Amazing Monday - Lent 4

For the past three weeks,  I've been playing the piano for St. Andrew's  Presbyterian Church in Brandon while the Music Director has been on holiday in Florida.  The congregation is so graceful as they don't mention my fumbles,  wrong notes,  wrong key signatures, and singing along on the wrong verse as I play the hymns.  God bless them.   They are a Church that is a blessing.... and I don't think they know they are a such blessing to those who are wandering in the desert!   Time to write a thank you letter to them so they know how many blessings they share with others!


Devotional....

Healing God,  whatever You have in store for us today,  we rejoice.   If we are to sit

in prayer before You,  we rejoice.  If we are to stand in grocery line-ups,  we rejoice in Your presence.   If we are to have meetings,  we rejoice in Your presence.  We respond to You,  “Yes Lord” in all the things You ask us to do today.    This we ask in Jesus’ name.  Amen.

Read:  St. Matthew 9: 27 – 34

“Do you believe I am able to do this?” Jesus asks the two blind men.   They respond,  “Yes Lord!”      Jesus touched their eyes and said because of their belief, they were healed.    Jesus instructed them to not say a thing but they started sharing the good news the minute they were out the door.    (Remember they have to go directly to the Priest so the Priest can declare them clean…. Although the Gospel kinda hints that they made a very long side trip J).

As the healed men were leaving,  a man who had been struck speechless by an evil spirit was brought to Jesus.   As soon as Jesus threw the evil spirit out,  the man began to talk.  The crowd was amazed but the Pharisees stated the healing happened because Jesus was in league with the Devil.   

Three people were healed that day because of their belief in Jesus but the Pharisees were blinded to the healing powers of Jesus.  How sad.  

How often are we blinded to the miracles around us each day?     How often

do we see the negative aspect of our lives and forget the positive life that God brings us. 

Today and tomorrow,  view every part of your life as a positive wonderful gift from God.

Divine Healer, thank You that our lives are a positive wonderful gift!  O Holy Spirit, to give us balance and fullness of life,  please instil peace, clarity, fulfilment, and serenity into our lives.  Allow us to experience harmony, unity, and support in our lives and in our families.  Thank You.    In Jesus' name.  Amen.

Many blessings!

Serious Faith Retreat Tuesday

As the temperatures plummet into normal winter cold,  I am amazed how goose-duck  down is so warm.  Two winters ago,  I finally broke down and invested in a warm warm warm winter coat.  New Systems Store here in Brandon have the warmest coats ever.  The owner did tell me that while the coat would keep me warm at -50C it would also be a disadvantage because it kept me warm at -50C.    And he is absolutely correct.   This is a serious parka for serious weather.  If one is walking in -21C,  one overheats and begins to unzip the parka... which is not a good thing as that allows the cold into the body and the body reacts through getting cold.      Hurrah that standing waiting for a bus is often serious weather.

But what happens in our faith when it becomes a serious faith.    What happens when people have a serious faith and then has a  radically different understandings of the Good News with someone else with a serious faith?    Often this creates chaos.   Neither person will budge from what they believe. This is what creates disheartment in our Churches.
Yet,  God our Lord creates out of chaos.   God always brings positive healing into a situation. 
Hallelujah!

Today is Museum Day.  Hurrah.   Today is the day we begin to unveil the Vimy Ridge Powerpoint presentation.    The 95th Anniversary of Vimy Ridge is 9 April 2012.  This Great War to end all Wars was certainly a time of serious belief clashing with serious belief.   

A copy of a painting found in the Canadian War Museum

Prayer:  We look to You,  Lord God,  we look up to You for help.   When our life seems to be crashing down around us,  You are there.  When chaos of beliefs clashes,  You are there.  You create out of our chaos and bring us balance and healing.  Thank you!  Amen.

Read:  St. Matthew 5: 31 –  32

Divorce.   Two little verses that contain so much!    There are two Rabbinical schools of thought for Divorce.  The Shammai Rabbinic School stated that divorce could only happen when the woman was guilty of impurity or immodesty.   The Hillel Rabbinic School stated that a husband  could divorce his wife for any cause.   Jesus says that the husband can not divorce his wife except on grounds of sexual immorality.   Jesus also continues on to say if a man marries a divorced woman,  they both commit adultery.

These are verses that we don’t like reading today with so many couples getting divorces.

Are these verses just about divorce?   Read them again.  Jesus is actually championing the rights of woman here.   If a husband divorced his wife,  she would have no means of supporting herself and her children.  The woman and her children would live a life of hardship and despair.    Here Jesus is saying, “Don’t divorce!  Maintain the love of God within your family! Keep your family whole!”

Prayer:  Great God,  keep us whole and balanced today in Your love.   Remind us Lord that You love us no matter what we do and You have forgiven us.  Amen.

Many blessings