Friday - hospitality

Prayer:  Diviner Healer,  move through every part of our body and our mind dissolving all feelings, thoughts, frustrations.  Sweep away all impatience,  struggle and suffering that reside in our soul.   With Your Great Love,  turn our frustrations into inspiration and enthusiastic action.   Help to steer us in the direction where our actions will be actualized to Your Glory.  Amen. 

Read St. Luke 9: 1 – 9

Jesus sends the twelve Disciples to preach the kingdom of God and to heal the sick.

Jesus gives the Disciples very specific instructions:

1.  take nothing for the journey

2.  whatever house you enter,  stay there until you leave that town

3.  if people do not welcome you,  shake the dust off your feet when you leave their town

as a testimony against them.

The important part of these verses is the Disciples were instructed to go and preach the Kingdom of God and to heal the sick.   They were to take what Jesus had taught them and share with those who did not know about God.     

Yet,  in our life today  we get stuck at the first instruction…..take nothing for the journey.  Take nothing for the journey?     In this day and age when we move,  we take our furniture and all our treasures and books and clothes and so much more.   So why did Jesus tell the disciples to not take anything for the journey?   Probably for two reasons.  If one was travelling with a bag of money and two garments,  they were at risk for robbers.   Second reason was for hospitality.    If people in a certain city would  invite you into their homes freely,  such people who would provide hospitality would be far more open to hearing the Good News.   

Today ponder what “hospitality” means to you.  How can you the hospitality of Christ with others?  How does your Church show the community the hospitality of Christ?

Prayer:   Divine Healer,  embrace us with Your radiant love.  Allow us to move in the direction of our lives that give You glory and praise.    Help us to recognize and celebrate all the wonderful things we have accomplished in our lives and with all the amazing people we have connected.    Help us to share Your hospitality continually each and every day.    We are truly blessed.  In Jesus’ name.  Amen.

Thursday - the Messiah

Prayer:  Jesus,  Son of God,  You are the joy of loving hearts.   You are the fountain of our life providing us with life-giving love and joy.   Our restless spirits yearn for You.  Help us this day to be Your hands and Your feet in serving others so they too will know of Your life-giving love and joy.  Amen.

Read St. Luke  8:  49 – 56

Now we come back to the story of Jairus and his ill daughter.   Between the time that Jairus had come to Jesus asking Jesus to come heal his daughter and the woman touched Jesus’ garment and was healed,  Jairus’  daughter had died.   Someone from the house of Jairus came and said that Jairus’ daughter was dead so Jesus didn’t need to come anymore.

Jesus turned to Jairus and said, “Don’t be afraid.  Just believe and she will be healed”.  

When Jesus arrives at the house of Jairus,  there were already mourners in attendance.   The daughter was dead and the mourners were sitting and wailing with the family.  

Jesus says to the mourners, “The girl is only asleep” and enters the home and takes with him Peter and John and James.    When Jesus made that statement,  the mourners laugh.   They have seen the girl and they know she is dead. 

Taking the hand of the Jairus’ daughter,  Jesus says, “My child, get up!”    At once she got up.   Jesus asks the family to give her something to eat.  This is confirm that the daughter is alive.   Jairus and the family are astonished.  Yet  Jesus tells the family and the mourners not to tell anyone.  

Not to tell anyone.  In a small town,  “not telling anyone” means the event spreads quicker.    Why did Jesus say this?   Healing is one thing,  like the woman who had been bleeding for twelve years,  but to bring someone back from death means to the people that Jesus could be the Messiah.  And Jesus was not yet ready to announce that he was the Messiah.  Remember that the Romans were always on the look out for those who would be trying to overturn their rule.    For the Romans,  the “Messiah” was a political and rebel figure of someone coming to eliminate the Romans from Israel.    

Ponder today what the word “Messiah” means to you.

Prayer:   Messiah,  Holy Lord,  giver of life eternal.   We thank You that we can come to You  anytime of day or night.  Be with us in our studies and meditations this day.    Through reading Your Holy Scripture  may we come to see You fully,  love You dearly,  and see You in our life clearly. Amen.

Wednesday - Go in peace

Prayer:  Almighty God, You are our heart’s delight.   Kindle in our hearts and minds and souls,  Lord most holy,  Your lamp within us so that we may shine the light of Your love.  Amen.

Read St. Luke 8:  40 –  48

This is a two part story that almost seems interrupted.    A man named Jairus, a ruler/president of the synagogue in Capernaum,  falls at Jesus’ feet and asks him to heal his only daughter.    Jairus’ tasking at the synagogue was to supervise the conduct of worship.  This is a man who knew how important worship was to the life and breath of people.       

