Philippians 4:4-9

Key verse: Philippians 4:6

Do not be anxious about anything, but in every situation, by prayer and petition, with thanksgiving, present your requests to God.

Today we continue our series on “Listening Evangelism.” We have examined some wrong approaches to evangelism and also discovered we still have an amazing gift to offer the world. Today, we start exploring how to share that gift through listening. What may at first seem a paradox (how do we share a message by listening?) comes to remind us that the medium we use to communicate IS the message. When we listen with love, we communicate God’s grace in powerful ways.

But, listening takes work! So many of us do not feel like we have been heard, and we end up stating our point of view over and over and being unable to listen. Therefore, the first step in listening involves clearing the clutter of our own minds and trusting God to take care of our needs. When we realize that God listens very intently to us (even more closely than we listen to ourselves), we can feel the need to make our own point subside. Further, when we trust to take care of our needs, we no longer feel preoccupied with getting our own needs met and we can focus on the other person. In theological terms, we call this emptying of ourselves  “kenosis,” and the listening that results “kenotic listening,” based on an understanding of Jesus’ role from Philippians 2:7 that he emptied himself, not grasping equality with God.

Our passage from Philippians gives us a clue in how to go about emptying ourselves. Paul writes to the church in Philippi, which he founded (see Acts 16), and with whom he has a good relationship. He remains in prison, most likely in Rome, on a capital charge, and yet, this letter radiates with joy! In fact, our passage begins with Paul calling us to join in that joy: “Always be full of the joy of the Lord. Again, I say it—rejoice!” How can he be filled with such joy when his circumstances remain tenuous? The answer comes in the next verse: “The Lord is near.” When we know that God remains near to us, we do not have to worry about anything. We can trust that God will work all things together for good (see Romans 8:28), even the pieces of our lives that seem hopeless.

This trust underlies our key verse, which contains an invitation not to be anxious or worry about anything. Because God is near, we can trust God to take care of us and all of our needs. Paul’s words remind us of Jesus’ words in the Sermon on the Mount in Matthew 6:25-34. There, Jesus instructs us not to worry about anything because God takes care of the birds of the air and the flowers of the fields. Since we are worth so much more to God, Jesus emphasizes that God WILL take care of us as well. He demonstrates the futility of worry (Can any of you add a single hour to your life by worrying?), and invites us to live each day in the present, entrusting the future to God.

Paul reveals the key to this trust: building a relationship with God through prayer. In prayer, we express gratitude and we share our fears, our hopes, our dreams, and our needs with God. As we practice this relationship in prayer, we come to know a God whose love for us overflows and who desires only the best most life-giving things for us. And this relationship will bring us a peace that passes all understanding. This peace does not represent an absence of conflict, but the very presence and love of God which makes us whole.

This peace also guards our hearts and minds and empowers us to focus on the excellent qualities of life as signs of God’s presence. Paul lists these qualities, which do not seem particularly Christian in nature: truth, honor, justice, purity, excellence, and anything worthy of praise. Quite possibly, Paul extracts these traits from the “virtues” of his culture to demonstrate that the best culture has to offer also arises from divine origins. However, Jesus also embodies these traits and Paul claims to have learned them as well. He then invites his audience to follow his lead, to emulate his example as he emulates Jesus.

Then, he promises the God of peace will be with us. Once again, the very presence of God in our every day lives comforts us and assures us. Then, as we gain that sense of trust, we can leave our cares in God’s hands and be free to focus on others. We find that we no longer need to defend ourselves or prove ourselves, because God will take care even of that aspect. And, a focused listening heart communicates to people that they have value, that someone cares, and that they are not alone. What an amazing gift listening can be!

Questions for Reflection

1—What comes to mind when you think of joy? How is joy different from happiness? How could Paul be joyful even when on death row? Where do you find joy in your life? How can these snatches of joy flavor your whole outlook?

2—What worries you? Which worries can you turn over into God’s hands easily and which take extra work? What about those particular worries makes it hard to trust God? How can you deepen your sense of trust in God?

3—When have you felt truly cared for and heard? What happened and what contributed to that feeling? How do you experience God’s love and care for you? What happens when you pray? How can prayer clear the clutter of your mind? What in you needs to be heard?

4—How well do you listen? How can praying to clear your mind help you become a better listener? What practice can you begin to improve your listening skills?

5—How did the Holy Spirit speak to you in worship today?

Luke 15:11-32

Key verse: Luke 15:24

‘For this son of mine was dead and is alive again; he was lost and is found.’ So they began to celebrate.

We continue our series on Listening Evangelism by examining what we do have to offer. If we do not think we have any good news, what is the point in sharing it? Yet, for all of our mistakes as a church and as followers of Jesus, we have an amazing, life-giving message to share with the world. God loves each of us very much and calls us children, no matter what the world says about us or what we say about ourselves.

Although many of us know this story well, its complexity allows us to learn from it time and time again. We begin by meeting the players. Notice that Jesus introduces both men in the story in terms of their relationship with the father: a man had two sons. Likewise, the story invites us to view each other in terms of our relationship with God. Everyone we interact with and speak with belongs to God as a daughter or son. The younger son decides he does not want to remain with his father, so he disrespects his father, treating him as if he were already dead and asking for his inheritance early. Notice that his father simply lets him go. He does not berate or argue, but loves him enough to meet his request and let him go.

