Lent - Week 3, Day 4

Br. Woodrum speaks to intimate moments with his own family in today's video.  He points out that "Jesus said to them, ‘Very truly, I tell you, the Son can do nothing on his own, but only what he sees the Father doing; for whatever the Father does, the Son does likewise."  (John 5:19)

Again, we're talking about talking with Jesus (not "to", but with, so don't forget to listen too), to develop that same sort of intimate relationship with Him.  Remember that it doesn't always have to be serious, it doesn't always have to be "deep", and it doesn't always have to be a prayer of requests, but can be the joy of sharing, the relief to be facing another day, the smiles we share with those who know us intimately as we head off into our day.

Try this:

Lent - Week 3, Day 3

Br. Vryhof points out in today's video that we must have a deep level of trust in God in order to achieve the level of intimacy that we seek with God.  "The Father loves the Son and shows him all that he himself is doing." (John 5:20)

Even as we understand that everything we know about God comes from Jesus, we should also recognize that everything we know about each other is only that which we let others see about ourselves.  God, however, knows all parts of us.  Do we, in our prayers, open ourselves in trust to God, and be fully, completely authentic in who we are?  That's sometimes a very tough thing to do - it's often tough for us to be fully open to ourselves, let alone anyone outside of ourselves. 

However, if we remember that through our baptism, we are endowed with that Divine spark that makes us part of the body in Christ, we know that God is within us as well. 

Today, open yourself to the idea that God sees all parts of you - the beautiful, the messy, the loving, the angry, the kind and the forgetful.  Let yourself dwell in that thought for a bit, and then talk with God.  Be open with Him; trust Him.

Lent - Week 3, Day 2

Br. Koester's video today discusses both abiding in God, and helping others to abide with God as well.  "As the Father has loved me, so I have loved you; abide in my love."  This quote from Jesus (John 15:9) can give us such comfort, and yet, how often do we take the time to just feel the love of Christ wash over us?

The other reference Br. Koester makes is to a "soul friend" or "Anam Cara" in Gaelic.  It is often used in the Celtic liturgical churches (and can be Catholic, Church of England, or other Protestant denomination), but is becoming a more popular concept within the United States.  There are a couple of monastic orders which have formed, allowing people to either request to be matched with a spiritual mentor who may become a soul friend, or offering to serve as one to another.

Think about the friendships you have - is there someone who serves as your soul friend?  Someone who serves as a soul friend to you?  And if not, do you think you could establish that sort of relationship with someone?  Someone that would help you abide in Christ's love, much as He abides in the love of God...

Lent - Week 3, Day 1

Br. Almquist emphasizes the closeness of relationship that not only Jesus shared with His Father, but that He would like us to share with Him and with God.  The video talks about the barriers that we ourselves put up and how we might address them.

The verse quoted today is John 10:14, "I am the good shepherd. I know my own and my own know me, just as the Father knows me and I know the Father."  Br. Almquist is pretty open and honest about his opinion on sheep.  So, what do you think?

And how about his questions:  How is it that you find yourself a beautiful sheep? What about sheep do you find attractive, tender, inviting? And if you are a sheep certainly the way shepherds understand sheep, how is it that you’re in such abject need, prone to get lost, needing to be defended, and why?

We're in the third week of Lent.  I do believe that we're going to be getting into the tougher questions as we go along.  Think about writing some of your thoughts down, and if so moved, please share with us in the comments.

Lent - Week 2, Day 7

From http://www.cindybettinger.com

This week, the brothers of the Society of St. John the Evangelist have focused on Jesus as the Word made flesh.  If you've missed any of the videos, you can find them at this link, and they're worth the 15 minutes or so to listen to again as a review.

Within the season of Lent, part of what we're reflecting on is why the Word became flesh, why it was important for God to experience everything that Christ experienced as a human, why we needed Him to do so.  If you get the chance, take a look at this article that talks about what all of that might mean.

Lent - Week 2, Day 6

Br. Tristram points out in today's video that not only did the Word become flesh, at the point that Jesus was born, but that when He was resurrected, He again became flesh.  He gave Thomas the opportunity to touch where he had been wounded, and the holes that were created.  So, "the Word became flesh." (John 1:14)

"When it was evening on that day, the first day of the week …Jesus came and stood among them and said, ‘Peace be with you.’ After he said this, he showed them his hands and his side. Then the disciples rejoiced when they saw the Lord." (John 20:19-20)

We know from Biblical history and today's thoughts that Jesus, the Word, becoming flesh, changed the world, changed the lives of the disciples.  Today, think about how different your own life would be if He had not.

Lent - Week 2, Day 5

Br. Woodrum has an interesting perspective in today's video, and the verse from John 4:14:  "And we have seen and do testify that the Father has sent his Son as the Savior of the world."  He points out that there is no such thing as a "self-made" man (or woman, as the case may be), but rather someone who has asked for and received help at points along the way.

