassion for His people and, of course, His unlimited and divine abilities. Yet it is also important instruction for us on how to accomplish the work He gives us to do. We must do it through Him.

Our own schemes and efforts, no matter how brilliant or well intentioned, can never be more than seven loaves and a few small fish. It is only when we give them to Jesus to be blessed and broken that they will be sufficient.

Elizabeth Puckett

Monday, March 15

Genesis 49:1-28

Psalm 89

1 Corinthians 10:14-11:1

Mark 7:24-37

Paul’s letter to the Corinthians today cuts right to my heart. I am a vegetarian, and I follow a certain code of rules similar to the Corinthians. I abstain from eating meat. Paul’s words make me question whether my practice of abstaining from meat is, in fact, idolatrous. Of course, I know that Corinthians were recent converts to Christianity who continued to follow strict rules and rituals established by their rabbis concerning the preparation of meat. Paul was writing to remind them that the only rule that matters – the only thing we have to live by – is Jesus Christ. Before, the Jews had to earn God’s grace by cleansing themselves through sacrifice and ritual. Now, Jesus freely gives us grace – he showers it on us!

Just like the Corinthians, I know I am still learning what it means to live in that freedom of grace that Jesus offers me. We are all tempted by idolatry. I consciously live by a code of vegetarianism, but all of us certainly live by some kind of code, either conscious or unconscious, that attempts to reduce God to something we can control. Today’s text is a reminder that God does not judge us based on what rules, steps, diets, or exercise regiments we follow. Rather, He wants us to enjoy the abundance of His creation, to live in the fullness of His glory, and to let go of our fears and anxieties about doing things the ‘right’ way. Jesus has taken care of all that, and all we have to do is follow Him. The only way we can go wrong, in fact, is to keep others from living into God’s glory themselves. This is our only constraint, to put others before ourselves as Jesus did. “So, whether you eat or drink, or whatever you do,” Paul tells us, “do everything for the glory of God” (1 Corinthians 10:31).

Sarah Taylor