Lenten Meditation Booklet 2019

LENTEN MEDITATIONS

2019

Artist Unknown, Christ Pantocrator mosaic, 12th Century, Hagia Sophia, Istanbul, Turkey

SAINT MICHAEL AND ALL ANGELS

TABLE OF CONTENTS CLICK ON THE DATE YOU WISH TO JUMP TO MARCH 6

MARCH 22

APRIL 7

MARCH 7

MARCH 23

APRIL 8

MARCH 8

MARCH 24

APRIL 9

MARCH 9

MARCH 25

APRIL 10

MARCH 10

MARCH 26

APRIL 11

MARCH 11

MARCH 27

APRIL 12

MARCH 12

MARCH 28

APRIL 13

MARCH 13

MARCH 29

APRIL 14

MARCH 14

MARCH 30

APRIL 15

MARCH 15

MARCH 31

APRIL 16

MARCH 16

APRIL 1

APRIL 17

MARCH 17

APRIL 2

APRIL 18

MARCH 18

APRIL 3

APRIL 19

MARCH 19

APRIL 4

APRIL 20

MARCH 20

APRIL 5

APRIL 21

MARCH 21

APRIL 6

Lent is a sacred season in our year, a season in which we are invited to turn toward God again, or perhaps for the first time. We have the opportunity to consider our walk with Christ, to consider the ways in which we follow and act in the world because of Him. This can be a special time for each of us as individuals and as members of our Saint Michael and All Angels community.

Saint Michael has entered a new chapter and is looking toward a future in which our growth and impact will extend God’s kingdom. Lent recalls how Jesus’s life, ministry, death, and resurrection set an example for each of us. Christ calls us into the transformative life of the Spirit. In other words, we have been given a Spirit of life, anointed by God to share that life and hope with every person in our lives. No one is excluded from God’s invitation, and we are the ones anointed to invite each one in.

This year, as you consider your personal walk with Christ, I also invite you to consider how you can impact our Saint Michael community. Through the transformative power of the Spirit, we can make a fresh, renewing, and inspiring impact on our world. May God bless us in this season, and may God prepare us all for the ministry we will do together!

Blessings, The Rev. Dr. Christopher D. Girata Rector

ASH WEDNESDAY

MARCH 6

MARY JOHNSON

Psalms 32, 95, 102, 130 & 143 | Jonah 3:1-4:11 | Heb. 12:1-14 | Luke 18:9-14* During my career, I have had the opportunity to meet different types of people. Ironically, not all of the Godloving people I crossed paths with were members of a church.

Working for a police department, we had a program at Christmas time that involved asking for donations to benefit families in our community. During one of our collection drives, an event happened that I think illustrates the parable Jesus told in Luke 18:9-14.

We had been given permission to set up outside a Target store to accept donations. We would not solicit or approach anyone; we were there to bring awareness to the need. It was freezing cold and we were standing outside, dressed in many layers of clothes: coats, gloves, everything you could think of to keep us warm.

We even had a volunteer that would make hot chocolate runs for us to help us stay warm. During the time we were there, many people asked what we were doing and we explained that we were collecting any donations for those in our community that need help. Many people donated carts of food, toys, and clothes.

In fact, we had collected so much that our squad car filled up several times.

We met many kind-hearted people. Then there was a man that was outraged at the thought of us being there. We explained that everyone that worked in the program volunteered their time, that no one was “on duty”. It didn’t matter to him. He told us that if people needed help they should go to another city.

He continued by saying he was a Christian man and he did plenty of work at his church for “those people” and didn’t need to see it here. He went into the store, sometime later he came out and pushed a cart of groceries to us and walked to his car. We were all shocked.

Later, I noticed a young mother walking with her two children holding their hands. She was wearing a lightweight dress and sandals - NO sweater or coat, and her children were both dressed similarly. As they got closer, the little boy (about seven years old) was asking his mom what were the police doing. She asked the officer wearing the Santa hat, he deferred to me… I was taken back – we were there to get help for people …like that! I told them that we were there to give folks a chance to help others.

The little boy asked his mother if he could … and she asked if we accepted cash. I told her we accepted what anyone wanted to give. She then turned to her son said, “yes.” He gave me his quarter. He tugged at my hand – so I bent down. He whispered, “God blessed me, and I want to you to give it to a kid that needs help.” The family turned and walked away. The officers standing by me heard what the little boy said and saw the gift. I don’t think any of us had ever witnessed God’s love in such a powerful way as the contrast of the outraged man that made a donation begrudgingly and the little boy that didn’t even have a pair of shoes giving all he had for someone else. God loves both the man and the young boy and He knows what is in our hearts when we make our choices. *Passages in bold have been selected by the author as the subject of that day’s meditation.

MARCH 7

JOHN LANG

Psalm 37:1-42 | Deut. 7:6-11 | Titus 1:1-16 | John 1:29-34 A special time … an intimate time … a greeting for a loved one, long separated … a good bye, a kiss for one who will be away a long time … or forever …a few seconds, yet never forgotten … an intensity barely imaginable … a new shape, and even destiny altered …

David urges us to find the precious moments Fret not yourself …by the distractions that surround you for they will fade like the grass and wither like the green herb Commit your way … trust … and He will bring forth … the light … as the noonday.

That we can do this, that it is in our power, is from our heritage, as it is in Deuteronomy For we are a people holy to the Lord our God Chosen to be his people … for …

God keeps his covenant and steadfast love and is faithful For those who love him and keep his commandments And from those who, like John the Baptist, guide us because they Have seen the Spirit descend … and yet remain … as a dove from heaven Lent … a time to remember, a time to recalibrate our focus, a time for discovery.

MARCH 8

NANCY SOMODEVILLA

Psalms 31, 35, 95 | Deut. 7:12-16 | Titus 2:1-15 | John 1:35-42 The girl whispered, “Guardian angel speak to me.” and a bird sang. And the girl yelled, “I can’t hear you” and the thunder roared and the girl still did not hear.

So the girl said, “Let me see you Guardian Angel” and a star shone but the girl did not see. So the girl became angry and screamed, “Dear angel let me know you are here.” The angel bent down and touched her shoulder, and the girl brushed the butterfly from her shoulder and walked away unknowingly.

I found this story as I cleaned out my childhood desk to procrastinate in writing this meditation as some of the stories are difficult.The psalms speak about asking God to protect us and be with us in adversity, to be with us when we give thanks for our lives and to help us deal with struggles. This Lent may we all strive to find the Holy Angels and God is our everyday lives.

Deuteronomy calls us to be in covenant with God. It promises that God will love us and bless us. The Bible often states that if we follow God’s laws, that nothing will hurt us and that we will be blessed. We know that sad and painful things happen to those who love God, but I believe that when tragedies and hurt happens to us, God is there with us and grieves with us. God holds us in God’s heart.

In the Book of Titus, Paul calls us to live moral lives which are filled with love, dignity, and faith. He goes on to speak of the times where women worked at home and obeyed their husbands, where slaves had masters, and where moderation was honorable. I think that society has changed, thank God, and that a life of grace and respect for each other can indeed change the world. “God’s grace has been revealed to save the whole human race.”

Finally in John, Jesus calls disciples to follow him and help him in his ministry to heal, work miracles, and spread the love of God. People did follow Jesus and created a Christian community. That community has continued to this day and is the family into which we have been baptized and called to live and dwell.

The Bible has been called humanity’s love letters to God. It is written by people who want to spread God’s love in the world and to spread the word that God is here for each of us and we are indeed called to spread grace, compassion, and care for each person. The stories we read in our Bible must be interpreted with that Grace which passes all understanding. We are proclaimers of God in this broken world and we need to know that God is with us every step of our life’s way.

May the voice of God, the hand of God, and the love of God touch you in everything that you see, hear, and experience this Lent and always.

MARCH 9

RICHARD KILGORE

Psalms 30, 32, 42 & 43 | Deut. 7:17-26 | Titus 3:1-15 | John 1:43-51 It was pride that changed angels into devils; it is humility that makes men as angels.

– Augustine of Hippo Humility is not thinking less of yourself, it’s thinking of yourself less.

– C. S. Lewis The writer of Titus – maybe Paul, but probably someone writing in his name after Paul’s death – sends this letter to Titus in Crete toward the end of the first century. What little we know of him suggests that he is a model Christian converted by Paul, and a diplomatic one at that. He resolved a crisis in Paul’s relationship with the church at Corinth and helped to convince the church in Jerusalem that uncircumcised gentiles may be included among Christians.

What does the author have to say to us today, here early in the 21st century? What if anything translates well from the rather ambiguous situation of this 1st century church to us? In our pericope today, the author’s concern is not only about the behavior of Christians at Crete and its effect on relations within that church, but also a concern for attracting non believers by the changed behavior of these apparently new Christians who had led disorderly, dissipated lives before their conversion. He wanted to make clear that the behavior of these Christians was due to their conversion and belief, and not simply to the ideas of philosophers of the time who argued for similar behavior based on reason.

The admonitions for Christian behavior - with a few cultural adjustments - may still apply to all of us. While we do not think of ourselves as being “subject to rulers,” we generally would endorse living within the law of the land and working to make changes in it through various means, including peaceful civil disobedience.

His emphasis on unnecessary conflict within the body of Christ and refusing to engage those who stir up trouble for the sake of stirring up trouble is something all of us know about in our daily lives. Everyone has met people who create conflicts wherever they go, seemingly because they enjoy it. (In the online world, you know such people as “trolls”.) And the best way to deal with them is to disengage. On the other hand, I think most of us cherish our ability to have our own opinions and disagree within the church, which may reflect the church’s maturity.

Speaking evil of no one and showing courtesy to everyone – in the church and out – is sometimes difficult for many of us. Blaming others for our problems is as old as Adam and Eve. Gossip is a great temptation, and probably has been since humans have had language. If Paul had written this letter, he may well have cast it in his theology of love. Love as an action rather than as an emotion.

Be with us, O Lord, as we go through this day. Help us to convey your love by being generous to others, showing courtesy to all, and doing some real good today. Help us to disagree without being disagreeable.

Help us to catch ourselves if we are tempted to malicious gossip. And forgive us as your children. For the sake of your only Son Jesus Christ, who lives and reigns with you and the Holy Spirit, one God, now and forever. Amen.

1ST SUNDAY IN LENT

MARCH 10

CHARLIE STOBAUGH

Psalms 63:1-11, 98 & 103 | Deut. 8:1-10 | 1 Cor. 1:17-31 | Mark 2:18-22 “Where is the one who is wise?” Paul asks in 1 Corinthians 1: 1-18. Corinthians trying to make sense of the crucifixion of Christ seemed to be divided into 2 groups. Jews demanded signs and saw the event as a stumbling block. They expected a powerful Messiah, not one shamefully crucified on the cross. Greeks (Gentiles) on the other hand desired wisdom, something of true value to them handed down through the ages. Both were bound to their diverse and very limited understandings of the event by the finite wisdom that all humans can have, and both declared the crucifixion of Christ as “foolishness.”

When we are able to look beyond our limited human and oftentimes prejudiced understanding of the cross and step into God’s miraculous plan for us, we can see that the cross is not foolish at all. In God’s infinite wisdom and power we can see that God is giving us our salvation and teaching us that God’s love has no bounds. What precious gifts are available to us if only we have the willingness to soften our preconceived thoughts, notions, finite knowledge, and interpretations! Paul says that “God’s foolishness is wiser than human wisdom, and God’s weakness is stronger than human strength.” (1 Cor 1:25).

When I thought about this passage in terms of my own life, the lesson to be learned is a powerful one.

When I am truly in relationship with God’s power and strength and I can loosen the hold of whatever finite knowledge I have on any given subject or circumstance, I am able to defer to God’s plan which has much to offer me for my own growth as well as the good for all concerned. When I am in touch with the spiritual depth and substance offered in my relationship with God, the wisdom and power that I can tap into changes my view, my contribution, and often, my temperament. God calls us to be grounded in God so we can walk in confidence, common sense, and a steady and helpful nature. Resting in God’s strength, power, and wisdom provides a solid foundation for our lives and additionally for our relationship with others.

A challenge for all of us is to suspend our limited views and see how we can enhance our understandings.

By considering that through prayer, meditation and conversation with others who have divergent viewpoints, we can bring additional information that will broaden our perceptions and interpretations and bring us closer to what God wants for the greater good of all of us. Perhaps then we will not appear to ourselves, or see others, as being foolish.

Let me see with God’s eyes Let me hear with God’s ears Let me speak with God’s voice And let me love with God’s heart.

MARCH 11

PEGGY CARR

Psalms 41, 44 & 52 | Deut. 8:11-20 | Heb. 2:11-18 | John 2:1-12 On the Episcopal church website, Getting Started on the Way of Love, shows 7 commitments: Turn, Learn, Pray, Worship, Bless, Go, Rest.

