This afternoon, I was deeply touched by the words I read in my Lenten scripture readings. I was particularly captured by these verses in Romans 5:12-21
12-14You know the story of how Adam landed us in the dilemma we're in— first sin, then death, and no one exempt from either sin or death. That sin disturbed relations with God in everything and everyone, but the extent of the disturbance was not clear until God spelled it out in detail to Moses. So death, this huge abyss separating us from God, dominated the landscape from Adam to Moses. Even those who didn't sin precisely as Adam did by disobeying a specific command of God still had to experience this termination of life, this separation from God. But Adam, who got us into this, also points ahead to the One who will get us out of it.
15-17Yet the rescuing gift is not exactly parallel to the death-dealing sin. If one man's sin put crowds of people at the dead-end abyss of separation from God, just think what God's gift poured through one man, Jesus Christ, will do! There's no comparison between that death-dealing sin and this generous, life-giving gift. The verdict on that one sin was the death sentence; the verdict on the many sins that followed was this wonderful life sentence. If death got the upper hand through one man's wrongdoing, can you imagine the breathtaking recovery life makes, sovereign life, in those who grasp with both hands this wildly extravagant life-gift, this grand setting-everything-right, that the one man Jesus Christ provides?
18-19Here it is in a nutshell: Just as one person did it wrong and got us in all this trouble with sin and death, another person did it right and got us out of it. But more than just getting us out of trouble, he got us into life! One man said no to God and put many people in the wrong; one man said yes to God and put many in the right.
20-21All that passing laws against sin did was produce more lawbreakers. But sin didn't, and doesn't, have a chance in competition with the aggressive forgiveness we call grace. When it's sin versus grace, grace wins hands down. All sin can do is threaten us with death, and that's the end of it. Grace, because God is putting everything together again through the Messiah, invites us into life—a life that goes on and on and on, world without end.
Oh my!
"One man said no to God and put many people in the wrong; one man said yes to God and put many in the right!'
Dear God, I want to say yes to you! Help me say yes!
"..sin didn't, and doesn't, have a chance in competition with the aggressive forgiveness we call grace. When it's sin versus grace, grace wins hands down."
Grace, sweet amazing grace......
"All sin can do is threaten us with death...."
Yes indeed, sin threatens me with what I fear most; but God's promise in Christ is that these are merely threats....empty, powerless, puffed-up little threats.
"Grace, because God is putting everything together again through the Messiah, invites us into life—a life that goes on and on and on, world without end."
Oh, just imagine it! God is putting everything together again; but more than that, God is inviting us into life, his life, his all encompassing and eternal life!
I don't know what to say.
Right now, I'm speechless with the sheer beauty of it all!
I wonder what treasures tomorrow's verses will hold for me?
Just in case you were wondering, here are the verses I will read for Monday: Leviticus 19:1-2, 11-18; Psalm 19:8, 9, 10, 15; Matthew 25:31-46 .
Not sure about that Leviticus passage, but the other verses look promising! (Now watch, Leviticus will rock my world!)
Later gators!
One woman's journey through the forty days of lent!
Friday, February 08, 2008
Coffee
On Ash Wednesday, I gave up coffee for Lent.
It's only been three days, but I have to tell you, I really miss my coffee. I miss the ritual of grinding the beans. I miss the aroma of the brewing coffee. I miss pouring my cream and watching the half and half swirl and turn the deep coffee depths to a creamy brown. I miss the rich, warm feeling that happens as soon as that first sip of coffee touches my lips and slides across my tongue and down my throat. I even miss washing the pot. Really, I do.
It's crazy how much I miss my coffee.
A friend of mine recently asked me if I thought that God would love me more because I was fasting weekly and sacrificing coffee for Him. I had to think about that for a moment. The truth is, many times I do do spiritual/religious activities because I think God WILL love me more for doing them. So, when my friend asked me what I hoped to accomplish by fasting and abstaining from coffee, I wanted to be very sure of my own motives before answering.
After spending a bit of time thinking about my friend's question I've come to the following conclusion. For me, fasting and abstinance are not about earning favor with God, because frankly, I am growing to understand that nothing can be done to earn God's favor. God loves me because He is God. And because God is love, His love is inviolate. It cannot be more or less, it simply is.
So where does this all leave me? Why fast? Why Abstain? I suppose for me, it all boils down to obedience to God. Scripture is clear that we Christians are to be a fasting people. In the context of Lent, I see fasting as preparation, as a way of joining with Christ as he journeys through the darkness of Good Friday. It's all a part of preparing my soulscape to kneel at the foot of the cross. I don't pretend to understand it all. I can't predict how any of this will affect or impact my life, or my relationship with Christ. I leave that all in God's very capable hands.
Before I close this post, I wanted to comment briefly on one of the scripture readings for Thursday that was from Deuteronomy 30:15-20. I have to tell you that I was particularly struck by verse 6 (from The Message) which reads:
6 God, your God, will cut away the thick calluses on your heart and your children's hearts, freeing you to love God, your God, with your whole heart and soul and live, really live.
My friends, this verse gets to the heart of my Lenten longing!
