Is Your God too Small?

OPENING PRAYER. . .Loving God, Creator of all that is, here I am--today in this place that you have given me, with all the senses you have given me. Help me to use them to experience you on a deeper level. May I experience you all around me, open me to know more of your ways and know that your goodness surrounds me. Thank you for this time to be with you, to be still and to just listen. Amen

LISTEN: "When some in the crowd heard these words, they said, “This man is truly the prophet.” ⁴¹ Others said, “He’s the Christ.” But others said, “The Christ can’t come from Galilee, can he? ⁴² Didn’t the scripture say that the Christ comes from David’s family and from Bethlehem, David’s village?” ⁴³ So the crowd was divided over Jesus. ⁴⁴ Some wanted to arrest him, but no one grabbed him.
⁴⁵ The guards returned to the chief priests and Pharisees, who asked, “Why didn’t you bring him?”
⁴⁶ The guards answered, “No one has ever spoken the way he does.”
⁴⁷ The Pharisees replied, “Have you too been deceived? ⁴⁸ Have any of the leaders believed in him? Has any Pharisee? ⁴⁹ No, only this crowd, which doesn’t know the Law. And they are under God’s curse!”
⁵⁰ Nicodemus, who was one of them and had come to Jesus earlier, said, ⁵¹ “Our Law doesn’t judge someone without first hearing him and learning what he is doing, does it?” John 7:40-51

CONSIDER: In this reading today, Nicodemus tries to save Jesus from prejudicial condemnation, a verdict rendered before all the facts have been heard.  "The verdict first and then the evidence," says the Red Queen of Alice in Wonderland.  Many times we think that the outcome is rigged in courts with political bias.  The question is, do we judge God in the same irrational way? Do we create a picture of God that is unworthy of the name and then decide we don't believe in this unbelievable God?  Have we already decided that God is hard to please and then allow that prejudice to justify our distance from God?

SO WHAT:  Maybe our view of God is too small. Making God small may seem to justify our distance from God that we try and maintain.  Each of us has a picture of God in our mind's eye, whether we ever speak it or not. The only question is whether that image is ample or cramped, more right or more wrong. I think we need to stop putting limits on our God. We need to open our hearts and minds to the infinite love and mercy that is our God. Infinite. . . immeasurable. . . endless. . .boundless . . .love and mercy. There is no end to the love and mercy that God has for those who believe. The only end to this is the "end" that we place on it. The only explanation of a small God is the explanation we make that limits God in our mind's eye.

• What do I believe about God?
• What keeps me skeptical about God?
• Do I listen to a worldview of God?
• How do I understand the infinite love and mercy of God?

PRAYER: Lord, on my own I can do nothing. In your infinite love and mercy, sustain me and allow me to see the view of You that is true. Help me to accept your infinite love and mercy that You have for me. Amen

A Hunger for Stillness

OPENING PRAYER. . .Loving God, Creator of all that is, here I am--today in this place that you have given me, with all the senses you have given me. Help me to use them to experience you on a deeper level. May I experience you all around me, open me to know more of your ways and know that your goodness surrounds me. Thank you for this time to be with you, to be still and to just listen. Amen

LISTEN: Therefore, the Lord God, the holy one of Israel, says:
In return and rest you will be saved; quietness and trust will be your strength—but you refused. Nonetheless, the Lord is waiting to be merciful to you, and will rise up to show you compassion. The Lord is a God of justice; happy are all who wait for him. Isaiah 30:15,18

CONSIDER:  One of the costs of living in our fast-paced, electronic world is that finding a silent, restful moment, day or night can be tough.  Instant communication creates a steady stream of info from everywhere. We expect from ourselves and others--an instant response. . . no matter if we (or the other person) is driving or sick as a dog. This minute by minute distraction keeps us far from a contemplative space. If we really think about it, this need to know what's going on with everyone addictive. So much so, that even if we aren't getting "notifications", we're still pulling out our phones to check on what we might have missed. . . but what we've really missed is our connection to God, and face to face connection with family and friends.

SO WHAT: Even in the ancient times of Isaiah, it's clear that getting busy and forgetting God was a common occurrence. To find God, we must wait. . . .waiting is not something that we are in a habit of doing!  Instant gratification is the rule, not the exception.  Did you know that Amazon.com is working on implementing deliveries within an hour of ordering online?  We begin to think that praying should be as instant as Amazon!  It is difficult for us to ratchet-back our obsession for instant actions. We expect that our faith-life should be just as quick-paced as the lives we live. We get bored in worship experiences because the pace is much slower than TV. . .or our smart phone videos. We want everything, including our faith, to be drive-through; with new and improved meaning delivered in the ever shrinking scheduled time slot we have available. Isaiah is speaking in the way God works--quietly, confidently, patiently through resting; encouraging us to SLOW DOWN.
Isaiah's advice to "return, rest, be patient and your strength will be gained in quiet confidence" is still valid for us today.  Your health, blood pressure, heart rate and frantic mind will all benefit from his advice.

• What makes putting down your smart phone, iPad, tablet difficult for you?
• Experiment with waiting. How long can you last before either internal or external interruptions end the waiting?
• Be honest with yourself. . . when you think about having to wait for something you want, how do you feel?

PRAYER: Loving God, slow me down! Still my anxieties and help me to wait in quiet. Remind me that good things come to those who wait. Show me how to find rest in you. Amen

A Light Shines in the Darkness

OPENING PRAYER. . .Loving God, Creator of all that is, here I am--today in this place that you have given me, with all the senses you have given me. Help me to use them to experience you on a deeper level. May I experience you all around me, open me to know more of your ways and know that your goodness surrounds me. Thank you for this time to be with you, to be still and to just listen. Amen

LISTEN:  Isaiah 60:18-19

^18" Violence will no longer resound throughout your land,
    nor devastation or destruction within your borders.
You will call your walls Salvation,
    and your gates Praise.
¹⁹ The sun will no longer be your light by day,
    nor will the moon shine for illumination by night.^[a]
The Lord will be your everlasting light;
    your God will be your glory."

 

CONSIDER: Sometimes when we read a passage of scripture we have to step back in time and think about how things were at that time. In the scripture from Isaiah we need to remember that walled cities were the best means of protection against bandits and thieves as well as the occasional marauding army. In our life, affliction, illnesses, tragedy and pain afflict us in a multitude of ways. The wall that protects us is our salvation and our praise to God helps the misery leave us. Our light and joy don't always come from nature or by our own hands. But the light of Christ illuminates the darkness that tends to creep into our souls from time to time.  The sun or the moon can't do it. A flip of the light switch won't do it. So what will? I think sitting down and calling to mind God's unfailing light in Jesus Christ as our own light helps to dissipate the gloom and darkness. . .the Gospel of John affirms this. . . "A light shines in the darkness, and the darkness cannot overcome it."