As Jesus is on his way to heal Jairus’ daughter,  a woman who had been unclean with a flow of blood for twelve years,  touched the fringe of Jesus’ garment. The garment that  the woman touched was probably the sacred tassel which was tied by a blue thread to each of the four corners of an outer garment.  This garment was both coat and blanket

(Numbers 15:  37 – 41).  And something that isn’t part of our culture is,  the woman had a flow of blood for twelve years.   She was unclean.  Which meant that she had to stay away from everyone.  If she touched anyone,  she would make them unclean too. (Leviticus 15: 19 – 30).   But this woman was obviously desparate.  Who would have been taking care of her?  She would have been kept either in a separate part of the house or in a totally different place on the outskirts of town.   

As soon as she touches the fringe on Jesus’ garment,  immediately the flow of blood stops and the woman is healed.      According to the laws,  she must wait seven days to make sure there is no more discharge.  Then on the eighth day,  she would take two doves to the Priest at the entrance to the Tent of meeting.   The Priest would sacrifice the offering  and the woman would be declared clean. 

Yet,  Jesus stops suddenly and says, “Who touched me?”   Peter responds that there are people everywhere crowding him … how would Jesus know someone touched him?  Jesus responds “Someone touched me,  I know that power has gone out of me.”

The woman comes forward and falls at Jesus’ feet.   She acknowledges that she touched Jesus AND how she was healed.  The woman made a public confession.    And how does Jesus respond?   Does he say “tsk, tsk”?      Jesus then says, “Daughter, your faith has healed you.  Go in peace.”  

Go in peace.   This blessing was given by Priests to send the people off  with the reminder that God is with them always.    Only Priests and Ministers and those Ordained to the Ministry of Word and Sacrament can bless others. 

What one thing will you take from what you’ve read and meditated about today and share with others?  Or if today is an inside day for you,  who will you pray for today with the knowledge you have learned from today’s  reading and meditation?

Prayer:  Heavenly Father,  we travel in Your peace.  We walk in Your love.   We step in Your joy.  We sleep in the comfort of knowing that in all things,  You are with us.   May we take one thing from our reading and meditation today and share it in Your name.  Amen.

Tuesday - making us whole

Prayer:  Immortal God,  where ever we are today,  we know that You are with us.   What ever we say today,  we know that You are with us.  What ever we do today,  we know that You are with us.  We thank You.  Amen.

Read St. Luke 8:  26 - 39

The healing of the demon-possessed man.   This story is  also known as the madman and the pigs.     With the mention of pigs  we know that we are not in a Jewish area.  In Leviticus 11: 7-8,  God says not to eat pigs nor to have anything to do with pigs.   This is why we immediately know this was a Gentile area where Jesus travelled.

Jesus and the Disciples sail across the Sea of Galilee to a place on the other shore.  There Jesus is met by a demon-possessed man from the town.   St. Luke describes the man as not wearing any clothes nor living in a house but instead lived in the tombs.   Tombs were dug out of the rock or mud in the area and not only provided shelter but was thought to be the area where demons and bad things lived.     

The demon-possessed man shouts out to Jesus, What do you want with me Jesus, Son of the Most High God?”       He recognizes Jesus as God’s son.   Jesus proceeds to heal the man but the demon-possessed man shouts “I beg you,  don’t torture me!”     

Instead of continuing healing the man,  Jesus asks, “What is your name?”    Names were what distinguished one person from another person as well as telling what kind of person he is.  Sometimes people were named after an event or religious experience.      The demon-possessed man responds that his name is Legion.

Roman Legions were 6000 infantry and 120 cavalry (men on horses).  Roman Legions were definitely in the area where Jesus and the demon-possessed man are having their discussion.   But Legion was also a name of the vast number of angels or demons in the local belief.

Which ever one the demon-possessed man is calling himself,  he is one troubled man with 6000 plus problems.   

The demons ask Jesus if they can go into the pigs.   Jesus agrees and the pigs suddenly dive over the cliffs to their death.

Those looking after the pigs are amazed and run off to find out what had happened to their pigs.   What they find is the demon-possessed man sitting with Jesus.  The man is clothed and speaking coherently.     Then the keepers of the pigs and the town folk are afraid and ask Jesus to leave.

The healed man wants to go with Jesus but Jesus says, “Return home and tell how much God has done for you”.  And the man began telling others about Jesus who had made him whole.