Ps. 44: “Happy are the people who help those in need; when trouble hits them, they find God is on hand to help.” Then comes the real cry from the heart for God’s help.

Ps. 52: “I trust in God’s unfailing love for ever and ever.” All we can do is ask forgiveness and a fresh start, knowing God’s love and mercy.

Deut. 8: “Be careful that you do not forget the Lord your God.” If we let it, the past will keep us on the right path for the future. We should remember God’s love.

Hebrews 2: Through suffering, Jesus was perfectly able to do the task God gave Him. John 2: Jesus came to bring something new.

If my mother were alive, today would be her 101st birthday. She and my father were married for 39 years before he had a stroke and died at age 64. Their marriage was one of love and they were both devoted to the church and Our Lord. They always took us to church and Sunday School. We even found a church to attend on vacations. My two siblings and I didn’t always think this needed to be a part of our vacation, but there was no choice. I have her Bible that is full of notes and underlinings. (The italicized words above are from that Bible and all show the love of God and Jesus Christ.) She started her day with Bible readings and devotions, took many classes at her church, taught preschool Sunday School for many years, volunteered at an elementary school helping teach reading to young children, and spent 20 years helping at a nursing home, doing craft projects with elderly women. She taught us so much about love, not with words but with her actions. What a joy it is for me to be able to read her notes in her handwriting and know that she was dedicated to the 7 commitments listed above. I am most blessed to have had a mother (and father) who showed me love and support throughout my life, just as our God does for us each and every day.

MARCH 12

ARDEN SHOWALTER

Psalms 45, 47 & 48 | Deut. 9:4-12 | Heb. 3:1-11 | John 2:13-22 Go! The Way of Love

In reading the Lectionary for this day, and the Episcopal Church “Practices for a Jesus-Centered Life”, a small but powerful word was constantly repeated: Go! Go where? We ask. When? We wonder. We are not prepared, we plead!

The scriptures and Presiding Bishop Michael Curry answer.

Go beyond ourselves! Go into the world! Go, now!

“Then the Lord said to me, Get going!” (Deuteronomy 9:12) “Go, ride out on behalf of truth, humility and righteousness.” (Psalm 45) “No wonder God has blessed you forever.” “Let your strong hand perform awesome deeds.”

(Psalm 45) “Go into the world.

Touch somebody’s life.

Love the Way Jesus loves.

Give the way Jesus gives.

Forgive the way Jesus forgives.

Do justice, have mercy, walk humbly with God. We have been blessed that we might be a blessing.” (Presiding Bishop Michael Curry) “Therefore, brothers and sisters who are partners in the heavenly calling, think about Jesus.”

(Hebrews 3:1) Go beyond ourselves! Go into the world! Go now!

MARCH 13

TERRY DEMLER

Psalms 49, 53 & 119:49-72 | Deut. 9:13-21 | Heb. 3:12-19 | John 2:23-3:15 In Deuteronomy the Lord says to Moses, “I have seen that this people is indeed a stubborn people”. My goodness, some things never change! But I hope that our stubbornness today comes not from turning away from God but becomes more like perseverance, doggedness, determination to do the work He has for us to do. In today’s world there is much work to be done: many hearts to comfort, many smiles to share, many tears to shed. Much strength is needed to lift our neighbors out of poverty, an abundance of love must be given to those who are persecuted for their skin color or the religion they follow, those who are homeless, those who are lost, those who are victimized. Each of us possess God-given skills that will guide us on this journey.

The psalmist in Psalm 119 says that I “will not forget your word”, that I will “walk in his ways”. Most days I find this hard to do. Stopping to focus on others? Giving them our time, energy, and love? Particularly when we see them as undeserving, evil, dirty, or weak? But they are children of God, as we are, and we should not look away. In John’s Gospel we read that Jesus “knew what was in everyone.” Yes, he knows our hearts!

Those unkind thoughts that move through us, the lack of sharing with everyone and anyone – He knows all of that and yet He loves us still. He loves all of his creation and we must deliver that same unselfish love to those in need. For me there is a line in Psalm 49 that sums up my journey – “the meditation of my heart shall be understanding.”

Understanding: sympathetic, generous, compassionate, forgiving, kind, sensitive, responsive.

Lord, let me live these words.

God, we gather tp pray in solidarity with the voiceless and vulnerable. May we speak out and take action. We pray for all who strive with optimism in the face of great injustice and crippling poverty and for those who have abandoned hope. We pray for all who have been forced to flee from violence and injustice, for all who are in danger at sea or on land, and for those who cannot escape the chains of poverty, unemployment, and intimidation. May we stand in solidarity with all who cry out for mercy, justice, and freedom. Amen.

MARCH 14

ANNA PACCONE

Psalms 19, 46, 50, 59 & 60 | Deut. 9:23-10:5 | Heb. 4:1-10 | John 3:16-21 “Let the words of my mouth and the meditation of my heart be acceptable in your sight, O LORD, my rock and my redeemer” Psalm 19:14.

I confess Lent is not my favorite season. As a season of reflection and preparation, Lent can be an austere time in the church calendar, coming just as spring is bursting forth. In today’s readings, however, rather than darkness and penance, I found hope; security in God’s unfailing love, and a reminder that He wants to be in conversation with me.

Reflecting on the readings, I have resolved to make these commitments for the new year: To always start from a place of thankfulness To remember that God offers us second chances, but we must be persistent, be patient, and listen. In Deuteronomy 9:23-10:5 we see that the Israelites have completely and utterly failed to follow God, Moses breaks the Tablets with the 10 Commandments and God turned away from them. Moses prayed and argued with Him for 40 days- FORTY days – before God granted them a second chance at redemption.

To rely on Him when in adversity. “God is our refuge and strength, an ever-present help in trouble…., be still, and know that I am God; ….The Lord Almighty is with us; the God of Jacob is our fortress.” Psalm 46 To embrace God’s love and do my best to reflect it outward in all I do during my time on earth. “For God so loved the world, that he gave his only Son, that whoever believes in him should not perish but have eternal life… But whoever does what is true comes to the light, so that it may be clearly seen that his works have been carried out in God.” John 3:16, 21 The past 4 years have given me lots of opportunities to rely on God in adversity. I have been thankful to be surrounded by people who reflect God’s love outward. I must commit to do the same for others.

MARCH 15

JOHN ELLERMAN

Psalms 40, 51, 54 & 95 | Deut. 10:12-22 | Heb. 4:11-16 | John 3:22-36 “Come, let us sing for joy to the Lord; let us shout aloud to the Rock of our salvation; let us come before him with thanksgiving and extol him with music and song.”

How do you choose to worship God? Do you regularly attend a Sunday service at Saint Michael and All Angels, participating enthusiastically in the liturgy, music, and sharing of bread and wine? Do you attend Sunday School and/or a regular bible study or other group gathering or function with fellow parishioners?

Or, perhaps your preferred choice of worship is more reflective whereby you silently kneel in thoughtful prayer at a selected time and place each day, giving thanks to God for your many blessings and especially the gift of Jesus Christ. Hopefully, many of you participate in all of the above.

The truth is that many forms of worship work if we want to directly communicate with God. Sometimes we become frustrated because God does not immediately answer our prayers. We also become frustrated because we do not think we hear God’s voice acknowledging our prayer. But God does not ignore our prayer – He definitely listens to all of our prayers even though sometimes He elects to remain silent. When God remains silent, how can we hear His voice and respond appropriately? The primary way to hear God speak is to read or hear His spoken word through the Holy Scriptures. God speaks to us in other ways as well, including the teachings of committed Christians or the actions of the Holy Spirit. Through our actions in worship and prayer, we have the opportunity to directly communicate with God and gain in our knowledge of the heavenly kingdom.

Heavenly Father, encourage us to communicate with you directly through frequent and fervent worship and prayer, and to carefully listen for your word and guidance as we follow the path of Jesus, our Savior and Redeemer. Amen.

MARCH 16

TRICIA STEWART

Psalms 55, 138 & 139:1-23 | Deut. 11:18-28 | Heb. 5:1-10 | John 4:1-26 Turn, Learn, Pray, Worship, Bless, Go, Rest – The Way of Love by Bishop Michael Curry Two years ago, during Lent, we went on a pilgrimage to the Holy Land. It was one of the most moving experiences of my life; literally, life changing. I will never read nor hear scripture the same way again.

Walking the same path as Jesus and his disciples makes all the scriptures come alive.

We visited Jacob’s well in Nablus, about halfway between Nazareth to the north and Jerusalem to the south.

It was amazing to be in the same place as Joseph and his brothers, and Jesus and the Samaritan woman centuries later. So much history, so powerful.

Our charge from Bishop Curry this Lent is to walk “the way of love”. The story of Jesus visiting the Samaritan woman at the well is all about love. Jesus doesn’t just happen to go through Samaria, he chooses to do so.

Jesus meets the Samaritan woman to teach us. Samaritans and Jews did not get along. Moreover, it was not acceptable for a woman to casually talk to a man. Jesus breaks both these boundaries to teach us about love and acceptance. Jesus asks for a drink of water and then offers “living water.” The woman misunderstands at first, thinking that He is referring to flowing water. When Jesus explains that the water he will give will be a “spring of water gushing up to eternal life,” she asks for this water. During their conversation, Jesus reveals himself to her as the Messiah and she goes directly back to the city, leaving her water jar, to tell her people to “Come and see.” She leaves her daily life for abundant life and wants to share this revelation with her people. We have the opportunity to turn as the Samaritan woman did when she opened her heart to learn from Jesus and his words. We are charged with loving, blessing, all people, especially those who are seemingly different from us. She hears Jesus words of love and goes to spread the news of the Messiah. She is one of the first evangelists!

Dear Heavenly Father, May we learn from Jesus and the Samaritan woman to love one another despite our differences; to leave our daily life for abundant life; and to proclaim, “Come and see.”

Amen.

2ND SUNDAY IN LENT

MARCH 17

GREG PICKENS

Psalms 8, 24, 29 & 84 | Jer. 1:1-10 | 1 Cor. 3:11-23 | Mark 3:31-4:9 Have you ever found yourself in a hard place of your own making; those hurt the worst, right? We enthusiastically launch a new endeavor and the launch is glorious. However, it does not take long for life to intervene. We become distracted: deadlines slip, promises go unkept, relationships become strained, and then it seems like we are powerless to retrieve what began so well.

Saint Paul started the church in the ancient city of Corinth and in his first letter to that congregation he asked the same question that business owners ask of their managers and parents ask of their children, “What were you thinking?!” Paul left that city with his new church champing at the bit in the knowledge and love of Christ. They were excited about their faith and taking on the challenges every faith community faces. But something had gone awry; the people had allowed themselves to stray from Paul’s firm instructions. Why? Paul understood full well what happened. We do not talk about this much but we all know that life’s slings and arrows can hurt us to our very core. Each sting, it seems, prompts us to take steps to protect ourselves by creating a covering over our heart to keep us from hurt. It’s not so much at first – just a glaze really.

Nevertheless, as time goes by, layer after layer of that heart-covering is laid down. This continues until our hearts are hardened and we notice that we no longer feel the same about our lives, our church, or our God. In Corinth, the people allowed themselves to become callous toward one another until it disrupted the healthy function of that church.

This is not what the Lord has planned for the people of God. A hardened heart keeps us from experiencing the wonder and excitement of the Lord and creation. Part of the reason we gather week after week as a faith community is to combat life’s calcifying effects on our hearts. Saint Michael and All Angels celebrates the Word and sacraments as a reminder to God’s people that whatever is in front of us, the Lord walks with us.

Lent is a time of rediscovery: a time and space cleared to remember and confess our sin, to pledge a straighter walk with Thee, and to be clear about our place in the created order. This can sound so harsh to our modern ears but in the wonderful economy of God, this season and these practices encourage us to call upon the Lord, to remember God’s love for us, and to draw the strength we need to go into the world to be the hands and feet of Christ. This week we are invited to push the reset button on our lives; to crack open that shell that may have formed around our hearts and remember what is important in our lives.

MARCH 18

LOWELL DUNCAN

Psalms 56, 57, 64 & 65 | Jer. 1:11-19 | Rom. 1:1-15 | John 4:27-42 In a quick synopsis of today’s readings, God tells Jeremiah to warn the Israelites that Jerusalem and their culture will be destroyed, and that the people won’t like it; Paul thanks the Christians in Rome for their faithfulness and wishes he could be with them to preach the gospel; Jesus tells the story of how the woman after talking with him at the well returned to her city telling everyone about Jesus and wondering if he was the Messiah; and, we hear through several Psalms God’s faithfulness in the face of adversity.

