So, I turned 60 today

It's an ironic feeling that I am going through today. It's my 60th birthday and I don't feel any different at all from the day before when I was still in the 50's decade.
My brother is turning 60 today also. He's a great brother, and a good friend, even though he whines too much. That's him...he's not too bad looking for a 60 yr. old.
And so is Tom Watson, of Professional golf fame. We all came into this world on Sept 4, 1949...so did a lot of other people I'm sure.
My siblings are mainly older, so they are enjoying my coming into their decade. I have three older sisters, and one younger...and oh yeah, a brother who has gone on to be with the Lord along with my mom and dad. I was born in 1949...Harry Truman was president...bet you don't know his vice-president...shoot, most people don't even know who the current one is. [By the way, in 1949, Alben Barkley was the VP]. In 1949, Sara Lee introduce her cheesecake, and "silly putty" arrived, along with 45 rpm vinyl records. "Rudolph the Red Nosed Reindeer" made it's way into print, and so did "Death of a Salesman" by Arthur Miller. In 1949, besides my brother and Tom Watson, Billy Joel, Merly Streep, Bruce Springsteen, and Whoopi Goldberg shared the year with us. I think it was a pretty good year for creating entertainers. But 49 didn't last but a year and we were in the 50's. I started school in 1955...no kindergarten, just first grade. Mrs. Peter's was my 1st and 2nd grade teacher...she was also my next door neighbor for a while.
I've lived through the bomb shelter era, the Russia-Cuba crisis, JFK's assassination, along with his brother Bobby and Martin Luther King. I made it through Richard Nixon and LBJ...both of whom I'm convinced were crooked. I shook Nixon's hand in an airport in Oshkosh in 1968 when he was running for President. Didn't tell my father who was a die-hard Democrat, but it did get him my vote that year, something I soon would regret. I made it through Seminary, which unless you've done it, you have no idea of what that really means. I love God, have since I was 19 and he found me in college. I survived the Vietnam era, and then the 70's...wow, anyone who made it through the 70's probably can't remember a lot of things about it...it was the blah era. I grew up in the 60's era a Packer fan, and have been hooked since. I became a Badgers fan in the early 80's and have been hooked since. I still remember the "Miracle on Ice", which is the most memorable sporting event in all of U.S. sports history - from my point of view.
I married the gal who help me find God, and we've managed to hang in there for 38 years...with four kids that I couldn't be more proud of. Thanks Linda, Kelly, Chris, Lindsay and Andy for loving me...I'm blessed.
It's crazy to think of it...I'm sixty! But it could be worse. My motto from this point onward: "Senior Citizen, give me my bloody discount!"

New Beginnings are Exciting

Hi Folks,
Tomorrow Christian Life College - Madison launches into existence. The registration and orientation for the first semester's first class has gone well. Like all new beginnings there is a bit of excitement mixed with "oh, I hadn't thought of that yet".

Christian Life College-Madison is going to be an off campus program of CLC in Mount Prospect, IL. You can check out CLC's web site at http://www.christianlifecollege.edu/
I am going into this as the school's Academic Dean and as thus am taking the challenge of academic integrity seriously.

I've been asked a couple of times, "Why do this?"

I have been a pastor for almost 35 years. I went through seminary training and although there were value differences I've always held on to my academic training in that Christian worldview as an invaluable part of my own formation.

NOW, I have a huge concern for this generation's ability to relate Christianity's values and principles - gained from scripture - back to the world in which they live in.
I'm writing some material for the school's eventual web site. Here's what I wrote in the section on "About Us":

"We want to equip Christians with the knowledge of Christ so that they may walk in confidence and excellence in the world around them. 'A life of steadfast discipleship to Jesus Christ can be supported only upon assured knowledge of how things are, of the realities in terms of which life is lived' -Dallas Willard.
Serious and thoughtful Christians find their faith under attack in many institutions of learning because of assertions that their faith and beliefs cannot be based on knowledge in the context of modern life and thought. As a result beliefs are relegated to mere “opinion”, or rituals based on outdated traditions. The result is that Faith stands separated from Knowledge. Even Christians fall prey to believing that knowledge is an enemy of a life of faith. We do not.
CLC-Madison seeks to bear witness to truth and knowledge in both matters of faith and academics.
'God has room for people with very little sense, but He wants everyone to use what sense they have...God is no fonder of intellectual slackers than of any other slackers. If you are thinking of becoming a Christian, I warn you you are embarking on something which is going to take the whole of you, brains and all...One reason why it needs no special education to be a Christian is that Christianity is an education itself!' - C. S. Lewis"

It's worth considering isn't it?

Prayers for my friend Mari

Sometimes we run up against life...and frankly it sucks! My young friend Mari Day, who is the daughter of one of my dearest friends, Dave and Rhi Day, is going to have to endure another round of chemo after months of hoping they had gotten it all the first time around.
I can't help but feel so sad to think of this beautiful young woman fighting off an enemy within her own body...but that is what she will need to do, once more.
If anyone can do it, Mari can. She's a fighter...tenacious and lovely.
All I'm asking is that any of you who read this remember to pray for Mari Day... let's pray that the cancer disappear quickly, that the treatment not debilitate, that the medicine do it's job once and for all, and for God to be glorified in Mari's body!
Amen.

The Presence of the Kingdom

The Christian lives in the strange place of neither/nor. There is a positive to state, so don't take the neither/nor as the ultimate reality; but for a Christian to truly live in the Kingdom of God, there is of necessity, a recognition that the world that surrounds -- wherever that world might be -- is material, and always ruled by that which is destructive. The world is filled with a self-destructive bent and no matter the political, national, or ideological championing the world is not evolving into something better.
There is neither a better world ahead -- regardless of the voices that champion their goals -- nor is there a reason for the Christian to escape. We live in the strange place of this neither/nor. The Christian lives in the presence of the Kingdom. The Kingdom of God brings life in the place of death; light in the place of darkness, salt in the place of staleness and spoiling, prayer in the midst of despair, life in the place of death. We don't love the world, we live in it as agents of the King.

No more Facebook, only the blog!

I came to a decision to eliminate my Facebook acct. It wasn't a difficult one to make since I rarely use it anyway. I've struggled with the desire to stay linked to people, but one of the chief concerns I've had is the propietary nature of what goes onto my facebook page. I don't like the fact that so many of the photos and personal information -- while share with only those I say yes to -- is still property of facebook. I work in a sensitive area of life and can't take the risk that someone might use it improperly. So, it's no more Facebook...you can read this blog if you want to find out what's happening in my world.

The Demise of Religion in America?

