Welcome to the March 2025 Archive. You are welcome to read the entire archive, or find a topic on the list below that is of interest to you. Just click the link, and you will be taken directly to the day it was written. Enjoy, and may you know God's peace as you read His Word.
    You are welcome to use these writings or pass them on. All we ask is that in all things you remember the Author and give Him the glory, and remember this vessel which He has used to bring them to you. Peggy Hoppes

A WORD FOR TODAY, March 2025

March 3, 2025

“Yahweh spoke to Moses, saying, ‘Behold, I have called by name Bezalel the son of Uri, the son of Hur, of the tribe of Judah. I have filled him with the Spirit of God, in wisdom, and in understanding, and in knowledge, and in all kinds of workmanship, to devise skillful works, to work in gold, and in silver, and in bronze, and in cutting of stones for setting, and in carving of wood, to work in all kinds of workmanship. Behold, I myself have appointed with him Oholiab, the son of Ahisamach, of the tribe of Dan; and in the heart of all who are wise-hearted I have put wisdom, that they may make all that I have commanded you: the Tent of Meeting, the ark of the covenant, the mercy seat that is on it, all the furniture of the Tent, the table and its vessels, the pure lamp stand with all its vessels, the altar of incense, the altar of burnt offering with all its vessels, the basin and its base, the finely worked garments - the holy garments for Aaron the priest, the garments of his sons to minister in the priest’s office - the anointing oil, and the incense of sweet spices for the holy place: according to all that I have commanded you they shall do.’” Exodus 31:1-11, WEB

I have been reading through the Bible with an online teacher, and we are currently reading the book of Exodus. As the Israelites waited at the foot of Mount Sinai, God spoke to Moses for forty days and nights, giving him the commands the people of God’s chosen nation were to obey. These commands included instructions about the tabernacle and furnishings which would be the focus of their worship. It would be God’s house among them, to be carried from place to place until God established them in the Promised Land. God was very specific about every detail because it was based on the true Tabernacle in Heaven. In Exodus 25, God said to Moses, “See that you make them after their pattern, which has been shown to you on the mountain.” The writer of Hebrews tells us that the earthly Tabernacle built by Moses was merely a copy and a shadow of the true.

The expectations seem extraordinary. If you have ever been involved in a capital campaign for the new construction of a church, you know that there are a million details, and that it isn’t easy to pay the bills. There are always people who disagree with the plan, who would prefer to use different materials and craftspeople. God hasn’t handed the church blueprints for our buildings so we argue about every detail. We especially argue about the money. “Do we really need gold cups for communion? Does the font, lectern, and altar need to be made with the most expensive wood? We know we are honoring God, but where will we get the money?

Reading the description of God’s instructions for the Tabernacle is almost shocking. God demands the finest, most expensive materials in the world. As a matter of fact, the word “gold” is found more than twice as many times in the book of Exodus than in the entire New Testament, and more than half are found in Exodus chapters 25-30. Everything related to God was to be covered in gold, from the Ark of the Covenant to the poles that were used to carry the furniture. Where would they get so much gold?

Israel plundered the Egyptians when they left Egypt. I used the word plundered, but the reality is that God gave the Egyptians the heart to give Israel great wealth. They left Egypt with many beautiful things because God told them to ask their neighbors for gold, silver, and clothes. Would they need gold where they were going? Perhaps not, but God provided for what was to come.

In the Ten Commandments in Exodus 20, God specifically tells the people that they shall not make idols to worship (verses 4-5) and then a few verses later, reminds them not to make gods of silver or gold (verse 23). Unfortunately, the people of Israel were fickle and quick to lose sight of the God who saved them from slavery in Egypt, the Deliverer who would finally fulfill the covenant with Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob of the Promised Land. While Moses was on that mountain for forty days and nights receiving the instructions from God, they began using these gifts to create a false god, a golden calf to worship. Shockingly, they even said, “These are your gods, Israel, which brought you up out of the land of Egypt.”

At the beginning of Exodus 25, God gave Moses the outline for His capital campaign. It was not a tax. It was not forced. “For everyone whose heart makes him willing...” The materials Moses was to collect included gold, silver, bronze, blue, purple, scarlet, fine linen, goats’ hair, rams’ skins dyed red, sea cow hides, acacia wood, oil for the light, spices for the anointing oil and for the sweet incense, onyx stones, and stones to be set for the ephod and for the breastplate. Some of those materials would have been easily accessible like the animal hair and skin and the acacia wood, but they had been freed from slavery and ran from their homes just weeks before God spoke to Moses on the mountain. Where would they have gotten any of those precious materials?

God demanded the best of everything, but God provided everything they needed to accomplish His expectations, even the skilled helpers who would create and build everything for the Tabernacle. We may question the practicality of gold covered poles or the justification for expensive furnishings; this is a question that the Church has asked throughout history. Should we spend money building a beautiful cathedral when there are more practical uses for our money? Does art have a purpose? Is it useful? Is it important? The truth is that art does have a purpose. Art moves us. Art engages us. Art helps us see the world through new eyes. Art allows humans the opportunity to create for God’s sake. Art comes in many forms: music, literature, architecture, furnishings, media as well as sculpture, weaving and painting.

God created, and He didn’t just make His creation practical. He also made it beautiful. He made the flowers more than pollen factories and gave birds bright and colorful feathers. He gave the leopard spots and the tiger stripes. He carved the mountains and the rock formations, directs the rivers and paints the rainbows in the heavens after it rains. He makes the world in which we live beautiful for the sake of beauty. Should we not do the same for Him, especially since He provides everything we need?

I love today’s passage because in it we see that God did not simply call a man who could organize the building of a building for His Temple. He called a man who was gifted in the arts and crafts. Bezalel was appointed to build a place where God is honored by the wonderful things that can be created by human hands. It wasn’t meant to be strictly practical. It was designed to move God’s people, to engage worshippers and help those who believe to see the world through new eyes.

We may not be talented like Bezalel, but we are each gifted with some ability to make the world beautiful. There may be more practical ways of using our gifts, but sometimes God calls us to move beyond what is sensible to what is beautiful. Yes, the gold might be used to feed the poor, but we must learn to find the balance between body and spirit, to do what feeds both with the resources we have. Who knows? That art might just be the thing that moves us, engages us and helps us see the world through those new eyes that will lead us into actions that will change the world.

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March 4, 2025

“As therefore you received Christ Jesus the Lord, walk in him, rooted and built up in him and established in the faith, even as you were taught, abounding in it in thanksgiving.” Colossians 2:6-7, WEB

Tomorrow is Ash Wednesday, the first day of the church season called Lent. Many people are asking the question, “What are you giving up for Lent?” I often ask, “Why?” respond by asking, Many people answer that it is what you are supposed to do. Others say it is about tradition. I’ve learned over the years that there is more to Lenten fasting; we are to consider the things in our life that do not glorify God and think about ways that we can live a better life. Sometimes that Lenten fasting leads us to a better life, but it should always lead us into a deeper relationship with God.