Asking for help can be a terribly difficult concept for some people.  My own belief is that God provided me with an opportunity to learn just how to do that when I had extremely active rheumatoid arthritis, and was not particularly pleasant to be around.  I would ask for help, but was so disgusted with myself for having to do so, that I would forget to be gracious in receiving it, and thankful to the person providing it.  It took time, but God showed me that by asking for help, I was also providing opportunities for others to shine, to provide a service, to be God's hands (or mine at times, as the case may be).  Lessons learned, and God allowed the arthritis to go into remission, straightened my hands, fingers and knees back out, and I have a whole arsenal of new understanding from both sides now, and can help others understand. 

So today, ask yourself: 

What in my life needs help?

Where can I not go it alone?

Where do I need God’s help and love and provision in order to take the next step?

Am I ready to ask for His help?

Lent - Week 2, Day 4

Br. Bartoli makes an interesting point in today's video, about Jesus' teaching through not only the Word, but by His actions and presence.  One of His instructions comes in John 13:12-15:  "If I, your Lord and Teacher, have washed your feet, you also ought to wash one another’s feet. For I have set you an example, that you also should do as I have done to you."

His encouragement "to include in your prayers a prayer to let God help us more fully embody God’s love in the world, to let God live through us, as Jesus did", gives us an interesting challenge.  Perhaps this may help - will people recognize you as a Christian?

Lent - Week 2, Day 3

Br. Maury brings today's video, focusing on the Word made flesh.  John 5:2-6 says:  "Now in Jerusalem by the Sheep Gate there is a pool, called in Hebrew Bethzatha, which has five porticoes. In these lay many invalids, blind, lame and paralyzed. One man was there who had been ill for thirty-eight years. When Jesus saw him lying there and knew that he had been there a long time, he said to him, ‘Do you want to be made well?"

So there's the question:  do you want to be healed?  Do you believe that God can heal you? 

Listen to yourself during the day.  Set aside a penny every time you make a complaint; every time you ignore Christ's sacrifice for you to be well.  Perhaps a jar is in order.  Add another penny for every blessing you count during the day.  When you decide to stop counting, offer that money as a blessing to someone else.

Lent - Week 2, Day 2

Br. Tristram describes the incarnation today - the greatest gift God could provide to us out of His love for us.  Do listen to the video - Br. Tristram has an awesome voice for reading the Gospel:  "And the Word became flesh and lived among us, and we have seen his glory, the glory as of a father’s only son, full of grace and truth." (John 1:14)

As you contemplate your prayers, and your own humanity, be honest with yourself, as you answer, "How honest am I in my prayers?"

And as you try to wrap your mind around that concept, I'd also like to share today's reading from Dietrich Bonhoeffer's book Discipleship:  "Following Christ means taking certain steps. The first step, which responds to the call, separates the followers from their previous existence. A call to discipleship thus immediately creates a new situation. Staying in the old situation and following Christ mutually exclude each other. At first, that was quite visibly the case. The tax collector had to leave his booth and Peter his nets to follow Jesus. According to our under standing, even back then things could have been quite different. Jesus could have given the tax collector new knowledge of God and left him in his old situation. If Jesus had not been God's Son become human, then that would have been possible. But because Jesus is the Christ, it has to be made clear from the beginning that his word is not a doctrine. Instead, it creates existence anew. The point was to really walk with Jesus. It was made clear to those he called that they only had one possibility of believing in Jesus, that of leaving everything and going with the incarnate Son of God."

In today's society, where we generally don't leave our vocations in order to follow Christ and become Christians, think about how you can reflect the changes within yourself in your own work.  How you might perform your job as if Jesus were right there with you.  There's a great song, "The Name Lives On" (I've shared it here before, but it's worth sharing again), and while it lets us know that Christ is always with us, watch, and think about Jesus being with you throughout your day, experiencing your joys, your sorrows, your contentment, your fears.  Does your behavior change?  Your thoughts?  Your prayers?  Your feeling of safety?  Your guilt level? 

You're a human through whom God lives - He knows what you're experiencing.  Being honest with Him means being honest with yourself as well.  That's often easier said than done.  Challenge yourself.  One day, with Christ.

Lent - Week 2, Day 1

God's love as revealed in and through Jesus Christ - this is the theme for this week, as introduced in the video by Br. Brown.

This week begins with one of the most fascinating verses in the Bible, John 1:1:  "In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God, and the Word was God."

It's always interesting to realize that Christ is the Word of God, and that absolutely everything we know about God is through Christ. 

Think about what the "Word" means - is it only something spoken?  Is it actions that are visible to others? 

Think too about the following:  The power of the Word – power that spoke the world into being, power that is discussed in two commandments, power that invokes the name of Christ in our prayers – all of these things point to the fact that while humanity may believe that the Word has lost its power, God has made it pretty clear that we must be very careful with our words.

The challenge today is to be conscious of the word choices you make.  Are they reflective of the person you want to be known as?

Lent - Week 1, Day 7

Aha!  Seventh days are recaps. So, if you missed any of the videos this week, you can find all of them in here in one place.

