Saturday, February 28, 2015

Reading: Romans 4:13-25

“For the promise that he would inherit the world did not come to Abraham or to his descendants through the law but through the  righteousness of faith."   Romans 4:13

Righteousness. We are told that Abraham was given a promise by God. Abraham trusted, left his land, his ancestors, his culture. Trusted that God would give heirs, in spite of his and Sarah's old age. Righteousness.
  Martin Luther wrote in Two Kinds of Righteousness, that the first righteousness is a gift of God “instilled in us without our works by grace alone,” from which develops our “proper” righteousness, a life lived “soberly with self, justly with neighbor, devoutly toward God.… Therefore, through the first righteousness arises the voice of the bridegroom who says to the soul, ‘I am yours,’ but through the second comes the voice of the bride who answers, ‘I am yours.”
So Abram trusted that the promise of God would be fulfilled, contrary to all logic. And acted accordingly.

O God of love and promise, may we always answer, “I am yours.” Amen.

 PLANT A BULB IN A POT. BEGIN TO WATER IT; PLACE IT IN A SUNNY WINDOW AND WATCH FOR SIGNS OF PROMISE.

Friday, February 27, 2015

Commemoration of George Herbert, priest and poet, 1633
Reading: Psalm 22:23-31

Antiphon:
“All the ends of the earth shall remember and turn to the LORD, and all the families of the nations shall worship before him."  Psalm 22:27

On the second Sunday in Lent, we chant together the same psalm that we hear during the stripping of the altar at the conclusion of the Maundy Thursday liturgy: Psalm 22. But the psalm antiphon for this Sunday illumines the psalm's poetry with a different light. This antiphon, from verse 27, highlights the praise of God going out to all nations, the Hamon-Goyyim of Genesis 17. We often think of Psalm 22 as a song of lament, but praise is interwoven throughout. Perhaps this is a wise model for us to follow in our own prayer: interweave with praise and gratitude. Gratitude changes the heart; it changes the way we approach each day. Even the Jewish Mourner's Kaddish is essentially a prayer of praise. The basic Jewish form for blessing is: Blessed are you, O Lord,our God, creator of the universe, for you have made___.

Lord, Thou hast given so much to me,
Grant one thing more - a gratefull hearte. Amen
(George Herbert)

 TAKE A WALK, GIVING THANKS TO GOD FOR ALL YOU SEE.

Thursday, February 26, 2015

Commemoration of Saint Photina (Orthodox), The Woman at the Well
Reading: Genesis 17:1-7, 15-16

“YHWH said : No longer shall your name be called Avram,
                         rather shall your name be Avraham,
                         for I will make you Av Hamon Goyyim/ Father of a Throng of Nations!"
                                                   Genesis 17:5( Schocken Bible, Everett Fox, tr.)

In this covenantal discourse between God and Avram, God changes Avram's name in verse 5 and Sarai's in verse 15. Changing one's name is an act of changing one's destiny, one's role in the world. God declares that Avram is no longer Av-Aram, Father of the Aram people of Mesopotamia, but rather Av-Hamon-Goyyim, Father of a Throng of Nations. The word for throng here actually depicts the sound of a large crowd of people. Sarah is the only woman in the Bible to have her name changed by God. In the covenant illumination in the Saint John's Bible we can see her praised in gold among the stars. Both Avraham's and Sarah's names are at the base of the page, giving rise to all the names of the twelve tribes in the menorah/family tree. Sarai will no longer be princess-to-Avraham, but Sarah, princess-to-all-nations.

God of Sarah and Abraham, call us by name and lead us in your paths. Amen

• LEARN THE NAMES OF THREE PEOPLE AT MOUNT OLIVE. LEARN THE NAMES OF THREE PEOPLE IN YOUR NEIGHBORHOOD. LEARN THE NAMES OF THREE PLANTS IN YOUR YARD OR A NEARBY PARK. LEARN THE NAMES OF THREE TREES ON YOUR STREET.

