Presence in the Present--3rd Sunday in Lent

In my earliest years, I knew only one way to pray.  At night, my Dad would tuck me into bed and hold my hand as we said together…

Now I lay me down to sleep

I pray Thee, Lord, my soul to keep

If I should die before I wake

I pray Thee, Lord, my soul to take

I loved that time with my Dad each night.  To be honest, though, I’m not sure I experienced the prayer aspect as spiritual so much as a magic spell to ensure I’d make it alive through sleep until breakfast in the morning…or at least evade the horrors of hell if I didn’t!

With time, the phrases themselves began to conflagrate into one, 30-syllable power word hastily recited in one breath, spoken effortlessly, a Godly “abracadabra” to surround me with peace and protection as I slept.

I understood that praying was “talking to God.”  This, however, was the only way I knew how to do it.

Jesus’ disciples seemed at a loss themselves when it came to the “how to” of prayer.  One day, after watching Jesus pray, his followers asked him for a “how to” lesson in prayer.  “Lord, teach us to pray, just as John taught his disciples,” they asked (Lk 11:1).

Jesus’ response provides the basis for what we now call “The Lord’s Prayer” or the “Our Father,” though the scriptural version is more concise than what is customarily used in worship (for the longer version, see Mt. 6:9-13).

For now, let’s just consider the very first part of Jesus’ instruction, which says a great deal about presence and the present. 

“When you pray, say:  Father, hallowed be your name. Your kingdom come. (Lk 11: 2).

Hallowed is a word we don’t use regularly.  Different dictionaries define this word as “set apart as holy.”  This “how to” starts with establishing our sense of place and presence.  We are not in a casual conversation or distracted chatter.  This is intimate, powerful, distinct from the other conversations we have in the world.

We are present in a holy dialogue with One set apart as holy.  Time to be completely, utterly in the moment and nowhere else.  Time to practice presence.

And then, “Your kingdom come.”  Taken as is, this could be seen as a wish or a hope for something in the future, something that is not of the “now,” something that will be accomplished at a later date.

I only speak for myself, but am guessing others may have lived this way, too.  Living as though the “coming of the kingdom” prayed for collectively by millions in worship each week is some type of distant spiritual payoff for doing the right thing and being in the right group now.  “If we live by the rules, if we go through the right motions, if we worship in the right way, then someway…someday…we will experience this kingdom of God.”

But Jesus himself says otherwise. 

To the Pharisees, Jesus is later quoted in the Gospel of Luke saying, "The kingdom of God will not come with observable signs.  Nor will people say, 'Look, here it is,' or 'There it is.' For you see, the kingdom of God is in your midst."  (Lk: 17—21).

This is expressed differently depending on the translation.  The kingdom of God is…

…in your midst

…among you

…within you!

It’s now, in the present.  It’s here.  And it’s in me--in each of us!  Jesus says so.

So why would I need to pray, “Your kingdom come” if the kingdom is already within me and in the midst of all I experience?  Why can’t I see what is right before, around me, within me?

Maybe it is that the Kingdom of God is always present in my midst…but I am not always present for the Kingdom of God.  The busy-ness, the striving, the ego, the clamor, the insatiable need for approval, and the list goes on: altogether they create a noisy fog that blocks what is in front of me, around me, inside of me all the time.

Many engage in a tradition of sacrifice, of “giving something up for Lent.”  Today, let us give up each thing that is keeping us from seeing the Kingdom of God in the present, each thing that keeps us from being present to Him.

A Process - 2nd Sunday in Lent

It was summer and our son, Nick who was 9, had just returned from a two-week camp in

Texas.  It was his dad's job to clean out the trunk that held all the clothes, gear, uneaten food, ants and nastiness only a little boy can bring home from a camp experience!  The process was moving along fairly well as Ray dug through the trunk when he came to a layer of clothes that seemed to have never been worn.  They lay there in perfect foldedness (a new Hayes word).  As he removed them, he came to other basic items one of which was the soap dish. (Now, these were the days before the creation of body wash.... one simply used bar soap).  Ray took out the soap dish and opened it.... there lay a perfectly, NEVER used beautiful bar of soap emblazoned with the word, D-O-V-E!  This precious boy of ours had been away for two weeks yet his one bar of soap had never been touched! When questioned, Nick told Ray that he had been swimming every day!

