Saturday, March 7

I have come as a Light to shine in this dark world, so that all who put their trust in me will no longer wander in the darkness.

John 12:46

An Alphabet Of Spiritual Inspirations From The Bible (#3)

L	Love	Ps 36:5	Your unfailing love, O Lord, is as vast as the heavens, your faithfulness reaches beyond the clouds.
M	Mercies	Ps 89:1	I will sing of the mercies of the Lord forever; with my mouth I will make make known your faithfulness to all generations.
N	Name	Ps 9:10	And those who know your name will put their trust in you.
O	Open	Ps 34:15	The eyes of the Lord are on the righteous and his ears are open to their cry.
P	Peace	Ps 29:11	The Lord will give strength to his people, the Lord will bless his people with peace.
Q	Quietness	Is 30:15.	In quietness and confidence shall be your strength.

And the Word was with God and the Word was God

Friday, March 6

After he had washed their feet, had put on his robe, and had returned to the table, he said “Do you understand what I have done to you?”

John 13:12-13

Today is World Day of Prayer which is being celebrated in 170 countries around the world. This year’s service was written by the women from The Bahamas. (Do you know The Bahamas encompass 700 islands?) The scripture passage of Jesus washing the feet of the disciples was chosen to show God’s radical love which comes from humility, compassion and commitment. God’s radical love is not static or self-centered but reaches out and brings others in.

Symbolically as Jesus puts aside his own robe he loses his power and privileges and joins the slave class. Washing the feet of guests was a task of slaves. Often we read in the bible how Jesus disregards social structures and interacts with people on the bottom rung of the ladder. Then Jesus tells his disciples to do likewise, to serve all with love.

Many years ago when at a riverside in rural Guatemala I had a humbling experience. A woman suddenly appeared with a basin and rag and washed my dirty feet. That act of kindness lingers on as a wonderful memory, especially when I read this scripture passage of Jesus’ example of washing feet.

O God, we live in a world of hurting people, and you call us to follow you and serve with love. Open our hearts and minds to discover new ways to bring hope and opportunity to all. In Jesus’ name. Amen.

Lois Poston

NOTE: The local World Day of Prayer service is today (March 6) at 10:00 am at the Franklin Community Church, Franklin, MI.

Thursday, March 5

The hearing ear, the seeing eye, the Lord hath made even both of them.

Proverbs 20:12

As I watched the juncos at our feeders this morning I pondered the mysteries of bird migration. How did these juncos know it was the third week of October and time to come south out of Canada to winter over at our place? While I can't be sure, I think they are the same ones who were here last year and the year before. And right on schedule, come May, they will head north again to their breeding grounds.

I will miss them, but in their place will come the birds that breed in our area each summer, that dazzle us with their beauty, impress us with their nest building, and delight us with their antics. I'm reminded of that wonderful Spiritual and hear and see Ethel Waters in my mind singing “His eye is on the sparrow and I know He watches me."

I've long thought that our Holy Father must have had a lot of fun when He made the birds. How could He not have laughed when He gave boobies blue feet or created the landing gear of the water birds? And imagine His pleasure at the haunting call of the loon.

Matthew tells us as soon as Jesus was baptized in the River Jordan the heaven was opened to Him and he saw the Spirit of God coming down like a dove and lighting on Him. At this time in the life of our church when baptism renewal has been explored, let us open our hearts, eyes, and ears to the Holy Spirit moving in our lives.

Thank you, Creator God, for being in our lives, thank you for the gift of your Son. Open our eyes and our ears to the beauty you have put all around us. Amen.

Pauline Davidson (1994)

The Lord God made them all

Wednesday, March 4

When he reached the place, he said to them, ‘Pray that you may not come into the time of trial.’ Then he withdrew from them about a stone’s throw, knelt down, and prayed, …

Luke 22:40-41

The poignant African American spiritual, "Let us Break Bread Together On Our Knees" says, "When I fall on my knees, with my face to the rising sun, Oh Lord, have mercy on me." What a beautiful picture! I wonder, does it matter how we pray?

My beloved grandfather, A. W. Cormack, was a revered Christian pastor. It was the custom in his denomination to kneel in prayer during the church service. Even when he was very old and in poor health, he would find a way to kneel between the pews on the tile floor, head bowed. Seeing him that way told me so much about his faith and devotion. Nowadays, few Christian gatherings seem to include kneeling. But what a humble and humbling posture it is!

When I led our children in bedtime prayers, we always knelt together. It was a special part of the evening ritual to name all our loved ones and put them in God's hands. In the years since, I have found myself on my knees only during times of personal crisis.

Recently I was dining in a small Middle Eastern restaurant. At the appointed hour, the only other two customers spread small mats, faced Mecca, and prostrated themselves on the floor for evening prayer. We respected them with a moment of silence.

Prayer seems a very personal, private experience to me. Probably more than the words we say or the posture we assume, what really matters in prayer is the connection we feel to God.

Prayer: God in my life, God in my lips, God in my soul, God in my heart. (from an ancient Celtic prayer)

Diane Falconer

Tuesday, March 3

For where two or three have met together in my name, I am among them.

Matt. 18:20

The Season of Lent has arrived. Winter, still with us, will wither as we approach Easter and the onset of spring. And the tradition of Lent, as it has been for so many generations, is the perfect way to prepare for the Resurrection of Our Saviour and for the reawakening of the world around us. The old teacher in me is reminded that families, peoples, and nations blessed by good traditions have a considerable advantage over those which do not, for we do not have to make it up as we go. The traditions of the past have become our heritage, a part of our lives, and that heritage connotes community, community with those who have gone before: our parents, grandparents, church, and with all who have contributed to our cultural inheritance.

