Monday, March 18

Jeremiah 24:1-10

Psalms 31, 35
Romans 9:19-33
John 9:1-17   

¹⁹ You will say to me then, “Why does he still find fault? For who can resist his will?” ²⁰ But who are you, O man, to answer back to God? Will what is molded say to its molder, “Why have you made me like this?” ²¹ Has the potter no right over the clay, to make out of the same lump one vessel for honorable use and another for dishonorable use? ²² What if God, desiring to show his wrath and to make known his power, has endured with much patience vessels of wrath prepared for destruction, ²³ in order to make known the riches of his glory for vessels of mercy, which he has prepared beforehand for glory.  Romans 9:19-23

Excuses, Excuses:

The verses above are clear enough.  I reread them several times in shock. Seriously?  But there it is:

God doesn't want to hear it.  No excuses.  None of that "You made me this way" stuff that we are so good at - rationalizing and explaining away our falling short of His will.  He has expectations of us - we are to make known the riches of His glory, we don't get to say "Naw, I'm not strong enough, brave enough, tall enough, smart enough."  He is not making allowances.  We're in good company - Moses didn't get to use his speech impediment, Jonah his cowardice or Paul his disgust for the new church to explain away their own plans.

As a parent I have heard it all, every excuse under the sun.  And they sometimes work.  I find that my "mercy" is couched in our own adequacies.  I am more lenient to weaknesses I see in myself.  My husband tolerates things I don't and vice versa. Human judgment is weak and flawed.  He who has no weaknesses doesn't play that way.

So now that I have failed to meet His standards, what’s next for me?  Wait - there's more!

30 What shall we say, then? That Gentiles who did not pursue righteousness have attained it, that is, a righteousness that is by faith; 31 but that Israel who pursued a law that would lead to righteousness did not succeed in reaching that law. 32 Why? Because they did not pursue it by faith, but as if it were based on works. They have stumbled over the stumbling stone, 33

We can't do it alone - and we don't need to.  The people who succeed in His path don't do it by their own smarts but by Faith.  Know our weakness and then quit worrying - let go, trust Him.  He will use us - weaknesses and all.

Of course there's more:

13 No temptation has overtaken you except what is common to mankind. And God is faithful; he will not let you be tempted beyond what you can bear. But when you are tempted, he will also provide a way out so that you can endure it. 1 Corinthians 10:13

We can do it!  He promises us this. Follow the path of righteousness, know and do His will. Our Father, who made us and knows us will not leave us alone. He will never push us too far and will never leave us alone. And if we fall short?  We fail, we are betrayed by our weakness?  No excuses but forgiveness and so much love.

Lisa Thomas

FIFTH SUNDAY OF LENT

Sunday, March 17

Jeremiah 23:16-32

Psalms 118, 145

1 Corinthians 9:19-27

Mark 8:31-9:1

 “Whoever desires to come after Me, let him deny himself

and take up his cross and follow Me.”  Mark 8:34

Lent is sometimes thought of as a season of penance, that is, a time of self-denial.  We often speak of “giving something up for Lent.”  Whatever Lenten discipline we choose to follow, the purpose is to help us step away from the things of the world in order to sharpen our focus on the things of God.

Today’s readings speak poetically and forcefully of the need to disengage our thoughts and reliance on worldly promises and activities. Psalm 118 tells us:

It is better to trust in the Lord

Than to put confidence in man.

It is better to trust in the Lord

Than to put confidence in princes.

Jeremiah warns of false prophets who offer worldly comfort:

“And to everyone who walks according to the dictates of his own heart they say ‘No evil shall come upon you’”.

Jesus says it most directly and eloquently in Mark 8: 36:

“For what will it profit a man if he gains the whole world, and loses his own soul?”

As Episcopalians we are indeed fortunate to share a faith that demands that we observe Lent each year, that we take significant time each year to turn our thinking, and hopefully our lives, away from the false promises of the world and reconnect with the things of God.  Lent is an opportunity not to be missed, for what will it profit a man if he gains the whole world… well, you know the rest.

  

Bob Lowe

Saturday, March 16

Jeremiah 23:9-15

Psalms 33, 102, 108

Romans 9:1-18

John 6:60-71

 “The words that I have spoken to you are spirit and life.”

John 6:63b

Jesus came onto this earth to give life to each of us – to bring salvation to each of us – and to send the Spirit to us to bring us joy and peace.