Today is Shrove Tuesday, the day when believers went to confession and were shriven. This means they received forgiveness and were given a penance to begin Lent with a clean slate. All over the world people are indulging in some traditional food as a part of Shrove Tuesday celebrations. In my home region, the food of choice is doughnuts or fastnachts (which means fast night). Fastnachts are a special yeast raised potato doughnut that are deep fried and then covered with sugar or syrup. Other places make similar foods, like pancakes in England. These foods are made with the ingredients that were forbidden during Lent such as flour and grease. These ingredients were removed from the home so that there would be nothing to tempt anyone to sin through Lent. After eating all the food, the people attended worship to be shriven - receive reconciliation - so that they could enter Lent free from guilt.

Today is also known as Fat Tuesday. In many places this is a national holiday and is a day of celebration. The parties begin on Three Kings Day, January 6 and end with Mardi Gras. The carnival reaches a peak on Fat Tuesday with parades, feasts and costumes. The modern celebration of Fat Tuesday is wild, self-indulgent and sinful, seeming far from the Christian tradition of Shrove Tuesday. However, evidence of the Christian foundations of the day is still found in the fact that the party ends abruptly at midnight when Ash Wednesday officially begins.

This hedonistic party seems like an attempt to enjoy oneself as much as possible before the season of fasting, as if the partiers are trying to get it all out of their system before they have to spend forty days fasting. Giving up something is a sacrifice, and it is easy to suffer want when we can’t have the things we enjoy. Lent is a time of repentance, a time of reflection, and a time of preparation. Because of the seriousness of the Lenten journey, Fat Tuesday is seen as a last bastion of fun until Easter.

Carnival, Mardi Gras, Donut Day, Pancake Day are all celebrations that help us get sin out of our system before we walk with Jesus to the cross. At these celebrations we tend to overeat, over drink, and act in ways unbecoming of children of God. Then after they sin for a day, many go to church to receive forgiveness for their willful disobedience so that tomorrow they can begin a new walk with our Lord.

Fasting can be a wonderful experience, when done with the right heart. The decision should be made with the guidance of the Holy Spirit. The next six weeks are reminiscent of the forty days Jesus spent in the wilderness being tempted by the devil. This was a time of preparation for Jesus. Temptation is a testing, and the devil tempted Jesus with the very things that would tempt Him during His three years of ministry: filling bellies, showy miracles, becoming an earthly king. Jesus overcame those temptations and grew in confidence so that He would overcome the true tests when He revealed God’s Kingdom to the people. The devil intended to turn Jesus away from His given path, but God used that time to build Him up for the good of the mission.

The practices of Shrove Tuesday and Lent have become less common in our day; too many Christians prefer to go from Christmas to Easter without walking with Jesus during His life in between. We need the disciplines of Lent so that we can be transformed. We need to fast and pray so that we can see that the manger is pointless without the cross. We can’t go from birth to life without facing the realities of life, the temptations of this world and the testing of God which builds us in confidence and strength. We can choose to fast the many distractions of this world but let us go deeper during these forty days in the wilderness with Jesus, seeing how the devil tries to direct our lives away from the will and purpose of God so that we can face the cross with a renewed sense of assurance that is the way of God. That will lead us to a thankful life of faithful living following Jesus.

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March 5, 2025

Lectionary Scriptures for March 9, 2025, First Sunday in Lent: Deuteronomy 26:1-11; Psalm 91:1-13; Romans 10:8b-13; Luke 4:1-13

“Jesus answering, said to him, ‘It has been said, “You shall not tempt the Lord your God.”’” Luke 4:12, WEB

We have some land in Pennsylvania. The land is undeveloped, but it is not untouched. Nearby family members take care of it for us, cleaning out the brush and cutting down some trees. A local farmer rents some of the land to plant feed for his animals. Family and friends use it during hunting season if the deer travel that way. Though the land is well used, we have not come to possess it. It is ours, but we have not made it our own.

From the time of Abraham, God promised the Israelites that they would have a home of their own. He showed Abraham and the other patriarchs the land that would be their own. In today’s Old Testament lesson, God showed them how to make that land their own. Possessing the land meant more than just owning it. It even meant more than inhabiting it. The land had been given by God, and in response to God’s grace the people were called to dedicate all they had to God by offering the first fruits of the land to Him.

The ritual behind presenting the first fruits is found in this passage. The people are not to simply thank God for what they are able to give, but also to remember everything God had done for them. The exodus was more than an event in their history. God used the time in Egypt, the escape from slavery, the forty years of wandering, and the victories over their enemies to mold them into the nation they were meant to become. Those experiences, even the hard ones, were gifts from God. Everything they had in the present was theirs by the hand of the same God who did so much for their ancestors.

When they presented the first fruits, not only in that first generation, but in every generation to follow, they were to remember their roots. How they got to that moment was as important as what they had to give. It was in the recitation of their history that they praised God for every incredible gift. It did not matter that a future generation were not the ones who escaped and wandered; those gifts of God were given to every generation that followed.

We tend to forget the past, that what we have today has nothing to do with what our parents and grandparents might have had. Yet, I can’t help but think about that land in Pennsylvania. It came from Bruce’s family – not only his parents, but from his ancestors who have lived on that land for hundreds of years. Their history is our history. Their successes have become ours; their failures are a part of how we have gotten to this time and place.

I wonder if any of us really think about our ancestors and what God has done for them as we offer our gifts to God. Do we consider how God’s hand was in their lives, and do we praise Him for all that He did for them? Perhaps we should. We may not be able to claim the story of the Exodus for ourselves, but we have a story, too. We have a story in which God saved His people - our own ancestors - and blessed them in this world. As we present our offerings, whether they are the tithe of our weekly paycheck or the first fruits of some harvest, let’s remember where we came from and thank God for the history that has brought us to that moment.

Our land in Pennsylvania has been in the family for a long time, but when we moved to Texas, we bought a house in a new neighborhood. The oldest houses at the time were less than five years old. We were the first owners of our house. There were still many plots on which houses would be built, the development continued to grow for several years after we moved in. The thing I found interesting is that some of the older houses were already for resale when we purchased ours. I wondered why people would buy a used house when there were plenty of new ones available.

The reasons these houses were already for sale were many. We lived in an area that had heavy turnover from military families moving to new duty stations. This happened to non-military families, too. We knew one family that decided they wanted a different house in our development, so they sold their old one to move a few blocks. Unfortunately, some families have financial reasons for moving. They thought they would be secure when they purchased the house, but for one reason or another, the mortgage payments became unbearable. They bought a house beyond their means and realized after a few years that they could not continue. If it weren’t for the grace of God, we might have been in the same situation, but the housing market was good, so they were able to get out of a bad situation and find something better.

We put so much energy into taking care of ourselves and satisfying our deepest desires. We look for the perfect house, thinking that we will find happiness and security and contentment if only we get exactly what we want. I’ve known way too many people who have purchased above their means and then struggled for years. They never really knew the security they thought they would find in the perfect dwelling. We are tempted by the things of this world, hoping that God will provide what we want, not what we need.

After Jesus was baptized and filled with the Holy Spirit, He was led into the wilderness to be tempted by the devil. He was there for forty days, eating nothing. Though He was alone, He was never far from God, always dwelling in the presence of His Father. He was hungry at the end of the forty days. Satan came and taunted Jesus, “If you are the Son of God, command this stone to become bread.” Note the way Satan questioned Jesus’ very identity. “If” was a way for Satan to goad Jesus into proving Himself. Jesus answered with the Word of God.

Satan taunted Jesus by showing Him all the kingdoms in the world, saying, “I will give you all this authority and their glory, for it has been delivered to me, and I give it to whomever I want.” This promise required action: he wanted Jesus to worship him. Satan did not have the authority to grant what he promised. It was a lie to get Jesus to turn from His Father. Again, Jesus answered with the Word of God.

A third time Satan taunted Jesus. “If you are the Son of God, cast yourself down from here.” Again, Satan questioned Jesus’ identity, but he went even further using the scriptures to make his point. “He will put his angels in charge of you, to guard you” and “On their hands they will bear you up, lest perhaps you dash your foot against a stone. He twisted the scriptures to tempt Jesus into testing God’s love for Him. Our faith is given not to test God but to love and worship Him.

Again, Jesus answered with the Word of God. Each time He faced Satan’s taunts, Jesus had an answer that came from God. Jesus was secure not because He thought God would save Him from trouble, but because He dwelled in the shadow of the Most High God who dwelt within Him. He had the power to change stones to bread, to command the nations of the world, and to call the angels to His aid. Yet that moment was neither the time nor the place to prove Himself. Satan took God’s Word and twisted it, claiming for himself the authority that he did not have.

Unfortunately, Satan continues to twist God’s Word, even in our churches. Too many take God’s Word and fit it to meet their needs and desires. They seek God’s power for all the wrong reasons, to bring wealth and fame and power, rather than to glorify God. Jesus knew the temptations we would face today; He faced them Himself in that wilderness experience. Satan did not just offer Jesus a loaf of bread, a kingdom, or angelic protection. He offered Jesus an incredible ministry of miracles, authority, and power. Satan was trying to prove Jesus was nothing more than any other man, easily tempted away from God’s will to a self-centered ministry.

Jesus proved He was the Son of God, dwelling within the presence of God and secure in His calling to save the world. Jesus did not come to feed the hungry, to rule over the nations, or to be a famous preacher. He came to die, to bring forgiveness and healing to a world that was sick and dying from sin. He was Immanuel, God with us, and from then until now God no longer lives in a temple. Instead, He lives within the hearts of those who believe.

Today’s Psalm is difficult because we know that we will probably suffer even if we have the greatest faith. Does God protect us from difficulty? Sometimes, yes. We find comfort in the reality, however, that God makes all circumstances, whether good or bad, work out to the best for those who love Him. The Psalm seems to suggest that no matter what we do, we will not suffer or be harmed if we have faith. This is a mistaken understanding that many Christians believe, even to the point of taking unnecessary risks. This Psalm isn’t a call for us to tread on lions or cobras because we are assured of God’s presence in and through our lives. Satan used this psalm to tempt Jesus into jumping off the pinnacle of the Temple, using God’s Word of promise that He will put His angels in charge of our lives, guarding us from harm.

God’s grace does not give us the encouragement to take risks with our lives. Our assurance that God will take care of us does not give us permission to test Him. Jesus knew this, which is why He answered the Satan’s temptations by quoting Deuteronomy 6:16. We can trust God but we need also remember that dwelling in Him will not necessarily buy us the perfect home. God’s grace gives us hope for the future and the strength to see ourselves through. When we know that God is with us, we live with an assurance that He will guard us, lift us, hear us, and deliver us from evil, a promise that not always seen in our earthly lives, but is ultimately fulfilled in eternity. We are called to trust in God, not to do something stupid like tread on lions or cobras or buy houses above our means to test God’s faithfulness.

We don’t need to test God because we have seen Him working in the world, through those who came before us, through God’s Word as it is written and preached and taught be the faithful throughout the ages. We are who we are because of what has come from the past, not only our immediate past, but the generations of faithful witness that came first. All this builds like bricks in a building, one thing upon another. We don’t have a relationship with God based solely on the Bible, but also on how it applies to our life. We also don’t have a relationship with God based solely on our personal experience of Him, but on what has come before us. Jesus used God’s Word to reject Satan’s temptations, and we can do the same.

We have to know God’s Word to use it confidently. This is why we spend time in Bible study and listening to preachers and teachers who can help us understand. Throughout the ages, the Church has established certain statements, or creeds, that give us a foundation on which to build our lives of faith. Creeds define the relationship of God with His people. Some people would rather not use creeds because they seem too limiting and too rote for a true relationship. Yet in our scriptures this week we see the speakers all looking back to the Word as was given by God and experienced by His people. When offering the first fruits, the people were to give it in the knowledge and praise of God for what He has done for His people. They were not to give the offering based on their goodness or accomplishments, but on God’s goodness in the past.

In the Epistle lesson, Paul reminds us that our faith in Christ is not just a heart thing or a head thing. It is both. Jesus Christ is Lord and as Lord He is the foundation on which a new covenant or relationship with God is built. Paul looks to the past, to the scriptures, to explain this new covenant of God. The people of the past personified wisdom as the manifestation of God, Paul identified Jesus as that manifestation. The past established what would be, and Jesus fulfilled the promises.

I don’t know about you, but I sometimes wonder if I really know what is good, right, and true. We can find strength, hope, and peace in Jesus Christ, but what does that mean? Why doesn’t He make it clear? As you look at the way people interpret the scriptures, you’ll see that one church says one thing while another says something entirely different. Which one is twisting His Word? Which one is falling for the lies?

Our strength, hope, and peace are found in Jesus Christ. He is Lord. We dwell in Him but dwelling in Him does not mean that we should test His faithfulness. God will protect us, save us, empower us. However, we see in Jesus’ temptation in the wilderness that we can be tempted by things that appear good. We find rest in what God has done for us, which we know through His Word, His promises, and through our past. He will teach us how to discern what is right and do what is truly good.

There is an old movie that starred Julia Roberts, Susan Sarandon, and Ed Harris called “Stepmom.” The movie is about a woman (Julia Roberts) who falls in love with a divorced man (Ed Harris). Susan Sarandon plays the ex-wife. Two children complete this very modern family. Early in the movie Susan Sarandon’s character does everything she can to make it difficult on the loving couple. She even goes so far as to turn the hearts of her children away from the new woman in their father’s life. The young boy even says to his mother, “Mom, if you want me to hate her, I will.”

Julia Roberts does not know how to be a mom. She is young and inexperienced but willing to learn. The boy got lost one day because he wandered off, leaving Julia’s character scared and his mother angry with her for not caring. She even threatens to restrict visitation. The girl who is a teenager that willfully fights her own mother is rude and mean, trying to get the “stepmom” in more trouble so she will be forced out of the picture altogether. They both think that if Julia Roberts is gone, then their family will be right again.

