Grains of Wheat

Grains of Wheat

"Very truly, I tell you, unless a grain of wheat falls into the earth and dies, it remains just a single grain; but if it dies, it bears much fruit."  (John 12:24)

In northern NH, it is hard to believe that spring is coming, but I have faith that sooner or later, the snow piles will melt and green sprouts will poke up through the cold earth.  Jesus talks about wheat, but for me the analogous story begins with garlic.  Last fall, with hope for the spring, I planted cloves of garlic in my garden so that they could begin to develop over the winter, storing up energy for a spring growth spurt.  It is easier to think about the new growth, than it is to think about what that garlic clove has to go through in order to grow.  The outer shell has to break open, allowing nutrients and water to enter, before new green growth can emerge. 

Jesus was pointing out that before we can grow and develop, something in us also has to break apart and change.  To gain something new, we have to give up something old.  The Christians in John's community had to break relationships with their old friends before they could become part of the new Christian community.  For us, to develop new ways of behaving or relating to people, we have to give up the old ways.  For a church community to develop new ways of relating to the people around them, they often have to give some of the the old practices that were internally focused.  Growing is never comfortable and sometimes causes actual pain.  

"Those who love their life lose it, and those who hate their life in this world will keep it for eternal life."  (John 12:25)

February 23, 2015

During this Lenten season, the Prince of Peace community is using the devotional book "The Parable of Lent", by Dean Nadasdy.  Occasionally, I will be taking the Bible passage for the day and adding my own reflections to it.  

Reflections on Matthew 13:23

²³ But as for what was sown on good soil, this is the one who hears the word and understands it, who indeed bears fruit and yields, in one case a hundredfold, in another sixty, and in another thirty.” (NRSV)

This verse is part of the parable of the sower; however, it is not in the story of the sower, itself, but rather in Jesus’ sidebar explanation of the parable to the disciples.  Jesus told the story of the sower to the great crowds who had gathered around him.  The Gospel writer Matthew relates that after the disciples heard Jesus’ story, they asked him why he spoke in parables.  In part of Jesus’ answer to their question, Jesus related that he spoke to the crowds in parables is because ‘they see but do not perceive and hear but do not listen or understand’.  Jesus tells the disciples that they have been “given to know the secrets of the kingdom”, and that their ears are blessed “for they hear”.  Jesus then proceeded to relate the parable of the sower to listening and hearing. 

I have to wonder what went through the disciples’ minds when they heard Jesus’ explanation of the parable of the sower.  I wonder if they thought, ‘wow, now it all makes sense, I should have realized right away that Jesus was talking about the Word of God when he spoke about sowing seed.’  I wonder if the disciples felt just a little pride and wonder, when Jesus told them that their ears were blessed because they could hear.  Or I wonder if they got a little nervous, thinking ‘I’m not sure I can live up to Jesus’ expectation that I can hear and understand what he says.’  We, modern day disciples, probably share some of both the wonder and the questioning that the disciples felt.   

“What was sown on good soil, that is the one that hears the word and understands it and bears good fruit”.  How difficult is it for us to hear the Word of God?  When the Bible is read aloud, we can hear the Word, but let’s face it sometimes it is hard to understand.  Sometimes there are conflicting messages in the Bible.  Sometimes our understanding is occluded by our unfamiliarity with the customs of the time in which the Bible was written.  Sometimes we can’t put the meaning in the context of our own lives.  Really hearing God’s word is hard work and it is best done in a community setting.  Hearing the Word in a Christian community helps to place the meaning in the context of our own lives, and discussing it with other Christians helps to keep us from developing our own personalized or secret meanings. 

Even when we successfully hear the Word, the bearing fruit part adds another dimension to the hearing.  The fruit of hearing the Word is to share the Word, and to live out the meaning in our own lives.  None of this is easy!  The support of a Christian community, which worships and prays together, shares fellowship together and strengthens one another is a key part of successfully bearing fruit.

In a paraphrase of the words of one of my favorite hymns, may your heart be good soil, and may you hear God’s word and bear fruit.  

February 16, 2015

As we prepare to enter Lent, I would like to reflect on a phrase in the reading from Joel assigned for Ash Wednesday.  "Rend your hearts and not your clothing. Return to the Lord your God"  (Joel 2:13)

This line was originally part of the advice given to a community of Israelites, who had just returned to Israel from exile in Babylonia, and who were now being warned that God's judgement on them would include a plague of locusts. In ancient times, the rending, or tearing of clothing was a sign of mourning.  The prophet Joel is encouraging the people of his nation to show their sorrow for the things they have done wrong by tearing their hearts and turning them toward God, rather than by tearing their clothing as a sign of penance.