Just in the last few weeks a couple of news outlets have published material on the demise of Religious Christianity in America. One was Michael Spencer’s “The coming evangelical collapse” published in the Christian Science Monitor, and the second was Jon Meacham’s “The End of Christian America” published in Newsweek. Meacham discusses the decline of Christianity in America in general while Spencer discusses what he believes is the soon and inevitable demise of Evangelicalism in particular.

I think it important to make some distinctions in what each are saying, and to perhaps even "feel good" about the conclusions they are making. What each is saying is that American faith life-styles is going through serious revisions from the past. In the past, a vast majority of Americans identified as being "Christian" -- but we know from some fairly strong research/data that many people in our country identified with Christianity only from a cultural position; in other words, they didn't necessarily hold on to Christianity as a faith that directed their lives on a daily basis. The eventual result is that the children of a cultural faith distanced themselves from cultural norms that were inconsistently shown by the generation before them...translated, they didn't see "going to church" as an essential part of their lives if it wasn't really representing a change. An example of that is in a statistic like this: the number of younger adults that identify with the Southern Baptist Church has declined from 100,000 to 35,000 in the last decade.

There are many "causes" for this shift occurring, and yet I think it's mostly the inevitability of a "cultural" identification with the Christian faith disintegrating because what has been lost in the church is the "Kingdom" identification with faith that Jesus came to proclaim.

I don't think this is necessarily bad news. If you get the chance, head over to Greg Boyd's web site and blog at http://www.gregboyd.org/blog/ and read a longer article on this. Greg has been speaking out for over a decade on the need for the church to align itself with the Kingdom of God over against an American cultural form...And, I have been in hearty agreement with him. I first began to see the affects of cultural Christianity in 1979 when the national election between Jimmy Carter (Democrat) and Ronald Reagan (Republican) became a battle around "moral conservatism" wrapped up in Christianeze that dismissed Jimmy Carter's faith as irrelevant. I thought this was a dangerous co-opting of Kingdom principles back then and yet saw this continue through the 80's, 90's and into this decade until one can see the decline of influence in the last few years. The danger for me was biblically based -- the church is not called to make a society conform to the Kingdom of God, but rather to live out Christ in such a way that people choose to enter into the Kingdom as a choice of faith.
In politics, we have "fallen" people making political decisions based on their own self-idealized positions...which may or may not reflect principles of the Kingdom. The Kingdom of God stands as a contrast to all political systems of government -- whether we agree with their politics or not. I consider myself fairly conservative on lots of political decisions, but I would not want to equate conservative politics with biblical revelation! As a church historian there is two millennium of bad lessons to learn from this.

In the end, what I propose is that we in the church return to a pre-Constantinian place and seriously dialog about being "Kingdom citizens". We may find that some of the religious baggage of the American church is well worth jettisoning.

Some things to Read

The time between Easter and Pentecost is from Spring to Summer here in Wisconsin. For me, it's a time for golf, yard work, and reading!

The golf game is a life-long work in progress. Yesterday I watched The Masters with Linda and got caught up in the drama that was Phil and Tiger, as well as the three way playoff that Angel Cabrera won. I felt really bad for Kenny Perry who is one of the few pros who has come to Milwaukee to the Bank Championship. All that being said, it is the game of golf that I love. I haven't made my first round of the year, but Friday this week looks good!

Yard work is also a life-long work in process...but I do enjoy the outside work. My job has too much desk time attached to it, so the chance to get outside and do the work of making the yard, garden, etc...look decent is a great diversion.

With lots of outdoor times, the indoor times are less and less; but at least when I do, reading is a better time spent than t.v. I've got several books on my reading list. One is a current read - a novel by Andy Andrews entitled "The Lost Choice". I read a previous book of his - "The Traveler's Gift", which I highly recommend. I've also ordered and will be reading Greg Boyd's new book: "The Myth of a Christian Religion" which I am very much looking forward to. I enjoy Greg Boyd as a writer, speaker, thinking, theologian. I find that much of Christian writers, as well as speakers, lack real theological content. Greg is a theologian...which is a compliment because it means he first is concerned with the dimension of God's character, heart, and revelation before His own. Lastly, I'm ordering - even before it's published - Dallas Willard's newest book, "Knowing Christ Today". Dallas Willard is also one of the sharpest thinkers of Christianity today. Both Dallas Willard and Greg Boyd direct me back to The Kingdom of God and help me think about the Kingdom in relation to the world I live in. I recommend both...read good books by good theologians...it really makes a difference.

Easter For Those Along the Way

Easter is a Joy-filled and mysterious event. The picture comes from Rembrandt's collections. He captures really well (even if Renaissance people play the parts) of the scene that first morning. And it was morning that it all began. Just imagine the women's and men's surprise that Sunday morning when the grave was empty and the angel of the Lord delivered the news to them that day. And, it was to women that they first appeared. It's amazing...God chose to use those who weren't even credible in a court of law... amazing - and like most Kingdom things - upside down!

But, it is evening as I write this and I am thinking of the journey of Jesus to Emmaus that first day and the companion's along the way that he reveals himself to. Here's a story written on that journey.

A Companion Along the Way: Easter Sunday on the Emmaus Road
by Dr. Ralph F. Wilson

The gleaming cloud tops and fragrant spring air would have
invigorated most travelers leaving Jerusalem that Sunday
afternoon. But these two began their trek to Emmaus staring grimly
at the trail, forcing leaden feet up the steep path to the ridge,
where they would follow the road down the Judean slopes.

Cleopas and his friend were going over and over the events of the
weekend that had climaxed with their Leader hanging limp, pale,
lifeless on a stained wooden cross. Then a hurried burial -- and
despair.

Hearing the crunch of footsteps behind them, Cleopas glanced back.
A traveler was rapidly climbing the grade, as if to join them. But
he had caught only fragments of their conversation. "What are you
talking about?" he asked, as he caught up to them.

Cleopas stopped. "Where have you been?" he asked. "Everybody in
Jerusalem has been talking about Jesus of Nazareth." He told of
their excitement. Of the arrest and crucifixion. Of the women's
tale of a stolen body and of angels. "We had hoped that he was the
Messiah," Cleopas said, "but now...." His words drifted off in
sadness as he resumed the journey.

They were at the summit, and as the road began its downward
incline, the traveler shot a strange challenge: "Don't you know
what the Scriptures say?" Cleopas just shrugged and gestured with
his hands as if to say, "We don't know."

So for the next several miles, the traveler began to talk,
patiently explaining each of the Scripture passages that spoke
about how the Christ, the Messiah, would have to suffer. Then he
explained about Messiah's glory to come.

