MIDDLE SABBATH: LENTEN PRAYER OF REFELCTION

“The Valley of Vision”

From The Valley of Vision: A Collection of Puritan Prayers & Devotions, edited by Arthur Bennett.

Often our Lenten journey is compared to a time in the wilderness or walking through the dark valley. Use this “Middle Sabbath” poem today as your path through the valley to God. Take 10 minutes to sit quietly with these words. Ask God to show you your own Lenten vision as you read & reflect.

 

 

Lord, high and holy, meek and lowly,

Thou hast brought me to the valley of vision,

where I live in the depths but see Thee in the heights;

hemmed in by mountains of sin I behold Thy glory.

Let me learn by paradox that the way down is the way up,

that to be low is to be high,

that the broken heart is the healed heart,

that the contrite spirit is the rejoicing spirit,

that the repenting soul is the victorious soul,

that to have nothing is to possess all,

that to bear the cross is to wear the crown,

that to give is to receive,

that the valley is the place of vision.

Lord, in the daytime stars can be seen from deepest wells,

and the deeper the wells the brighter Thy stars shine;

let me find Thy light in my darkness,

Thy life in my death,

Thy joy in my sorrow,

Thy grace in my sin,

Thy riches in my poverty,

Thy glory in my valley.

 

As the world often does, it has provided us with more evidence of the failure of the human spirit, the invasion of Ukraine, to remind us that the ultimate result of our human sin is always war. We all face our own  battles with sin individually, so it’s to be expected that we would propagate this sinful violence  against each other … even to the point of violent warfare against our brothers & sisters of God of other nations. Which brings us to Ash Wednesday.

Ash Wednesday comes once a year, and marks the beginning of a spiritual journey that will span forty days, from today until the light of Easter. It is a sacred intimate time between each of us and God, to confess our sins and accept our fallibility. When accept the reality of our own sinful nature, then we become open to help. And the help we need is found only in God’s love for us, delivered through the life and death of His Son and our savior, Jesus Christ.

Thus, Ash Wednesday is the beginning of a forty-day journey into God’s love for us. Each one of us. Personally. .

Because we had to cancel our Ash Wednesday service for this evening, here is a way to experience the same spirit of unity and fellowship that we feel when we’re together. Today, let us ALL take some “away time” to pray ourselves through these 3 worship resources. With each other – in spirit.

Choose your own time. Pick your own place. I promise, God will be wherever you are. And read and reflect on these resources as you wish.

A STATEMENT ON THE WAR IN UKRAINE
From Shane Claiborne

The first time the word “sin” appears in the Bible is when Cain kills his brother Abel. That is the inaugural murder, and we’ve been doing it ever since.                                                                     Every time we kill, God hears the blood cry out from the ground. Violence is always sinful, and it is always evil. We must stand against the violence in Ukraine. We must also commit to respond to this sinful violence without returning it in kind, for violence only fuels the fire of hatred, resentment, and fear.                                                                                                                      We cannot love our enemies as Christ commands, and simultaneously prepare to kill them. It was Jesus, the Prince of Peace, who scolded Peter as he resorted to violence, saying to Peter, “Live by the sword, die by the sword.”                                                                                                And yet we continue, again and again, year after year, to live by the sword and die by the sword.                                                                                                                                                                    There is another way.                                                                                                                                  We who believe in peace must be as courageous and as organized as those who believe in war. Peacemaking does not mean passivity. Peacemaking is the active resistance of violence, but not on its own terms. Peacemaking is about interrupting injustice without mirroring injustice, resisting oppressors without becoming oppressors, neutralizing enemies without destroying them.                                                                                                                                   Blessed are the peacemakers for they are the children of God.

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A PRAYER FOR US ON ASH WEDNESDAY

“Marked By Ashes” – Walter Bruggemann

 Ruler of the Night, Guarantor of the day . . .

This day — a gift from you.

This day — like none other you have ever given, or we have ever received.

This Wednesday dazzles us with gift and newness and possibility.

This Wednesday burdens us with the tasks of the day, for we are already halfway home

halfway back to committees and memos,

halfway back to calls and appointments,

halfway on to next Sunday,

halfway back, half frazzled, half expectant,

half turned toward you, half rather not.

 

This Wednesday is a long way from Ash Wednesday,

but all our Wednesdays are marked by ashes —

we begin this day with that taste of ash in our mouth:

of failed hope and broken promises,

of forgotten children and frightened women,

we ourselves are ashes to ashes, dust to dust;

we can taste our mortality as we roll the ash around on our tongues.

We are able to ponder our ashness with some confidence, only because our every Wednesday of ashes anticipates your Easter victory over that dry, flaky taste of death.

On this Wednesday, we submit our ashen way to you —you Easter parade of newness.

Before the sun sets, take our Wednesday and Easter us,

Easter us to joy and energy and courage and freedom;

Easter us that we may be fearless for your truth.

Come here and Easter our Wednesday with

mercy and justice and peace and generosity.