A theme that seems to be woven through these scripture readings is how people, all from different stations of life, were tapped to proclaim God’s word to His people, whether they wanted to hear it or not. Jeremiah, God’s appointed prophet, was given the unenviable task of foretelling the destruction of the holy city and enslavement of the Israelites. God tells Jeremiah, “They will fight against you…But you, gird up your loins; stand up and tell them everything that I command you. Do not break down before them…”

Paul, in his letter to the Romans, described himself as “a servant of Jesus Christ, called to be an apostle…”

He traveled throughout the country preaching the gospel and bringing Christ to all people, Jew and Gentile alike. He was the Billy Graham of his day; well known, an authority in the new, growing church, and he lamented the fact that he had not been able “to proclaim the gospel to you also who are in Rome.”

While Jeremiah and Paul had Godly credentials, the woman Jesus met at the well did not. She was a Samaritan with a questionable character – she had had five husbands and was living at the time with a man who was not her husband. And yet, after talking with Jesus, she went to town, told Jesus’ story, and, as the scripture says, “Many Samaritans from that city believed in him because of the woman’s testimony.”

As illustrated in today’s readings, throughout history God has called on the “high and mighty” to the “lowly and disenfranchised” to deliver his messages. We are no exception today. God wants and expects us to carry His messages. Each day, we have an opportunity to be a voice with others so that they and we can see the glory of God. It may be uncomfortable, intimidating, and even threatening at times. Messages about poverty, injustice, and prejudice probably won’t be received well, while messages of hope, promise, compassion, and love will be embraced.

Whatever message we are asked to carry, we can take comfort in the Psalmist’s words, “when I am afraid, I put my trust in you.” (Psm 56) “God will send forth his steadfast love and his faithfulness.” (Psm 57) “People will say ‘Surely there is a reward for the righteous.” (Psm 58) “Let the righteous rejoice in the Lord and take refuge in him.” (Psm 64) “Happy are those whom you choose and bring near to live in your courts.” (Psm 65)

MARCH 19

CELISE STEPHENSON

Psalms 61, 62 & 68:1-36 | Jer. 2:1-13 | Rom. 1:1-15 | John 4:27-42 The word Selah appears in Psalms and Habakkuk, in literature, poetry, and reggae. Selah is a musical direction, probably, that tells us when to raise our voices or lift up our hearts, but its precise definition is unknown. My favorite translation is “pause, and think of that.”

“Unless you people see signs and wonders… you will never believe.”

I laughed, because it is rude by modern standards to say “you people” to people who don’t know they are family. I laughed again, with a twinge of guilt, because I don’t have enough belief to score a point without a miracle.

Is it possible these words are not a rebuke but a statement of fact, like a relational equation of matter to energy or a description of how light bulbs work? What if signs and wonders are built into the physical universe, like bookends, to frame, illuminate, and catalyze a spiritual evolution too big and ineffable to take in all at once? I paused and thought about that.

“They had seen… for they had been there.”

I know a preacher who exhorts his flock to Show Up. To buoy my belief, I show up at family gatherings and ask for directions to signs and wonders. You people tell me I’m like a fish in the ocean looking for water, and that I swim in a sea of miracles.

I wonder how it feels to heal or to be healed. Is it like gazing at the ceiling of the Sistine Chapel? Is it like passing through a liminal point where infinity crosses over itself? Will I know a miracle when I see one?

I was there the day my beloved mother Evelyn died. I held her hand and witnessed her crossing over. Many friends and relatives whom I had not seen in ages showed up for her burial, including my cousin Wayne. He and I are bookends, the oldest and the youngest, of a wide generation. My nephew and his wife showed up with their infant daughter Evie. My teenage son Leo and baby Evie are bookends, too, not by generation, but as living namesakes of my dead parents.

Leo was nervous and reluctant to hold a baby for the first time, but he agreed after some persuasion and reassurance and directions. I handed her over, and watched my son’s face transfigure. He softened and glowed.

He breathed, “She’s so tiny!” He showed me all her fingers curled around one of his. I marveled at his perfect face as he adored his beloved cousin. I was held in suspension, keenly aware that I am both living and dying always, sparked at the crossroads by the finger of God. We are created to raise our voices in song and to lift up our hearts in the face of signs and wonders. We need time to pause and take it all in, before we go out again, trying to get to the center of it all, looking to find Jesus, while swimming in the hidden Christ. …“When you get out there in your churches, people are going to come looking for Jesus. And all they’re going to get is you. You better think about that.” (Your Untold Story, Tales of a Child of God by Jack Owensby)

MARCH 20

ERIC LILES

Psalms 72 & 119:73-96 | Jer. 3:6-18 | Rom. 1:28-2:11 | John 5:1-18 The first time I remember really taking in the words of Psalm 72 was connected with the theatrical release of “The Lord of the Rings: The Return of the King.” I previously read the powerful novel of Tolkien, and enjoyed the first two films of the trilogy. The people of Middle Earth are desperately waiting for a leader who can help them to overcome darkness and despair (of their own making and from foreign forces). They are waiting in expectation for a leader to usher in a new and better way of life. As Aragorn returns home to take his rightful place on the throne of Gondor, there is a sense that finally all will be made right.

Psalm 72 is a prayer for guidance and support of the king of Israel, specifically for Solomon. “Give the King your justice, O God, and your righteousness to the King’s Son; That he may rule your people righteously and the poor with justice; That the mountains may bring prosperity to the people, and the little hills bring righteousness. He shall defend the needy among the people; he shall rescue the poor and crush the oppressor.” This psalm expresses with beautiful poetic language petitions for long life and victory over enemies.

I love this psalm because it reminds us both of a previous time, and looks forward to the future. Like the people of Middle Earth, we too are desperately waiting for a leader who can help us to overcome darkness and despair. We remember the reign of David, with forty years of peace and prosperity for God’s people. We remember the reign of Solomon, wise king who built God’s temple. We look forward to the return of our true king, Jesus Christ, who will come again in power and great glory.

I appreciate living in a democratic country, but I also wonder if our exaggerated sense of personal freedom prevents us from living in the true freedom of God’s kingdom. Most of us have not had the opportunity to live under the rule of a king, and most of us I venture to guess, don’t really want to live under a monarch, even if we really do still get wrapped up in royal weddings! Psalm 72 though, speaks of a different type of king. It reminds us of a vision of God as our king, where the world as we know it is completely transformed.

In The Way of Love, our Presiding Bishop Michael Curry reminds us that every day, like a flower, we are to turn in the direction of the Son – to turn towards Jesus. When I turn towards Jesus, and follow him as my king, my orientation allows me to continue becoming the person God is calling me to be. May you find your loyalty to Christ as your King strengthened, may you continue turning towards the Son for light, life, and hope, and may God bless us as we seek to experience God’s kingdom on earth, even as it is in heaven.

MARCH 21

MARY JOHNSON

Psalms 70, 71 & 74 | Jer. 4:9-10, 19-28 | Rom. 2:12-24 | John 5:19-29 As I study this text, I am reminded of a song I sang as a child…”Jesus Loves Me” by Anna Bartlett Warner. A line from the song is “Jesus loves me this I know, For the Bible tells me so.” As a child, I loved Jesus for no reason other than I knew he loved me. As I grew up, I had a few questions and found some answers in this scripture. Here, Jesus is defending himself and explaining God’s love, honor, God’s blessings, judgement, the resurrection, and spiritual life.

So let’s look at the text. Jesus, the Son, begins with the words “Very Truly I say to you.” He says these words several times in this scripture, indicating to me that what follows is important. It is here that he begins by answering the Jews who persecuted him for healing a crippled man on the Sabbath.

At the same time, Jesus clarifies his relationship to God and his claim that God is his Father, that he is the “Son.” He continues by explaining what he does and why he works on the Sabbath. He says he can do what the Father does because the Father gave him the ability and the gifts (to include granting eternal life, raising the dead, and judgement both now and on the last day). It is important to understand that a person can only act with authority when given the right to do so by the one that has that right. In this case God the Father gave the authority to the Son. Jesus continues by explaining he worked on the Sabbath because God was working. He tells them that his Father, God is always working, and he, the Son is working too. What Jesus is saying is he was working because God was working and he will continue to do God’s work even if it means working on the Sabbath. In other words, he is claiming to be God’s equal, and the Jews are furious.

Jesus also explains that we are to honor the Son just as we honor the Father. He says that whoever does not honor the Son does not honor the Father who sent him. With this, Jesus is saying that the love and honor given to God must be given to the Son because the Son was sent by God to do his work.

Jesus explains that he is the one that will judge. He says that the Father does not judge anyone, but has entrusted all judgment to the Son. “Very truly I tell you, whoever hears my word and believes him who sent me has eternal life and will not be judged but has crossed over from death to life.” Jesus is telling us those that believe in God will not be judged but have eternal life.

It is important to know that God does the greatest miracle by his resurrection power when he raises Jesus from the dead.

Jesus also gives life like his Father and gives spiritual life to sinners who are spiritually dead.

Jesus goes on to describe an urgency and says that the time has arrived—and it is now! When those that are dead will hear the voice of the Son of God and, those that hear, will come alive…I think there are (at least) two possible interpretations. The first being the literal sense that those that have died that believed will hear the voice of the Son of God and will come alive on the last day. The other is the people that are dead spiritually, when the voice of the Son of God is spoken and they hear and believe they will become spiritually alive.

Question: How does Jesus know what he is doing? The answer is that God loved him and showed him all that he (God) was doing.

As I reflected on the scripture the analogy came to me. When Jesus came the first time he was the Savior. When he comes again, he will Judge “the living and the dead.” I believe my faith is strong–will I be ready? …”Jesus Loves Me this I know.”

MARCH 22

Psalms 69:1-38, 73 & 95 | Jer. 5:1-9 | Rom. 2:25-3:18 | John 5:30-47 Psalm 95:1-7 O come, let us sing to the Lord; let us make a joyful noise to the rock of our salvation!

Let us come into his presence with thanksgiving; let us make a joyful noise to him with songs of praise!

For the Lord is a great God, and a great King above all gods.

In his hand are the depths of the earth; the heights of the mountains are his also.

The sea is his, for he made it, and the dry land, which his hands have formed.

O come, let us worship and bow down, let us kneel before the Lord, our Maker!

For he is our God, and we are the people of his pasture, and the sheep of his hand.

O that today you would listen to his voice!

Today make a joyful noise to the Lord!

You are invited to write your own meditation in the space below on the readings for today or your experience of making a joyful noise.

MARCH 23

NELL ANNE HUNT

Psalms 23, 27, 75 & 76 | Jer. 5:20-31 | Rom. 3:19-31 | John 7:1-13 The Twenty-Third Psalm is everyone’s favorite.

Having memorized it as a child, it has come to my rescue many times during my lifetime. Especially when I am scared, or failing, or find myself without any place to turn. It bursts out from the depths of my heart: The Lord is my shepherd. I shall not want.

He makes me lie down in green pastures.

He leads me beside the still waters.

It is like God is throwing me a life preserver straight from heaven or throwing water on the fire that is about to consume me. “Oh, yes,” I tell myself. God is there. He’s not asleep on the job. He knows what I’m up against, and he really does care about me and about every other person. He is the ultimate multitasker, and it is always about good. The Good Shepherd, at any given time, is only a prayer away.

So during Lent, I want to pass this unconditional love on to others. I want to be the conduit who gives a darn about the immigrant children on our border, the teachers who are struggling in our ever-burgeoning Title 1 schools, the lady in front of me at Target who is buying children’s clothes and has her credit card turned down, the policewoman in the frigid cold who is trying to direct traffic without gloves, and the Jubilee staff who fight the good fight against poverty and hunger and violence every single day.

Sometimes in my cynicism and despair, I think that evil has run amuck in our wonderful country. How I rejoice when I see the signs in schools and on fences and in remote places that say the simple words, “Be Kind.” It’s a straightforward, poignant way to fight the bullying, name calling, racism, and pure meanness which has permeated our country.

An Irish Proverb says, “‘It is in the shelter of each other that people live.” This Lent, let us all find ways to be the shelter of all of God’s children. Don’t be afraid or timid. Speak out for goodness.

“My time has not yet come, but your time is always here” John 7:6 Dear God, you have given us voices to speak and hearts to care. Where there is injustice or distress or suffering, give us the wisdom to know how to help, the words to use, and the courage to be the hands and feet of Jesus in this world. In the name of Jesus Christ, we pray. Amen.

