LENT - d365.org: HEALING

INVOCATION....(d365.org - Neil Myer)

To be touched, helped, lifted up along the way. To be made whole.

Everyone longs for these things, especially in seasons of darkness and self-doubt.

God’s intent is that all the world will be mended—every nation, every person. Let that healing begin now in you.

SATURDAY, April 5

Ephesians 5:10-14 MSG

Figure out what will please Christ, and then do it.  Don’t waste your time on useless work, mere busywork, the barren pursuits of darkness. Expose these things for the sham they are. It’s a scandal when people waste their lives on things they must do in the darkness where no one will see. Rip the cover off those frauds and see how attractive they look in the light of Christ.

Wake up from your sleep,
Climb out of your coffins;
Christ will show you the light!

BR-ring!  

    Shut that thing off.    

It's the God alarm.  

Time to get up. 

Pull off the covers. 

Arise to the light of a new day. 

    It's cold out there.

    People expect things of me.

    I have too much to do. 

    I don't want to deal with life.

    I don't want to deal with people.

    I want to hide here under the layers

       of warmth and self-pity. 

Throw off the covers of darkness. 

Arise!  It's a new day in the Lord!

Your covers blind you.  

You are wallowing under blankets of deceit. 

Quilts of apathy and excuses. 

You are are drowning in the darkness of stress and busyness. 

Wake up!  Arise! 

The light has come!

Shine! God is here with you!

FRIDAY, April 4 

Ephesians 5:8-9 CEB

You were once darkness, but now you are light in the Lord, so live your life as children of Light.  Light produces fruit that consists of every sort of goodness, justice, and truth.

          Darkness to light.  Blindness to sight.  Healed.  But the process of our spiritual healing isn’t always quite so instantaneous.  Becoming a Child of Light might begin slowly, and as our understanding of the path lightens, so do we. 

          I built steps this week for CHRPA.  The current steps into the client’s mobile home, located in the midst of creosote bushes out in the desert were twisted metal, with one riser tied in place with wire, a gaping hole to one side.  They were steep steps, hard to climb, hard to descend.   All around the trailer was garbage and debris: cars, old campers, furniture, backyard climbing toys, sheds erupting with rotting fabrics, all covered with the wind-blown donations from neighboring yards.  Nestled amongst the debris was a pig and two dogs plus two pots with the green hope of freshly watered plants.  These steps led from the darkness of a dilapidated trailer into the darkness of her immediate surroundings.   The client was blind to the light.    

         We built what are called cascade steps, very short riser height of 4” to make the path from trailer to ground easier to navigate.  We built sturdy steps with a secure handrail on both sides.  As she descended for the first time, this Child of God, who has lived a life of physical, emotional and spiritual darkness beyond comprehension, brightened with joy, her gruff voice erupting with “Thank you.  This is so nice!” 

      God’s spiritual healing may lead us gradually, up cascading steps, to a full realization and revelation of who we are as Children of Light.  But the path is bright, the handrails of scripture and community strong.  And each step leads us to new levels of goodness, service, justice, truth, and righteousness. 

     We are in the process of healing.  May we climb ever higher, knowing God lights the way, knowing we hold the Light within us. 

THURSDAY, April 3

John 9:39-41  MSG

Jesus then said, “I came into the world to bring everything into the clear light of day, making all the distinctions clear, so that those who have never seen will see, and those who have made a great pretense of seeing will be exposed as blind.”

Some Pharisees overheard him and said, “Does that mean you’re calling us blind?”

Jesus said, “If you were really blind, you would be blameless, but since you claim to see everything so well, you’re accountable for every fault and failure.”

     Neil Myer, today's d365.org author, writes:

When we dig our heels in so deep that we refuse to be open to the work of God in our midst, we remain blind to the light of the world that has been with us since the very beginning.

       I couldn't put it any better.  We blind ourselves when we insist on being right, when we close ourselves to new revelations before us.  We don't have to have all the answers.  We don't have to explain everything.   We can take much on faith and the knowledge that God is at work, God loves us, and God wants what is best for us.  Isn't that enough? 

