Our question today comes from John 12:5.  Jesus and the disciples are having dinner at the home of Mary, Martha, and Lazarus whom Jesus has raised from the dead.  Mary pours out very expensive perfume to anoint the feet of Jesus and then wiped his feet with her hair.  Judas asks the question, “Why was this not sold for three hundred denarii and given to the poor?”  Jesus told Judas to leave her alone.  Mary did a beautiful thing for Jesus.

This painting by Mary Lou Sleevi can be found in her book, “Women of the Word”.  She also writes this….

What a precious moment in the life of both Mary and Jesus!  She truly saw Jesus as Grace, which cannot be bought or sold.  It can only be freely given as a gift from God.  And then she poured out herself extravagantly in her grace filled action.  I love the artist’s words of their shared “sacred sense of KNOWING”.

I wonder if there was a moment when Jesus was on the cross, having been spit upon, mocked, beaten, and even felt forsaken by God, when he thought about Mary and her gift of KNOWING.  He must have felt loved and understood as his heart spoke the words again, “She has done a beautiful thing to me”. (Mark 14:6)

Pondering…

Could we do a  beautiful thing for Jesus?

What might that look like?

nk

We are a little over one third of the way on our faith journey of Lent.  How are we doing with our commitment so far?  Some of us may be feeling pretty good that we have stayed on track.  But then…

Others of us may have fallen off at some point because we could not resist the temptation.  Maybe we just took one little bite of the chocolate, or maybe we had enough to give us a tummy ache!  But either way, odds are we don’t feel good about it.  We wanted to make it the whole way without stumbling.  So, where are we with God now?

Our question today comes from Psalm 77:9.  The writer of the Psalm is seeking the Lord in his time of trouble.  He cries out, “Let me remember my song in the night, let me meditate in my heart.”  The question he asks is, “Has God forgotten to be gracious?”  Actually he asks a whole series of questions about God:  “Has God’s steadfast love forever ceased?  Are his promises at an end for all time?  Has he in anger shut up his compassion?”  The writer through his questions begins to receive his answer from God.  The answer comes through his remembering.  “I will remember the deeds of the Lord…your wonders of old.  Your way O God is holy.  You are the God who works wonders.  You with your arm redeemed your children.”  (Notice that in his remembering he moves from talking ABOUT God to talking TO God.  It becomes his prayer).

This statement was made by Greg Boyle, a Jesuit priest.  It contains the truth of the gospel message and is the hope of the Lenten journey.  GOD IS GRACE.  God has never forgotten to be gracious and never will.  Grace is who God is and redeeming grace is who Jesus is and what Jesus did on the cross.  And when his body was broken and his blood poured out, his words to all of us were, “Receive my gift and remember me.”

So my friend we get up, we keep walking this journey, and we remember….God is forever gracious!  We live into his grace.

Pondering….

Where are you in your Lenten journey?

How are you experiencing God’s grace?

nk

 

 

This is one of my all time favorite photos!  Oh the joy that children bring into our lives!  Jesus said in Matthew 18 that we must turn and become like children to enter the Kingdom of Heaven.  And if we receive one such child, we receive Jesus.

Our question for today comes from Luke 13:18.  Jesus is asking the question, “What is the Kingdom of God like?”  Maybe we thought it looked something like this…

If we were to stand inside the Padua and look up at the fresco inside the dome of the Baptistery, this is what we would see, painted by Guisto de Menabuoi.  The glory of the Kingdom!  Glorious it is, but the picture Jesus gives in Luke 13 is quite different.  He talks about a mustard seed, the tiniest of all seeds, growing into a tree where birds come and make their nests.

This photo was taken by a friend when we were at Lake Caddo in East Texas.  The trees are not from mustard seeds, but they do grow from small seeds.  Aren’t they magnificent and beautiful?  And they are a sight so totally unexpected as they grow up out of the lake!  The point is that the Kingdom comes out of something small and seemingly insignificant, yet it grows into something mighty and powerful.  Something great lies within something small!

When I look back upon my ministry, it is the small moments that made the biggest difference.  As I retired from full time ministry, persons from each congregation I had served gathered for a dinner.  At the close of the evening they put me in the center of the room and all laid hands on me to pray…

What a powerful moment in my life!  What a beautiful picture of the Kingdom!  I look at it and realize the potential and power within each small prayer to make a difference for all eternity.  Wow!  I am overwhelmed and ever so grateful.

Pondering…

Where in your life do you see glimpses of the Kingdom?

When have you seen something great come out of something small?

nk

 

 

Our question today comes from the sixth chapter of the gospel of John.  Crowds of people, 5,000 we are told, are gathered on the hillside to be with Jesus.  Jesus asks the question of Phillip, a disciple, “Where are we to buy bread so these people may eat?” Phillip is sure they don’t have enough money and he is right!  Jesus takes 5 barley loaves and 2 fish, a small boy’s lunch, and after lifting it to Heaven and giving thanks, he feeds the entire crowd and has leftovers!

This painting by Daniele Crespi is entitled “Saint Charles Borromeo’s Fast”.  It seems to portray the essence of the question for me.  Side by side on the table are a loaf of bread, and a Bible,which contains the Living Word of God.  So which is the food?  One feeds the body and the other feeds the soul.  In John 6:35 Jesus proclaims, “I am the bread of life; whoever comes to me shall not hunger, and whoever believes in me shall never thirst.”

This collage, which I did a couple of years ago, depicts for me the hunger of our souls for what only Christ can bring.  Do we truly realize that in this meal of Holy Communion Christ himself is present?  It does not matter how small or large is our portion, it contains the same fullness of Christ.  And the bread given to the people on the hillside that day, or to the disciples at the Last Supper, is the same bread given to us at any Sacrament of Holy Communion because it is the body of Christ.  Each piece of bread contains the fullness of Christ for all persons for all generations, and we are all hungry.  Our souls are hungry!

“Where are we to buy this bread?”.  Jesus asks the question of Phillip and of all of us, and the answer is we CAN’T buy it!  It is not for sale!….which is precisely why Jesus asks the question. It can only be received through the sacrificial gift of Jesus as he said, “This is my body broken for you.” We cannot buy this bread!  It is God’s gift to us.  Each time we receive this bread, we receive Jesus.

I think again of the words to the hymn, “Fill My Cup Lord”…

“Fill my cup Lord, I lift it up Lord.  Come and quench this thirsting of my soul.  Bread of Heaven,  feed me til I want no more.  Fill my cup, fill it up and make me whole.”

Pondering…

When did you last receive spiritual food?

Do you believe the meal of Holy Communion contains the transforming grace of Jesus Christ?

Are you hungry?

nk

Our question for today comes from Matthew 16:15.  There is discussion among the disciples and Jesus as to who people say Jesus is.  Then Jesus asks the disciples  directly, “But who do you say that I am?” Peter answers, “You are the Christ, the Son of the Living God.”  Jesus calls him blessed and says that God has revealed this to him.  It is not a human thing, it is a spiritual gift from God that we know Jesus Christ personally.  Each of us makes our own profession of faith as to who the living Christ is in our lives.  God, by the power of the Holy Spirit, awakens and stirs that KNOWING inside our hearts.

This past Christmas Day I was visiting my grandchildren who had been so excited about Santa coming to their house that morning.  Later in the afternoon we had a wonderful Christmas dinner completed by a birthday cake for Jesus.

We all sang Happy Birthday to Jesus and then the children blew out the candles.  Travis, who was almost three, then asked, , ” When is baby Jesus coming to our house?”.  Callie, age 5, replied enthusiastically, “He is already here!  He is in our hearts!”  Molly, who was almost 8, then clarifies for everyone, “WELL! Jesus didn’t actually get small and physically go into our hearts.  His LOVE is in our hearts!”.

I just sat there and smiled, all filled up with love and joy!  It was the perfect discussion and answer for “Who do you say that I am? “.  Of course, the children just KNOW!

Pondering..

How would you answer Jesus’ question?

How have you come to know Jesus personally?

nk

(Watercolor painting I did several years ago)

(Photo I took on island of Mykonos of children at sunset)

Our question for today is Jesus asking, “Children, do you have any fish?” (John 21:5).  I have always been drawn to this question.  The resurrected Christ is back with his disciples.  They are out in the boat fishing and he is calling to them from the shore, but they don’t recognize him.  The question is so endearing as  Jesus is watching, noticing, caring about what happens to them and is involved in their lives.  He asks if they have any fish.  Their answer is that they have been fishing all night and have caught nothing.  (Of course, Jesus already knows that!).