 

SO WHAT:  Our reflection time and meditation isn't a cure all for everything that you might experience. Sometimes the gloom and darkness (maybe even depression) comes from a chemical imbalance that needs medication to cure. (God made the medication available for us too) But think of your reflection upon the light of Christ as an ever present oasis, or walled city, that you go to as a respite from the burden you might be feeling. This Light, is a s near as your withdrawal to silence to pray.  Jesus gave us that example in the many times he withdrew from people to pray.  It was a time when he reconnected with the true source of light.

So, if you are weighed down with too much life, remember that there is a saving wall that surrounds you through Jesus Christ and bask for awhile everyday in the Light that conquers all darkness.

• How often are you faced with gloom and darkness? What is it's source?
• Sometimes there is too much "mental noise" going on in our heads to calm down enough to pray. Using a piece of paper, write down all those thoughts and then go to prayer.
• What activities bring peace to your soul? What keeps you from them?

 

Come to the Waters

OPENING PRAYER. . .Loving God, Creator of all that is, here I am--today in this place that you have given me, with all the senses you have given me. Help me to use them to experience you on a deeper level. May I experience you all around me, open me to know more of your ways and know that your goodness surrounds me. Thank you for this time to be with you, to be still and to just listen. Amen

LISTEN:  ^1-6 Soon another Feast came around and Jesus was back in Jerusalem. Near the Sheep Gate in Jerusalem there was a pool, in Hebrew called Bethesda, with five alcoves. Hundreds of sick people—blind, crippled, paralyzed—were in these alcoves. One man had been an invalid there for thirty-eight years. When Jesus saw him stretched out by the pool and knew how long he had been there, he said, “Do you want to get well?”
⁷ The sick man said, “Sir, when the water is stirred, I don’t have anybody to put me in the pool. By the time I get there, somebody else is already in.”
^8-9 Jesus said, “Get up, take your bedroll, start walking.” The man was healed on the spot. He picked up his bedroll and walked off.
^9-10 That day happened to be the Sabbath. The Jews stopped the healed man and said, “It’s the Sabbath. You can’t carry your bedroll around. It’s against the rules.”
¹¹ But he told them, “The man who made me well told me to. He said, ‘Take your bedroll and start walking.’”
^12-13 They asked, “Who gave you the order to take it up and start walking?” But the healed man didn’t know, for Jesus had slipped away into the crowd.
¹⁴ A little later Jesus found him in the Temple and said, “You look wonderful! You’re well! Don’t return to a sinning life or something worse might happen.”
^15-16 The man went back and told the Jews that it was Jesus who had made him well. That is why the Jews were out to get Jesus—because he did this kind of thing on the Sabbath. John 5:1-16

CONSIDER:  No one comes to Baptism unless another brings them. Some of us were carried in our parents arms or maybe if we are adults, a friend walks us to the water where Christ baptizes us into a new life. Our hearts are changed, we move from isolation into community with God. We are no longer living a life of paralysis but walking in the love of God.

SO WHAT: The paralytic that we read about has been ill for 38 years and was still waiting for someone to help him come to the healing waters. What we need to understand is that it is never too late for us or too late for us to help someone else.  As we are in this time and space, we are the hands and feet of Jesus. It's not by accident that we are in this place at this time with the people in our life.  You see, we are called to bring those we see with paralyzed hearts to Jesus, so that they may walk with us to the healing water of Jesus. Many times people come to the faith because they have seen a friend live the Christian life with faith and love and as they watch them they think, "I want to live like that, I want what they have."
This Sunday, we will be baptizing one of our youth. She came to the church because a friend invited her. She has watched her friends and church family. She is not the same young lady who first came to our church. Sunday she will be walked to the water by her friends and baptized into a new life. Her heart has been changed and she will proclaim that to her church family on Sunday. She is walking in the love of God.

• Who can you invite to come and join you at church?
• Who is that person that you can walk beside and bring to the waters of life?

PRAY:  Dear God, help me bring others to the water. Help me to pay attention to those who are laying at the side of the pool just waiting for help to get into the healing waters. Give me the courage to invite others to join me in the water. Amen

God Knows the Heart

OPENING PRAYER. . .Loving God, Creator of all that is, here I am--today in this place that you have given me, with all the senses you have given me. Help me to use them to experience you on a deeper level. May I experience you all around me, open me to know more of your ways and know that your goodness surrounds me. Thank you for this time to be with you, to be still and to just listen. Amen

LISTEN: "He told his next story to some who were complacently pleased with themselves over their moral performance and looked down their noses at the common people: “Two men went up to the Temple to pray, one a Pharisee, the other a tax man. The Pharisee posed and prayed like this: ‘Oh, God, I thank you that I am not like other people—robbers, crooks, adulterers, or, heaven forbid, like this tax man. I fast twice a week and tithe on all my income.’
 “Meanwhile the tax man, slumped in the shadows, his face in his hands, not daring to look up, said, ‘God, give mercy. Forgive me, a sinner.’”
Jesus commented, “This tax man, not the other, went home made right with God. If you walk around with your nose in the air, you’re going to end up flat on your face, but if you’re content to be simply yourself, you will become more than yourself.” (Luke 18:9-14)

CONSIDER: One of the best reasons not to judge is in understanding that we can't even judge ourselves. Only God knows the human heart. Many times we put on a good show for everybody else. . . but we can't fool God.  Our sins of omission are many, even if we are not conscious of our many times that we are unkind. Maybe not even unkind but just uncaring. "We don't always say what we mean or mean what we say. And sometimes what we say is not what is heard."

SO WHAT:  Do we really know ourselves in any depth? Only God sees and knows the depths of our hearts. Sometimes we talk a better talk than we walk. But sometimes when we think less of ourselves, God may know that we walk a better walk than we talk.  Whatever we think, do or say, God knows the truth. God knows our hearts like no one else. So lets not think that we can say one thing and do something else or think one way but act another. God knows the truth of who we really are. Others may misunderstand your intentions, judge your words or find fault. . . but God knows that you are learning and trying to be all God has created you to be.

• Take time today for self-examination.
• Be honest with yourself, do you try to hide your truest self?
• How can you trust God and become who God has made you to be?

PRAYER:  Dear God, forgive me, a sinner. Help me to see myself through your eyes and to act like a child of God today. Show me what you see in me and teach me to be that person. Amen

Be Still. . .

OPENING PRAYER. . .Loving God, Creator of all that is, here I am--today in this place that you have given me, with all the senses you have given me. Help me to use them to experience you on a deeper level. May I experience you all around me, open me to know more of your ways and know that your goodness surrounds me. Thank you for this time to be with you, to be still and to just listen. Amen

LISTEN: Be still and know that I am God. Psalm 46:10

CONSIDER: Be still for a time this day. . .breathe. . . listen. . .pray. . . listen. . .