      Today is Thursday, CHRPA School!  (Breakfast treats!)  I am reminded that Dan started last week's lesson on electricity with the analogy, "Electricity is alot like faith in God.  We can't see it or God, but we know that it is there!  We can see the results of the activity!"  What morsel of truth will I glean from school today?

WEDNESDAY, April 2    Pharisee Mode

John 9:30-34 MSG

The man replied, “This is amazing! You claim to know nothing about him, but the fact is, he opened my eyes! It’s well known that God isn’t at the beck and call of sinners, but listens carefully to anyone who lives in reverence and does his will. That someone opened the eyes of a man born blind has never been heard of—ever. If this man didn’t come from God, he wouldn’t be able to do anything.”
They said, “You’re nothing but dirt! How dare you take that tone with us!” Then they threw him out in the street.

     Last Sunday Bryce Miller of Shalom Fellowship asked in his sermon, "If this were a one act play, what role would you like in the story?"  We all agreed to be the blind beggar and healed would be the most desired role, but in all honesty, most of us would have to be cast as the Pharisees.  This is the role to which we are accustomed.  

     It is so much easier to challenge new ideas, new revelations, the unexplained, with a 'That can't be right! That can't be God's doing' when it goes against everything we have formerly understood.  But if I have gained anything in the past few years of scripture searching, it is that God NEVER does what we expect or, how we expect it!!  God doesn't play by OUR rules - God has his own rules that always shake things up.  

     How did the Pharisees ultimately respond after rejecting the blind beggar's healing?  They threw him out!  They totally dismissed him as worthless.  How often do I dismiss that which I don't want to accept?  That which I don't understand?  How often do I take the role of Pharisee and keep my blinders firmly in place?  

      God is waiting and ready to heal.  May I open my heart and eyes to accept a new role in the drama.  

TUESDAY, April 1  Ask for a Story

John 9:13-17  MSG

They marched the man to the Pharisees. This day when Jesus made the paste and healed his blindness was the Sabbath. The Pharisees grilled him again on how he had come to see. He said, “He put a clay paste on my eyes, and I washed, and now I see.”

 Some of the Pharisees said, “Obviously, this man can’t be from God. He doesn’t keep the Sabbath.”

Others countered, “How can a bad man do miraculous, God-revealing things like this?” There was a split in their ranks.

 They came back at the blind man, “You’re the expert. He opened your eyes. What do you say about him?”

He said, “He is a prophet.”

     Multiple times the blind man is asked, "How were you healed.  Tell us the story AGAIN."  He retells it simply, not quite understanding the miracle himself, but knowing the path he took for it to occur.  Jesus acted, the man acted, God acted.  Each time he is asked to retell his story, he opens the eyes of his listeners to the reality of Jesus.  

     This reminds me somewhat of a reaction I had after a memorial service for a dear member of our church several years back.  I heard his stories told during the service and afterwards I asked myself, "Why didn't I ask him to share his story?  Wow!  What an impact it would have made!  Eyes might have been opened, including my own!"  So now I try to ask more....Why did you come to Baker?  Have you had an eye-opening experience with God?  The questions reveal God at work and bind our faith community tightly together.  

     As I work at CHRPA this week, are there questions I might ask?  I see some symbols of faith, especially in the homes of Hispanic Catholics we visit.  What is their story?  I might be amazed at my clarity of vision at day's end.  

(God at work.  Today CHRPA handed out a new little fundraising booklet of CHRPA stories.  Tales of an organization making a difference.  Stories of the individual people touched and healed through this hands-on ministry. It is their yearly report.  Not financial figures and statistics, but simply STORIES of God at work.)

MONDAY, March 31  Siloam 

John 9:6-7, 10-11 GNT

 After he said this, Jesus spat on the ground and made some mud with the spittle; he rubbed the mud on the man's eyes  and told him, “Go and wash your face in the Pool of Siloam.” (This name means “Sent.”) So the man went, washed his face, and came back seeing.....

“How is it that you can now see?” they asked him.

 He answered, “The man called Jesus made some mud, rubbed it on my eyes, and told me to go to Siloam and wash my face. So I went, and as soon as I washed, I could see.”

A touch and Siloam...

Healing from God. 

We know the value of the touch:

     The woman and the robe,

      A mother and newborn child,

      Even Michelangelo's 'Touch of Creation' 

            comes to mind.