I pray that God will use this time to cut away the thick calluses on my heart. I pray that I will be freed to love God, my God with my whole heart and soul. I pray that I might live, really live.
It's only been three days, but I have to tell you, I really miss my coffee. I miss the ritual of grinding the beans. I miss the aroma of the brewing coffee. I miss pouring my cream and watching the half and half swirl and turn the deep coffee depths to a creamy brown. I miss the rich, warm feeling that happens as soon as that first sip of coffee touches my lips and slides across my tongue and down my throat. I even miss washing the pot. Really, I do.
It's crazy how much I miss my coffee.
A friend of mine recently asked me if I thought that God would love me more because I was fasting weekly and sacrificing coffee for Him. I had to think about that for a moment. The truth is, many times I do do spiritual/religious activities because I think God WILL love me more for doing them. So, when my friend asked me what I hoped to accomplish by fasting and abstaining from coffee, I wanted to be very sure of my own motives before answering.
After spending a bit of time thinking about my friend's question I've come to the following conclusion. For me, fasting and abstinance are not about earning favor with God, because frankly, I am growing to understand that nothing can be done to earn God's favor. God loves me because He is God. And because God is love, His love is inviolate. It cannot be more or less, it simply is.
So where does this all leave me? Why fast? Why Abstain? I suppose for me, it all boils down to obedience to God. Scripture is clear that we Christians are to be a fasting people. In the context of Lent, I see fasting as preparation, as a way of joining with Christ as he journeys through the darkness of Good Friday. It's all a part of preparing my soulscape to kneel at the foot of the cross. I don't pretend to understand it all. I can't predict how any of this will affect or impact my life, or my relationship with Christ. I leave that all in God's very capable hands.
Before I close this post, I wanted to comment briefly on one of the scripture readings for Thursday that was from Deuteronomy 30:15-20. I have to tell you that I was particularly struck by verse 6 (from The Message) which reads:
6 God, your God, will cut away the thick calluses on your heart and your children's hearts, freeing you to love God, your God, with your whole heart and soul and live, really live.
My friends, this verse gets to the heart of my Lenten longing!
I pray that God will use this time to cut away the thick calluses on my heart. I pray that I will be freed to love God, my God with my whole heart and soul. I pray that I might live, really live.
Wednesday, February 06, 2008
Why Lent?
Why in the world would a middle aged, evangelical woman desire to explore the spiritual discipline of Lent?
All I can say is, this past year I have made choices that should grieve my heart. I have chosen to spend my time selfishly and wastefully. I have chosen to indulge my worldly appetites by watching too much television, by eating more than I need to survive, by becoming lazy and undisciplined. I have self-righteously chosen to judge others and to make enemies of some of my brothers and sisters in Christ. In other words, I have chosen the things of this world over deepening my relationship with Christ. I have chosen to live amidst the chaos of my own self-will instead of resting in the unchanging will of my Heavenly Father.
As I've previously stated, I should be grieved by these choices, and in many small ways I am. I have grown fatter and that grieves me. My selfishness has damaged some of my relationships....and that grieves me. I am lukewarm about my relationship with God, uninspired by scripture, angry with Church....and each of those things, for various and sundry reasons grieves me too. Ultimately though, I recognize that this kind of grieving is just another expression of my own self-absorption and self-interest.
Something needs to change, and deep down, I sense how desperately I long to reflect, to repent, and to be spiritually restored/renewed.
I see this Season of Lent as my opportunity to embrace change and it is my prayer that I will once again respond whole heartedly to our Heavenly Father's invitation to love and be loved.
Today I had intended to meditate upon the following scriptures: Joel 2:12-18; Psalm 51: 3-4, 5-6ab, 12-13, 14&17; 2 Cor. 5: 20 - 6:2; Matthew 6:1-6, 16-18. I only read the verses from Joel and Matthew...but I feel somewhat encouraged, as even this little bit constitutes more scripture than I read the day before.
Tomorrow, I will be focusing upon the following passages: Deuteronomy 30:15-20; Psalm 1:1-2, 3, 4, 6; Luke 9:22-25 .
I found these scriptural references for praying through Lent on the Creighton University Online Ministries webpage. I think they will serve me well.
I also fasted today. It's the first time I've fasted in over a year and it felt so scary and so good all at the same time....but, I'll write more on that another time. I intend to fast every Wednesday and Friday throughout Lent.
I also volunteered at our neighborhood elementary school this morning. I sharpened pencils and organized books and prepared mid-morning snacks for our school's fourth graders. It was humble work...good work, I felt a certain peace in being surrounded by the beautiful faces and the youthful voices of my community's children. I felt blessed.
Each of these activities were prompted by my desire to observe Lent in a real and meaningful way. I'm trying...maybe I'm not doing things perfectly, but at least I'm trying.
And now, it seems appropriate to close this post with the following poem written by Rumi, a Sufi poet. This poem really touched me today...it expresses my both my hope and my great joy in knowing that our God is the God of hope, compassion and invitation to love and be loved.
Come, Come Whoever You Are
by Sufi poet Mevlana Jelaluddin Rumi
Come, come, whoever you are,
Wonderer, worshipper, lover of leaving.