SO WHAT: A calming of your heart and soul. . . a time to rest in God.

Love God, Love People

OPENING PRAYER. . .Loving God, Creator of all that is, here I am--today in this place that you have given me, with all the senses you have given me. Help me to use them to experience you on a deeper level. May I experience you all around me, open me to know more of your ways and know that your goodness surrounds me. Thank you for this time to be with you, to be still and to just listen. Amen

LISTEN:  "One of the religion scholars came up. Hearing the lively exchanges of question and answer and seeing how sharp Jesus was in his answers, he put in his question: “Which is most important of all the commandments?”
^29-31 Jesus said, “The first in importance is, ‘Listen, Israel: The Lord your God is one; so love the Lord God with all your passion and prayer and intelligence and energy.’ And here is the second: ‘Love others as well as you love yourself.’ There is no other commandment that ranks with these.”
^32-33 The religion scholar said, “A wonderful answer, Teacher! So lucid and accurate—that God is one and there is no other. And loving him with all passion and intelligence and energy, and loving others as well as you love yourself. Why, that’s better than all offerings and sacrifices put together!”
³⁴ When Jesus realized how insightful he was, he said, “You’re almost there, right on the border of God’s kingdom.” Mark 12:28-34

CONSIDER:  Many people say it is hard to define what makes a saint, but many of us would agree that we know one when we see one. Simple goodness cannot be faked nor can it be camouflaged. Loving God with all your heart, with all your soul, with all your mind and with all your strength and furthermore, loving your neighbor as yourself,  will leave a trail of care and concern for the welfare of others.  Not all saints talk much about God. Not all saints go to church. Jesus was impressed with the man in this Gospel lesson.  He was a man of little talk and simple goodness. Those words, "you're almost there, right on the border of God's kingdom" are words that all of us might want to hear.

SO WHAT:  When we love God with all our heart, mind, soul and strength, it only seems natural that the result will be loving our neighbor as ourselves, but . . . We find it very difficult to "be all in" when it comes to our relationship with God. We seem to only want to go so far and then we pull back. Are we afraid of the changes that will happen when we are "all in"? Do we even know how to be "all in" for God? "Do we know that nothing that we do in this life will ever matter, unless it is about loving God and loving the people He has made?" Francis Chan-Crazy Love

• Be honest with yourself and God, what is it that keeps you from giving your all to God, being "all in" for God?
•  What would your life look like if you began loving God with all that you have?
• What difference would it make to the people you come in contact with if you loved God and them with all that you have?
• What would it be like to love everybody, no matter who they are, no matter what their sin, no matter what?

TODAY, make a commitment to "be all in" for God. Be bold, be strong, be who God has called you to be. Love radically and without limits, just as Jesus did.

PRAYER: Dear God, show me how to be "all in " for you. Teach me to love like you love. Remove any embarrassment I might feel in showing not only my love for you but my love for everyone. May I love like Jesus. Amen

The Threat of Jesus

OPENING PRAYER. . .Loving God, Creator of all that is, here I am--today in this place that you have given me, with all the senses you have given me. Help me to use them to experience you on a deeper level. May I experience you all around me, open me to know more of your ways and know that your goodness surrounds me. Thank you for this time to be with you, to be still and to just listen. Amen

LISTEN: Jesus delivered a man from a demon that had kept him speechless. The demon gone, the man started talking a blue streak, taking the crowd by complete surprise. But some from the crowd were cynical. “Black magic,” they said. “Some devil trick he’s pulled from his sleeve.” Others were skeptical, waiting around for him to prove himself with a spectacular miracle.
Jesus knew what they were thinking and said, “Any country in civil war for very long is wasted. A constantly squabbling family falls to pieces. If Satan cancels Satan, is there any Satan left? You accuse me of ganging up with the Devil, the prince of demons, to cast out demons, but if you’re slinging devil mud at me, calling me a devil who kicks out devils, doesn’t the same mud stick to your own exorcists? But if it’s God’s finger I’m pointing that sends the demons on their way, then God’s kingdom is here for sure. Luke 11:14-20

CONSIDER:  One third of the Gospel texts are devoting to telling us of Jesus healing people. From paralysis to leprosy, from mental illness to death itself, Jesus touched bodies and minds and gave new life. In Jesus's time, it was thought that if you were sick or afflicted with some disease, you must have a demon inside you. The enemies of Jesus thought that he was in cahoots with the devil to cast out demons. They were really just trying to discredit the goodness that was in Christ that challenged a deep-seated envy and hatred of Jesus. But the reality was that Jesus wanted to do good for others and release them from bondage, whether that was from illness, demons or the exploitative requirements of the religious establishment.

SO WHAT:   Jesus was seen as a threat to the Priests and Pharisees whose opposition was motivated not by promoting the welfare of others but by making Jesus look bad.  Jesus was doing something good. . . something that the Priests and Pharisees were unwilling or unable to do. But how about us? 

• How often do we find fault with others who are doing the good that we claim to support but we ourselves do not carry out?
• Do we try to keep others from doing good because it wasn't OUR idea or because we don't want to do it? 
• If others are burdened with sickness or addiction, how often do WE pray for them or help them if we can?

Today. . . be aware of how you respond to others who are doing good.  Cheer them on and don't feel threatened by them or resent them.  How might you JOIN them or follow their example?

PRAY: Dear God, help my heart and mind to be like yours.  Open my eyes to see the good that others are doing around me and help me to be an encourager of that good. Help me to not feel threatened by the good they are doing and lead me to join them in following your example. Amen

Do Not Despair

OPENING PRAYER. . .Loving God, Creator of all that is, here I am--today in this place that you have given me, with all the senses you have given me. Help me to use them to experience you on a deeper level. May I experience you all around me, open me to know more of your ways and know that your goodness surrounds me. Thank you for this time to be with you, to be still and to just listen. Amen

LISTEN:  The Sower and the Seed. . . "As they went from town to town, a lot of people joined in and traveled along. He addressed them, using this story: “A farmer went out to sow his seed. Some of it fell on the road; it was tramped down and the birds ate it. Other seed fell in the gravel; it sprouted, but withered because it didn’t have good roots. Other seed fell in the weeds; the weeds grew with it and strangled it. Other seed fell in rich earth and produced a bumper crop." (Luke 8:4-8)

CONSIDER:  The scripture continues with His disciples asking, “Why did you tell this story?”  He said, “You’ve been given insight into God’s kingdom—you know how it works. There are others who need stories. But even with stories some of them aren’t going to get it: Their eyes are open but don’t see a thing,  Their ears are open but don’t hear a thing."
It has been suggested that this parable is really about Jesus teaching about despair. Jesus has already been kicked out of the synagogues. All the religious leaders are against him. And he knew that eventually the Disciples would be disheartened. Jesus goes on to tell them, "Every farmer knows that some of his seed will be lost; it cannot all grow. But that doesn't discourage him or make him stop sowing, because he knows that in despite of it all, the harvest is sure." 