So today, what I'd like you to do is think about each of the quotes and questions the brothers asked this week.  In case you've forgotten, the things to think about are:

Think back on your life. How has God’s love for you been mediated? Through whom has that happened? How has that happened, that you have come to know something about God’s love? And then conversely, where do you find in yourself any resistance? Is there something about you, who you are, how you are, as you are, the way you are, that you think precludes God’s love for you?

So which world is it that God loves? Is it the world, the creation in its original glory, or is it the world that is fallen, broken, imperfect, sinful?

So one prayer practice that you might try is you might come up with a prayer of self-offering, a prayer that offers the wholeness of your self beyond your particular feelings on any given day, beyond your perhaps desire to earn God’s love, and it can just be a prayer that offers your whole self, knowing that grace has prompted you to pray that prayer and that grace will follow upon that prayer after you’ve offered it along with your whole self.

God comes – as our verse reminds us today – not to condemn, but to save.  For God loves you as you are.  Listen for God’s voice to you today.

From what and from whom do you derive your sense of worth, your sense of who you are? How might this be different if you embraced as the central characteristic of your identity the fact that you are a beloved child of God?

Let us pray today for Jesus to grant us memories of those times when our fears have been dispelled by the perfect love which casts out fear, by the remembrance of God which has come to us either in our life of prayer or in our relationships with others.

And my question for you today is, what can you do to help yourself understand and believe that you are loved by God?  Think about the lessons the brothers have shared with us, and contemplate it as you listen to the following:

Lent, Week 1 - Day 6

Br. Jonathan Maury tells us in today's video that perfect love casts out fear:  "There is no fear in love, but perfect love casts out fear; for fear has to do with punishment, and whoever fears has not reached perfection in love."  (1 John 4:18) 

This often brings to mind the 23rd Psalm, that we can traverse the Earth and be utterly safe with God.  Here in Lent, though, we are looking at our own behavior, and Br. Jonathan reminds us that we all have a fear of not being good enough, of losing the love of those close to us, or of losing God's love because of our own shortcomings. 

The focus here should be that perfect love casts out fear, and that is the love God has for us.  One doesn't have to be worthy of love to receive it:  one simply has to accept that love is another of those graces we can be grateful for.

Lent, Week 1, Day 5

 

Today's theme of the love of God is reflected in this video.  Br. David Vryhof emphasizes the writing from John 1:12-13:  "…to all who received him, who believed in his name, he gave power to become children of God, who were born, not of blood or of the will of the flesh or of the will of man, but of God."

The questions the Brother asks at the end give an excellent meditation:  reflect on your own sense of identity. From what and from whom do you derive your sense of worth, your sense of who you are? How might this be different if you embraced as the central characteristic of your identity the fact that you are a beloved child of God?

I would also ask that you pray a prayer that was apparently necessary to write, which is, in itself, a very sad statement on our society:

Almighty and merciful God, whose only Son came to preach peace to the nations: Hear us, we beseech You, and comfort us with Your steady Hand, as we come before You this [day/night] in the wake of unspeakable violence. In a world that seems hopeless, help us to remember that our hope rests always in You, and in the resurrection of Your Son our Lord Jesus Christ, who lives and reigns with You and the Holy Spirit, one God, forever and ever. Amen.

Ash Wednesday, and Behind Already

Apparently my subscription to SSJE for their Lenten series is not functioning, so when I looked this morning, it appears that they started on Sunday.  So, today's post will be a quick recap, links to the four videos, and a wish that you will have a most productive Lenten season.

Week 1 carries the theme that God is Love, and works to help you understand that God's love is unconditional - not conditioned on how worthy you are. 

Day 1 focuses on 1 John 4:16:  "... we have known and believe the love that God has for us. God is love, and those who abide in love abide in God, and God abides in them."  Br. Curtis Almquist points out the word "abide" and addresses questions for you to think about in your meditations.  The definition of abide I'd like you to contemplate is:  to remain steadfast or faithful to; keep.  If you'll notice, abiding goes both ways in that verse...

Day 2 brings us one of the most famous verses in the Bible, John 3:16:  "For God so loved the world that he gave his only Son, so that everyone who believes in him may not perish but may have eternal life."  Br. Mark Brown makes the excellent point that God didn't just love His creation of the world, but also loves us amidst the brokenness that we have made of His creation.  He loves the totality of us, not just the perfection.

Day 3 takes us back to 1 John, 4:9-10:  "God’s love was revealed among us in this way: God sent his only Son into the world so that we might live through him. In this is love, not that we loved God but that he loved us and sent his Son to be the atoning sacrifice for our sins."  Br. Keith Nelson, a new face among the brothers, points out that we can't earn God's love - it is given as a grace to us. 

And finally, Day 4 is today, Ash Wednesday, brings us the verse after the famous one, John 3:17:  "Indeed, God did not send the Son into the world to condemn the world, but in order that the world might be saved through him."  Br. Luke Ditewig points out that God's unconditional love provided us the means through which we might be saved from our sins, and join again with God in eternal life.

So today, as you begin contemplate what you'll give up, and what you'll gain as a result: