Posts

Showing posts from April, 2017

He Is Risen!

He is risen! Light overwhelms the darkness.  Hope conquers despair.  Life has the final world over death. He is risen. He is risen indeed!  Alleluia! Alleluia!  Alleluia!

Waiting

And now we wait. We wait in the shadow of the cross, before the sealed tomb.  We know what we have lost.  Yet we wonder ... might there be more?  We hope so, we pray so.  Though the world tells us it is finished - after all, did not Jesus say this himself? - but we yearn for more.  So rather than give up, we will wait. For grace, for salvation, for new life.

Darkness

Today is Good Friday and the sun is shining.  The morning is bright, and the hours ahead seem rife with possibility.  Yet we who profess to follow Jesus are focused on what happened on this day long ago.  We recall the hate that made itself known in a court, in a city, on a hill 2000 years in the past.  We know the same darkness makes itself felt in our age.  And while we know this is not the end of the story, while we confess that God has the last, saving word, we are quiet this day, mindful of the wrong that humans can and do perpetrate against one another.  On this Good Friday, we remember the sacrifice that God made of himself on our behalf and we remember, too, the broken nature of the world that necessitated such a gift. The sun is indeed shining this day.  But it is dark.

Service

In the day's reading from John we learn that Jesus insisted on washing the feet of his followers.  This act of service was a striking example of the kind of leadership Jesus offered and what he thought it meant for him to be a king.  In today's world, we often hear talk about "servant leadership."  Here we see what it means: a self-giving, self-denying assistance to others, no questions asked. Today, I invite us to reflect on how we might better serve God's people, not just those we know, but the stranger, too.  Not just those we like or love, but those with whom we are at odds.  Then, let us go serve others as God in Jesus served you and me.

Rain

It's cooler today than it was yesterday and the sunshine has been replaced with rain.  In short, the weather is tracking Holy Week.  We've gone from the sun and warmth of Jesus' entry into Jerusalem into something a bit more, well, darker.  I won't say that God is manipulating the weather.  But I will give him credit for giving me the ability to see the connection. What other connections might we draw?  Well, rain may stop us from playing outside, but it also nourishes the earth, enabling things to grow.  So, too, Holy Week and Lent as a whole.  We need this time of reflection, repentance and renewal if we are to be able to in any way welcome the Risen Christ into our lives on Easter Sunday. So, yes, it's raining today.  And it may do so tomorrow.  But fear not: Christ is coming, regardless of the weather.

Easter is Sunday! Are You Ready?

"Easter is Sunday! Are You Ready?" This statement and question combo were offered by an internet provider.  The implicit answer is that I'm not but if that I avail myself of their services, all will be well.  Well, perhaps, if my need is a table for a meal.  But if it's to be ready for the resurrection of our Lord?  Um, no.  I am not ready, nor will I be so on Sunday, despite my attempts this Lent to get my spiritual house in order. Please don't misunderstand; I've tried.  I've prayed.  I've abstained.  I've tried to be more focused.  But the truth is that there is nothing I can do to be fully prepared for the amazing thing that God is going to do.  Still, I try, because I should.  Because I want to.  I'll keep trying after Sunday, too. What about you?  Are you ready?  Probably not, if you're human.  But that's okay.  Keep on preparing.  God will understand.

Spring is Coming

It's a glorious day.  The sun shines, the temperatures are rising, buds are emerging.  Spring is coming. However, it's not here yet.  Not really.  Sure, the calendar suggests it arrived last month, but for those of us in New England, we know that winter is lurking.  It's ready to pop out and surprise us with a visit or two or even three before it recedes for a few months.  Sin is like that, too.  We think it's behind us, but in truth, it has merely gone quiet.  It will return. The good news, though, is that while winter may lurk, spring will always come.  Sometimes we have to be patient, sometimes we have to be strong.  But string will come.  So, too, will relief from sin through the God who made himself know in Jesus.  We'll have a reminder of that truth this coming Sunday. This Holy Week, I invite you to join me in thinking about and praying on the advent of the spring we know in the Risen Christ and of what this can mean for our lives.  Spring is

Cloaks and Branches and What Else?

Today we begin Holy Week with the reading of Matthew's account of Jesus' entry into Jerusalem.  It's powerful stuff.  But something's missing: there are no palms.  That's right.  Go find your bible and read chapter 21 and you'll see that cloaks and branches are mentioned but not palms.  That's not to say they weren't used, but they didn't make into this gospel.  "What would you have used to pave the way for Jesus?" is one question that might be considered this day.  Another is, "What will you use to pave the way for him?"  For as sure as the sun will rise in the morning, our faith teaches us that Jesus is still coming, breaking into our lives and into our worlds. Think about that.  Jesus is entering into the holy city this very morning.  He is entering into our lives at this very moment.  Cloaks, branches, palms aren't enough.  Neither are our hearts, minds, and souls.  But we have to start somewhere ...

Inspection

I'm at the garage this morning to have our car inspected.  Talk about a Lent-appropriate activity!  Just as our vehicles need to undergo an annual inspection to make sure that all is in order and to call to attention those things that require our attention, so to do we. Tomorrow, we'll begin our journey into Holy Week and our trip to the cross.  Today, let us take a few moments to look into our hearts, our minds, our souls.  Let us undertake a spiritual inspection to that we might be ready to enter into Jerusalem with Jesus, confront Pilate and his colleagues, make our way to Calvary, and experience the joy of the Resurrection on Easter morn.