SO WHAT:  We all have our setbacks and our discouragements; we all have our enemies and our opponents; but never despair, in the end. . . when it's all been said and done. . . the harvest is sure. In the end, God will triumph over all the setbacks and discouragements that we encounter in our lives. Sometimes we think that we are the only ones to experience discouragement in our lives, but Jesus knew that there would be times when things would not go our way. . . when our life faces the bumps and bruises that come with living. . . Jesus knew discouragement. . . Jesus knew what it was like to have people against you. . .Jesus knew and wanted to not only prepare the disciples, but prepare us as well. We need to be like the farmer, knowing that we are going to keep sowing our seeds even if some fall on thorny, hard or shallow ground. . .despite it all, nothing can defeat the ultimate harvest of our God!

PRAYER: Loving and gracious God, help me to not despair when I encounter setbacks. Teach me to be like the farmer and never let me stop sowing seeds of faith. Help me to see your glory. Amen.

 

 

Forgiven to Forgive

OPENING PRAYER. . .Loving God, Creator of all that is, here I am--today in this place that you have given me, with all the senses you have given me. Help me to use them to experience you on a deeper level. May I experience you all around me, open me to know more of your ways and know that your goodness surrounds me. Thank you for this time to be with you, to be still and to just listen. Amen

LISTEN: At that point Peter got up the nerve to ask, “Master, how many times do I forgive a brother or sister who hurts me? Seven?” Jesus replied, “Seven! Hardly. Try seventy times seven.
 “The kingdom of God is like a king who decided to square accounts with his servants. As he got under way, one servant was brought before him who had run up a debt of a hundred thousand dollars. He couldn’t pay up, so the king ordered the man, along with his wife, children, and goods, to be auctioned off at the slave market.
“The poor wretch threw himself at the king’s feet and begged, ‘Give me a chance and I’ll pay it all back.’ Touched by his plea, the king let him off, erasing the debt.
“The servant was no sooner out of the room when he came upon one of his fellow servants who owed him ten dollars. He seized him by the throat and demanded, ‘Pay up. Now!’
"The poor wretch threw himself down and begged, ‘Give me a chance and I’ll pay it all back.’ But he wouldn’t do it. He had him arrested and put in jail until the debt was paid. When the other servants saw this going on, they were outraged and brought a detailed report to the king.
“The king summoned the man and said, ‘You evil servant! I forgave your entire debt when you begged me for mercy. Shouldn’t you be compelled to be merciful to your fellow servant who asked for mercy?’ The king was furious and put the screws to the man until he paid back his entire debt. And that’s exactly what my Father in heaven is going to do to each one of you who doesn’t forgive unconditionally anyone who asks for mercy." Mt. 18:21-35

CONSIDER:  While Jesus was on the cross, he revealed the inner heart of God's forgiveness when he said "Father, forgive them; for they do no know what they are doing" Lk. 23:24 We barely know ourselves and our own motivations. Are we really doing the best we can, or are we doing the best that we know how to do here and now?   If you are reluctant to forgive someone yet again for the same offense, think of this:  They may not know how they are to live without their sin. You see, deep down in our hearts and minds, our sin is the despair of someone trapped in darkness, not knowing how to become free, loved and happy.

SO WHAT:  Compassion is the touchstone of being human.  We care for our own.  We feel their pain. Yet, we find it difficult to forgive. . . we find it tough to "walk a mile in another's shoes". . . we would rather make them pay for their sin. Somehow or another, that makes us feel more powerful, after all, we rarely see the log in our own eye. . .Christ has forgiven us, should we not forgive anyone who asks for mercy?  Who do you need to forgive today?

PRAYER:  Loving and forgiving God, help me to forgive as you forgive. Help me to not delight in my "unforgiveness". May I always feel the pain of others so that it will be easier to forgive. Lord, in your mercy, forgive me as I forgive others. Amen.

The Messengers

OPENING PRAYER. . .Loving God, Creator of all that is, here I am--today in this place that you have given me, with all the senses you have given me. Help me to use them to experience you on a deeper level. May I experience you all around me, open me to know more of your ways and know that your goodness surrounds me. Thank you for this time to be with you, to be still and to just listen. Amen

LISTEN:  "He answered, “I suppose you’re going to quote the proverb, ‘Doctor, go heal yourself. Do here in your hometown what we heard you did in Capernaum.’ Well, let me tell you something: No prophet is ever welcomed in his hometown. Isn’t it a fact that there were many widows in Israel at the time of Elijah during that three and a half years of drought when famine devastated the land, but the only widow to whom Elijah was sent was in Sarepta in Sidon? And there were many lepers in Israel at the time of the prophet Elisha but the only one cleansed was Naaman the Syrian.”
That set everyone in the meeting place seething with anger. They threw him out, banishing him from the village, then took him to a mountain cliff at the edge of the village to throw him to his doom, but he gave them the slip and was on his way. (Luke 4:24-30) The Message

CONSIDER:  Prophets are resented. They frequently tell an "inconvenient truth".  If the prophet happens to be local, they are resented even more.  They're just like us, no better.  And then . . .they show up and tell us what's wrong with us. . . what we should be doing (or not doing).  This scripture tells us that no prophet is accepted in his or her own town and maybe not even in his or her own family.  When Jesus showed up in his home town, his family came to see him because according to the Gospel of Mark, they wanted to take him home because they thought he must be out of his mind! As Jesus spoke in his hometown, the people "were filled with fury". 

SO WHAT:  We resent the truth. Sometimes we are slow learners, especially when it comes to our spiritual life. We have to have patience with ourselves before God; we have to have patience with our friends and our families.  We need to give others trying to speak truth to us the benefit of the doubt. We need to listen. Who has God put in your path to speak the truth to you? Is it a friend? A Pastor? One of your children? Or maybe the person you find it hardest to listen to.  Today. . . open your ears and your heart to listen to who God has sent to speak to you. And maybe. . . maybe God is sending you to be a messenger to someone else. . .