Create in me a clean heart, O God, And renew a steadfast spirit within me Psalm 51:10

Scott led us to this verse last week and I've been pondering it ever since.  To 'create' takes time and takes a subject willing to be molded, changed, remolded, tweaked by the creator.

My son's intention was for a clean body but he took a shortcut.  When I read this prayer from David as he poured out his heart to God, it resonates with me.  It speaks to my soul and I too want a clean heart to be created inside me....

But like my son, I'm afraid I often make a different choice.

Was Nick not aware that he needed soap?

Was he too busy?

Was bathing just a low priority?

Was he anticipating that the process would be too slow?

Can we draw parallels from this childhood story? Like my son, perhaps I need a new definition of clean!  For I've tried and tried to become clean in my spirit.  I've said the words, I've prayed the prayers, I've earnestly desired this cleansing yet I still feel stuck in the words.  So, I read further in the Psalm and noticed that David continues his writing as if he senses that this clean heart deal is a process.

Verse 12, reads Grant me a willing spirit to sustain me... 
and

Verse 17, the sacrifices of God are a broken spirit; a broken and contrite heart...

(just a heart with the correct priority, i.e. God on the throne on my life instead of the bossy, needy me that usually rules my life).

Could these two verses be the HOW of letting God create in me and in you a clean heart?  

By letting Him do the cleaning in His own time and in His perfect manner...

By being willing to give my own needs and selfishness to Him every day...

Is this second week of Lent such a time in my life?  We're busy people.  We go and we go and yet we all are still seeking something more.

This creating of a clean heart is a process inside each of us.  Am I ready to let Him do His work inside me?  Am I willing?

Or do I think I just don't need the cleansing?

Am I too busy?

Is such spiritual work a low priority in my life?

Is it taking too long?

Create and keep creating a clean heart in me, Oh God.

March 5, 2017--First Sunday in Lent

Create in me a clean heart, O God, and renew a right spirit within me (Psalm 51:10)

Tuesday, wonderful Tuesday!

Tuesday is perhaps my favorite day of the week, for Tuesday is the day the cleaning lady comes!  For going on fifteen years now, she has dutifully arrived at midday each Tuesday for her two hours of miracle-working.  I take leave before she comes so I don’t see her in action—it’s all somewhat of a mystery to me how she does it. 

But when I return—joy of joys!  Every surface is wiped clean! All dust has been banished! Whatever indignities may have taken hold in the bathroom (to which I have skillfully averted my eyes all week)—all have disappeared!  The sweet scent of lavender disinfectant and lemony furniture polish wash over me in a fragrant wave when I walk through the front door, and for a moment…all is well in the world, peaceful alignment has returned to the universe, and I can take on whatever may come at me for the rest of the week!

There is something wonderful about a squeaky-clean house, a spring rain, a hot shower after a day at the beach.   A new beginning, a fresh start, a clean slate!  A second chance, or a third…perhaps too many to count.

Psalm 51 is King David’s ode to a “personal housecleaning.”  David is one of my favorite characters in the Bible.  Shepherd and warrior.  King of Men and Child of God.  Humble in one instance, egomaniacal in the next.  Musician.  Murderer.  Best friend.  Lover of another man’s wife.  He’s so righteous, so scandalous…so human!

In the New International Version of the Bible, the preface to this Psalm reads, “For the director of music.  A Psalm of David.  When the prophet Nathan came to him after David had committed adultery with Bathsheba.”

Those familiar with the story recall that David, accustomed to getting pretty much what he wanted, had an affair with the beautiful Bathsheba, the wife of Uriah the Hittite.  He had admired her from afar, so he slept with her and then found himself facing the music he had made:  Bathsheba was pregnant.  What to do, particularly about the unknowing husband?  The king sent him off to fight in a no-win battle from which he was destined never to return.

