Tag: Lent

“S” is for Sabbath (March 11, 2013)

Published on by Adam ThomasLeave a comment

…Opening To…

If we would follow Jesus we must take certain definite steps. The first step, which follows the call, cuts the disciple off from his previous existence. The call to follow produces a new situation. (Dietrich Bonhoeffer, The Cost of Discipleship)

…Listening In…

As a result, the Jews were harassing Jesus, since he had done these things on the Sabbath. Jesus replied, “My Father is still working and I am working too.” (John 5:16-17; context)

…Filling Up…

This Lent, we are exploring our faith by running through the alphabet. Today, “S” is for Sabbath.

Ever since the seventh day of creation, the Sabbath has been a day set apart. God rested on that day from the labor of creation. The Fourth Commandment that Moses brought down the mountain from God directed the people of Israel to “Observe the Sabbath day and keep it holy.” Just as God rested on the seventh day, so was the Sabbath a day to rest from the labor of the week. Over time, a set of rules was established for what constituted “work” on the Sabbath. The number one criticism from Jesus’ opponents in the Gospel is that Jesus healed people on the Sabbath. Jesus “worked,” which is a no-no. Such is the case in John 5, from which the verse above is quoted after Jesus heals the man who had been sitting by the pool of Beth-zatha for 38 years.

True, by healing the man at the pool, Jesus did do work on the Sabbath. And true, he commanded the man to pick up his mat, which is also considered work. These are not mere technicalities. Jesus’ opponents are not mere tattletales. The Sabbath was and is sacred, and violating it was and is an offense. But while Jesus violates the letter of the existing Sabbath laws, he also deepens the spiritual meaning of Sabbath. When his opponents confront Jesus with his Sabbath infraction, Jesus says to them, “My Father is still working, and I also am working.” In effect, he is saying: my Father and I are still creating. The Sabbath is a time to pause and rediscover what it means to be created. Sabbath rest brings rest, reflection, and recreation.

Re-creation.

Taking time every week (it doesn’t necessarily have to be Saturday) for observing the Sabbath reconnects me to the God who is creating me. When I pause to reflect, I notice more readily God’s movement in my life. When I pause to rest, I realize that I am capable of taking much deeper breaths of the Spirit than my normal level of distraction permits. And when I pause to engage in re-creation, I find myself connecting with creation in such a way that the glory of the Creator can’t help but shine through. By taking time for Sabbath, I relocate myself within this constant creation and rejoice in knowing that God is far from through creating me.

…Praying For…

Dear God, without your constant creation, this universe would cease to be. Help me to participate in your creation by making time to take in all the ways you are moving in my life. In Jesus Christ’s name I pray. Amen.

…Sending Out…

I leave this moment with you, God, trusting that you never leave me, trusting that you are above, below, behind, before, beside, and within me.

“R” is for Ritual (March 8, 2013)

Published on by Adam ThomasLeave a comment

…Opening To…

O Lord, you are my Lord and my God, and I have never seen you. You have made and remade me and bestowed on me all the good that I possess. (St. Anselm, Proslogion)

…Listening In…

After taking the bread and giving thanks, he broke it and gave it to them, saying, “This is my body, which is given for you. Do this in remembrance of me.” (Luke 22:19; context)

…Filling Up…

This Lent, we are exploring our faith by running through the alphabet. Today, “R” is for Ritual. This word gets a bad rap. More often than not, the word “empty” precedes it, as in “such and such was just empty ritual.” The connotation here is that ritual happens simply for show; there’s no depth or meaning in it because rote repetition has ground these things out.

Thankfully, the United States has a national pastime called baseball. And baseball proves once and for all that ritual, no matter how repetitive, is most certainly not empty. Every ballplayer has his own personal ritual when he comes up to bat. So-and-so spits on his batting gloves and slaps his hands together between each pitch. That other guy unfastens and refastens his batting gloves half a dozen times before stepping to the plate. A certain hurler walks once around the pitching mound in a clockwise direction before every delivery.

There is nothing empty about these rituals. What seem to baseball outsiders as odd idiosyncrasies, are to purists the signs of the undiluted nuance of the game. The players’ rituals help them focus on the incredibly difficult tasks of throwing a ball at nearly 100 mph to a spot about three inches square or hitting that same ball after tracking it through all four of the dimensions.

Ritual in church is far from empty, as well. The repetitive action we take each time we enter the sanctuary helps us to focus on what is important in our lives, namely the ways God is moving in those lives and the services God is calling us to perform. So, play ball. Er…I mean, thanks be to God!

