Thursday, February 26, 2009

When we cling tightly to our own desires, we struggle and suffer. When we let go of these desires, God can move us toward deeper spiritual understanding and compassion.

~ Diana Bulter Bass

"The one who dies with the most toys wins!" This is the cry of our culture. But our faith, and the season of Lent in particular, offers us a different way, the way of letting go and trust. By letting go of lesser things we are open to the "pearl of great value," that is, spiritual understanding and compassion. So let's let go of lesser things and welcome Grace!

Ash Wednesday, February 25, 2009

Teach us to care and not to care

Teach us to sit still.

~ T. S. Eliot, Ash Wednesday, pt. 1

Ash Wednesday is the beginning of Lent which is preparation for Easter. But the real preparation for Easter isn't done with deciding what new spring clothes we will buy, who to invite for Easter Sunday meal, or a resolution to eat less chocolate. It's done in our soul.

For practicing Christians, to look in the mirror on Ash Wednesday and see the black smudge on our forehead, is to be reminded that we are sinners in need of constant conversion. It is Christ calling us back again to claim grace, to come home, and to make amends as we approach the only celebration that really matters - Easter.

Tuesday, February 24, 2009

Of all bad men religious bad men are the worst.

~ C.S. Lewis

Given the events of recent years, this quote seems as true as ever. So let's resolve in this season of Lent, which begins Wednesday, to allow our religion to be about grace, generosity, and compassion. Our faith is to open our hearts, minds, and doors.

Monday, February 23, 2009

There are various kinds of silence:

That of dullness; that of security; that of patience; and that of a quiet heart.

~ Thomas Aquinas

Lent, which begins this Wednesday, is a time to welcome some silence into our lives. Often our lives are too busy, too noisy, and lacking in time to reflect and take stock. Often there is little room for any kind of silence. But Lent calls us into a season of setting aside old routines and welcoming new practices. Perhaps just a 20 minute period to sit and listen to our breathing, or to repeat a simple sacred word such "grace," or "Jesus," or "love." Silence can not only be a sign of a "quiet heart" it can also help create one.

Wednesday, February 18, 2009

If you want to feel rich, just count all the things you have that money can't buy.

There are whole worlds that don't involve money, or a least very little of it. In this time of economic downturn let's not forget that and let's celebrate all the gifts we have that money can't buy.

Tuesday, February 17, 2009

Characters live to be noticed.

People with character notice how they live.

~ Nancy Moser

The distinction is being more attuned to an inner sense of focus. Faith can help us to know that being true to what God calls us to is more important than the notice of others. We may live in a world that it very focused on outward appearance and visible signs of success, but we are called to something better, deeper, and more lasting.

Thursday, February 12, 2009

Sir, my concern is not whether God is on our side; my greatest concern is to be on God's side. 

~ Abraham Lincoln

The bad ones use religion, good ones are used by it. Our faith is not to confirm our preexisting ideas but rather to change us, to open us to be on the side of Grace and Life.

Wednesday, February 11, 2009

"Life is what happens to you while you're busy making other plans."

~ John Lennon

Life has a way of not going along with our plans. Not that we should not make plans, but rather to be flexible and spontaneous enough to welcome the events of our lives. Is it about trusting that our lives are in the hands of the gracious and loving One, and being open to welcome whatever comes. 

Tuesday, February 10, 2009

There are more things in heaven and earth, Horatio, than are dreamt of in your philosophy.

~ Hamlet, I:5; William Shakespeare

Life is bigger than we can comprehend. Mystery calls for humility. One of the worst things people of faith can to is to presume to have all the answers. Jesus did not promise us answers but rather grace. In the words of the hymn, "they will know we are Christians by our love." Let's strive to be known buy our love more than anything else.

Monday, February 9, 2009

Our concern is not how to worship in the catacombs,

but rather how to remain human in the skyscrapers.

~ Abraham Heschel

Each age has its own unique concerns. While our ancestors grappled with certain issues, we have our own today. As people of faith, we must not be lost in the issues of the past but rather be fully present in this age. And while we will never agree on our response to all the issues of the day, the one thing that is not negotiable is that we faithfully engage our present world.

Thursday, February 5, 2009

To have more, desire less.

In our consumer culture, easier said than done! But perhaps it is more wanting the right things, wanting things that are worthy of our care and time. So examining our wants and not just fulfilling them as quickly as possible, that is a good goal. So let's work to let Christ guide us and not our unexamined wants.

Tuesday, February 3, 2009

In prayer it is better to have a heart without words than words without a heart.

~ John Bunyan

While it's hard for a preacher to admit, there are times when words are not the point. We hear Paul telling us in Romans 8:26, "Likewise the Spirit helps us in our weakness; for we do not know how to pray as we ought, but that very Spirit intercedes with sighs too deep for words." There are times that sighs, offering the unvoiced language our hearts, is best we can do.

Monday, February 2, 2009

Life is short and we never have enough time for gladdening the hearts of those who travel the way with us.

Oh, be swift to love! Make haste to be kind.

~ Henri Frederic Amiel

Or as the prophet Micah says, "What does the Lord require of you but to do justice, and to love kindness, and to walk humbly with your God?"

Today, choose kindness!