March 31: Happy Easter--Enjoy the Scripture read aloud in church

March 30: Judges 7-9; Psalm 75; John 9

It is Holy Saturday.  "We must work the works of him who sent me while it is day; night is coming when no one can work.  As long as I am in the world, I am the light of the world."  Prepare for Resurrection.

March 29: Judges 4-6; Psalm 74; John 8

In Judges we get story after story of warfare, death, conquering a people and a land....and still no closer to God.  And still they continued to do what "was evil in the sight of the LORD."  If we can learn nothing else from the Old Testament, perhaps we can begin to see that even when we believe God is calling us to war---and even when God seems to be protecting our cause through war---the outcome is never shalom.  War is not, and never has been, the way to wholeness, the way to right relationship with God and each other.

March 28: Judges 1-3; Psalm 73; John 7

Judges 2:17:  "they lusted after other gods and bowed down to them..."
Which gods do we lust after?  Possessions.....wealth....power and status....athletic skills.....recognition and praise....good looks and beauty.....all of these are gods to which we bow down by giving over a great deal of our time and/or our wealth in an attempt to secure them for ourselves.  Our calendar and our checkbook reveal to whom or what we bow down, to whom or what we devote our lives.  God desires that our investment of time and treasure be given to His Kingdom, not what the world would have us believe is our security and future.

Psalm 73:  Why do we think that God's desire for our prosperity means worldly wealth? And because we think this, we get bent out of shape, like the psalmist, when those we think as evil get rich.  Those whom we have judged as not living rightly but who still get rich are not the issue.  The issue is our viewpoint is out of whack.  God deeply desires our prosperity...but it is not dependent on wealth.  Jesus is the human whose life can show us what true prosperity and wholeness looks like---living rightly with others and with God.  Jesus is our role model of a human who was whole, at peace---even though he experienced pain and suffering---a human who knew his security was found in God's hands, not in things or riches.

Today's readings challenge us to consider how we view wealth and possessions as Christians.

March 27: Joshua 22-24; Psalm 72; John 6

Joshua 22:4:  "And now the LORD your God has given rest to your kindred."  God has given rest.  Some of us might think of this as Keeping Sabbath.  Keeping Sabbath isn't only about us---our rest, our replenishment.  It is about that, but it is mostly about God.  When we take a day to rest from our work and focus on God---we are recognizing that nothing I could do this day is more important than what God has already done.

John 6:  The feeding of the thousands; in John, this is the Eucharistic meal.  How can we know the abundance that is shown in this Gospel story?  We must be willing to give what we have.  To allow our "loaves of bread" to be taken, blessed, broken, and shared.  Are we willing for our "bread" to be broken in order for it to be shared?

March 26: Joshua 19-21; Psalm 71; John 5

"You search the scriptures because you think that in them you have eternal life" (John 5:39) How often do we do this?  We take one small piece of scripture out of its context and make that our rule for living...or at least, we make our understanding of that small piece of scripture our rule of living.  And then we demand that others live by it as well....and if they don't?  We decide they've left Scripture behind.  We judge and condemn them.  Or we simply dismiss them as wrong.

The biggest problem is taking that piece of scripture out of context and hanging all the Law and Prophets on it.  What is its context?  Jesus.  Jesus is always the context.  And Jesus commands that all the Law and the Prophets depend on the great Love Commandment.  We must come to understand everything....even Scripture....through the lens of Loving one another as we are loved by God.

March 25: Joshua16-18; Psalm 70; John 4

The story of the Samaritan woman at the well offers us some Truths for our everyday lives.  If we read this text and find ourselves in the role of Jesus, then we see an example of how to evangelize---to tell the Good News.  Jesus doesn't hedge his bets or hesitate to say what he knows might be foreign-sounding to this woman.  It is a life-saving Truth.  He shares it---in conversation.  A natural conversation that bubbles up from the basic interaction that takes place between them.  Just like those conversations that come up with our co-workers, our friends.  Jesus doesn't force the conversation; he allows it to unfold, and when the time comes for his Truth to be told, Jesus doesn't hesitate.