The younger son goes into a far country, which introduces not only emotional and relational distance, but physical distance as well. In the far country, people worship a different god, so the son also introduces spiritual distance into the relationship. In this country, the son squanders his wealth in wild living. Jesus does not give any more details. Then, famine strikes the land and the son runs out of money. He hires himself out to feed pigs, which are unclean to the Hebrew people. (See Leviticus 11:7.) However, he becomes so hungry that he considers eating the pigs’ food.

But then, the son “comes to himself,” or “comes to his senses.” He faces the circumstances of his life and the consequences of his choices. While looking honestly at his life, he remembers who he is and he remembers who his father is. So, he prepares a speech in which he confesses what he has done, claims he is no longer worthy to be called his father’s son, and asks to be hired on as a worker for his father. This is the story he tells about himself: I am no longer worthy to be called son. It’s also the story we often tell about ourselves.

The father, however, tells a different story. When the son is still a long way off, the father, who has been waiting, watching, and longing for his son to return, runs to meet his son. Dignified fathers, in that culture, do not run. Yet, this father runs to meet his son, and  before the son can give his rehearsed speech, the father calls for a robe, a ring, and sandals. These items make a public statement that the father is welcoming his son back home and claiming him as his son once more. The father tells the son a different story: the son says, “I’m not worthy,” and the father says, “Welcome home, son.” Then, the father holds a feast.

The older son, however, refuses to join in the feast. He also creates distance in the relationship with his father, by refusing to participate in the celebration. Once again, the father takes the initiative and leaves the party to come invite the older son to join them. The older brother does not even address his father by name, but rather says, “Listen!” Then, he compares his relationship with his father as one of a servant by saying: “All these years I have been slaving for you, and you do not once give me a calf to celebrate with my friends. Now this son of yours has come home after squandering your money with prostitutes, and you kill the fatted calf for him.” Notice the older brother exaggerates the sins of the younger and also refuses to call him brother. Instead, he calls him “this son of yours.”

The father also tells the older brother a different story about himself. Instead of seeing him as a servant, the father reminds the older son of his relationship, calling him “son.” He also reminds the older brother that everything the father has belongs to the older son and that he is always with the older son. He also invites the older brother to be reconciled to his younger brother, by calling him “this brother of yours.” This parable demonstrates that relationships take priority over everything else, that relationships cannot exist without radical grace, and that the grace of God tells us a new story about ourselves. God claims us as children, loved, freed, waited for, longed for, forgiven, and renewed in right relationship with God and with each other. To a world full of broken relationships, we do indeed have good news to share!

Questions for Reflection

1—Do you relate more to the younger brother or the older brother? Why? Do you feel you must work and earn your way into God’s graces, or do you trust in God’s radical love to welcome you home?

2—When have you experienced an amazing welcome, where someone ran out to meet you? When have you feared someone’s response but instead experienced grace?

3—What stories do you tell about yourself to others? What stories do you tell yourself about who you are? How have these stories changed over the course of your life?

4—What stories does God tell you about yourself? In what ways have you experienced the joy of being a daughter or son of God? How do you treat God’s other sons and daughters, our brothers and sisters in Christ?

5—How did the Holy Spirit speak to you in worship today?

1 John 1:5-2:2 

Key verse: 1 John 1:8-9

If we claim to be without sin, we deceive ourselves and the truth is not in us. If we confess our sins, he is faithful and just and will forgive us our sins and purify us from all unrighteousness.

Our passage today from First John reminds us that although we have chosen to follow Christ, we remain a work in progress. No matter how hard we strive, we continue to sin. We miss the mark, stumble, get off on the wrong path, and alienate ourselves from God and ourselves and each other. None of this changes our status with God, whose love surrounds us and heals us. Instead, God’s love provides a process for dealing with the inevitable wrongs, the process of forgiveness, which restores us to living in the light again.

The author of the letters of John, who describes himself as “the elder,” uses the imagery of light to describe God, salvation, and the nature of our lives when we follow God. Scripture often uses light to describe God and Jesus. The prologue to the Gospel of John describes Jesus as the light who has come into the world, and promises that darkness will never overcome this light. Darkness defines life without God, which is filled with death, lies, and destruction. Light, by contrast, provides guidance, warmth, and a new and authentic way of seeing and living.

Many other passages in the Bible use the light imagery, which can help us gain a depth of understanding of how to interpret it here. Psalm 27 says, “The LORD is my light and my salvation. Whom shall I fear?” This reminds us light chases away our fear. James 1:17 tells us that every perfect gift comes from God, “the Father of the heavenly lights, who does not change like shifting shadows.” We can count on what we see in the light of God, because God remains constant and true, unlike shadows which can grow or shrink depending on perspective. Again, the prologue of the Gospel of John says of Jesus: “In him is life, and that life is the light of all people.”

Life and light comingle. Light provides necessary energy for plants, which provide food for animals and humans. We need the light to live. Jesus invites us to live in this light, both literal light and the light of God’s love. In John 8: 12, Jesus claims: “I am the light of the world. Whoever follows me will never walk in darkness but will have the light of life.” Just as plants cannot live long without the light of the sun, we cannot live long without the light of God’s love in Jesus.

That light shows us the truth of ourselves, that we are beloved children of God and we still sin. If we say we do not sin, we walk in the darkness and not in the light. So, following the light of the world does not mean that we are perfect. It means that we are authentic, honest about ourselves, and secure in the light of God’s forgiveness. This light also provides a path back into relationship through reconciliation. Forgiveness becomes, then, not a one time deal but a way of life. Forgiveness serves as a sign that we are living in the light.