So, is this question really about the fish?  Is it about what they are seeking and hoping for?  If you and I were asked what we want, what would we say?  How would you complete this sentence?

This child wants gum.  Those children wanted fish.  Jesus tells them to try the other side of the boat and something incredible happens…

Wow! ” Jesus can do abundantly more than we can ask or even imagine”!! (Ephesians 3:20). One of my favorite scripture verses!  There were so many fish the disciples were not able to haul in the net!  Now the best part of the story, and what I believe underlies Jesus’ question, is the reaction of the disciples….John excitedly proclaims, “It is the Lord!”  Peter jubilantly throws himself into the water and swims to shore where Jesus then takes some of the fish, cooks breakfast for all of them, and every one of them KNEW it was the Lord who was with them!

 

 

Listen…do you hear Jesus calling, “Children….”?  Perhaps he is asking, “Do you know I am here?”.

Pondering…

Watch and listen for the presence of Jesus.  Where do you find abundance?

Do we need to try the “other side”?

nk

Because we are on a faith journey together in this time of Lent, I do not write these blog posts ahead of time.  They are written day by day as we go along the way.  For the most part, I have the overall picture in my mind, but my heart is open for the winds of the Spirit to move and guide us.

Today’s question is not one I had planned to include, but God woke me up before dawn this morning with a different plan.  If we look again at Matthew chapter 25, we see that there is a lot of discussion over this topic, and Jesus is quite passionate about it all.  He is separating the “sheep and the goats”.  The sheep are the ones who reached out to care for those in need.  The goats are those who did not. He is angry and says, “Get out worthless goats! You are good for nothing and here is why…

I was hungry and you gave me no meal.

I was thirsty and you gave me no drink.

I was homeless and you gave me no bed.

I was shivering and you gave me no clothes,

Sick, and in prison and you never visited.”

The goats respond with our question for today, “Master, what are you talking about?  When did we ever see you hungry or thirsty or homeless or shivering or sick or in prison and did not help?  Jesus answered, “Whenever you failed to do one of these things to someone who was being overlooked or ignored, that was ME – You failed to do it to ME!”

We look at the life of Jesus and he clearly has come to save sinners.  These are the people he hung out with and for whom he poured out himself on the cross.  We are all in the place of not being able to save ourselves.  We are saved by his grace.  Yet in this story Jesus is very angry with those who do not respond to the needs of others.  He calls them worthless!

Early this morning before dawn Jesus was asking me what I had done for those on his list.  During my 27 years of ministry there were many moments in which I did help these persons.  But in the last 2 1/2 years of retirement it seems I have “taken a break”.  Without that giving of ourselves, we miss the joyful fulfillment of the Kingdom of God.  I was convicted! I looked again at an art collage I had done in my journal during Lent of 2013.

Preaching the Good News, Breaking the Bread are still very present in my life.  The hand touching the child feels like something I am missing right now. I want so much to do what God is calling me to do.  I don’t want to be the goat!  I don’t want to miss the joy of the Kingdom!

Pondering….

What do you think Jesus would say to you about his list of those in need?

I think I hear where God is calling me.  Do you?

nk

In Matthew chapter 25, Jesus talks about the Son of Man on the throne of glory with all the nations gathered around.  Just imagine the picture of that with people from every nation!  Jesus  gives the vision of his blessing for inheritance of the Kingdom and it has to do with those who are hungry, thirsty, those who are strangers, those without clothing, and those in prison.  Who did anything for any of these persons?  If anyone helped any of them then it was the same as doing it for Jesus.  Or if no one helped, then no help was given to Jesus.  That was the dividing line for inheriting the Kingdom of God.  So, is this the picture?

(photo from “Homemaking Tips”)…pup cakes?  Well, not exactly the picture, but what if we saw the face of Christ in every person?

Helping persons in need is the same as doing it for Jesus! THIS is the Kingdom!  The face of Christ is present in every person, and the Jesus in me loves the Jesus in you!  Together we are the body of Christ and we are ONE in this great love.