Approaching the text from the Samaritan woman's role gives us a different perspective.  When the conversation about this life-giving Truth comes up---she willingly participates.  Even though it is challenging to her.  She doesn't leave the well grumbling, "Well, what does he know, anyway?" She stays and asks questions and keeps the conversation going so that she can come to understand.  And then, when the Truth captures her---she shares it.  She spreads it.  Many come to believe because of her witness.  May the same be said of us.

March 24: Enjoy hearing the Scriptures read aloud in church

March 23: Joshua 13-15; Psalm 69; John 3

Like Nicodemus, we want to understand.  We want to have all the answers.  But, there are some things we will never be able to completely understand.  Like God.  God is a mystery to humanity.  We can begin to know---Scripture reveals God to us----Jesus reveals God to us----Knowing others is knowing God because we are made in the image of the divine.  And yet, it is still only a sliver.

And yet this God, who is so much more than we will ever know, this God invites us into intimate relationship.  This intimacy is what we are made for---to be drawn into the dance of love of our tri-personal God:  the Father who gives life, the Son who defeats death, and the Spirit who restores and renews.  For God so loved the world.

March 22: Joshua 10-12; Psalm 68; John 2

In John 3, Jesus replaces the Temple, a building where God dwells, with the human body.  The Body of Christ.  God dwells in us.  This is made clear in other parts of Scripture as well.

We understand our church buildings to be holy places where God can be found.  We are often pretty particular about giving them our care and attention---believing that God deserves a home that is well-preserved.

How well do we do this when it comes to our selves?  How well do we attend to our wellness and preservation---in body, mind, strength and soul?  Are we as meticulous and thoughtful about the upkeep of the temple of God which is our very bodies?

The Holy Spirit dwells in us.  Let us give care and attention to the Body of Christ---singularly and corporately---let us focus on wellness in body, mind, strength, and soul.

March 21: Joshua 7-9; Psalm 67; John 1

Psalm 67---what wisdom there is here.
1.  Asking for God's blessing
2.  So we can make God known
3.  We must praise God with our lives to make God known to others.
4.  We must live from joy by recognizing our blessings.
5.  Acknowledging all comes from God.
6.  May God continue to bless us.
Amen.

Is there anything more beautiful than John 1:1-5? "The light shines in the darkness, and the darkness did not overcome it."  Let's live that Truth today.

March 20: Joshua 4-6; Psalm 66; Luke 24

In the book of Joshua we read that the people took stones and used them as markers to memorialize God's movement and action in their lives. (Joshua 4)

In the Eucharist, we are doing the same thing.  We have this gathering, this meal as a family, to help us remember Jesus' saving acts in the world.  But, it is more than a remembrance; it is a sacrament.  It is an anamnesis.  Anamnesis means to make present again; it's more than remembering.  It is re-membering (putting the pieces of the story back together) in order to bring the past into the present.  We do not just talk about what Christ did in the past.  By gathering, recalling God's actions, re-living Christ' instructions from the Last Supper, and through the power of the Holy Spirit----Jesus is present among us.  Just like at Emmaus in Luke 24, Jesus is known to us in the breaking of the bread.

In our personal lives, perhaps we should take a page from Joshua's playbook and consider how to mark God's movement and action in our lives in order that we might not forget.  How can we "make permanent" God's work in our lives?  Perhaps our stone markers are changes within us----within our minds, our spirits, our hearts---turning our hearts of stone to flesh.  Where in your life will you place a marker today?

March 19: Joshua 1-3; Psalm 65; Luke 23

As we begin Joshua, we move from the Torah--the books of law/teaching---to the beginning of the historical narratives.

Luke 23: 45----"while the sun's light failed; and the curtain of the temple was torn in two."

