Solid Foundation

The earth on which we stand is movable.

Earthquakes are the only sign of a moving earth that we experience directly.

But the pictures that have returned from space allow us to see with a camera's eye the earth set in the solar system, moving around the sun. Not the same as seeing with our own eyes - but strong evidence still.

As the earth moves around the sun the sun is moving too, around the center of the Milky Way. And the Milky way is moving somewhere as well.

The earth is moving and taking us with it. We are not really sure where.

The only real foundation we have is the Lord. He alone is stadfast and sure. Always loving us. He even created space/time. And the One knows me.

Love shining down

Jesus' words from Matthew 5: "Love your enemies and pray for those who persecute you, so that you may be children of your Father in heaven;"

As I think of those whose love I return, I thank God for them and ask his blessings upon them.

As I  pray blessings upon those who have blessed me, I ask God to expand the circle of blessing to include others.

Now as for loving those who hate me and praying for blessings upon those who persecute me, I struggle a lot more with that. Yet that is what Jesus tells us allows us to be children of our Father.  He shines his love and rains his blessings upon all - and he calls us to do the same. "for he makes his sun rise on the evil and on the good, and sends rain on the righteous and on the unrighteous."

Anger

 Jesus says in Matthew 5 "But I say to you that if you are angry with a brother or sister, you will be liable to judgment;"

When we are angry at others, especially when we hold it in, the anger hurts us more than it does them. When we hold a grudge against another, it hurts us far more than it does them. When we fail to forgive another, it hurts us far more than it does them.

It is common today to be angry at banks, bussiness, government and other vague concepts. We tend to blame "them" for all our problems. This hurts us worse than it does others. In the past week there has been a man who flew his plane into an office building filled with people helping to make sure the laws we have all agreed to live by were fairly enforced. He destoryed several lives, including his own. The IRS - the institution he was angry with - was not severly affected. His life and several individuals lives were destroyed. I woman walked into a room of fellow workers and shot several of them because she was angry with the way the university system was working. She destroyed her life and the lives of severl compatriots. The university will not change the way it operates, except to try to increase security.

Anger at others whether vague "bigness" or individuals, destorys us and often has only a small effect on them. And if that is true in this life, Jesus makes it abundantly clear it is much more true in His kingdom. So, "be reconciled to your brother or sister, and then come and offer your gift."

Getting what you ask for

Jesus said to the crowds, "Ask, and it will be given you; search, and you will find; knock, and the door will be opened for you. For everyone who asks receives, and everyone who searches finds, and for everyone who knocks, the door will be opened."

For this reason Jesus prayed in the garden Father your will be not mine. For this reason we pray that what God want will be done not our own.

Sometimes what we ask for is not what we want or need at all. Sometimes what we ask for costs us more than we would wish to pay. We may ask for the health and/or the continued life of a loved one. But God may understand in his infinite wisdom the spiritual perils ahead in that person's life. His will may not be fulfilled by their healing here on earth, indeed his ultimate will is that we each would die so that we can return to full communion with him. Would we really want continuted presence here on earth at the cost of even one day in eternity with God. We are careful what we ask for, yet we still may ask for other that the best, so we pray "Heal this person if it is your will, God."

We may be seeking that which is not best for us. We may seek more things, more comfort, more financial or military security. But if we gain more wealth, great ease and security on earth at the cost of a life in God's presence and the security that comes from living in his kingdom, what is the gain for us. So we pray for God's will. "God help me to find your presence."

We knock on the door it is opened. We pass through and so a zillion other doors are left unopened. But by God's will whatever door we pass through leads to him.

Seek first the kingdom of God and whatever else you need will be added as well. The inverse is not expressed but perhaps just as true. Seek all these things you need and the kingdom of God will slip through your hands. Actually Jesus does express that - just in a different setting. paraphrased: what profit it a man if he gains the whole world but loses his soul. So we pray for God's will to be done not our own. We pray that God's kingdom would come on earth, not our own.

Be careful what you ask for, you will receive it. Consider what you are searching, you will find it. Think twice about the door you are knocking on, it will be opened. Prayer is a dangerous thing, so we pray, "Your will be done, not mine."

