Devotions Week of Feb. 10

Sunday February 10-Ps. 99 shouts to God the king, Holy is he. What does holiness mean to you? How would you explain it to a six year old child? For me, God’s holiness is god being set apart in both degree and kind. We recite words of the holy church, but what do we mean? To me, the holy has a sense of the numinous, the awe-inspiring, the reverent. Where do you encounter the holy. where do you seek it?

Monday-February wears on me. Resilience is a virtue that seems to me to decline a bit as we age. Not only do our muscles refuse to have the spring that they once enjoyed, but the wear and tear of life’ troubles make sit harder to spring back from adversity as well. Sometimes, nothing more than a break can restore our resilience. Sometimes, looking back at past success gives us renewed strength.

Tuesday-Lincoln’s Birthday used to be a separate holiday for schoolchildren when I was young. To tell the truth, I don’t recall that we did nearly a complete a job as we could have to explain why we felt compelled to honor him so. I keep going back to his astonishing skill with words and the depth of his moral reasoning. This day, please consider reading some of his work or read of him and allow yourself to marvel at the growth in this frontier youngster toward Mt. Rushmore.

Wednesday-Ash Wednesday starts the period of intense spiritual preparation that we designate as Lent. I love the name, as it refers to spring and spring planting. What spiritual seeds would you like to see grow in your life this year? It may well be that a spiritual New Year’s resolution has fallen along the roadside. Perhaps then we could do some re-planting. Sometimes a cold snap will kill off the hardiest of plantings, and we start again. In our frequently spiritually undisciplined lives, we all need some structure. let lent provide some this year.

Valentine’s Day always alarmed me a bit. I never felt as if I had a handle on what a properly romantic card and present should be. After all, what card, what present can seek to express the fullness of romantic love? I never felt as if I hit the nail on the head with the presents. It cannot be an accident that Song of songs was turned by the church into a way of approaching divine love through the template of romantic love: its intensity, its yearning, its sheer power.

Friday-The Wiseman Bible Group looked at psalms of lament last week. the study materials noted that laments are not reflected in the liturgy as much as their prevalence in the psalter would indicate. To me they are the great example (see 13, 22) of putting anything in our life into the safe envelope of prayer addressed to our God. What are some hurts that you would do well to include in prayer? What are some community, even national or global hurts that drive you to your knees?

Saturday-I’ve been reading a book on changing habits in my attempt to lose some weight. It suggests a variety of simple tools to help the process. One is merely telling someone in an e-mail how the day went for the goal. In our minds, when we see a succession of successes that helps our perseverance. When we note that we did not do so well, that helps us distinguish between a slip and a fall.