Take a minute and watch this video by Lecrae
http://youtu.be/AO9YGqVKj0E
PRAYER:  Dear God, help me to be open to the "prophets" you  send to me. Help me to not resent the "messenger" just because it's someone I know. May I listen today. And use me Lord to be your messenger today, even if those you send me to don't want to listen.  Amen

The Cross

OPENING PRAYER. . .Loving God, Creator of all that is, here I am--today in this place that you have given me, with all the senses you have given me. Help me to use them to experience you on a deeper level. May I experience you all around me, open me to know more of your ways and know that your goodness surrounds me. Thank you for this time to be with you, to be still and to just listen. Amen

LISTEN: "The Message that points to Christ on the Cross seems like sheer silliness to those hellbent on destruction, but for those on the way of salvation it makes perfect sense. This is the way God works, and most powerfully as it turns out. It’s written,

I’ll turn conventional wisdom on its head,
I’ll expose so-called experts as crackpots.

So where can you find someone truly wise, truly educated, truly intelligent in this day and age? Hasn’t God exposed it all as pretentious nonsense? Since the world in all its fancy wisdom never had a clue when it came to knowing God, God in his wisdom took delight in using what the world considered dumb—preaching, of all things!—to bring those who trust him into the way of salvation.

 While Jews clamor for miraculous demonstrations and Greeks go in for philosophical wisdom, we go right on proclaiming Christ, the Crucified. Jews treat this like an anti-miracle—and Greeks pass it off as absurd. But to us who are personally called by God himself—both Jews and Greeks—Christ is God’s ultimate miracle and wisdom all wrapped up in one. Human wisdom is so tinny, so impotent, next to the seeming absurdity of God. Human strength can’t begin to compete with God’s “weakness.” 1Cor. 1:18-25 The Message

CONSIDER:  Symbols are physical items to which we assign some kind of meaning. If we've used the symbol for a long time. . . the actual meaning of that symbol sometimes gets lost. It becomes something used as a decoration of a ritual.  Take a Christmas tree as an example. A majority of people have Christmas trees at Christmas but probably very few people can explain the symbolism behind it. The cross is a symbol, and because it has been included in home and church décor and as a clothing accessory, the symbolic meaning of it is often lost. To non-Christians, it may seem weird to use an execution method as a symbol of love.  Some people don't like seeing an instrument of torture worn around people necks.  The meaning and value of the cross has perished when symbol gets appropriated or interpreted differently.

SO WHAT:  For those to whom the message and meaning of the cross is retained. . . it's strength is still powerful.  The message of the cross is that "heaven and earth are brought and held together". As we look at the cross, the vertical axis points to heaven, while the horizontal axis points to the earthly horizons. It is a symbol of God's investment and covenantal trust in the human family. 

• The cross is the sign of the "New Covenant"
• The cross is the symbol of God's power
• The cross is a reminder that we are loved. . . even when life gets messy and tragic. . . even when that tragedy is our doing and God is on the receiving end of it.

Yes, the cross is foolishness for those to whom the meaning has disappeared or been lost. . . but it is a powerful assurance for those who do remember it's meaning. We are loved by a God who did not even spare God's own Son for our sakes. . .

PRAYER:  Loving God, help me to see the cross as a symbol of your love for all of humanity. Keep me always focused on the cross that I may never forget it's meaning for me. AMEN

No Matter Who You Are. . .

OPENING PRAYER. . .Loving God, Creator of all that is, here I am--today in this place that you have given me, with all the senses you have given me. Help me to use them to experience you on a deeper level. May I experience you all around me, open me to know more of your ways and know that your goodness surrounds me. Thank you for this time to be with you, to be still and to just listen. Amen

LISTEN: "By this time a lot of men and women of doubtful reputation were hanging around Jesus, listening intently. The Pharisees and religion scholars were not pleased, not at all pleased. They growled, “He takes in sinners and eats meals with them, treating them like old friends.” Jesus then goes on to tell this story Then he said, “There was once a man who had two sons. The younger said to his father, ‘Father, I want right now what’s coming to me.’
“So the father divided the property between them. It wasn’t long before the younger son packed his bags and left for a distant country. There, undisciplined and dissipated, he wasted everything he had. After he had gone through all his money, there was a bad famine all through that country and he began to hurt. He signed on with a citizen there who assigned him to his fields to slop the pigs. He was so hungry he would have eaten the corncobs in the pig slop, but no one would give him any.
“That brought him to his senses. He said, ‘All those farmhands working for my father sit down to three meals a day, and here I am starving to death. I’m going back to my father. I’ll say to him, Father, I’ve sinned against God, I’ve sinned before you; I don’t deserve to be called your son. Take me on as a hired hand.’ He got right up and went home to his father.
“When he was still a long way off, his father saw him. His heart pounding, he ran out, embraced him, and kissed him. The son started his speech: ‘Father, I’ve sinned against God, I’ve sinned before you; I don’t deserve to be called your son ever again.’
“But the father wasn’t listening. He was calling to the servants, ‘Quick. Bring a clean set of clothes and dress him. Put the family ring on his finger and sandals on his feet. Then get a grain-fed heifer and roast it. We’re going to feast! We’re going to have a wonderful time! My son is here—given up for dead and now alive! Given up for lost and now found!’ And they began to have a wonderful time.
“All this time his older son was out in the field. When the day’s work was done he came in. As he approached the house, he heard the music and dancing. Calling over one of the houseboys, he asked what was going on. He told him, ‘Your brother came home. Your father has ordered a feast—barbecued beef!—because he has him home safe and sound.’
“The older brother stalked off in an angry sulk and refused to join in. His father came out and tried to talk to him, but he wouldn’t listen. The son said, ‘Look how many years I’ve stayed here serving you, never giving you one moment of grief, but have you ever thrown a party for me and my friends? Then this son of yours who has thrown away your money on whores shows up and you go all out with a feast!’
“His father said, ‘Son, you don’t understand. You’re with me all the time, and everything that is mine is yours—but this is a wonderful time, and we had to celebrate. This brother of yours was dead, and he’s alive! He was lost, and he’s found!’”

CONSIDER: I think this is one of the greatest short stories in the Bible, maybe even in world literature.  It's because we are all in this story, whoever we are. It is our human story. We've left our home with God to do it ourselves, and now we're trying to get back home to God. As you read this story, try to discover who you are in the story. I'm going to guess we are all of the characters at one time or another in our life.

Neither son understood their loving father. The older one thought that he had earned his father's love by being an obedient son; doing the work of the family farm.  Then there's the younger son who thought he had forever lost the love of his father by abandoning the family farm and living a different lifestyle. However. . . both sons are wrong.

SO WHAT: Neither one of the sons is loved because of what they do or don't do.  They are both loved because they are the father's sons and ALWAYS will be.  Whether we are sinners or saints, WE ARE LOVED BECAUSE WE ARE GOD'S CHILDREN. God loves us with an unconditional love.  No matter who we are. No matter what we have done. We are loved. It's just the way God is. . . unconditional love. . . please hear this. . . there is NOTHING you can do to make God love you more and there is NOTHING you can do to make God love you less.  No matter what the world tries to tell  you. . . no matter what some other Christians may try to tell you. . . YOU are a beloved child of God, come home and celebrate!

