Sunday March 27-Ps. 95 Calvin spoke of the psalms as containing the anatomy of every part of the soul. The church sanctuary here in Alton, First Presbyterian, has the choir area decorated with stained glass representations of a number of them that Greg, our church musician, suggested years ago. William Brown has a book on the psalms where he notices how they touch on different senses throughout. In hymn #215 Arlo Duba paraphrases a verse with the striking:"the heights and depths of earth are cradled in God's hand."
Monday-Any period of introspection will probably stir up some grief at some point. When I was packing up recently, I ran across some long-ago stored things of my brother, now dead over twenty years. No packing got done for a while, as my eyes got too cloudy. Early practices of communion must have been hard for those who knew Jesus. When we emphasize the memorial aspects too much, it can take on a funereal tone, even 2000 years later.
Tuesday Sabbath time seems to be a losing practice, as Charlie Sheen may say, as we train the next generation to worship a frenzied pursuit of constant activity. Please consider exploring the meaning of Sabbath and maybe taking a break from one activity during this season. The baseline of sabbath is the important thought that only slaves are expected to go 24 hours, seven days a week. Rest is built into the rhythm of creation's structure, after all.
Wednesday-The excellent Thoughtful Christian series suggest various types of art engagement during the sessions. Our Greek Orthodox sisters and brothers use icon, images, as a way to help focus their prayers. In our Tuesday class, we looked at four representations of the crucifixion. consider sitting down with a picture or object and contemplate it for a bit. What is the artist seeking to do do you thin? What is emphasized, and what is diminished? What feelings are evoked by the work in you?
Thursday- Hospitality was a virtue prized by early Christians. Look at Heb. 13. The word chosen is xenophilia, the love of strangers, as opposed to xenophobia. At root, it is trying to make someone feel at home, even to feel as an honored guest, instead of an imposition. How hospitable are we to the presence of God? When do we try clean up[, open the door, and invite God into our lives? On the other hand, does even the thought of hospitality toward god makes us more than a little uncomfortable ourselves?
Friday-the Church Ad project ran a picture of the Earth from space, and the caption read: "without God, it all a vicious circle." With God, the world does point in a direction toward peace and justice. As Martin Luther King said, "the arc of the universe is long, but it bends toward justice." In stead of a vicious circle, Christians discern a purpose in history, a direction, toward which we are led and for which we work. Our work has purpose; God is always weaving and reweaving the strands of human lives and work into a pattern that is a fit place for the human, and indeed, even the divine.
Saturday-Consider taking some time to listen to a hymn and then read the words as religious poetry. Our blue hymnbook has some selections from the past and more contemporary passages as well. It could be rewarding to pay particular attention to hymns for Holy Week, but maybe picking a theme from the index would be the way for you to go. Of course, as Stephen Sondheim notes in his new book, Finishing the Hat, lyrics are wedded to music, so they should not be considered as poetry that stand alone.
Monday-Any period of introspection will probably stir up some grief at some point. When I was packing up recently, I ran across some long-ago stored things of my brother, now dead over twenty years. No packing got done for a while, as my eyes got too cloudy. Early practices of communion must have been hard for those who knew Jesus. When we emphasize the memorial aspects too much, it can take on a funereal tone, even 2000 years later.
Tuesday Sabbath time seems to be a losing practice, as Charlie Sheen may say, as we train the next generation to worship a frenzied pursuit of constant activity. Please consider exploring the meaning of Sabbath and maybe taking a break from one activity during this season. The baseline of sabbath is the important thought that only slaves are expected to go 24 hours, seven days a week. Rest is built into the rhythm of creation's structure, after all.
Wednesday-The excellent Thoughtful Christian series suggest various types of art engagement during the sessions. Our Greek Orthodox sisters and brothers use icon, images, as a way to help focus their prayers. In our Tuesday class, we looked at four representations of the crucifixion. consider sitting down with a picture or object and contemplate it for a bit. What is the artist seeking to do do you thin? What is emphasized, and what is diminished? What feelings are evoked by the work in you?
Thursday- Hospitality was a virtue prized by early Christians. Look at Heb. 13. The word chosen is xenophilia, the love of strangers, as opposed to xenophobia. At root, it is trying to make someone feel at home, even to feel as an honored guest, instead of an imposition. How hospitable are we to the presence of God? When do we try clean up[, open the door, and invite God into our lives? On the other hand, does even the thought of hospitality toward god makes us more than a little uncomfortable ourselves?
Friday-the Church Ad project ran a picture of the Earth from space, and the caption read: "without God, it all a vicious circle." With God, the world does point in a direction toward peace and justice. As Martin Luther King said, "the arc of the universe is long, but it bends toward justice." In stead of a vicious circle, Christians discern a purpose in history, a direction, toward which we are led and for which we work. Our work has purpose; God is always weaving and reweaving the strands of human lives and work into a pattern that is a fit place for the human, and indeed, even the divine.
Saturday-Consider taking some time to listen to a hymn and then read the words as religious poetry. Our blue hymnbook has some selections from the past and more contemporary passages as well. It could be rewarding to pay particular attention to hymns for Holy Week, but maybe picking a theme from the index would be the way for you to go. Of course, as Stephen Sondheim notes in his new book, Finishing the Hat, lyrics are wedded to music, so they should not be considered as poetry that stand alone.
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