This day,  tell others about Jesus, the Son of the Mighty God who has made you whole.

Prayer:   Jesus,  Son of the Mighty God,  You have made us whole.   In Your love and knowledge we live and grow and blossom.   We abide in Your great care.  Amen.

Monday - a passage of faith

Prayer:   Lord Jesus Christ,  calm the storms of our life.  Lord Jesus Christ,  calm the heartaches of our life so that we can carry on Your work in joy and peace.  Amen.

Read St. Luke 8: 22 – 25

Jesus calms the storm.     Do you remember the Sunday School posters that used to be used in the 1950’s and 1960’s?   The Sunday School poster was of a tiny boat surrounded by huge waves ready to crash into the boat.  Jesus was asleep near the stern and the Disciples looked scared beyond belief.  The background of the Sunday School poster was painted in greys,  blacks, and white.   This was an image of the Disciples shrinking in fear and the calmness of Jesus that taught many Sunday School children.

But what did we learn from this poster?  We learned that Jesus can sleep anywhere… and then eventually we learned that Jesus calmed the storm because his Disciples asked him.  

In Sunday School we were taught that when we get into the “storms of life”,  to ask Jesus to help us.

As we get older and read this story again and again,  we discover anew that after Jesus had the wind subsided and the waves calmed,  Jesus turned to the Disciples saying, “Where is your faith?”   Jesus is not asking them to tell him their faith level on a scale of 1 to 10,  but telling them to trust Jesus…. Jesus fell asleep in the boat and wasn’t worried so why should they be worried.

We aren’t told the rest of the story  but can’t you imagine the Disciples saying to Jesus, “But you should have seen the waves!  They were huge. But you should have seen the turbulent sea!  But you should have seen the fierceness of the wind!”    

Jean Vanier,  in his book Drawn into the Mystery of Jesus  states that “crossing the lake is a passage of faith,  a passage of faith we all have to make…..  Jesus calls his disciples to move from a faith based on a very visible miracle that fulfilled their physical needs to a faith that is total trust in him and in his words.    This can be a difficult passage for us all, like an inner storm.  It can represent the passage from childhood, where we feel secure with our parents,  to adulthood, where we become responsible for our lives…. The disciples,  who were confused and upset in the boat are telling us something about ourselves.  How easily they seem to have forgotten the blessedness of Jesus.  How easily we forget!   We can live blessed moments of the presence of God in prayer or through an encounter with someone where we sense God’s presence.  Then something happens and we are plunged into the depths of sadness and despair.   We forget the moment of blessedness.  Doubt, anger, and anguish surge up within us.  We have short memories!  …. So this crossing of the lake was a physical reality,  but it also symbolizes our growth in faith,  our passages of faith.  We all have to go through times of confusion and doubt.  This is all part of the journey of faith.  It is not an easy journey since we have to die to ourselves,  die to the desire to control situations, to control the Spirit of God, to control Jesus in order to abandon ourselves to the Spirit of Jesus leading us.”    (Vanier, Jean.  Drawn into the Mystery of Jesus.  Novalis,  2004  pg 123 - 124)

Prayer:  Great God,  we thank You for our journey of faith.    Great God,  we thank You for the work we have accomplished in Your Church.    Great God,  remind us of Your presence when we go through times of confusion and doubt.  Remind us that You are our every present love.  We thank You.  Amen.

Sunday - Lent 1 - A time of Meditation

You will need a Bible,   comfy chair,     paper  and a pen/pencil.

 Before we begin today’s  Lenten Retreat,  settle yourself into a comfy chair.   Once you are settled  take a slow breath inward.   As your breath inward,  think of this breathe as the love of Jesus.    When you breath out,  think of this breathe as the love of Jesus being shared with everyone. 

Breath in the love of Jesus.

Breath out the love of Jesus being shared with everyone

Breath in the love of Jesus

Breath out the love of Jesus being shared with everyone.

Prayer:  Here I am Lord Jesus Christ.  I am here in Your presence.   You have brought me to this moment.   Speak Lord  for I am listening to You…..

Picture Jesus sitting beside you and  Read  St Luke 8: 19 - 21

Breath in the love of Jesus.

Breath out the love of Jesus being shared with everyone

Breath in the love of Jesus

Breath out the love of Jesus being shared with everyone.

Meditate upon St. Luke  8: 19 - 21 with these questions

* I see or contemplate each person in those events, especially Jesus himself.