PRAYER:  Dear God, help me to read this wonderful story and to ask myself "who am I in this story?"  And then help me to accept the unconditional love that can only come from God. Help me to know that I will always be welcome to come home to my God who loves me unconditionally, no matter who I am or what I've done, AMEN

You Don't Know What You Got. . .

OPENING PRAYER. . .Loving God, Creator of all that is, here I am--today in this place that you have given me, with all the senses you have given me. Help me to use them to experience you on a deeper level. May I experience you all around me, open me to know more of your ways and know that your goodness surrounds me. Thank you for this time to be with you, to be still and to just listen. Amen

LISTEN:  "Jesus said, 'have you ever read the Scriptures?
You can read it for yourselves in your Bibles:

The stone the masons threw out
    is now the cornerstone.
This is God’s work;
    we rub our eyes, we can hardly believe it!

“This is the way it is with you. God’s kingdom will be taken back from you and handed over to a people who will live out a kingdom life. Whoever stumbles on this Stone gets shattered; whoever the Stone falls on gets smashed.” Matthew 21:42-43

 

CONSIDER:  Our text today is from the Parable of the Tenants (Mt. 21:33-43) The landowner who plants a vineyard. He rents it and then moves to another place. At harvest time he sends his servants to collect his fruit. The farmers beat and kill the servants. He sends more servants with the same results and then decides to send his son thinking that they would respect him. But when they see it is the son, the heir, they kill him too.

We often don't appreciate what we have until we don't have it anymore. Just think of the persons in your life who you wanted to know and love better. . . but never got around to doing anything about it before they died. . . maybe we wanted to forgive or to be forgiven. . .We may have wanted to promote a good cause, to donate our time or money to make a difference. And now, we regret that such opportunities and people are gone from us.  We may not appreciate or eyesight or hearing until they are compromised by illness or age.

SO WHAT:  We are like the vineyard keepers (the renters) in this Gospel.  We have been blessed with faith in the way of life that Jesus brought the world.  We have been given resources and blessings.  The grace of God has prompted us, opened our minds and kindled a spark in our hearts. However, we have been so slow to cultivate what we have been given, we get to a point where we have no more chance in this world to bear the fruit that is God's love in Jesus Christ in this world. In other words, what are we doing with the gift of Christ in our lives today? Are we taking for granted that we have endless time to do something on earth?

• We don't have forever on earth. What are you doing with the time, resources and blessings you have?
• Who needs to hear from you today the words of forgiveness?
• If you don't make time now, when?

PRAYER: Dear God, help me to realize the resources and blessings I have from you. Help me to understand that I don't have forever to share your love and to act on all those promptings you whisper in my ear. May I not take for granted the time I do have to do something. Amen

Before It's Too Late

OPENING PRAYER. . .Loving God, Creator of all that is, here I am--today in this place that you have given me, with all the senses you have given me. Help me to use them to experience you on a deeper level. May I experience you all around me, open me to know more of your ways and know that your goodness surrounds me. Thank you for this time to be with you, to be still and to just listen. Amen

LISTEN: "There once was a rich man, expensively dressed in the latest fashions, wasting his days in conspicuous consumption. A poor man named Lazarus, covered with sores, had been dumped on his doorstep. All he lived for was to get a meal from scraps off the rich man’s table. His best friends were the dogs who came and licked his sores." Luke 16:20

CONSIDER:  The rich man didn't see the poor man at his doorstep, even though he was right there before his eyes day after day. We all do that. . . we see what we are looking for. . . what we want to see.  We don't see the inconveniences or the things that embarrass us.  That is why the poor and the needy in our midst are often unknown to us.  The poor are the nameless in our world and many times because they are nameless they are of no concern or worse yet. . . of no value to us. But think about this for a minute. . .God knows the poor man's name is Lazarus. . . while the rich man remains nameless. It might mean, that in a manner of speaking, the rich man was poor in the eyes of God.

SO WHAT:  We all need to improve our eyesight and open our hearts more fully to what God is showing us. Who are we stepping over everyday at our very doorstep? It's not just the homeless brothers that we step over in downtown South Bend. . . it's the checkout person at Meijer or Walmart that we barely acknowledge as they do their job. . . or the wait staff serving us on a Sunday after church that we barely grunt at as they do their best to serve us. The people that we "look through" as we go about OUR business and life. What do we see?  Who do we see? Who do we acknowledge?

In the scripture, when both men die and are taken to the next life, the rich man wants to ask help of the poor man, but he cannot reach him. . . it is too late.  Lent should be an eye opener for each of us while it is still not too late.

• What can you do today to acknowledge those you have overlooked or ignored as you have gone about your life?
• Be more aware of the people that God puts in your life. Get the name of those who you considered nameless before today.
• Remember that Jesus calls us to "love your neighbor as yourself". 
• Who has God laid at your doorstep?

PRAYER: Loving and gracious God, open my eyes that I might see the glimpses of truth that you have for me. Help me to see those that you have laid at my doorstep. . . the doorstep of the church. . . the doorstep of my heart. Help me to ACT before it is too late. Amen

Called to Serve?

OPENING PRAYER. . .Loving God, Creator of all that is, here I am--today in this place that you have given me, with all the senses you have given me. Help me to use them to experience you on a deeper level. May I experience you all around me, open me to know more of your ways and know that your goodness surrounds me. Thank you for this time to be with you, to be still and to just listen. Amen

LISTEN:  As Jesus was talking to the Disciples on their way to Jerusalem, he said, “You’ve observed how godless rulers throw their weight around, how quickly a little power goes to their heads. It’s not going to be that way with you. Whoever wants to be great must become a servant. Whoever wants to be first among you must be your slave. That is what the Son of Man has done: He came to serve, not be served—and then to give away his life in exchange for the many who are held hostage.” Matthew 20:26-28 The Message

CONSIDER:  Many, many years ago, as a child, my neighborhood friends and my brother and I used to play "King of the Hill". Maybe you remember it or some variation. Whoever gets to the top stays on top. Once you were there, you would enjoy your power and lord it over the other kids. Sometimes we look at our elected officials as "Kings of the Hill", seeming more eager to protect their jobs than the jobs of those they represent. Being served is prized over being a server. A servant isn't king of the hill. Following up on yesterday's post, Jesus taught us that it is somehow better to serve than to be served, better to give than receive. Jesus didn't come just to talk a good life; He came to heal others and to give His life for those He LOVED.