Touch can heal,

Touch conveys compassion. 

Touch transfer heart and soul from one to another. 

But 'Siloam'??  

The word means sent. 

Dispatched.  Directed. Released.

Part two of the healing process, 

More comes after the touch. 

Siloam implies obedience,

A need to follow-through and go.

Siloam. 

God responds often with the touch. 

And then follows with the mission....

How well do we listen?

How often do we obey and go out?

     To complete the healing....

        ...in ourselves, in others?

     To share the miracle of God,

           the change in our life?

We are touched. 

We are sent. 

We are healed.

We are transformed.

Siloam. 

I have been touched by the people of CHRPA, by their passion for the struggling of this city.  Today I will once again be sent out to do God's work with them and among them.  Siloam.  May I be transformed and healed in the experience.  Amen.   

SUNDAY, March 30 Who Sinned? 

John 9:1-3 CEB

As Jesus walked along, he saw a man who was blind from birth. 2 Jesus’ disciples asked, “Rabbi, who sinned so that he was born blind, this man or his parents?”

3 Jesus answered, “Neither he nor his parents. This happened so that God’s mighty works might be displayed in him.
     

Our simple questions seek black and white answers.  Who sinned? Someone must be at fault!  Bad things don't happen to good people, do they?  I thought back to my cascading fountain and the first pool of water is Suffering and Difficulty.  God doesn't will it.  No one sinned to cause it.  But.... faith means being able to see the Hope that can spring forth from the bottom of the fountain if we allow God to tumble us down the cleansing and refreshing path of grace.  What amazing miracle, what common pinprick of Light, can come from God's healing in this situation?  
     When we seek black and white answers, we blind ourselves to the infinite possibilities that await in the midst of the gray.  God is present.  The Light is present. May we take off the blinders and see what is possible with God.  

****

Sunday Service at Shalom Mennonite Fellowship. The same scripture!  (Only the whole passage 1-34.)
Sermon by Bryce Miller, pastor 
KEY POINT:  For all our blindness, healing is offered if we are willing to receive it. 
**  Who sinned?  It happened so God would be revealed. 
**  The blind man has MUCH better vision of God than the Pharisees. 
**  We want answers and reasons so much that it is hard to face suffering with a simple, 'I'm sorry.'  We want the why, how, when!  Explain!  Often God questions are unanswerable.  
**  Ours is a culture of fault - we want to place responsibility.  If it is unexplainable, it must be wrong! 
**  Jesus works with the world as he finds it; not finding fault, but seeking justice. 
**  Our questions blind us to God at work among us!  Often God is where we least expect him.  
**  The Pharisees were sure of who God was:  he only speaks through the chosen, he doesn't work on Sundays, and he is in OUR image.....am I a Pharisee?
**  What blinds me to God?  (a comfortable, easy, middle class life, fear of the unknown, pride and egoism.....)

Shalom Mennonite Fellowship has a series of rock cairns in the chancel area symbolizing and reminding us that God has marked our way on the path to Him.  Similar to Joshua stones?  I liked the cairn reminder!  
BENEDICTION BLESSINGS...(d365.org - Neil Myer)

Go now with a willingness to see things as they are,
And imagine the world as it could be.

We all have a story to tell
And experiences that shape what we see.

But there is healing in the truth God brings
And enough light to see just ahead,
For God is already in the place where you are going.

GOSPEL OF LUKE - Chapter 13

Luke 13:1-3  Turn to God

About that time some people came up and told him about the Galileans Pilate had killed while they were at worship, mixing their blood with the blood of the sacrifices on the altar.  Jesus responded, ‘Do you think those murdered Galileans were worse sinners than all other Galileans?  Not at all.  Unless you turn to God, you, too, will die.  (MSG)

Luke 13:1-3

         Jesus debunks the theory that sin can be measured by severity and punishment falls accordingly.  The ‘bad things only happen to bad people’ theory, and REALLY bad things…likewise.  No!!  Sin is sin, death is death, and God is God.  All sin can be forgiven, regardless of nature, if God is put at the center of life, if repentance is genuine.   God does not punish with natural calamities.  Perhaps that was the mode of choice in the Old Testament, but Jesus came to change all that.  Bad things sometimes happen to good people too! That’s life, not God punishment!  No one is more deserving than anyone else.  Our punishment is often internal, of our own doing, when we turn away from the source of life: God.  We all have the opportunity to make and live that choice.  The sooner, the better.