Although this line refers to an ancient mourning practice, it still speaks to us today.  We have many 21st century temptations: overconsumption, misuse of the world's resources, and pursuit of wealth, to mention just a few.  Turning from these temptations toward God, requires a heart that is open to God's Word and God's interventions through Jesus Christ. We are very conscious of external symbols, and may act as if God will be impressed by our outward signs of piety and religiosity.  Joel's words remind us that it is the way our heart behaves that is important in God's sight, not all the external signs and symbols.

Yes, by all means, participate in the practice of having ashes placed on your forehead on Ash Wednesday.  But remember that the ashes are for you, not to impress God.  The ashes are to remind you that you have been marked with the sign of the cross in baptism and that God has made you his own.  Reflect on what it means to be marked with Christ's cross.  Remember what it means to follow Christ.

As we enter Lent and engage in the practices of prayer and almsgiving, remember Martin Luther's words that you help your neighbor because your neighbor is in need of help, not because you earn favor with God by doing so.  Reflect on what prayer means in your life, not what it means to God.

Pray that God might open your heart to hear God's words and turn your heart ever more closely toward God.

Lent Day 40: April 7--Easter Saturday

Lenten Reflection for Day 40

Date: Holy Saturday April 7, 2012

Author: Howard Shaffer

Bible Passage: Ezekiel 34:11–12 (NRSV)

¹¹ For thus says the Lord God: I myself will search for my sheep, and will seek them out. ¹² As shepherds seek out their flocks when they are among their scattered sheep, so I will seek out my sheep. I will rescue them from all the places to which they have been scattered on a day of clouds and thick darkness.

Reflection:

Ezekiel was a prophet who lived in exile in Babylon and was there waiting for the Jews when those who were taken in captivity arrived. The exiles had been marched from their destroyed homeland to the capital of their conquerors as captive slaves. Imagine their despair!! Some or many may have lost faith, given up hope, and turned away from God.

But God had a plan for them! Their situation was due to their own making. Back home their leaders had turned from God and broken Commandment number one-Have no other Gods, worship no other Gods.

In the first part of the chapter for today’s reading, Ezekiel describes the sad and terrible history of the sheep. They were scattered and killed because their leaders failed them. The leaders were concerned with their own comfort and not their job as leaders.

In today’s verses, God assures the faithful that he has a plan, and he himself will rescue them.

Does all this sound familiar? Are we in a time when leaders have failed and the sheep are wandering? Do we have the responsibility to be new leaders who follow and spread God’s word? We can be assured that God has a plan for each of us and for the world.

That plan is Salvation through belief in Jesus Christ and eternal life!!!

Prayer: Dear God, thank you for being our shepherd when earthly leaders have failed us. Thank you for the guidance you have given us through the prophets, through Jesus Christ, and through the Holy Spirit. Tomorrow as we celebrate Christ’s resurrection, help us to be thankful all the time, and to be the leaders in faith, in the plan you have for us and for Community Lutheran Church.

Lent Day 39: April 6--Good Friday

Lenten Reflection for Day 39

Date: April 6, 2012, Good Friday

Author: John Harris

Bible Passage: Luke 10:8–12 (NRSV)

⁸ Whenever you enter a town and its people welcome you, eat what is set before you; ⁹ cure the sick who are there, and say to them, ‘The kingdom of God has come near to you.’¹⁰ But whenever you enter a town and they do not welcome you, go out into its streets and say, ¹¹ ‘Even the dust of your town that clings to our feet, we wipe off in protest against you. Yet know this: the kingdom of God has come near.’¹² I tell you, on that day it will be more tolerable for Sodom than for that town.

Reflection: In this Good Friday text, we listen to Jesus’ advice to the Seventy disciples as they prepare to go out into the world, two by two, to preach the “good news” about the Kingdom of God.

For us 21^st century Christians, Jesus invites us to be hospitable to the strangers in our midst. And who may that stranger be? I think it goes beyond being kind to those sometimes “pesky” missionary Jehovah’s Witnesses and Mormons who occasionally bang on our doors. After all, aren’t they just 21^st century versions of the Seventy sent out by Jesus? Unfortunately, modern day culture has taught us to be suspicious of strangers and those folks who may be different from us in dress, language, culture, or appearance. These folks just may be “angels in disguise” or just may give us a quick glimpse of the “kingdom of God.” As we reflect on Jesus’ death this Good Friday morning, remember the forsaken outcast, a stranger to his people, who gave marvelous signs of the Kingdom of God, yet we all chose to ignore Him.

