I Bring Before You My Need

Matthew 7:7-12
7"Ask and it will be given to you; seek and you will find; knock and the door will be opened to you. 8For everyone who asks receives; he who seeks finds; and to him who knocks, the door will be opened. 9"Which of you, if his son asks for bread, will give him a stone? 10Or if he asks for a fish, will give him a snake? 11If you, then, though you are evil, know how to give good gifts to your children, how much more will your Father in heaven give good gifts to those who ask him! 12So in everything, do to others what you would have them do to you, for this sums up the Law and the Prophets.

I am always speechless when I read this passage – I am overwhelmed by the boundlessness of God’s love. If I ask, sinner that I am, I will receive? If I knock, the door will open? It is too vast to comprehend. The passage says the gifts of God are so much greater than what an “evil” man would give to simply do right by his child. It makes me feel special, I feel loved.
But then two things jump out. In order to receive these gifts, this bounty, one must ask, seek, knock. It is not a passive process, we must ask the Lord for what we need. Secondly and probably more importantly, Jesus ties this concept, as always, to the way we are to live; “do unto others as what you would have them do unto you.” That is always the bottom line.
This passage brings to mind the contemporary chant:
Let it rain, let it rain, open the Floodgates of Heaven.
Let it rain, let it rain, open the Floodgates of Heaven.
Let it rain, let it rain, open the Floodgates of Heaven.
Amen.
-Babs Ross
Prayer- Lord, I bring before you my need, my real need, so that you can help me love more fully.

Forgive My Reluctance

Luke 11:29-32

29As the crowds increased, Jesus said, "This is a wicked generation. It asks for a miraculous sign, but none will be given it except the sign of Jonah. 30For as Jonah was a sign to the Ninevites, so also will the Son of Man be to this generation. 31The Queen of the South will rise at the judgment with the men of this generation and condemn them; for she came from the ends of the earth to listen to Solomon's wisdom, and now one[a] greater than Solomon is here. 32The men of Nineveh will stand up at the judgment with this generation and condemn it; for they repented at the preaching of Jonah, and now one greater than Jonah is here.



The Sign of Jonah

Driving home recently I saw the moon hanging on the horizon, a great orange disk with wispy clouds crossing it in an almost artistic manner. It was so magnificent it proclaimed to me "God is here."

We all would like to witness signs and wonders in this time of war and economic and political turmoil, as did the Jews in Jesus' time. And yet he berated them for seeking miracles, stating that the only sign that they would receive is the sign of Jonah.

And what is this sign of Jonah? It is the prophet's call to repentance. Just as Jonah called the Ninevites to repent, so Jesus, greatest of all the prophets, calls people of every age to turn from their wicked ways and come to him.

Once we hear and heed this call, we will not need to look for signs and wonders. We will find them all around us.

-Sue Jefferson

Prayer – Forgive my reluctance Lord, as I strive to do your will today.

Help Me to Remember That You Hear My Prayer

Psalm 34: 4-7,16-19

4 I sought the LORD, and he answered me; he delivered me from all my fears. 5 Those who look to him are radiant; their faces are never covered with shame. 6 This poor man called, and the LORD heard him; he saved him out of all his troubles. 7 The angel of the LORD encamps around those who fear him, and he delivers them. 16 the face of the LORD is against those who do evil, to cut off the memory of them from the earth. 17 The righteous cry out, and the LORD hears them; he delivers them from all their troubles. 18 The LORD is close to the brokenhearted and saves those who are crushed in spirit. 19 A righteous man may have many troubles, but the LORD delivers him from them all.

Something momentous has happened to this psalm-maker! She has come through a terrible time and now she is delirious with joy. She wants everyone within earshot to join her in praising the Lord. Maybe she’s come through a difficult pregnancy and delivery. Maybe the crops were about to fail and rain came in the nick of time. Maybe a dear family member was near death and recovered. We can never know. But we do know about our own times of frantic calling on the Lord. We know when our poor soul has cried, “Help!” Perhaps the worst thing about those times is the fear we experience. Fear can make us incapable of having a coherent thought or doing anything constructive. We become almost lifeless. The only thing we can do, if we choose, is to take refuge in God. The psalm-maker reminds us that the Lord encamps around us, ready to deliver us from fear. And the psalmist is quite clear. “I sought the Lord and he answered me, and delivered me from all my fears.” The Lord is near the broken-hearted. And when the crisis is over, there are times when we just have to shout from the rooftops, “O taste and see that the Lord is good!” -Merle Troeger

Prayer – God, help me to remember that you hear my prayer just as a good parent listens to the desires of each child.