However, Susan Sarandon was diagnosed with incurable cancer which made her very sick. Though the doctors tried to make her well, her condition progressively worsened. She did not tell her family until it was too late. One day, when she was feeling very ill, she realized that Julia Roberts offered some hope for her family. She would not be around forever, so she began treating the “stepmom” with more respect. The children saw her change and also began treating her differently.

The mother told her daughter, “Try to see something good in her.” One day, Julia Roberts and the daughter were in their home and the daughter was frustrated by an art project she was working on. Julia asked her what was wrong. At first the daughter pushed her away, but then admitted her problem. Patiently and graciously Julia, who was an artist herself, showed her a technique that would work. That moment of grace from both of them was a turning point in their relationship. In the end, the entire family accepted Julia Roberts, even Susan Sarandon, and they all dealt with the future together.

It wasn’t easy. The young Julia Roberts wanted to do things one way, while the older Susan Sarandon wanted to do things her way. However, they found a way to co-exist in a right relationship that helped the children adjust to the inevitable. It took not only an intellectual understanding of one another, but also a love that was beyond their understanding.

It takes heads and hearts for us to live in a right relationships, which is what righteousness is. Paul wrote about the righteousness that is between God and His people. The Old Testament understanding of righteousness came from obedience to the Law. However, Paul explains in the book of Romans that we can’t be right with God based on our works. Human flesh will never be good enough to do enough to be in that right relationship with God. We want to reject the temptations of Satan. We want to know God’s Word so well that we flee from Satan’s lies. We don’t want to test God, but we fail all the time. Sin is a part of our life, whether we want it to be or not.

So, God made it possible in a new way, with a new covenant. That covenant is found in Jesus Christ. God’s Word, which is Jesus, dwells in us and it is He that makes it possible for us to be right with God.

Susan Sarandon grasped the importance with her head of welcoming Julia Roberts into her world, but she didn’t know how to make it happen. There was a scene in a restaurant, the two women opened up about their fears and hopes for the children. They learned to see each other differently. To know each other more deeply. They knew each other with their hearts which led to a right relationship.

We love God. We know God. But it is not enough to just love God or to just know God. For a right relationship, our hearts and our heads must be involved, confessing with our mouths and believing in our hearts that Jesus is Lord.

We begin Lent with the story of Jesus’ temptation because we are encouraged during this time to face our own temptations and fight them with God’s Word, just as Jesus did in the wilderness. Jesus did not prove Himself to be the Son of God by doing foolish things. Jesus proved He was the Son of God by dwelling in the presence of God and relying on His faithfulness. He was secure in His calling to save the world. He was Immanuel, God with us, and from then until now God no longer lives in a temple. Instead, He lives in the hearts of those who believe and by His grace we can get through our wilderness, holding fast to His Word.

We don’t do this on our own. He gives us the gift of faith, and then with that faith we can confess that we believe He is Lord. We believe in our hearts and confess with our mouths because God first loved us. Through grace, we dwell in the shelter of the Most High, resting in the shadow of the Almighty. He is our refuge and our fortress. In Him we can trust.

Someone once said (and many continue to say), “It does not matter what you believe, only that you are sincere in your belief.” This might sound good, a way of tolerating other people in a world where there is such diversity. Yet, the scriptures are very clear when they tell us that it does matter what we believe. Jesus is Lord. Salvation comes from no one else. We can’t earn heaven by doing good works, even if we fill our schedules with the busy-ness of our ministry. We can’t prove ourselves to be faithful by our actions. We are called to live in the assurance that God is faithful. He has given us faith, and by His grace we are saved. His Word is on our lips and in our hearts. We won’t be put to shame because He is faithful, but we need not test God on this.

The instructions for entering the Promised Land do not mean much to us. The Exodus is not our story, nor is the taking of the Promised Land. However, it is part of who we are in Christ, because it is part of who He was as a man in flesh and blood. We remember, but that is just part of the story. We have another story on which our faith is built: the story of Jesus Christ. He is the fulfillment of the promise; it is in Him and through Him our salvation comes.

Lent is a time to follow Jesus into the wilderness, to learn how to abide in the shelter of God so that when Satan taunts us, we will trust that God can pull us through. We may use this time as a time for fasting, as Jesus fasted during His forty days in the wilderness. But even more so, let us take this Lenten season to listen to God’s words, to keep His Word on our lips and in our hearts so that we, too, can face the devil with God’s truth when he tries to tempt us to go by a different path. God has promised to be with us through our troubles and to save us from all that means to do us harm. We may thing we want things our way, but we’ll learn that our deepest desire is a relationship with the God who loves us forever, not by testing Him, but by trusting that He will make all things right. We may suffer, after all Jesus suffered, but we know that God will deliver us to the place He has prepared for us in eternity. Through it our relationship with God will grow deeper as we know Him more with our hearts.

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March 6, 2025

“See how great a love the Father has given to us, that we should be called children of God! For this cause the world doesn’t know us, because it didn’t know him. Beloved, now we are children of God. It is not yet revealed what we will be; but we know that when he is revealed, we will be like him, for we will see him just as he is. Everyone who has this hope set on him purifies himself, even as he is pure. Everyone who sins also commits lawlessness. Sin is lawlessness. You know that he was revealed to take away our sins, and no sin is in him. Whoever remains in him doesn’t sin. Whoever sins hasn’t seen him and doesn’t know him. Little children, let no one lead you astray. He who does righteousness is righteous, even as he is righteous. He who sins is of the devil, for the devil has been sinning from the beginning. To this end the Son of God was revealed: that he might destroy the works of the devil.” 1 John 3:1-8, WEB

I know we are already a day into Lent, but I’m still deciding the devotional practices I will follow for the next seven weeks. I’ve already begun a reading plan from our church, and I think I’m going to follow another book that works on body, mind, and spirit as the reader walks with Jesus. As part of this, I am going to try to be more conscious and purposeful with my health, trying some new, focused exercises. I’ve committed to limiting my online activities (I’m trying!) and sweets.

I am also going to be more purposeful about my prayers, especially confession and pondering my sinfulness. After, that’s what Lent is all about, right? I found a website with a reflection that will help guide my prayer time. There are several different focuses, but I’ve decided to do an examination of conscience as related to the seven deadly sins. I will focus one devotion on the sin I’m pondering each week.

The seven deadly sins are pride, envy, sloth, lust, covetousness, gluttony, and anger. I once read an article that suggests that the seven deadly sins, in moderation, are not really all that deadly, and that in some cases they can be good. The article justified the seven by showing ways which those sins can make the world a better place. Andrew Carnegie pursued wealth like a demon, but he used so much of his wealth for altruism that it is seen as something positive. The harm he did to others in pursuit of that wealth is forgotten because he did so much good work with it.

