Lent 2015: Week 3

Thursday, Mar 5  Prayer:  HOLY

Joshua 3:5 CEB

Joshua said to the people, 'Make yourselves holy!  Tomorrow the Lord will do wonderful things among you.'

         What does it mean to make myself holy?  I looked up the word online and found the following meanings…”dedicated or consecrated to God, sacred, having a religious purpose, exalted, worthy of complete devotion, divine.”  I found that the Hebrew word for holy is ‘qodesh’ which means ‘apartness, separateness or sacredness’.  In the Old Testament, God says ‘You shall therefore be holy, for I am holy’. 

          So again I ask, what does it mean to make myself holy?  I thought of this word in terms of last week's concept of being centered in God.  I like the idea of blending the two together.  To make myself holy is to so dedicate myself to God that I am completely centered in God.  It means seeing the holy in everything around me, in seeing God all around.  A good word to ponder on this final CHRPA day of work.  Where will I find ‘HOLY’ today? 

          My prayer drawing for holy concentrates on the Last Supper, partially because the word fit into a goblet so well, but also this meal is a reminder of holy within us, Christ within us, God within us.   

Friday, Mar 6  More on Holy...
Exodus 3:5 VOICE
Eternal One: Don't come any closer.  Take off your sandals and stand barefoot on the ground in My presence, for this ground is holy ground.
      Last night I picked up Sue Monk Kidd's book again to read the next chapter.  It soon became apparent that God was once again at work, for her words echoed my morning thoughts on HOLY - the concept of Emanuel, my practice of finding holy God-moments throughout the day.  I will share some excerpts:

“God is not partial to stained glass.”   Had I unknowingly limited God’s presence to what I perceived as sacred – to holy places and church-sponsored moments?....  I hadn’t really expected Him in the common events of daily life.

Life doesn’t stop for the holy to happen.  Holiness occurs in the course of life – or never.   What I am talking about is a way of seeing all of life as incarnation, seeing God in it.  And even beyond that, to an Emmanuel-way of approaching all of life – being WITH God in it.

Every moment of our day holds the possibility of encountering God’s love.  Every ground, even the ground of common experiences, is holy.  I think it we ever grasped that fact, we would go barefoot all the time.

Perhaps this is what our church needs to understand Luke's desire to be barefoot much of the time!   And a couple of quotes from other sources...

“There is nothing so secular that it cannot be sacred.” (Madeleine L’Engle)

“God is he whose center is everywhere and circumference is nowhere." (Nicolas of Cusa)

Saturday, Mar 7  Prayer: SHALOM
Harmony, Unity, Wholeness and Justice. 
Peace and Salvation, all are Shalom. 
(Song sung last Sunday at Shalom Mennonite Fellowship to the tune Dona Nobis)

The dove is superimposed on top of the full moon.
The Hebrew letters at the bottom spell Shalom also. 

       Our first thought when we hear the word Shalom is Peace.  Shalom means peace!  It is also used as a greeting, a hello and goodbye, 'Peace be with you.'  But Shalom means so much more.  In its Hebrew roots Shalom means "completeness, wholeness, health, welfare, safety, tranquility, prosperity, fullness, perfectness, and the absence of discord.  This was the subject of the sermon last week at Shalom Mennonite Fellowship where the preacher discussed 'What's in our name?"  As today's Lenten Calendar encouraged the service of asking another to a meal and we are leaving early this morning to take a hike down on Mt. Wrightson, I realized it might be a good day to finally consider Sunday's Sermon!  Unless we decide to invite a hiker we meet to dine with us! 
      As I awoke this morning, the thought occurred to me that shalom really does blend in with some of my recent thoughts.  To be centered in God is to be one with God.  Our whole life is complete in God.  We begin and end our day, hello and goodbye, with the fullness of God in our whole being.  We see God in the perfectness of Creation and the healing of broken relationships.  To practice Shalom, to be shalom, we are walking on holy ground.  
     I am watching a full moon slowly sink into the western sky.  There is something perfect, something filled with God-grace, about such a Shalom moon at this moment in time.  
     Later.....As we hiked the trail today that winds down the slopes of Mt. Wrightson, I thought of Sue Monk Kidd's latest chapter about seeing God, about having to actively LOOK.  So I thought, I'm going to LOOK for the word Shalom, God's Shalom, as I hike back down.  It only took me a half mile to find my answer...