“Lord, when did we see you hungry?”

(Photo from “Like Breath and Water…Praying with Africa” by Ciona D. Rouse) . A quote with the photo says, “Mali mothers handed their fragile babies to me to hold, to feel the weight of their starvation.  The smallness sits heavy upon my heart.”  The words continue to echo loudly for me…”the WEIGHT OF THEIR STARVATION”!

One day a few years ago I saw this photo in the newspaper and it just would not leave me alone.  I cut it out and glued it in my journal.

Later in that same journal I sketched my own self portrait.  I was not looking at the photo of the woman, but in my heart I was feeling the “WEIGHT OF HER STARVATION”.

Pondering….

When have you done something for Jesus?

What might you do for “one of the least of these” on this Lenten Journey?

Let us look for the face of Christ!

nk

This is a painting by Gerrit van Honthorst (1590-1656) entitled “Christ before Caiphas”.  The religious authorities are out to catch Jesus in doing something “against the law”, and this takes place before his crucifixion.

Our question for today is from Luke 14:3, a different scene, but still Jesus is with the lawyers and Pharisees who were watching him carefully.  Jesus had just healed a man on the Sabbath, the day of rest when the religious rulers proclaimed that no “work” was to be done.  Jesus asks the question of them before they can ask it of him.  “Is it lawful to heal on the Sabbath or not?”.  They kept silent.  (Good question Jesus!). He goes on to put it into perspective…”Who wouldn’t try to get their ox or a son out of a well if it had fallen into it on the Sabbath?” The question then for us might be, is every “religious law” meant to be kept?

This drawing done in the 17th c. by Rembrandt portrays the piety that was present in many of the Pharisees in Jesus’ day.  We must put ourselves in this story as listeners of the question Jesus asks, “Is it lawful?”  When do the laws need to change?  What is our attitude in abiding by certain laws, or ensuring that others do or don’t keep the law?

I remember as a child that my church did not allow children to receive Holy Communion before they were confirmed.  One Sunday when communion came around I had not yet been confirmed, yet my heart felt compelled to take this meal and I wanted it!  My head said, “Why not?”  SO…I took it, even though I was not supposed to!  ( I know…those of you who know me are not surprised).  Now the question might be, “Can children be refused grace because they do not yet fully understand?”  Or, “Do all of us as children of God come to understand more fully in the process of receiving grace?”

This is my grandson wearing his new bow tie in the church building on Easter Sunday surrounded by the people of God.  He seems to be asking the question “Is it lawful?”.  This is Easter, a special religious day, and he wants to do it right!  I don’t know exactly what “IT” is, but I think we must first ask ourselves where does love enter the picture?  Is it about the law, or is it about love? What will the children most learn by our reaction?

Pondering…

When has your understanding changed in regard to how you thought something SHOULD be?

Let’s ask Jesus to open our eyes to more love in this Lenten Journey.

nk

 

As Jesus was walking through the countryside with his disciples, he was teaching them…

 

He said that he will be killed and after three days he will rise.  The disciples didn’t understand and were afraid to ask him.  When they came to the village of Capernaum, they gathered in a house.

(Painting by David Blossom)

Jesus asks his friends this question, “What were you discussing on the way?” They kept silent because they had been arguing about who was the greatest!  Jesus then said”If anyone would be first he must be last of all.”  In case they didn’t yet get it, he put a child in front of them and told them that if they received the child they would be receiving him.

I wonder how the disciples were feeling at this point?  Were they surprised that Jesus knew what they were talking about?  Were they embarrassed or ashamed?  Did they now have more questions than ever?  The child?  Were they still afraid to ask?  Did they wish they could go back and travel the road again with Jesus, this time asking more questions?

This is a good question for us during our Lenten journey.  What sort of things are we talking about?  If we were to replay our conversations for the day, what would we hear?  Where was our focus?  What was our attitude?  What about Jesus hearing our discussions?  Are we afraid to ask questions of Jesus?

(Prayer by Macrina Wiederkehr, “Seasons of Your Heart”

Pondering…

Can we pay attention to the words that come out of our mouth today?

What question would you ask Jesus?  Perhaps you have several.

nk