The Beginning of Lent

Today is Ash Wednesday.

On the church calendar, this marks the beginning of Lent.  A season to prepare our hearts for the coming remembrance of the death of Christ, and the celebration of His resurrection.  For some it can be time to give up certain things - perhaps to join in the suffering of Christ by sacrificing some habit or item that we hold perhaps, a little too closely. 

Chocolate
Certain TV shows
Certain language
Soft drinks
Red meat

You get the idea.

Are these really sacrifices?  Or are they ways we make ourselves feel like we are contributing something, you know, "doing our part" to remember...

Jesus knew what was coming.  He went in to Jerusalem the week before His death, knowing the pain, suffering and sacrifice He would endure.  And He still went. 

For us.

To pay a debt we could not pay.

To conquer something we could not even begin to fight.

“Men of Israel, hear these words: Jesus of Nazareth, a man attested to you by God with mighty works and wonders and signs that God did through him in your midst, as you yourselves know— this Jesus, delivered up according to the definite plan and foreknowledge of God, you crucified and killed by the hands of lawless men. God raised him up, loosing the pangs of death, because it was not possible for him to be held by it."
Acts 2:21-24

With Insufficient Gratitude

As we approach Good Friday, humility overwhelms when I think about the awful torture, pain, suffering and death that Jesus took upon Himself, willingly, that we, I might have the opportunity to share in a banquet with Him, the Father and Holy Spirit. 

We know that this doesn't end on Friday. 

Sunday waits just beyond, with the promise and hope of a future - an eternal future - so bright and full of joy, we cannot imagine!  So it is with insufficient gratitude that I offer a quiet prayer of thanksgiving, knowing that He hears me, and knows me, and still loves me in spite of who I am, or what I have done or will do...

I Believe. . .

What do I believe?


This is a battle that takes place every day.  It is a reminder of my need for something to hold on to for security.  For life.

I believe...

Is it a battle cry?
Is it a fact?
Is it a fear?
Is it a wish?
Is it a command?

Is it less than any of these?
Is it more?
Is it all of these?


Today fatigue wears me thin.  Today I need to know.  To believe.  I am unable to trust my emotions today, or any day, for that matter.  I need to trust what I cannot see.  Tomorrow might be better, it might be worse.  What will I trust?  Who will I trust? 


There are days when the battle intensifies, when I know what I am supposed to say, to do, to believe.  But I don't always feel that peace.  Sometimes the battle is learning to trust that what I know to be true is more real than what I feel or think in that moment.

Psalm 119:114
You are my refuge and my shield; I have put my hope in your word.

Proverbs 3:5-6

Trust in the Lord with all your heart and lean not on your own understanding; in all your ways submit to him, and he will make your paths straight.

Isaiah 26:3

You will keep in perfect peace those whose minds are steadfast, because they trust in you.

1 Peter 2:6

For in Scripture it says: “See, I lay a stone in Zion, a chosen and precious cornerstone, and the one who trusts in him will never be put to shame.”


 

Insufficient gratitude

As we approach Good Friday, humility overwhelms when I think about the awful torture, pain, suffering and death that Jesus took upon Himself, willingly, that we, I might have the opportunity to share in a banquet with Him, the Father and Holy Spirit.

We know that this doesn't end on Friday.

Sunday waits just beyond, with the promise and hope of a future - an eternal future - so bright and full of joy, we cannot imagine! So it is with insufficient gratitude that I offer a quiet prayer of thanksgiving, knowing that He hears me, and knows me, and still loves me in spite of who I am, or what I have done or will do...

Worship. . .continued

Location, location, location? 

Is one location better than another for worship?

 There are some magnificent buildings that have been put in beautiful places for the purpose of worship.

There are quaint chapels built for quiet reflection and gatherings of communities.

Though the buildings themselves are a form of worship, built with the purpose of helping others seek God, they are not where worship begins, or ends.

The best location for worship is within our hearts.

What is Worship

Is it found in a particular type of music, or how fast or loud it is played?  It is a certain way that certain words are said or repeated?  Does it occur at a specific time of day? 

Our lives in their entirety should be our form of worship.  Is the music we listen to or play giving God glory?  Are the words we say or repeat edifying God?  Is each moment we are given, given back to the One who allows us the next breath?

This is our act of worship.