Monday - journey to Jerusalem

Prayer:  “Return to the Lord, Your God,  for God is tenderness and compassion.  O God of tenderness and compassion,  O Master slow to anger,  full of love and full of truth,  turn towards us and have compassion.   Give Your strength to Your servant, and salvation to all peoples.  Worthy is the Lamb that was slain to receive power and wisdom,  strength, healing and love.  Amen.”  (Taize  “Praise in all our Days”  Mowbray,  1981, pg. 183).

Read  St Luke  9: 51

Jesus knows that he is on a journey to Jerusalem.  This journey will not be easy.  It will be a time of teaching,  a time of preaching,  a time of healing but most importantly it will be a time of preparation.  Jesus will be preparing the disciples for living as a Christian after he is sent to death.   It will also be a time of preparation for Jesus  as he lives knowing that his death is in the not too distant future.

And how does Jesus prepare himself?   The Bibles says that he resolutely set out….he   steeled himself….  he  steadfastly set his face towards Jerusalem.    He did not go on this journey alone.  He was constantly in prayer with God.  Jesus also had the disciples.  While they did not understand the journey Christ was to take,  they are Jesus’ students and friends.   They are with him on this journey.  

We call Lent a journey to Easter.   Lent is a time when we do something more so that we can prepare our hearts to return to God.      While we often think that Lent is a personal time of repentance,  Lent is a time for the whole Church to journey together.    As a congregation,  we journey together through worship.    

Each Sunday we come together to worship God.   During the time of Holy Week  we worship together in Maundy Thursday Worship,  Good Friday Worship,  Holy Saturday Worship,  and then Glorious Easter Worship.   One of the responsibilities that Session has to the congregation is to inform everyone of these times of extra Worship.      If you do not know if the Church you attend has extra worship services,  now is the time to ask!

Prayer:  “Lord God,  it was Your will to call us,  instructing us and opening the way for us to follow.  You have given us wisdom and understanding for life eternal.  Be our rock and our fortress, O Lord.  Amen.”   (Taize,  “Praise in all our Days”  Mowbray,  1981,  pg. 184)

Sunday - Lent 4

Prayer:  “O Christ, of Your fullness we have all received.  You are our eternal hope.  You are patient and full of kindness.  You are generous to all who call upon You.  Lord hear our prayer.  O Christ,  fountain of life and of holiness.  You have taken away our sins.  You were loaded with insults and crushed beneath the burden of our faults.  Lord hear our prayer.  O Christ,  obedient unto death,  source of all comfort, our life and our resurrection, our peace and our reconciliation.  Lord  hear our prayer.  O Christ,  salvation of all who hope in You,  hope of all who die in You, and bliss of all the saints.  Lord here our prayer.  Lamb of God,  You take away the sin of the world,  Lord forgive us.  Lamb of God, You take away the sin of the world,  Lord hear us.  Lamb of God,  You take away the sin of the world,  Lord have mercy upon us…..  We give our thanks to God. Amen.     (Taize  “Praise in all our Days” Mowbray,  1981,  pg. 178 – 179)

 

Saturday - Lenten Retreat

Today is the opening gala of our Museum Exhibit "Serving King, Queen and Country".  For the military,  this means serving the King or the Queen... but what about as Christians?  How do we serve our King?    During this time of Lent.... this time of reflection... this is a great pondering question to ask ourselves.      What happens when we say we're "too busy" to serve our King?  What happens when we have awesome ideas for spreading the Good News within our community but the Church is not listening as they are "too busy"  or "don't have enough funds" or the Ministers and Elders say they are "overworked"?   

Looking back over the people featured in our Museum Exhibit,  each of the individuals passionately served their King.  They knew if they didn't serve their King,  then we would loose our freedom.   Kinda puts the Church in perspective doesn't it.   It is time again to serve our King,  Jesus Christ with passion and devotion. All it takes is a simple "yes, Lord,   I will".   