We have set patterns to follow.

• When Christmas comes we buy gifts; send cards; cook roast beef and Yorkshire pudding. We look for the red kettles and listen to and sing carols.
• When folks close to us pass on, we send condolences and attend ceremonies. We tip our hat to ladies and open doors for them.
• Before arthritis, we were quicker to offer our seat in a crowded room or bus.
• We say yes or no, Ma'am or Sir.
• We obey laws even when no police are present.

We do those things because we just know they are the right things to do. Gramma used to say It just isn’t done, don’t you know!

• We learned not to kiss on the first date.
• When folks marry, we attend the showers and send a gift and perhaps attend the wedding.
• We teach our children that police and firemen are our friends and that teachers are to be obeyed.

We are a community. We are the stronger for being so.

Most importantly, as we have done so now, we begin our practice of observing the ancient traditions of Lent, that season whereby we seek to prepare ourselves for the coming of Holy Week and Easter Sunday. We are urged to a greater awareness and practice of prayer, penance, repentance, alms-giving, atonement and self-denial. I will not attempt definitions of these excellent practices. They are well known to all reading this.

I will say that when we practice these traditions to the best of our abilities, we will be doing so with many fellow Christians. In a real sense, we will be meeting together in His name. We will be a community and He will definitely be among us. And we will be the stronger for being so.

Almighty and eternal God, So draw our hearts to Thee, so guide our minds, so fill our imaginations, so control our wills, that we may be wholly Thine, utterly dedicated unto Thee; and then use us, we pray Thee, as Thou wilt, and always to Thy glory and the welfare of Thy people; through our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ. Amen

Mary Kay and Paul Sparre

Monday, March 2

This is my commandment. That ye love one another, as I have loved you. Greater love hath no man than this, that a man lay down his life for his friends.

John 15:12-13

Best Friends

We may not have to die for someone, but there are other ways to practice sacrificial love: listening, helping, encouraging, giving. Think of someone in particular who needs this kind of love today. Give all the love you can, and then try to give a little more.

Prayer: Loving Father, help me to always be sensitive to the needs of those who travel with me on my life journey. Amen.

Vera Harkin (2015)

Second Sunday, March 1

Shout out, do not hold back! Lift up your voice like a trumpet!

Announce to my people their rebellion, to the house of Jacob their sins. Yet day after day they seek me and delight to know my ways, as if they were a nation that practiced righteousness and did not forsake the ordinance of their God; they ask of me righteous judgments, they delight to draw near to God. ‘Why do we fast, but you do not see? Why humble ourselves, but you do not notice?’

Look, you serve your own interest on your fast-day, and oppress all your workers. Look, you fast only to quarrel and to fight and to strike with a wicked fist. Such fasting as you do today will not make your voice heard on high. Is such the fast that I choose, a day to humble oneself?
Is it to bow down the head like a bulrush, and to lie in sackcloth and ashes?

Will you call this a fast, a day acceptable to the Lord? 

Is not this the fast that I choose: to loose the bonds of injustice, to undo the thongs of the yoke, to let the oppressed go free, and to break every yoke? Is it not to share your bread with the hungry, and bring the homeless poor into your house; when you see the naked, to cover them, and not to hide yourself from your own kin? 

Then your light shall break forth like the dawn, and your healing shall spring up quickly; your vindicator shall go before you, the glory of the Lord shall be your rearguard. Then you shall call, and the Lord will answer; you shall cry for help, and he will say, Here I am. 

If you remove the yoke from among you, the pointing of the finger, the speaking of evil, if you offer your food to the hungry and satisfy the needs of the afflicted, then your light shall rise in the darkness and your gloom be like the noonday. The Lord will guide you continually, and satisfy your needs in parched places, and make your bones strong; and you shall be like a watered garden, like a spring of water, whose waters never fail. Your ancient ruins shall be rebuilt; you shall raise up the foundations of many generations; you shall be called the repairer of the breach, the restorer of streets to live in. 

Isaiah 58:1-12

What are you giving up for Lent?

The question grows out of the traditional religious disciplines of self-examination and self-denial during the forty days preceding Easter and the celebration of Christs resurrection. Over the years I've tried giving up chocolate (though perhaps as much for weight loss as for spiritual renewal). My son would gladly forswear lima beans.

The text from Isaiah encourages honest self-examination, while challenging the superficial and hypocritical ways we do that. We are called, instead, to self-denial in the service of others: "...to loose the bonds of injustice........ to share your bread with the hungry, and bring the homeless poor into your house........"

In so doing we follow the footsteps of One who loved and sacrificed even his very life for the life of the world. Curiously, the path of service will lead to our own healing, renewal, and resurrection.

What are you giving up for Lent?

This year I'm going to try giving up some personal time to work on ministries relating to the poor in the Metro Detroit area. I'm going to try giving up some personal spending in order to make a sacrificial contribution to the One Great Hour of Sharing Offering. I'm going to try giving up some of my protective walls in order to become more open, more accepting, more connected to the pain and the healing of our community.

Gracious God, accompany us on this Lenten journey. Use our hands to do the work of your creation, and use our lives to bring others the new life you give this world in Jesus Christ, Redeemer of all. Amen.

Rev. Louise Westfall (1993)

Then your light shall break forth like the dawn ...