week of Feb. 19 Devotions

Sunday Feb. 19-the Psalter for today is #50. We are singing a marvelous hymn based on it, People Clap Your Hands. I always think of Augustine that a hymn is praying twice. V.19 has God accusing us of giving our mouths free rein for evil. It reminds me of James’s admonitions on our failure to control our speech. One easy way to start to curb the tongue is to make sure you make a compliment for each criticism or complaint you make.

Monday Presidents’ Day-I like that we celebrate Washington and Lincoln in this holiday, and I suppose, all presidents. I admire Washington for many reasons; just a few are in my on-line column on Friday. For today, I suffice to mention his lifelong struggle with his temper. he was determined to control it to give proper control over his public life. He knew that building his character was a lifelong process, not an immediate gift. Can you select one character trait you continue to need to work on in the process of sanctification?

Tuesday-Mardi Gras, great/fat Tuesday comes form the idea that one should have a blow out party before the deprivations of Lent. In some communities, this closes the season of carnivals with one last party. In some English communities, this was Shrove Tuesday, an old word for confessing one’s faults. It was a day to examine what were the spiritual needs for the Lenten spiritual practices that could be of value for one’s character. I love that celebrations were written into the church year.

Ash Wednesday starts Lent as you all know. I am always touched that the reading selected for this day from the Old Testament show a keen awareness of the difference between ritual and merely following the steps. In Joel 2, God asks us to realize that tearing the garment as a sign of repentance is to tear the heart wide open. Is. 58 seeks a fast from injustice as the action toward which fasting from food points. Can you think of some issue where you heart needs to be opened in light of justice?

Thursday- A young man from a congregation I served in Indian made his mother a homemade valentine. It celebrated her of course, but he added something to the effect she was filled with “loveness.” I am in loveness with this new word, and he was gracious enough to give me permission to use it.. I have decided that the young man invented a contraction for the old KJV word for God’s hesed that was translated as loving-kindness.

Friday-Lent comes from an old English word for spring. Allow that simple connection to affect life during Lent. What seeds could you plant in Lent that would lead to a spiritual harvest later? What areas of growth in your spiritual life would you like to see? Are there some tender blossoms in your spiritual life that require special tending?

Saturday-I’m reading a new book on judging others by a local Terry Cooper. He makes the excellent point that when we get concerned about others being judgmental, we can rest assured that we are doing the same process, but often over different things. I remember as a child being told that what we note in others as a problem is that which we dislike in ourselves. Do you have judgmental triggers? Do you have a sense why some things don’t trigger that response?