Tag Archives: Lent

Lenten Book Study – “Opening the Bible”

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This Lenten season, we will be discussing Roger Ferlo’s, Opening the Bible; discussing how we might read and reflect on God’s Word to inform our Christian lives. We will meet on four occasions, and I will provide a summary of our discussions here so that interested folks who cannot join us will have an opportunity to reflect on these topics at their own convenience. Our discussions are rooted in the traditions of the Episcopal Church, which the reader will need to keep in mind, as there are many traditions and many beliefs regarding reading Holy Scripture.

During our first gathering, we took up the first two chapters of Opening the Bible, (1) “Why Read the Bible?” and, (2) “Preparing to Read.” Continue reading →

The Irrational Christian

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Second Sunday in Lent (Mark 8:31-38)  03/01/2015

Earlier this week I was attending a gathering with my clergy colleagues. We met at a church located close to a college campus and the topic of young adults and faith came up in our conversation. Someone shared the observation that a number of college students who regularly attend worship services and claim that the practice of their Christian faith is important in their lives had been questioned by their peers for their faith in God; often challenged for their faith and devotion…behavior deemed to be irrational. Irrational…meaning one exhibiting behavior that lacks normal mental clarity, reason or understanding. As I listened to my clergy colleague tell this story that placed such a great value on reason and understanding, I was reminded of a recent interview on an Irish TV show called, “The Meaning of Life,” hosted by Gay Byrne. The guest of the show was Stephen Fry, (well-known actor, author, and atheist), and Byrne asked him, “[I know that you do not believe in God, but] suppose it’s all true, and you walk up to the pearly gates, and are confronted by God. What will you say?” Fry responded, “I would say this: How dare you? How dare you create a world to which there is such misery that is not our fault. It’s not right, it’s utterly, utterly evil. Why should I respect a capricious, mean-minded, stupid God who creates a world that is so full of injustice and pain. That’s what I would say.” Fry’s words are quite strong and perhaps a bit unedited toward the One we believe is holy and almighty, and perhaps like the host of the show your jaw has dropped a bit from its normal resting place. Continue reading →

Maundy Thursday: care & compassion for others

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Maundy Thursday (John 13:1-17; 31-35)  4/17/2014

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Earlier this week many people took time to remember an event that took place one year ago; a tragic event that ripped through the streets of Boston and ripped through the lives of many, many people. We wish we need not remember days like these, but there is some powerful truth about our common life together that is unlocked and exposed for all to see as we experience events that are beyond our control. The bombing at last year’s Boston Marathon was a day that held this truth for us. The marathon in Boston is not just another sporting event, not just a special day for people who like to run distances that immediately make the rest of us wonder where we left our car keys. No, the marathon is a special part of Boston’s character and spirit; run on a celebratory day that remembers the town’s unique place in the struggle that led to the birth of our nation. The bombs did not simply create the tragic deaths of three people and the injuries of hundreds more, but they shattered the peaceful patterns of people’s understanding of a day that had been celebrated for generations. In the immediate aftermath of the bombs’ destructive force, both people and the community’s sense of peace lie in agony. And if that were the end of the story, it would certainly be a story we would hope to soon forget, but that moment was only the beginning of the larger story that continues to this day and beyond. The larger story is the story of the powerful truth about our common life together, and this is the story we must not forget, this is the story we must remember as we gather together in later days. As the Governor of Massachusetts said to those gathered in Boston this past Tuesday, “There are no strangers here. We are all connected to each other, to events beyond our control, to a common destiny.”[i] The powerful truth of that common destiny is that we are called to serve each other, in times filled with joy and in times filled with sorrow.