 

We pray as we wait for the Risen One who comes soon.

 

– From ‘Prayers for a Privileged People’ 2008.

 

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THE “JESUS PRAYER” — A PRAYER TO CARRY IN YOUR POCKET FOR LENT

This Lenten season, let us adopt this ‘Jesus Prayer” as our daily … hourly … even minute by minute prayer, training our hearts for the next 40 days to learn to pray this prayer unceasingly.

“The Jesus Prayer”

Lord Jesus Christ                                                                                                                                       Son of the Living God                                                                                                                                        Have Mercy on Me                                                                                                                                         A Sinner

(A pocket size version of the Jesus Prayer will be available Sunday in church)

 

Forty days to prepare for a resurrection. Let us begin together, today.

In His name, by His will, we can,                                                                                                                                   Pastor Bob   

 

Ever since I’ve come to Arthur, I feel more and more “grounded” in the rhythm of nature. How can I not? I mean … so many farms & so many farmers! And I love it. I can see why it’s always been said that it’s on the farm where you can get really close to God. And if you’re close to God, then you’re surrounded by love.

And isn’t that the way it is around here. If you want to feel some love, either a) go to a farm quickly, or b) get in touch with a farmer or his wife … and just ask. On the farm there’s a lot of love to go around. I wonder why that is. And then I wonder why it isn’t like that everywhere.

So, my brother Bruce Condill, a farmer himself, shared this article with me, and guess what … I love it. And I think some of you might too. But be sure to read slowly … and take time to feel the love. And ponder this: Couldn’t it be like this … here?

Faith, Hope & Love to All … but most of all Love,                                                                               Pastor Bob <><

 

“To Love a Farm”                                                                                 By Meredith Bernard, Progressive Farmer Contributor

So many hours. So much toil. So many resources. So much labor. So many missed social events and family trips. So much heartache when an animal dies or a crop fails. So many early mornings and late nights. So much investment for often so little gain. So many what ifs, why nots, how comes and if onlys. So much uncertainty and very few assurances. So many variables so out of our control.

How can one possibly love a farm? Because a farm gives so much more than it takes.

So much pride in feeding your own family and countless others. So many memories doing the hard things together. So much joy in what some see as mundane but you see as miraculous. So many days spent making a life, not a living. So much value in what’s ultimately priceless. So many life lessons that no book could ever teach. So much faith in the greater good and our God, who holds it and us all together.

> To love a farm is not for the faint of heart, though some days it takes all we’ve got to keep our hearts strong, minds focused and feet moving. It’s the hard days of farming that make the good days all the more worth it.

> To love a farm is to push past fears, embrace change for the promise change can bring and learn from the mistakes of yesterday to make tomorrow better.

> To love a farm is to cherish a life not many get to experience yet so many benefit from.

> To love a farm is to find where patience and perseverance produce a bounty of hope.

> To love a farm is one of the greatest privileges and sweetest blessings I’ve ever known.

Meredith Bernard tends farm and family, and writes, takes photographs and celebrates life from North Carolina. Follow her on social media @thisfarmwife and visit her website at thisfarmwife.com

Explanation of Article Title Above:

The deeper I go on this amazing and mysterious journey with Jesus, the more I have come to love poetry. No … not all styles of poetry and certainly not all poets. Trust me, I’m no poet nerd! But, every couple of weeks or so, I just by happenstance come across a poem that melts my heart and fills my spirit. And there’s no better feeling in the world than that! The poem I share with you today is one of those.  

So, given that this “Middle Sabbath Respite/One Good Poem” is meant to give you some time away … not any place in particular … just away. Let’s call it “away time.” Away Time is when we find ourselves, whether intentionally or not, disconnected from the giant power strip that is our lives. It’s kinda like everything in your daily duties gets unplugged, leaving the outlets open for power from above.

Take some “away time” today, and use this wonderful poem below to drift into another place. I suggest a “quiet as you can” place that is soft on the physical senses. Find a comfortable position that relaxes most, if not all, of your muscles. Then slowly read this poem below, with a whisper … and listen to yourself and the words you’re speaking. Take a  minute or two in silence, and then read the poem as you desire. Once more. Twice more. It’s your choice.

All this can be done in as little as 10 “good” minutes. By the way, I refer to minutes as “good” if they are used for spiritual nourishment. But you could also take 30, 45 or 60 minutes with the poem, letting the quietness, the stillness, and the Holy Spirit, reveal meaning, if any, for you. Be sure to pray for that to happen before you start! And many blessings on your “Middle Sabbath Respite.” I’d love to know how it turned out for you.

“Do not ask your children to strive”                                                                                                                By William Martin

Do not ask your children                                                                                                                                         to strive for extraordinary lives.

Such striving may seem admirable,                                                                                                                             

but it is the way of foolishness. 

Help them instead to find the wonder                                                                                                                 and the marvel of an ordinary life.                                                                                                                   

Show them the joy of tasting                                                                                                                     

tomatoes, apples and pears.