Cleopas and his friend walked with amazement. It was as if
Scriptures that they had heard, but never understood before, began
to click into place. Their steps quickened. Their hearts were
pounding, but they didn't notice.

The miles seemed to melt away. Then suddenly, just around the bend
was their village, Emmaus. They were home. The traveler thanked
them for their company and turned again to the path, but they
didn't want to let him go. Not someone who could bring them such
hope, such understanding from the Scriptures.

"Won't you stay overnight?" Cleopas called. "It'll be dark soon.
You must! Please!"

He did stay. As they reclined around the table, Cleopas handed a
fresh round loaf to the traveler. "Would you honor us by offering
the blessing tonight?"

The traveler lifted up the bread and repeated the familiar the
Jewish blessing:

"Blessed are you, O God, King of the Universe,
Who brings forth bread from the earth."

And then he began break it, handing a piece to each of them in
turn. Cleopas caught his breath. His eyes met the man's. Suddenly,
in that moment, he knew! Who knows how? -- but he knew. It was the
Lord! He saw the faintest glimmer of a smile on his face, and then
Jesus simply vanished.

All they could do was stare at each other for a moment in stunned
amazement.

Then Cleopas jumped up. "It's true! The women were right. Jesus
is alive! He has risen!"

Their food and drink lay untouched on the table, but both men were
bounding out the door and away, running. "No wonder our hearts
burned within us while he was talking to us on the road," his
companion said later, as they paused briefly. They ended up
running, then walking, then running again nearly the whole way
back to the city.

Cleopas pounded on the upper room door. "We have seen him! We have
seen Jesus!" Peter opened the door a crack, but Cleopas couldn't
contain himself and pushed his way in. Then their story tumbled
out. "He's alive!" Cleopas concluded. "The moment he broke bread
with us, all of a sudden, we knew him."

Like these two men on their way to Emmaus, many have come to the
same startling conclusion. Unrecognized, Jesus begins to walk the
road with us, to talk to us. And if we think to, if we care enough
to ask Him in, we come to realize who He really is -- the Christ,
the Son of God, the Risen One.

This story has been adapted from Luke 24:13-35.

A Joy-filled Easter to you my companion on the way!

Holy Saturday - The Day In Between

The Scripture Readings for today are: Psalms 95, 88, 27; Job 19:21-27; Heb 4:1-16 &
Rom 8:1-11

Read the passages today, they are full of hope. I love Job 19...
25 I know that my Redeemer lives, and that in the end he will stand upon the earth.
26 And after my skin has been destroyed, yet in my flesh I will see God;
27 I myself will see him with my own eyes--I, and not another. How my heart yearns within me! [Job 19:25-27 (NIV)]

Today is called "Holy Saturday" (in Latin, Sabbatum Sanctum ), the 'day of the entombed Christ,' is a day of rest, for on that day Christ's body lay in His tomb.
It is the Apostle's Creed which says "He descended unto the dead." It is a day of suspense between two worlds, that of darkness, sin and death, and that of the Resurrection and the restoration of the Light of the World. This day between Good Friday and Easter is the end of one world and time between the complete newness of covenant inaugurated by the Resurrection of Christ.
In that sense, this whole era is "Holy Saturday"... we wait in eager expectation for the redemption that is in Christ.

A Prayer:

"Father, because you sent your son into the world, we have hope. Jesus, your death is complete, and your resurrection life ensures our life after death also. To you is all glory, honor, and praise. Help us to truly "rest" in your completed work as we await our own redemption. Amen."

Good Friday, The Last Station of the Cross

A Good Friday to each of you!

We come to this day to celebrate, as well as remember. If you are like me, many of you will join with Christians in remembering Christ's death on the cross. This is the final station of the cross: The Fourteenth Station: Jesus is Placed in the Tomb

Scripture Reading:
When it was evening, there came a rich man from Arimathea named Joseph, who was himself a disciple of Jesus. He went to Pilate and asked for the body of Jesus; then Pilate ordered it to be handed over. Taking the body, Joseph wrapped it [in] clean linen and laid it in his new tomb that he had hewn in the rock. Then he rolled a huge stone across the entrance to the tomb and departed.
Matthew 27: 57-60



They took the body of Jesus from the cross -- he had cried out, "It is finished" and gave up his spirit to death, and from the cross they took his body to its resting place. The huge stone over the tomb is the final sign of the permanence of death. In this final act of surrender, who would have imagined this tomb would soon be empty or that Jesus would show himself alive to his disciples, or that they would recognize him in the breaking of bread? Jesus, you are the Paschal lamb.
"Your work is done. Your Resurrection to new life will climax it. You have redeemed the world. You have offered the greatest gift: yourself. You have shown the greatest love. Your life brought good to all people, even into eternity. Help me to live a life of love. Love for you, my God. Love for my fellowman, too. Help me to give my greatest gift, myself, to you and to them, in love. Then my work will be done. I too will have brought much good to people, even into eternity."

A Prayer:

"Jesus, you came before the throne as the lamb of God that was worthy to open the scroll, because you had redeemed people from every tribe and nation. Lord Jesus, Father, and Holy Spirit, the mystery of your life and death is beyond my comprehension, but not the praise and adoration that is due you. Thank You Jesus for your blood, for your forgiveness, for your love, for your freedom, and for your victory...All Hail King Jesus!"

13th Station of the Cross

Our Scripture Readings today are: Psalms 55, 74; Jer 17:5-10, 14-17; Phil. 4:1-13; & John 12:27-36

We come to this Wednesday of Holy Week and stand before the Thirteenth Station: Jesus Dies on the Cross

Scripture Reading: "It was now about noon and darkness came over the whole land until three in the afternoon because of an eclipse of the sun. Then the veil of the temple was torn down the middle. Jesus cried out in a loud voice, 'Father, into your hands I commend my spirit'; and when he had said this he breathed his last."
Luke 23: 44-46

The cross brings us face to face with Jesus' suffering. He was alone -- all his disciples were gone, and only his mother and three women along with John, the beloved disciple seemingly were present. His death was agonizing and humiliating. Normally a crucified man could last for several days on a cross; but the Jewish leaders wanted his death to occur before the beginning of Sabbath. It takes six hours, and he dies mid-afternoon. Pilate publicly heralded Jesus "The King of the Jews" as he died upon the cross, no doubt to irritate and annoy the chief priests and Pharisees.

Do we doubt God's love for us seeing the willing sacrifice of his Son on the cross? Jesus' last words, 'It is finished', express triumph rather than defeat. Jesus bows his head and gives up his spirit. Amazingly, the battle was won. What the Father sent him into the world to do has now been accomplished. Christ offered himself without blemish to God and he put away sin by the sacrifice of himself.