Another example from the article was about the sin of anger. It suggested that it is healthy for a person to take out their anger in some way, particularly on inanimate objects, so that the person does not take it out on an innocent human being. The deadly sin, however, is not simply being mad about something, it is rage. This is anger that takes matters into one’s own hands, like revenge or self-destructiveness. This is a sin because it puts judgment into human hands rather than God’s. Yes, dealing with our anger can be healthy. Jesus got angry. But this kind of anger is a deadly sin because it causes us to turn away from God’s grace, to ignore mercy, and to cause undo harm. The key is learning what these words mean. How are they sins? What is it about our motivation that makes them harmful to others.

I think we must beware of the language we use when talking about sin. Yes, getting angry can be healthy and pursuing wealth for the sake of others is good, but is this what is meant when talking about the deadly sins? We should not try to justify our actions by lessening the reality of their sinfulness. Pride, envy, lust, sloth, covetousness, gluttony, and anger hurt our relationships with other people and thus hurt our relationship with God. Sin is self-focused, and they are deadly because they destroy our spirit.

This week’s sin is pride. What I found interesting about the list of questions from the examination of conscience is that they help us delve more deeply into our motivations and actions. I do not often think of myself as being guilty of these deadly sins until I think about the many ways they can manifest in my life. I don’t think I’m proud; I think I’m pretty humble (which can be a manifestation of pride!) As I read the questions, I found myself often saying, “I don’t do that,” but then I realized from other questions that I am often guilty, that I sin against God and my neighbor with my opinion of myself. Sadly, as I read these questions, I can easily see pride in others, even while I ignore my own. As you read these questions, remember that you are examining yourself, not others. When you judge your neighbor, see it as a mirror into your own soul, and ponder your own sinfulness in light of that judgement. “Yes” to even one of these questions makes you guilty of pride.

Question from the website to ponder: “Pride is an untrue opinion of ourselves, an untrue idea of what we are not.” Have I a superior attitude in thinking, or speaking or acting? Am I snobbish? Have I offensive, haughty ways of acting or carrying myself? Do I hold myself above others? Do I demand recognition? Do I desire to be always first? Do I seek advice? Am I ready to accept advice? Am I in any sense a “bully”? Am I inclined to be “bossy”? Do I speak ill of others? Have I lied about others? Do I make known the faults of others? Do I seek to place the blame on others, excusing myself? Is there anyone to whom I refuse to speak? Is there anyone to whom I have not spoken for a long time? Am I prone to argue? Am I offensive in my arguments? Have I a superior “know-it-all attitude” in arguments? Am I self-conscious? Am I sensitive? Am I easily wounded?

I must confess, these questions really strike deeply in my spirit and give me a purpose for my prayer. “God forgive me for my pride and teach me to truly be humble like Jesus.” Thanks be to God for His mercy, grace, and forgiveness, without which I would be truly lost forever.

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March 7, 2025

“Again, the Kingdom of Heaven is like treasure hidden in the field, which a man found and hid. In his joy, he goes and sells all that he has and buys that field. Again, the Kingdom of Heaven is like a man who is a merchant seeking fine pearls, who having found one pearl of great price, he went and sold all that he had and bought it.” Matthew 13:44-46, WEB

One of the oldest and most notable Christian texts is a diary written by a woman who was arrested by the Romans because she sought baptism. Vivia Perpetua was imprisoned in Carthage with her servant Felicity and several men in 203 A.D. Perpetua was a young wife and mother, her baby still suckling, and Felicity was pregnant. Perpetua wrote about their sufferings until she died, and then the diary continued with the story of Saturus, one of the men. It was finished by an unknown person. It is an emotional account of Perpetua’s fears for her baby and the birth of her servant’s daughter. The story tells of the firm stance of all the prisoners, none of which wavered despite the many tactics to make them deny their faith. They answered the tests with this warning: “You judge us now. God will judge you.”

Perpetua reported that she experienced incredible visions of heaven, including a visit with an old man milking sheep and the elders before the throne of God. They told her “Go and play,” she observed. “I was happy in the flesh. Now I am far happier,” she wrote. Perpetua, Felicity, and their companions were cast into the amphitheater to face scourging by a line of gladiators and then attack from a leopard, a boar, and a bear. When they were wounded by the animals, Perpetua and Felicity comforted each other with the kiss of peace, and then they were put to the sword.

The final editor of the diary described the women’s deaths. “But Perpetua, that she might have some taste of pain, was pierced between the bones and shrieked out; and when the swordsman’s hand wandered still (for he was a novice), herself set it upon her own neck. Perchance so great a woman could not else have been slain (being feared of the unclean spirit) had she not herself so willed it.”

The text of the diary records several encounters that Perpetua had with her father. Her father was a pagan and knew that the best way to end the imprisonment would be for Perpetua to recant her faith. He entreated her to deny she was a Christian. She refused. “Father,” she said, “do you see this vase here? Could it be called by any other name than what it is?” “No,” he answered. “Well, neither can I be called anything other than what I am, a Christian.” Her father visited her a second time and begged her to have pity on him, to consider his reputation, her family, and her child who would have no life after her death. He finally said, “Give up your pride!” She answered, “It will all happen in the prisoner’s dock as God wills, for you may be sure that we are not left to ourselves but are all in his power.” Her father was dejected but still tried to intervene at her trial. In the end, the martyrs all stood firm, and their lives ended in that amphitheater.

The two parables in today’s passage have one main point: the Kingdom of God is of immeasurable value. The Kingdom of God is worth more than anything of this world. Many people will read stories about martyrs like Perpetua, Felicity, and their companions and think that they were foolish. Why die when you can just conform to the expectations of the world and live? They could still worship God in private, right? Shouldn’t they try to live to continue God’s work in the world? A dead Christian is worthless, right?

That’s what the world thinks. Can you imagine the family of the man who found the treasure in the field or the pearl? “Are you crazy? What are you doing? If you sell everything, we won’t have any money to buy bread for dinner!” It is crazy to give up everything for something that many people think is merely a fairy tale. But for the one who has found the incredible grace of God, it is worth even giving up our very lives to honor God. It may seem foolish to the world, and the world will try every tactic to make us deny or recant our faith. You can’t get deeper into a woman’s heart than to entreat her to have pity on her own beloved child. Yet, we learn from these parables that the Kingdom of God is worth more than anything; it is worth every possible sacrifice. We can’t buy our place in God’s Kingdom, but we are encouraged to give up everything so that we can possess it with our whole beings. This might mean, as it did for Perpetua, Felicity, and their companions whose martyrdoms are remembered today, even giving up our very lives.

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March 10, 2025

“But the end of all things is near. Therefore be of sound mind, self-controlled, and sober in prayer. And above all things be earnest in your love among yourselves, for love covers a multitude of sins. Be hospitable to one another without grumbling. As each has received a gift, employ it in serving one another, as good managers of the grace of God in its various forms. If anyone speaks, let it be as it were the very words of God. If anyone serves, let it be as of the strength which God supplies, that in all things God may be glorified through Jesus Christ, to whom belong the glory and the dominion forever and ever. Amen.” 1 Peter 4:7-11, WEB

Today we remember two women who were black slaves that gained their freedom and then protested against slavery.