The prophet, Nathan, later confronts David with his own unscrupulous behavior in a masterful twist of storytelling.  The oh-so-human king is laid low by the revelation of his dreadful deeds—both the affair and the plot to get Uriah out of the picture.  “You are the man!” declares the prophet.  There will be more consequences, Nathan tells him, but also redemption, a second chance: “The Lord has taken away your sin.  You are not going to die.” (2 Samuel, 12:14).

Psalm 51 is David’s response to his very human situation.  In the midst of the prayer come some very familiar words:  “Create in me a clean heart, O God, and renew a right spirit within me.” (Psalm 51:10). 

First, David is saying, “Wipe every surface of my soul clean.  Remove all the dust and grime.  Banish every indignity.”  But he doesn’t stop there.  Some translations read, “and renew a steadfast spirit within me.”  The synonyms for “steadfast” include loyal, committed, and faithful.

David’s fall from grace was the result of tripping over his outsized ego.  Oh, how many times we have all stumbled over the same obstacle--I know I have.  “I can do it! I am in control!  I have all the power!  The world is my oyster!” 

Only later do we find that, left solely to our own devices, we fall short, we fall down, we fall spectacularly.  We are laid low, indeed.

David’s prayer is not only to be cleaned, but to stay clean.

The prayer itself is a “making ready.”  I confess here to a bit of neurotic behavior—each Tuesday morning, before the cleaning lady shows up at my house, I scurry around, straightening up the place before she gets here!  I put some things away, pick up here and there, clean up before she…well, cleans up!  Truth be told, I’ve learned that many other folks who indulge in the little luxury of having someone come in to tidy up once a week do exactly the same thing!

So, this verse emerges from an intention of being ready, willing, and open to being “cleaned up.”  David begins with attitude of willingness and surrender…and concludes with an intention to keep things in order, cleaned up, fresh and new.

Of course, as we know, there were more highs and lows in David’s life.  And despite our best intentions we, too, fall again and again.  On Wednesday and Thursday, my house still looks mighty shiny…but as the week wears on, the dust settles, the mirrors are smudged, the floors need to be swept and mopped, and all the countertops are streaked and dirty. 

By the following Tuesday, it’s time for another visit from the “miracle worker.”  How grateful I am that she keeps coming back!  Grateful, indeed!

Lent 2017: "Lord, Teach us to Pray"

One day, Jesus was praying in a certain place.  When he finished, one of his disciples said, "Lord, teach us to pray, just as John taught his disciples." (Luke 11:1, NIV)

Today is Ash Wednesday, the first day of Lent.  For the next forty days, we are called to "reflect," to "inspect," and ultimately to "resurrect" on Easter Sunday.

While some observe this season by ceasing to do something as a representation of "sacrifice," Lent is often taken as an opportunity to adopt a new practice, or renew an old one.  For the next several weeks, we have chosen to consider the practice of prayer.

We will share our questions about prayer, our "successes and failures" in prayer, and what we have come to understand about prayer up to this point in our lives.

What we won't be able to share is "all the answers," because we definitely don't have them!  We are just travelers on a journey who are willing to share, "just as we are!"

Will you join us for these 40 Faithful Days?  There will be a new posting each Sunday, first from Scott on March 5, then from Kathy on March 12...and we will continue our alternating pattern all the way through the Lenten season.

We will use prayers found in scripture as a structure for our reflection and writing, including...

...Create in me a clean heart, O God...
...Our Father in heaven, holy is your name...
...Give us this day our daily bread, and forgive us our trespasses...
...O Lord, why have you forsaken me?...

We hope you will join us and invite others to do the same!

In Christ,

Kathy and Scott

P. S. Easter?

I was asked this week, "Mrs. Kathy, what comes after Easter?  I mean, the Santa celebration is well over, the New Year has passed, the Easter bunny has hopped off and we've celebrated Jesus so what's next."  Indeed, I thought, what is next?