This passage describes forgiveness through the blood of Jesus and the atoning sacrifice of his life. I had a theology professor who spelled atonement: “at-one-ment,” demonstrating the purpose of atonement to make us one again with God, with ourselves, and with each other. I struggle with the blood imagery, because for me, blood symbolizes death. However, in the Hebrew faith of the Old Testament, blood represents the very life force. So, the emphasis lies in the life of Jesus, lived and given for us, and not merely to the death of Jesus.

Jesus gives us the gift of his life to reconcile us to God. This gift does not reflect a human endeavor to change God from being angry to being gracious. God remains gracious and loving. Rather, this sacrifice expresses the Divine initiative to express God’s love by removing sin. How God accomplishes that through Jesus’ gift of his life remains a mystery. But, we live in the reality of that gift, as children of the light, loved, flawed, and forgiven.

Questions for Reflection

1—Close your eyes and picture light in as many ways as you can. What does it look like to you? Think about the various ways you imagined it. What role did light play in those different scenarios?

2—What role does love play in forgiveness? Why is it important to know we are loved before we can accept forgiveness? Where in your life do you need forgiveness? Where do you need to forgive someone else? How can the light of God’s love help you in this process?

3—What do we need to confess as a church? Why is it important for the church and its members to confess our sin openly? What kind of witness does this confession give to the world? Why is it so tempting to focus on the sin of others rather than confess our own?

4—How did the Holy Spirit speak to you in worship today?

Ruth 1:1-18

Key verse: Ruth 1:1

“In the days when the judges ruled, there was a famine in the land. So a man from Bethlehem in Judah, together with his wife and two sons, went to live for a while in the country of Moab.”

We begin a new series today, examining how listening can lead to an opportunity to share your story of Jesus’ love. The story of Ruth in the Old Testament provides a lens through which to view our current cultural situation. Because of the generic setting of the book of Ruth and the lack of specific details which would link it to a particular time in history, many scholars view the story as a parable, like the story of Jonah or the parables of Jesus. These parables reveal to us how we really are instead of how we think we ought to be. This story of Ruth also resembles the parable Jesus tells of the Good Samaritan, where the hero of the story comes from a despised people, in this case, Moab.

If we read this story as how we thought we ought to be, we would identify with Ruth, who goes above and beyond the normal expectations to provide kindness to Naomi. However, when we are honest, we can see ourselves as Naomi, the one who needs redemption. The redemption Naomi experiences reverses her fortunes and provides her with a future filled with hope. It also comes from an unexpected source–her foreign daughter-in-law.

We begin the story in Bethlehem, which means, “the House of Bread,” where, ironically, there was a famine. We meet Naomi and her husband, Elimelech, from the Ephrathite clan, which also means “fruitful.” Since they cannot find food due to the famine, they leave to go into the foreign territory of Moab. Deuteronomy 23:3 prohibits Moabites from entering the assembly of the Lord, even to the 10th generation. But, they go down into Moab with their two sons. Naomi’s husband dies and she finds wives for her two sons. But, her sons also die, leaving no children.

Naomi hears that Bethlehem has food again, so she prepares to return home. She tells her daughters-in-law to return to the house of their mothers, since she cannot provide them with any security. She gives a strange reason–that she cannot bear sons any longer, so they would have no hope with her. In this case, she refers to what is called the levirite marriage laws, found in Deuteronomy 25:5-10. Here, in order to protect the property of a dead man for his family, if a man dies without a child, his brother is to marry her in order to provide her with an heir on behalf of his brother. Naomi claims that this levirite marriage would not work in her case.

One of the daughters-in-law, Orpah, leaves and follows the customs of her day. She returns to her mother’s home and presumably finds a new husband. However, Ruth shows Naomi exceptional kindness. The Hebrew word for kindness, hesed, typically refers to God’s kindness, an undeserved grace or mercy that goes beyond what can be expected. Ruth, then, this despised foreigner, demonstrates God’s kindness to her mother-in-law by remaining loyal to her and refusing to leave her side.

Ruth makes a beautiful speech to Naomi that we often hear in weddings. She indignantly answers Naomi by saying: “Your God IS my God; your people ARE my people. Therefore, I will go where you go and I will live where you live and I will die where you die. Don’t ask me to abandon these commitments.” Something about their relationship makes Ruth reluctant to leave Naomi. We hear, then, that Naomi says nothing more to Ruth. She may not have been happy about Ruth’s presence. It would have been easier for her to take care of herself without an additional woman from a despised culture. And, surely Ruth’s presence would remind her of her losses. However, the two women return to Bethlehem together.

There, they find food. Eventually, Ruth finds favor with one of Naomi’s kin, Boaz. The two marry and have a child who redeems Naomi, reverses her fortune, since Ruth shares the child with Naomi as family. They name the child Obed, and he becomes the father of Jesse, who was the father of King David. Some scholars believe that people used the story of Ruth to justify King David’s rule as a redeemer, like his grandfather. Others believe the story came about during the time of Ezra and Nehemiah, after the exile, when the Israelites returned to build the Temple. During that time, priests encouraged the men to divorce their foreign wives to keep Israel “pure.” The story of Ruth would undermine this decree by declaring that King David himself did not have a “pure” Israelite bloodline.