Sojourner Truth was born in 1797 and was named Isabella Baumfree by her parents. Sojourner was an obedient slave; even when her master was cruel, she did everything she could to please him. She believed that he could read her mind. She did more work than the other slaves and did not agree with those who talked about slavery as an injustice. Her freedom came in 1826; her master had promised to set her free on July 4th, but he reneged because he claimed she did not fulfill the work required of her. New York began the process of emancipation in 1799, which was completed in 1827. Though he did not let her go when he promised, one day she finished her work and walked away. She didn’t run, she walked, believing that it was right. She was able to take her infant daughter but left her other children because they had not yet been legally freed. She found a home with a family who paid her master a sum to buy her services until emancipation took effect. She later sued for her son who had been sold illegally and won, making her the first black woman to win against a white man in court.

Sojourner worked within the system, believing it to be the best way to make real change happen. She worked for an evangelist and befriended others who had similar ideas about poverty and abolition. She had a life changing religious experience and became a devout Christian. She changed her name on Pentecost in 1843, believing that God had called her to preach the truth. She did not work against slavery until she became free, and even then, she was patient. She knew that it would take time to change the way of the world, and she believed that it could be overcome peacefully. She became an antislavery and woman’s suffrage speaker, appearing at rallies and convincing her listeners of the truth. Her most famous speech “Ain’t I a Woman” was spontaneous and she had a very real impact with her words.

Harriet Tubman was born in 1826 and was named Araminta Ross by her parents. She also changed her name when she gained her freedom. She was respected by many because of her courage and wisdom. Harriet was also known as “Moses” because she delivered hundreds of slaves into freedom. Born a slave, her master hired her out to other people. She met a freeman, fell in love, and got married. In time her master’s family was forced to sell her. Since she had been seriously injured and her health was failing, no buyer could be found, and her future was uncertain. She escaped to the North and freedom. Eventually she earned enough money to rent a room, furnish it, and buy clothes for her husband. She went back to convince him to join her in Philadelphia, but he refused because he had remarried.

Harriet was much different than Sojourner. She was a disobedient slave, fighting back when she was beaten by her master. One slave owner whipped her every morning, so she wore extra clothing and pretended she was hurting from the whipping. She was not patient, and she worked to set other slaves free. She risked her life repeatedly helping others escape. During the days of the Underground Railroad, Harriet made at least 19 trips into the south; she helped 300 slaves escape. On one occasion, she hopped aboard a southbound train to fool her pursuers. On another, she was close enough to a former master for him to recognize her, but she dropped the chickens she had just purchased and chased them around to hide her identity. There was a $40,000 reward posted for her capture, but she managed to remain free. She used wisdom to accomplish a great work, never turning away from God’s laws. She always prayed to God, “make me strong and able to fight.”

Both women had an incredible impact on their world, though they approached their work much differently. Their style of dress reveals their differences. Sojourner wore a white bonnet on her head, light weight dress, and a shawl over her shoulders. Harriet wore a bandana on her head and heavy coarse cotton dresses. Sojourner was demure and a powerful speaker, using her story to move the audience to tears. Harriet fought outside the system, carried a weapon, and encouraged disobedience. It is said that Harriet once “pointed the revolver at the head of the tired runaway slave who wanted to turn back, and she said, ‘Dead niggers tell no tales; you go or die!’”

Was one way better than the other? I often teach about being obedient, even in the face of suffering and injustice. Sometimes the best way to make change happen is to be patient and work subtly toward the goal. Sometimes, however, it is best to fight for what is right. One of the most interesting differences between the two women is their opinion of President Lincoln. Sojourner told him that he was doing a good job, Harriet thought he was dragging his feet and refused to meet him. They were very different, they worked differently, and yet both led the way to change.

There are still people working for change who have very different methods. Some are like Sojourner; others are like Harriet. Is one better than the other? They were both obedient to the God they loved. I have to admit that sometimes I think my way is the better way, but we all have different gifts and personalities. We each have a purpose. God gave faith to two very different women and sent them out into the world to do their own unique ministry for Him. The person who is approaching an issue in a much different manner than you might just be called and gifted by God to do it that way, just as you are called and gifted according to His will. It took both types to end slavery, and it might take both types to end whatever struggles we are facing today. Trust God, pray for all those who are fighting, and walk as God has called you to live. Together we can make a difference.

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March 11, 2025

Part of my prayer life during Lent will be an examination of conscience using the seven deadly sins. I will daily pray through a number of questions for each sin: Pride, Envy, Sloth, Lust, Covetousness, Gluttony, Anger. Will you join me? Remember, this is about examining yourself, not seeing others in these questions. If you see others, consider it as a mirror and ponder your own life in light of that judgment.

This week is “Envy.”

“But I say, walk by the Spirit, and you won’t fulfill the lust of the flesh. For the flesh lusts against the Spirit, and the Spirit against the flesh; and these are contrary to one another, that you may not do the things that you desire. But if you are led by the Spirit, you are not under the law. Now the deeds of the flesh are obvious, which are: adultery, sexual immorality, uncleanness, lustfulness, idolatry, sorcery, hatred, strife, jealousies, outbursts of anger, rivalries, divisions, heresies, envy, murders, drunkenness, orgies, and things like these; of which I forewarn you, even as I also forewarned you, that those who practice such things will not inherit God’s Kingdom. But the fruit of the Spirit is love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faith, gentleness, and self-control. Against such things there is no law. Those who belong to Christ have crucified the flesh with its passions and lusts. If we live by the Spirit, let’s also walk by the Spirit. Let’s not become conceited, provoking one another, and envying one another.” Galatians 5:16-26, WEB

I used to be in retail management, but I left that career when I married my husband. He was in the military and I moved three thousand miles when we began our life together. I wanted a job, but I didn’t want seventy-hour work weeks or the responsibilities of management. I just wanted a part-time job that would give me a few extra dollars (and the store discount didn’t hurt) to set up my home and provide a way to spend a few hours outside the house. I found a wonderful job at a mid-level retail chain store that had a home fashions department. The department manager was excited to hire me because of my retail experience and hired me immediately, happy to have someone on her staff with experience.

She wasn’t very good at her job, however, which became obvious pretty quickly after I was hired. She also realized very quickly that I was an excellent employee and very good at my job. We often had the owners of small businesses visit to buy what they needed for their establishment, including people who were decorating bed and breakfasts. They needed everything from towels and linens, but also pots and pans, dishes, silverware, and even decorative pieces for their rooms. It was not as unusual as you might think for me to ring up sales worth thousands of dollars. I loved the work. I loved helping a customer choose which colors would go together, to help them think about everything they would need to make their business comfortable and successful. More than one of my customers sent letters praising my work to the General Manager, who called me into his office more than once to thank me for being such a good employee.