       

LUKE 13:14-17  Sabbath Work

The meeting-place president, furious because Jesus had healed on the Sabbath, said to the congregation, “Six days have been defined as work days. Come on one of the six if you want to be healed, but not on the seventh, the Sabbath.”

But Jesus shot back, “You frauds! Each Sabbath every one of you regularly unties your cow or donkey from its stall, leads it out for water, and thinks nothing of it. So why isn’t it all right for me to untie this daughter of Abraham and lead her from the stall where Satan has had her tied these eighteen years?”

Luke 13:14-17

When he put it that way, his critics were left looking quite silly and red-faced. The congregation was delighted and cheered him on.  (MSG)

            The Pharisees seemed to continually try and catch Jesus breaking the Jewish laws of Moses, in this case, the fourth commandment to honor the Sabbath Day.  But Jesus muddies the water of ‘work’.  Are not the Pharisees working on the Sabbath?  Does ‘work’ change when it is work in honor of God?  Perhaps the intention of the commandment is more ‘honor the Sabbath day’ and honor God!  What if we were to make a Sabbath time EVERY day?  What if our work is in service to God?  What if, just imagine,  we were to live Sabbath all the time?  What a way to honor and glorify our God! 

^{Luke 13:18-21   Parables of the Kingdom}

Luke 13:18-19

Then he said, “How can I picture God’s kingdom for you? What kind of story can I use? It’s like a pine nut that a man plants in his front yard. It grows into a huge pine tree with thick branches, and eagles build nests in it.”    He tried again. “How can I picture God’s kingdom? It’s like yeast that a woman works into enough dough for three loaves of bread—and waits while the dough rises.” (MSG)

        Everyone, no matter how insignificant, has the potential of the grain of yeast or tiny seed to grow the Kingdom of God.  With each act of kindness, service, or charity, our seeds grow, our yeast expands, God’s presence is made known.  Each time we honor one another, we honor God, and the Kingdom grows. 

        How well am I nurturing my seed of God’s Kingdom?  How warm and hospitable is the environment for the yeast of my Kingdom bread?  May the Spirit continue to work within me and grow.  

LENT d365.org: Revelations

INVOCATION.... (d365.org - Carol Harston)

Surprise. Even shock. These can be part of the experience when knowledge is suddenly discovered.

But revelations are also the source of wider and deeper understanding, resulting in personal challenge that leads to change.

Watch for new insights that result from taking these next few moments to listen for what God might have you know.

SATURDAY, March 29  Raise the Rafters!

Psalm 95:1-7a MSG

Come, let’s shout praises to God,
    raise the roof for the Rock who saved us!
Let’s march into his presence singing praises,
    lifting the rafters with our hymns!

 And why? Because God is the best,
    High King over all the gods.
In one hand he holds deep caves and caverns,
    in the other hand grasps the high mountains.
He made Ocean—he owns it!
    His hands sculpted Earth!

 So come, let us worship: bow before him,

  on your knees before God, who made us!

It's been a week of revelations.  A week of God revealing his presence through the living waters of hope and grace and abundant love.  And now, it is time to give thanks, to offer to God our grateful hearts in a celebration of praise and wonder.  God is present.  Raise the rafters!  Sing a song of the God revealed through Jesus, the God that can be revealed in me!  

FRIDAY, March 28  Cascade of Living Waters

Romans 5:3-5 MSG

There’s more to come: We continue to shout our praise even when we’re hemmed in with troubles, because we know how troubles can develop passionate patience in us, and how that patience in turn forges the tempered steel of virtue, keeping us alert for whatever God will do next. In alert expectancy such as this, we’re never left feeling shortchanged. Quite the contrary—we can’t round up enough containers to hold everything God generously pours into our lives through the Holy Spirit!

