Amazing Thursday - Lent 2

Wow,  Lenten Noon Hour Worship at St. Matthew's was a blessing yesterday.  We have become
"Lenten Pew Sitters" with a Pentacostal Church Minister....he has such a wonderful sense of humour that our sides ached from laughter.   His son is currently going through Basic Military Qualification course so we can give him handy dandy hints on what his son is REALLY going through.  I gather that
the Military is an eye opener for this Pentacostal lad.  Many prayers for him that this is the path God is truly leading him upon.
Then yesterday a bummer when Wolverine Supply had not received the Museum Cheque that was mailed 15 February 2012.  Bummer.  Which means that the Museum's newest acquisition,  the FN FAL,  is still sitting in Virden.   Bummer.   Old Son and I tried to get Husband to drive us there today or Friday but ministry abounds.
Last evening Husband and I went to First Presbyterian Church Youth Group to give the Vimy Ridge Powerpoint Presentation.  The youth were awesome.  They asked great questions and learned a lot about how people who go to Church and are Elders (Spiritual Leaders) can be passionate enough to go and serve their country in war so that every one of us can live in a country in freedom and peace.  We used St. John 15: 12 - 15 as our basis for the presentation.
But I have to admit that these last two days of activity have tuckered me out.   It is awesome when we can ask God to strengthen us on our journey,  that God provides us with the rest we need,  and have enough of a sense of humour to have created something called "snoring"  :)


Devotional.....

Eternal God,  You know what for us is hidden.  Bless Your people as we lay before You the hardness of our hearts.  Strengthen us in Your might, deliver us from all that is evil and confirm us in faith,  through Jesus Christ,  our Lord. Amen.  (Taize, “Praise in All Our Days”  Mowbray )

Read:  St. Matthew 8: 18 – 22

Jesus sees the crowd coming towards him and he says to the disciples,  “Let’s get out of here”.     Why do you think Jesus would say this?      He knew that the people coming to see him were two types of people.  Those who were truly amazed at Jesus’ teachings and healings and those who were only interested in the spectacle  of the healings.   

Yet two people did follow Jesus… a Scribe and a Disciple.  Today we will focus upon the Scribe.     We are told that a Teacher of the Law (or Scribe) said to Jesus, “Teacher, I will follow you where ever you go”.  Jesus answers the Scribe that if he followed Jesus, “Foxes have holes and birds of the air have nests, but the Son of Man has no place to lay his head”.  Huh?  What kind of an answer is that?   To understand what Jesus was saying,  we have to look at the task or duties of a Teacher of the Law.   Scribes during Jesus’ time were usually Priests or Levites who were the interpreters of the Torah in the Synagogues or Temple.  For the Scribe,  the Torah (the Law) was the divine expression of God’s will for the people.     The Teachers of the Law’s vocation was on keeping the Jewish faith exactly as it was and not changing a thing.      So is this Scribe actually saying to Jesus that he would toss aside his vocation and follow Jesus,  knowing he wouldn’t have a place to live nor a vocation?   We don’t know what the Scribe did,  but we do know that Jesus certainly gave the Scribe something to think about… and gave us something to think about today.   Are we trying to keep our Churches the same over the last 50 years and not change anything?    The Word of God is living and vibrant,  which leads to continuous reformation.

Creator God,  Your Word is living and vibrant.  During this time of Lent,  help us to look inwardly at ourselves and continually  reform to become Your Whole People.  This we ask in Jesus’ name.  Amen.