The Jewish people today still read the story of Ruth during the time of Shavuot, or Pentecost, which celebrates the grain harvest. Jewish Rabbis use the three-fold refusal of Ruth as a pattern for converts to Judaism. Trying to dissuade them from converting, the converts must agree three times that they understand the hardships and wish to convert.

As a parable for us, Ruth’s story calls us to understand our current landscape as famine-like. People thirst for a real spirituality, an authentic power of hope and love, something bigger than themselves to believe in and follow. However, sadly, as the “House of Bread,” the church often offers only rules and negative doctrines. Too often, people describe followers of Jesus as what we stand against, instead of as a place of abundant love and provision. In order to find our own salvation, the church needs to go outside of itself, possibly into “despised” territory, to discover God’s lovingkindness and mercy. There, among those we believe “have it wrong,” we may discover people who lead us back to the very heart of God again. But, it all begins with relationships. We cannot be afraid to befriend those who are different. And we need to learn to commit ourselves wholeheartedly to these relationships in order to find the grace we also crave. May we take courage from Ruth and Naomi and learn to live life together as we begin to discover God in one another.

Questions for Reflection

1–When have you ever been extremely hungry or famished? What were the circumstances? How did you search for food?

2–The Bible describes our soul’s longing for God as a thirst, a need so desperate. Even Jesus stated on the cross: “I thirst.” What do you thirst for spiritually? What do you long to know about God and yourself and the world? What are your deepest desires and wishes for yourself, your family, our community, and our world?

3–What unexpected kindnesses have you been shown in life? How did they make you feel? What happened? How did you respond? In what ways have you shown kindness unexpectedly in your life? What drove you to do it? How did it make you feel? How has God shown you kindness? How does that kindness deepen your desire to show kindness to others?

4–How did the Holy Spirit speak to you in worship today?

Mark 16:1-8

Key verse: Mark 16:7

“But go, tell his disciples and Peter, ‘He is going ahead of you into Galilee. There you will see him, just as he told you.’”

Mark’s Gospel, the shortest and earliest one written, records an interesting Easter story. The original manuscripts end with verse 8, where the women who have encountered the empty tomb, go away frightened and say nothing to anyone. Of course, if the story had ended there, we would not know about the resurrection. So, why end it there? Early readers of the Gospel also struggled with this ending, and they solve the problem by adding a longer ending. In this longer ending, Jesus first appears to Mary Magdalene (see John 20), who goes and tells the disciples. The disciples do not believe her. Jesus then appears to two disciples walking along a road (see Luke 24), and still the others do not believe. Later, Jesus appears to them all as they are eating, and he sends them to “preach the gospel to all creation.” (See Matthew 28.) Basically, the early readers of Mark add a summary of the other resurrection appearances to Mark’s unusual ending.

Yet, something about the original ending invites us to pay more attention. First, after the Sabbath ends at sundown on Saturday, Mary Magdalene, Mary the mother of James, and Salome go to the market to buy spices to anoint Jesus’ body, since his hasty burial before Sabbath on Friday prevented the proper burial rights. These women arise early Sunday morning just after sunrise and go to the tomb. Something about a dawning day invites new hope after the darkness of the night. Yet, in the early morning light, we cannot always see clearly.

In this early light, the women find their way to the tomb. As they go, they realize that they do not know how they will roll away the stone blocking the tomb. Sometimes, making the leap to faith presents what feels to us like an immovable stone. But, when the women arrive, they discover that the stone has been rolled away! God will roll away these obstacles to our faith if we journey to the place of our emptiness. The women not only find the stone rolled away, they then proceed to enter the tomb, an act which in itself takes great faith. How often does God remove an obstacle to our faith and invite us to look at those places of death in our lives, but we remain outside? The women must go inside to encounter the good news.

Inside the tomb, they see a young man dressed in a white robe (an angel?), sitting on the right side. Notice the interesting details. Why would the author describe the man as sitting on the right side? Earlier in Mark, two of the disciples ask Jesus if they can sit on his right and left hand when he comes into his kingdom. Jesus answers that they must drink of the cup that he drinks in order to do that, and God will determine who sits at the right and who sits at the left. Jesus reminds them that to follow him means to be servant to all. (See Mark 10:35-45.) Then, later in Mark 12 when people question Jesus’ authority, he answers that David said: “The Lord said to my Lord, sit at my right hand.” (See Mark 12:36.) Could it be that Mark wants to remind people of where Jesus is now—at the right hand of God?

The women respond with fear, mirroring all of the disciples’ responses. The hostility that put Jesus on the cross frightens people. The angel, however, reassures them by saying, “You are looking for Jesus of Nazareth, who was crucified. He has risen! He is not here. See the place where they laid him.” He confirms that they are in the right place but that Jesus can no longer be confined to the presence of his physical body. Instead, he instructs the women to go tell the disciples and Peter that Jesus is going ahead of them into Galilee, where they will see him. Notice how the angel specifically mentions Peter. The last time in Mark that we see Peter before this mention, he denies knowing Jesus and cries bitterly. This message promises good news for everyone! No matter how we fail Jesus, he keeps his promises and remains with us always.

Although this story ends with the women telling no one, they obviously do or we wouldn’t be reading it today! However, ending this way reminds us that the story still continues. We are the disciples whom the angel invites to both experience Jesus’ presence and to tell the world about it. Despite all appearances, Jesus does not die and the women do not remain silent, and the other disciples do not fail to share the story. The love Jesus shares with his first disciples and continues to share with us will ultimately overcome our fear and we will be empowered to testify to God’s goodness and love!