My manager didn’t like it. She thought I was trying to steal her job even though I told her repeatedly I was happy and satisfied with a part-time position. I didn’t plan on working there long term; I became pregnant a few months after I began, and I wanted to be a stay-at-home mom. I also knew that the military could move us at any time. I didn’t want or need her job.

Instead of embracing my willingness to do a good job for the sake of the store and her department, she became paranoid. She did everything she could to make it difficult for me to my job; she even tried to make me quit. She lorded over me with her power and authority. She changed my work schedule at the last minute and denied the time off that she had promised weeks earlier. She sent me into the warehouse to move heavy boxes and other things that were meant to be done by the stock boys, even to the point of endangering my pregnancy. I eventually left that job, partially because she treated her employees so poorly.

It is possible that my actions appeared to the manager as though I were trying to get her job, although she hurt other employees during the ten months I was there. Employees never lasted very long in her department, either transferring elsewhere in the store or leaving the company altogether. She was fired shortly after I left.

In the Examination of Conscience that I am using as a prayer practice this Lent, envy is defined as “a sadness which we feel, on account of the good that happens to our neighbor.” My boss hated every time one of her employees succeeded, and she eventually came to hate anyone she feared. That might sound too harsh, but her actions proved her envy. She was discontented and held a grudge against every employee who did well. Unfortunately for her, that was most of her employees. Her envy, for whatever reason, led to her own downfall.

The word “envy” made me think about coveting; I wondered if there is a difference. The Bible tells us we aren’t to covet anything of our neighbor. Covetousness is a sign of discontent. Envy is worse because it leads to bitterness and hatred towards those who have what we want but can’t have. In his Small Catechism, Martin Luther not only talks about the prohibition of acts like coveting but also tells us that we are to fear and love God so that we’ll do what we can to help our neighbors. The opposite of envy is kindness. When we see something about someone that makes us envious, we are to be happy for them, to embrace their joy. My boss would have done so much better if she had encouraged her employees to do their best. Her department would have shined, she would have been more successful as a manager. She would not have been fired when the truth of her envy became obvious to her boss.

My story today is about envy from the point of view of the one who was envied, but as we consider our questions for this week, we need to remember that we are meant to consider how we envy others. As we examine our conscience, let’s ask, “Do I feel sad at the prosperity of others? At their success in games? In athletics? Do I rejoice at their failures? Do I envy the riches of others?” Note that it isn’t just about envying the tangible things of life. How do we respond to the successes of our neighbors? Do we treat them with kindness, help them be the best they can be, rejoice when they do well?

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March 12, 2025

Lectionary Scriptures for March 16, 2025, Second Sunday in Lent: Jeremiah 26:8-15; Psalm 4; Philippians 3:17-4:1; Luke 13:31-35

“Stand in awe, and don’t sin. Search your own heart on your bed, and be still. Selah..” Psalm 4:4, WEB

Jeremiah is known as “the weeping prophet” and it is no wonder when you think about the life he lived. At the beginning of the book of Jeremiah, in his call story, God says, “They will fight against you, but they will not prevail against you; for I am with you”, says Yahweh, ‘to rescue you.’” And fight him, they did, but they never prevailed. He was attacked by his own brothers, beaten by a false prophet, imprisoned by a king, threatened with death, thrown into a cistern, opposed by another false prophet. He was in prison when Nebuchadnezzar took Jerusalem, and he was freed. He eventually escaped to Egypt.

Despite the threats and the horrific acts against Jeremiah, the biblical record does not tell us when, where or how he died. Jewish tradition holds that he was stoned to death in Egypt. Other traditions suggest that he died naturally in Babylon. Yet other sources insist that Jeremiah spent time in Ireland, though this is not likely. Whatever happened to Jeremiah in history, in the biblical record we see that God’s promise held true: though they fought him, they never prevailed.

It is hard to juxtapose the life of Jeremiah to the Gospel lesson for today where Jesus says, “...for it can’t be that a prophet would perish outside of Jerusalem.” Jeremiah was a prophet, one who remained obedient despite his frustration continued to speak the Word of God. It was not good news. He lived and preached during the decline of the Judean kingdom. His message screamed repentance, but the priests and prophets did not want to hear what he had to say especially since the others were preaching peace. Jeremiah was unmoved by the threat of death. He said, “I am in your hand: do with me as is good and right in your eyes.”

They didn’t kill him. In verse 16, which follows our lectionary text, the princes and all the people said to the priests and to the prophets, “This man is not worthy of death; for he has spoken to us in the name of Yahweh our God.” Jeremiah’s words hit their mark; they saw the truth of his warning. The priests and prophets changed their mind because they realized that if they killed him, they would have innocent blood on their hands. They accepted that Jeremiah was speaking God’s word and so they did not turn him over to be stoned. God remained faithful to His promise; they fought Jeremiah, but they did not prevail. Ultimately it didn’t change the course of events. They fell under the yoke of Nebuchadnezzar, but those who accepted it survived as God promised.

Jeremiah may have spoken words like those in today’s psalm. Under the surface of his frustration, self-doubt, and depression, he had an unwavering faith. He trusted in God’s promise that his enemies would never prevail. He had peace that is beyond understanding. Just like the psalmist, Jeremiah called the people to a life of faithfulness so that they might live in that peace, too. He spoke God’s word because He wanted the best for his people, just as God always wants the best for us.

Jeremiah’s story shows us that God is faithful. I’m sure he probably hoped for better times, but he also knew that God put gladness in his heart. He could lie down in peace and sleep easy because God is his help and refuge. We don’t know what happened at the end of his life. Jeremiah certainly died but we do not know when, where, or how. Tradition holds that Jeremiah was stoned to death in Egypt by frustrated Jews. Whatever happened to Jeremiah, we know that God keeps His promises, so we can trust that God will be faithful to us.

The princes and all the people believed the word Jeremiah spoke and saved his life, but ultimately it was God who turned the hearts of the priests and prophets. His word and promise saved Jeremiah, just as His word and promise saves us.

Whenever I read the passage from Luke, I think about the story that has circulated on the Internet for years about a mother bird in Yellowstone. The post claims that an article in National Geographic describes an incident following a major forest fire in which a forest ranger found a scorched bird in the fire zone. He knocked over the bird with a stick and discovered three tiny chicks beneath their dead mother’s wings.

This story has been used as an inspiration in many sermons and devotions. It is a parabolic image of Jesus the mother hen protecting His chicks. We are awed by the overwhelming love of a mother bird who gives her life for her babies. Unfortunately, the story is not true. National Geographic hates to debunk inspirational stories like this, but they repeatedly report that they have never published it. The rangers of Yellowstone have no record of such an event; some of the rangers were present at the time of the fire and none of them knew it to be true. Ornithologists say that it is impossible, that the bird’s body could never protect the chicks through such intense heat.

There is another story about a mother bird’s sacrificial love that has been shared by Indian evangelist Sundar Singh who was traveling through the Himalayas when they were trying to put out the fire. Along with a group of men he noticed a bird circling above a nest in a tree. She was frantic, knowing it was impossible to save her babies from the fire and yet unwilling to leave them alone. When the nest began to burn, the mother swooped in on top of the chicks and covered them with her wings. Everything was gone in seconds.