A cascading fountain of living water:
From one stage to another we grow. 
Suffering through troubled times
   tumbles down into patience,
   endurance tempers our souls. 
Patience bubbles up and then falls
   into a basin of character and virtue.
The bowl fills and flows forth into Hope.
And the pool of Hope?
The opportunities abound for
An infinity of containers cannot catch     the Living Waters of hope,
God flows into every aspect of our lives,
And Spirit-Love becomes a part of us.
Go forth this day expectant -
Patiently seeking God's abundant love
Poured forth into the pools of our lives.

THURSDAY, March 27  On the Threshold

Romans 5:1-2 MGS

 By entering through faith into what God has always wanted to do for us—set us right with him, make us fit for him—we have it all together with God because of our Master Jesus. And that’s not all: We throw open our doors to God and discover at the same moment that he has already thrown open his door to us. We find ourselves standing where we always hoped we might stand—out in the wide open spaces of God’s grace and glory, standing tall and shouting our praise. 

We stand on the threshold of revelation,
Of God revealed, Love enacted, 
Grace freely flowing. 
We stand freed from our expectations,
Our insecurities and limitations. 
Behind us linger our doubts and ignorance,
Our pride meshed with an egocentric idea of success.  
Beyond the threshold,
In a Spirit-empowered fountain of Living Water,
Lies opportunity, hope, 
Gifts of peace, joy, and faith. 
Stand on the threshold of glory, 
Feast on the face of God,
Prepare to leap into a new life!  
Hallelujah! 

WEDNESDAY, March 26  Knowing

John 4:41-42 GNT

Many more believed because of his [Jesus] message,  and they told the woman, “We believe now, not because of what you said, but because we ourselves have heard him, and we know that he really is the Savior of the world.”

What do I KNOW?
I say I believe.
I utter words of faith.
I try to walk the walk. 
But do I KNOW? 
With a depth of comprehension
That erupts from within 
  And shatters all previous perceptions. 
Do I KNOW with an awareness 
   of God at work in all I see around me?
Do I KNOW through experience,
 through  a witness of God-grace,
 and the revelation pf new life?

The sun is rising in my eyes,
Another day, another opportunity, presents itself. 
What will I learn this day of the God I proclaim?
What will I do that demonstrates this knowledge?
How can I share what I KNOW with others, 
   so all may know.
As the sun sets this evening,
   may such knowledge be revealed,
   in me and through me.  

TUESDAY, March 25  A-ha Moment

John 4: 28-30 GNT

Then the woman left her water jar, went back to the town, and said to the people there,  “Come and see the man who told me everything I have ever done. Could he be the Messiah?”  So they left the town and went to Jesus.

The light bulb turns on;

The mind explodes with awareness.

The student looks in wonder,

Somewhat grasping, but excited.

It's the 'Aha' moment in the classroom. 

When a morsel of truth is revealed,

And the student begins to nibble. 

For the woman at the well,

An 'Aha' of Truth has come. 

God is revealed; Grace abounds. 

In her excitement, she abandons her water jar.

She deserts her past, the guilt of sin,

And runs to exclaim, to shout her joy.

Uncertain where this revelation may lead,

She proclaims the truth she has seen.

Look for an 'Aha' moment today,
An opportunity to glimpse the revelation of God-grace,
And be freed to a new life.

MONDAY, March 24  Thirst

John 4:13-15  MSG

Jesus said, “Everyone who drinks this water will get thirsty again and again. Anyone who drinks the water I give will never thirst—not ever. The water I give will be an artesian spring within, gushing fountains of endless life.”

 The woman said, “Sir, give me this water so I won’t ever get thirsty, won’t ever have to come back to this well again!”

We all thirst.

On hot, dry days, 

the thirst is physical. 

A yearning in our bodies for water -

Life-giving liquid.

The dehydration can kill.

Yet, we all thirst for more.

We thirst for acceptance,

respect, and love.

We thirst for relationships that build unity,

For the touch of one another in compassion. 

We thirst for worth, 

A sense that what we do counts ...and matters.

This thirst is spiritual;

Yet the dehydration can also kill.  

Come to the well. 

Drink of God's eternal waters.

Drink...

And thirst no more. 