SO WHAT:  When it's all been said and done, Jesus would lay down His life for US. Jesus wanted us to know how much God loves us and that he was the very presence of God's love.  Just as the saying goes, "you have to have skin in the game", Jesus gave his body and his blood, just in case we weren't listening. He came not to be served but to serve unto the end.

In the world we live in, leaders exert power, domination and manipulation. They control people for their own ends. In Jesus’ world, it is altogether different. To be great is to put one’s talents totally at the service of others, to empower not to have power. Jesus himself is the perfect example. It is a lesson we do not find easy to learn or to follow.

• So what is our response to hearing that we must be in service to others?
•  Are we willing to "put some skin in the game"?
• Or are we more willing to argue with each other about "who's the king of the hill", protecting what we have rather than bringing everybody to the top of the hill?
• What of your talents will you share TODAY?

PRAYER: Dear God, I want to be "King of the Hill" but help me to help others to the top. Guide me to use the gifts and talents you have given me to bring others to experience your love. Amen

Walk the Walk

OPENING PRAYER. . .Loving God, Creator of all that is, here I am--today in this place that you have given me, with all the senses you have given me. Help me to use them to experience you on a deeper level. May I experience you all around me, open me to know more of your ways and know that your goodness surrounds me. Thank you for this time to be with you, to be still and to just listen. Amen

LISTEN:  "Now Jesus turned to address his disciples, along with the crowd that had gathered with them. “The religion scholars and Pharisees are competent teachers in God’s Law. You won’t go wrong in following their teachings on Moses. But be careful about following them. They talk a good line, but they don’t live it. They don’t take it into their hearts and live it out in their behavior. It’s all spit-and-polish veneer.
“Instead of giving you God’s Law as food and drink by which you can banquet on God, they package it in bundles of rules, loading you down like pack animals. They seem to take pleasure in watching you stagger under these loads, and wouldn’t think of lifting a finger to help. Their lives are perpetual fashion shows, embroidered prayer shawls one day and flowery prayers the next." Matthew 23: 1-6 The Message

CONSIDER:  Jesus is giving us a warning. . .watch out for leaders who don't practice what they preach.  They talk the talk but don't walk the walk. We are reminded that what we say is not as crucial as what we do.  It doesn't matter if you are a political leader, a boss or a religious, church leader.  Words are cheap.  Deeds cost! And reality is. . .we don't always want to pay that cost. Jesus tells us, don't just tell them that you love them.  Show them you love them!

SO WHAT:  Sweet talk is one thing, but how about lifting a hand to lift the burdens we've has imposed on others? Are you saying, "I don't impose any burdens on others".  Most of the time we would rather be served than serve. We don't always think of the needs of others over self-interest.  We each have an impact on others and often stand in authority over them.

We are often quick to say what we believe, but the lives we live say far more than our words do. Are we following the example of Jesus or just talking about Jesus?

• Do we ever think about doing more than what is required of us?
• Who in your life needs a break? How can YOU help?
• What can I do today to relieve the burdens of others?
• Do ONE thing TODAY to help.

PRAYER:  Dear Lord, help me not only talk the talk today, but walk the walk. When others look at my life Lord, may they see you. Hide me behind your love, help me to not just tell others about your love, lead me to show that love. Amen

 

Be Generous Because God is Generous

OPENING PRAYER. . .Loving God, Creator of all that is, here I am--today in this place that you have given me, with all the senses you have given me. Help me to use them to experience you on a deeper level. May I experience you all around me, open me to know more of your ways and know that your goodness surrounds me. Thank you for this time to be with you, to be still and to just listen. Amen

LISTEN: “I tell you, love your enemies. Help and give without expecting a return. You’ll never—I promise—regret it. Live out this God-created identity the way our Father lives toward us, generously and graciously, even when we’re at our worst. Our Father is kind; you be kind.
Don’t pick on people, jump on their failures, criticize their faults—unless, of course, you want the same treatment. Don’t condemn those who are down; that hardness can boomerang. Be easy on people; you’ll find life a lot easier. Give away your life; you’ll find life given back, but not merely given back—given back with bonus and blessing. Giving, not getting, is the way. Generosity begets generosity.” Luke 6:36-38 Message

CONSIDER:  Forgive and you will be forgiven. Give and it will be given to you. We have many sayings that are similar to what this Gospel lesson teaches us. "What goes around comes around. You reap what you sow". People who give do receive--and usually way beyond their dreams--but it's because God is good. Whatever we give, we are taking what God has given and THEN giving of our lives as God wants us to do. Others many times respond to generosity with generosity of their own.

SO WHAT:  God is never outdone in generosity. We can never outgive God!  In giving us God's Son, God has given us EVERYTHING! This Gospel lesson suggests that we can practice generosity by stopping our negative behavior towards others. "Don’t pick on people, jump on their failures, criticize their faults—unless, of course, you want the same treatment. Don’t condemn those who are down; that hardness can boomerang. Be easy on people; you’ll find life a lot easier."  Human life is not so much a calculation of cost and benefit as it is a gift that is freely received and freely given as God gives gifts to us.

• Do I require being noticed or thanked in order to be generous to others?
• How can I be more generous with the blessings I receive?
• Try doing 5 random acts of kindness this week to express my gratitude for my blessings.

PRAYER:  Dear God, help me to never require being noticed in order for me to be generous. Open my eyes to the needs around me and help me to act to do good to show others who you are. Lord may I always be grateful because you have given everything by giving us Jesus. Amen

Be Still. . .

OPENING PRAYER. . .Loving God, Creator of all that is, here I am--today in this place that you have given me, with all the senses you have given me. Help me to use them to experience you on a deeper level. May I experience you all around me, open me to know more of your ways and know that your goodness surrounds me. Thank you for this time to be with you, to be still and to just listen. Amen

LISTEN:  He says, “Be still, and know that I am God;
    I will be exalted among the nations,
    I will be exalted in the earth.” Psalm 46:10

SO WHAT:  Just sit. . . just be. . . be still and know that I am God. . . listen. . . . .