Sunday, March 8  Prayer: PATIENCE

James 1:2-8 MSG

Consider it a sheer gift, friends, when tests and challenges come at you from all sides.  You know that under pressure, your faith-life is forced into the open and shows its true colors….If you don’t know what you’re doing, pray to the Father…..Ask boldly, believingly, without a second thought.

            How patient am I to wait for God to work HIS answer to my prayers? We want a quick fix, instant resolution to our problems.  Yet our prayer should always be, “Thy will be done” not “Do it this way, God!”  And sometimes, it involves a great deal of faith and trust to WAIT for Thy Will to happen.  I found a number of ‘patience quotes’ online, but my favorite one comes from Adel Bestavros:

            Patience with others is LOVE.  Patience with self is HOPE.  Patience with God is FAITH. 

            Many moments of our lives demand a sense of patience. We tend to be more patient with others than with ourselves.  And definitely more patient with both others and ourselves than with God!

  

Patience is not the ability to wait but the ability to keep a good attitude while waiting. (www.sausedo.net)

Patience is a spirit that holds you up until the Glory comes.  (successimg.com)

Patience is a loyal friend that brings peace to any situation. (runninghutch.com)

A moment of patience in a moment of anger saves a thousand moments of regret. (myincrediblewebsite.com)

Monday, Mar 9  Fasting:  No Desserts or Treats Today
Mark 2:18 MSG
The disciples of John and the disciples of the Pharisees made a practice of fasting. Some people confronted Jesus:  "Why do the followers of John and the Pharisees take on the discipline of fasting, but your followers don't?"

         At the time of Jesus many Jews made a practice of prayers daily and fasting several times a week.  They ask a good question for then and still for now?  Why IS fasting a practice common during Lent?  Exactly what does fasting mean?  From what?   How does the practice vary among different denominations?  
         The 40 day period of Lenten fast is associated with Moses' time on the mountain, the 40 year journey in the wilderness, and Jesus' 40 days of fasting and temptation in the desert. Lent is a period of self-examination and prayer, and fasting is a spiritual discipline that can take our focus away from the common  and secular to focus on God.  
         I found a website for a rather conservative Catholic site, the sect of Christianity that perhaps still observes strict rules of fasting.  And what I read seemed much to me like reading Leviticus and the rules of diet common to the Hebrews.  All must fast age 14 to 59.  Fasting means one meatless meal a day with a common of much smaller snacks allowed.  Meatless can include broths and eggs, but nothing else 'from the land'.  Fish is allowed.  Fasting must be observed on Ash Wednesday and Good Friday and every Friday during Lent.   Whew!  Too many RULES!  
          So...why do we fast?  I found the following explanation of the fasting practices among various Christian denominations interesting:

Most Protestant churches do not have regulations on fasting and Lent. During the Reformation, many practices that might have been considered "works" were eliminated by reformers Martin Luther and John Calvin, so as not to confuse believers who were being taught salvation by grace alone.
In the Episcopal Church, members are encouraged to fast on Ash Wednesday and Good Friday. Fasting is also to be combined with prayer and alms giving.
The Presbyterian Church makes fasting voluntary. Its purpose is to develop dependence on God, prepare the believer to face temptation, and to seek wisdom and guidance from God.
The Methodist Church has no official guidelines on fasting but encourages it as a private matter. John Wesley, one of the founders of Methodism, fasted twice a week. Fasting, or abstaining from such activities as watching television, eating favorite foods, or doing hobbies is also encouraged during Lent.
The Baptist Church encourages fasting as a way to draw closer to God, but considers it a private matter and has no set days when members should fast.
The Assemblies of God consider fasting an important practice but purely voluntary and private. The church stresses that it does not produce merit or favor from God but is a way to heighten focus and gain self-control.
The Lutheran Church encourages fasting but imposes no requirements on its members to fast during Lent. The Augsburg Confession states, "We do not condemn fasting in itself, but the traditions which prescribe certain days and certain meats, with peril of conscience, as though such works were a necessary service."
(Sources: catholicanswers.com, abbamoses.com, episcopalcafe.com, fpcgulfport.org,umc.org, namepeoples.imb.org, ag.org, and cyberbrethren.com.)

     Whew!  Today's Lenten challenge is to FAST from treats and desserts.  Considering that a pile of chocolate muffins were put behind me last night at the SOOP Gathering and I did NOT fast from them, today is a good day for this practice.  
http://christianity.about.com/od/easter/a/JZ-Lent-And-Fasting.htm

Tuesday, Mar 10
Service: Say Something Nice About Family Members
Matthew 12:35 MSG
A good person produces good deeds and words season after season. 

