How Has God Helped You Let Go of Something During Lent?

As we move closer to Palm Sunday, I'm beginning to ask myself this question.  Have I made any progress on letting go of control and independence?

Tax season in our house is always a bit busy with phone calls and visitors.  This past week we have added the chaotic, stressful mess of big and small plumbing leaks and a broken dryer.  The plumbers have been here twice; the dryer repairman once.  

Throughout this process, God has been teaching me something about the control that I prayed I could let go of this Lent.  He is teaching me that control is a complete illusion.  I’m realizing how little control I have, and I'm praying every day for the grace to let go of this illusion.  I’ve learned that I can’t give this up alone - I need God’s help.

In the midst of the chaos, I have also experienced the peace of the Holy Spirit.  The truth of Psalm 62:5-6 has never been more evident:

In GOD alone is my soul at rest.

God is the source of my hope.

In God I find shelter, my rock, and my safety.

I have also learned how dependent I am on other people and that receiving help to solve serious problems calls for tremendous gratitude.  We hear this in the scripture reading for this Sunday:

Luke 7:36-50  MSG

One of the Pharisees asked him over for a meal.     He went to the Pharisee’s house and sat down at the dinner table. Just then a woman of the village, the town harlot, having learned that Jesus was a guest in the home of the Pharisee, came with a bottle of very expensive perfume and stood at his feet, weeping, raining tears on his feet. Letting down her hair, she dried his feet, kissed them, and anointed them with the perfume. When the Pharisee who had invited him saw this, he said to himself, “If this man was the prophet I thought he was, he would have known what kind of woman this is who is falling all over him.”

Jesus said to him, “Simon, I have something to tell you.”

“Oh? Tell me.”

“Two men were in debt to a banker. One owed five hundred silver pieces, the other fifty. Neither of them could pay up, and so the banker canceled both debts. Which of the two would be more grateful?”

Simon answered, “I suppose the one who was forgiven the most.”

“That’s right,” said Jesus. Then turning to the woman, but speaking to Simon, he said, “Do you see this woman? I came to your home; you provided no water for my feet, but she rained tears on my feet and dried them with her hair. You gave me no greeting, but from the time I arrived she hasn’t quit kissing my feet. You provided nothing for freshening up, but she has soothed my feet with perfume. Impressive, isn’t it? She was forgiven many, many sins, and so she is very, very grateful. If the forgiveness is minimal, the gratitude is minimal.”

Then he spoke to her: “I forgive your sins.”

That set the dinner guests talking behind his back: “Who does he think he is, forgiving sins!”

He ignored them and said to the woman, “Your faith has saved you. Go in peace.”

I’d love to hear your stories of “Letting Go for Lent”. 

Susan

“Lent is a time of returning to God. It is a time to confess how we keep looking for joy, peace, and satisfaction in the many people and things surrounding us without really finding what we desire. Only God can give us what we want. So we must be reconciled with God… The season of Lent helps us in a special way to cry out for God’s mercy.” –Henri Nouwen

Image by Freepik

How Might Gratitude Help Us to Let Go of our Fears?

Last Sunday in worship, we shared our joys and concerns with each other.  If you were there, what did you notice about this?

What I noticed happened even before the service began.  As people arrived, I offered two plates, one with slips of paper on which to note our joys, and one with slips of paper for our concerns.  People were invited to put completed slips in the third plate, located on the table at the front of the chapel.  Rev. Donna read these out during the service.  (My apologies to the hard working musicians who didn’t get to participate fully).

I noticed that as I offered the plates, most people chose a joy slip OR a concern slip, rather than both.  (I chose Concerns; I had a lot on my mind last week.)

This week, I have been thinking about what we choose to bring to God…and whether I bring my joys to him often enough.  I always seem to have a lot of concerns!

By placing more emphasis on my concerns than on my joys, am I forgetting about the wonderful gifts that God gives me?  Am I living from a place of scarcity and what I think I need rather than a place of absolute certainty that God knows best what I really need?

Ingratitude…is a forgetting of the graces, benefits, and blessings received, and as such it is the cause, beginning, and origin of all sins and misfortunes. - Ignatius

This week, our fourth Sunday of Lent, we will continue our series on Letting Go. You may recall that Rev. Donna reflected last week on letting go of independence.  This week, she will continue with the related theme of Letting Go of Control. 

Here are the scripture passages for this week:

Ephesians 2. 8-10  NIVUK and MSG

For it is by grace you have been saved, through faith – and this is not from yourselves, it is the gift of God – not by works, so that no one can boast.  

For we are God’s handiwork, created in Christ Jesus to do good works, which God prepared in advance for us to do.

 

Saving is all his idea, and all his work. All we do is trust him enough to let him do it. It’s God’s gift from start to finish! We don’t play the major role. If we did, we’d probably go around bragging that we’d done the whole thing! No, we neither make nor save ourselves. God does both the making and saving. He creates each of us by Christ Jesus to join him in the work he does, the good work he has gotten ready for us to do, work we had better be doing.