In the cross of Christ we see the triumph of Jesus over his enemies -- sin, Satan, and death. No wonder, Paul would proclaim, "But far be it from me to glory except in the cross of our Lord Jesus Christ" (Galatians 6:14).

Abbot Rupert of Deutz, wrote in the early 12th century: "The cross of Christ is the door to heaven, the key to paradise, the downfall of the devil, the uplifting of mankind, the consolation of our imprisonment, the prize for our freedom. The Cross of Christ is throne of love. It is the sign of God's mercy and the proof of forgiveness. By his cross Jesus has redeemed our sin and atoned for our punishment. The way to peace, joy, and righteousness in the kingdom of God and the way to victory over sin, despair, and death is through the cross of Jesus Christ.

A Prayer:

"Lord Jesus Christ, by your death on the cross you have won pardon for us and freedom from the tyranny of sin and death. May I live in the joy and freedom of your victory over sin and death. Amen."

12th Station of the Cross

Today's Scripture Readings are: Psalms 6, 94; Jer 15:10-21; Phil 3:15-21; and John 12:20-26

On this Tuesday we stop at the 12 Station of the Cross: Jesus Speaks to His Mother and the Disciple

Scripture Reading: "Standing by the cross of Jesus were his mother and his mother's sister, Mary the wife of Clopas, and Mary of Magdala. When Jesus saw his mother and the disciple there whom he loved, he said to his mother, "Woman, behold, your son." Then he said to the disciple, "Behold, your mother." And from that hour the disciple took her into his home."
John 19: 25-27

This event is amazing simply because it highlights Jesus' concern for his earthly mother, Mary, during a time of excruciating pain. At the cross of Jesus were four women who loved him. It would be natural for his mother to be present. What grief and pain must have pierced her heart as she watched her son die on the cross. Go back to Jesus' birth and his presentation in the temple at 8 days of age. There, the prophetic Simeon had foretold great suffering for her (Luke 2:35). Now, it is coming true.
Along with Mary were three other women. Mary's sister, Salome was the mother of the disciples James and John (Mk.15:40; Matt.27:56). She was rebuked by Jesus when she asked him to give her sons the chief places in his kingdom. She was humble enough to both receive his rebuke and to follow him to the cross. Mary Magdalene was especially grateful that Jesus had freed her from a demon-possesed life. She would not leave him even in his death and she would be the first to return to the tomb after the Sabbath. We do not know much about the fourth woman, Mary of Clophas, who came to support the other women and to be with Jesus in his last agony.

But it's Jesus with Mary that captivates my meditation. When he recognizes his mother standing at the foot of the cross he immediately takes concern for her welfare and instructs John to take her as his own mother. And he asks Mary to accept John as her own son. By this time, we can assume that Mary was completely united with her son in his divine mission. We can say she really is the first Christian because she accepted the gospel and gave her "yes" to God's plan of redemption way back at his birth; but it's one thing to agree to an idea, it's another to pay the price of sacrifice. As Mary followed her son to the cross she is a model for us of faith and obedience, hope and perseverance, and love and fidelity. Jesus said to us, be ready to take up our cross and follow the Lord Jesus in his way of love and sacrifice...that is most evident today.

A Prayer:

"Father, even as Mary's devotion is a model for my faith, so also help me to embrace the suffering of the cross in life itself. There is much pain in the world, and in our own pain we cry out for healing, deliverance and mercy. You've spoken in many ways that 'my grace is sufficient for you'; yet, it is still painful, and it is still sacrifice that calls me deeply to trust in you even when all help seems gone. You are Lord, Savior, our hope and our help...in all things we pray. Amen."

11th Station of the Cross

Today's readings are: Psalms 51, 69:1-23; Jer 12:1-16, Phil 3:1-14, & John 12:9-19

This is Monday of Holy Week. Today we arrive at the 11th Station of the Cross where Jesus promises His Kingdom to one of the thieves next to him while hanging on the cross.

Scripture Reading: "Now one of the criminals hanging there reviled Jesus, saying, "Are you not the Messiah? Save yourself and us." The other, however, rebuking him, said in reply, "Have you no fear of God, for you are subject to the same condemnation? And indeed, we have been condemned justly, for the sentence we received corresponds to our crimes, but this man has done nothing criminal." Then he said, "Jesus, remember me when you come into your kingdom." He replied to him, "Amen, I say to you, today you will be with me in Paradise."
Luke 23: 39-43

The thief who selfishly sought his physical salvation stands in contrast to the thief who both understood his sin and guilt, as well as understood Jesus' ultimate end - not in death, but in paradise.

Two things stand out to me in at this station, as well as in the reading. First, I read Psalm 51, but then chose to read it again, slowly, personally, in a first person voice. It's an exercise in confession, in not denying sin, and in realizing the weight of my sin before my Holy God..."against you and alone alone God have I sinned, and done evil in your sight."
It's an exercise I need to conscientiously enter into - intentionally I might add. It's like a shower after working out in the dirt and grease, it feels great to simply wash things clean..."purge me with hyssop and I shall be clean, wash me and I shall be whiter than snow."
Confession, someone said, is good for the soul. I agree. It brings about a realization that Jesus' death is real, it was for my sin that he died, and to ignore the reality of my sin is to ignore the reality of his death.

The second thing at this station today is the words, "today you shall be with me in paradise." As a Christian I have always understood the words as the promise - stated by the Apostle Paul - "that when we are absent from the body, we are present with the Lord." Again, I love that, and don't dispute that at all. What hit me is the word, "paradise". What I realize is that terrorism has rendered that word both mythical and in some ways, as nonsense. Religious fundamentalism in Islam has meant young men will strap bombs to their torso and blow themselves up in the name of their god, because of the promise of ending up in "paradise" - a place of luxury, beauty, and virgins waiting. I scoff at such nonsense...but do I then scoff of paradise?

The word that Jesus uses is translated in greek as "paradeisos" - in otherwords, it's a transliteration, the English is essentially an equivalent of the greek word...it's rendering the word in English in its natural form, simply because there is no word in English that expresses well what it might mean. The word "paradeisos" only appears 3 times in the New Testament greek. Originally it is implied in creation in the garden of Eden, and it ends in Revelation. To the first of the seven churches in Revelation,
7 'He who has an ear, let him hear what the Spirit says to the churches. To him who overcomes, I will grant to eat of the tree of life which is in the Paradise of God.' Revelation 2:7 (NASB)
Around 1600, Jan Brueghel (the Elder), a dutch artist rendered the biblical idea of paradise in a beautiful painting.