The curtain which separates the people from the holiest of holies---where God dwells---is torn in two.  The barriers are down.  No more obstacles remain between God and man....except those we place in the way.

Why do we continue to live as if God doesn't want us to approach....as if we are not to have an intimate relationship with God....as if God is too holy to touch?  The curtain is torn!  Let's not put it back into place with a pious attitude that removes us from God's presence---an attitude that sends the message that some of God's people are not good enough, holy enough, clean enough to approach God.  "What God has made clean, you must not call profane." (Acts 10:15)  The curtain is torn; draw near to God.

March 18: Deuteronomy 34; Palm 64; Luke 22

I so love Jesus.  I think that I love Jesus as much as Simon Peter loves Jesus.  With a love that still isn't quite enough.  Oh, I love Jesus, and I willingly follow him.  But sometimes, Jesus asks just a bit too much.  Jesus wants me to put myself on the line---usually for the benefit of another---often for someone I don't really know.  It is at these times, when I have decided the cost is too much, that I deny my Lord.  Usually, I don't even recognize my denial because I have a ready justification in hand for why I have chosen the way I have.

Within us, we must learn to listen for the cockcrow.  We must develop such an intimate relationship with Christ that when the betrayal begins to fall from our lips (I can't do that; No, I'm sorry, but I can't help you; That person doesn't deserve my effort; This is who I am, I don't need to change)---that the crowing resounds within us and begins our turning back.  And like Simon Peter, we will be able to continue in our ministry to "strengthen our brothers" and sisters.  We will find ourselves back on the Way----loving Jesus with all our heart by loving others with all our strength.  This is Good News.

March 17: Enjoy hearing the Scriptures read aloud in church

March 13: Deuteronomy 22-24; Psalm 60; Luke 18

The Pharisee is doing all the right things (much like the ruler in the next scenario); why is he the "bad guy?"

His heart hasn't changed.  God isn't looking for empty action; God desires transformed hearts. (I will take their hearts of stone and give them hearts of flesh)

Action without love for the other remains self-centered action.  We do it to look good, to maintain our reputations, out of obligation, because it is what is expected.  It may be a place to start, but this loveless action is not our endpoint.

Like little children (who were lowest on the totem pole in this society), can we recognize that we are not in control and that all that we have is a gift to be used for the common good, and that these gifts are not just our own achievements for our own benefit?  Jesus deeply desires us to see clearly: "Receive your sight."

March 12: Deuteronomy 19-21; Psalm 59; Luke 17

In Deuteronomy, perhaps what we are reading is a people who are attempting to "flesh out" the law and put it into lived practice.  It's been years now since the Commandments came down from Mt. Sinai.  And life in community is happening....with all its struggles and dilemmas....and somehow, this people has to figure out what these 10 commands means in very specific cases.

So, what started out as "You shall not murder/slay," has been interpreted to be applied differently in different circumstances.  We begin to parse out what that word "murder/slay" actually means.  Is there a difference between killing and murder?  Can we split the hair that way? After all, it must not simply mean "do not kill" if we have someone who deserves the death penalty?  And, when accidents happen, as in Deuteronomy 19, then there must be a different understanding of Exodus 20:13.

It's interesting, isn't it, that these 10 commands that are fleshed out into hundreds of specifics in the Old Testament are reined back into two great commandments: Love the Lord your God with all your heart, mind, soul, and strength; and Love your neighbor as yourself (Mark 12) and as I [Jesus] have loved you (John 13).  From 10 to hundreds to 2.  What might this tell us?  How do we deal with these contradictions?  What is the Holy Spirit saying to God's people?

March 11: Deuteronomy 16-18; Psalm 58; Luke 16

The parable of the dishonest steward.  An enigma, isn't it?  What truth can we hear in this story?  Perhaps, we are to use the things of this world in order to secure our future.  We always live in that tension of living in this world, but not being of this world.  How do we live in our culture and society and yet be agents of God's Kingdom---a Kingdom that is so radically different from this world?  Is the answer to simply have nothing to do with this world, as our Amish brothers and sisters believe?  Perhaps, learning how to use what is of this world to reveal God's Kingdom is what it means to be shrewd.  How can we live in this materialistic society and yet still declare God as our Master?