We have just finished Christmas.  We have put the gifts up.  We have undecorated the tree and the ornaments and lights are put away for safekeeping until later this year.  We have cut down on our eating – or at least have every good intention to cut back and loose those extra pounds that were packed on during the Christmas season.  All is settled down.

The cycle of our year brings us now to Lent and the anticipation of Easter.  Our time forces us to turn inward and to see who we are and what are we really made of – and what we truly believe. 

A way to do that is to think about the many gifts God has bestowed on each of us - the gifts of health, family, friends, home, food, and the air that surrounds us on every side.  Another way is to reflect on the words that Jesus spoke when he was on this earth.  The word love is used time after time.  Jesus’ actions speak volumes to us for Jesus’ actions were to express to us clearly that we are loved.  Through those words and through the actions, Jesus offers to us life – a life filled with love and an anticipation of love for all of eternity.

Do we believe that?  Do we live out our lives on this March 16^th as if we believe this?  Read the words.  Read of Jesus’ actions.  And sense life – and sense love.

Fr. John Pitts

Friday, March 15

Jeremiah 23:1-8

Psalm 107

Romans 8:28-39

John 6:52-59

“And we know that in all things God works for the good of those who love Him, who’ve been called according to His purpose.”   Romans 8:28

Why does it often seem that life can be so hard?  I ask this question because I often become frustrated when the course of my daily life doesn't always go smoothly or in the manner that I had envisioned.  Frustration is the one of the results of living in a world that is saddled with sin.  I have to remind myself that setbacks are a part of life.  There will always be some degree of disappointment, and if you aren’t careful, that disappointment can lead to pain and resentment.  When we become resentful towards someone or a group, we don’t hurt those people; we only hurt ourselves.  Are we going to allow setbacks to make us a better person or a bitter person?

It is easy to become envious of others when life doesn’t go the way we want it to.  We begin to think, “It’s not fair. We've worked long and hard and things aren't going according to our plan?”  The question then is, just exactly whose plan are we trying to execute?  Our plan or God's Plan?  Our plan is just as flawed as the world we live in.  When we think we are taking control of a situation, we often find that control is merely temporary, if it ever existed at all.  A great example of this is the journey that the Rector Search Committee is currently taking.  We have found ourselves sometimes focused so hard on the "search" part of the job, that we sometimes miss out on the far more important "listen" part of the job.  By that I don't mean failing to listen to our candidates, but rather struggling to hear and comprehend what God is trying to tell us.  When we put everything in the context of focusing on God's Will and asking Him to give us wise and discerning hearts and minds, all our needs will be met and the answers start becoming much clearer.

We can persevere in a imperfect world by remembering a few things:

1.  God uses everything for our good.  God is bigger than our enemies and certainly bigger than our problems.  

2.  God wants us to succeed in all those areas where we may be coming up short.

3.  God solved our biggest problem when he paid for all our sins, including the ones we haven’t committed yet.  If God cared enough to save us and give us the gift of eternal life, it goes without saying that he certainly cares about the problems in our daily lives. 

4.  If it’s big enough to worry about, it’s big enough to pray about.  And if we pray about it, we won’t have to worry about it.

All of these things should remind and comfort us that God is good and has a firm control of our lives.

Doug Hart

Thursday, March 14

Jeremiah 22:13-23
Psalms 69, 73
Romans 8:12-27
John 6:41-51

 Justice and Perseverance

In reflecting on today’s readings, my mind kept returning to two words: perseverance and justice.  In today’s Gospel, Jesus tells the murmuring Jews that He is the path to the Father and eternal life.  This is a cornerstone of our faith.  When the chips are down, however, faith is often doubted.  We are tempted to question God’s plan for us.  In the pursuit of earthly greatness, faith can be forgotten.  We are tempted to believe in our own prowess and focus on our own earthly desires at the expense of others.  I know I have experienced, and succumbed to, these temptations. 

Today’s readings reminded me that justice and perseverance are the antidotes to these temptations.  Persevering in faith will sustain me and help me resist the temptation to throw in the towel on God’s plan for me when the chips are down and the path forward seems too difficult.  Perseverance in faith sustained the psalmist and the early Roman Christian.  Conversely, achieving earthly success through just means allows me to remain in harmony with God’s plan.  As a lawyer, Jeremiah’s message that God demands that earthly success and greatness be built on justice and due regard for the needs of others resonated deeply with me. 

Therefore, in this Lenten season, my prayers will revolve around perseverance and justice.   

Mike Lennon