Wednesday, February 25, 2015

Orthodox Great Lent begins
Commemoration of Elizabeth Fedde 1921
WORSHIP: NOON, soup meal follows; 7 PM, soup meal at 6 PM.
Reading:  Isaiah 58:5

"Is not this the fast that I choose: to loose the bonds of injustice, to undo the thongs of the yoke, to let the oppressed go free, and to break every yoke?"

Jesus fasted for forty days, and the tempter tried to entice him to turn stones into bread.  Fasting is one of the church's traditional disciplines of Lent, along with prayer and acts of love. Late winter is a natural time of austerity. We might not notice it as much as our ancestors did, but all foodstuffs that they had dried, preserved, or stored in a root cellar would be running out at this time of year. New plant growth was not yet possible (Fiddlehead ferns! What a treat!) Spring lambs were not yet born. It was a wise time to ritualize scarcity and intentionally make do with less food.
There are many ways to fast during Lent - to fast from oils or meats or foods high on the food chain. To fast from alcohol or caffeine. To fast from bad habits or traits, such as a fast from impatience. To fast from acquisition. And a simple fast from food for a meal or a day, if one is able, changes one's awareness and eyes for the world. This discipline is about seeing differently, being shaken out of normal patterns to become aware, to become awake.

As you sent the Christ, O God, to show your compassion for all creation, may our lives be transformed into his image. Amen

 FAST SECRETLY FOR ONE MEAL. PERHAPS CHOOSE TO DO THIS FOR ONE MEAL EACH WEEK. SET ASIDE THE MONEY SAVED FOR AN ACT OF LOVE.

Tuesday, February 24, 2015

SAINT MATTHIAS, APOSTLE

Is this a fast, to keep
   The larder leane?
And cleane
From fat of veales and sheep?

Is it to quit the dish
   Of flesh, yet still
To fill
The platter high with fish?

Is it to fast an houre,
   Or ragg'd to go
Or show
A downcast look, and sowre?

No: 'tis a fast, to dole
   Thy sheaf of wheat
And meat
Unto the hungry soule.

It is to fast from strife,
   From old debate,
And hate;
To circumcise thy life.

To shew a heart grief-rent;
   To starve thy sin,
Not bin;
And that's to keep thy Lent.
Robert Herrick (1591-1674), "To Keep a True Lent"

Surround us with your steadfast love, O God, that we may enter this desert time with willing hearts. Amen

 CHOOSE ONE SOCIETAL PROBLEM THAT NEEDS YOUR ADVOCACY, YOUR LETTERS, YOUR PRAYERS, YOUR ACTION.

Monday, February 23, 2015

Commemoration of Polycarp, bishop and martyr 156
Reading: Mark 1:9-15

"[Jesus] was in the desert forty days, tempted by Satan, and he was with the wild beasts; and the angels waited on him."   Mark 1:13

Hebrew scholar Everett Fox notes that when one encounters the desert, wind, or fire in the Hebrew scriptures, one is about to encounter change, transformation. Mark the Evangelist, gives the tersest account of Jesus' baptism and - immediately!, Mark says - Jesus was driven by the Holy Spirit into the wilderness, into the desert, which, for Mediterranean people, was a place of spirits. Mark, unlike Matthew, does not elucidate what tests Jesus underwent in that place of spirits. The Book of Kells shows a black humanlike figure, with wings, testing Jesus; a 1360 manuscript from Köln portrays the tester as a young blonde man; in a 15th century illustration, the tester is a seemingly human man - with great birdlike feet protruding from beneath his robe. A place of spirits. What transformation occurred there? And in this intentional desert called Lent, what will we encounter among the wild beasts? How will we be transformed?

May our fasting and prayer this season, O God, lead us into transformed lives. Amen

 IDENTIFY SOMETHING THAT LURES YOU AWAY FROM YOUR TRUE IDENTITY AS A BAPTIZED PERSON. PRAY ABOUT IT.