Questions for Reflection
1—Where in your life or relationships are you experiencing the emptiness of death? How are you responding to that emptiness? How can the women’s courage to face the tomb empower you to face openly whatever troubles you right now?
2—Where in your life do you sense the dawning of hope? Where do you see new possibilities and new reasons for joy? How can you honor and celebrate these resurrection signs in your life?
3—Where do you still sense fear in your life? How can the presence of Jesus’ constant love overcome that fear?
4—How do you tell your story of faith? What difference does God’s love in Jesus make in your life? How would you describe it to someone unfamiliar with the story of Jesus?
5—How did you experience the presence of the risen Christ in worship today?

Luke 6:1-12
Key verse:

Jesus said to the legal experts and Pharisees, “Here’s a question for you: Is it legal on the Sabbath to do good or to do evil, to save life or destroy it?”

Today we celebrate Palm Sunday, the first day of Holy Week, where we remember when Jesus entered Jerusalem for the last time, greeted with shouts of praise and the waving of palms. (See Luke 19:37-40.) As Jesus approaches, the whole crowd praises God for all the miracles they have witnessed. They shout: “Blessed is the king who comes in the name of the Lord!” and “Peace in heaven and glory in the highest!” When the Pharisees command Jesus to make his disciples stop, Jesus replies: “If they keep quiet, the stones will cry out.” Yet, even amidst all of this praise, Jesus understands his calling and does not allow the praise of the people to distract him from his mission.

How could Jesus not get distracted by the demands of others? Several practices help prepare him for his task, including keeping the Sabbath, which we examine today. Interestingly, Jesus does not keep the Sabbath the way the religious leaders of his day followed, but returns to the reason God gives us Sabbath in the first place. We find two different reasons for keeping Sabbath in the Hebrew scriptures (the Old Testament). In Exodus, God commands the people to keep the Sabbath because of the rhythm of creation: in six days God creates the earth and rests on the seventh day. Therefore, humans can rest on the seventh day. (See Exodus 20:8-11.) In Deuteronomy, God commands people to keep the Sabbath because of the deliverance out of slavery in Egypt. Slaves cannot observe a Sabbath rest, but free people can. Therefore, observing Sabbath reminds us that God delivers us from all that threatens to enslave us. (See Deuteronomy 5:12-15.) Jesus takes his cues for the Sabbath from these passages.

Our passage from Luke today, though, demonstrates that Jesus provokes the ire of religious leaders when he does not keep the Sabbath law the way they interpret it. Jesus has already angered them by not keeping the purity code because he eats with the unclean and the outcasts. Now, he and his disciples walk through a grain field on the Sabbath and eat some of the wheat. When the leaders challenge him, Jesus compares himself to King David, who also broke the ritual laws by eating the bread of the presence. (See 1 Samuel 21:1-6.) Priests would arrange 12 loaves of bread, representing the 12 tribes of Israel, on the altar every Sabbath and only Aaron (Moses’ brother and the first priest) and his descendants (the priests) could eat them in a holy place. However, David and his companions find themselves hungry and trust that God would care more about their hunger than about the ritual laws. Jesus points back to David’s overturning of the ritual law in order to meet human needs as justification for his disciples picking wheat on the Sabbath. He also identifies himself as being the son of David through his actions.

Luke immediately records a second Sabbath controversy to further understand Jesus. Here, Jesus enters a synagogue on the Sabbath to teach. He sees a man with a withered hand and invites the man to stand before the assembly. Then, he poses a question to the religious authorities, one which puts them in a no-win situation: “Is it legal on the Sabbath to do good or to do evil, to save life or to destroy it?” The Sabbath law allows for healing only for life-threatening injuries. Does a withered right hand count as life-threatening? In that society, people use their right hands for greeting, work, and gesturing and their left hand for personal hygiene. Therefore, for the man, his injury not only causes him to be unable to work, but also poses an element of shame, cutting him off from society. For Jesus, the threat of dying relationships stands as important as physical death, therefore healing the man does save his life.

However, Jesus’ question also shifts the emphasis of Sabbath from a list of “don’ts” to its purpose, which includes resting as a way to grow in our relationships with God and with others. In the next verse after this section, Jesus goes away alone to pray. So, Jesus values spending time alone with God as a way of keeping Sabbath. But, he understands too how honoring God with the Sabbath includes offering healing to our neighbors. When we spend time in Sabbath rest, we separate our self image from what we do and begin to understand our value in terms of who we are, which depends on our relationship with others. In Africa, the concept of Ubuntu captures this: “I am what I am because of who we all are.” Sabbath keeping helps us understand ourselves in this interconnected way, which ties their well-being to our own. Jesus’ understanding of Sabbath invites us to rest so that we can understand who we are in relationship with God and with our neighbors.

Questions for Reflection
1—What images or emotions does the word “Sabbath” evoke for you? Are these images and feelings positive or negative?
2—How does this passage shift your understanding of Sabbath? Why do you think God gives us Sabbath? How can viewing Sabbath as a gift instead of an obligation free you to enjoy its benefits? What benefits do you think keeping Sabbath brings?
3—What are some ways you currently keep the Sabbath? How might God be calling you to broaden or deepen that practice? How can you find out more about Sabbath rest?
4—How did the Holy Sprit speak to you in worship today?