This is a long blog, and it I don't want to take away from the first part of it, that through confession we honor the death of Christ for us; but I also want to meditate on this beautiful word, "paradise", and let the beauty of Jesus' word to the thief bear the weight of forgiveness, promise, hope, that it was meant to convey.

A Prayer:

"Father of mercy and grace, Jesus Son of God, redeemer and friend, to you belongs worship and adoration. It is through your suffering that I become a partaker of the glory of paradise. Lord, I wait in expectation. Lord, today, I confess before you my sins, and I acknowledge that my sins put you on the cross. In your love and mercy, forgive me and help me to live these days on the earth for the glory of your Kingdom. Someday Lord I have hope in seeing your paradise...the home built for me through Jesus my Lord. Amen."

Lent - Day 40, Tenth Station of the Cross

Our Scripture Readings today are: Psalms 24, 29, 103; Zechariah 9:9-12 & Zechariah 2:9-13:9; and 1 Tim 6:12-16 and Matt 21:12-17

It is Palm Sunday and therefore the final day of Lent. Beginning today and continuing thru Saturday this is called "Holy Week", in commemoration of the events surrounding the death of Christ on the cross. It's fitting therefore that we come to this station of the cross as we begin this week.

The Tenth Station: Jesus is Crucified

Scripture: "When they came to the place called the Skull, they crucified him and the criminals there, one on his right, the other on his left. Then Jesus said, "Father, forgive them, they know not what they do."
Luke 23: 33-34

On the cross Jesus is still serving mankind. Think about all that God is doing on the cross with his Son. 1700 years ago, Augustine wrote these words:
"As they were looking on, so we too gaze on his wounds as he hangs. We see his blood as he dies. We see the price offered by the redeemer, touch the scars of his resurrection. He bows his head, as if to kiss you. His heart is made bare open, as it were, in love to you. His arms are extended that he may embrace you. His whole body is displayed for your redemption. Ponder how great these things are. Let all this be rightly weighed in your mind: as he was once fixed to the cross in every part of his body for you, so he may now be fixed in every part of your soul."

A Prayer:

"Jesus, Son of God, on this day we honor you. We give you praise and adoration, for you have loved me with your everlasting love. You have saved me through the shedding of your blood, and I will through all eternity acknowledge your deep, deep sacrifice and love. Amen."

Lent - Day 39: 9th Station of the Cross

Our Readings for Today are: Psalms 137, 144, 42, 43; Jere 31:27-34; Rom 11:25-36; John 11:28-44 & 12:37-50

Ninth Station: Jesus Meets the Women of Jerusalem

Scripture Reading: "A large crowd of people followed Jesus, including many women who mourned and lamented him. Jesus turned to them and said, "Daughters of Jerusalem, do not weep for me; weep instead for yourselves and for your children, for indeed, the days are coming when people will say, ‘Blessed are the barren, the wombs that never bore and the breasts that never nursed.' At that time, people will say to the mountains, ‘Fall upon us!' and to the hills, ‘Cover us!' for if these things are done when the wood is green what will happen when it is dry?"
Luke 23: 27-31

The day before Lent ends we come to this place where Jesus prophesies even as he suffers. Less than 40 years later Jerusalem would lay in ruins...the Romans sent an army of a million to destroy the city, the temple, and the Jewish nation. Jeremiah centuries before spoke to the people to pray for the nation of their captivity, even as the psalmist cried out in the pain of captivity. God does not delight in suffering even as he proclaims the "what will happen" fact of what our sin does to us. We live in a world desperately in need of God's intervening grace.

A Prayer:

"Father you know the world in which we live and you grieve the pain and suffering of a people who have no regard for your laws and yet reap the fruit of that sin in everyday life. We cry out with the psalmist for mercy and redemption, that which only can come through Jesus Christ our Lord. Amen."

Lent - Day 38, Stations 7 & 8 of the Cross

The Scripture Readings for today are: Psalms 22, 141, 143; Jere 29:1, 4-13; Romans 1:13-24; John 11:1-27 & 12:1-10

The two stations of the cross that we are at are: Seventh Station: Jesus Bears the Cross

Scripture: "When the chief priests and the guards saw [Jesus] they cried out, "Crucify him, crucify him!" Pilate said to them, "Take him yourselves and crucify him. I find no guilt in him." ... They cried out, "Take him away, take him away! Crucify him!" Pilate said to them, "Shall I crucify your king?" The chief priests answered, "We have no king but Caesar." Then he handed him over to them to be crucified. So they took Jesus, and carrying the cross himself he went out to what is called the Place of the Skull, in Hebrew, Golgotha."
John 19: 6, 15-17

And, the Eighth Station: Jesus is Helped by Simon the Cyrenian to Carry the Cross

Scripture: "They pressed into service a passer-by, Simon, a Cyrenian, who was coming in from the country, the father of Alexander and Rufus, to carry his cross."
Mark 15: 21

The scripture reading today from Psalm 22 is worth slowly reading and meditating upon. A psalm written some 1000 years before Jesus is descriptive of the pain and the suffering of the cross.
As we enter into the end of this Lenten period we enter into the journey of Christ to the cross. It has begun as Jesus has the cross placed upon him and he struggles to carry the cross to Golgotha. Along the way Simon, forever immortalized for being selected out of the crowd of those watching to help carry the cross for him.

At this point there is no turning back. There is no place for Jesus to have spoken up and said, "It's all a mistake". He didn't, wouldn't, and because of it he suffered this ignominious shame and death...and why? For us!

A Prayer:

"Holy Father, Precious Jesus, we bow before your throne in humility and adoration. It is for our sins that you bore the cross of grief and shame. You tell us that we must pick up our cross and follow you. It is with pain and grief that you carried this cross...something we can never duplicate. So, we bow...we worship and pray. Amen."