It doesn't matter.
Ours is not a caravan of despair.
Come, even if you have broken your vow
a thousand times
Come, yet again, come, come
All I can say is, this past year I have made choices that should grieve my heart. I have chosen to spend my time selfishly and wastefully. I have chosen to indulge my worldly appetites by watching too much television, by eating more than I need to survive, by becoming lazy and undisciplined. I have self-righteously chosen to judge others and to make enemies of some of my brothers and sisters in Christ. In other words, I have chosen the things of this world over deepening my relationship with Christ. I have chosen to live amidst the chaos of my own self-will instead of resting in the unchanging will of my Heavenly Father.
As I've previously stated, I should be grieved by these choices, and in many small ways I am. I have grown fatter and that grieves me. My selfishness has damaged some of my relationships....and that grieves me. I am lukewarm about my relationship with God, uninspired by scripture, angry with Church....and each of those things, for various and sundry reasons grieves me too. Ultimately though, I recognize that this kind of grieving is just another expression of my own self-absorption and self-interest.
Something needs to change, and deep down, I sense how desperately I long to reflect, to repent, and to be spiritually restored/renewed.
I see this Season of Lent as my opportunity to embrace change and it is my prayer that I will once again respond whole heartedly to our Heavenly Father's invitation to love and be loved.
Today I had intended to meditate upon the following scriptures: Joel 2:12-18; Psalm 51: 3-4, 5-6ab, 12-13, 14&17; 2 Cor. 5: 20 - 6:2; Matthew 6:1-6, 16-18. I only read the verses from Joel and Matthew...but I feel somewhat encouraged, as even this little bit constitutes more scripture than I read the day before.
Tomorrow, I will be focusing upon the following passages: Deuteronomy 30:15-20; Psalm 1:1-2, 3, 4, 6; Luke 9:22-25 .
I found these scriptural references for praying through Lent on the Creighton University Online Ministries webpage. I think they will serve me well.
I also fasted today. It's the first time I've fasted in over a year and it felt so scary and so good all at the same time....but, I'll write more on that another time. I intend to fast every Wednesday and Friday throughout Lent.
I also volunteered at our neighborhood elementary school this morning. I sharpened pencils and organized books and prepared mid-morning snacks for our school's fourth graders. It was humble work...good work, I felt a certain peace in being surrounded by the beautiful faces and the youthful voices of my community's children. I felt blessed.
Each of these activities were prompted by my desire to observe Lent in a real and meaningful way. I'm trying...maybe I'm not doing things perfectly, but at least I'm trying.
And now, it seems appropriate to close this post with the following poem written by Rumi, a Sufi poet. This poem really touched me today...it expresses my both my hope and my great joy in knowing that our God is the God of hope, compassion and invitation to love and be loved.
Come, Come Whoever You Are
by Sufi poet Mevlana Jelaluddin Rumi
Come, come, whoever you are,
Wonderer, worshipper, lover of leaving.
It doesn't matter.
Ours is not a caravan of despair.
Come, even if you have broken your vow
a thousand times
Come, yet again, come, come
So it goes...
I'm not one to go on and on about how the devil is messing with my life, but I have to tell you that I've had one heck of a time getting this blog off and running. It kind of makes me wonder if the "enemy", or fate, or some other-worldly kind of force is trying to prevent me from blogging my way through Lent.
Seriously.
I mean, under normal circumstances it is very easy for me to find a blog template, copy and paste the html code and voila! A blog is born!
Yeah well, this time around it was anything but easy. The template that I had picked had wonky code that Blogger wasn't letting me save. It took me a while to fix that little problem and then, once I had, I couldn't make the color and font alterations I desired. After spending more time than I would ever normally spend on such a project, I had the page looking just the way I wanted it, so I wrote the perfect "kick-off post" only to have everything simply up and disappear.
Everything.
Gone.
Blog Template...gone
Html code alterations.....gone
Kick-off post.....gone.
This morning, I found myself back to square one, and once again I spent more time than I would have liked putting the template and code and kick ass post back together again only to encounter new problems.
Well, to make a long story somewhat shorter, I seem to have things up and running the way they should be.
(Knock on wood everybody....I think Satan's out to get me.)
Seriously.
I mean, under normal circumstances it is very easy for me to find a blog template, copy and paste the html code and voila! A blog is born!
Yeah well, this time around it was anything but easy. The template that I had picked had wonky code that Blogger wasn't letting me save. It took me a while to fix that little problem and then, once I had, I couldn't make the color and font alterations I desired. After spending more time than I would ever normally spend on such a project, I had the page looking just the way I wanted it, so I wrote the perfect "kick-off post" only to have everything simply up and disappear.
Everything.
Gone.
Blog Template...gone
Html code alterations.....gone
Kick-off post.....gone.
This morning, I found myself back to square one, and once again I spent more time than I would have liked putting the template and code and kick ass post back together again only to encounter new problems.
Well, to make a long story somewhat shorter, I seem to have things up and running the way they should be.
(Knock on wood everybody....I think Satan's out to get me.)