Scripture notes for 2 Corinthians 5:14-21

Key verse: 2 Corinthians 5:20

We are therefore Christ’s ambassadors, as though God were making his appeal through us. We implore you on Christ’s behalf: Be reconciled to God.

Today, we explore the spiritual practice of forgiveness. Often, the mention of forgiveness brings feelings of guilt, because we know it is something we should do, but we don’t know how to do it. Is it simply a decision? What if the feelings of peace and reconciliation don’t come after I make the decision to forgive? It might help us to recognize that forgiveness involves both and a decision and a process. We must choose to forgive, but that choice reflects only the beginning of a journey, not the end. This process offers us a way to imagine a new future that is not predetermined by the pain and hurt of the past. In fact, it gives us a future with hope. (See Jeremiah 29:11.)

Sometimes, as Christians, we believe that this future with hope comes without work or struggle, and we get disillusioned when we discover that God requires our participation to make that hope-filled future come into being. However, following Jesus does not mean that our lives will be perfect from now on and our relationships will be conflict-free. Instead, following Jesus offers us a new way to resolve conflict and move to reconciliation. What marks a Christian community is not the absence of conflict, but the presence of loving forgiveness which leads to reconciliation. In this practice of forgiveness, we discover that we grow closer to one another and each other and ourselves as we experience mutual vulnerability and grace.

Our passage from 2 Corinthians demonstrates how communities of followers of Christ have always struggled with how to handle conflict. Paul writes to the church in Corinth, a church he founded and people with whom he lived for two years. Paul counts them as one of his greatest “successes.” Imagine, then, his disappointment when he visits and someone in the community attacks him, but no one in the community stands up for him. He leaves with the promise that he will return, but instead sends a harsh letter to them. (We do not have that letter, but 2 Corinthians refers to it.) The people take action to correct the one who attacked Paul, and Paul responds with this letter, attempting to reestablish the connection and work through reconciliation.

In our passage today, Paul gives us several clues as to how to work the process. First, he reminds us that the forgiveness process arises out of God’s love for us. Because God loves us and loves the people we have conflict with, we have the power to forgive. He goes on to explain that because of Jesus, we no longer live for ourselves. God’s love for us in Jesus pulls us outward toward our neighbor, requiring we learn forgiveness. Then, Paul invites us to shift our perspective. He says because of Jesus, we no longer see people “according to the flesh,” or “from a worldly perspective.” God calls us to see ourselves and others through divine eyes of love. In doing so, we can begin to understand the other’s point-of-view and have empathy.

It might seem impossible, but we can live in this new way practicing forgiveness because in Christ, we are a new creation. Although sin leads to alienation in our relationships with God, ourselves, and others, God restores those relationships through the grace of Jesus. In his life, Jesus demonstrates that everyone has value to God. In his death, he shows us that he would rather absorb the evil inflicted on him then retaliate or even demand “justice.” Then, by raising him from the dead, God displays that death will not have the final word, not the death of our bodies, and not the death of relationships through sin. Through the resurrection, we can move through the initial hatred we feel when someone wrongs us, to the vulnerability of telling the truth about the hurt the action caused, and finally experiencing the healing which comes from letting the past go and looking forward to a new future.

However, God does not stop there. Instead, Paul writes that Christ extends to us the ministry of reconciliation. As Christ’s ambassadors, we communicate the love and grace that comes from the power of the resurrection. We practice forgiveness and the new future that it brings. In doing so, we witness to the love of God and the hope that practicing forgiveness can bring.

Scripture Notes for Psalm 37:1-11

Key verse: Psalm 37:4

Take delight in the Lord and he will give you the desires of your heart.

Today we examine the spiritual practice of discernment. So often I hear people exclaim, “How I wish God would give me a sign!” We long to have divine direction in our lives for decisions big and small. Discernment serves as a process by which we can intentionally put ourselves in God’s presence to listen for and recognize God’s desire for us and for the world.

This process of discernment requires a huge initial step: trust. We must trust that God wants what is best for us and that God will work to integrate the events of our lives into a work of art that brings us joy and that furthers God’s work in our world. Many times I hear people conclude that if something brings them joy, it must not be from God. Instead, they feel that the choice that leaves them depleted and empty somehow pleases God. Author David Benner writes: “St. Ignatius of Loyola notes that sin is unwillingness to trust that what God wants is our deepest happiness. Until I am absolutely convinced of this I will do everything I can to keep my hands on the controls of my life, because I think I know better than God what I need for my fulfillment.”

Our key verse points out what will develop this trust. As we get to know God, we discover how much God loves us and we begin to let that love sink into our hearts. (Why do we have such a hard time accepting that love?) Over time, we learn to reciprocate that love and “delight” in God. Then, trust develops to the point where our desires start to mirror God’s desires and we discover what makes us truly happy.

Reading the book of Psalms helps us discover God’s desire for ourselves and for our world. The psalms not only express human words toward God but also God’s word to humanity. When you hear Jesus’ words, you can see how very much the psalms influence his life. From our psalm today, we hear the words from Sermon on the Mount in the final verse: “The meek shall inherit the land.” (See Matthew 5:5.) Psalm 37 asks why the wicked seem to prosper and answers that over time, God (and love) wins. It calls us to not base our decisions on the immediate result but on the long term goal of living God’s love in our world.