…Praying For…

Dear God, you are the presence that blesses our ritual with meaning and purpose. Help me to find the focus that ritual provides so that I can discern how you would have me use my life in your service. In Jesus Christ’s name I pray. Amen.

…Sending Out…

I leave this moment with you, God, grateful for the word that you speak daily into my soul, the word that continues to create me and helps me to grow.

“Q” is for Quiet (March 7, 2013)

Published on by Adam ThomasLeave a comment

…Opening To…

O Lord, you are my Lord and my God, and I have never seen you. You have made and remade me and bestowed on me all the good that I possess. (St. Anselm, Proslogion)

…Listening In…

For God alone my soul in silence waits; from him comes my salvation. He alone is my rock and my salvation, my stronghold, so that I shall not be greatly shaken. (Psalm 62:1-2; context)

…Filling Up…

This Lent, we are exploring our faith by running through the alphabet. Today, “Q” is for Quiet. Here’s something I didn’t know before researching today’s word. “Quiet” has its origins in a Middle English word that means “peace” in the sense of  “not war.” There’s a book by a German soldier who fought in World War I called “Nothing New in the West” (In Westen nichts Neues) that, when translated into English in 1930 became “All Quiet on the Western Front.” During World War I, the German and Allied sides dug in across northern France for years with little movement either way, despite the appalling loss of life.

This understanding of “quiet” as the opposite of war (or to take it out of the military connotation, of noise or action) connotes that quiet is a lack of something. “Be quiet!” means “Stop talking!” “Quiet as a mouse” means “Making so little sound as to be nearly inaudible.” But quiet as a lack of something misses the profound something-ness that can be found when all is quiet. Being quiet doesn’t simply mean making no noise. Rather, being quiet means allowing silence to fill you so that distraction finds no purchase.

When we pray, one of the most effective things we can ask of God is to give our souls stillness, to quiet our minds, to bring peace to our hearts, so that we can simply be in the presence of God with neither agenda nor distraction. If you take a survey of the Psalms, a good number of them have a verse or two that asks God to do just this. So the next time you are running around doing about seventeen things at once, take a deep breath and bring yourself to a place of quietness. And then you may notice God filling you and bringing you stillness and peace.

…Praying For…

Dear God, you are the source of all good things that fill me up. Help me to be still and know that you are God. Help me to find a place of quiet within where I can go to find renewal and peace. In Jesus Christ’s name I pray. Amen.

…Sending Out…

I leave this moment with you, God, grateful for the word that you speak daily into my soul, the word that continues to create me and helps me to grow.

“P” is for Passion (March 6, 2013)

Published on by Adam ThomasLeave a comment

…Opening To…

O Lord, you are my Lord and my God, and I have never seen you. You have made and remade me and bestowed on me all the good that I possess. (St. Anselm, Proslogion)

…Listening In…

Then Jesus began to teach his disciples: “The Son of Man must suffer many things and be rejected by the elders, chief priests, and the legal experts, and be killed, and then, after three days, rise from the dead.” (Mark 8:31; context)

…Filling Up…

This Lent, we are exploring our faith by running through the alphabet. Today, “P” is for Passion. In secular society, this word is most often used in one of these three contexts: (1) torrid celebrity love affairs that become tabloid-fodder; (2) the syllabi of motivational speakers; and (3) luxury car commercials. The word “passion” has come to mean a sort of heightened emotional state that drives the individual to do something.

Now, while this definition isn’t a bad one, it often misses the connotation that the etymology of the word brings out. “Passion” comes from a Latin word that means “to suffer.” In church, we tend to capitalize this word and use it when we talk about Jesus’ final week leading up to and including his crucifixion. The Passion (capital-P) comprehends the days of Jesus’ suffering at the hands of the chief priests and the scribes and the Romans and the crowds of people who just a few days before had welcomed him into Jerusalem as a hero.

But while Jesus certainly did suffer, we can also define his Passion with the more modern definition. He suffered out of love – not the torrid infatuation of the tabloids, but the self-sacrificial love of God. He suffered because it was his life’s destiny – not the cheap, “5 steps to finding your passion” of the motivational speaker, but the deep, abiding sense of a call from God. He suffered because his sacrifice was worth it – not the worth of transient comforts like the luxury car, but the worthiness of redeeming the sins of the whole world.

…Praying For…

Dear God, by your Son’s blessed Passion, he reconnected people for all time, including me, to the source of all passions. Help me to discern how I can deploy my own particular constellation of passions to serve you best. In Jesus Christ’s name I pray. Amen.