Show them how to cry                                                                                                                                             when pets and people die.

Show them the infinite pleasure                                                                                                                                 in the touch of a hand.

And make the ordinary come alive for them.

The extraordinary will take care of itself.

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Disclaimer: I have already shared this poem with our Sunday morning 9:05 group. I hope you enjoy it as much as I do. It’s especially fitting for parents and grandparents!

Open the heart within, and the spirit will flow from above, and fill it,

Pastor Bob <><      

In the first written of the four gospels, in the fourth chapter & second verse, Mark tells us that Jesus said, “Let those who have ears to hear, hear.” Did you ever think that Jesus might be talking about a different kind of “ears” than the two on each side of your head? Have you considered that Jesus has a very special message for you in any and all of the words in the Bible’s 66 books?

And … have you ever pondered the possibility that Jesus is speaking to you … always? Including right now? That He has a teaching moment customized just for you, right where you are? That He is waiting right now for you to hear Him?

Well, I believe all of this is true!

I believe Jesus teaches us to listen and hear Him through the many stories of the gospels. Each story has a universal and eternal truth in it, and if your ears are properly tuned … you can begin to understand how Jesus brings the words of scripture to life … and not just to life, but to your life in particular. And He is always teaching you!

Think about it: Everywhere he goes, He is teaching. Even at the end, with his greatest lesson of all … the cross. Consider some of Brian McLaren’s different methods Jesus has for teaching.

I discovered these 6 teaching approaches of Jesus in Brian McLaren’s wonderful stimulating book, “We Make the Road by Walking.” In his book, Brian  develops in greater detail his modes of how Jesus teaches us. It all leads me to conclude … and hope … that Jesus is always teaching me, everywhere I go, at any time – day or night. Don’t you feel that way too? Don’t you hope that’s true?

It’s true: Life is really a classroom, and we are lifelong learners called disciples. And, as we stretch and grow, we build a kingdom of which the world can’t comprehend. Indeed, only those with the ears to hear … hear. I wonder what my next lesson will be about … don’t you?                                                                        

See you at school … Pastor Bob <><      

FOR THIS SUNDAY: READ LUKE 15: 11-32.                                                                                       Pay close attention to each of the 3 main characters.                                                           Based on their words and actions, try to determine what’s going on inside each of them from a spiritual perspective as the story unfolds.

Have you ever been, or are you now, lost … spiritually?

I can distinctly remember some of the times when I was physically lost as a kid; there’s a whole lot of fear in those memories. Example: I went off hiking by myself, age 8, at a big family picnic when I suddenly realize that I had no idea where I was or which way I came from. It’s that moment right there … the reality of knowing you’re lost … that sends chills down my spine even today. I was lost! And no one knew it … so no one was looking for me.

Even as I write this, I am remembering more of those “being lost” moments I experienced as a kid. I bet you have some too.

As we grow up, we don’t get lost as much as we used to. Not physically lost anyway. And now, in a world of GPS and step tracking and self-driving cars, perhaps the days of “getting lost” in the old sense of the word will be over. After all, it takes some real work to find a place in the world today where you don’t know where you are, and neither does anyone else.

But we all know that there is another way of getting “lost” in the world. It’s more like getting “lost” from yourself. You’d think that would be easy to discover … that you’re lost from yourself … but in fact it’s just the opposite. It’s hardly noticeable to ourselves when we are spiritually lost, although those closest to us may notice something is changing.

Some of the symptoms of being lost from yourself could be a feeling of emptiness or dryness inside, where God usually takes residence. Right in the middle of your gut! It’s hard to define, but you’ll know something is missing in there when you’re lost.

Another symptom of being lost from yourself can be an annoyance, or irritation, with people around you. Over time, when we’re without a God relationship, we lose some of the best parts of our personality, and grow new parts that aren’t as nice. Have you noticed yourself feeling that way?

And finally, one symptom that I’ve noticed with myself, is when the faith-specific things in my life … like reading the Bible, going to church, praying, listening to Christian radio, etc. … aren’t connecting with me in my heart. It can feel like there’s a disconnect, or a blown fuse perhaps. Nothing is being absorbed, it seems like. And, when this symptom happens, we’re adding more to our feelings of emptiness, and we’re back where we started. But still lost.

That’s not an easy way to live!

There is another Way! But that requires first “knowing you’re lost,” followed closely by “believing there is a remedy.” It’s true, you know. But if you doubt, you are not alone. Certainly, a majority of people in our country are lost and far from home. And we all are at different times on our own journeys.

Sometimes, do you feel lost and empty in some way deep inside?

Do you ever feel like you’ve lost that person you always wanted to be?

Can you feel God in your midst on a regular basis, or is there still too much between you and God?

This Sunday we’ll learn about a guy who got lost, spiritually, and yet was able to find himself … when he came home to his father.

Come join us this Sunday … live or on Facebook or YouTube. Come meet the Prodigal. And then meet his father. The remedy.

Blessings to all of us traveling on our spiritual paths …

Pastor Bob <><