  

Matthew 11. 29-30 MSG

“Are you tired? Worn out? Burned out on religion? Come to me. Get away with me and you’ll recover your life. I’ll show you how to take a real rest.  Walk with me and work with me—watch how I do it. Learn the unforced rhythms of grace. I won’t lay anything heavy or ill-fitting on you. Keep company with me and you’ll learn to live freely and lightly.”

Letting go of control is hard for me, so I’m looking forward to hearing from Rev. Donna.  I’m also concentrating on my joys this week.

Image by storyset on Freepik

How Does a Snake Prepare for Growth and Change?

He sheds his skin!

And what does this have to do with Lent?  Perhaps like a snake, we can use Lent as an opportunity for growth and change. 

Two weeks ago, Rev. Donna helped CVC begin our Lenten journey by considering two fears that we might let go of for Lent. That day, we looked at our fear of being wrong, and our fear of being unsuccessful.  

I heard that if I was perfect, I wouldn’t need God, and that my imperfections are what lead me to God.  I heard that Grace happens no matter what; love is already at work when sin happens.  What did you hear?

On Sunday we will consider two more fears.  I hope you can join us.  Here are the readings for this week.

But I have stilled and quieted my soul like a weaned child. Like a weaned child on its mother’s lap, so is my soul within me. Psalm 131:2  (NB) 

Therefore I tell you, do not worry about your life, what you will eat or drink; or about your body, what you will wear. Is not life more than food, and the body more than clothes? Look at the birds of the air; they do not sow or reap or store away in barns, and yet your heavenly Father feeds them. Are you not much more valuable than they? Can any one of you by worrying add a single hour to your life?

And why do you worry about clothes? See how the flowers of the field grow. They do not labor or spin. Yet I tell you that not even Solomon in all his splendor was dressed like one of these. If that is how God clothes the grass of the field, which is here today and tomorrow is thrown into the fire, will he not much more clothe you—you of little faith? 

So do not worry, saying, ‘What shall we eat?’ or ‘What shall we drink?’ or ‘What shall we wear?’ For the pagans run after all these things, and your heavenly Father knows that you need them. But seek first his kingdom and his righteousness, and all these things will be given to you as well. Therefore do not worry about tomorrow, for tomorrow will worry about itself. Each day has enough trouble of its own.” Matthew 6:25-34 (NIV)

Susan

Above all, trust in the slow work of God.
We are quite naturally impatient in everything to reach the end without delay.
We should like to skip the intermediate stages.
We are impatient of being on the way to something unknown, something new.

And yet it is the law of all progress
that it is made by passing through some stages of instability—
and that it may take a very long time.

—from Patient Trust, by Pierre Teilhard de Chardin, SJ

How Did Jesus Teach us to Pray?

Matthew 6:7-13 MSG

Our Father in heaven, 

Reveal who you are. 

Set the world right; 

Do what’s best— as above, so below. 

Keep us alive with three square meals. 

Keep us forgiven with you and forgiving others. 

Keep us safe from ourselves and the Devil. 

You’re in charge! 

You can do anything you want! 

You’re ablaze in beauty! 

Yes. Yes. Yes.

I end my morning prayer with the Lord's Prayer, but lately I've been reading it from the Message Translation instead of reciting the one I know by heart. Why?

This language, which is new to me and requires reading line by line, forces me to slow down and concentrate, instead of reciting without thinking about the words. What have I discovered?

I've discovered just how perfect this prayer is. No matter what I have on my mind, it is covered:

Trump and his tariffs:  Do what’s best— as above, so below. 

Worry or regret: Keep us safe from ourselves

What a gorgeous day!...You’re ablaze in beauty!

You get the idea. But why would I expect anything less than perfection from Jesus? 

Matthew 6.9-13 NRSV 

 “Pray, then, in this way:

Our Father in heaven,
    may your name be revered as holy.

    May your kingdom come.
    May your will be done
        on earth as it is in heaven.

    Give us today our daily bread

    And forgive us our debts,
        as we also have forgiven our debtors.

    And do not bring us to the time of trial,
        but rescue us from the evil one.

What Do We Do During Lent, Anyway?

 What do we do during Lent, anyway?

For forty days Jesus fasted and prayed in the wilderness, and for forty days each year, tradition invites us to embrace reflection and prayer…and perhaps fasting or letting go of something.

The history of Lent is a Catholic one dating back to 325 AD, and at that time focus was on fasting.  After the reformation, many Protestants ignored Lent completely, especially fasting, but Lent has recently seen something of a revival.  Many look upon it simply as a way to prepare their hearts to celebrate Christ’s resurrection.  The practice of giving up something has remained strong.

Some people might give up chocolate or coffee for lent, while others might let go of some other habit or way of being that has taken over their lives in an unhealthy way.

Rev. Donna shared a poem with me this week.  It speaks of what we might consider this Lent, and just as importantly what we don’t need to do.  And who helps us?  Jesus, of course.  The one who rescues us, who saves us, who shines his light on us and helps us to see the way…  the one who loves us.

Lent is when we go downstairs,

down into the basement of our souls,

into the dark, dingy, dirty places,

and clear out the junk we need to get rid of.

In Lent we don't need to beat ourselves up.