3RD SUNDAY IN LENT

MARCH 24

ALLISON LILES

Psalms 34, 93 & 96 | Jer. 6:9-15 | 1 Cor. 6:12-20 | Mark 5:1-20 The Jeremiah text for today features a conference between the prophet and God. God is once again angry and disappointed, doubting there is even a single person in Jerusalem who acts justly. God offers the Israelites gentle nudges toward correct behavior, but nothing changes. God’s presence is made known to them, but nothing changes. Jeremiah begs God to let him go speak to these senseless people, because surely deep down they know the way of the Lord. But God isn’t so sure that they do.

Is it possible that a person can stray too far from God? Jeremiah knows that it’s impossible. Though we, like the Israelites, may forget God and commit indefensible sins, God will never abandon us. And thank goodness! We need God’s help resisting the powers of sin and evil. We need God’s help turning toward the way of love.

Lent is the ideal time to turn away from behavior that interferes with our relationship with God. In the invitation to observing a holy Lent offered on Ash Wednesday, we are reminded that this is the season in which “those who, because of notorious sins, had been separated from the body of the faithful were reconciled by penitence and forgiveness, and restored to the fellowship of the Church” (BCP pp. 264-5).

Lent is the season for self-examination and repentance. Today, spend time naming the powers of sin in your life that you need to turn away from. What needs confessing? What needs changing? What spiritual practices could help you turn toward God? Pause, listen, and choose to follow God. These are ways of implementing the Way of Love’s spiritual practice “turn” into your life.

O God, whose glory it is always to have mercy: Be gracious to all who have gone astray from your ways, and bring them again with penitent hearts and steadfast faith to embrace and hold fast the unchangeable truth of your Word, Jesus Christ your Son; who with you and the Holy Spirit lives and reigns, one God, for ever and ever. Amen.

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A Collect for the Second Sunday of Lent, Book of Common Prayer, p. 218

MARCH 25

CAROLINE MARAK

Psalms 77, 79 & 80 | Jer. 7:1-15 | Rom. 4:1-12 | John 7:14-36 What do we all yearn for as we walk our path of life? Deep down at the core, we want to be treated fairly, we want to be successful, and we pray to utilize our life for the goodness that God has set before us. How do we get there? How do we travel this journey?

In Psalm 77, Asaph cries out to God in his time of distress. Like many of us, he laments in wonder of all of the ways that God could have forgotten him during the hard times that he is going through. We, like Asaph, wrestle with outside voices of fear and doubt allowing them to enter into the psyche that, in the end, should keep us strong. At points like these, we must remember as Asaph in verses 14 and 15, “Oh God, your way is holy, what great god is there like our God? You are the God who works wonders; among the peoples you have made known your power.� As we remember and allow God to restore our faith in Him, He will make way for our safety through times of transition.

It is hard for us at times to really rest in the Lord. Like, really hard. As human beings, we naturally want to have control over our circumstances. Seeing a path that is clearly laid for us is difficult because at times that path is hard to find. In this season of Lent, I pray that we all take time to listen. The benefits of creating moments of silence are unbelievable. When we make time to listen and pray about what God is trying to do in our lives, He fills our hearts with peace, direction and a renewed spirit.

MARCH 26

MELINDA ARCHER

Psalms 78:1-72 | Jer. 7:21-34 | Rom. 4:13-25 | John 7:37-52 The Gospel of John, far more than the other three, presents Jesus as the Lord of all creation, the divine Son of God. Perhaps the reason for John’s different perspective of Jesus’ identity is that almost a generation of time had passed since the others were written, and the author developed an even more profound faith.

I’ve always been intrigued by one verse in this passage: “Can anything good come out of Galilee?” Jesus was in Jerusalem for the annual Feast of Booths and His detractors used His hometown’s shady and backwater reputation as just cause to arrest Him. And for the past 2000 years, this same pattern of human thought has permeated much of history. Individuals and entire groups of people have been judged and scorned because other groups disliked or feared their places of origin.

In the past two millennia human society has developed significantly in terms of knowledge and sophistication. We like to assume that ancient prejudices are no longer part of our existence. In reality, we are often kidding ourselves. We need to look no further than the Holocaust, the Civil Rights movement, and the endless incidents of racial profiling and ethnic cleansing in our recent history to realize that we’ve judged others simply because of origin in exactly the same way.

Isn’t it time for us as Christians and true believers of the gospel message of tolerance and compassion, to shed these irrational prejudices and educate others to do the same? I’ve been blessed to travel to many countries, some of which have been cursed with poor reputations by travel and tourism industries. And yet, I have met people of immense kindness and character in so many of these places. Human goodness and decency are prevalent everywhere, regardless of where or how a person grew up. As we each make our Christian journey, let us embrace those from all walks and locations and recognize their innate value as human beings.

Amen.

MARCH 27

BOB JOHNSTON

Psalms 81, 82 & 119:97-102 | Jer. 8:18-9:6 | Rom. 5:1-11 | John 8:12-20 Lent can be heavy. After all, we come out of Ash Wednesday reflecting on our mortality and we take a deep dive examining our sins and brokenness. Further still, we walk with Jesus knowing the path leads to Jerusalem and his death. Yet, its purpose is to not get us down in darkness but to help us grow and find a deeper place—deeper in a way that will allow us to bring more of Jesus’ love and life into our own lives and those around us. Admittedly, however, the heaviness of it can tempt us into darkness.

Here, we must remember the difference between darkness in our soul and, simply, walking through a dark place. This is even more important if we are already walking through a challenging place of hurt. Our readings today remind us that Jesus is the Light of the World (John 8:12), and that calls to mind, from the opening chapter of John, that the darkness has not overcome it (John 1:5). We are also reminded in our readings that we are not going to walk in darkness (John 8:12). At the same time, we do walk through dark places, but it is not darkness to us because God is there with us. He will never leave us. Indeed, our passage from Romans reminds us of how much God loves us and how he has proved his love in dying for us while we were yet sinners (Romans 5:8). We are reminded that we stand by grace and, in that, we know that we cannot lose God’s favor from a lack of achievement because it has never been about that. We walk in light even as we walk through a dark place.

We also know that God can use the dark place to bring about good. The Romans passage reminds us that even suffering committed to God brings about hope (Romans 5:4-5). A few chapters later in Romans, Paul will say that all things work for good for those who love God and are called according to His purposes (Romans 8:28). The secret is to hold to Him and surrender the moment to Him for His use.

As we continue our Lenten journey, let us remember that this journey is meant to bring us closer to God who is the Light of the World, who will never leave us, who loves us, and who uses even suffering to strengthen hope – if we let Him.

MARCH 28

NANCY SOMODEVILLA

Psalms 42, 43, 83, 85 & 86 | Jer. 10:11-24 | Rom. 5:12-21 | John 8:21-32 Do you all love to dance? I love music and dancing as they touch my heart and soul. The meditations for today seem to me to be a dance from the beginnings of humanity in the Bible story to the saving of humanity throughout the New Testament by the grace and love of God in the person of Jesus.

Romans speaks of Adam and his sin. I believe that sin is anything that separates us from God, it can be many things. The story is told that Adam and Eve were living in a garden in the presence of God but they sought knowledge and independence over a close relationship with God. Frederick Buechner sums up the story this way: “We are created to serve God by loving him and each other in freedom and joy, but we invariably choose bondage and woe instead as prices NOT too high to pay for independence. To say that God drove Adam and Eve out of Eden is apparently a euphemism for saying that Adam and Eve like the rest of us made a break for it as soon as God happened to look the other way. If God really wanted to get rid of us, the chances are he wouldn’t have kept hounding us every step of the way ever since.” Wishful Thinking Jeremiah speaks of the wonder of creation which was a gift from the True God not the gods who are petty and vain, brutish and stupid. The True God created the heavens, roaring waters, clouds and thunder, lightning and wind. The author states that golden idols are but a delusion compared to the creation of the heavens and the earth.

The psalms speak of humans yearning for God, thirsting for the presence of God. “In the daytime God sends his faithful love and even at night; the song that it inspires in me is a prayer to my loving God.” Independence comes at a cost; relationships bring a great reward. As a college student I couldn’t wait for the independence from my parents. Our family was close, loving, and fun, but I wanted to be on my own here in Dallas at SMU. My parents planned a European holiday for the family but I was too cool to go to France with my brother, Mom, and Dad. I wanted to wait to go with friends. They had so much fun; my high school brother partied everywhere and I got to see pictures. My family loved me enough to forgive me and keep inviting me home.

John has Jesus speaking to his disciples and the people to whom he is teaching, “If you make my word your home you will indeed be my disciples; you will come to know the truth, and the truth will set you free.” God never gives up on us and calls us to be in community with each other and with God in peace, love, mercy and grace. Our dance continues every day of our life with God and humankind. This is the gift of God for the people of God; let us rejoice and be glad in this.

MARCH 29

RALPH COUSINS

Psalms 88, 91, 92 & 95 | Jer. 11:1-18, 14-20 | Rom. 6:1-11 | John 8:33-47 Stop. Before you read any further, read and re-read Psalm 91, v. 9 – 16.

The psalmist wrote to assure Israel that Yahweh would keep them safe through all trials IF they put their trust in him and tried to live faithfully in accord with Yahweh’s will.

In our home, I guess like most Episcopalians, “Jesus speak” does not come easily. Yet, there are some moments when the presence of the Holy Spirit is almost palpable. These are thin places as the Irish call them. Places where the veil between this world and the Divine is sheer, if not transparent, then opaque.

Places where the presence of the Divine is eerily unmistakable. For me Sewanee is one of those places.

Thunder and lightning in the dark of night. There are hymns that give me goosebumps. I often get wet-eyed in the Eucharist. Those are ineffable moments. Experiences better felt than described.

As I write this in mid-February, we are once again donning our armor to do battle with cancer. However, will angels bear us up? Will no scourge come near? Need we fear the lion and the adder? Have we, in fact, made the Lord our refuge? Is our faith sufficient to trust God? It has become our custom to read this Psalm as we drive to surgeries. We find it comforting and centering.

“With long life I will satisfy them, and show them my salvation.”

In the cold, almost dawn, a car can be a thin place.

Such a message is timeless. It would have served Israel well during David’s reign, when Israel was beset by many enemies. It would have served them well during the Babylonian Exile, when only the eyes of faith could see the possibility that they would ever again see Jerusalem. It would have served them well when King Cyrus of Persia defeated Babylon and freed Israelites to return to Jerusalem and rebuild the city, where they found a ruined city and were faced with many enemies.

There are thin places as the Irish call them. Places where the veil between this world and the Divine is thin.

There are “thin places.”

MARCH 30

RENÉ SOMODEVILLA

Psalms 87, 90 & 136 | Jer. 13:1-11 | Rom. 6:12-23 | John 8:47-59 It would be easier if we had no freedom to make decisions between two choices. We would simply love God and that’s it!

Would that be true love, one without strings attached? No, because true love is the love we choose to share with others and with God. Free will to love, or not to love, to choose God’s ways or not. Such was the situation with Israel and Judah during the time of Jeremiah. God chose both houses to cling to Him, but they chose otherwise. Now God uses the image of a ruined loincloth as an example of that broken relationship.

Paul, in his letter to the Romans, sets up his upcoming trip to the capital of the Roman Empire. The issue at hand is whether being under the Mosaic Law, or the Law of Grace, is the way to be close to God as His people. Having been slaves to sin, now the people have a choice to be obedient to righteousness after being freed through Jesus Christ. The end result of choosing grace is eternal life.

The Jews presented today in the reading of the Gospel of John cannot begin to believe, much less understand, Jesus’ words about who He is. Jesus says that if we keep His words, we will never see death.

The Jews think of the physical death in this life, but Jesus is speaking of the spiritual life and eternal life.

Their minds are made up, and they cannot consider another possibility, other than the one the Mosaic Law gives them.

As we look at these options, it is imperative that we answer these questions: How are we set on ideas that are not of God? How can we explain our relationship to God? Who would we say that Jesus is to us?

4TH SUNDAY IN LENT

MARCH 31

ELIZABETH LANG

Psalms 19, 46, 66 & 67 | Jer. 14:1-9, 17-22 | Gal. 4:21-5:1 | Mark 8:11-21 Jeremiah 14:9 “Why should you be like someone confused, like a mighty warrior who cannot give help?

Yet you, O Lord, are in the midst of us, and we are called by your name; do not forsake us!”

Many stories in the Old Testament portray an Abraham or a Moses interceding on behalf of people. They ask God to be just, merciful, or full of steadfast love since it is God’s nature to be all of those. These stories are dramatic ways to remind people that by nature God is just, merciful, faithful, and loving. Thus, Jeremiah is asking God’s people to remember whose they are and to know that God is with them.