This student's words strike me today and they strike me hard.  "We've celebrated Jesus so what's next?"  This brings so many questions to my mind....have I celebrated Jesus?  And why is this question in the past tense?  Shouldn't I/we be in the process of always celebrating Jesus?  Of course, yes, is the answer to this pondering.  But I daresay that my week since Easter Sunday has been less than a full celebration of who this Messiah truly is....the I AM.

So I asked myself today, what difference does Easter make in my life?  Really, what day-to-day difference does it make?  The disciples found themselves in a similar situation as they gathered eight days after their Jesus had been killed and then ressurected.  Some believed and some had a hard time believing the astounding story being told.  Today I've looked at several verses in John that are guiding my thoughts.

26 Eight days later, his disciples were again in the room. This time Thomas was with them. Jesus came through the locked doors, stood among them, and said, “Peace to you.”
27 Then he focused his attention on Thomas. “Take your finger and examine my hands. Take your hand and stick it in my side. Don’t be unbelieving. Believe.”
28 Thomas said, “My Master! My God!”
29 Jesus said, “So, you believe because you’ve seen with your own eyes. Even better blessings are in store for those who believe without seeing.” John 20:26-31The Message

And then only a few verses later another insightful conversation occurs:

When they had finished eating, Jesus said to Simon Peter, “Simon son of John, do you love me more than these?”
“Yes, Lord,” he said, “you know that I love you.”
Jesus said, “Feed my lambs.”
16 Again Jesus said, “Simon son of John, do you love me?”
He answered, “Yes, Lord, you know that I love you.”
Jesus said, “Take care of my sheep.”
17 The third time he said to him, “Simon son of John, do you love me?”
Peter was hurt because Jesus asked him the third time, “Do you love me?” He said, “Lord, you know all things; you know that I love you.”
Jesus said, “Feed my sheep.  John 21:15-17

So the first answer to my question, what difference does Easter make, is life and hope.  As Thomas discovered, the hope of life forever with no pain, death defeated and absolute Joy.  Of course...Hallelujah!  But inasmuch as I feel joy in this Hope I also feel unsettled.  My spirit becomes restless as I wait on earth for my Hope to come for I often question what I have experienced and what life brings.

And then Jesus appears again to me as He did to his disciples.  On the beach and after cooking breakfast for the disciples, his closest friends, He probes and asks questions of great meaning.  Do you love me more than these?  Feed my lambs.  Do you truly love me?  Take care of my sheep.  Do you love me?  Feed my sheep.   According to John these were some of Jesus' last words to the disciples ...and to me....and to you.  Could these last words of Jesus be the essence of Easter and my purpose?

Kathy, Enrique, Heather, Jose, Esther, Moses, Jack, Samuel, Mary, Yi Sun, Liza, Eric, Pierre... ...do....you...love....me?  Do you love me more than these?  Do you love me more than your friends or more than your occupation and success, more than your life?  Then feed my lambs, take care of  my sheep and feed my sheep.

I can act naive and dense and close my eyes and heart to the sheep and lambs in my world....and I do all too often.  I act as though I'm confused as to who He is referring, but I know.  Just as surely as Thomas felt the the nail marks in His hands, I know.  He is referring to my neighborhood, my office, the people I'm uncomfortable around, the people from different countries, with different beliefs.  He's referring to the people I see everyday who have no Hope.

The P. S. of Easter is...hope, love AND to be His witnesses. 'For one of these must become a witness with us of his resurrection.' Acts 1:22b  A witness?  Yes, simply sharing my journey, my story, my life.  Simply sharing what I have seen, what I have experienced, what I have lived, what questions I wrestle with still.  That is the only witness I have, don't you agree?  Are you called to be a witness this P.S Easter day?

If I can't accept my duty to feed the sheep then I cannot answer the question, Do you love me?  Do you love me more than these?