Lent - Day 36, Station of The Cross

Scripture Readings for today are: Psalms 119:145-176; 128, 129, 130; Jer. 25:30-38, Rom 10:14-21 and John 10:1-18

Today we stand at the Sixth Station: Jesus is Scourged and Crowned with Thorns

Scripture Reading: "Then Pilate took Jesus and had him scourged. And the soldiers wove a crown out of thorns and placed it on his head, and clothed him in a purple cloak, and they came to him and said,"Hail, King of the Jews!" And they struck him repeatedly."
John 19: 1-3

Probably nothing is more sobering than to meditate on the scourging of Jesus and the crown of thorns on his head. The humiliation of being mocked, beaten, and the cruelty of the physical pain is not easy to sit and meditate on.
One person described the scourging like this:
"Pilate hoped that by having Jesus' scourged the Jews who brought him to trial might be satisfied with this punishment and stop asking for his death. Scourging was the usual kind of punishment given for disturbing the peace and a warning to cease from upsetting authority and civil order. It was also used to weaken a criminal who was about to be executed. The latter was considered a form of mercy since a crucified man could last for days on a cross before expiring. Roman scourging, nonetheless, was brutal, painful, and dehumanizing.When a prisoner was scourged he was stripped, bound and bent so his back was exposed. Long leather whips tied with pieces of sharp iron and bones were used for ripping apart the back. As skin was torn from the body in shreds blood gushed from the numerous wounds. Some died from the whipping alone, some were made unconscious, and some went mad."
It is for my/our sins that Jesus endured this pain. The "punishment of our sins was upon him", Isaiah proclaims. Isaiah further adds, "Surely our griefs He Himself bore, And our sorrows He carried; Yet we ourselves esteemed Him stricken, Smitten of God, and afflicted."

If we are honest, we don't understand the "why?". Theologians describe it in different ways, and I'll not go into all the theories that surround the "why?" of this pain. Suffice to say, and by faith to hang on to, that Jesus is beginning the journey of the cross that will lead to his death -- but our redemption! There is only one way to respond to this: "Thank You Lord".

A Prayer:

"Lord Jesus, for my sins you suffered and I cannot begin to express all that I need to say in the way of 'thanks'. The gift of your pain and suffering has rippled down through the aeons of time and continued to give the gift of salvation to me, to your church, and to all who continue to put their faith and trust in you. I am grateful in ways that I cannot express...except from the depth of my being with worship, praise, and adoration. Thank You Lord. Amen."

Lent - Day 34-35, Stations of the Cross

The Scripture for today are: Psalms 121,122,123,124,125,126; Jere 25:8-17; Romans 10:1-13 & John 9:18-41

With apologies for missing the blog yesterday, here are the next two Stations of the Cross:

The Fourth Station: Jesus is Denied by Peter

Scripture: Now Peter was sitting outside in the courtyard. One of the maids came over to him and said, "You too were with Jesus the Galilean." But he denied it in front of everyone, saying, "I do not know what you are talking about!" As he went out to the gate, another girl saw him and said to those who were there, "This man was with Jesus the Nazorean." Again he denied it with an oath, "I do not know the man!" A little later the bystanders came over and said to Peter, "Surely you too are one of them; even your speech gives you away." At that he began to curse and to swear, "I do not know the man." And immediately a cock crowed. Then Peter remembered the word that Jesus had spoken: "Before the cock crows you will deny me three times." He went out and began to weep bitterly.
Matthew 26: 69-75


The Fifth Station: Jesus is Judged by Pilate
Scripture: The chief priests with the elders and the scribes, that is, the whole Sanhedrin, held a council. They bound Jesus, led him away, and handed him over to Pilate. Pilate questioned him, "Are you the king of the Jews?" He said to him in reply, "You say so." The chief priests accused him of many things. Again Pilate questioned him, "Have you no answer? See how many things they accuse you of." Jesus gave him no further answer, so that Pilate was amazed.... Pilate, wishing to satisfy the crowd, released Barrabas... [and] handed [Jesus] over to be crucified.
Mark 15: 1-5, 15

In our journey to and through the suffering of Christ we come to these two Stations. Both involve denial. Peter's denial is foretold by Jesus, but nevertheless leaves Peter sick within himself. I love Rembrandt's portrayal of the denial of Jesus. Look carefully and beyond Peter's right shoulder you can see the faint image of Jesus looking back towards him. Peter wanted to be brave, but he succumbed (as I probably would have also) to his own self survival. As a result, he is wracked with guilt and shame and does not know how to get out of it. The answer will come much later - on a lake shore weeks later when Jesus appears to him after his resurrection and speaks grace and forgiveness to him. [Note John 21].

Pilate's denial is not the active denial of Peter; is much more a passive one. He does not know who Jesus really is; but neither does he take to time to understand. He is the man going through life depending upon his own self...surviving, getting ahead, seeking comfortability and compromise over inquiry, wisdom, and truth. Pilate is to be pitied over Peter. Peter will find redemption in the forgiveness of Christ. Pilate will be summoned back to Rome by the Emperor to explain his messed-up rule. Before he arrived back in Rome the Emperor died. Nothing is really known of his life after that. Some sources claim he became a Christian, but equally there are sources that state he ended his life in suicide. We won't know for certain who is correct.

We need to stand before these two stations and reflect on our own soul. There have many times when I have not been faithful in my response to Jesus. It can be done at times intentionally (Peter) or passively (Pilate); but nevertheless it is a reality of my faith life that it has been done. The question at that time needs to be face: Do I choose Jesus? and when I don't, do I feel remorse? a need to repent and receive forgiveness?
Sometimes the most difficult thing in life to do is to receive forgiveness? Yet, this is the Station I most need to stay at and pray.

A Prayer:

"Father, Lord Jesus, for those many times I have actively chosen to deny you, I ask your forgiveness. Specifically, right now, I ask you to forgive me for ___________________. I confess that you are Savior and Lord, and I love you more than I can say. I choose today to walk with you and to love your ways. Teach me, guide me, and help me in your name I pray. Amen."

Lent, Day 33 -3rd Station of the Cross

Scripture Readings for Today are: Psalms 118, 145; Jere 23:16-32; 1 Cor 9:19-27 &
Mark 8:31-9:1

Today is the last Sunday before the end of Lent. As we come to the final week of Lent, we continue to look at the Stations of the Cross - the journey of Christ Jesus to His death.

Today: Jesus is Condemned by the Sanhedrin

Scripture: "When day came the council of elders of the people met, both chief priests and scribes, and they brought him before their Sanhedrin. They said, "If you are the Messiah, tell us," but he replied to them, "If I tell you, you will not believe, and if I question, you will not respond. But from this time on the Son of Man will be seated at the right hand of the power of God." They all asked, "Are you then the Son of God?" He replied to them, "You say that I am." Then they said, "What further need have we for testimony? We have heard it from his own mouth."
Luke 22: 66-71

Hope your day of worship is filled with a faith of God's presence. Sometimes in the middle of difficult things there is little faith to believe God is at work. Jesus could have easily succumbed to the temptation of demonstrating his divinity but he spoke a word to them that was truth, and yet they didn't believe. "Faith comes by hearing, hearing by the word of God", says Romans 10.
The question is are we looking to hear? If we don't expect to hear God, we probably won't; but if we do live in expectation that God will speak to us, then we most likely will truly hear.

My prayer is that you "will have ears to hear what the Spirit is saying".