We need to lighten our load,

bag up those fears and desires

that are leaking all over everything,

take our guilt and shame out to the curb.

It's not easy to lay our hands on broken things,

to look deep into the gummed up works.

That's why Jesus shines with his light,

shines so we can see our way down into the dark,

see to lift up the junk and hand it over,

so he can haul it out into the light

of the dumpster.

The light Jesus shines is good with dark places,

so we know even from the deepest hole down there

we'll come out. The light will lead us. We'll be OK.

Mucking around down there we get dirty,

and we come up with grime on our hands

and ashes on our foreheads for everybody to see.

But we're free of all that blame and disappointment.

And the darkest, deepest cellar hole

becomes an empty tomb.

Don't forget to set your clocks ahead before bed on Saturday!  You may also want to read a passage for our first Sunday of Lent:

Joel 2.12-14  NRSV

Yet even now, says the Lord,

    return to me with all your heart,

with fasting, with weeping, and with mourning;

    rend your hearts and not your clothing.

Return to the Lord your God,

    for he is gracious and merciful,

slow to anger, abounding in steadfast love,

    and relenting from punishment.

In Christ’s Bountiful Love,

Susan

Image:  Freepik

Poem:  Lent by Steve Garnaas-Holmes

How Do We Open Our Hearts?

Spotted Towhee, Photo by ADJ82, Creative Commons

As I walked over to Main Street yesterday I pondered this question. 

I also wondered, "Is my heart open or closed?"  How about yours?

Suddenly, a stunning spotted towhee flew into the bush beside me and stopped me in my tracks. I began to hear beautiful birdsong that I had not heard up to that moment.  

Do you ever get lost in your head that way?  Or maybe you miss what is going on around you as you focus on your phone?

What a gift that bird was, a sudden gift from God that opened my eyes and my ears.  What love he must have for me, that he would give me these gifts!  

Now I’m wondering if maybe only God can open our eyes, ears, and hearts.  Maybe it isn’t something that we can do for ourselves.  I also wonder if loving other people requires the same kind of open-hearted presence that I needed yesterday to see and hear the birds.  

Open our eyes Lord

help us to see your face

Open our eyes Lord

help us to see

Open our ears Lord

help us to hear your voice

Open our ears Lord

help us to hear

Open our hearts Lord

help us to love like you

Open our hearts Lord

help us to love

                           -Jesse Manibusan

I hope to see you on Sunday when we will gather at the Lord's Table, reflect on love, and pray this song once again!

READING  From Colossians 3 NIVUK

Therefore, as God’s chosen people, holy and dearly loved, clothe yourselves with compassion, kindness, humility, gentleness and patience.     Bear with each other and forgive one another if any of you has a grievance against someone. Forgive as the Lord forgave you.  And over all these virtues put on love, which binds them all together in perfect unity.

Let the peace of Christ rule in your hearts, since as members of one body you were called to peace. And be thankful.

 

How Does Jesus Love?

Charlie Mackesy, The Boy, the Mole, the Fox and the Horse 

Recently, I have been watching Jesus love.  I watched him love a tax collector, a person reviled by Jewish culture. I watched him cure the daughter of a Roman oppressor. I watched him take the hand of a blind man, lead him away, and then rub spit in his eyes.

I have listened to him too. I heard him encourage and bless a woman who took a risk of faith, believing that she would be healed just by touching her robe. I heard him talk about the Kingdom of God, where we love our enemies, and live generously and graciously.

All week I've been hearing him remind me, "Our Father is kind; you be kind." (Luke 6.36 MSG)

And remember when we, together in worship, heard about Frank and Rhoda?  Not only did Jesus heal Rhoda, a crippled woman, but he refused to allow her to be blamed or shamed for coming to receive healing on the Sabbath. 

He leads us kindly and gently, teaching us with every part of him how to love…showing us the Jesus Way.

In Worship this week, we will read from Paul's letters, as he teaches his churches that watching how Christ loved us can show us how to love.  Then, having watched him, we can imitate him and walk the Jesus Way too.

Ephesians 5 1-2 MSG

Watch what God does, and then you do it, like children who learn proper behaviour from their parents. Mostly what God does is love you. Keep company with him and learn a life of love. Observe how Christ loved us. His love was not cautious but extravagant. He didn’t love in order to get something from us but to give everything of himself to us. Love like that.

From Colossians 3

So, chosen by God for this new life of love, dress in the wardrobe God picked out for you: compassion, kindness, humility, quiet strength, discipline. Be even-tempered, content with second place, quick to forgive an offense. Forgive as quickly and completely as the Master forgave you. And regardless of what else you put on, wear love. It’s your basic, all-purpose garment. Never be without it.

Let the peace of Christ keep you in tune with each other, in step with each other. None of this going off and doing your own thing. And cultivate thankfulness. Let the Word of Christ—the Message—have the run of the house. Give it plenty of room in your lives. Instruct and direct one another using good common sense. And sing, sing your hearts out to God! Let every detail in your lives—words, actions, whatever—be done in the name of the Master, Jesus, thanking God the Father every step of the way.

I hope to see you there, but no shame or blame if you can't make it.  Maybe you'll be away showering the world with the love of Christ!