Hallelujah Chorus

Another Easter Sunday is here!  Hallelujah, He is risen!  We have hope and a future!  As I sit here this morning, I'm having to force myself to stay in this moment and repeat the words, Hallelujah He is risen.  For in my life this Easter weekend there is much beautiful distraction...my family is in town, there are pictures to be made, food to be cooked, stories to be told, laughter to consume me, dresses and shirts to iron and dishes to wash.  These beautiful distractions of life give me great pleasure and joy but as this Easter Day wears on I can sense that the chorus of Hallelujah may become more faint.  Let it not be so, Lord.

The story of Easter morning from Luke 24 is one I never tire of reading.  There is so much drama and joy and unexpectedness.  The women walking to the tomb to anoint His body with spices and perfumes, the stone rolled away, the shock, the two men in clothes that gleamed like lightening, the women returning to the disciples to share the shock of their discovery, Peter racing back to see for himself.  And on the same day, two friends walking to Emmaus have an encounter, "were not our hearts burning within us while he talked with us on the road and opened the Scriptures to us?"Luke 24:32

33 They got up and returned at once to Jerusalem. There they found the Eleven and those with them, assembled together and saying, “It is true! The Lord has risen and has appeared to Simon.” Then the two told what had happened on the way, and how Jesus was recognized by them when he broke the bread.
While they were still talking about this, Jesus himself stood among them and said to them, “Peace be with you.”
They were startled and frightened, thinking they saw a ghost. He said to them, “Why are you troubled, and why do doubts rise in your minds?  Look at my hands and my feet. It is I myself! Touch me and see; a ghost does not have flesh and bones, as you see I have.”
When he had said this, he showed them his hands and feet.  And while they still did not believe it because of joy and amazement, he asked them, “Do you have anything here to eat?” They gave him a piece of broiled fish, and he took it and ate it in their presence.
He said to them, “This is what I told you while I was still with you: Everything must be fulfilled that is written about me in the Law of Moses, the Prophets and the Psalms.”
Then he opened their minds so they could understand the Scriptures. Luke 24:33-45

We can well imagine how exciting and disturbing all these happenings had to have been for these men and women. For the last three years, their lives had been dedicated to this Teacher. And inasmuch as they traveled with Him, listened to Him and saw His miracles, the reality seemed to become too, too much to believe on that morning of all mornings.  Doubts, discussions, fear, joy and amazement were all words used to describe their emotions.  I wonder if the disciples were simply in information overload or in shock!  It had to be mind-blowing for them.  As they were discussing the events surely their thoughts ran to what do we do next?  What do we do now?  What will happen next?  And beautifully enough, the Savior then appears before them to instruct and guide them to open their minds so that they could understand the next step, the next hour, the next day.

These words from the scripture also describe my emotions.  I've experienced Easter morning.  It is a time of joy and amazement.  Hallelujah, Christ is risen!  But now, right now the big event is over.  The Easter service is over, the Easter Bunny has appeared and lunch is finished.  I see tail-lights looking back at me...now its just me.....and I realize that all I really want is to go back and listen for the Hallelujah chorus.  I want to experience Easter like the disciples.  It was so healing for them to discuss all that they had seen and witnessed.  It was spiritually healthy for them to question and wonder and ponder the events of the day.  They were vulnerable enough with each other to talk about the hard issues of the day.  Can't we do the same?  Have we looked at Easter, I mean, really looked at it?  And asked what is next in my life?  What is my next step?  What do I do with this Easter news? Do I treat today as just another beautiful Sunday or do I let it change me?  Does this Easter Day become Easter living?  Is today the day I let go of my pain, my heartache and accept, finally accept His work on my behalf?   And because of that work....finally accept His unconditional love, joy and peace?  For it is the very work of His cross that gives me hope.  Doesn't my heart burn within me when I completely let Him have all of me?

For today and tomorrow and tomorrow and tomorrow and tomorrow....don't let the Hallelujah fade from my mind and heart, Lord.  Let me live and shout it over and over again to those who have yet to learn the words.

P.S. Personal note: Happy Birthday Mama!  

Let's Go To A Parade!

