Week of 5 Lent, Saturday – March 31

Week of 5 Lent, Saturday – March 31

Psalm 137:1-6(7-9), 144; Exodus 10:21-11:8; 2 Corinthians 4:13-18; Mark 10:46-52

 Mark 10:46-52

They came to Jericho. As he and his disciples and a large crowd were leaving Jericho, Bartimaeus son of Timaeus, a blind beggar, was sitting by the roadside. When he heard that it was Jesus of Nazareth, he began to shout out and say, “Jesus, Son of David, have mercy on me!” Many sternly ordered him to be quiet, but he cried out even more loudly, “Son of David, have mercy on me!” Jesus stood still and said, “Call him here.” And they called the blind man, saying to him, “Take heart; get up, he is calling you.” So throwing off his cloak, he sprang up and came to Jesus. Then Jesus said to him, “What do you want me to do for you?” The blind man said to him, “My teacher, let me see again.” Jesus said to him, “Go; your faith has made you well.” Immediately he regained his sight and followed him on the way.

 

What word jumped out at you?______________________________________________

Read the passage again. What phrase jumped out at you this time?

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Read the passage a third time. What is God saying to you today in this reading? _____________________________________________________________________

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Week of 5 Lent, Friday – March 30

Week of 5 Lent, Friday – March 30

Psalm 22; Exodus 9:13-35; 2 Corinthians 4:1-12; Mark 10:32-45

 

Mark 10:32-45

James and John, the sons of Zebedee, came forward to him and said to him, “Teacher, we want you to do for us whatever we ask of you.” And he said to them, “What is it you want me to do for you?” And they said to him, “Grant us to sit, one at your right hand and one at your left, in your glory.” But Jesus said to them, “You do not know what you are asking. Are you able to drink the cup that I drink, or be baptized with the baptism that I am baptized with?” They replied, “We are able.” Then Jesus said to them, “The cup that I drink you will drink; and with the baptism with which I am baptized, you will be baptized; but to sit at my right hand or at my left is not mine to grant, but it is for those for whom it has been prepared.”

When the ten heard this, they began to be angry with James and John. So Jesus called them and said to them, “You know that among the Gentiles those whom they recognize as their rulers lord it over them, and their great ones are tyrants over them. But it is not so among you; but whoever wishes to become great among you must be your servant, and whoever wishes to be first among you must be slave of all. For the Son of Man came not to be served but to serve, and to give his life a ransom for many.”

 

 

How many times have I asked God for something but it seems to me that He’s denied my request? I say that I will endure or suffer anything for Christ but then complain about minor problems or irritations that sometimes come with serving others?

Years ago I remember saying to my husband Lee, “I don’t think I’m a good Christian because I don’t know if I could give up everything”. Material possessions sometime distract us from our journey, When we live in nice homes and drive nice cars, it is hard to imagine what it would be like if we no longer had those things. Then I see situations where others must live in poverty or have suffered tremendous losses from floods, fires, earthquakes, tornadoes, or death, I then realize how little I sacrifice.

In my profession as a nurse, I have been at many bedsides when patients are at the end of their lives, some are surrounded by loved ones, others are alone. It is extremely humbling to witness this special time and it always reminds me of how very fragile life is. No matter how little or how much these souls have accumulated in their lifetime, at the end they are not going to need it where they are going.

Then I am reminded that Jesus’ kingdom is not of THIS world, it is in the hearts and lives of his followers. We can strive for higher positions of honor in this world but Christ calls us to serve and reminds us the Son of Man came not to be served but to serve. Institutions, businesses and organizations measure greatness by personal achievement; however in God’s kingdom service and ministering to the needs of others is the way to get ahead. God answers us always by giving us what is best for us.

Karen Conley

Week of 5 Lent, Wednesday – March 28

Week of 5 Lent, Wednesday – March 28

Psalm 119:145-176; Exodus 7:8-24; 2 Corinthians 2:14-3:6; Mark 10:1-16

Mark 10:1-16

He left that place and went to the region of Judea and beyond the Jordan. And crowds again gathered around him; and, as was his custom, he again taught them…

…People were bringing little children to him in order that he might touch them; and the disciples spoke sternly to them. But when Jesus saw this, he was indignant and said to them, “Let the little children come to me; do not stop them; for it is to such as these that the kingdom of God belongs. Truly I tell you, whoever does not receive the kingdom of God as a little child will never enter it.” And he took them up in his arms, laid his hands on them, and blessed them.

 

My first teaching job was at a residential school for children with significant emotional and behavioral issues. Gary was seven years old when I first met him. He was a beautiful, endearing child who was filled with curiosity and wonder about the world around him. Staff could take children, without families of their own, home for the holidays and Gary spent several holidays with my family. After coming to my aunt’s house one Thanksgiving, Gary exclaimed to his classmates, “Jen’s aunt is rich, she even has real China!”

As cute and wonderful as Gary could be, chronic sexual and physical abuse since infancy had left him with devastating emotional scars. He would get extremely violent, almost animalistic, when he was angry or frustrated and he required long, physical restraints to keep himself and those around him safe. These episodes were heart wrenching to watch and emotionally and physically taxing for both Gary and the staff. Gary had a special place in my heart and I would often find myself praying to God to watch over him and help him heal and get through his childhood safely.