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The Great Silence of Holy Week

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Palm Sunday (Matthew 27:11-54)  04/13/2014

As we come into the presence of God, whether alone or in a group as we do this morning, there are many varieties of worship and prayer: sacred music, the reading of Scripture, intercessory prayer, or meditation to name just a few. A month ago I spent a few days at the Holy Cross Monastery and joined the brothers of that Order in their time of silence in the presence of God. Extended periods of silence are sometimes hard to find these days, and there are certainly those for whom this is good news…I will admit, silence is not for everyone, and fortunately we have many varieties of worship and prayer. But silence holds a particular power and silence is something we experience this morning as we listen to the dramatic story of the Passion of Jesus Christ. Continue reading →

Holy “thin places” and the presence of Christ

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Fifth Sunday in Lent (John 11:1-45)  04/06/2014

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A few years ago my family and I spent a fun and exciting week on vacation in Nevada and Arizona, the highlight for me being our visit to the Grand Canyon. During our time there we spent a day rafting down a river that cut through the Glen Canyon, an area just north of the Grand Canyon. Floating down the river was a spectacular experience, watching the multitude of vibrant colors paint the canyon walls and seeing the many layers of rock and sediment, each layer reaching out into the present, telling its own story of the past. Beyond the rugged beauty of the place, there was a deep spiritual element that seemed to pervade the entire canyon. The canyon seemed to be what many people have called a “thin place;” a place where the separation between heaven and earth is so narrow the face of God seems to be just around the corner. I do not mean to suggest God has some peculiar preference for a few spots on earth over others, but there is some tangible power and mystery to certain holy places. The manifestation of this holy presence, in these thin places, is the foundation of the Christian discipline of pilgrimage. Pilgrims often set aside their cares of the world and take up a journey to seek these thin places, to seek an experience with God in new and mysterious ways (our J2A pilgrims are very familiar with this idea and can attest to its power). We are nourished and nurtured in powerful ways as we come into the presence of the God; powerful ways that sustain us in times when we might feel more distant or perhaps more challenged to be close to the presence of the holy. Continue reading →

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 →

The peace and presence of God

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O'CollinsExperiencing Jesus by Gerald O’Collins, SJ; Chapter 6 – “In your will is our peace”

As we continue our prayers and reflections through Lent, listening to the Scripture readings of Lent and selected works of our own choosing, we become aware of the very human struggle between the desires of this world and the desire to incline our hearts toward God. O’Collins’ sixth chapter reflects on this struggle, describing our personal choice of freedom: “We were born to be free. We were baptized into freedom. Yet freedom is never an assured possession. We still experience so much slavery in our lives. Sin, evil, and many false standards can enslave us. We put ourselves back into bondage and return to the house of slavery.” (p. 67) We return to slavery because the temptations that surround the “house of slavery” seem so appealing, much as the regular rations given to the slaves of Egypt seemed better than the manna of the wilderness to the Ancient Israelites – “If only we had died by the hand of the Lord in the land of Egypt, when we sat by the fleshpots and ate our fill of bread; for you have brought us out into the wilderness to kill this whole assembly with hunger.” (Exodus 16:3) These temptations are part of our misunderstanding that the food of this world leads to anxiety for the next thing, whether that next thing be more of the same or something bigger and better. The nourishment of God leads to peace and a faithful presence, and this is the lesson of O’Collins’ chapter “In your will is our peace.”

To turn toward the peace of God requires us to summon the courage to break with the traditions of the many voices of our culture. O’Collins mentions a few revolutionary moments in history and comments that we too must usher in our own revolution if we are to break free. “Jesus looks for that kind of revolution; he invites us to live the truth that it is God who stands at the center and not ourselves…God’s rule over our lives is never at our expense but only for our real happiness. God wants us to enjoy full and lasting peace as our whole being unfolds in its deliverance from sin and evil.” (p. 69) A very good friend of mine gave me the gift of a small plaque with the following words: “PEACE: it does not mean to be in a place where there is no noise, trouble or hard work. It means to be in the midst of those things and still be calm in your heart (author unknown).” This is the peace and presence of God – not to be apart from the world, but to be in the world and to know God’s presence in one’s life. This is true freedom and a peaceful presence that creates the revolution of Christ’s work and witness in the world.