Mark 8:11-21 The disciples in Mark’s passage are confused. They forget and they remember. They are open to learning, and they have “hardened hearts,” which is not so much a lack of empathy or emotion as a failure to “get it.” A comparison with the Pharisees at the beginning of the story, however, indicates that there is hope for the followers of Jesus. The story begins with religious leaders who are intent on arguing with, testing, and opposing Jesus. They want to win a debate rather than to engage in enlightening discussion. Later in a boat seeing his followers’ confusion, Jesus asks, “Why are you talking about having no bread? Do you still not perceive or understand? . . . Do you not remember? When I broke the five loaves for the five thousand, how many baskets full of broken pieces did you collect? They said to him, ‘Twelve.’ And the seven for the four thousand, how many baskets full of broken pieces did you collect? And they said to him, ‘Seven.’ Then he said to them, ‘Do you still not understand?’ The disciples’ bewilderment is the beginning of their journey to wisdom. If they still do not understand and have yet to comprehend, they may “get it” in the future.

It is the same with us. In case you still do not understand, the background to this incident includes two major feeding stories and a lot of journeys in a boat which crosses boundaries between Jewish and Gentile territory. The story of twelve baskets of extra food is the narrative in which the Jews are fed first. The later account with seven baskets of broken bread left over feeds the Gentiles. All – insiders and outsiders -- are given an amazing amount of food. This is the messianic banquet.

Do you understand? When you notice that you do not “get” a story or teaching but are open to insight, you are on the way. You have room to receive. If you begin to see no boundaries to abundant grace, no distinctions between insiders and outsiders to God’s love, then you “get it.” To follow through, remember whose you are and proclaim God’s love by word and deed. When you fail (not if), repent and return to the Lord. There is abundant grace for that too.

Most faithful God, you are in the midst of us and we are called by your Name. We ask that our confusion become an opportunity to receive understanding. Let our trust in you cross boundaries. Give us courage to risk love, secure in the abundance of your loving-kindness. Amen.

APRIL 1

LISA MUSSER

Psalm 89:1-52 | Jer. 16:10-21 | Rom. 7:1-12 | John 6:1-5 Five loaves. Two fish. That is all it took to feed the 5,000. It doesn’t seem possible, yet this miracle is where we find ourselves on this first day of April. The phrase that caught my attention upon this study was, “When they were satisfied.” I’ve thought about that for a while now and wonder what that must have looked and felt like.

The crowd had been following Jesus and they were both physically and spiritually hungry. Jesus was taking care of both needs in this miraculous event. They ate until they were full – satisfied. And after witnessing the miracle, they know that Jesus is the one who would fulfill their Messianic expectations – satisfied.

But what happens when they get hungry again? What happens when Jesus retreats to the mountain and the crowd can’t have him as their king? What would you do? You keep seeking and searching until you are satisfied… right?

As part of the Way of Love, we are seeking and searching for something more than just being satisfied. We are looking for a wholeness to life as a disciple, as a Jesus follower. In this reading, Jesus gives us an early example of the Eucharistic meal. He takes the bread, gives thanks over the bread, and then distributes it to all present. We do the same when we gather for Holy Communion. We take, thank, break, and eat – all in remembrance of what Jesus did. Worship is one of the seven practices of the Way of Love and as members or friends of Saint Michael and All Angels it is a vital part of our life together.

“When we worship, we gather with others before God. We hear the Good News of Jesus Christ, give thanks, confess, and offer the brokenness of the world to God. As we break bread, our eyes are opened to the presence of Christ. By the power of the Holy Spirit, we are made one body, the body of Christ sent forth to live the Way of Love.”¹ As you move throughout your day today, I want you to reflect on the satisfaction you receive from worship.

Is it the inspirational music or perhaps the words proclaimed from the pulpit that satisfy you? Or maybe it is the moment you have your outstretched hands filled with Christ’s body? Is it all of the above? Or are you still seeking and searching for a greater wholeness? Know that there is a place for all of God’s children to worship and be satisfied.

[1] https://www.episcopalchurch.org/files/documents/way_of_love_introduction.pdf

APRIL 2

SUSAN KALEN

Psalms 94, 95, 97, 99 & 100 | Jer. 17:19-27 | Rom. 7:13-25 | John 6:16-27 Psalm 100 tells us that we are God’s creation, the sheep of his pasture, who are promised his enduring love forever. Jeremiah 17 speaks of The Law, to keep the Sabbath holy, to rest from our work just as God did. The Romans passage considers our humanity and the war within us. Even though our mind wants to do the right thing, the world draws us away from our heart’s desire.

How can I do what my mind wants to do? I need a guide, a shepherd, a helper, a savior. Our guide for life is scripture, from which we can learn about God’s plan for our abundant life. As we prepare for Easter and meditate on God’s gift of salvation as delivered by Jesus’ passion, we are reminded of God’s enduring love promised to us. What are we to do with a priceless gift given to us in great love? Accept it with gratitude, write a very expressive thank you note, and tell everyone about it.

We can accept the gift of Jesus, turn from our worldly ways, daily pray our praises and thanksgivings for his gift and for his help in following him. We can study his guide book, the Bible, to learn how to follow him.

We are called to worship him together so that we may encourage each other along the way. As we worship together, we encourage one another and bless one another. What do we do with this wonderful gift? We can go into our workplaces, our schools, our families, and our neighborhoods as a living thank you note. We can love the Lord our God with all our heart, mind, and soul and love our neighbors as ourselves.

In John 6, right after the feeding of the 5,000, Jesus retreated to the mountaintop. When evening came, his disciples took a boat and set out from Tiberias to Capernaum – about 8 miles. The boats they used were sailboats – about 26 feet long with one sail. But a fierce storm caused them to row. They had rowed about 3.5 miles when they saw Jesus walking near their boat. The darkness of night and fear kept them from recognizing him until he called to them – when they “heard” his voice, they could see him and welcomed him into their boat. At once, they were at Capernaum. Jesus walks on water, calms the storm, calls to his disciples, and gets them to their destination in his perfect timing. He will do the same for us.

So as we prepare for Easter, let’s set aside some time alone with God each day to meditate on His Word and his great love for us in giving his only Son to pay the price for all sin and raising him from the dead so that many might know his love and his offer of eternal life. All we have to do is believe. Let us commit to following him and making him the central focus of our lives.

APRIL 3

WARREN HOUSER

Psalms 101, 109:1-30, 119:121-144 | Jer. 18:1-11 | Rom. 8:1-11 | John 6:27-40 When I received the email link to select the day for the meditation I would be writing, I was faced with choosing from almost forty days of readings. Feeling overwhelmed and short on time, I said a quick prayer asking God to help guide me to the day he wanted me to write about. I chose the reading for today without reading the verses. I have been extremely busy recently, and unable to really focus on finishing the writing until the day the meditation was due. I had to attend a memorial service for a lifelong family friend the same day and knew after I took my parents to the airport following the service, I would have time to devote to finish the writing. At the beginning of the service, the priest asked the congregation to bow our heads and pray silently. After I prayed for the family and friends mourning the loss, and said thanks for the gift of her presence in my life, I asked God to send His Holy Spirit to me today to give me the words to write the meditation. A few moments later in the service when they read the reading from Romans 8 (the same chapter on which I would be writing), I knew my prayers were being answered.

The Apostle Paul wrote Romans to explain that salvation is offered through the gospel of Jesus Christ. In Romans 8, he said, “There is therefore now no condemnation for those who are in Christ Jesus. For the law of the Spirit of life in Christ Jesus has set you free from the law of sin and of death. For God has done what the law, weakened by the flesh, could not do: by sending his own Son in the likeness of sinful flesh, and to deal with sin, he condemned sin in the flesh, so that the just requirement of the law might be fulfilled in us, who walk not according to the flesh but according to the Spirit. For those who live according to the flesh set their minds on the things of the flesh, but those who live according to the Spirit set their minds on the things of the Spirit. To set the mind on the flesh is death, but to set the mind on the Spirit is life and peace. For this reason the mind that is set on the flesh is hostile to God; it does not submit to God’s law—indeed it cannot, and those who are in the flesh cannot please God. But you are not in the flesh; you are in the Spirit, since the Spirit of God dwells in you. Anyone who does not have the Spirit of Christ does not belong to him. But if Christ is in you, though the body is dead because of sin, the Spirit is life because of righteousness. If the Spirit of him who raised Jesus from the dead dwells in you, he who raised Christ from the dead will give life to your mortal bodies also through his Spirit that dwells in you.”

Wow, what an amazing message to hear! To set our minds on the Spirit gives life and peace. When we focus on being right with the Spirit and on what God’s will is for us, we please God and we are comforted knowing that we are saved no matter what happens to us in this life. As bad as things could possibly be here on earth, we will receive peace, strength, and new life from the same Spirit who raised Jesus from the dead and who lives in us. No matter how broken we have become, we can be saved through Christ if we keep Him first in our lives.

As the memorial service went on, the Gospel reading was from John. I remembered the last portion of today’s reading for this writing was also from John, and Jesus said, “I am the bread of life. Whoever comes to me will never be hungry, and whoever believes in me will never be thirsty. But I said to you that you have seen me and yet do not believe. Everything that the Father gives me will come to me, and anyone who

comes to me I will never drive away; for I have come down from heaven, not to do my own will, but the will of him who sent me. And this is the will of him who sent me, that I should lose nothing of all that he has given me, but raise it up on the last day. This is indeed the will of my Father, that all who see the Son and believe in him may have eternal life; and I will raise them up on the last day.”

Before Jesus said this, the crowd had just witnessed Him feeding the 5,000 with only a few loaves of bread and some fish. The next day when Jesus was nowhere to be found, they followed after his disciples who left the night before without Jesus in the only boat across the Sea of Galilee to Capernaum. Amazed to find Jesus there and wondering how he got there without a boat, they were now are asking for more signs or work for Jesus to perform to prove to them he is who he claims to be. The example given by the crowd is of Moses, when he fed their ancestors manna in the wilderness. Jesus’ reply is that it was not Moses, but God who provided the bread to their ancestors, and that God’s bread gives life to the world. When they ask for this bread, Jesus’ reply is that He is the bread. Come to Jesus and you will never be hungry. He will never turn His back on you. Believe in Him and you will never be thirsty. Does this mean we will never have trouble in this world? Absolutely not. To the contrary, we should expect it. It is how we deal with trouble and adversity that matters. If we draw closer to Christ, he will give us strength and nourishment to get through difficult times in this world, and we will have eternal life when we are raised up on the last day.

The crowd asked Jesus what must they do to perform the works of God. Jesus’ reply is that the work of God is to believe in Jesus whom God has sent, and that Jesus has come so that we may have eternal life. One of the most important parts of what Jesus says to them is it’s no longer about following the laws, doing good deeds, or being born into a religion to receive this gift. He says the will of His Father is that all who believe in Christ will have eternal life and He will come in the end to raise us all up. This gift is given freely and abundantly to everyone who believes.

I was comforted as I reflected on these things while saying farewell to a lifelong friend who has gone on to be with my mother and many of her other friends, knowing someday I will be with them again thanks to Christ. I know that everything is going to be all right in the end, and if it’s not, then it isn’t the end. My prayer is that everyone who believes in Christ will receive the gift of peace and new life and share it with others.

APRIL 4

ALLISON LILES

Psalms 69:1-38 & 73 | Jer. 22:13-23 | Rom. 8:12-27 | John 6:41-51 We know that the whole creation has been groaning in labor pains until now; and not only the creation, but we ourselves who have the first fruits of the Spirit, groan inwardly while we wait for adoption, the redemption of our bodies. (Romans 8:22-23) The whole creation and all who walk upon it have been groaning in labor pains. It’s a bold statement to be made by a man writing to a mostly male audience. Birth pains are mentioned throughout the Bible from Genesis through Revelation. It’s a common enough human experience that folk could relate. Even if they had not personally felt a contraction or birthed a child, they no doubt (in this time before epidurals) had heard the pangs from those who had.

I think labor pains are used as metaphors as frequently as they are because of their intensity and inescapable nature. They are uncomfortable and can neither be stopped nor avoided once begun. These labor pains bring about periods of suffering, but only as part of a larger productive process. Women are able to endure these pains thanks to the hope of soon holding the baby making its way into the world.

Paul uses this image for Roman Christians because he knows they are being persecuted for their faith. He wants to place their present suffering in the larger context of a glorious future awaiting them. Their pain is not for nothing.

Life for us is clearly different than it was for first and second century Christians. Our faith is accepted, and we are able to live it out publicly without fear of persecution. And while this may be true, so much suffering continues to exists around us. As Christians we are called to recognize this pain and to bless it.