…Sending Out…

I leave this moment with you, God, grateful for the word that you speak daily into my soul, the word that continues to create me and helps me to grow.

“O” is for Obedience (March 5, 2013)

Published on by Adam Thomas1 Comment

…Opening To…

O Lord, you are my Lord and my God, and I have never seen you. You have made and remade me and bestowed on me all the good that I possess. (St. Anselm, Proslogion)

…Listening In…

Now the Lord came and stood there, calling as before, ‘Samuel! Samuel!’ And Samuel said, ‘Speak, for your servant is listening.’ Then the Lord said to Samuel, ‘See, I am about to do something in Israel that will make both ears of anyone who hears of it tingle. (1 Samuel 3:10-11; context)

…Filling Up…

This Lent, we are exploring our faith by running through the alphabet. Today, “O” is for Obedience. You might think that obedience is simply doing what you’re told. You obey your parents when you pick up your shoes or take out the trash. The recruit obeys his drill sergeant when he drops and gives him twenty. The dog obeys its master when it sits and stays. But this understanding of obedience comprehends only the second half of what the concept is all about. In fact, the act of doing the command isn’t even part of the word.

The word “obedience” comes from the Latin word audire. Look familiar? Drop the –re at the end and add an –o and you’ve got the word “audio.” That’s right. The word obedience comes from the Latin for “to hear.” So, in order to practice obedience, you first have to learn how to listen. If you turn on any cable news show with political pundits jabbing at each other, you’ll soon discover why they are often nicknamed “talking heads.” They talk, but rarely do they listen. Indeed, in our world today, those who talk gain far more exposure than those who listen.

So how do you listen? You get quiet (more on this in a few days) and you turn off your own interior monologue. Don’t evaluate or critique what the other is saying. Just hear and ingest the words. There will be time to reflect later.

In the case of your relationship with God, practice listening. When you hear how the Lord is moving in your life, you can then take on the second half of obedience. The first two letters of the word – ob – means something to the effect of “go in the direction of.” Therefore, when you obey, you move towards that which you hear, you move with God’s voice as you serve.

…Praying For…

Dear God, your voice is always speaking in my life. Help me listen for that voice, and help me to practice obedience when I hear your movement. In Jesus Christ’s name I pray. Amen.

…Sending Out…

I leave this moment with you, God, grateful for the word that you speak daily into my soul, the word that continues to create me and helps me to grow.

“N” is for Nothing (March 4, 2013)

Published on by Adam Thomas2 Comments

…Opening To…

O Lord, you are my Lord and my God, and I have never seen you. You have made and remade me and bestowed on me all the good that I possess. (St. Anselm, Proslogion)

…Listening In…

The light shines in the darkness, and the darkness doesn’t extinguish the light. (John 1:5; context)

…Filling Up…

This Lent, we are exploring our faith by running through the alphabet. Today, “N” is for Nothing. Think of “nothing” as two words: no-thing and you’re close to the understanding of evil that I’ll go into in a moment. First, the Gospel according to John uses the imagery of darkness and light to delineate between the creative force of God (the light) and the nebulous other that in some sense contests with God (darkness).

God’s creative force is the light that shines in the darkness. The darkness cannot comprehend or overcome or extinguish the light because the darkness has never been a part of creation. The darkness is just the absence of any created thing. This is a tricky concept, so let’s get back to our word for today: no-thing.

But first a side note: the darkness that cannot overcome the light is wholly different from the darkness of night. (Remember that God created darkness and light and separated them.) However, “night” and “darkness” are useful metaphors for speaking about that which is outside creation.

And we’re back. Okay, so the great German theologian Karl Barth posited that all this stuff outside of creation is where evil comes from. He said that Evil is everything that God didn’t create, and all that uncreatedness is pushing on or sucking on creation. When I sin (seek my own will rather than God’s will), I distort my relationship with God. This distortion is the pull that non-creation has on me. If you ever define a word as “the absence of” something else, then you are close to this idea. For example, despair is the absence of hope. Remember “The Nothing” in the movie The NeverEnding Story? That villain is as close to a visual example as I can come up with.

I know this is a zany understanding of evil, and we would need a whole lot more space to really talk about it, but I think it’s worth a bit of thought. If you ever felt like something you were doing was “un-making you,” then you were feeling the pull of non-creation, non-being, annihilation. The good news is this: while the “Nothing” of evil tries jealously to unmake created things, it will ultimately fail to triumph because God never stops creating or calling creation to God.