Distractions

"Let me not get caught up with the desire for wealth.Keep my heart and mind free to love and serve you." - Sacred Space - Jesuit devotion website.

Wiki says: "Distraction is the diversion of attention of an individual or group from the chosen object of attention onto the source of distraction."

How often I become distracted by what is going on around me. Incidental distractions - a bird fliting by, others conversing in the distance. Intentional distractions - people who need advice or assistance, another task that suddenly enters my consciousness demanding attention.

How often I become distracted from following Christ. My desires can take me down paths that do not lead toward Christ. Others can pull me in directions that do not follow Christ. Tasks that may be important for some other reason, may not be important for following Christ, and therefore distract me from my goal of following Christ. Goals, if I am not careful can lead me away from Christ not towards. Even goals that are good in and of themselves. As the prayer this morning implies, riches and wealth can be a distraction. My pray is that I will remain focused on Christ even in this world that is focused on things, and money and wealth.

Prayer

Prayer is listening to God.
Prayer is admitting to God that God is God.
Prayer is telling God that I love Him.
Prayer is thanking God for all that He has done for me.
Prayer is admitting to God that I fail Him often.
Prayer is how I want to wake up in the morning.
Prayer is what I want to be about throughout the day.
Prayer is that which I wish to be in my mind as I fall asleep each night.
God is present to speak with me at any time.
God is not bothered at all by my need to speak with Him,
or my need to hear from Him.
God, through prayer, can be my constant companion.
Prayer is the background of my life, occasionaly during the day rising to the surface of my attention in spoken or heard words.
Prayer is confessing to God that I depend on Him for my every need.

Fog

There is a light fog over the world this morning. Just enough to notice and gray the world a little. God's presence is like fog in some ways.

God's presence is like fog in that it covers everything. Fog can be a little clumpy but it goes everywhere without restraint. God's presence is everywhere. In some places it seems to be thicker and in others less apparent, but God's presnece seeps in everywhere.

Fog dims our vision. God's presence changes our vision too. When we are aware of God's presence we see the things of this world a little less clearly and the things of the next more clearly. God's presence causes us to focus less on the things of the world's kingdom and more on the things of God's kingdom.

Fog can be felt as much as it is seen. God's presence is perhaps more often felt than seen.

Fog is so pervasive that you breathe in the fog. God's presence is like that. We breathe in the presence of God with every breathe we take.

Fog reminds me of God's presencce. But then so does everything else God has created.

Auctioned

There is a commercial on TV right now for a show about classic car autions. In the commercial the expert is suggesting that if you are new to classic car auctions you may want to employ the services of a handler who will help you keep from paying too much for an automobile. He says he knows of people who have overpayed by 2 or 3 hundred thousand dollars simply because they were caught up in the excitement of the auction and felt that just had to have that particular car.

Jesus suggests that we should consider the costs of discipleship before we agree to follow Him, as a builder considers all the costs of completing the building before he begins lest he become the laughing-stock of his community. Or as a king calls in his advisors before engaging his 10,000 warriors in battle with another who has 20,000 and sends messengers to negotiate the peace lest he be completely destroyed.

But God is more like the car-buyer who gets caught up in the excitement of the auction and ends up spending everything to purchase my soul. He had hoped to send a few prophets and angels to win the auction for my soul. But in the end he spent everything even his own self in order to purchase me. That is the message of the vineyard owner who is away and sends servants to retrieve his due rent. And when they fail, eventually sends his own son, whom the tenants kill. And isn't that the message of the parable of the pearl of great price. The parable is often interpretted in another way, but it seems clear to me that God is the collector who sells everything he has to purchase the one pearl of great price. The pearl - my soul. God loved me so much that he did not stop to count the cost, but sent his own Son that I should not perish but have ever lasting life.
Thank you Lord God.