Sunday, February 22, 2015

FIRST SUNDAY IN LENT
WORSHIP: 8 & 10:45 AM
Gen. 9:8-17; Ps. 25:1-10; 1 Peter 3:18-22; Mark 1:9-15

One does not live by bread alone,
but by every word that comes from the mouth of God.
GOSPEL ACCLAMATION, 1st SUNDAY IN LENT (Matt.6:4)

Lord Jesus, think on me,
And purge away my sin;
From earthborn passions set me free,
And make me pure within.

Lord Jesus, think on me,
Nor let me go astray,
Through darkness and perplexity
Point thou the Heav'nly way.

Lord Jesus, think on me,
When flows the tempest high:
When on doth rush the enemy,
O Saviour, be thou nigh.

Lord Jesus, think on me,
That when the flood is past,
I may eternal brightness see,
And share thy joy at last.

Synesius of Cyrene, 370-430, tr. Allen Wm. Chatfield, 1808-1896

 INVITE FRIENDS OR FAMILY TO BAKE PRETZELS  (recipe below)

Lent: Pretzels 425° oven Makes 12
(Pretzels were devised in a German monastery because they have no fat. The name comes from “Brezeln.” meaning “little arms” from the shape, which is meant to portray the crossed arms of a monk in prayer.)

Combine:                 Stir in:
1 pkg. yeast 4 c. flour
1½ c. warm water
1 T. sugar
1 t. salt

Knead well. Roll out to 16” x 12”. Cut into 12 strips. Roll strips between palms to about 24”. Shape into pretzels. Brush with 1 beaten egg white. Sprinkle with coarse salt and bake at 425° for about 15-20 minutes, until golden. Makes 12.

Saturday, February 21, 2015

1 Peter 3:18-22

"And baptism, which this prefigured, now saves you not as a removal of dirt from the body, but as an appeal to God for a good conscience, through the resurrection of Christ Jesus." ( 1 Peter 3:21)

By sometime in the 4th century, Lent had also become established as a final forty-day period of preparation and catechesis for those desiring to be baptized at the Easter Vigil. This preparation involved examination and confession, time for amendment of life, and fasting, all moving toward the threefold immersion in the waters of the baptistery. We might assume that the three immersions represented the Trinity, but they also signified the three days Christ spent in the earth, to be raised up anew at the Easter dawn. "Baptism is both a burial and a resurrection," spoke Cyril of Jerusalem in his Catechetical Lectures.

Open our hearts to your word, O God, and give us understanding. Amen

 PLACE A SMALL BOWL OF WATER ON YOUR ALTAR AND MAKE THE SIGN OF THE CROSS ON YOURSELF WITH IT.

Friday, February 20, 2015

Reading: Psalm 25:1-10
Antiphon:
"All the paths of the LORD are steadfast love and faithfulness, for those who keep his covenant and his decrees."   (Psalm 25:10)

The psalmist reminds us that there are many paths of God. But all of them exist within a reciprocal relationship: God's steadfast love and our response - a promise to live in the world as images of that love. This is the narrow way of Christ. Just as God self-limits power out of love for creation, so we self-limit our freedom out of love for God and all of God's creation. In Ursula LeGuin's fantasy book The Wizard of Earthsea, a young Ged, mage-in-training, learns of self-limitation:

The Master Summoner spoke softly and his eyes were somber as he looked at Ged. "You thought, as a boy, that a mage is one who can do anything. So I thought, once. So did we all. And the truth is that as a person's real power grows and their knowledge widens, ever the way they can follow grows narrower; until at last one chooses nothing, but does only and wholly what one must do…"

In Lent, as in life, we choose a narrow path of intention and discipline, exploring what it means to live in God's steadfast love.

Teach us, O God, in the way you would have us go. Amen

 START A LENTEN JOURNAL; WRITE EVEN JUST A SENTENCE, A THOUGHT, OR A PARAGRAPH EACH DAY.

Thursday, February 19, 2015

Reading: Genesis 9:8-17

"I will remember my covenant that is between me and you and every living creature of all flesh…"  (Genesis 9:13)

In Benjamin Britten's setting of the Chester mystery play Noye's Fludde, the animals enter the ark singing "Kyrie eleison" - Lord, have mercy - and, after forty days of floating above the flooded earth, they joyfully walk out onto the dry earth singing, "Alleluia!" Now, for forty days (minus Sundays), we will undertake a journey singing "Kyrie eleison" in the Great Litany, while moving toward that day of springtime newness, when we can again sing "God be praised!" - Alleluia!