We need to welcome the stranger, whether that person is new to our neighborhood, our school or work (or play!), or our faith community. We think this morning on all those strangers who have become good friends and neighbors. We welcome their diversity of thought and traditions and their ability to help us see “God’s Kingdom” through new eyes.

Prayer: Dear God, I know what it is like to be a “stranger in a strange land.” Help me to welcome the stranger in our midst and to see Your Kingdom anew in that person. Amen.

Lent Day 38--April 5 Maundy Thursday

Lenten Reflection for Day 38—Maundy Thursday

Date: April 5, 2012

Author: Pastor Pat Harris

Bible Passage: Revelation 21:5 (NRSV)

⁵ And the one who was seated on the throne said, “See, I am making all things new.” Also he said, “Write this, for these words are trustworthy and true.”

Reflection:

On this Maundy Thursday, we think on Jesus’ new commandment from the Gospel of John: “Love one another as I have loved you.” These words, too, are trustworthy and true, but oh, so very hard to live up to. If we were able to come even close to the gold standard that Jesus sets for loving each other, the world would truly be made new.

We are certainly called upon to strive to love each other as Jesus loves us, but we are weak human beings. The neighbor who always criticizes us because our property maintenance does not meet his standards is really hard to love. The co-worker who doesn’t do his or her share of the work just makes us angry. The teenager down the street who dresses differently and plays loud music continually aggravates us. Try as we might, we just can seem to come up to Jesus’ standard for loving these “difficult” people.

When God fulfills God’s promise to make all things new, will our neighbors be changed so they don’t irritate us, or will we be the ones changed? Perhaps we will be transformed so that our love for other people is not dependent on their “lovability”?

Prayer: All loving God, may you make us new so that we may fulfill Jesus’ command to love one another as we have been loved. Amen

Lent Day 37--April 4

Lenten Reflection for Day 37

Date: Wednesday April 4, 2012

Author: Ed Olney

Bible Passage: Genesis 12:4–5 (NRSV)

⁴ So Abram went, as the Lord had told him; and Lot went with him. Abram was seventy-five years old when he departed from Haran. ⁵ Abram took his wife Sarai and his brother’s son Lot, and all the possessions that they had gathered, and the persons whom they had acquired in Haran; and they set forth to go to the land of Canaan. When they had come to the land of Canaan,

Reflection:

First of all, Abram is told to leave his home and family, pack up and head southwest to a yet-undisclosed land. That, in itself, took faith. He is told that out of him will come a great nation who will, in turn, be a blessing to many others. We see this in the verses preceding today’s scripture:

Genesis 12:1–3 (NRSV)

¹ Now the Lord said to Abram, “Go from your country and your kindred and your father’s house to the land that I will show you. ² I will make of you a great nation, and I will bless you, and make your name great, so that you will be a blessing. ³ I will bless those who bless you, and the one who curses you I will curse; and in you all the families of the earth shall be blessed.”

Reading on in Genesis 12, we find that all of this actually came true because of the complete faith of Abram and his family in obeying God and making the journey. Can we relate this act of faith to our own Lenten journey? I believe the answer is yes, with the help of God. Our immediate reward is Easter.

When we look at both the Old and New Testaments, we notice that God is always the one taking the initiative. So it is not our doing, but God’s which leads us to salvation, but we must have the faith, or, as we say, “grace through faith.” So it is faith in God that leads us forward.

Prayer: Please God, give us the sense of faith, obedience and trust that we need to complete our life journey and beyond. That, finally, we will achieve our goal of everlasting life with you and your son, Jesus. In His Name we pray, Amen

Lent Day 36 April 3

Lenten Reflection for Day 36

Date: April 3, 2012

Author: Mike Michaels

Bible Passage:

Mark 10:15 (NRSV)

¹⁵ Truly I tell you, whoever does not receive the kingdom of God as a little child will never enter it.”

(The words of our Lord Jesus, spoken while holding and blessing the little children around him. Italics added by me.)