  

Prayer:  Jesus Christ,  my Lord and Saviour,  You call me to follow You and to become like You.  You call me to live in communion with God and with each other.  I do not always know where you are leading me but I know that You lead me beside green pastures.   Jesus Christ,  Son of God,  I love you with my whole heart and soul and mind.   Amen.  

 

Prayer:   Jesus,  I come into Your presence today knowing that You love me for who I am.    Jesus, I come into Your presence today knowing that listen to all I say.    Jesus,  I come into Your presence today basking in Your love and glory.  Jesus, You have brought me to this moment and I love You.

Reflect over the Scripture readings of this past week.  Ask yourself:

*  How do these Scripture readings apply to me?

*  I ponder   the actions, gestures and emotions of Jesus from the Scripture readings this past week. 

 *   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?

 Picture Jesus sitting beside you.   Tell Jesus why he is your Lord and Saviour.    Be aware of the love Jesus has for you.  Share any questions you have about Jesus and just let the questions be in Jesus’ presence.  You don’t need to answer the questions yourself.

Prayer:  Jesus Christ,  my Lord and Saviour,  You call me to follow You and to become like You.  You call me to live in communion with God and with each other.  I do not always know where you are leading me but I know that You lead me beside green pastures.   Jesus Christ,  Son of God,  I love you with my whole heart and soul and mind.   Amen.  

Friday - reflection

Prayer:  Great God,  this day may we listen,  hear,  read,  and thirst for Your Holy Word.  May we read Your scriptures with delight in our hearts.   As we reflect upon Your Word this day,  may You fill us with all joy and all peace in believing.  Amen.

St Luke 9: 49 – 50

John speaks up and says to Jesus that they saw a man using Jesus’ name to heal others.  John was concerned that the man was not a disciple.   The man had not been taught by Jesus.   

Jesus responds by saying that the disciples should not stop the man.   Jesus continues to state that whoever is not against you is for you.    If he is not an enemy,  he is an ally.

Chapter 9 is Jesus’ teaching on leadership.  In these two verses,    John thinks he is being a good leader by bringing forward a man who is using Jesus’ name to heal.   And with Jesus’ response of do not stop the man,  we can almost hear John go, “Rats.  I thought I understood the teachings of Jesus!”

Leadership.  There are many books written, videos,  websites, and  courses on leadership and leadership styles within the Church.    Yet what leadership for Christians  really boils down to is prayer,  reading the scriptures,  meditation, and God’s call.    Like John,  we do not know what we believe and can’t be a  leader until we understand Jesus’ teachings and live in the love of God.  

Today,  spend time in reflection.  Reflect upon Biblical people—Old and New Testaments.  What three Biblical people would you say were great leaders.  

 Reflect upon why they were great leaders.

 Did these people have an easy time as a leader? 

Did these people frequently stumble and fall in their leadership but got back up again and carried on because of their love for God?   

Think of two people from your life who have been great Christian leaders. 

What set them apart?

What about current leaders in the Church.  Can you name three people in your Church that are great Christian leaders and set awesome examples of how to serve Christ?    What about teens or children in the Sunday School?  Are any of these people Christian leaders yet? 

Prayer:  Holy God,  we give You thanks for all Your servants who have passed from this life in faith and in love.  We pray that we may follow their example and discover the joy of following Your Word and Your love.  Amen.

Thursday - acceptance

Prayer:  O Lord,  teach us Your ways so that we may walk in Your truth.  Mold our hearts to love You for You comfort and help us.  Help us to grow in our faith so that we may know that Your love for us is boundless.   Amen.

Read  St. Luke 9: 46 –  48

Instead of asking questions of Jesus and strengthening their faith,  the disciples do what we all do… they try to ignore the burning issue by creating an issue of their own that can never really be answered. 