Balthasar Fischer writes: "…even so brief a prayer as Kyrie eleison follows the general rule that praise and thanksgiving come first and that petition flows from these. Because you are our Lord, who has passed victoriously through death to life, therefore we pray you: have mercy on us and on the whole world. The petition means more than "Help us!'  It means: 'Take all of us with you on your journey through death to life.'"

Take all of us with you, O Christ, on your journey through death to life. Amen

 MAKE AN ALTAR, A PLACE FOR PRAYER.
 TO LISTEN TO THE BRITTEN, GO TO www.youtube.com/watch?v= kan4oDbuUJM (ENTRY OF THE ANIMALS: 4TH VIDEO OF 9)

Wednesday, February 18, 2015

ASH WEDNESDAY   
Commemoration of Martin Luther 1546
New Moon 5:47 pm

WORSHIP: NOON & 7 PM

JOEL 2:1-2, 12-17; PS.51:1-17; 2 Cor. 5:20b-6:10; Matt. 6:1-6, 16-21

Return to the LORD, your God, who is gracious and merciful, slow to anger, and abounding in steadfast love.
(GOSPEL ACCLAMATION FOR ASH WEDNESDAY, Joel 2:13)

Lent begins with the rite of Confession and Forgiveness and the smudging with ashes, a visible sign of repentance, compunction, and humility, among other meanings. But the reading from the prophet Joel reminds us that all external ceremonies are as nothing unless they are accompanied by a new heart, a heart of compassion and concern for others, lived out in the actual, physical world. "Rend your hearts and not your garments," Joel calls out to us over the millenia. May it be so.

Create in us clean hearts, O God, and renew right spirits within us. Amen

 VEIL CROSSES WITH DEEP PURPLE CLOTH OR UNBLEACHED MUSLIN, A FAST FOR THE EYES.

 LISTEN TO THE TENOR RECITATIVE AND ARIA, "YE PEOPLE REND YOUR HEARTS/IF WITH ALL YOUR HEART" FROM MENDELSSOHN'S "ELIJAH", www.youtube.com/watch?v=L-FxzW1tQTU

The Grain of Wheat: A Lenten Journey

When the early Christians gathered, they worshiped on Sunday, the Lord's Day, the eighth day, day of new creation (7, the number of completion, plus 1, for new creation), because on that day Christ was raised from the dead. Every Sunday was a celebration of Easter. As the church year developed over the next centuries, incorporating agricultural feasts, pre-existing Jewish and Roman festivals, and the natural seasons of the northern hemisphere, Easter or Pascha was the first festival to have a place in the calendar as a separate yearly Christian observance, perhaps as early as the second century. Quite naturally, this Paschal feast was soon preceded by a period of preparation and fasting - first, a day, then six days, and, at one time, 70 days (!).

The English word "Lent" comes from"lenct", the same root as "Lenz", the German word for spring, as well as our word "lengthen", and it refers to the lengthening of daylight as spring approaches. All life on earth depends on the sun, and the lengthening days of spring bring hope and gladness to all who are weary of winter, longing for light.

In this devotional we will reflect on the readings for each week and explore some of the traditional symbols, rites and practices of Lent that have been developed and distilled over the centuries. The movement of each week is from Wednesday to Tuesday, based on the pericopes for the surrounded Sunday. Thus: Wednesday - a Lenten practice; Thursday - Old Testament reading from the coming Sunday; Friday - psalm antiphon; Saturday - epistle reading; Sunday - the Gospel acclamation and a hymn; Monday - the Gospel from the previous day; Tuesday - poetry. May our lives in Christ be strengthened and deepened by our Lenten journey together.

+ Fasting for the good of the body + Prayer for the good of the soul +

+ Acts of compassion for the good of the neighbor +