A Prayer:

"Father of truth and light. Lord you know our tendency to exclude you in our lives. We somehow are convinced you really don't want to say anything to us. Forgive me Lord for that. I want to hear you...and by faith I choose to listen. Amen."

Lent, Day 32 - 2nd Station of the Cross

The scripture readings today are: Psalms 33, 102, 108; Jere 23:9-15, Rom. 9:1-18, & John 6:60-71

I am meditating on the Stations of the Cross - the various places and events that surrounded Jesus' death and burial - leading up to Good Friday. There are fourteen stations of the cross, and although there is a traditional one, I have modified it. Still, prayerfully, reflectively, meditatively, I want to think and pray on a daily basis the sacrifice of my Lord.

The second Station is: Jesus, Betrayed by Judas, is Arrested

Scripture: Then, while [Jesus] was still speaking, Judas, one of the Twelve, arrived, accompanied by a crowd with swords and clubs, who had come from the chief priests, the scribes, and the elders. His betrayer had arranged a signal with them, saying, "the man I shall kiss is the one; arrest him and lead him away securely." He came and immediately went over to him and said, "Rabbi." And he kissed him. At this they laid hands on him and arrested him.
Mark 14: 43-46

Very few of us have ever faced the pain of a traitor. History is full of names like Judas and Benedict Arnold, Brutus, and in more recent times, Aldrich Ames. What many of us have experienced is the failure of friendship, the person who we believed to be loyal to us turning out to be one who cared only for themself. What we do with people who fail us is more indicative of our own soul, than of our circumstances. If we believe that we are able to make choices and take even the worst of situations and direct them into new realms of living, we'll be fine. If we don't, we probably will live as a victim and never know the fruit of victory.

Jesus is not a victim. He is the one who knows one will betray him, yet never acts to change the circumstances, nor stop Judas from doing what is in his own free will. A friend does not take away another friend's freedom to choose -- even when that freedom is to choose harm towards them.
When I stop at this Station of the Cross, I see Jesus as the victor, not the victim. He knows what is going to happen as a result of Judas' action. What he feels, I believe, is pity and pain for Judas, not for himself.

A Prayer:

"Almighty God, you have brought us to this new day in victory, because of your Son's death on the cross. Help us to live in that victory, making choices that will reflect all that is good in you. Help us to keep our eyes focused on you...who for the joy set before him, endured the cross, despising it's shame. This we ask in Jesus' name, Amen."

Lent, Day 31, 1st Station of the Cross

Today's readings are: Psalms 107:1-43, Jere 23:1-8, Rom 8:28-39, & John 6:52-59

The Stations of the cross are our theme as we approach these last few days of Lent and enter into Holy Week. You can read yesterday's blog if you are not familiar with the Stations of the Cross.

At the first Station of the Cross we encounter Jesus in the Garden of Gethsemane

The Scripture Reading:
"Then Jesus came with them to a place called Gethsemane, and he said to his disciples, "Sit here while I go over there and pray." He took along Peter and the two sons of Zebedee, and began to feel sorrow and distress. Then he said to them, "My soul is sorrowful even to death. Remain here and keep watch with me." He advanced a little and fell prostrate in prayer, saying, "My Father, if it is possible, let this cup pass from me; yet, not as I will, but as you will." When he returned to his disciples he found them asleep. He said to Peter, "So you could not keep watch with me for one hour? Watch and pray that you may not undergo the test. The spirit is willing, but the flesh is weak."
Matthew 26:36-41

I don't know if you encounter this idea of flesh the same way I do. I had one of those days yesterday in which my prayers were more whining than anything else. I came to God with a litany of discouragements and disappointments...from unanswered (perceived) prayers to a sense of "why God didn't/don't you..." things.
Don't get me wrong, it felt good to unload the pent up frustrations, and I'm positive that God is not that overly concerned with my humanity - he knows me. But, what I wanted to get out of it is unclear. Most certainly I suppose I hoped for immediate responses of jobs, healing, pain going away, difficulties solved, etc... But I'm realistic enough to know that all of those things are part of the choices I've made in living, and it's not true that God created my messes.

It's a powerful lesson for me/us to learn. We created our own lives with the choices we make. Some of those choices are not necessarily wise, and some of them are eventually going to be downright painful. Nevertheless, there isn't any sense in looking backwards in pity, or as a victim. Just as I made choices in the past, so I can make choices in the present that will affect the future.

Jesus made a choice. He made a choice to go to Jerusalem, and he made a choice to go the garden that evening. He made that choice knowing that his disciples did not understand all that was about to happen as a result. He made that choice for me!

A Prayer:

"Lord Jesus, I stand at the edge of the garden and I know that it is for me, and for the rest of humanity, that you have chosen to go there. You stepped into the dark of the night even as you entered into the darkness of humanity...deliberately, and as a servant, and that is what makes me worship you all the more. Thank you for your choice to love me, to love all of us, to the very end. Amen."

Romans 8:31-39 (NASB)
31 What then shall we say to these things? If God is for us, who is against us?
32 He who did not spare His own Son, but delivered Him over for us all, how will He not also with Him freely give us all things?
33 Who will bring a charge against God's elect? God is the one who justifies;
34 who is the one who condemns? Christ Jesus is He who died, yes, rather who was raised, who is at the right hand of God, who also intercedes for us.
35 Who will separate us from the love of Christ? Will tribulation, or distress, or persecution, or famine, or nakedness, or peril, or sword?
36 Just as it is written, "For Your sake we are being put to death all day LONG; We were considered as sheep to be slaughtered."
37 But in all these things we overwhelmingly conquer through Him who loved us.
38 For I am convinced that neither death, nor life, nor angels, nor principalities, nor things present, nor things to come, nor powers,
39 nor height, nor depth, nor any other created thing, will be able to separate us from the love of God, which is in Christ Jesus our Lord.

Lent - Day 30, The Stations of the Cross

The daily readings for today are: Psalms am: 69, 73; Jere 22:13-23; Romans 8:12-27; and John 6:41-51

Lent is now coming closer to it's end, and following Lent is Holy Week which goes from Palm Sunday to Easter Sunday.

As we come closer to the celebration of the cross, the death and resurrection, I want to stop at what has been traditionally called "The Stations of the Cross".

These "Stations" as they are called, were spots along the journey that took Christ from Gethsemane to Pilate where he was condemned to die through to his burial in the tomb on that Good Friday. The celebration of the Stations came about in the Middle Ages, presumably like stained glass windows, the enacting of these stations visibly spoke to a population of Christians who may have been largely uneducated.