Reflection:

Apparently Jesus had a fondness for children, as well as His love for humankind. Maybe even more. Certainly not less. When His disciples tried to have Him “less pestered” by the children in the crowds of people who were flocking to Him, Jesus responded in a way that revealed what has become a most helpful hint for my personal happiness: Accept the Kingdom of God as a little child.

Kids don’t try to understand God. They seem to be born with the common sense that God cannot be understood; a fact that many of us seem to lose as we become older and more “educated.” (Psalms 147:5, Isaiah 40:28, Romans 11:33-34) Kids just love Him, thank Him for what they have, and pray for what they need, as Jesus taught us to pray in The Lord’s Prayer. I like that.

I’ve made my decision to “Receive the Kingdom of God as a little child.” Only after years of studying, dissecting, and questioning, in the end to realize that I cannot truly come to an acceptable understanding on my human level. It makes sense, given that God cannot be understood by us. It is also what I feel in my heart is the right thing for me to do.

By accident, I discovered another reason to choose to “receive the Kingdom of God as a little child.” It is purely a logical one: Everyone I’ve met who does so, seems happier, both inside and out. They seem to be less troubled by the world’s ills, less worried about the future, less tempted by Satan’s snares, better equipped to cope when bad stuff happens, and in general just all-around more laid-back and relaxed, than those who do not.

So in addition to Jesus’ admonition that we won’t enter the Kingdom unless we receive it as children, it also makes me happy thinking about the tremendous benefits that we reap right here and now… to ourselves, our loves ones, and our brothers and sisters, as well.

Prayer:

Heavenly Father, as we come before you to thank you, as always, for the countless blessing that you continually bestow through your undeserved love and kindness, we pray that you will give us one more gift that we may need, both in order to please you, and to make us better neighbors to the rest of your creation: Please, help us to accept and receive Your Kingdom as if we were the little children whom your Son while on Earth was so fond of. In Jesus name we pray. Amen.

Lent Day 35 April 2

Lenten Reflection for Day 35

Date: Monday April 2, 2012

Author: Mike Harris

Bible Passage: Galatians 6:9–10 (NRSV)

⁹ So let us not grow weary in doing what is right, for we will reap at harvest time, if we do not give up. ¹⁰ So then, whenever we have an opportunity, let us work for the good of all, and especially for those of the family of faith.

Reflection:

Embedded in just this one Bible passage are two values I do not associate with a Christian lifestyle. The first is that doing right and being good awards you heaven. I get an emotional resistance when I sense the solicitation for good behavior as credit toward heaven. To me, the essence of morality is the recognition of and interest in the other, not because “I’m going to get mine in the end.”

If reading this Bible passage made most people transform their lifestyle so that they were fueling their homes and cars carbon neutrally, bought only sustainably produced goods, and invested their disposable time and income promoting a healthy planet then I would say its message is effective. If we are not getting better at these things every day, if the overall trajectory is not up, then we are not living moral lives. We are aware of how much we consume as compared to our size. We live in the land of opportunity. We are free to transform our lifestyle in this way whenever we want.

I think we lack interest in the “other.” I think we have too much interest in ourselves. And that self-interest eclipses out all other interests. We are not fully recognizing how to live moral lives. It’s just not an interest.

It’s not an interest, because we are interested in heaven here and now. We are interested in an ideal place for our identity to exist in. Then all day, everyday, we see the components of our ideal place everywhere we go. We work to save up to buy them, replace them when they get old and all of a sudden we are consuming way too much, trying to build heaven.

Doing right and being good on earth must be motivated out of more than heaven. It’s just seems inappropriate. The second thing I didn’t relate to is the “especially for those of the family of faith” line. And to that I ask; are we all equal yet? I do not think it is Christian to will more for people who are the most like-minded to you.

I think the undertone of the heavenly prize to moral behavior and the slight elitism toward the family of faith are the very things that my generation struggles with in Christianity and what leads them to reject the whole system.

Prayer:

Dear God, will you help us understand how to live better and more righteously? Give us the courage to trail blaze a sustainable life, one where we can develop naturally and holistically. Guide our minds to cooperative thoughts. Help us recognize other people, cultures, and species. Keep us interested in them. Provide guidance so that we can set up the conditions for all to flourish in. Amen

Lent Day 34 March 31

Lenten Reflection for Day 34

Date: Saturday March 31, 2012

Author: John Harris

Bible Passage: 1 John 1:8–9 (NRSV)

⁸ If we say that we have no sin, we deceive ourselves, and the truth is not in us. ⁹ If we confess our sins, he who is faithful and just will forgive us our sins and cleanse us from all unrighteousness.