…Praying For…

Dear God, you are the creative force that calls all people to your light. Help me to orient myself towards you, and away from the forces of darkness that pull me from you. In Jesus Christ’s name I pray. Amen.

…Sending Out…

I leave this moment with you, God, grateful for the word that you speak daily into my soul, the word that continues to create me and helps me to grow.

“M” is for Mystery (March 1, 2013)

Published on by Adam Thomas1 Comment

…Opening To…

Yesterday, you understood a little; today, you understand better; tomorrow, you will understand better still: the light of God is growing in you. (St. Augustine of Hippo)

…Listening In…

Almighty and everliving God, we thank you for feeding us with the spiritual food of the most precious Body and Blood of your Son our Savior Jesus Christ; and for assuring us in these holy mysteries that we are living members of the Body of your Son, and heirs of your eternal kingdom. (Book of Common Prayer (1979), p. 366)

…Filling Up…

This Lent, we are exploring our faith by running through the alphabet. Today, “M” is for Mystery. There’s a phrase in one of the prayers found in the Episcopal liturgy that states, Thank you [Lord]…for assuring us in these holy mysteries that we are living members of the Body of your Son…”

Assuring us in these holy mysteries. You might ask: “How can a mystery by assuring? Aren’t mysteries purposefully suspenseful and bewildering?” And here’s where we have to define “mystery” in two ways. First, there’s the mysteries on the back wall of the book store. In these books, a mystery is set forth: say, how did the killer manage to murder someone in a room locked from the inside? The plot revolves around the detective attempting to solve the puzzle. In the end, the detective figures out that the bell rope used to call for the maid was replaced with a poisonous snake, which somehow slithered unnoticed out of the room in the ensuing hubbub of discovering the body. Mystery solved. No more mystery.

The mysteries of God are mysteries of a different order from the bookstore “Whodunnits.” The mysteries of God cannot be solved, cannot be explained away. When I encounter the Divine, I feel the enormity of the mystery of God surrounding me. And I rejoice that this mystery discloses itself in light and life and love. If I could explain the mystery, I would be in danger of explaining it away, of shelving it like the “Whodunnits” in the bookstore. The mystery of God transcends explanation. It is elusive, and at the same time intimate; it cannot be grasped, but it can be embraced. The intimacy and the embrace happen when the mystery touches the spark of creativity within us, spurring us to proclaim the Word made flesh, Jesus Christ. The assurance in the mystery happens when we realize that an embrace takes two.

…Praying For…

Dear God, thank you for revealing enough of yourself so that I know that I stand forever in your presence. Help me to embrace your mystery, proclaim your love, and serve in the ways that you call me to serve. In Jesus Christ’s name I pray. Amen.

…Sending Out…

I leave this moment with you, God, thankful that you continue to shine your light in my heart and mind, that I may continue to know you better through every way that you choose to reveal yourself.

“L” is for Losing (Feb. 28, 2013)

Published on by Adam Thomas1 Comment

…Opening To…

Yesterday, you understood a little; today, you understand better; tomorrow, you will understand better still: the light of God is growing in you. (St. Augustine of Hippo)

…Listening In…

Then Jesus said to his disciples, “ All who want to come after me must say no to themselves, take up their cross, and follow me. All who want to save their lives will lose them. But all who lose their lives because of me will find them. (Matthew 16:24-25; context)

…Filling Up…

This Lent, we are exploring our faith by running through the alphabet. Today, “L” is for Losing. Losing is not fun. Think about those guys from the losing team in the Super Bowl. They don’t get a new hat or shirt and they don’t get to stand under confetti showers shouting, “I’m going to Disney World!” Losing Oscar hopefuls have to grit their teeth and tell the press that it was just an honor to be nominated. Losing candidates drift into obscurity or pundit-hood on cable news.

Society tells us that, if we want success, we must surround ourselves with winners, not losers. And yet, the Christian faith consciously and without reservation came together around a guy who purposefully lost. Jesus Christ could have run away from his fate. He could have fought the Empire with a small but heroic band of diehards. But he didn’t. He walked into the lion’s den. He walked up the hill with the cross on his shoulder. He walked to his death. He lost his life. He’s the world’s most famous loser.

Of course, that’s only the middle of the story. The triumph of the Resurrection cannot occur without the defeat, without the loss, of the Crucifixion. The author of our faith lost willingly. When we suffer losses, when we feel defeated, we can take comfort in knowing that our stories will never end there. Because of the triumph that followed on the heels of Christ’s defeat, we have the opportunity to participate in the triumphant final chapters of our own stories.