Rejoice in Every Small Act of Kindness

Matthew 25:31-46

31"When the Son of Man comes in his glory, and all the angels with him, he will sit on his throne in heavenly glory. 32All the nations will be gathered before him, and he will separate the people one from another as a shepherd separates the sheep from the goats. 33He will put the sheep on his right and the goats on his left. 34"Then the King will say to those on his right, 'Come, you who are blessed by my Father; take your inheritance, the kingdom prepared for you since the creation of the world. 35For I was hungry and you gave me something to eat, I was thirsty and you gave me something to drink, I was a stranger and you invited me in, 36I needed clothes and you clothed me, I was sick and you looked after me, I was in prison and you came to visit me.' 37"Then the righteous will answer him, 'Lord, when did we see you hungry and feed you, or thirsty and give you something to drink? 38When did we see you a stranger and invite you in, or needing clothes and clothe you? 39When did we see you sick or in prison and go to visit you?' 40"The King will reply, 'I tell you the truth, whatever you did for one of the least of these brothers of mine, you did for me.' 41"Then he will say to those on his left, 'Depart from me, you who are cursed, into the eternal fire prepared for the devil and his angels. 42For I was hungry and you gave me nothing to eat, I was thirsty and you gave me nothing to drink, 43I was a stranger and you did not invite me in, I needed clothes and you did not clothe me, I was sick and in prison and you did not look after me.' 44"They also will answer, 'Lord, when did we see you hungry or thirsty or a stranger or needing clothes or sick or in prison, and did not help you?' 45"He will reply, 'I tell you the truth, whatever you did not do for one of the least of these, you did not do for me.' 46"Then they will go away to eternal punishment, but the righteous to eternal life."

The Parable of the Sheep and Goats - In part the King says ‘to those who have fed, clothed, nursed and visited me – you will live in the Kingdom of God forever.’ And ‘to those who have not fed, clothed, nursed and visited me, you are cursed into the eternal fire.’ It seems the King is sorting people like we sort good socks from those with holes in them. Are the socks with holes in them not repairable, can they not be mended? I certainly hope so, for I know very few (if any) people in my life that don’t have a few holes in them.

Parables such as this are difficult for me to wrap my brain around. Incredibly, the Bible says that Jesus told parables to make the lessons easier for us to understand – HUH?? To that I just scratch my head. How can we ALWAYS feed, water, clothe nurse or visit people. How often have I driven down an exit ramp past a person holding a sign saying ‘I will work for food’? How many times have I let that person in my car, brought them to my home, had them rake some leaves, and then given them a meal? Isn’t that what Jesus is asking me to do? How many people do I walk by with my eyes cast down, so as not to make eye contact, on the streets of New Haven, Harford, or New York City with their hands out? How many of those have I helped. Not many is the sad answer. I had one guy stop me in the Linens and Things parking lot one day – he said ‘I’m just parked over there (pointing to the left) and I ran out of gas, my wife needs to get our baby home to eat – can you spare anything at all.’ In my wallet I had a $50 bill; I certainly could not give him that. But I knew I had some money in my car that I keep on hand for quick stops at McDonald’s for the kids. So, I grabbed some singles and handful of quarters and gave them to him. He seemed very thankful, and I was happy to help him. I started walking into the store and looked back; I noticed that he was not walking to where he said he was parked, but the opposite direction. Initially, I was a little annoyed, thinking I was scammed, which is why I hold back on helping people I don’t know, but then I thought, so what if he was lying, perhaps he will buy himself lunch with that handful of pocket change and that will help him make it through another day.

Still not completely understanding the parable I read it again, searched other translations looking for a clue as to how I might be sorted to the right with the sheep and not to the left with the goats. And there it was, in ALL the translations ‘Lord, when did we see you, hungry, thirsty, naked, sick or in prison?’ And the Lord said to them 'I tell you the truth, whatever you did for ONE of the least of these you did for me. I don’t have to take care of everyone, but I do have to take care of the ones I can. If I can’t take a person home with me, surely someone else in the line of traffic can help that person. But, if someone calls me because they need my help with feeding an elderly member of community, or someone who is recovering from an illness I can do that. That is my part in darning the holes in my sock. We are all called to help in different ways, we just have to accept what we can do and have faith in God that he has tapped others to help in the ways we cannot. I’m still hopeful that I will be welcomed in the Kingdom of God. – Stacey Wadey

Practice –rejoice in every small act of kindness, for in them Christ is served.

Awaken Us to Your Presence

Mark 1: 12-15

¹²At once the Spirit sent him out into the desert, ¹³and he was in the desert forty days, being tempted by Satan. He was with the wild animals, and angels attended him. ¹⁴After John was put in prison, Jesus went into Galilee, proclaiming the good news of God. ¹⁵"The time has come," he said. "The kingdom of God is near. Repent and believe the good news!"

The desert, good place, quiet place, scary place? In Mark's version of the temptations I realize something new, the possibility of Jesus being simultaneously with the wild animals (representing perhaps freedom without morals), Satan (the opponent of all God wants, the great deceiver) AND the angels (messengers of God, sources of good).

And that seems a lot like our lives, doesn't it? It would be easier if our choices were simply between good and evil starkly drawn. But in this life they are not. Rather we are faced with something more like salad dressing; a mixture of elements, some bitter, some sweet, some spicy, some just taking up space, all of which together make the reality we experience. And since our lives are so often shaken up we may never seem to have time to let them settle out so we can see what is what for us.

