March 2 Sunday-We have a choice of Ps. 2 or Ps. 99 this morning. I am too lazy to figure out why that is so.We are singing a version of Ps. 2 in church today.Its paraphrase goes:”why are nations raging/and conspiring plots in vai?/rulers of the world rise up/weaving webs of death and pain.”Open a newspaper and look at the parade of troubles caused by ruling elites. So often, it emerges from a desire for power that would be better served in humble adherence to God’s desire for leaders as shepherds.
Monday-Being in the present moment is essential in almost all spiritual streams. When Jesus takes three disciples to the Mount of Transfiguration, the first thing Peter says is, "Lord, it is good for us to be here" (Matthew 17:4)..."It is good for us to be here:" it's life giving and healthy. "It is good for us to be here:" to be in community and communion with others. "It is good for us to be here:" aware in this moment, not nostalgic for the past or anxious for the future. (Kent ira Groff)
Tuesday-Frederick Buechner the word that God speaks to us is always an incarnate word - a word spelled out to us not alphabetically, in syllables, but enigmatically, in events, even in the books we read and the movies we see - the chances are we will never get it just right. We are so used to hearing what we want to hear and remaining deaf to what it would be well for us to hear that it is hard to break the habit. But if we keep our hearts and minds open as well as our ears, if we listen with patience and hope, if we remember at all deeply and honestly, then I think we come to recognize, beyond all doubt, that, however faintly we might hear him, he is indeed speaking to us.”
Wednesday-John Philip Newell- We suffer from a “bond of forgetfulness.” . We do not know ourselves, nor do we remember our beginnings. We are in what is like a deep sleep. And the more distant we become from our true self, the more we fall under the sway of the false self, or what he calls “the counterfeit spirit.” There March 2 Sare three major symptoms to this “bond of forgetfulness,” he says. They are ignorance, false- ness, and above all, anxiety. When we lose touch with the wisdom that is within us, we live out of ignorance. When we no longer remember the truth of who we are, we become slaves to falseness. And when we forget the deep root of our being, we become prone to fear and anxiety.
Thursday-After the Olympics, I keep cycling back to a Lutheran pastor’s comment that the faith is a team sport, not an individual competition.We are scheduling some baptisms, and we are too concerned about a ticket to heaven instead of membership in the people of God. One of the reasons I love doing bible study is the inevitable way of reading that elicitis different understandings of a given passage.By the same token, corporate prayers has a different feel than indiviudal devotion. Why are both so difficult for us?
Friday-Often, when we have a good presentation at church, people seem compelled to say, “I wish there more more people here.” I appreciate the thought, but I wonder why we are convinced that something gains in import or quality in the presence of a larger group? God loves the small as well as the large. God appreciate us representing the world before the divine in any local, of any size.
Saturday-I’ve been making some progress, at long last, on my essays on the Book of the Twelve/Minor Prophets. Inspiration is rare, and when it arrives, one should grasp it and not let it flee away. I don't think it can be forced. On the other hand, keeping at a task often provides the opportunity for inspiration to visit.Maybe part of the trick in life is to not only welcome inspiration and act on it if possible, but to keep the ground ready to receive it.
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