The Sounds of Silence

Woke up this morning listening to the sounds of silence. The sound of silence I heard was the fan running in the heater. There are sounds all around us that we seldom hear; running motors, falling water, the breeze, distant traffic rumble. Any sound that is continuous, our ears can tune out. It keeps us being bombarded with insignificant information. To hear those sounds we usually have to make a conscious effort to listen to them. Yes there are times when we become fixated on a sound that is continuous and it becomes a distraction, but normally we just tune out any sound that goes on very long.
God's voice can be like that. God speaks to us through every one of his creations. In the song of the bird, the rush of wind through the trees branches, the voice of a friend, the daily read Bible. And God speaks to us in sights as well, sunset, sunrise, noonday sun, midnight moon. God is continuously speaking to us, prompting us to praise Him, showing us the person in need, encouraging us to speak a word of encouragement to an acquaintance.
It thus becomes our responsibility to intentionally listen for God. God's voice is not an occasional prompting in a loud voice, a sudden revelation in scripture. It is a continual whisper in our ear. The prophet heard the still small voice of the Lord. God's voice was not in the loud and brazen, it was still and small and had been there all along just waiting for the prophet to hear.
That is the way it is for us. There is much clamor and noise around us vying for our attention. But we need to listen for God's still, small consistent voice. He is always there for us.

A facebook friend wrote this morning
"The earth shall soon dissolve like snow
The sun forbear to shineBut God,
Who called me here below
Will be forever mine."

Seems like my world is in meltdown this morning.
I could list a thousand things that are awful this morning.
A sure sign that it is me and not the things.

It sure is reassuring to know that God cares for me even when I am totally unaware of it.

God's care and love trascend all boundaries, "neither life nor death no etc etc etc can separate us from the love of God that is in Christ Jesus."

I choose to trust him to be true to his promise.

What are you giving up for lent?

That was the question for yesterday, "What are you giving up for lent?"
Jesus gave up a comfortable life as a carpenter in Nazareth and became an itenerant preacher with not even a place to lay his head, so that I might one hear of his words of life.
Jesus gave up his mother and his brothers and sisters and created a new family of followers, so that I too might one day be a part of his family.
Jesus gave up his life, to save mine.
So should my response be to give up broccoli - that most hated vegetable - which I never eat anyway.
Should my response be to give up one meal a week, I do need to go on a diet.
Should my response be to give up sweets, I'm sure it would make me healthier.
Or perhaps I give up something that does make me healthier or makes a real impact in my life stye, or that I do enjoy, like meat of any kind, or driving my automobile, or living in a home. If I camped out in my backyard for the season of lent it would certainly be inconvenient, but would I accomplish anything at all other than making a good show for the neighbors.
It all seems so trivial when compared to what Jesus gave up. And wasn't that what Jesus accused the Pharisees and others of when he pointed out that the tithe the dill and the mint while neglecting the more important points of the law - justice, mercy and faithfulness.
So, what am I giving up for lent?

Ash Wednesday

So here we are at the beginning of lent. Ash Wednesday. Why ashes. There is no specific inaugural event in the Bible for the use of ashes. However the people of that part of the world would sit in piles of ashes or pour them over their heads and wear "sackcloth" as a sign of their sorrow. Sorrow at their losses as Job did, or sorrow for their sins as the Ninevites did when Jonah told them of their sins. Therefore, at the beginning of this lenten season we accept the ashes upon our foreheads as a sign that we are truly sorry for the sins we have committed, the good deeds we have failed to commit, the thoughts we have that are less than holy. But we don't just smudge the ashes on our foreheads in a meaningless blob, rather they are placed there in the sign of the cross. The sign of Jesus's death - His death which wiped away all of our sins. The sign of our sorrow for our sins (the ashes) is reshaped into the sign of our forgiveness (the cross). Forgiveness that existed even before we sinned. Forgiveness that was just waiting for our confession to pour out upon us.

Fat? Tuesday

Mardi Gras or Fat Tuesday is the last day before Lent begins. In our culture of plenty Fat Tuesday is nothing more than another party. We already have all we want and most of us want far more than we need. And that goes for houses, cars, things, as well as food.

We are well feed every day not just on Mardi Gras. Enjoy the day. Celebrate. But remember there are those for whom eating well one day of the week means doing without others. And there are those for whom having all you want is not an option for even one day.

We are so blessed in The United States it is easy for us to forget that not everyone has the same opportunities.