Reflection: For those of us who remember the old Lutheran Book of Worship (the green book!), this morning’s passage comprises part of the Confession and Forgiveness of Sins that begins the usual worship service. We acknowledge our sins publicly before God, we are cleansed of all wrongdoing, and our relationship with God is restored. And, of course, the stage is set for the rest of the service where we hear God’s word and receive the sacrament. That is, the slate has been wiped clean; the soil has been prepared for us to love God and neighbor, and to sin no more.

Kathleen Norris cites Gregory of Nyssa’s famous maxim that sin is a failure to grow and reminds us of Carl Jung’s observation that, in order to grow, we must stop running from “our shadow” and face it. That reminds me of Pastor Pat’s “flash light” children’s sermon of two weeks ago that we need to shine the light of Christ in those dark spots in our souls where we have a tendency to plant sinful seeds. And, unless we are in the mushroom farming business, we need to shed Christ’s light into our shadows of sin, “fess up,” and allow that good fruit to grow to maturity. We need to stop committing the same sins over and over again, to grow like any plant toward the “light that has come into the world.” I believe Gregory’s image of sin retarding growth to be an apt one. Sin destroys relationships, and if we are expending energy trying to constantly repair relationships, there is nothing left to nourish and nurture those relationships when we finally restore them. The power of our public confession of sins is that whenever we fall into “the shadows,” Christ is there to light the way and to forgive.

Prayer: “Lord, let my heart be good soil, open to the seed of your word. Lord, let my heart be good soil, where love can grow and peace is understood. When my heart is hard, break the stone away. When my heart is cold, warm it with the day. When my heart is lost, lead me on your way. Lord, let my heart, Lord, let my heart, Lord, let my heart be good soil.” (Handt Hanson, ELW #512)

Lent Day 33 March 30

Lenten Reflection for Day 33

Date: Friday March 30, 2012

Author: Lorraine Blanchfield

Bible Passage: Proverbs 2:1–5 (NRSV)

¹ My child, if you accept my words and treasure up my commandments within you, ² making your ear attentive to wisdom and inclining your heart to understanding; ³ if you indeed cry out for insight, and raise your voice for understanding; ⁴ if you seek it like silver, and search for it as for hidden treasures— ⁵ then you will understand the fear of the Lord and find the knowledge of God.

Reflection:

Accepting God's words is more than simply acknowledging them. It is more than reading and agreeing with them, but actually living them out in our lives and making them a part of our daily actions. When we treasure something, we guard it, and do everything not to lose it. Do you embrace God's words and lean on them for understanding on what is

happening in your life? This does not always come naturally but I believe that if we just show up, and turn our will and lives over to God, he will do for us what we cannot do for ourselves.

God always hears us but there are times when we cry out to be heard. Like a child, I have cried out to God, "Why?" so many times. Why about my circumstances, why about the deaths in my family, especially the passing of my mother, who I grew so close to in her last few years. I just wasn't ready to let her go, and I still feel the void in my heart. Hunting for the hidden treasures, the insights or the answers, seems to be something that I do over and over again. It is a daily process of searching, reading and praying. If I am willing to do my part, then by the power of the Holy Spirit, I have received acceptance and a deep gentle peace of understanding, which has allowed me to grow as a person.

Prayer:

God, I give you thanks for the difficult times because it is during these events that I cry out to you and I find your love and forgiveness. May the Holy Spirit touch all of our lives with a peace that can still our cries, knowing that we can have peace and acceptance in all of our circumstances. Show us your hidden treasures daily to carry us through this life and onto our new life with you in Christ Jesus. Amen

Lent Day 32 March 29, 2012

Lenten Reflection for Day 32

Date: Thursday March 29, 2012

Author: John Harris

Bible Passage: Exodus 20:5–6 (NRSV)

⁵ You shall not bow down to them or worship them; for I the Lord your God am a jealous God, punishing children for the iniquity of parents, to the third and the fourth generation of those who reject me, ⁶ but showing steadfast love to the thousandth generation of those who love me and keep my commandments.

Reflection: “Faith of our fathers (and mothers!), living still/ in spite of dungeon, fire, and sword./ Oh, how our hearts beat high with joy/ whene’er we hear that glorious word./ Faith of our fathers, holy faith, we will be true to you till death.

