Objects in the mirror are closer
than they appear. I am not beyond the long arm
of God’s grace simply because
of my transgressions.
I can turn away,
I can look askance,
still I cannot hide.
The sparrow, the lily of the field
I am counted as one.
God shows no partiality
Christ died for the sins of all.
I am His
because I believe.
Because I believe
I am His.
—Audrianne Hill
A friend of ours who cleans offices tells us about emptying trash, that a person’s trash reveals a lot about them. It’s almost an intimate kind of duty, because you see candy wrappers and a lot of other things that indicate a person’s habits. I think the same thing about garbage day in our neighborhood: there’s so much stuff out there. How do we have so much, that we throw so much away?
Matthew 6 is often used as the Ash Wednesday text, starting us off with warnings about how to practice our piety. Lent is a good time to practice resistance—resistance to consume, even when it’s as simple as resisting popping yet another piece of candy into my mouth.
Of course, Lent is about so much more than not eating candy. It’s about arresting some of our habits to intentionally reflect on our spiritual condition apart from the stuff we surround ourselves with. What, really, are the treasures I want to store up that nurture my spiritual awareness of God’s movement?
No wonder it is so helpful to sing, “Be still and know that I am God.” Being still allows me to attend to my heartbeats—literal and spiritual heartbeats—and to separate myself from the trash that may divert me from knowing God, and being known by God.
—Cindi Veldheer DeYoung
Psalm 107 is entitled “Thanksgiving for Deliverance from Many Troubles.” Beginning in verse 17 the request to God is for healing from sickness. When we think about healing, the questions that come to mind are: Who is, who isn’t, and why?
Five years after our son’s death, my husband, Jim, set down some of his thoughts on healing and prayer. His second insight on healing says, “Even in the days of Jesus’ ministry, the people healed represented no more than a small fraction of the population. For every sufferer made whole, there must have been hundreds, perhaps thousands, left untouched. God has power to heal, declares the New Testament; but it is silent on how the healed were chosen from among a sea of sufferers.”
I feel that secret is hidden deep in the heart of God. So, we must be content to leave it there. Frederick Buechner was right when he said, “If God doesn’t seem to be giving you what you ask, maybe he’s giving you something else.”
The one thing I do know is that God does not abandon us. In Romans 8:38–39 we are promised that nothing will be able to separate us from the love of God.
Recently I read a lovely article by Pamela C. Hawkins entitled “And So We Hope.” The writer speaks of Holy Saturday—that day that lies between the crucifixion and Easter morning. She writes, “Even as stone hit stone, trapping Jesus in earthly darkness, love was present through two women who risked staying behind to see where he was buried ([Mark] 15:47). And although we cannot be sure from Mark’s text that the white-robed young man found by Mary and the others in the empty tomb had been with Jesus all along, we have no reason to doubt it (16:1–5). Why would the God of love ever leave a child of God alone in the dark, or in grief, or in death, or doubt or fear or struggle? God would not and does not and did not.”**
The last verses (Psalm 107:21-22) speak of thankfulness. God truly loves a thankful heart. Just how does one express thankfulness to God? In today’s society we hear an expression, “Pay it forward.” My interpretation of this expression is that you have received a gift you didn’t expect or perhaps deserve. With a thankful heart you in turn do the same to a friend or a stranger. Remember the biblical directive: “Do unto others as you would have others do unto you.” Perhaps one more biblical guide for us is the one found in Micah 6:6–8: “Do justice, love kindness, and walk humbly with your God.”
Prayer: Dear God, help us today to trust in your ways. Help us to look around and within for signs of your presence. Please give us a thankful heart for the gift of your grace and goodness. Amen.
—Jean Cook
*James I. Cook, “Confessions of a Secondary Sufferer,” Perspectives 2, no. 9 [November 1987]: 5
**Pamela C. Hawkins, “And So We Hope,” Weavings XXVII, no. 2 [February/March/April 2012]: 40
Naming
In my family three new babies arrived in the last year. Parents look beforehand for names for those children. Some names have meanings, like Daniel—God is my judge; David—beloved; Sharon—the plains; Douglas—dark river.
In infant baptism, parents and congregations make a covenant with God to raise the child and train the child to love God. Covenants are meant to be honored by all who make the covenant.
In the text for today, God makes a covenant with Abram and Sarai to make of them multitudes of nations and in doing so changed their names. Abram, which means exalted father, became Abraham, meaning father of multitudes. Sarai, which means princess, became Sarah, meaning duchess or queen of multitudes.
Abram and Sarai had no child together. Abram had a child with Sarai’s servant, who named him Ishmael. But with the covenant God gave Abraham and Sarah a child who had a child and grandchildren. Abraham is the father of the Jews and the Arabs. Abraham is our spiritual father also.
Prayer: Loving God, we are thankful you know each of us by name. Thank you for the covenant we have with you through the life and death of your son Jesus Christ.
—David VanHeest
Temptation of Christ on the Mount -- Kari Miller Fenwood, Hope Church 2011, after Duccio, di Buoninsegna 1319
John is in prison! What next for the young, unknown Jesus?
To the desert! Forty days meandering, pondering—lashed by power temptations, seized by visions of the God-life, while the animals howl.
It came to him: tromp across Galilee; show the people what the “good news” of the Kingdom of God looks like—that it is right here!—not elsewhere or obscure; a realm where God is recognized at the center of life! Jesus then began living out his shortened life illustrating what the Realm of God is—and is not!
It is within—between—among! It is being—becoming—belonging! It is life emanating from love, giving and caring, seeking wisdom and truth, implementing justice and peace, initiating healthfulness and wholeness, reverencing life and creation, offering grace and acceptance, respecting others and wanting good for them!
Can we make Lent our meandered desert to recognize afresh what the Realm of God looks like?
—Earl Laman
Baptism of Christ -- Cappella Palatina de Palermo
In the name of the Father, Son, and Holy Spirit
On that day,
in the River Jordan
your child was lifted up
and you poured down on him your
Love and Spirit and called him
Son
and
baptized him
So that we might, your children,
your bent world,
be lifted up.
As you poured out your Son, so you
poured out on us your love
to seal us
as your own.
—Arda Rooks
Rainbow over the Pyramid, Cairo, Egypt, 2008, by Haikeu Hai Thinh
It feels good to belong. We all enjoy gathering with family and friends; we can’t wait to share stories after vacations; we like others to help us celebrate our victories and support us when we grieve. To be human is to desire to be part of a group. This passage tells us that we are now part of a very special group indeed: the group with whom God is making a covenant.
God makes covenant with Noah and descendants -- ceramic, Metropolitan Museum of Art
Prior to this passage, we read about the aftermath of the flood, and Noah and his family once again stepping onto dry ground. In the reading following our passage, we have a story of Noah’s drunkenness. But between these two narrative passages about Noah and his family, time collapses and suddenly we are the story! God seems to be using this very human family to show us that no matter what our condition, God is making a promise to us. Forever. Period. And then, because maybe we still don’t believe God, there will be signs to remind us.
Lent is a good time to look for God’s signs. Things are beginning to change; it’s time to heighten our awareness….
—Kyle Vohlken
Meditations for People of Hope 