March 22-I’ve
been looking at Proverbs more lately. I like that the bible honors
homespun wisdom human wisdom. I did a bible Study where we just
randomly picked one verse and talked about it, and then moved to
another one. They do have an almost scrapbook feel to them, after
all.

Monday-David Ford cites
the poet O’Siadhail. Here’s an excerpt from “Leisure.”
“the apple back on its tree/in a garden lost, a garden longed
for…rejoice, rejoice/to attest the gift of a day/to saunter
and to gaze, to own the world.” I’m starting to think
that being too busy is a sin. Idle hands may be the devil’s
workshop, but the frenzied pace of life pushes out the gift of time
to be with family, friends, and God.

Tuesday In the 3/ 24
Christian Century magazine, Susan Andrews write of Jer. 31:31-4,
“od’s covenant is translated from rules to
relationship…not ion stone but on the soft tissue of human
potential…not a faint pencil sketch, but a cutting to the
heart..an indelible etching.” Where has God written upon your
heart the foundation of faith for you?

Wednesday Listening for
God is a collection of stories culled from great recent American
writers. Kathleen Norris is a poet who serves as a lay pastor in
South Dakota. Reading from Isaiah’s ‘all flesh is as
grass” she muses: ”this is a hard truth, and it has real
meaning for people who grow grass, cut it, bale it, and go out in the
winter to use it to feed. They know that grass dies not just in the
winter, but in summer’s dry heat…bellowing cows join in
the call to worship. One year baby rattlesnakes showed up for
Vacation Bible School.”.

Thursday-In the Lenten
hymn Go to Dark Gethsemane, v.2 says “view the Lord of life
arraigned.” John says that the logos, God’s vision,
natural law, resided in Jesus. So the source of law was brought
before the human legal system, a foreign one at that. The judge of
the world was standing as one judged to be a criminal, a condemned
criminal at that. When we look at the cross, the turns pile upon each
other, the gifts fo the suffering servant.

Friday- James Kay
teaches worship classes and preaching at Princeton. He had us promise
to subscribe to the journal, Interpretation, is we were going into
the pastorate. In the Fall 2008 issue we find these Brian Wren words:
“hidden Christ, alive for ever, Savior, Servant, friend, and
Lord/year by year you offer life undying, love outpoured/day by day
you walk among usknown and honored, or concealed/ freeing, hiding,
leading. guiding, ‘til your glory is revealed.” As a
spiritual exercise, write a hymn to a familiar tune, so you can
follow the meter easily.

Saturday-Calvin saw
marriage as an immense social good. The Reformation marked a decisive
move against the idea that it was solely for ordered procreation. It
was for us to have agreeable, stable, joyful companionship. Marriage
was a good gift for us. It was to be a mutual benefit for wife and
husband together. Marriage is the source of many jokes and
complaints. Think on its benefits here in Lent 2009.