By living in this way, the psalmist reassures us that we can have serenity. In the verses we read today, we hear the invitation “do not fret” three times. The Hebrew word for “fret” reflects a sense of heat, a reactionary way of life. In our words today, we could translate “do not fret” as “be cool.” This translation also reflects that sense of stillness and peace that the psalm displays, inviting us to be still and wait patiently. God will prevail. So God encourages us to live as if that divine realm has already come, having the strength to do good even when it seems as if those who do evil are the ones who prosper, and trusting God to set things right in the end.

This trust leads us back to discernment. When we trust God in this way, we can truly be open to God’s leading and guidance in our life, knowing that whichever path we choose, God can work with it. Knowing this reduces our anxiety that we have to make the right choice the first time, and reducing our anxiety actually helps us listen for God more clearly. St. Ignatius of Loyola offers a discernment process that relies on this trust, stating three prerequisites: a passionate commitment to follow God, an attitude of indifference toward all desires (because we know God can use either one), and a desire to know God more.

Once we have these elements of trust, Ignatius offers a process for discernment. First, we examine all aspects of the decision and gather as much information as possible. Then, we consider the position that we feel least inclined to choose, exploring what life would look like if we followed this path. We allow ourselves to experience all the emotions and results as if we chose that direction, looking for feelings of consolation (feelings that lead to life, like joy, peace, creativity, love, communion) and feelings of desolation (those which lead to despair, like confusion, destructiveness, discord, alienation). Then, we follow that second step with the choice we feel most called to follow. After we have examined our feelings in these various choices, we reflect on the difference between the two, relying on our heart and our head, and making a tentative choice and looking for confirmation of that choice. Finally, we take action and see how that decision impacts our relationship with ourselves, with God, and with others, adjusting course as necessary and trusting God for the outcome.

Questions for Reflection
1—How hard is it for you to accept God’s deep and abiding love for you? What barriers get in the way of accepting that love? What practices can help you allow God to love you? How does God show love to you?
2—What’s the relationship between knowing God’s love for you and trusting God? What practices can help you deepen your trust of God? What blocks your ability to trust God? Do you feel God has let you down in the past? Do you need to “forgive” God for not answering prayer the way you felt you wanted it answered?
3—What are the deep desires of your heart? What’s the difference between desires and wants? Between wants and needs? What decision are you facing right now? How can you practice discernment in that decision?

Deuteronomy 10:14-22

Key Verse: Deuteronomy 10:19

“And you are to love those who are foreigners, for you yourselves were foreigners in Egypt.”

Today, as we continue exploring spiritual practices that shape our stories, we examine hospitality. Hospitality in the Christian sense means creating space for the “other” or the “stranger” in our midst and welcoming them as if they were Jesus Christ himself. Our hospitality arises out of our experience of God’s hospitality for us. In the very beginning, through the act of creation, God makes space for us to be “other” than God. Throughout the Bible, we hear story after story of strangers being welcomed and of the people of God experiencing being strangers in foreign lands, whether in Egypt as slaves, or in the wilderness wandering, or entering into the land of Canaan, or as exiles in Babylon. Even Jesus experiences being a stranger from the time of his birth, when Mary and Joseph go to a strange town and find no room at the inn. Yet, though he experiences no welcome, Jesus provides a welcome to everyone he meets, especially those who find no welcome elsewhere, such as the poor and the foreigner and the outcast.

Our scripture highlights this link between hospitality and empathy. The name Deuteronomy means “second law,” and it takes its name from being a repeat of the law the Moses gave to the people. Although written later, Deuteronomy addresses the time when the Israelites have finished their wandering in the wilderness and are preparing to enter the Promised Land. Moses cannot cross over into the Promised Land with them, so he gives them these last instructions. Many scholars believe that later authors wrote Deuteronomy at a time when the people had taken possession of the land and things were not turning out as they expected.

To remind people of the importance of being a covenant people and the behaviors expected of them, the authors point back to this time in history. In doing this, they not only want to claim Moses’ authority but also to explain why life in the Promised Land is different then they anticipated. In their reasoning, they could not blame God so they must instead blame themselves for not following God’s law. By reminding the people of the importance of God’s covenant, they hope to regain God’s favor and set things right again. While we no longer view the events of the world in such a direct cause and effect line, we can glean lessons from the past and our history as the people of God.

Our passage picks up on one such lesson, the need to give our allegiance to God alone. In the Promised Land, the Israelite people struggle with foreign gods and get easily distracted by these gods. We learn at the beginning of our selection that the earth and the heavens and everything in them belong to God alone. Out of everything that belongs to God, God chooses our ancestors and their descendants (us!) to love. Because of this love, God calls us to give our whole selves in return. The scripture says to “circumcise our hearts.” Circumcision serves as a sign to the world that people belonged to God. So, the authors call us to let our hearts display our dedication to God.

That dedication extends to our behavior as we become more like the God we serve. Because God defends the fatherless and motherless, the widow and the orphan, and loves the foreigner among us, God calls us to do the same. Since we know what it is like to be a stranger, God invites us to love the stranger and give them food and clothing. Our passage demonstrates that underneath all of the law lies love. Although the laws seem foreign to us, when we remember that God’s love drives them all, we can begin to understand them within their context.