There are several ways to approach the fourteen stations of the cross. While Catholics traditionally celebrate it one way, it has precedence to be celebrated more broadly. I like the revised version first done by Pope John Paul in 1991 because it is more comprehensive of Maundy Thursday and Good Friday's lessons.

First Station: Jesus in the Garden of Gethsemane
Second Station: Jesus, Betrayed by Judas, is Arrested
Third Station: Jesus is Condemned by the Sanhedrin
Fourth Station: Jesus is Denied by Peter
Fifth Station: Jesus is Judged by Pilate
Sixth Station: Jesus is Scourged and Crowned with Thorns
Seventh Station: Jesus Bears the Cross
Eighth Station: Jesus is Helped by Simon the Cyrenian to Carry the Cross
Ninth Station: Jesus Meets the Women of Jerusalem
Tenth Station: Jesus is Crucified
Eleventh Station: Jesus Promises His Kingdom to the Good Thief
Twelfth Station: Jesus Speaks to His Mother and the Disciple
Thirteenth Station: Jesus Dies on the Cross
Fourteenth Station: Jesus is Placed in the Tomb

As stated before, this is a variation on the traditional stations of the cross, but nevertheless, it has been used before -- even by Pope John Paul himself.

There are spiritual exercises to entered into at each station. These consist mainly of prayer and contemplation - which is another way of saying these stations are not primarily intellectual exercises. There are usually prayers and liturgies for each station, but I prefer to contemplate and seek to put myself in the scene and then pray out of that meditative heart.

Why do them?

Because ultimately they help me remember what I read in the Psalms today, and what was spoken by both Paul in Romans 8, and Jesus in John 6...that in the death of Christ we have life. It is this life that is both eternal and present for us that makes life much more than survival, a gutting it out process, a hope that we'll get ahead if we just do the right things, and therefore all of life will be a pleasant journey. It is this life of Jesus that ends tragically in his death and burial that also leads towards resurrection. It's a way of reminding myself that Jesus ultimately didn't fall into the hands of political and religious rulers who apparently have the day -- even today at times that seems true -- but he fell into the hands of His father, and so death could not hold him, and resurrection to life was THE reality.

Think and pray...we will all someday also come to death's door. It is enough to know that our lives are in the hands of the Father of life, and that through His Son, our Savior, Jesus Christ, there is everlasting life and not simply just death.

A Prayer:

"Father of mercy and love, Jesus, My Savior and friend, Holy Spirit, my comforter and guide, to you, One God, belongs glory and honor and praise. For you are life and in you is life both now and forever. Amen."

Lent - Day 27, March 23

The Readings for today are: Psalms 89:1-52; Jere 16:10-21; Rom 7:1-12 & John 6:1-15

It's a blustery early Spring day outside. The wind is blowing around 30mph and it's raining (but not snowing - yeah). Inside it's warm and comfortable. How can something so different exist in the same place? We know the answer, it's the insulated structure we call the house, and it's the heat to warm it.

The readings reminded me of that today...there's a wind blowing in the early readings...it's not well out there and it's because of things like sin, unfaithfulness, disobedience, choices that are selfish and disregarding of either God or others. Paul's reminder is that the law is good in pointing all of this out. We wouldn't know how to describe the "outside of God" part of life without the law. It's our weather report for the world we walk into.
And then there's God's love, his faithfulness, his righteousness fulfilled in His son, our Savior, the Lord Jesus. Because of him we are safe, warmed inside of his righteousness, forgiven and adopted into this household of God.

Stay warm!

A Prayer:
"Father, your love reaches to the heavens, your faithfulness to the stars, your righteousness is like a mighty mountain. Because of you we live and breathe and have our being. Help me/us to never forget the greatness and the majesty that is you, and the wonder and joy that is mine. Amen."

Lent - Day 26, March 22

The readings for today are: Psalms 66, 67, 19, 46; Jere 14:1-9, 17-22;
Gal 4:21-5:1; and Mark 8:11-21

The Psalms are full of the praise of God, and why not. Today is Sunday, just three weeks until Easter, two from Palm Sunday. Our children's pastor, Dave, is beginning a four Sunday series on the journey of Christ Jesus to the cross, ending with Easter Sunday and the Resurrection.

We have the advantage in all of this of the record of scripture. For the disciples and followers of Jesus it all seemed so surreal - this talk of going to Jerusalem where then he would be turned over to the authorities, eventually killed, and then rise again. If we would have been His followers then we most likely would have felt the same as the disciples: confused, questioning, even scheming to prevent it all from happening. When God says, "my ways are not your ways, my thoughts are not your thoughts", He really means that.

With that in mind, I have to ask if I'm prepared to trust God in life's difficulties? While I want to say "yes", I don't want to be foolish in presuming what can only be done in grace. We all experience wonderful opportunities for growth and change disguised in the midst of problems and difficulties.

A Prayer:

"O God, on this Sunday, I worship you -- in Spirit and truth -- because you are worthy of worship and praise. I confess before you that I am not worthy of your grace and blessings. As the Psalmist declared, 'Forgive my hidden faults, and keep me also from willful sins; may they not rule over me.' With the saints of now and old, guard me from the 'yeast of Phariseeism' and allow me to walk with you even towards the cross. Amen."

Lent - Day 24, March 20

With apologies for a lapse in posting yesterday, here are today's readings: Psalms 88,
91, 92; Jere 11:1-8, 14-20; Rom 6:1-11 and John 8:33-47

Reading Psalm 88 and Jeremiah are quite depressing. It's hard to imagine (unless we've personally been there) what it would be like to be experiencing what those writers in scripture experienced.
As I shifted my readings to the New Testament I was struck by the commentary that might be given towards those Older writings. In both Paul's writing and Jesus' statements sin is set in the context of "slavery". Given our countries dark legacy with treating human beings as slaves we know that it is an awful thing to be called a slave. Slavery is bondage, a lack of freedom, a dictation of duties and life, and the awful bondage of fear...and that is what sin and it's consequences does to us.

As I spent some time praying I realized that I take little time to really understand where I might be enslaved. I know God has taken this Lenten season to confront some fears and anxieties in me; and he has also taken me to new levels in asking me if I trust him...I wished I could say I have passed with flying colors. Instead, my humanity is more glaring than ever. Isn't it true that Paul says we are meant for freedom and that freedom is found in "dying to Christ", which frankly has already been made possible because Christ Jesus died for us. Oh, Lord, help, please.

A Prayer:

"Father of mercy, grace, truth and love, how I need you. My heart and soul cries out for you - the living God. I want your freedom. I want to know in the depth of my being that living for you is not a chore, not a performance, not a duty, but a delight of freedom in son-ship. This I pray in Jesus' name. Amen."