Lent Day 22: March 17

Lenten Reflection for Day 22

Date: Saturday March 17, 2012

Author: John Harris

Bible Passage: Ecclesiastes 3:1–4, 7 (NRSV)

¹ For everything there is a season, and a time for every matter under heaven: ² a time to be born, and a time to die; a time to plant, and a time to pluck up what is planted; ³ a time to kill, and a time to heal; a time to break down, and a time to build up; ⁴ a time to weep, and a time to laugh; a time to mourn, and a time to dance;⁷ a time to tear, and a time to sew; a time to keep silence, and a time to speak;

Reflection: For those of us who came of age in the 60s’, we may remember Pete Seeger’s use of this text for his song “Turn! Turn! Turn!” that was later famously recorded by Roger McGuinn and The Byrds in 1965. The song was so poetic that it inspired me to read the whole book of Ecclesiastes as a cynical and “know it all” teenager. Having recently read the same text as a church lector on New Year’s Day (appropriate as we mark the passage of time!) and as part of a funeral service (when time no longer matters!), I was struck by its impact on me as I enter the sixth decade of my life.

For me, the text tells me to keep time “in perspective.” For those of you who ski Mt. Sunapee, there is a chair lift that has a pole on the way up that says, “Relax, you are on Mt. Sunapee time.” Which is a rather nice way of telling all those harried big city folk that got up at 5 a.m. to ski, to take a deep breath and enjoy the lakes, mountains, and valleys that God put there for our viewing pleasure. Forget the frenetic Boston driving, the idea that you have to be any place at any given time, and enjoy this “sacred time” of recreation.

Sacred time or “liturgical time,” as Kathleen Norris calls it, is, like all time, a gift from God. It is a time to “carry everything to God in prayer,” to read and meditate on the word of God, to give back to God the gift of time, “to wait,” as Kathleen Norris says, attentively in stillness rather than always pushing ‘to get the job done.” Even God took the time to rest in stillness after the exhausting task of creation! As Pete Seeger concludes at the end of “Turn! Turn! Turn!,” –“it is not too late!” Indeed, it is not! There is a time for everything under heaven—carve out some sacred time for yourself and listen in the stillness for God’s voice.

Prayer: God, you give us the gift of time. Help us keep time in perspective as we use it to glorify you and serve our neighbor. Help us to make good use of time rather than us being manipulated by time. But most of all, Lord, help us to develop sacred time to be and to walk with You. Amen.

Devotion for the Thursday of the Second Week in Advent

Theme for the week: Love

Devotion for the Thursday of the second Week in Advent (Day 12)

Reading: Luke 18:18–27 (NRSV)

¹⁸ A certain ruler asked him, “Good Teacher, what must I do to inherit eternal life?” ¹⁹ Jesus said to him, “Why do you call me good? No one is good but God alone. ²⁰ You know the commandments: ‘You shall not commit adultery; You shall not murder; You shall not steal; You shall not bear false witness; Honor your father and mother.’ ” ²¹ He replied, “I have kept all these since my youth.” ²² When Jesus heard this, he said to him, “There is still one thing lacking. Sell all that you own and distribute the money to the poor, and you will have treasure in heaven; then come, follow me.” ²³ But when he heard this, he became sad; for he was very rich. ²⁴ Jesus looked at him and said, “How hard it is for those who have wealth to enter the kingdom of God! ²⁵ Indeed, it is easier for a camel to go through the eye of a needle than for someone who is rich to enter the kingdom of God.” ²⁶ Those who heard it said, “Then who can be saved?” ²⁷ He replied, “What is impossible for mortals is possible for God.”

REFLECTION:

What does this story about the rich ruler and Jesus have to do with our Advent preparations and with the theme for this week of LOVE? I think that Jesus “needled” the ruler about his wealth, because Jesus was showing his own form of love. Jesus could see how important money, wealth and possessions were for this man. The ways in which the man was attached to his wealth prevented him from focusing on and depending on God. As long as the man wanted to depend on his money and stuff he was incapable of putting God first in his life, and it is likely that his wealth also insulated him from seeing suffering in the world around him. Jesus challenged the rich ruler, because Jesus didn’t want the man to be alienated from God and the people around him. Jesus’ challenge was both an expression of love to the man and a prod to help him love God and people more than his stuff.

In this Advent season, when our focus is on the coming of Christ, we have to ask ourselves, how important is our stuff to us? In this Advent season, is spending time with God in devotions or prayer as important to you as dragging the Christmas “stuff” out of the attic? In this Advent season, is sharing with someone in need as important as making sure you have bought the right “stuff” for presents?

The Christmas season is important to us because we have so many family memories and traditions that are a part of this season. For many of us it is important to follow through with some of our tried and true traditions because they stir so many memories for us. When I get the Christmas ornaments out of the attic and hang them on the tree, I have wonderful memories of the Christmases when my mother, aunt and grandmother would each give my sister and me an ornament. These ornaments are important to me because they connect me to earlier times in my life. There is, however, a thin line between cherishing our traditions and having them get in the way of our relationship with God and neighbors. During this Advent season, when we are pulled in so many ways, remember to give God time to shape and form you—giving God time to do what would be impossible for mortals. Give God time to help you put love of God and neighbor at the top of your priority list.

PRAYER: Pray that God will help you to keep perspective in this Advent season. Pray that God will work in your life to help you remember what is really important. Pray that God will give you the ability to both enjoy your family traditions and allow time for the twinned work of hearing God’s Word and helping your neighbor. Amen