The disciples begin arguing over which of them would be the greatest.    Does Jesus thwap his head against a wall and say, “Oy vey!”     Jesus realizes that discerning who is the greatest is important to the disciples.

Jesus reaches into the crowd and places a child before the disciples.    Then Jesus says, “Whoever accepts this child as if the child were me,  accepts me.  And whoever accepts me,  accepts the One who sent me.  You become great by accepting, not asserting.  Your spirit,  not your size, makes the difference.”  (St Luke 9: 48 The Message  Navpress, 2005).

How frequently in our Churches today do we ignore the burning issue by creating another issue that can never really be answered?    Far too frequently in some Churches.    This is how Churches slide into conflict which leads to people leaving the Church which leads to the finances of the Church becoming unstable which leads to frustrated Board of Managers that they can’t keep up the repairs of the Church.  And so on.   

Remember the words of Jesus…. “you become great by accepting, not asserting”.  This is so important for Sessions and Ministers to remember.  This does not mean that people become a door mat and let everyone walk all over you.    Remembering the words of Jesus means if an issue comes before Session and the Session is split in it’s decision then time needs to be taken for prayer.    One side should not declare they are right and the other side is wrong. Nor should the Elders say they agree to disagree.  This only causes greater troubles later.   Take the time for prayer and reflection upon the issue.   Reflect on how the decision will affect the Church in the future.     Your spirit – your faith,  not your assertiveness makes the difference.

During the time of Jesus,  children had no authority and no rights.  By taking a child and setting the child before Jesus,  the disciples are presented with a great illustration.   Did it make them step back and ponder their argument?   We aren’t told but the impact of seeing a child and Jesus telling them that anyone who accepts the child also accepts God would make anyone go, “humm”.   And going “humm” is a good thing.

Prayer:   Lord,  we pray that the Church may be the Church of truth, unity, and peace.  Remember us in Your love, O Lord.   Give Your grace to all those who Minister and lead Your Church.   Remember us in Your love,  O Lord.   Give Your grace to us this day so that we may know that our faith and our spirit will make Your Church whole.  Amen.

Tuesday - communication -- say what?

Prayer:   Great God,  on days when we get frustrated with our lives or our memories,  remind us to keep our eyes on Your love and thankfulness.  May we spend today living in Your glory and love.  This we ask in Jesus’ name. Amen.

 

Read  St. Luke  9:  37 – 43a

 

After Moses and Elijah left,  did Jesus and the apostles hurry down the mountain?  No,  the Gospel is very specific here that it was the next day when they came down from the mountain.     They took time to continue praying and meditating.

 

At the foot of the mountain,  they are met by a crowd.  A large crowd.  A big crowd.   And out of this large crowd,  a man calls out, “Please, please Teacher,  take a look at my son. He’s my only child.  Often a spirit seizes him.  Suddenly he’s screaming, thrown into convulsions, his mouth foaming. And then it beats him black and blue before it leaves.  I asked your disciples to deliver him but they couldn’t”  (St Luke 9: 38 – 40  The Message, Navpress,  2005).

 

Wow.   The disciples had been trying to bring out the demon from the boy but were unsuccessful.    And how does Jesus respond?  With gentleness?   Nope.  Jesus begins to get frustrated with the disciples and the crowd.   Why would Jesus do this?    Jesus meek and mild where have you gone?   Jesus knows that his time for teaching the disciples is short.  And the disciples aren’t quite getting Jesus’ teaching.  

 

Before Jesus heals the boy,  he says to the disciples and the crowd, “What a generation!  No sense of God!  No focus to your lives!  How many times do I have to go over these things?  How much longer do I have to put up with this?  Bring your son here.”  (St Luke 9: 41  The Message, Navpress,  2005).     Is Jesus getting a tad frustrated?  Yes.    Do Ministers and Elders today get frustrated with their ministries?  Yes.  Do congregations get frustrated today with the Minister and Elders?  Yes.          Frustration is part lack of communication and part lack of understanding.   Jesus had been teaching the disciples but they were not totally understanding what Jesus was trying to teach them.    For us today,  we read this story and wonder why the disciples could not understand what Jesus was teaching.  But we know the end of the story.  We know the teachings of Jesus.  We read them over and over again and become familiar with the word of God so that it lives in our heart.   