When I was a little girl one of the great joys of Thanksgiving morning was watching the Macy's Day Parade.  I can remember waking up and immediately running to tune in and watch it with my parents (on one our three tv channels)!  I watched the dancing, the crazy balloons, the characters of all sorts! Of course, at the same time there was cooking to be done so we watched and cooked and prepared for the big family celebration to come.  But always, always the kitchen action stopped as the parade neared its end for we all had anticipated the main event...Santa Claus!  As a little girl it thrilled me to see him arrive for it meant that soon, very soon Christmas was coming.  And for a child there was no greater joy.

I've realized that after being in the desert of Lent for 40 days I am ready for a parade!  And, it strikes me that we have that opportunity this week.  This parade also has a great cast of characters and it too has a main event at its end.  Shall we take a peek at this historic parade?  We can certainly read the story and pull important facts from it but instead I suggest we find ourselves in it!  I know God gave us His word to teach us, certainly.  But I also believe that the Word is living which means I am to live inside it.  I am to do more than READ the words, I am to find myself WITHIN the words for that is when and where my own transformation will come.  And yes, I really want to be transformed to be more like Him.

So, shall we go find ourselves?  Want to go to a parade?

As he [Jesus] approached Bethphage and Bethany at the hill called the Mount of Olives, he sent two of his disciples, saying to them, “Go to the village ahead of you, and as you enter it, you will find a colt tied there, which no one has ever ridden. Untie it and bring it here. If anyone asks you, ‘Why are you untying it?’ say, ‘The Lord needs it.’”
Those who were sent ahead went and found it just as he had told them. As they were untying the colt, its owners asked them, “Why are you untying the colt?”
They replied, “The Lord needs it.”
They brought it to Jesus, threw their cloaks on the colt and put Jesus on it. As he went along, people spread their cloaks on the road.
When he came near the place where the road goes down the Mount of Olives, the whole crowd of disciples began joyfully to praise God in loud voices for all the miracles they had seen:
“Blessed is the king who comes in the name of the Lord!"
“Peace in heaven and glory in the highest!”
Some of the Pharisees in the crowd said to Jesus, “Teacher, rebuke your disciples!”
“I tell you,” he replied, “if they keep quiet, the stones will cry out.” Luke 19:28-48

There is quite a cast of characters here.  I know that on any given day I could be anyone one of these people or on really crazy days I may become all of them!  Oh my!
But, in THIS week, this holy week with which of these people do I have kinship?  Which of these characters do I hope to become in God's transformation of me?

Cast:
•those who GO...go to the village...you will find a colt...bring it...the Lord needs it
•ShirtOffMyBack...those who give their closest possessions to honor Him
•Expressive...those who sing loudly...Hallelujah!
•Pillars...those who are the most studied and knowledgeable, visible church goers, following a God of rules and truly believing they know best
•StoneAgers...those who cry out from a lowly, dusty place

As I look at this list, I confess to you that it scares me because I can relate to all the cast but am concerned that my life only lives one...as a pillar.  I get so stuck in my head, my rules, my way, my understanding that I miss the real event.  I miss the Who.  For truly, the King rides in at the end of the parade.

Also, I desire to be a Goer but usually stop myself from selling out totally.  It scares me to go into situations where I'm uncomfortable.  I also desire to be the ShirtOffMyBack but like my own comforts too. What if I give more and then don't have enough for me? The Expressive makes me smile for I love praise music and I love to sing in my car!  But when life gets tough the music of Hallelujah fades from my mouth.  The Pillars...more often that I care to admit...are me.  But my desire, my true, so excited heart's desire is to be a StoneAger!  I want to cry out from my little place in the world.  I want the dust around me to kick up as I shout and cry out for Him..."even if they keep quiet, the stones will cry out."

This Holy week parade is a glorious one!  Don't miss out!  Find yourself in this cast and don't be afraid to really look closely at your life - it's why we were in the desert 40 days.  We've got to keep looking for ourselves IN HIM so that He can transform our character! The parade is about to start!