devotions Week Of March 18

March 18-Ps. 107 is today’s reading. It starts the last of the five parts of the Psalter. I suspect it is to reflect the five books of the Torah, the first five books of our Bibles. I note vv.298-30, as it notes the storms we face and like Jesus on the sea, they are quieted. “They were glad they had quiet and were brought to the desired safe heaven.” Have you been so quieted/? Do you desire to be so quieted? What would your safe harbor look like? do you have an internal safe haven to which you may repair?

Monday-Buds are on the trees as I write and some daffodils and crocuses have emerged as well. I ran into Janet Riley, and she said the dogwood trees are gorgeous down south. I love that pastels match the approaching Easter season. Recently Biblical scholar and stated clerk Carol Griffith spoke of God as an artist. This is surely one of the times of the year when that image is at its peak. Today, I am taken with the thought that god does some of the best artistic work with living material.

Tuesday-Stellar spring begins with the equinox. This has been a warm march already. I’ve gotten some salad greens planted and am trying peas for the first time. For me lent is a time of planting spiritual seeds that we harvest all through the year. Is there something in your spiritual garden that you need every year? Is there something missing that you would like to have?

Wednesday-Contempt is the opposite of seeing the image of God in someone. It is a hurtful thing to feel contempt, especially from someone you love. It gives the sense that one is unworthy of even time or basic consideration. Sin against others holds them in contempt. I am so grateful that God does not look at us with contempt. Instead we are counted worthy of the life, death, and resurrection, of Jesus.

Thursday-I love March Madness college basketball. I love when a David beats a Goliath. Already some top teams have gone down. I love the emotion of getting wrapped up in a team and how much the players care. That feeling can be an aspiration for us on church feast days. That feeling of togetherness is an aspiration for the fellow feeling of a congregation.

Friday-We live in a ritually impoverished time. The concern for being casual and authentic has robbed us of socially agreed upon way of doing things. We may be at the point where we may need to create our own for ourselves and family for significant moments. Ritual has a way of marking special time. Our children are grown, but they recall what special food we would have at Easter and Christmas.

Saturday-Learning to be gentler on ourselves is a spiritual issue. It seems to me that we have imported the correcting voice of parents, teachers, or bosses and turned them into the voice of conscience. We are all spiritually fragile. I realize that we may be too easy on ourselves at times. We should expect that we will fail at times. Castigating ourselves can become sinful when it attacks our very self-worth and regard. Beating ourselves up gets us where in the end?