March 10: Enjoy hearing the Scriptures read aloud in church

March 9: Deuteronomy 13-15; Psalm 57; Luke 15

In Luke 15, all three parables stress the importance of rejoicing in community.  "Come, and celebrate with me;" what was lost has been found!

Each Sunday morning, this is exactly what we do.  The week may have been difficult: full of sorrow, frustration, anger, disappointment and sorrow.  But on the Lord's Day (the Sabbath), we gather as a community to rejoice.  To proclaim and feel the joy that is ours.  The world and all its troubles does not rest entirely on our shoulders; God is in control.  We are loved with an inexhaustible love.  All shall be well---even when we cannot see, nor even imagine, how.

"For in you [O God], my soul takes refuge; in the shadow of your wings I will take refuge....For your steadfast love is as high as the heavens; your faithfulness extends to the clouds." (Psalm 57)

March 8: Deuteronomy 10-12; Psalm 56; Luke 14

"Circumcise, then, the foreskin of your heart, and do not be stubborn any longer." (Deut. 10:16)
What rough edges within us need to be cut off?  What hard pieces should be circumcised, removed, so that when people see us---when our actions are made known or our words are heard----all may know we are God's beloved?

In Deuteronomy, Moses reminds the Hebrews--and us---who we are and whose we are.  As we turn and re-turn to the LORD, we need to recognize our hard edges and allow them to die in order for us to be the new creation God designed us to be.  Do not be stubborn any longer.

March 7: Numbers 7-9; Psalm 55; Luke 13

"To what should I compare the Kingdom of God?"  A mustard seed and yeast.  Two small items that grow into something much larger.  They grow into shelter and sustenance.  They become greater than one could imagine by simply looking at their humble beginnings...they become something altogether different than how they started out.

The transformation happens, in both cases, only because "someone took and sowed," and "a woman took and mixed..."  Humanity became agents of the transformation.  This is where we find ourselves...with the mustard seed and yeast in our hands.   Today, how will you be agents of transformation?

March 6: Deuteronomy 4-6; Psalm 54; Luke 12

"I am the LORD your God...you shall have no other gods before me."
"Hear, O Israel, the LORD is our God, the LORD is one."

This foundational command which forms our covenant with God is the lens through which we understand the other commands.  What do we hear or understand when we use this command as our lens for the parable of the foolish rich man in Luke 12?

Idols take all shapes and forms.  For the rich land owner, it was having more and more in the way of the harvest which he kept for himself in larger and larger barns.  Perhaps this hoarding reminded him of his ability to harvest.  Perhaps this hoarding made him feel secure or better than others or powerful.

Luke tells us: "Do not be afraid, little flock, for it is your Father's good pleasure to give you the kingdom."  We have been promised the kingdom, but it's not enough.  We still demand that we must hoard and save and collect because, apparently, we do not believe that God will provide.   The problem here is not that the land owner used his God-given skills to provide for himself.  It is that he used his God-given skills to hoard more than what he needed, and thereby denied others what others needed.  When we hoard and take more than our share, we are denying others their needs.  When we take more than our share, we are taking away someone else's share.  Daily we pray, "Give us this day our daily bread."  Give us today what is needed.  Give us.  Jesus did not teach us to pray, "Give me."  Let us live what we pray.

". . . it takes eleven days to reach Kadesh-barnea from Horeb..."  What should have taken days for the Israelites to complete (this journey from oppression to the land of Canaan) took years---38 + in fact!

Here's a Truth for us to hear: our refusal to rely and completely trust in God because we demand that we know better, we can do better, we can do this on our own---all it does is continue our bondage to ways that harm us instead of living in the realm of God's promised wholeness.  How long have we been wandering in the wilderness?