Free

This morning I was given my cup of tea gratis at the place where I often go to pick up my morning Joe (or during Lent, tea).  I had the money out, but it was declined.  They manager does this on occasion for regular customers.  While I could use one of their coffee club cards, this is easier, has the element of a good surprise, and serves as a reminder of grace.  Technically, it's not the same.  I have, after all, done something to earn the reward.  But its mechanics are reminiscent of God's generosity: it occurs at unexpected times, without any directly prompting action on my part.  I show up, I leave with a free drink. Grace works like that.  We show up, we leave with a blessing.  Sometimes grace is manifested in great ways, other times in the smallest of things.  Yet it happens, sometimes when we think we need it, other times when all seems right with the world. And it always seems like a surprise, the unanticipated occurrence of something good that, if only f

Centennial

It was 100 years ago today that the United States declared war on Germany and entered the fight alongside the Allies in Europe.  I believe this was the right thing for our nation to do.  But the war and our nation's participation is not something that is to be celebrated.  World War One was first known as the Great War or the War to End All Wars.  It certainly was great, exceeding in scope and destruction all preceding conflicts.  But it was by no means the final, conclusive battle.  More fighting, more conflict was to follow on stages great and small. Today, a century on, we live in a fallen world that is still affected and shaped by war.  Today, during this Lenten season, we may give thanks for those who have been willing to make sacrifices for freedom and liberty.  But we should also mourn the failures in human relations, the lust for greed and power that all too often distracts and misleads.  We do this remembering that the perverting powers of darkness not only

Signalling

I've been busy this week.  By telling you this I am indicating that I'm important because only important people are busy.  Or so I've been told.  Anyway, your response to this might be, "So what? I'm busy too" or "Who cares? I've got other things on my mind."  These, and most of the other responses you might offer are all valid. Still, I've been busy this week.  And I'm telling you this not to send some kind of signal, but simply to state a fact.  I've been busy.  There.  Said.  Done. Now what?  Well, I've been busy doing ... church stuff.  Planning worship.  Visiting with people.  Going to (holy?) meetings.  You know, church stuff.  You do it.  Go to worship.  Pray for people.  All that jazz.  Unlike me, though, you're probably not telling people.  You're not sending any signals.  Not that you need to know.  God, after all, knows.  God really, really knows.  That's affirming, especially during Lent.

Connections

Later today I will head down to the Concord area for a meeting with some other ministers to discuss and plan for this fall's clergy retreat.   I can't say I'm excited.  The drive is about two hours round trip and it's raining today.  I could just as easily stay here in Lebanon, but I'll go.  Sometimes, you see, we have to work to maintain our connections.  Yes, it might be easy to stay put, to let those ties fall by the wayside.  But then one day we'll wake up and find we're alone, something we are not meant to be. Lent is a time to remember that things we value require effort and care.  It is a time to remember how we have fallen short in tending to those whom we deem important.  And it is a time to re-establish connections, to repent by repairing and renewing.

Snow Big Deal ...

Snow Big Deal Yes, that's a bad pun, but bear with me.  This past Friday and Saturday a large storm passed through New England.  Here in the Upper Valley we received, depending on one's location, between 8" and 13" of snow.  It was a bit of a hit psychologically.  After all, it was spring!  Snow was simply not appropriate.  But there it was.  A lot of it.  And memories of Christmas, and dreams of skiiing and sledding abounded.  But then Sunday came along and the melt began.  It continues today.  There's still more snow on the ground today than there was before the storm blew through.  But soon there will be less.  And then there will be none.  What we spent so much time talking about and preparing for will be just a memory. Sin can be like this, too, if we have the right attitude.  We can make a big deal out of our sins (and we should).  But we need not be paralyzed by the wrongs we have done.  We should not let them define us.  Instead, we can r

Another Corner

This is the last "normal" week of Lent.  Seven days from now we'll be gathering to celebrate Palm Sunday and launching in to the mysteries of Holy Week.  But that is then and this is now.  Where are you today?  How has Lent been for you?  What have you yet to achieve?  Is there someone to whom you should apologize?  Are your spiritual disciplines wavering?  Have you yet to acknowledge, let alone begin to repent for, your sins?  If we're honest, the answer to all of these questions is an unequivocal 'yes'.  So why wait?  We still have two weeks of Lent left to go.  Let's join together, offering one another prayers of support.  Let's ready ourselves for the wonder of Easter by fully engaging in the practices of Lent. Yes, we're turning another corner.  But we're not there yet. There's still plenty of Lent ahead of us.  Thanks be to God!

Still Time

It's 6:10 pm as I write this.  I almost let the day go by without a reflection but here we are.  I could offer you excuses: the cold, the snow, the family.  But in the end, they'd still be excuses, as persuasive as they might be.  So instead I'll focus not on the hour and what has already passed by but instead on the time and what is yet to come. This Saturday is a lot like Lent: mostly over but not yet done.  There's still time ahead of us, still time to reflect, repent, renew.  So this evening I invite you to pray, to think, to act.  To remember that while Easter is ever closer, it is not yet here.  We are still in Lent, we still have time to do things differently with God and God's people.  There's still time.  Thank God!