SUNDAY, March 23  Well Encounter

John 4:7-10  MSG

A woman, a Samaritan, came to draw water. Jesus said, “Would you give me a drink of water?” (His disciples had gone to the village to buy food for lunch.)

9 The Samaritan woman, taken aback, asked, “How come you, a Jew, are asking me, a Samaritan woman, for a drink?” (Jews in those days wouldn’t be caught dead talking to Samaritans.)

10 Jesus answered, “If you knew the generosity of God and who I am, you would be asking me for a drink, and I would give you fresh, living water.”

Trapped in a self-proclaimed role.

Held captive by societal norms

Who am I to speak to the stranger?

Keep to my position,

Dare not not respond.

A man asking, not demanding!

A Jew no less!

But I hear a

Voice of compassion.  

Who is this man?

Who is this God?

What is this living water?

Dare I drink? 

His presence radiates peace,

His demeanor an echo of hope. 

His words fill me with worth.

A revelation of transformation.

Who IS this man?

Who is his God?

Dare I drink of this living water?

Dare I?

---

We worshipped today at Shalom Mennonite Fellowship, the parent church of CHRPA and our hosts for these two weeks.  I enjoy the informality of the services and especially the quality of the singing!  The regular minister was gone today, so my scribble is based on the Call to Worship, a short poem quote by Elizabeth Barrett Browning. 

BENEDICTION BLESSING....(d365.org - Carol Harston)

Go now, willing to be set free
By words that bring new life,
By grace that brings new light.

Prepare yourself for knowledge that brings peace
Which knows no limits.

God is giving you reasons to be hopeful
And a new song to sing.

LENT d365.org: TRANSFORMED

Invocation.....(d365.org - Sharon Ely Pearson) 

The world is changing. When time passes between meetings, you see that friends and family are changing too.

And you are changing as well.

In these next moments, open your heart to God, who is seeking more than change in you, but transformation—something truly new.

SATURDAY, March 22 'Keeping'

Psalm 121 NRSV

 I lift up my eyes to the hills—

    from where will my help come?

My help comes from the Lord

   who made heaven and earth.
He will not let your foot be moved
   he who keeps you will not slumber.
He who keeps Israel
  will neither slumber nor sleep.
The Lord is your keeper
   the Lord is your shade at your right hand.
The sun shall not strike you by day,
   nor the moon by night.
The Lord will keep you from all evil;
  he will keep your life.
The Lord will keep
  your going out and your coming in
  from this time on and forevermore.

     The Lord is my KEEPER.  I had to find a more traditional translation to find the use of this accurate translation from Hebrew.  The Message, Good News, and NIV use the more contemporary (and politically correct?) words: guard, protector, defender.  Keeper almost implies a prison.  But God as our keeper is anything but a prison guard.  It is all of the above words but includes putting the interests of 'the kept' ahead of all else, of knowing, and caring, for each other to such a degree that intimate trust in one another binds the relationship.  I trust my spouse to look out for me; do I trust God to do the same?  Really trust?

      One other, rather unrelated, comment about this passage.  It is often quoted by those who are nature lovers to read "I lift up my eyes to the hills from where my help comes..." with the implication that God resides in the beauty of the mountains.  But the god Baal was thought to live on the mountaintop; Yahweh had no such permanent home.  The early Psalmist was really saying as the Living Bible translates, "Shall I look to the mountain gods for help?  No! My help is from Jehovah who made the mountains! And the heavens too!" 

Benediction Blessing.... (d365.org - Sharon Ely Pearson)

God's light is powerful, revealing

The way to new life,
A new birth by the power of the Spirit.

Walk into your day, then, with new questions
Received with infinite love,
Leading towards a life of righteousness.

God's steadfast care will provide.

FRIDAY, March 21   Righteousness

Romans 4:1-5 MSG

So how do we fit what we know of Abraham, our first father in the faith, into this new way of looking at things? If Abraham, by what he did for God, got God to approve him, he could certainly have taken credit for it. But the story we’re given is a God-story, not an Abraham-story. What we read in Scripture is, “Abraham entered into what God was doing for him, and that was the turning point. He trusted God to set him right instead of trying to be right on his own.”

