Monday - Lent 3

Happy Monday!  Work day,  chore day,  lots of time for prayer day.     
Husband returned home from his travelling duties.   Old Son managed two walks on the weekend.
Hurrah!   People worshipped together (even though I did stumble quite a bit in playing the piano at St. Andrew's).  


Devotional.....

Lord,  this day You ask us to come closer to You.    We were dead and You gave us new life by the Spirit.  We were sinners and You gave us a pure heart.  Bring us to Your fullness this day so that we can share the Good News with others.  This we ask in Jesus’ name.  Amen.

Read:  St. Matthew 8: 28 – 34

When Jesus and the disciples crossed over the Sea of Galilee,  Jesus was met by two demon-possessed men.   They were so violent that no one could go near them.  Yet,  even living apart from everyone else,  they knew Jesus and called out to him, “What do you want with us, Son of God?”

The two demon-possessed men beg Jesus to send them into a herd of pigs.   Pigs?  What are Jews doing with pigs?    Pigs are forbidden food.    But a herd of pigs was nearby and Jesus says to the demons, “Go”.   And they go into the pigs and the whole herd rushes down a steep bank and end up dead in the water.     The keepers of the pigs see this and rush into town to report what had happened.  The townspeople go out to meet Jesus and ask him to leave.   Huh?   Why would the townspeople ask Jesus to leave their town when He healed the two men?    While the two men are now healed,  the town has lost a portion of it’s income (in the pigs). 

Often times we miss seeing miracles because we are looking only at dollar signs.   How often in the Church do we say, “We can’t do that because we don’t have the money.”   Or "Our greatest liability is our Minister's  stipend".  

Instead of focussing upon the lack of money this Lent,  consider focussing your prayers for the Church  on three things --   

1. pray for  the Spiritual Leadership in the Church to create a vision or idea for helping others,  

2.  pray for the Spiritual Leadership in the Church to share that vision or idea with others  

3.  pray that  the Spiritual Leadership in the Church to ask people to help them make God’s vision or idea a reality. 

Idea…. Sharing….  Reality. 

 Great God,  be our rock and our fortress as we pray for the Spiritual Leadership in the Church that they may create a vision for helping others.  Great God,  be our rock and our fortress as we pray for the Spiritual Leadership in our Church to communicate  this vision with the community.    Great God,  be our rock and our fortress as we pray that the Spiritual Leadership in our Church will ask for help in sharing their vision with the community.  Upon You we depend.  You ARE our Rock and our Fortress.    Amen. 

Many blessings!