Monthly Archives: March 2014

A clear vision of God’s grace

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Fourth Sunday in Lent (John 9:1-41)  3/30/2014

I give thanks this morning for the warmer weather of this weekend and the days ahead, albeit with a bit of rain, but the thermometer is heading in the right direction at least! My wife and I have taken up a Lenten discipline of starting our mornings with a two mile walk and I must admit that this discipline has been sorely tested this past week as the early morning temperatures have been about 18 degrees! But I suppose I should not be surprised, as this is the character of March, a month best described as days of turbulence and turmoil in the weather department. We receive a sunny and pleasant afternoon that tempts us with a foretaste of the warmer spring days ahead; followed by 18 degree mornings that send us scrambling for our wool hats and insulated gloves. Yes, this is the time of year that coat closets contain the full array of our outerwear…and today, every type of waterproof boot or shoe! And we are not alone, the other morning I spotted a beautiful cardinal in the tree outside of my kitchen window; he was trying his best to impress a female a few branches away (his mind on the spring nesting season, no doubt) while at the same time he was bracing himself against the wintry breezes of the early morning. Perhaps March was well designed to shepherd us through the first half of our Lenten season. Today marks the halfway point of our Lenten journey…”half time” you might say. And “March Madness” should not be reserved for the exclusive use of the NCAA basketball tournament! Sure, the tournament is full of excitement, upsets, and surprises, but for real moments of turbulence and surprising revelations we must turn our attention to this morning’s Gospel. Continue reading →

Temptations and New Perspectives

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First Sunday in Lent (Matthew 4:1-11)  3/09/2014

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Several years ago I attended a dinner party at the home of a friend, an interesting man who has traveled the world during his service in the Navy and had collected many fascinating objects and pieces of art. Wandering through his home was always an adventure. As I passed through his dining room I noticed a beautiful print hanging on the wall, a picture of a woman looking out over the water with a bright and turbulent red sky above. The print was not a simple picture, but was filled with many curious discontinuities. As my friend passed by I asked him to explain the print; he said the print was by Salvador Dali and the name was “Gala Contemplating the Mediterranean Sea”…and, oh yes, it’s also a portrait of Abraham Lincoln.”[i] And then he disappeared into the kitchen to prepare dinner! A portrait of Abraham Lincoln? This beautiful print was both a woman looking over the blue water of the Mediterranean and a curiously hidden portrait of the 16th American President. I looked at this print from every angle and used every ounce of my imagination, but the hidden portrait simply refused to reveal itself. Throughout the evening the print created a constant temptation to solve the mysterious whereabouts of Honest Abe. I would have given anything to unlock the mystery. If there was a bowl of fruit on the table, perhaps an apple that might open my eyes, it would have been very tempting indeed! Continue reading →