      Today's challenge will take some thinking.  I am to write a positive trait about each family member. It doesn't need to be an all-encompassing description, just ONE nice thing.  I find it interesting that the radio is having a 'call in' right now asking listeners to tell them 'something good'.  God at work.  I think the important thing for me will be not only to write this out, but then to send it to my family as a way of encouragement and love.  Can't keep nice things hidden!  

RICK: Faithful and consistent, dependable. 
JED: Devoted and loyal, unassuming strength, gentle.
LUKE: Energetic and passionate, intuitive, perceptive 
JACK: Joyful,  spontaneous
MOM MAC: Selfless and caring.
MOM R: Accepting, kind
MARG: Adventuresome, strong
LIZ: Adaptable, generous
MAC: Gentle and big-hearted

Wednesday, Mar 11 Prayer: DESERT
Mark 1:12  GNT
At once the Spirit made him go into the desert, where he stayed forty days. 
          When I looked for a scripture passage with the word desert, I found many translations that used the term deserted place or wild place instead.  But often this place we conceive as forbidding, uninhabitable, was used as a refuge, a place of safety, a place for solitude and reflection.  The desert SEEMS to be a vast empty wasteland, where God might be the ONLY thing you could encounter, but in reality it is alive with life.  Life that knows struggle, life that can adapt to change and hardship.  God has much to teach us in the desert AND in the deserted places of our lives.  

Thursday, March 12  Prayer: BIBLE

2 Timothy 3:16-17 VOICE

All of Scripture is God-breathed; in its inspired voice, we hear useful teaching, rebuke, correction, instruction, and training for a life that is right so that God’s people may be up to the task ahead and have all they need to accomplish every good work. 

            Since today’s ‘fast’ is supposed to be from TV and monitors which I can’t easily do while on the road (I didn’t even BRING a Bible with me!), I am going to post some notes today from last Sunday’s Sermon, which was on Scripture and The Word, delivered by Vic Stoltzfus. 

• ·       What is your first impression of the Bible?  Is it wisdom or law? Answers to Questions? The Promise of Hope? A story of transformation and joy?  Hopefully not DUST!
• ·       The Bible is GOD SPEAKING, GOD’S PEOPLE RESPONDING (Sometimes well, sometimes poorly.)
• ·       In these 66 books we find…
• o   God, Greed, and Grace.
• o   Life, Lust, Laughter, and Love.
• o   Siblings, Squabbles, and Sex.
• o   Power, Prayer, and Prison.
• o   Creation, Crucifixion, and Compassion.
• ·       “The Bible is powerful…handle with care!”
• ·       Out of context, individual verses can be dangerous and deadly.  In its totality, it brings grace.
• ·       In the course of history, Christians have used the Bible wrong with the intent to justify violence.  Today, Isis uses the Koran wrong to justify violence.   We learn the Bible ‘self-corrects’ the OOPS moments if we read the WHOLE story, the ‘rest of the story’.    
• ·       Are we in Satan’s pocket sometimes, doing good works for the wrong reasons?

            Overall, the point of the sermon was that we can’t take isolated scripture and use it to justify isolated situations.  We must know and understand the whole story. 

  


Friday, Mar 13  Service: Invite Another to Dinner
Acts 2:46-47
Day after day they met as a group in the Temple, and they had their meals together in their homes, eating with glad and humble hearts, praising God, and enjoying the good will of all the people. 
           This was a perfect 'service' for today!  We are taking Walter and Lorene out to breakfast this morning before we head off for Bisbee, AZ and a Birthday Bash weekend.  The Mennonite SOOP crew often gathers for a meal after worship on Sundays.  Meals together in community BUILD community.  Especially meals where people are open to share experiences, concerns, and dreams, to share God-moments and God at work in their lives.  Hopefully we will make an opportunity to share some of our faith with Walter and Lorene and hear more about theirs.  



Copyright Traci Smith 2015 www.traci-smith.com LENTEN PRACTICES CALENDAR FOR FAMILIES:  These activities are based around the traditional 'Three Pillars' of Lent: Prayer, Fasting, and Almsgiving or Service.  The pillars are rotated throughout Lent with simple activities.  On the prayer days, use the word provided to inspire a prayer you write, draw, or sing.  All of the activities are suggestions.  Modify as necessary or desired!