This passage about Jesus calling the children to Him, when the Disciples (adults) are trying to keep the children away, fills me with hope that children, like Gary, will always have a special place in God’s loving arms regardless of whether or not they have been brought up knowing and learning of His love. On Christmas one year, my mom gave Gary a pencil that read, “Smile, God loves you.” I hope that wherever Gary is, and whatever he is going through, he remembers that God loves him and will always accept him with open arms.

Jen T.

Week of 5 Lent, Tuesday – March 27

 

Week of 5 Lent, Tuesday – March 27

Psalm 121, 122,; Exodus 5:1-6:1; 1 Corinthians 14:20-33a,39-40; Mark 9:42-50

Mark 9:42-50

“If any of you put a stumbling block before one of these little ones who believe in me, it would be better for you if a great millstone were hung around your neck and you were thrown into the sea. If your hand causes you to stumble, cut it off; it is better for you to enter life maimed than to have two hands and to go to hell, to the unquenchable fire. And if your foot causes you to stumble, cut it off; it is better for you to enter life lame than to have two feet and to be thrown into hell. And if your eye causes you to stumble, tear it out; it is better for you to enter the kingdom of God with one eye than to have two eyes and to be thrown into hell, where their worm never dies, and the fire is never quenched.

“For everyone will be salted with fire. Salt is good; but if salt has lost its saltiness, how can you season it? Have salt in yourselves, and be at peace with one another.”

 

 

If salt has lost its saltiness, how can you season it?

I’ve always been a reluctant evangelist, because it’s hard for me to articulate matters of the heart. A few years ago, an atheist co-worker lost her father and told me, “I wish I believed in God like you do, so that I could have something to hold on to at times like this.” It felt like a huge opportunity to make a difference, but nothing came to me, to my regret. Such shortcomings, and various losses I’ve endured, test my confidence on my faith journey. Sometimes I wonder how strongly I believe, or if I just go through the motions of worship because it is familiar and comforting.

Retreat centers like Adelynrood refresh my faith. If I can’t get away, I browse their catalogs and get books by the workshop leaders through interlibrary loan. Spiritual blogs can nudge me back in the right direction too; a personal favorite is Lyn Brakeman’s http://spirituallemons.blogspot.com/. The Museum of Russian Icons in Clinton has been on my list to visit for some time. I even feel God’s presence when enjoying works of art and music that are not overtly spiritual, and in botanical gardens, and when bird watching. Good Shepherd offers many opportunities to stretch and invigorate the faith journey. I’ve sampled Wednesday mornings, Sunday nights, and this year, perhaps will try the contemporary Saturday night service. Just sitting in a new spot in the sanctuary can be novel, as you exchange the peace with different parishioners. In Lent, we’re often called to withdraw and reflect, but passages like this one suggest that there is a also a time to mingle, to shake things up.

Jane L.

Week of 5 Lent, Monday – March 26

Week of 5 Lent, Monday – March 26

Psalm 31; Exodus 4:10-20,27-31; 1 Corinthians 14:1-19; Mark 9:30-41

 

Mark 9:30-41

They went on from there and passed through Galilee. He did not want anyone to know it; for he was teaching his disciples, saying to them, “The Son of Man is to be betrayed into human hands, and they will kill him, and three days after being killed, he will rise again.” But they did not understand what he was saying and were afraid to ask him.

Then they came to Capernaum; and when he was in the house he asked them, “What were you arguing about on the way?” But they were silent, for on the way they had argued with one another who was the greatest. He sat down, called the twelve, and said to them, “Whoever wants to be first must be last of all and servant of all.” Then he took a little child and put it among them; and taking it in his arms, he said to them, “Whoever welcomes one such child in my name welcomes me, and whoever welcomes me welcomes not me but the one who sent me.”

John said to him, “Teacher, we saw someone casting out demons in your name, and we tried to stop him, because he was not following us.” But Jesus said, “Do not stop him; for no one who does a deed of power in my name will be able soon afterward to speak evil of me. Whoever is not against us is for us. For truly I tell you, whoever gives you a cup of water to drink because you bear the name of Christ will by no means lose the reward.

 

At my office in Cambridge, we help people who have lost their jobs and are sent to us by the Commonwealth for assistance in finding new employment.  We call these people our customers and I explain to them in their group orientation that this is because we are there to serve them.  They learn that everyone who works in my office has been in their shoes at least once and has lived out their situation—that like them, all of us have been terminated, laid-off, riffed, right-sized, downsized, outsourced, let go and told not to return.  The meetings contain people without any degree at all, people with GEDs and high school diplomas, associate’s and bachelor’s degrees, master’s degrees, sometimes law degrees and in almost every meeting PhDs from pharmaceuticals and biotech companies.  It’s also common to have customers with limited English, sometimes with an interpreter or family member, but most often without.