 

Jesus heals the boy.   And the crowd is astonished at God’s greatness.   Aha.  The crowd is starting to understand the teaching of Jesus.

 

Today,  pray that Ministers and Elders may communicate the work of God  with the congregation and that the congregation may receive this news with open hearts and arms.

 

Prayer:  Almighty God,  for the work and ministry of all Ministers and all Elders we give You thanks.  For the time they spend in Your presence – sustain them.  For the time they spend in meditation – revive their souls to your peace.   Open our hearts and minds to the ministry that is before us  in the Church we attend.  This we ask in Jesus’ name.  Amen.

Monday - affirming the call the Ministry

Prayer: Creator God, thank You that we can come before You this day in prayer, study, and reflection of Your Word. Be with us as we live our lives to Your glory. This we ask in Jesus’ name. Amen.

Read St. Luke 9: 33 – 36

As Peter opens his sleepy eyes and discovers that with Jesus is Moses and Elijah, he exclaims, “Master, it is good for us to be here. Let us put up three shelters – one for you, one for Moses and one for Elijah.” (St Luke 9: 33 NIV- Zondervan, 1984).

Thank goodness that Peter said these words. Frequently, Ministers will preach that Peter was not himself or was saying something that wasn’t really appropriate. And even St. Luke states that Peter didn’t know what he was saying. But in actual fact, Peter was being hospitable and honest. The provision of shelter was a great sign of hospitality as well as a celebration of God. The three men were glowing which for Peter meant that they were in God’s presence. Wanting to set up shelters for two men who were from heaven and didn’t need shelter, it shows Peter had great hospitality.

While Peter was speaking, a cloud gathers around everyone. A voice from the cloud says, “This is my Son, whom I have chosen; listen to him”. (St. Luke 9: 35 NIV – Zondervan, 1984). These are the same words that came out of the cloud after the Baptism of Jesus.

For Jesus, this was confirmation of his task. His extremely daunting calling that God had given to Jesus. Jesus begins the journey to Jerusalem knowing that it will end in his suffering and death. Does Jesus stumble around and talk to all his friends and tell them what he is going through and gets their opinion? No, not at all. Jesus takes time away and prays. And God responds to the prayers of Jesus by voice, by sending two helpers with the helping presence of the three apostles.

What is the reaction of the three apostles? The apostles kept what they had seen in their hearts and told no one at that time. When we have been through a time of complete change… or in the presence of God…. often we need time to process what we have just seen. Because we have this story of the transfiguration in the Gospels, the apostles did tell the followers of Jesus this story.

During this Lenten season, today pray for Ministers, Elders, and those who lead in the Church that their calling may be affirmed and strengthened. Having a call to Ministry of Word and Sacrament and call to Ruling Elder is not an easy one at all. A call takes time to discern. We need to follow the example of Jesus. He didn't rush off to Jerusalem proclaiming that God had called him to be the Messiah. Not at all. Jesus spent much time in prayer and meditation. Jesus kept silent and let God speak through God's way. Yet, Jesus did not remain inactive. Jesus took action through prayer, Jesus took action through sharing the love of God with the disciples, Jesus took action through healing and teaching. Jesus shared his ministry with others. So too today do Ministers and Elders need to be affirmed of their call to Ministry!

Prayer: Lamb of God, be with all Ministers who share Your Good News. Be with all Ministers who preach Your Good News. Be with all Ministers who visit those who are infirmed and afflicted. Sustain them in sharing the love of Christ with everyone they meet this day. Strengthen their calling so that they remain enthusiastic in Your love. Amen.