The Way of Love spiritual practice “bless” calls us to offer generosity, compassion, and hope of God’s glory to those whom we encounter. Spend time today reflecting on the groans of suffering you have heard recently. What would a compassionate response to this pain be? It might be a weekly phone call to a lonely relative or movie invitation for a chronically ill friend or volunteering at Jubilee Park. How might you offer compassionate hope of new life through prayerful words and acts of service?

APRIL 5

JOAN FAUBION

Psalms 95, 102, 107:1-32 | Jer. 23:1-8 | Rom. 8:28-39 | John 6:52-59 Feel the joy in these Psalms, full of promise, protection, and deliverance. Likewise, Jeremiah 23:1-8 foretells deliverance from flood, fire, oppression, trouble, and sorrow – exhorting us, “Let the redeemed of the Lord say so!” However, we must admit the lure of temptation when we have proclaimed; yet experience difficulty.

What do we feel? Doubt, anger, disappointment with God? Don’t answer quickly. Ponder.

One example is seared into my memory. Some years ago, I was in academic medicine in the Rockies, training Primary Care Medical Residents. One resident and his wife longed for a child and began IVF trials. Time went by and the baby of a teenage girl became available for adoption. They were thrilled with answered prayer. Arrangements were made, documents signed, nursery decorated, and the Lord was praised!

The baby arrived. Her first nap was on her birth father’s chest. I visited the hospital again 24 hours later and found the same scene -- baby asleep on father’s chest. I had an uneasy feeling. The father, a freshman college student working part-time, had said he could not support a child; did not want a child. But seeing him tenderly holding her for the first 12 hours of life belied those statements.

As I drove home pondering, “evangelism is how we live, more than what we say, I asked God for his perfect will for teenage parents and adoptive parents.” You can guess the rest. The resident called, asking me to pray with his wife and visit with the young father.

My devotion that morning: Ecclesiastes 7:3 “Sorrow is better than laughter; for in sorrow is the heart made better.” I knew of the personal faith of the resident’s wife. They believed Jeremiah 23, “The Lord is our righteousness.”

The father said, “We have talked and know it will be hard. With a child we’ll have to live with our parents and attend college part-time. This is what I came to tell you.” Adoption was dropped.

Fast forward several years. A Christmas card arrived showing my former resident and his wife with three sons. I gave thanks they stood on Romans 8:28-39.

“All things work together for good for those who love God, who are called according to his purposes… Who will separate us from the love of Christ? Will hardship, or distress, or persecution, or famine, or nakedness, or peril, or sword?… No, in all these things we are more than conquerors through him who loved us. I am convinced that neither death, nor life, nor angels, nor rulers, nor things present, nor things to come, nor powers, nor height, nor depth, nor anything else in all creation, will be able to separate us from the love of God in Christ Jesus our Lord.”

If this journey is a “waiting room,” how have you experienced the “surpassing peace of God” during your time in the waiting room?

Amen.

APRIL 6

JIM PACCONE

Psalms 33, 107:33-43, 108:1-13 | Jer. 23:9-15 | Rom. 9:1-18 | John 6:60-71 Change is hard!

Today’s readings have me thinking about change; about how I view change, about how I can change, and about how I can effect change.

We all like to stay safely inside our comfort zone. The better off we have it the more we want things to remain the same. After all, who wants to give up a good thing? So we use words like tradition, heritage, inheritance, and values, to explain why we keep doing what we always have done. The systems we develop, the institutions we build, help us preserve the status quo. The older they are the more entrenched they become until we find that we have put our faith in the institution and not that upon which it was built. But change must be a conscious choice, made for a right reason, and not just an indiscriminate drifting away from our foundations.

The reading from Jeremiah makes me think of Baptism and the vows that were taken on our behalf by our parents and those we make every time a child is baptized. This is the foundation of our faith. Jeremiah denounces the false prophets and calls them adulterers. Not for the reasons we tend to assume but because they have broken the covenant. They have forgotten their vows and led the people astray.

What strikes me in Paul’s letter is that the Israelites, to whom belong the adoption, glory, the covenants, the giving of the law, worship, promises, to them belong the patriarchs, and “from them according to the flesh, comes the Messiah”, are not able to recognize Jesus as the Christ. When the promise is fulfilled, these upstanding pillars of the community choose to remain pillars, as they are, doing as they always have done, rather than change. And would I have chosen any differently?

In John I am shown how difficult it is to accept transformative change. And I realize that I am fortunate that I, unlike the disciples who were asked to give up all that they knew, am a part of a church that walks with me as I attempt to follow Christ.

I began by saying that change is hard. That’s not quite right. Change is hard because it requires faith. Or is it that faith is hard because it requires change?

5TH SUNDAY IN LENT

APRIL 7

STEVE JOHNSON

Psalms 118 & 145 | Jer. 23:16-32 | 1 Cor. 9:19-27 | Mark 8:31-9:1 As I was reading this passage I realized that the disciples were finally convinced that Jesus was the Messiah, the Son of God. That realization was just in time because Jesus was teaching the disciples that the Son must suffer — he must be rejected by the elders and the chief priests and the scribes and be killed, and after three days rise again. Jesus was foretelling the future. He was talking about how he would suffer and then rise again.

Peter took Jesus aside and began to sort of reprimand him saying, “No, that would never happen to you.”

But turning and seeing his disciples, Jesus rebuked Peter and said, “Get behind me, Satan!” Jesus said this because he (Peter) was unintentionally interfering with Jesus’ mission to save mankind. Peter was looking at things as a human and not looking at things from God’s point of view. I believe Peter unintentionally placed himself in opposition of God. At that time, anything in opposition of God supported Satan. That is is why Jesus said, “Get behind me, Satan!” I think Jesus was basically making Peter straighten up and “get back in line”, more or less.

Jesus had been conducting a public ministry, speaking to large crowds, teaching about the kingdom of God, and doing miracles to prove his authority. In Mark 8:27, Jesus has finally come to the point where he is willing to ask the disciples to make a commitment. Who do they think that he is? A disciple, most likely Peter, speaking for all twelve of them, says, “We believe you are the Christ, the Messiah, God’s king who was to come into the world.”

Then everything in the gospel story changes. Jesus’ ministry becomes mostly private, not doing as many miracles, and primarily teaching the twelve disciples what it is like to live as disciples in God’s kingdom. In verse 34, Jesus says, “If anyone would come after me, let him deny himself and take up his cross and follow me.”

If anyone, man or woman, wants to follow Jesus, to be his disciple (be a “Christian,” we tend to say), then he must do two things. He must “deny himself” and “take up his cross.” I know many Christian people, and most profess to be followers of Jesus, myself included. However, when I read this passage, I realize that no one I know denies themselves anything of comfort. Today, do we define “deny” as saying “NO” to what we want and/or need and “Yes” to God? I don’t think Paul is not talking about sacrificing earthly possessions, not eating certain foods, ignoring obligations and responsibilities, I think that denial means to put those things that stand in the way of our relationship with Jesus aside and enter into a relationship with joy and gladness. As I think about all of this, praying for guidance and seeking God’s will come to mind. We all have prayed the Lord’s Prayer – most, if not all of us, know it by heart. Sometimes I find new meaning when I actually read it.

Our Father, who art in heaven, hallowed be thy name; thy kingdom come; thy will be done; on earth as it is in heaven. Give us this day our daily bread. And forgive us our trespasses, as we forgive those who trespass against us. And lead us not into temptation; but deliver us from evil. For thine is the kingdom, the power and the glory, for ever and ever. Amen.

“And he said unto them, Verily I say unto you, That there be some of them that stand here, which shall not taste of death, till they have seen the kingdom of God come with power.”

APRIL 8

SALLY SCHUPP

Psalms 31 & 35 | Jer. 24:1-10 | Rom. 9:19-33 | John 9:1-7 In our reading for today from the 9th chapter of John, Jesus heals a man who has been blind since birth.

Jesus immediately reveals that the man was born blind not because of his sins, but so God’s works might be revealed in him. Jesus also tells the accompanying disciples that “ We must work the works of him who sent me while it is day; night is coming when no one can work. As long as I am in the world, I am the light of the world.” Jesus just said this in chapter 8, but repeats it to his disciples. With that, He makes a paste of mud and saliva, spreads it on the blind man’s eyes, and instructs him to “Go wash in the pool of Siloam,” which means Sent. The man does this and immediately he can see. The gospels are full of stories where simple instructions are followed and health is restored, or in this case a man sees for the first time in his life. What was that like?

We aren’t told, but we can imagine his joy, his sense of wonder, his delight in seeing everything around him, and perhaps an overwhelming sense of gratitude to the One who healed him. Of course, now we have to ask ourselves….where is my blindness, how might I be healed by simply following Jesus’ words? What amazing things might be revealed by God if I heed his words? How might God show something through me?

As the story continues, there is much disbelief from the neighbors and the Pharisees. The Pharisees discount the miracle, saying a true man of God would not work on the Sabbath. Again, Jesus is establishing a new order. He is telling his detractors, “your strict interpretation of the law is getting in the way of seeing God’s abundance and grace.” Again, you and I must ponder, where might rigorous rule-following or an ungenerous spirit get in the way of God’s work in our lives? When and where do I act like a Pharisee, or disbelieving neighbor?

The next reading from Romans chapter 9, verse 19 begins with this wonderful image of God as a potter and humans as his clay. “But who are you a human being, to argue with God? Will what is molded say to the one who molds it, why have you made me like this? Has the potter no right over the clay, to make out of the same lump one object for special use and another for ordinary use?” Just as Jesus explained God has a special purpose for the blind man in John, Paul is telling his congregation that each one has been created uniquely for God’s varied plan. Trust in the gifts God has given you and use them to the benefit of others.

I just returned from a week in Tela, Honduras with 12 of my favorite SMAA parishioners, who worked sideby-side with 16 amazing high school seniors from the Episcopal Bilingual School. When I read this Romans passage, it was so reflective of our week as a team. We 28 individuals had various gifts that we offered: some organizers, some Spanish speakers, some gifted teachers, guitarists, singers, some enthusiastic and extroverted, some quieter and more observant. Some who carefully painted a classroom, others who mixed cement with good humor, some were terrific with children, others cared for the communities’ senior citizens, and some swept floors at the end of the day of a long day. We all brought our imperfections, but everyone offered their best to intentionally spread Christ’s light in a place where there is a lot of darkness. There was also much joy, much delight, and much gratitude, a truly transformational experience.

As you read this, Lent will soon be over. Perhaps ponder how God might be using you to spread light in this world, this community, and this church. What will your response be to the miracle of resurrection and rebirth?

APRIL 9

MARGARET SPELLINGS

Psalms 120-127 | Jer. 25:8-17 | Rom. 10:1-13 | John 9:18-41 When I read the passages for this week, I immediately recognized Psalm 127. Around 1975, I was a teenager in Austin. I was in our high school choir. Our school commissioned a hymn based on Psalm 127 for the 25th anniversary of the school’s founding.

The hymn was difficult and took a long time to learn. I vividly remember thinking, as we rehearsed for hours, that the words to the Psalm made little sense to me. The hymn used the King James Version, and the first lines were: “Except the Lord build the house, they labour in vain to build it: Except the Lord keep the city, the watchman waketh but in vain.

It is vain for you to rise up early, to sit up late, to eat the bread of sorrows: for so he giveth his beloved sleep.”

One reason for my confusion was surely the phrase “Except the Lord…” which sounds awkward to our modern ear. The NRSV is easier to understand: “Unless the Lord builds the house, those who build it labor in vain.Unless the Lord guards the city, the guard keeps watch in vain. It is vain that you rise up early and go late to rest, eating the bread of anxious toil; for he gives sleep to his beloved.”

The other reason for my confusion, though, was that at age 15, I had little life experience that would help me understand what the psalm was about. Why, I wondered, was God necessary to build a house? Who were “they” who couldn’t build it? And, didn’t God want you to work hard? Why was it bad to get up early and work all day? Should it be our goal to sleep all the time?

Twenty-five years later, I find this Psalm inspiring and spot-on. I can understand building a “house” as not only a physical structure, but as representing a family or other strong community. Having raised a family, I understand the need to build a family based on a strong foundation of moral values. Having been a mother, I know that no parent can protect his or her family from all harm.

When I puzzled over the psalm as a teen, I only knew the life of a student. I hadn’t experienced the stress and “anxious toil” of adulthood, especially of raising a family. As Thoreau said, “The mass of men lead lives of quiet desperation.” God’s promise to provide a peaceful sleep to those who honor him is a blessing.

Looking at this psalm today, I value these words as a way to orient my life. As Bishop Curry says in his Way of Love video, the question for me is, how can I turn my life in the direction of God’s love?