Kathleen Norris reveals that she “rediscovered” her “Christian inheritance” during her stay at a Benedictine monastery and that she had used her writing as a substitute for her religious heritage. I began to wonder. What have I used in my life, unwittingly, for a faith substitute, and who, in my life has led me back into “the paths to which I should go.” Like every Christian, I have had “dry” periods where my faith has flagged, usually at “me” centered times when I have had family, health or job issues. And I must say, the discipline of attending regular church services just did not seem “relevant.” Rather than reading scripture and meditating on the “Word,” I would go off on these tangents of Eastern religions, existentialist (and not Christian existentialists, either!) philosophy, and transcendentalism. My Mother, the patient person that she was, would invariably remind me not to use the books as a substitute for faith and to give Christianity a chance. Later on, my local church pastors, members of adult Bible study groups, and eventually my wife would provide “the flowing streams” that help me out of these spiritual “dry” periods.

When talking about our “Christian inheritance,” I immediately think of DNA. And, I guess, because of my background and the influence that Christian saints (my Mother and all those pastors and church members who have influenced me) have played in my life, starting as a small child at that baptismal font, I have the DNA of faith in my chromosomes. I guess that when my parents and Godparents stood up for me at my baptism, not only did I have their genetic make-up, I received that DNA of faith when I became a “child of God”. I really do have the “Faith of our Fathers (and Mothers!) in my blood.

Prayer: Dear Jesus, as a deer longs for flowing streams, so my soul longs for you. Through you death and resurrection, we have inherited the promise of eternal life. Sustain us with the gift of your Holy Spirit: the spirit of wisdom and understanding, the spirit of counsel and might, the spirit of knowledge and the fear of the Lord, the spirit of joy in your presence. Amen

Lent Day 31 March 28, 2012

Lenten Reflection for Day 31

Date: March 28, 2012

Author: Dan Affeldt

Bible Passage: Romans 5:3–5 (NRSV)

³ And not only that, but we also boast in our sufferings, knowing that suffering produces endurance, ⁴ and endurance produces character, and character produces hope, ⁵ and hope does not disappoint us, because God’s love has been poured into our hearts through the Holy Spirit that has been given to us.

Reflection:

As I read these verses from Paul’s letter to the church in Rome, Charles Dickens’s line from “A Tale of Two Cities” just popped into my head;

“It was the best of times, it was the worst of times . . . “

And I could not help but wonder if Paul might have written it this way;

“It was the worst of times, so it was the best of times . . “

Now I hardly think Paul was suggesting that we should go out and seek dire calamity so that we may heartily suffer and thus be able to boast.

But rather that, regardless of whatever “Painful Inheritances” become our burdens, we can indeed fully trust that God’s eternal love will pour into our hearts, guiding and sustaining us. And that through grace we will be led to peace, purpose, and hope, even amid turmoil, suffering, fear, grief and pain.

God's grace can guide us to be powerful even when we are weak. The power of God's grace can fill our lives as we seek to make our lives, and the lives of others, alive with hope. God's wondrous power can only salvage our lives when we allow, indeed when we welcome, his grace to reign in our lives. When this happens we are open to experience the peace of God.

Prayer: Dear Lord, our world so often bewilders me. What I hear and see is so far beyond my understanding; poverty and disease, deadly storms and earthquakes, war and killing, hunger and hopelessness; so many hearts bound by fear. Please strengthen my faith. Open my mind and my heart to your truth. Let compassion and love for my brothers and sisters flow from me and may we all be uplifted by your glory. Amen

Lent Day 30 March 27, 2012

Lenten Reflection for Day 30

Date: March 27, 2012

Author: Richard Day

Bible Passage: Romans 7:18–21 (NRSV)

¹⁸ For I know that nothing good dwells within me, that is, in my flesh. I can will what is right, but I cannot do it. ¹⁹ For I do not do the good I want, but the evil I do not want is what I do. ²⁰ Now if I do what I do not want, it is no longer I that do it, but sin that dwells within me. ²¹ So I find it to be a law that when I want to do what is good, evil lies close at hand.

Reflection:

This passage talks about the forces of good and evil in this world. Particularly, the battle within each one of us of wanting to do what we know is right and good but often failing and, instead, doing what we know is wrong and even evil.

Every one of us can relate to instances of this classic battle in our own lives. The bible is full of these battles. In fact the first one happened in the very beginning of the bible. Adam and Eve were living the good life in the Garden of Eden. But then Satan, in the form of a serpent, got them to do what they knew they shouldn’t do (i.e. eat from the tree of the knowledge of good and evil) and the battle between good and evil was engaged.