Go into all the world and proclaim God’s love

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O'CollinsExperiencing Jesus by Gerald O’Collins, SJ; Chapter 5 – “Loving, praying, and forgiving”

We are approximately halfway through our journey of this holy season of Lent. This season calls us to prayer and reflection, a time for us to hear God among us and discover where it is that God is calling us. In the midst of this quiet time of prayer and reflection Gerald O’Collins provides us a chapter that is focused on “action.” I am a fan of all types of communications and social media is only one of the forms that invite us to speak and listen with others, but social media is one way that we have an opportunity to communicate with those who are beyond arm’s length. I was very happy to see that a favorite musician of mine, Harry Connick, Jr., has joined the bite-sized verse world of Twitter. I bring this up because Harry “tweeted” a short thought the other day that stands closely with O’Collins chapter of active discipleship: “March 4th…the only day of the year that means ‘go forward’…so let’s do it.” (You can follow Harry also: @HarryConnickJR).

O’Collins provides a thoughtful overview of God’s abundant love and forgiveness and how prayer pulls everything together. All three of these elements of our relationship with God and others is important, but I would like to reflect especially on the thought of “active” love. The chapter begins, “Many Christians and others have found it attractive to take approval as the primary aspect of love. To love people is, in a most radical way, to approve of, joyfully wonder at, and assent to their existence. The lover rejoices over the object of his or her love and in effect says: ‘It is beautiful that you exist, that you are there in the world’…Unquestionably one can appeal to the Bible in support of this kind of love…Nevertheless, the New Testament relentlessly preaches love as active rather than simply approving. To love is to be engaged selflessly for the good of others and work for their welfare and real happiness.” (pp. 54-55) O’Collins points to the heart of Christian discipleship, the deep well of love that fuels the passion for and the commitment to service in the world…not for the good of the one performing the service, but for the good of God’s created world. The Christian disciple, the one that is connected to the vine, finds love from the fruit of the vine, the real fruit that gives love and life. A life lived in this manner is not always easy, which is why O’Collins rightfully places this conversation within a chapter describing the three elements of discipleship: love, prayer and forgiveness. Finally, O’Collins quotes an insightful statement from G.K. Chesterton: “Christianity hasn’t been tried and found wanting. It has been found hard and not tried.” (p. 59) During this season of Lent, in prayer and reflection, we ask God for the grace to commit ourselves and persevere in the midst of all the joys and challenges that we will face in our daily lives…and then, move forward in love because yesterday was March 4th!

Discovering ourselves as we discover Christ

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O'CollinsExperiencing Jesus by Gerald O’Collins, SJ; Chapter 4 – “You leave Jesus out of this!”

The holy season of Lent is a time of prayer and reflection; a time of thoughtful preparation for the events of Holy Week, the events of the Passion of Jesus Christ. If we are to enter in to the mystery and grace of Easter morning, the time of preparation during Lent is a time for us to meet Jesus in an intimate and deeply personal way. However, in the rush of daily life, we can be tempted to simply move through the busyness and leave the prayerful reflections of Jesus behind…this is what Gerald O’Collins is pointing toward in his chapter titled, “You leave Jesus out of this!” Leaving Jesus out of our lives, in some ways, simplifies things…we don’t need to hear the challenging lessons of the Gospel and we don’t need to face the brokenness of our lives, but in this “simplified” approach we are impoverished from the grace and love of Christ, a healing balm much needed in this world of ours. Welcoming Jesus in to our lives is something that may feel overwhelming and complicated at times; admittedly, the images, descriptions, and teachings of Jesus cannot be represented in some simple linear fashion. But we should not expect one image, one lesson, or one thought from the self-revelation of God through his Incarnate Word – there is much to say, much to learn, much to discover as we welcome God in to our lives.

O’Collins includes a wonderful story that highlights his thought that our discovery of God leads to some insightful discoveries of self:

“Some years ago a deacon, who belongs to an Eastern rather than to the Western, Latin rite, was taking a course with me on Christ’s being and doing. Instead of writing a paper, he chose to paint an icon and present it to the class. When he unveiled the icon, stood alongside it and began to speak, my eyes flicked from him to the face of Christ he had depicted. ‘That’s also Joe’s face shining forth from the icon,’ I thought. The face of the artist blended intricately with that of Christ. Far from being surprised at this story, we should expect our efforts to parallel what deacon Joseph did. Searching for Jesus means searching for ourselves. Truly finding him, or rather being found by him, means finding our true selves. Strangers to him, we remain strangers to ourselves.” (p.47)