In that context, showing hospitality often means the difference between life and death for the stranger. The hostile natural environment of the desert and the lack of permanent structures creates a situation where people rely on the kindness and hospitality of strangers to welcome and shelter them. While we no longer live in that environment, showing hospitality to strangers still demonstrates God’s care for them and provides us an opportunity to experience God’s presence in a new way. Joan Chittister writes in her book, Monastery of the Heart, “Guests bring us God in the guise of the immediate and the urgent, the uncomfortable and the unknown…Guests bring the world in, place it at our feet, and dare us to be who and what we say we are…a community with stretchable, permeable, illimitable boundaries made up of anyone who happens to come into it at any time, and always saying, ‘We are here for you.’”

Questions for Reflection
1—Think of a time when you felt like a stranger. Where were you? What happened that made you feel like a stranger. How did it feel? How did you respond? How did others around you respond?
2—Think of a time when you felt the most welcome. Where were you? What made you feel so welcome? Who welcomed you? How did they welcome you?
3—When have you welcomed another? What happened? How did you feel? How did they feel? Looking back on it, how did that experience communicate the presence of God?
4—What practices can we adopt to strengthen our hospitality, both as individuals and as a community?
5—How did the Holy Spirit welcome you today? Who welcomed you? In what ways?

Scripture Notes for Matthew 6:1-6, 16-21

Key Verses: Matthew 6:19-20 “’Do not store up for yourselves treasures on earth, where moth and rust destroy, and where thieves break in and steal. But store up for yourselves treasures in heaven, where moth and rust do not destroy, and where thieves do not break in and steal.’”

Today we begin our Lenten series examining spiritual practices that shape our lives, our choices, and the meaning and value of our stories. (Remember, Lent means “lengthening of days” or “spring” and comprises of the 40 days leading up to Easter, not including Sundays.) The spiritual practices we will explore might surprise you, as we do not limit them to the ones you’d expect, such as prayer, fasting, Bible reading, etc. Although these spiritual disciplines play a vital role in our relationships, we will instead focus on practices that we do together as a response to God’s love in ministry to the world. Along the way, we may find the ordinary tasks of life take on a more special meaning.

Our journey starts in Matthew in the longest recorded teaching of Jesus, called the Sermon on the Mount, in Matthew 5-7. Matthew organizes Jesus’ teachings in triads, reflecting the practices of the time: the Law, worship practices, and deeds of loving kindness. In the very center of the worship practices, Matthew includes the Lord’s Prayer, which interprets the entire sermon. Although we skip the Lord’s Prayer in our reading today, it plays an important role in understanding our passage.

Our passage comes from the second part of the triad which gives instructions on the worship practices of giving to charity, prayer, and fasting. Jesus starts by warning to be careful not to do our acts of righteousness in order to be seen by others. When we remember that righteousness refers to being in right relationship with God, with ourselves, and with others, we can understand why our motivation or intention matters in these practices. If we merely go through the motions so that others will see us, we miss the work of building up the relationships these acts are meant to nourish.

In describing these three acts, Jesus follows a pattern. He opens with “when you…give to charity, pray, or fast.” Notice that he assumes that we will follow these disciplines. He does not say “if you,” but “when you.” These practices arise out of a relationship with God and they deepen our relationship with God. Yet, Jesus does not want us to view these as an obligation. Instead, they offer us an opportunity to get in touch with the very heart of God, thereby experiencing God’s love more deeply and fully.

When we practice these things, the pattern continues that we should not do them as the hypocrites do them. Hypocrite, in Greek, does not reflect the negative meaning we typically associate with it, but means simply, “stage actor.” Jesus, then, implies that some people perform these practices with an eye toward the human audience, rather than for God alone. He says as much as the pattern continues: “so that they may be seen/praised.” When we perform for a human audience, we receive a human reward of recognition.

Instead, Jesus invites us to practice these acts without show or fanfare, for an audience of God alone. In this way, we will discover that the greatest reward comes from God who also will reward us in secret. In other words, the reward may not be tangible or outward, but may reflect an inner sense of peace or closeness with God. The key here does not involve public versus private giving, prayer, or fasting, but the inner motivation that drives us to practice these actions in the first place. We give to others both to help them but also to get in touch with the very heart of God’s mercy and generosity. We pray to remind us of our interdependence on God and each other, getting in touch with the love which connects us all. We fast to remind ourselves of what we truly need and what is most important in our lives, which again goes beyond mere existence to include Spirit-breathed abundant life.

The Lord’s Prayer, which we do not read but is located in the center of our reading, reminds us of these deeper motivations that drive our outward practices. We call God “Our Father,” reminding us of the interconnectedness of the human family and our need for God. We ask for God’s kingdom to come and God’s desire to be done because we trust that God has our best interests at heart and that God longs for a place where we all experience love and reconciliation. We ask for daily bread as a reminder of our utter dependence on God and God’s creation for life itself. We ask for forgiveness and remind ourselves to forgive so that we can live in this human family in peace. And, we remember that everything ultimately belongs to God, so that we value the things that matter most and that will last: love for God, for ourselves, and for others.

Questions for Reflection
1—When have you seen someone praying or giving or fasting who seems to be doing it for a human audience? What gave you that impression? What reward did the person receive? When are you tempted to do things for show? What do you want to prove when you find yourself tempted this way?
2—What do you think of or feel when you hear the words giving, praying, and fasting? Do you feel freedom and invitation or obligation and guilt? What affects this attitude?
3—What is your deepest desire for life? How can prayer and giving and fasting help you experience your deepest desire?
4—How did the Holy Spirit speak to you in worship today?