They are our customers: we are there to serve them to the best of our capacity.  We teach them they need to help each other, that the connections they have cut across the color of the collars they wear or their height on the organization charts.  We have custodians who can tell a senior manager to which executive in their former company to send their resume for a finance job, or a marketing person who can tell the janitor whom they should go to for a building services position.  We show them how to form up and help each other in the best sense of servant leadership—where everyone is last and everyone is first.  And I drive home every night praying thanksgivings for the chance to be the face of Christ to others and to serve them using my gifts.

Whom are you serving in your life?

Elgin S.

The Fifth Sunday in Lent – March 25

The Fifth Sunday in Lent – March 25

Psalm 118; Exodus 3:16-4:12; Romans 12:1-21; John 8:46-59

 

Psalm 118:

1 O give thanks to the Lord, for he is good; * his steadfast love endures for ever!

2 Let Israel say, * ‘His steadfast love endures for ever.’

3 Let the house of Aaron say, * ‘His steadfast love endures for ever.’

4 Let those who fear the Lord say, * ‘His steadfast love endures for ever.’

5 Out of my distress I called on the Lord; * the Lord answered me and set me in a broad place.

6 With the Lord on my side I do not fear. * What can mortals do to me?

7 The Lord is on my side to help me; * I shall look in triumph on those who hate me.

8 It is better to take refuge in the Lord * than to put confidence in mortals.

9 It is better to take refuge in the Lord * than to put confidence in princes.

10 All nations surrounded me; * in the name of the Lord I cut them off!

11 They surrounded me, surrounded me on every side; * in the name of the Lord I cut them off!

12 They surrounded me like bees; * they blazed* like a fire of thorns; in the name of the Lord I cut them off!

13 I was pushed hard,* so that I was falling, * but the Lord helped me.

14 The Lord is my strength and my might; * he has become my salvation.

15 There are glad songs of victory in the tents of the righteous: * The right hand of the Lord does valiantly;

25 Save us, we beseech you, O Lord! * O Lord, we beseech you, give us success!

26 Blessed is the one who comes in the name of the Lord.* We bless you from the house of the Lord.

27 The Lord is God, and he has given us light. * Bind the festal procession with branches, up to the horns of the altar.

28 You are my God, and I will give thanks to you; * you are my God, I will extol you.

29 O give thanks to the Lord, for he is good, * for his steadfast love endures for ever.

 

In Lent, I do not sing. It is my yearly discipline and until quite recently it was a secret, even from my family. And I really didn’t expect the reactions I got when I finally “confessed.” I mean, if you tell someone you’ve given up chocolate, they’ll usually commiserate or maybe say that they were thinking they should too. Or if you give up meat, they’ll say something about how hard it must be or that at least your cholesterol should go down. But when I tell people about my personal sacrifice, I mostly get comments like, “Why would you want to do a thing like that?” Members of the choir and other singers state flatly that giving up singing would simply be out of the question. But my family is aghast. They know that singing is almost as basic a function for me as eating or sleeping. Every minute of every day for a month and a half I am reminded that, along with some millions or maybe billions of Christians, I am sacrificing something very precious to me in honor of Christ’s sacrifices for me. So when I read Psalm 118, in my mind’s ear, I hear the tunes of my childhood in the Episcopal Church, when psalms were always chanted, women’s soft high singing voices alternating with the low gravelly sound of men’s voices. I almost start to hum or even sing, but then I catch myself, recognizing yet again that Lent is a special time for us Christians, when we practice our own private deprivations as members of the body of Jesus Christ

Bonny N.

Week of 4 Lent, Saturday – March 24

Week of 4 Lent, Saturday – March 24

Psalm 107:33-43, 108:1-6; Exodus 2:23-3:15; 1 Corinthians 13:1-13; Mark 9:14-29

 

Mark 9:14-29

When they came to the disciples, they saw a great crowd around them, and some scribes arguing with them. When the whole crowd saw him, they were immediately overcome with awe, and they ran forward to greet him. He asked them, “What are you arguing about with them?” Someone from the crowd answered him, “Teacher, I brought you my son; he has a spirit that makes him unable to speak; and whenever it seizes him, it dashes him down; and he foams and grinds his teeth and becomes rigid; and I asked your disciples to cast it out, but they could not do so.” He answered them, “You faithless generation, how much longer must I be among you? How much longer must I put up with you? Bring him to me.” And they brought the boy to him. When the spirit saw him, immediately it convulsed the boy, and he fell on the ground and rolled about, foaming at the mouth. Jesus asked the father, “How long has this been happening to him?” And he said, “From childhood. It has often cast him into the fire and into the water, to destroy him; but if you are able to do anything, have pity on us and help us.” Jesus said to him, “If you are able! —All things can be done for the one who believes.” Immediately the father of the child cried out, “I believe; help my unbelief!”

 

When Jesus’ disciples were not able to cure the son of a follower who had sought their help, the father pleaded with Jesus to heal his son if He were able. Jesus responded to him that all things can be achieved if one truly has faith.

What Jesus is saying to us is that our ability to heal, to be comforted, to be happy, to accomplish one’s goals in life lies within each of us if we truly allow ourselves to believe in the power of Christ. Our faith can move mountains if we let go of our worldly beliefs and thoughts that imprison us and instead allow the light of Christ to shine through and guide us.

 

Cindy W.