…Praying For…

Dear God, you are with me in triumph and defeat. Help me to pick myself up after a loss, know that you are with me in that time, and give me patience for the triumphs that will come. In Jesus Christ’s name I pray. Amen.

…Sending Out…

I leave this moment with you, God, thankful that you continue to shine your light in my heart and mind, that I may continue to know you better through every way that you choose to reveal yourself.

“K” is for Kingdom (Feb. 27, 2013)

Published on by Adam Thomas1 Comment

…Opening To…

Yesterday, you understood a little; today, you understand better; tomorrow, you will understand better still: the light of God is growing in you. (St. Augustine of Hippo)

…Listening In…

Our Father who is in heaven, uphold the holiness of your name. Bring in your kingdom so that your will is done on earth as it’s done in heaven. (Matthew 6:9-10; context)

…Filling Up…

This Lent, we are exploring our faith by running through the alphabet. Today, “K” is for Kingdom. A kingdom is, essentially, a place where a king or queen lives. The legitimacy of the government of the ruler of the kingdom comes from the monarch himself or herself and not from the people governed. This political definition of “kingdom” leads to another, less gender specific word that has to do with kings and queens: sovereignty. A “sovereign” is a person who has complete authority over other people. If the sovereign asks you to jump, you say “How high.” Countries of the world don’t like it very much when other countries influence their affairs because it is a breach of national “sovereignty,” that is “self-determination.”

So what does this have to do with God? I’m glad you asked. As the Creator of all that is, God has always been the sovereign of Creation, but God ceded us our own personal sovereignty when God granted us free will. When we pray, “Thy kingdom come, thy will be done,” we are actively praying for the ability to give ourselves back to God, to cede our sovereignty back to its rightful home. When we ask God to annex our personal territory back into God’s kingdom, we set up pockets of resistance against the forces of evil that are attempting to pull Creation into non-being (more about this in a few days). And when we join together into communities of faith, those pockets of territory become larger, more organized forces that participate in the in-breaking of God’s kingdom here on Earth.

…Praying For…

Dear God, you are the sovereign of all Creation; help me to recognize how I may work with you to make your kingdom come on earth as it is in heaven. In Jesus Christ’s name I pray. Amen.

…Sending Out…

I leave this moment with you, God, thankful that you continue to shine your light in my heart and mind, that I may continue to know you better through every way that you choose to reveal yourself.

“J” is for Joy (February 26, 2013)

Published on by Adam ThomasLeave a comment

…Opening To…

Yesterday, you understood a little; today, you understand better; tomorrow, you will understand better still: the light of God is growing in you. (St. Augustine of Hippo)

…Listening In…

As the Father loved me, I too have loved you. Remain in my love. If you keep my commandments, you will remain in my love, just as I kept my Father’s commandments and remain in his love. I have said these things to you so that my joy will be in you and your joy will be complete. (John 15:9-11; context)

…Filling Up…

This Lent, we are exploring our faith by running through the alphabet. Today, “J” is for Joy. Thanks to the thesaurus, “joy” is a misunderstood concept. If you go to Roget’s searching for synonyms, you’ll get “pleasure, gladness, glee, happiness,” and so on. While joy definitely encompasses these positive emotions, joy itself is much more expansive than any of these other words.

Rather than being simple pleasure or happiness, joy is the pervading sense of well-being that comes when the Creator and the creature delight in one another. The Creator is forever emanating this delight, and only the limited vision or attention of the creature keeps him or her from reciprocating. When we find joy, we access the sense of delight that God has in creation. But joy doesn’t stop there.

As Thomas Merton writes, “God does not give His joy to us for ourselves alone, and if we could possess Himself for ourselves alone, we would not possess Him at all. Any joy that does not overflow from our souls and help other people to rejoice in God does not come to us from God.”

Accessing the joy of God in our lives finds completion only when we share that joy with others. This is true delight: to be a source of God’s joy emanating throughout creation.

…Praying For…

Dear God, you take delight in your creation and call it “good.” Help me to overcome the distractions in my life that keep me from fully basking in your joy so that I may be a beacon of joy to others. In Jesus Christ’s name I pray. Amen.

…Sending Out…

I leave this moment with you, God, thankful that you continue to shine your light in my heart and mind, that I may continue to know you better through every way that you choose to reveal yourself.