Anger in Our Hearts

OPENING PRAYER. . .Loving God, Creator of all that is, here I am--today in this place that you have given me, with all the senses you have given me. Help me to use them to experience you on a deeper level. May I experience you all around me, open me to know more of your ways and know that your goodness surrounds me. Thank you for this time to be with you and to just listen. Amen


LISTEN: “You’re familiar with the command to the ancients, ‘Do not murder.’ I’m telling you that anyone who is so much as angry with a brother or sister is guilty of murder. Carelessly call a brother ‘idiot!’ and you just might find yourself hauled into court. Thoughtlessly yell ‘stupid!’ at a sister and you are on the brink of hellfire. The simple moral fact is that words kill.
“This is how I want you to conduct yourself in these matters. If you enter your place of worship and, about to make an offering, you suddenly remember a grudge a friend has against you, abandon your offering, leave immediately, go to this friend and make things right. Then and only then, come back and work things out with God.
“Or say you’re out on the street and an old enemy accosts you. Don’t lose a minute. Make the first move; make things right with him. After all, if you leave the first move to him, knowing his track record, you’re likely to end up in court, maybe even jail. If that happens, you won’t get out without a stiff fine." Mt. 5:22-26 The Message

CONSIDER: All you need to do is watch the previews at the movie theater, or even commercials for upcoming shows to understand that we are a culture fascinated with violence. Verbal, physical and psychological violence dominates so much of our "entertainment" today.  It's all about blood and guts. . .bomb blasts. . . and terrifying massacres.  We seem to be told over and over again, implicitly and explicitly, that we must kill or maim our enemies. Remember our childhood chant. . . "sticks and stones may break my back but words will never hurt me"? Well it turns out that sometimes words hurt us just as much (and sometimes more) than sticks and stones. Jesus reminds us, even warns us, that angry names are able to hurt those who utter them.

SO WHAT:  Our LOVE or our HATRED begins in our hearts and in our attitude toward others.  Jesus reminds us that we are to love our enemies, not destroy them. . . even if we must protect ourselves from them at times.  I believe that we are a violent and materialistic culture precisely because we do not stop to think long and deeply about the meaning of life. We must learn to love one another.  Is it easy? No, it's not. But yet, as followers of Christ, it's what we are called to do. . . love God, love your neighbor, love your enemies.  THAT is what Jesus calls us to do and be. . .to LOVE EVERYBODY. If we think we can say whatever we want about others and it's ok because we are not hurting them physically. . .we are mistaken. Our tongues have the power to hurt and destroy.
Did Jesus really mean that being angry with someone is like committing murder? Probably not, but he wanted to get the attention of those who were listening to him. He wanted them to understand that, as it is written in the NIV version, "that anyone who is angry with a brother or sister will be subject to judgment."  We must learn to love one another and to use our words to make others feel loved.
Lent is a time when we can transform ourselves to be a people who will say nothing evil of another, where we will not want to say anything hurtful much less do anything that demeans another brother or sister.

• Who is it that you are angry with on this day?
• How can you begin to forgive whatever it is that has made you angry with that person?
• How will you use your words to express, "Love God, love your neighbor as yourself. . . and love your enemies". In other words, how will you use your words to "love all"?

PRAYER: Dear God, help me to take time today in a few minutes of silence to hear your words. . .love God. . .love your neighbor. . .love your enemies. . . Help me to watch my tongue, help me to love all. Amen

Faith Can Be Tough

OPENING PRAYER. . .Loving God, Creator of all that is, here I am--today in this place that you have given me, with all the senses you have given me. Help me to use them to experience you on a deeper level. May I experience you all around me, open me to know more of your ways and know that your goodness surrounds me. Thank you for this time to be with you and to just listen. Amen

LISTEN:  "God presented Christ as a sacrifice of atonement, through the shedding of his blood—to be received by faith. He did this to demonstrate his righteousness, because in his forbearance he had left the sins committed beforehand unpunished—he did it to demonstrate his righteousness at the present time, so as to be just and the one who justifies those who have faith in Jesus.
Where, then, is boasting? It is excluded. Because of what law? The law that requires works? No, because of the law that requires faith. For we maintain that a person is justified by faith apart from the works of the law." Romans 3:26-28

CONSIDER:  Faith can be tough. It can't be seen and it can't be held in one's hand. Faith can be hard to find when times are tough, yet, when times are good, it seems to be like an endless fountain. Sometimes we even think that our faith is something we can manage or do better. But Paul reminds us that faith is not a work, it's not something that we do--it just IS.  Can you do anything to get it?  Well, not really! And yet, it does require some seeking to find it.

SO WHAT:  Most of us suspect that having faith is a good and helpful thing. . . to our health--mentally, physically and spiritually.  One definition of faith is that "it is the clinging to a belief in spite of all the evidence to the contrary."

Faith is not by our wills, but about God's will. When we feel our faith, it is God's will we feel. God's will is always there. Sometimes, too much stress and events of life try to hide the fact of God's presence in our lives. But taking a few deep breaths and a few minutes to remind ourselves of the truth that God is always present, can lower our anxiety and calm our nerves.

• Are there times that you remember clearly having faith?
• What about times when you have struggled to have faith?
• Take a few minutes and feel the presence of God.

PRAYER: Loving and gracious God, your will be done. May your will embrace me, surround me, uplift me, carry me and mold me into the sacred image of Jesus. Amen

God Seems So Far Away. . .

OPENING PRAYER. . .Loving God, Creator of all that is, here I am--today in this place that you have given me, with all the senses you have given me. Help me to use them to experience you on a deeper level. May I experience you all around me, open me to know more of your ways and know that your goodness surrounds me. Thank you for this time to be with you and to just listen. Amen

LISTEN:  "I found myself in trouble and went looking for my Lord; my life was an open wound that wouldn’t heal.
When friends said, “Everything will turn out all right,”
    I didn’t believe a word they said.
I remember God—and shake my head.
    I bow my head—then wring my hands.
I’m awake all night—not a wink of sleep;
    I can’t even say what’s bothering me.
I go over the days one by one,
    I ponder the years gone by.
I strum my lute all through the night,
    wondering how to get my life together." Psalm 72:2-6

CONSIDER:  Does God seem far away?  We all have to admit. . . there are days. . . days when God seems unavailable to our needs, days when we don't know where to turn. . . days when we feel like life has thrown us the proverbial curveball. . . days when we feel lost and we just aren't sure what to do. What can we do?

SO WHAT: I think when we are lost and struggling, and searching for God harder and harder so that we might get any Divine help that we might gain. . .  the answers seem elusive.  The answers to our prayers just don't come fast enough. We feel like Jesus in the wilderness, it's an uncomfortable place.

But the Psalmist goes on and offers this advice: "Once again I’ll go over what God has done, lay out on the table the ancient wonders; I’ll ponder all the things you’ve accomplished, and give a long, loving look at your acts."
Refreshing our sometimes short memories about all God has done. . . remembering what God has accomplished for us can re-center what is important and sort of anchor us in what is enduring and everlasting.  Will our difficulties go away. . . probably not, but we can find a little more assurance that God hasn't abandoned us before and God will not leave you or forsake you now.  

• Do you seem to be prone to have doubts about God's attention in your life?  When are these doubts most acute?
• Is it possible that our struggles arise out of pressures from things we need to face or change?

PRAYER: Loving and ever present Lord, give us your ears and inspire our best memories of your work in our lives.  Please lead us away form the anxieties and despair we sometimes feel and lead us into a deeper connection with you.  Amen