4-5 If you’re a hard worker and do a good job, you deserve your pay; we don’t call your wages a gift. But if you see that the job is too big for you, that it’s something only God can do, and you trust him to do it—you could never do it for yourself no matter how hard and long you worked—well, that trusting-him-to-do-it is what gets you set right with God, by God. Sheer gift.

     This is a long passage.  And The Message version is even longer than most.  But it is a typical convoluted Paul passage, and I feel like Eugene Peterson's paraphrasing helps to unwind some of the mystery.  

      Righteousness is being RIGHT in our RELATIONSHIP with God.  It is a two-way relationship of communication and obedience on our part.  Here's what I get from this:  Abraham went on a journey.  He obeyed God.  If that journey had been a vacation trip to a known resort or a business trip to pick up a package and return with it, no big deal.  That isn't much of a God story.  But Abraham's trip was out of his league, beyond the call of a job.  He HAD to trust God; he HAD to build and develop that relationship with God in order to obey.  That's being RIGHT with God. 

      My mind is trying to relate this to our Habitat journeys.  When we regard our travels as a vacation, going to places that are  easy and secure (Las Cruces!), we aren't working on this trust factor.  When we branch beyond to jobs we haven't done before, or locations that ask us to stretch a little, then righteousness might be a possibility.  Just DOING Habitat work isn't the answer.  Doing the work in tough situations is part of the call.  Pete reminded us again to take our talents where they are REALLY needed.  Something we need to keep in mind. 

     I feel God sent us to Silver City.  We did a job that no one here really wanted to do.  It wasn't a fun job.  We kept at it for four days and I think did it well.  We were able to share information and ideas during those four days that I hope will help this Habitat affiliate in their transformation.  Now we head to Tucson.  CHRPA work has proven to be one in which God-TRUST is a constant factor.  It isn't easy,  but it IS righteousnness work.  It will help in our Lenten transformation.  

THURSDAY, March 20  The Big Tweet

John 3:16 GNT

For God loved the world so much that he gave his only Son, so that everyone who believes in him may not die but have eternal life.

     The heart of the Gospel Message - all wrapped up in one verse.  Our d365 writer for today says this could be considered The Big Tweet.  Just 103 characters! Call it the Gospel in a Nutshell, write it on signs at ballgames.  The message is simple and brief.  The realization and acceptance carries a transformation of infinite possibility.  

      God loves the world.  How much?  THIS much!  And arms cannot open wide enough to show the love of God's sacrifice.  

     

WEDNESDAY, March 19  Loose Ends

John 3:11-15 CEB

 I assure you that we speak about what we know and testify about what we have seen, but you don’t receive our testimony. 12 If I have told you about earthly things and you don’t believe, how will you believe if I tell you about heavenly things? 13 No one has gone up to heaven except the one who came down from heaven, the Human One.14 Just as Moses lifted up the snake in the wilderness, so must the Human One be lifted up 15 so that everyone who believes in him will have eternal life.

     When we are challenged and confused, we like simple, literal answers.  Jesus was giving simple responses, but not literal enough for Nicodemus.  Jesus was calling for a vast change in attitude and practice, and the response demanded was fairly simple to grasp, but difficult to apply and comprehend.  

     Simply put, when I'm confused, I want an answer in a simple package, with all the loose ends neatly tied up in a bow.  I don't want incomprehensible loose ends; I don't want vague metaphors that leave me wondering 'What in the world is Jesus saying?'; I want the easy solution!

     The Gospel isn't a neatly tied up package.  It is a box of God-Spirit power bursting forth with potential, possibilities, opportunities, grace and unlimited love.  Believe in the power of the loose ends.  Believe in what we cannot see right now.  

TUESDAY, March 18   Keep the Coals Burning

John 3:7-10 CEB

Don’t be surprised that I said to you, ‘You must be born anew.’ 8 God’s Spirit blows wherever it wishes. You hear its sound, but you don’t know where it comes from or where it is going. It’s the same with everyone who is born of the Spirit.”

9 Nicodemus said, “How are these things possible?”

10 “Jesus answered, “You are a teacher of Israel and you don’t know these things?