*  I listen to the words, spoken or implied. I ask myself what they might mean. Do they apply to me?

*  I ponder   the actions, gestures and emotions of Jesus.   Ask Jesus how I can put my faith into action as He did every day.

  *   What touched my heart about this scripture?   What did I find difficult?

   *   Was there something I would like to return to?

   *   Was there a phrase of verse that I would like to remember?

Jesus, how can I put my faith into action for You this  day.  

I am  aware of the love Jesus has for me. 

Breath in the love of Jesus.

Breath out the love of Jesus being shared with everyone

Breath in the love of Jesus

Breath out the love of Jesus being shared with everyone.

Closing Prayer:   Thank you Lord for the time spent in meditation and prayer.  May I come to see You more clearly.  May I  come to love You more dearly.  May I come to do Your work You have set for me to do..... Almighty God, You have taught us to pray not only for ourselves but for all people.  Help us to look with compassion and understanding upon the needs of others.  We pray for the Church catholic,  gathered all over the world for prayer this day.  may we ever more and more visibily become the one great family of Christ  for all, uniting all in peace and concord for Your sake.  We ask You to hear our prayers, O LORD.

We pray for all who suffer at the hands of those who bear prejudice and pride and who bear patiently the burden of bitterness and hate.  Grant them the peace Christ brings which the world cannot take away, that they may be peacemakers for Your sake.  We ask You to hear our prayers, O LORD. 

We pray for all who suffer from hunger or disease and who do not know what the future holds.  Quicken the concern of all who possess an abundance of good things that they may have mercy on the poor.   Crown the skill and wisdom of doctors and nurses and of all who are endowed with healing power,  for the sake of Christ.   We ask You to hear our prayers,  O LORD.  Amen

(Book of Common Order of the Presbyterian Church in Canada,  1964.  pg 176-177).

Friday - putting your faith in action

Prayer:  All our hope is founded in You,  Great God.  In You we put our trust anew.   Work through us Your change and Your love.  Guide us in Your path of love and truth.   You are our hearts desire.  In Jesus’ name.  Amen.

Read St. Luke 8:  19 – 21

Jesus’ mother and brothers come to see Jesus.  They are not able to get anywhere near Jesus because of the crowd.    Someone tells Jesus that his Mother and brothers are outside wanting to see Jesus.   “Brothers” in Jewish understanding frequently meant bothers and male cousins as well.  

Does Jesus immediately say, “excuse me” to the crowd and go visit with his Mother and brothers?  Not at all.  Instead Jesus replies, “My Mother and brothers are those who hear God’s word and put it into practice.”   What?   This seems like an odd comment.   In actual fact,  Jesus is praising his Mother and brothers for hearing the Word of God and then putting their faith  into action.    Some Biblical Scholars state that the Greek used here means all Mothers and all Brothers who hear the Word of God and put it into practice.   

How do we put our faith into action?  It means taking what we have learned in Worship,  in Bible Study,  in meditation  and getting out into our community to heal the sick,  cloth the poor,  feed the hungry,  and care for the widow.  We must take what we have learned  in Worship,  Bible Study,  prayer, and meditation  and go share this wonderful Good News with others.

Winnipeg Inner City Mission and Kenora Fellowship Centre are always looking for people to put their faith into action,  not only monetarily but also through items to help heal the sick, cloth the poor, feed the hungry, and care for the widow.

(Anamiewigummig) Kenora Fellowship Centre is currently looking for help with finding the following items:

1.  New Commercial Dishwasher

2.  Underwear for men and women

3.  Winter coats for men and women (large sizes preferred)

4.  Long underwear and socks for men and women

5.  Shampoo and Conditioner

6.  Playing Cards

7.  Blankets

8.  Winter boots size 10 or 11

9.   Hats and Mitts

10.  Any non-perishable food items

When people get together to help bring God’s Word into the community,  great things happen.     

 First Presbyterian Church, Portage La Prairie has run a Soup Kitchen for the many        years.    Helpers are not only from the congregation but also the community.   Wow!  What a great way to share the Good News with others!    

Today what one thing will you do to put your faith into action? 

Prayer:    Almighty Giver of love and life,   we lift up to You in prayer the work done by the Winnipeg Inner City Mission,  the Kenora Fellowship Centre,  and First Presbyterian Church,  Portage la Prairie.   Strengthen their workers so that they can serve You with boundless joy.   Call us O LORD  to respond to the work and mission of these houses of prayer.   This we ask in Jesus’ name.  Amen.