We hear this same Truth echoed in Luke 11:  "For everyone who asks receives . . . everyone who searches finds."  So often, we miss the answer.   We are so certain we know what we are asking for...we know exactly what it looks like....we know for what we search....And yet, God--who provides the answer--often has a different way/path/answer in mind.  However, since we are certain we know best, we do not let go of our expectation (a form of bondage...being bound by our small imaginations) and we miss the door that has been opened.

We cannot have two Masters.  Who is in charge of your life....you or God?  " . . . how much more will the heavenly Father give the Holy Spirit to those who ask him!"

March 4: Numbers 36; Psalm 52; Luke 10

So much in Luke 10!  It starts off with the sending of the 70, and verse 4 makes it clear how urgent this is to witness and declare that the Kingdom of God has come near ("Carry no purse, no bag, no sandals . . . ")  Have we lost that urgency?  Our declaration that the Kingdom of God has come near is not to simply be made in words; in fact, if that is all we do--say the words--then they will fall on deaf and unbelieving ears.  This chapter focuses on healing to proclaim God's kingdom.

One of the favorite parables is here: the Good Samaritan---an example of the Kingdom of God coming near.  So, who is "healed" in this parable?  I would say that there are three players who experience the Kingom of God: the Samaritan, the man who was beaten, and the innkeeper.

We are made to heal, to restore wholeness, to be agents of God.  This is exactly what the Samaritan does; he lives the great Commandment.  He experiences the nearness of God's Kingdom by being God's agent.  The beaten man experiences God's Kingdom by receiving the healing, by being loved by God through the Samaritan.  And the innkeeper?  Well, he is a firsthand witness to it all; he watches the  Kingdom unfold before his very eyes and is invited to take part in it.  In fact, the only ones who do not benefit (and probably do not even recognize) the Kingdom of God drawing near are those who go out of their way to avoid it.

Who will you be today?

March 3: Enjoy hearing the Scripture read aloud in church

March 2: Numbers 33-35; Psalm 51; Luke 9

"The sacrifice acceptable to God is a broken spirit; a broken and contrite heart, O God, you will not despise" (Psalm 51:17).

Psalm 51 is a beautiful song of repentance.  The Psalmist deeply desires to turn and re-turn to the LORD, and the psalmist knows that first his heart must be vulnerable and wide open to the movement of God.  This is a wonderful psalm to pray each day during Lent when we are taking the time to consider how closely we are aligned with Jesus.  So much of re-turning to God is a recognition of what we do to separate us from God and then seeking the empowerment from the Spirit to change our ways, to be reoriented: Create in me a clean heart, O God, and renew a right spirit within me.

We cannot hide from our sin---God already knows.  But we can turn from it; we can hand it over to God and ask for it to be removed from our hearts.  Remember, wherever there is repentance, there is also renewal.  After death comes life.  Easter is just around the corner.

March 1: Numbers 30-32; Psalm 50; Luke 8

If you are reading this, post a comment to this question: How do we make sense of God who seems to order the slaughter of people as being the same God who commands that thou shalt not murder/slay in Exodus 20:13?  Is this just a part of God and God's action in the world we will never understand?  Do we think this slaying, because God commands it, must have justification or explanation?  Is it because this is a composition that was probably written during and after the post-exile, so the narrators are explaining what has befallen them?  The bad things attributed to their sinning; the good things attributed to God's reward since this is a culture of reward and punishment?  What are your thoughts?

"No one after lighting a lamp hides it under a jar, or puts it under a bed, but puts it on a lampstand, so that those who enter may see the light."(Luke 8:16)  Lent is the perfect time to reflect, consider and act on the reality of how we put the light of Christ, the love of Christ that we know and experience, either under a jar or on a lampstand.  What actions and choices in your life are the jar and which are the lampstand?  How can we move from the former to the latter?