Pneuma is the Greek word for Spirit or Wind.  It is the base word for pneumonia and other terms having to do with breath.   Yet, as Jesus speaks, it is illusive and intangible.  Today's d365.org writer Pearson had a line that struck me:

  Being born again isn’t something we can do; it happens through the power of the Holy Spirit. 

    We can't control the Holy Spirit.  We don't know when and where it will land in our heart and fill us with God's power.  But like a fire, we can keep the coals alive, so when the Spirit-wind comes, it will ignite and flame within us.  We can tend the fire and be prepared.  

    I am going to add the Scribble and a paragraph from a previous thought on this passage for today.  (Partly because I like the picture!) 

     I feel for Nicodemus.  He is a leader, a teacher, of the Jews.  Yet he has come to Jesus seeking answers in a sense of confusion.  He wants to believe.  He must have felt totally humbled, perhaps humiliated, by Jesus' "You don't know this?"

     I feel because this happened to me constantly while teaching computers.  While I had a basic understanding of the programs we used or computer "law" as Nicodemus did, when we got into something new, I was stumped.  The students would ask questions and when I didn't know the answers, they would eventually ask, "How come you don't know this yet you're the teacher?"  It IS humbling. 
     But Nicodemus knows Jesus is speaking of new, unfathomable, concepts.  Born again?  Winds of the Spirit blowing all around?  The author of d365.org today offered the idea of experiencing the RUSH of the Holy Spirit while sky-diving.  The image of Nicodemus free-falling and feeling the Winds of the Spirit came to mind.  Hey, Nicodemus, it's ok to NOT have all the answers!  We today are glad you asked these questions - because Jesus had to explain it all in words that we can begin to understand. 
     Let the transformation of rebirth begin again...and again....and again. (God is so very patient with us!)  The Spirit of God is at work.  Let us seek and be led by that Spirit.(June 5, 2012)

MONDAY, March 17   Spirit-Birth!

John 3:4-6 GNT

“How can a grown man be born again?” Nicodemus asked. “He certainly cannot enter his mother's womb and be born a second time!”

5 “I am telling you the truth,” replied Jesus, “that no one can enter the Kingdom of God without being born of water and the Spirit. 6 A person is born physically of human parents, but is born spiritually of the Spirit.

     Poor Nicodemus!  He is so confused!  But...he is there!  Asking the questions!  Wanting the answers!  Unafraid to appear 'dumb' or 'stupid' for asking the questions.  God doesn't mind our questions - they are a sign we are looking for the answers! 

     Spiritual rebirth is a chance to start over.  It can happen at the moment of our baptism; it can happen every day when we seek God's grace and ask for renewal.  I liked the example given in d365.org today of a friend who uses her morning shower as a daily re-baptism, a daily reminder of renewal and transformation.  Sometimes we may feel like we need it every day!  The Spirit stirring within us, that is a new beginning!  

     Today is a new beginning for Rick and I!  This is the first time we have 'dropped-in' on a build to offer our services.  We will be working in a small group, perhaps just one other.  But we are excited for a new opportunity to serve in a beautiful setting!   Brrrr, however....might have to take another jacket to the job site until the spring sunshine can 'rebirth' the temperature for today!    

SUNDAY, March 16  Turn on the Lights!

John 3:1-3 MSG

There was a man of the Pharisee sect, Nicodemus, a prominent leader among the Jews. Late one night he visited Jesus and said, “Rabbi, we all know you’re a teacher straight from God. No one could do all the God-pointing, God-revealing acts you do if God weren’t in on it.”

Jesus said, “You’re absolutely right. Take it from me: Unless a person is born from above, it’s not possible to see what I’m pointing to—to God’s kingdom.”

     Nicodemus came to Jesus in the dark of night.  We spend much of our life living in the dark of belief.  It's like we have faulty glasses, or our lenses can't shift fast enough to let the light in.  We struggle with the darkness of doubt,  muddled mistrust, and blurry belief. 

     Rebirth in Christ turns the light of Christ to full power.  The switch is flipped and we can see the Kingdom of God waiting – right there!  And we are changed, transformed, by the light. 

     The more Rick and I work for Habitat, and experience the joy of laboring side by side with the homeowners, the better my vision is becoming.  Slowly God is transforming us; step by step we are being reborn.  Turn on the lights and celebrate the grace of God!