APRIL 10

GABRIELLE OTT

Psalms 119, 128-130 & 145-176 | Jer. 25:30-38 | Rom. 10:14-21 | John 10:1-18 In 2002, I was the mother of an 18 month old and a new member of an Episcopal church in Jackson, MS. When the children’s program director asked me to attend a Catechesis of the Good Shepherd training, I agreed although I really didn’t know what I was getting into. 16 years, 3 more children, and a move to Texas later and I still have the privilege of talking about God with young children. Because that’s what I was getting into. At the time, I didn’t realize how the work would deepen my own faith and how much I would learn from the children.

For those of you who don’t know, Catechesis of the Good Shepherd is an approach to the religious formation of children. It is rooted in the Sacred Scripture, the liturgy of the Church, prayer, and the educational principles of Maria Montessori. Similar to Godly Play, one of the basic tenets is that Christ is the teacher. The adults and children in the room are exploring the mystery of Jesus together.

Before children (and adults) enter an atrium or classroom, they are asked to “get ready”. They are encouraged to quiet their bodies and minds. Reminders are given that they are entering a special place or holy ground. I wonder if we can learn something from this “getting ready” process. During Lent, aren’t we preparing ourselves for the great mystery of Easter? What does our own “getting ready” look like? Is it just as difficult for us as adults to calm our bodies and minds?

Do we need reminding that we’re surrounded by holy ground? Or perhaps we just need to notice it?

One of the central presentations of the program is the parable of the Good Shepherd. Like most of the presentations, there are materials for the children to handle. For this parable, there is a model sheepfold with a wooden shepherd and sheep. While presenting this work, I read the words of the parable and move the shepherd slowly out of the sheepfold with the sheep following him until all the sheep are out of the fold. I tell the children that the shepherd leads the sheep and protects them; he lays down his life for the sheep. The children and I wonder about what the sheep need to eat and drink and if the shepherd knows this. We wonder how the sheep recognize their shepherd’s voice. I ask how the shepherd knows all of the sheep’s names. At this point, the children love naming each wooden sheep in the fold. We discuss how the shepherd is like the children’s parents who take care of them and know their names. I ask how the sheep feel when they are with their shepherd, and the answer is inevitably, “happy”. I never tell them who the shepherd and sheep represent in the story. As they spend time with the work and bask in the love of the shepherd for his sheep, there is sometimes a moment of realization when a child will exclaim, “we are the sheep!” This exclamation never fails to elicit joy and wonder in me, even though I’ve presented the lesson so many times. What a gift to experience God with children! Could this have been what Jesus meant when he said, “Unless you change and become like children, you will never enter the kingdom of heaven?” (Matthew 18:2-5) Maybe we need to recapture the sense of wonder children have in matters of spirituality. And so this Lent, I ask you to embrace the idea of wondering like the youngest members of our parish do. I urge you to be joyful in the knowledge that we are the sheep. Our Shepherd knows each of us by name and leads us out. I wonder if he’s calling us to leave our safe pens and go out into the wilderness with Him by our sides? What would that look like for you? What is your secure sheepfold? What is the wilderness to you? I wonder if we can recognize His voice? What does it sound like? How are we supposed to recognize His voice with all the other noise in our busy lives? What kind of control would we have to give up to be sheeplike with God? I wonder how we’ll feel when/if we follow Him? I like to think that all those years ago, I had a moment when I recognized my Shepherd’s voice and I followed.

The Lord is my shepherd, I’ll walk with him always. He knows me and He loves me, I’ll walk with him always. Always, always, I’ll walk with him always.

APRIL 11

REGAN WALLACE

Psalms 131, 132, 133, 140 & 142 | Jer. 26:1-16 | Rom. 11:1-12 | John 10:19-42 Actions speak louder than words. This has always been an interesting phrase to me. Actions speak louder than words. How can actions speak? How can what someone does portray more than what someone says?

Our rector, Chris Girata, stated in his sermon on February 10th, “our words have power.” And they do. They have the power to create good in the world or they have the power to create bad in the world. And they have the power to influence people towards the good or the bad.

Throughout his ministry, Jesus used his words to teach people about the kingdom of God and to lead people in the path of the good. His words were powerful and shook the world, especially in the eyes of the Jewish people, as we see in John 10:19-42. The people questioned Jesus, “How long will you keep us in suspense? If you are the Messiah, tell us plainly.” And Jesus replies that he has already told them that he is, but they did not believe him. “The works that I do in my Father’s name testify to me; but you do not believe, because you do not belong to my sheep.” See, it is the actions of Christ and not his words that make him the son of God, the Messiah, and the Savior of the world. As a part of his herd, we believe the works that Jesus performed in his life and we are willing to see the works that he has and will accomplish in our lives after his death.

Sometimes, though, it can become challenging to see the work that Christ is doing in our lives because we can get caught up in our own plans and forget to look for the power of God working for us.

Psalm 131 is entitled “Song of Quiet Trust”.

O Lord, my heart is not lifted up, my eyes are not raised too high; I do not occupy myself with things too great and too marvelous for me. ² But I have calmed and quieted my soul, like a weaned child with its mother; my soul is like the weaned child that is with me. ³ O Israel, hope in the Lord from this time on and forevermore.

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This psalm reminds us that Lent is a time for us as followers of Christ to reflect inward and to quiet ourselves and, as an extension, look with expectation and hope towards that final work of Christ. Not only his sacrifice for us, as death on the cross, but his awesome resurrection and coming again. This is Christ’s greatest work for us. I hope that during this Lent you will ask yourselves, how are my actions reflective of the overwhelming love of God? And further, how can I quiet myself, my words, in order to let Christ shine through in my actions?

APRIL 12

ROSS & SALLY TAYLOR

Psalms 22, 95, 141 & 143:1-12 | Jer. 29:1, 4-13 | Rom. 11:13-24 | John 11:1-27, 12:1-10 Jeremiah 29:11 “For I know the plans for you,” declares the Lord, “plans to prosper you and not to harm you, plans to give you a hope and a future.” This is is one of the more frequently quoted verses in Christian circles today. We taught high school students on Sundays for 10 years, and one of the big questions students have is, “What is God’s plan for my life?” Jeremiah 29:11 is a verse often found in students’ yearbooks, written on binders, and tossed out in Bible study gatherings as comfort when someone is facing a big decision such as where to go to college, who to date, what job to take… etc. This verse is often quoted to someone in the midst of a trial as a way to say, “Don’t worry. God has a very specific plan for your life, and it’s a good one.”

While we all long for certainty in uncertain circumstances, that is not exactly what this verse speaks to.

This verse is contained in a letter the prophet Jeremiah wrote to the Israelites in exile in Babylon. They are a people who have been ripped from families and homes, and their way of life destroyed. Their future as refugees in a foreign land looks bleak. They are wondering, “What happened to us and why? When will we go home? Are we still the people of God?” Jeremiah writes and explains that God does still love them, and they are still His covenant people. A day is coming when they will return from exile, and God will make a new covenant with them, BUT most won’t live to see that day. So, what are they to do in the meantime?

What is God’s plan for them here and now? Jeremiah tells them in verses 5-8 to marry, dig wells, make homes, be fruitful and multiply, and plant gardens. But also, shockingly, to “seek the well being and prosperity of the city” and to “pray.” Jeremiah is saying, God’s plan for you is to wait, but wait well. Love God. Love the Babylonians.

We all spend much of our lives waiting. Waiting for test results, waiting to be healed, waiting on a new job, waiting on a renewed relationship, waiting to have children, waiting to be married, waiting to go to college, waiting for kids to grow older. We wait and we think the next thing is the real plan God has for us. Jeremiah 29:11 is not a verse we can singularly pluck out and apply to our individual lives, as this letter was written to a nation. But, we can apply the principle of the chapter as a whole. We are people who do have a future hope. The hope of a world which will one day be fully renewed. In the meantime, we are here in our current broken world, and we are called to wait well. To love God and love others. To seek the well being of the city in which we live and bring bits of the hope of a renewed earth to the here and now. Lent is a time where we can practice waiting well. We anticipate Easter and the celebration of resurrection, but for 40 days we wait.

And as we reflect, sacrifice, or take up a new practice, we are able to focus on God’s real plan for our lives.

Love God. Love others. With the hope of the resurrection in sight.

APRIL 13

ALLISON BOVARD

Psalms 42, 43, 137:1-9 & 144 | Jer. 31:27-34 | Rom. 11:25-36 | John 11:28-44, 12:37-50 As the warmth of spring has come upon us and the days are longer, we begin to be hopeful that the cold of winter and the dead grass have ended for this year. It seems that hope is in the air, although Jesus has not entered Jerusalem for the last time in His life. Holy Week is still to come with its mixture of betrayal, death, and resurrection.

In the reading from the prophet Jeremiah for today, Israel and Judah were in the midst of winter, but a different kind of winter; one of death, captivity, and destruction. Both Israel and Judah have abandoned God’s ways for flashy idols. Jeremiah has warned them of the impending destruction of both houses. It is at this time that Jeremiah’s prophecy of hope tells of God’s promises to make things good for both Judah and Israel through rebirth, building, and planting. No longer will there be destruction, evil, breakdown, and overthrowing.

God promises a new covenant in which the Law of The Lord will be written in the hearts of God’s people. He will forgive their iniquities and remember their sin no more.

So it is with us today, we tend to abandon God’s ways for our own idols. These idols may bring us temporary satisfaction, but never eternal life. Jesus will enter into the final days of His life, and after His death, He will rise triumphantly to bring us eternal life. For He will forgive our iniquities and remember our sins no more.

PALM SUNDAY

APRIL 14

ERIC LILES

Psalms 24, 29 & 103 | Zech. 9:9-12, 12:9-11, 13:1, 7-9 | 1 Tim. 6:12-16 | Matt. 21:12-17 I am blessed to have many praise and worship songs from college, camp, and my five years as a Youth Minister constantly rolling around in my head. I know that song earworms can often be obnoxious, but honestly, whenever I am reading a passage of scripture and a song kicks in, it brings me a lot of joy. This happens with familiar hymns as well. Two of our Psalms for this Palm Sunday recall for me powerful songs and incredible worship experiences from my past.

From Psalm 24, “Who may ascend the hill of the Lord? Who may be found in Your Holy Place?” was a song we sung often at the Breakaway worship service Tuesday nights in College Station. I purchased the Compact Disk of the worship album this song was recorded on and must have listened and sung along a thousand times. Charlie Hall also has a song that comes from Psalm 24. “Give us clean hands, give us pure hearts. Let us not turn our souls to another.” I have good memories of playing guitar and leading the singing of this song as part of many youth gatherings. There is no way I can read or hear Psalm 24 with out at least one impactful song coming to mind.

In 2008 I experienced the blessing of spending several days with the community in Tazié, France. Before arriving, I was familiar with their version of Psalm 103, “Bless the Lord, my soul. And bless God’s holy name.

Bless the Lord, my soul, who leads me into life.” Ever since, the singing of which takes me back to that special place, full of hundreds of people, from all over the world, coming together to worship God. We have this wonderful prayer in the BCP written by author Thomas Cranmer, “Blessed Lord, who caused all holy Scriptures to be written for our learning: Grant us so to hear them, read, mark, learn, and inwardly digest them, that we may embrace and ever hold fast the blessed hope of everlasting life, which you have given us in our Savior Jesus Christ; who lives and reigns with you and the Holy Spirit, one God, for ever and ever. Amen.”

Whenever we fully engage in scripture, in worshiping God through music, or in meditating on profound writing about God, we take in those words so that they become part of us. Doing so allows what comes out of our mouths, and into our minds, to be shaped by the Holy. As we enter into contemplation and participation this Holy Week, let the language of God’s love for you, and of your love for God, become deeply ingrained within you. Then the words of your mouth and the meditations of your heart will be pleasing to the Lord (Psalm 19:14).

HOLY WEEK MONDAY

APRIL 15

ELIZABETH LANG

Psalms 51:1-20 & 69:1-23 | Jer. 12:1-16 | Phil. 3:1-14 | John 12:9-19 My name is Joanna and I live in Bethany near the home of Lazarus. Not long ago wrapped in mourning, I walked to the home of Mary and Martha to comfort them since their brother had died. Near there and right in front of me, Jesus called Lazarus out of his tomb. Imagine seeing a man come back to life at the call of Jesus! Jesus commanded us to unbind him. I was thrilled to work with my neighbors to unwrap Lazarus and set him free.