When I first read today’s bible passage, the words that really struck me were ”when I want to do what is good, evil lies close at hand.” It’s as if the devil is always lurking to counteract anything that is right or good. This was certainly the case in the very beginning in the Garden of Eden. It was also the case when God sent his Son into the world.

Jesus was the embodiment of the greatest good this world has ever known. But, even at Jesus’ birth, evil was lying “close at hand”. Upon hearing of the birth of Jesus in Bethlehem, Herod ordered the slaughter of all the male infants in the town in the hopes of killing Jesus. Later in Jesus’ life, after He was baptized in the Jordan River and “the Spirit of God descended like a dove on Him”, He went into the desert where the devil was once again lurking. During those forty days and nights in the wilderness the devil relentlessly tempted Jesus to disavow good and to worship him. But Jesus said “Away from me, Satan.” Finally, in Jerusalem, the forces of evil working through Judas Iscariot, the chief priests, elders, and the crowd yelling “Crucify Him!” put Jesus to death on the cross.

But good would not be overcome by evil. Jesus’ resurrection is the victory of life over death and good over evil. Thanks be to God.

Prayer:

Lord, God, prepare us for those times when we are confronted with the decision to do what we know is right and good, but the lurking forces of evil are giving us convenient reasons to do what we know is wrong and evil. Give us the strength and conviction to be like Jesus and say “Away from me, Satan!” Amen.

Lent Day 29: March 26

Lenten Reflection for Day 29

Date: March 26, 2012

Author: Pastor Pat Harris

Bible Passage: Jeremiah 1:4–8 (NRSV)

⁴ Now the word of the Lord came to me saying, ⁵ “Before I formed you in the womb I knew you, and before you were born I consecrated you; I appointed you a prophet to the nations.” ⁶ Then I said, “Ah, Lord God! Truly I do not know how to speak, for I am only a boy.” ⁷ But the Lord said to me, “Do not say, ‘I am only a boy’; for you shall go to all to whom I send you, and you shall speak whatever I command you. ⁸ Do not be afraid of them, for I am with you to deliver you, says the Lord.”

Reflection:

As I read this passage and the longer story of Jeremiah’s call in the Biblical book that bears his name, I realize that most of us can identify with his situation. Most of us, have at one time or another, been called on to do something that we didn’t feel qualified to do, or which we didn’t want to do.

I know that many times when I started a new job, I would figuratively look around and think to myself, they want me to do what???? I would look at the files that came with the job and look at the mail coming into the office and wonder how I would ever catch on. Even worse, when I accepted the position in Germany, I had to use a German-English dictionary to read the files, the paperwork and the mail. I wondered what I had gotten myself into, and if I would end up looking like a fool.

Jeremiah is having some of the same thoughts. God has acknowledged that God has had his sights on Jeremiah since before birth. God now expects him to be a prophet to all the nations. (Notice that this assignment is not limited to Israel). Jeremiah has that “who me” kind of reaction. “I’m just a boy; I wouldn’t even know what to say.” In yet one more case of God qualifying the called, God explains to Jeremiah who is calling the shots. ‘You’ll go where I send you and say what I tell you to.’ It seems pretty clear that Jeremiah’s excuses aren’t going to work.

God calls us to do many kinds of things that we don’t feel qualified for, or for which we feel we don’t have enough time or energy. When we mumble our excuses to God, the Lord thinks that most of our excuses are pretty lame, also. God knows us and the ways in which are capable of growing and developing. God wants us to be able to do the things that are expected of us, and somehow God manages to give us the energy, tools and capabilities that are needed. Our role is just to believe that God will provide for us and somehow to find the courage to take that first step, trusting in God’s providence.

The things God calls us to do are not always, or even mostly, “church work”. In our everyday lives, God calls us to be a visible presence in the world. It may be standing up for someone who is being treated unfairly. It may be doing something related to our everyday work. It may be giving a volunteer effort to help someone who lives on the margins of society. The word “vocation”, which describes our work in the world, is from the Latin word “vocatio”, which means to call. God calls us to be God’s presence and hands in the world, as we live out our everyday lives.

Prayer: Gracious and Giving God, help me to hear your call to work in the world. Give me the courage to proceed and the faith to know that you will support me in what I am being asked to do. Amen