It took Jesus at least forty days in the desert, the empty place, to sort it all out and then move forward to begin his proclamation. Is there something you need to sort out this Lent? Take the time. There will be challenges, perhaps even evil to confront, but there will also be angels. -Peter Stebinger

Prayer- Awaken us to your presence, Spirit, and fill our tongues with good news.

Set Sometime Aside Today

Isaiah 58:9-14

⁹ Then you will call, and the LORD will answer; you will cry for help, and he will say: Here am I. "If you do away with the yoke of oppression, with the pointing finger and malicious talk, ¹⁰ and if you spend yourselves in behalf of the hungry and satisfy the needs of the oppressed, then your light will rise in the darkness, and your night will become like the noonday. ¹¹ The LORD will guide you always; he will satisfy your needs in a sun-scorched land and will strengthen your frame. You will be like a well-watered garden, like a spring whose waters never fail. ¹² Your people will rebuild the ancient ruins and will raise up the age-old foundations; you will be called Repairer of Broken Walls, Restorer of Streets with Dwellings. ¹³ "If you keep your feet from breaking the Sabbath and from doing as you please on my holy day, if you call the Sabbath a delight and the LORD's holy day honorable, and if you honor it by not going your own way and not doing as you please or speaking idle words, ¹⁴ then you will find your joy in the LORD, and I will cause you to ride on the heights of the land and to feast on the inheritance of your father Jacob." The mouth of the LORD has spoken.

As I read this passage from Isaiah I couldn’t help thinking that the message is much like a message one would hear in a psalm. This passage has a warning tone, and at the same time it has a comforting tone as well. It is a warning to those who do not keep the Sabbath holy, and it is a comfort to those who do keep the Sabbath holy.

Reading this passage was a comfort to me, because as I thought about it, I realized that I do in fact, keep the Sabbath holy. I go to church every week, and I devote that day to God. As I thought about it more, I asked myself why. It is true that I have been brought up to go to church every Sunday, but I have never objected to this. My teenage angst has never rebelled against going to church, and on the Sundays that I miss church I get this empty feeling. I miss having the reminder that God is there watching over me in my life.

Isaiah said that God will punish those who do not keep the Sabbath holy, and God will reward those who do keep the Sabbath holy. The way I see it, keeping the Sabbath holy is a double-winner. We receive the comfort of God in our lives and we “will find our joy in the Lord”. To not keep the Sabbath holy is a double-loser. We miss God in our lives, and we will not find our joy in the Lord. If we embrace the Lord we surely will find the greatest of joys! –Brendan Pasley

Prayer – Lord, I will set sometime aside today to meditate on your loving presence in my life.

Lord, let no action of mine come from pride or greed today

Isaiah 58:1-9

¹ "Shout it aloud, do not hold back.
Raise your voice like a trumpet.
Declare to my people their rebellion
and to the house of Jacob their sins.

² For day after day they seek me out;
they seem eager to know my ways,
as if they were a nation that does what is right
and has not forsaken the commands of its God.
They ask me for just decisions
and seem eager for God to come near them.

³ 'Why have we fasted,' they say,
'and you have not seen it?
Why have we humbled ourselves,
and you have not noticed?'
"Yet on the day of your fasting, you do as you please
and exploit all your workers.

⁴ Your fasting ends in quarreling and strife,
and in striking each other with wicked fists.
You cannot fast as you do today
and expect your voice to be heard on high.

⁵ Is this the kind of fast I have chosen,
only a day for a man to humble himself?
Is it only for bowing one's head like a reed
and for lying on sackcloth and ashes?
Is that what you call a fast,
a day acceptable to the LORD ?

⁶ "Is not this the kind of fasting I have chosen:
to loose the chains of injustice
and untie the cords of the yoke,
to set the oppressed free
and break every yoke?

⁷ Is it not to share your food with the hungry
and to provide the poor wanderer with shelter—
when you see the naked, to clothe him,
and not to turn away from your own flesh and blood? ⁸ Then your light will break forth like the dawn,
and your healing will quickly appear;
then your righteousness ^[a] will go before you,
and the glory of the LORD will be your rear guard. ⁹ Then you will call, and the LORD will answer;
you will cry for help, and he will say: Here am I.
"If you do away with the yoke of oppression,
with the pointing finger and malicious talk,

The politicians rule the day;

Religious leaders have their say;

Young boys and men are maimed or die,

Women and children left to cry.

So I must not then humbly fast

And pretend that justice will last.

I must listen to God’s own word

And thus turn from the common herd.

No bright apparel should I don:

The killing fields stretch on and on.

Death and destruction, hand in hand,

Go forth and desecrate the land.

When will it be against the law

To aim a gun - or even draw?

When will it end, when will it cease?

When will mankind find God’s great peace?

-Donald B. Noyes

Prayer- Lord, let no action of mine come from pride or greed today.