Naturally, since I have seen Jesus call forth life, I have followed him to Jerusalem. This is so exciting. A crowd of us has gathered around Jesus. We’ve been throwing palm branches in front of his donkey’s path and singing, “Hosanna! Blessed is the one who comes in the name of the Lord – the King of Israel!” We’ve been telling everyone about his raising Lazarus from the dead. More people have joined us. Now, however, I am troubled. A servant in the high priest’s household pulled me aside and warned me to be careful. She said that there are religious authorities who don’t see the amazing thing that I have seen. Instead they perceive Jesus as dangerous. How can someone who has conquered the power of death be an enemy? What is the threat to them? Are they afraid of change? When I think of the fear of death, I think of deprivation, illness, isolation, shame. If Jesus has overcome these, isn’t that something wonderful? Why are they fearful? If they are our spiritual leaders, aren’t they in favor of power for us? Don’t they desire power with us? How can they be against such strength? Do they instead want control over us? The servant says that the more we praise Jesus, the more we endanger him. I don’t want Jesus to be in danger, but how can I stop celebrating him?

Savior God, who has delivered us from subjection to the powers of death, open our minds and hearts to welcome you. Let us praise you and invite all into the joy of your saving power. Amen.

HOLY WEEK TUESDAY

APRIL 16

Psalms 6, 12 & 94 | Jer. 15:10-21 | Phil. 3:15-21 | John 12:20-26 John 12:20-26 Now among those who went up to worship at the festival were some Greeks. They came to Philip, who was from Bethsaida in Galilee, and said to him, ‘Sir, we wish to see Jesus.’ Philip went and told Andrew; then Andrew and Philip went and told Jesus. Jesus answered them, ‘The hour has come for the Son of Man to be glorified. Very truly, I tell you, unless a grain of wheat falls into the earth and dies, it remains just a single grain; but if it dies, it bears much fruit. Those who love their life lose it, and those who hate their life in this world will keep it for eternal life. Whoever serves me must follow me, and where I am, there will my servant be also. Whoever serves me, the Father will honor.

Today reflect on Jesus!

This Holy week, as you prepare to enter into the Paschal Triduum (Maundy Thursday – Easter), spend a few minutes reflecting upon what it means to you to be a follower of Jesus. Use the space below to write down any thoughts, prayers, or meditations that come to mind.

HOLY WEEK WEDNESDAY

APRIL 17

MARY HENDERSON

Psalms 55 & 74 | Jer. 17:5-10, 14-17 | Phil 4:1-13 | John 12:27-36 This selection from Paul’s letter to the Philippians holds powerful messages for me. While there are several concepts addressed within this selection, I was drawn to the discussion about worry.

In this writing, we are instructed not to worry but, in prayer with thanksgiving, let all requests be known to God. Upon reflection, I am fairly good at the second part, prayer with thanksgiving. I am blessed and I know it. I am thankful for all of the gifts God has given to me. I am also thankful for the lessons that God allows me opportunities to learn – and some of these lessons have been extremely painful. However, I fail at the first part, “do not worry”, on a daily basis. I am, by nature, a worrier. I have been known to take on the worries of others in an effort to lighten their load.

What I find enlightening in this reading are the statements surrounding these instructions. Immediately preceding the verse is a very short and powerful sentence: “The Lord is near.” Wow! How could I have missed that? I think of all the times I have said to my son or my grandsons that they did not need to worry because I was near. What a powerful message of love!

Immediately following these instructions is one of my favorite phrases that is used in many prayers today.

It is the blessing that the peace of God, which surpasses all understanding, will guard your hearts and your minds in Christ Jesus. This changes everything! The presence of our Lord and the peace of God are at the foundation of my belief and of my prayers. This foundation provides the support to better understand that there is no need to worry.

As I worked through this meditation, I was reminded of a note I had taped to my bathroom mirror many years ago. It said – Mary, Go ahead and take the day off. I will take care of the world’s worries today.

Love, God May we all be reminded of the love of God and the power of prayer during this Lenten season.

MAUNDY THURSDAY

APRIL 18

SANDRA HUGHES

Psalms 102, 142 & 143 | Jer. 20:7-11 | 1 Cor. 10:14-17, 11:27-32 | John 17:1-26 How many times do we hear people say, “I don’t have to attend church to be a good Christian!”? How do we answer them? Why is it so important to come together as a community, to join a body of faith?

After His last meal with the disciples, Jesus prays. He prays for Himself, the disciples, and future believers.

By sanctifying His disciples, He is sending them out so that other believers may join His eternal kingdom, which begins here on earth. To do so means abandoning the value system and lifestyle of the ungodly.

Paul warns that worshipping idols is wrong, this practice is against all that is of the Father and Son. In today’s world we meet very few who are worshipping statues; however, idols are present. The constant pursuit of fame, fortune, position, power, etc. are so glorified in our society that these become the “idols” of today.

Working hard for a good and comfortable life isn’t bad, but the temptation is to make this the center of our existence.

We drive down the tollway at a good speed and suddenly we hit a roadblock, a stalled vehicle, or even a wreck! Or maybe the signs are wrong and we miss our exit! Yikes! If we are driving alone, we may not be able to avoid these problems. But, if we have someone sitting beside us, keeping their eyes on the road ahead, looking at driving instructions, etc., these obstacles are so much easier to avoid, and we arrive at our destination safe and sound.

Isn’t this a metaphor for our lives? Temptations are all around and trying to avoid them is so difficult because we are human. However, surrounding ourselves with other members of faith strengthens us. I love it when our rector refers to coming to church as a time of having “fun.” Being a member of Christ’s kingdom is fun and joyful! Whatever your favorite part... the homily, the music, the prayers, the classes, the Eucharist, greeting friends, and even drinking coffee together...definitely enables us to focus on our faith and centers us.

Now, wouldn’t it be wonderful if everyone we know and encounter could have this joy! It doesn’t end with the celebration of the resurrection, but should be a beginning. So let us all try to emulate the disciples, not by traveling far away from home to preach, but simply by sharing the joy and love of our faith and our church. Maybe they might come for a visit. Not only could it be a worship service, but maybe a bible study, a Sunday school class, one of our free concerts, or a symposium, or maybe a casual lunch with some of our Saint Michael friends. Wouldn’t it be wonderful to show someone the importance and happiness of becoming a member of the body of Christ!

I’m going to make this my goal for the coming year...won’t you join me!

GOOD FRIDAY

APRIL 19

GARY LAWRENCE

Psalms 22, 40:1-19, 54 & 95 | Wisdom 1:16-2:1, 12-22 | Gen. 22:1-14 | 1 Peter 1:10-20 | John 13:36-38, 19:38-42

Peter: ‘Very truly, I tell you, before the cock crows, you will deny me three times.’

Judas: Jesus asked, ‘Judas, would you betray the Son of Man with a kiss?’ *** In all the Gospels, there is no more revealing contrast between two individual destinies, two human failings, and two divergent responses to sin than that of Peter and Judas, the disciples who betrayed the man they called Lord. While their respective transgressions—one a calculated act of treachery, the other an emphatic denial born of frailty and fear—differed vastly, surely each was a grave infidelity in the crucible of an essential moment, a burden that added immeasurably to the terrible weight of the Savior’s cross. Yet, if today’s reading teaches us anything, it is that the harvest of sin and the destiny of sinners is not always the same for every person and that our lives and our relationship to God are defined less by our failings than by the ways in which we respond to them.

Consider the contrast. In the hollow hours after his betrayal, Judas “was seized with remorse and returned the thirty pieces of silver to the chief priests… then went away and hanged himself.” In ending his life, Judas surrendered himself to darkness and abandoned all hope of redemption. In contrast, Peter chose a path of light. He “went out and wept bitterly” then, despite his dreadful shame, became the man who would lead the early Church through a perilous era, preach the Gospel across the Empire, and die a martyr’s death in Rome. Ultimately, each disciple chose how to respond to their sins, in ways that could not have differed more profoundly.

Love, repentance, and redemption—not sin—are the central themes and tenets in all Jesus’s ministry and teaching. Indeed, even as he foretold the betrayals of Judas and Peter to his disciples, Jesus urged them to love one another as he had loved them. Whether preaching to fishermen or tax collectors, Pharisees or shepherds, gentiles or Jews, whether at the beginning of his ministry, in the night in which he was betrayed, or as he hung upon the cross, Jesus’ core message was always the same: nothing can separate us from God’s redeeming love.

Today’s reading invite a Lenten meditation on the complex relationship between darkness and light in the human condition. This moving account of betrayal and redemption reminds us that our sins—Peter’s, Judas’s, yours and mine—do not have to become the essence of who and what we are. Nor must our sins mark the end of our life stories, just as the denial of his Lord did not mark the end of Peter’s. With repentance and humility, each of us has the power to move beyond the sins we commit, and perhaps, as once did a man called Peter, to transform their darkness into light.

Post tenebras lux. Dominus illuminatio mea.

HOLY SATURDAY

APRIL 20

JOHN SEDDELMEYER

Psalms 27, 88 & 95 | Job 19:21-27a | Heb. 4:1-16 | Rom. 8:1-11 In the grave. Jesus’s friends, followers, and family have had their hopes and dreams buried with his broken body. When my beautiful son was diagnosed with autism I had to face something I had known but not acknowledged for some time. The hopes and dreams I had for my son had to be buried in order to be raised and transformed.

Job has been told by his friends and comforters that, in accordance with God’s plan, the good will prosper and the bad will be punished. Unsurprisingly Job rejects this God and even declares this understanding of God to be his enemy. We are frequently told in the Gospels and elsewhere, often by Jesus himself, that his cruel death is “in fulfillment of the scriptures” and in accordance with God’s plan. But wasn’t that death the result of Jesus’s defiance of the authorities in Jerusalem? And isn’t autism the result of some currently unknown genetic or developmental disorder? Why do we have such a strong attachment to seeing God’s hand in such things?

The authorities and the crowd that brought Jesus to the cross and the grave believed that they had spoken the final word in the Jesus story. But God, the true God, is about to speak the last word and that word will be love. He will never abandon his beloved son.

In the reading from the Book of Job, Job wishes what he says next could be written “with an iron pen” and “engraved on a rock forever”. Job in all his affliction says, “For I know that my Redeemer lives, and that at the last he will stand upon the earth and after my skin has been destroyed, then in my flesh I shall see God whom I shall see on my side”.

Today Jesus is in the grave with our hopes and dreams. But he will surely stand upon the earth again and God will be on his side as God will surely be on our side when He speaks His final word of redemption and resurrection.

EASTER SUNDAY

APRIL 21

CHRIS GIRATA

Psalms 113-114, 118, 148-150 | Exod. 12:1-14 | John 1:1-18, 20:19-23 | Isa. 51:9-11 | Luke 24:13-35 Anticipation can be a slippery partner. I’m sure you can recall quite a few moments in your life when you had anticipated something good (or bad) only to find that what you expected never materialized. My guess is that we are often disappointed when good things don’t happen, and relieved when bad things never come.

Anticipation has the power to captivate our minds, keeping us from thinking of anything else. I hope Lent has proven to have some of that power for you this season. Lent is an opportunity for us to anticipate the gift of God’s saving work through Jesus Christ. Today, we celebrate the gift of his resurrection, the moment when death itself is defeated, once and for all.

Each one of us was created in God’s image and with God’s hope. Yet without God’s example in Christ, we are unable to find our way back to God. Jesus is the bridge, the light, and the way toward God, but are we ready?

Are we ready for what resurrection really means?

Resurrection means that we were not made to operate the way the world operates. Resurrection means that what we see in this world is not all there is. Resurrection means that our life is not the end but only the beginning of our divine purpose with God. Resurrection means that we are called to a new life and a new way of living that separates us from who we once were and ushers us into a new reality.

All of that sounds very good, but new life is much harder to see than we might imagine. The story of the road to Emmaus is a story in which followers of Jesus, people who likely knew him in the flesh, were unable to recognize his presence only days after his death. I’ve often wondered what would have kept Cleopas and his companion from recognizing their teacher and friend. The simple answer is this: they had allowed the world to get in the way.

Cleopas and his companion were overwhelmed with sadness, distracted by the pain they had experienced at the death of Jesus, and their ability to anticipate his resurrection, to seek his new reality, was thickly veiled. Even when Jesus was walking and talking with them, they were unable to see past the weight of their own concerns.

We know how this feels. We know how it feels to have the pressures of our daily life dictate how we act and what we see. We know that anxiety and concern can weigh us down. And yet, Jesus is very near. The hope of Christ is right beside us, if only we can open our eyes and see.

On this Easter Day, when we speak the words again, sing the hymns again, and proclaim the Good News of God’s salvation for the whole world again, I want you to take time to stop. I want you to take time to consider how many ways we are truly blessed. I want you to take time to consider where God is trying to get your attention, how Jesus is trying to love you, and how the Spirit is trying to show you a new path into a better future.

The resurrection is for you. Open your eyes and see.

SAINT MICHAEL AND ALL ANGELS EPISCOPAL CHURCH 8011 Douglas, Dallas, Texas 75225 | 214.363.5471

www.saintmichael.org @smaadallas