We prefer the first story because it has a happy ending, even if it isn’t true. It ends with the babies saved from death and the mother bird is a hero who willingly sacrificed her life for her chicks. There is no winner in the second story. The chicks are dead, the mother is dead, and the nest is gone. We are amazed at her sacrifice, but find it foolish because we know that if she had stayed away, she would have survived for another day. She could have built a new nest and hatched more chicks. The story has an ending with no new beginning.

Yet, the second story is more truly the story of the work of Christ in our lives. Yes, Jesus covers us with His wings and He dies in our stead, but in Christian faith we are called to die also, to share in His death to share in His glory. Our death is not like His: we do not die a horrific death on a Roman cross. We aren’t burned to ashes like the birds. However, in baptism we enter into His death into new life through water and the Word.

Jesus mourned the unbelief of Jerusalem. He wanted the best of God’s Kingdom for them; He wanted them to experience hope, peace, and joy. He wanted to gather them under His wings, to give them fully and freely the gift He has to give. Perhaps He even wants all this without having to face the cross. Wouldn’t it have been better if Jerusalem had repented like Ninevah? That was not how it would be. He knew He was destined for the cross, for death. Salvation had to happen according to God’s time, in God’s way. Jesus refused to be moved from the path that would lead to true life for all those who would believe in Him.

In the passage immediately before our Gospel lesson, someone asked Jesus, “Lord, are they few that are saved?” (Luke 13:23b) Jesus answered that many would try to enter into the kingdom of God in their own way, and they would wait until it was too late. The only way in is by faith in Jesus Christ. We might think that we can fulfill the covenant on our own, with our own strength and abilities. Self-righteousness has always been a problem for human beings; it is only those who realize that it is in relationship with God that we are made citizens of heaven. Faith in Christ is the open door to enter into God’s Kingdom. And faith does not come from our actions but from God’s grace.

We don’t know very much about the Pharisees who went to see Jesus in today’s Gospel lesson. Were they friends concerned about Jesus? Or were they enemies who just didn’t want to deal with Jesus? Perhaps Jesus’ teaching didn’t bother them, but they just wanted Him to go somewhere else to do it. By sending Jesus away from Jerusalem, they would not have to deal with questions and accusations. They wanted Jesus to quietly disappear into the wilderness to teach and preach to the animals. Outside Jerusalem, He would not rock so many boats. Jesus was unwilling to submit to the temptation. He knew His task took Him to Jerusalem. The covenant that God made with Abram in Genesis 15 was broken; it was time to pay the price.

Jesus called Herod a fox. Foxes are not trustworthy, and that was certainly true of Herod. But the word “fox” is understood among the religious leaders as being someone who was worthless and insignificant. Herod Antipas might have been the ruler, but he was a puppet prince with no authority, a pretentious pretender, doing someone else’s bidding. Herod might have seen himself as a lion, a king, but in reality, he was just a fox, an insignificant flunky.

Herod would try to kill Jesus, but it wouldn’t be his will but God’s. Jesus had no need to fear, He was in a right relationship with His Father. He dwelt in the Temple, lived daily in His presence. He knew His purpose and knew that it was necessary to finish His journey to Jerusalem and the cross. The promise to Abraham depended upon it. Our future depended upon it.

It made Jesus sad.

His death must happen, but it was not what He wanted. It pained Him to see that they did not understand. He cried out to them that He was the shelter where they could live in peace. Living under the Law did not ensure God’s faithfulness. God is faithful without our works. He is faithful to His promises and calls us to believe and trust in Him, which leads to a life of obedience.

You can almost hear Jesus echoing the words of Jeremiah, “Do with me as seems good and right to you.” He knew that He would die at their hands, but He also knew that it would come at the right time. He answered them, “I tell you, you will not see me until you say, ‘Blessed is he who comes in the name of the Lord!’” Jesus dwelt in God’s presence and willingly submitted Himself to His plan; they could do nothing to stop Him until God allowed it to happen.

Unlike Jeremiah, we know exactly when, where, and how Jesus died. The promise for Jesus was not that He would prevail against the world. The promise for us was that He would prevail against sin and death. He died and was raised so that we might live. We join in His death and in His resurrection. We join in His glory. His life, death and resurrection has made an impact on our lives forever, and this is the purpose for which He came.

This does not mean that His teachings were unimportant or that we should ignore them. We have seen throughout history that ideas and people can impact the world. In the right circumstances, one person can change the course of an entire nation. One designer can design clothing that millions of people will wear. One reporter can introduce an idea that will become a standard of policy and practice for many. One politician can set the agenda for the entire government. Good or bad, right or wrong, we can easily be led down a path of achievement or destruction by someone whom we look to as a role model.

It is not that we are blind or ignorant followers; it is simply that the human flesh looks for someone to emulate. Even the most powerful, intelligent people look to someone to help them become the person they hope to be. Based on that ideal, we grasp onto ideas, policies, or practices that seem right, and we use them to change the world. Sometimes, unfortunately, we grasp onto ideas that are not good, right, and true. With all good intention, we sometimes follow examples that are not centered in Christ.

Jesus is our ultimate role model, although it is impossible for us to live or die as He did. We can look to the people whom God has put in our life, to emulate how they lived in trust that God will be faithful. Paul encourages us to emulate those who hold firm to the Gospel of grace. Some people in Philippi were enemies of the cross. They did not mean to destroy Christians or Christianity, they chased the things of the world. They chose to live a life of self-fulfillment. Some chose to live out their faith by continuing to satisfy their earthly lusts, trusting in God’s forgiveness. Others chose to satisfy the Law, thinking that obedience would bring blessing. Both were concerned with the flesh; they trusted in themselves rather than God.

We are not created or saved to live in either extreme which do not reflect the life which Christ lived as an example for us. Paul reminds us not to get stuck in a pattern of self-indulgence or self-righteousness. We can follow the example of people who have come before us that were, and are, transformed daily into the image of Christ. According to Jesus, the world will not prevail against us. Like Jeremiah we can be at peace as we go forth in faith doing what God has called us to do, even when we are faced with threats and our own imperfection because we know that God will be faithful. We do not know when, where or how we will die, but we can know that it will be according to God’s good purpose for us.

Lent may seem to be a depressing time to some folk because it is a time of self-examination, self-control, and self-sacrifice. It is a time for looking at our sin, for understanding our sinfulness and for being transformed into something new. This is a strange perspective in our world which focuses on the self in much different ways. We tend to be more self-centered and selfish. We spent at least a generation raising our children to be narcissistic by focusing on creating strong self-esteem. We taught our children to see themselves as special, good, and gifted, but we erred by not teaching them what they needed to do about their inevitable failures. We need to know when we are wrong so we can grow and transform. To many people have learned to blame others for their faults.

Don’t get me wrong: it is important that we uplift our children to help them to be the best they can be by encouraging them in their gifts and talents. It is ok to tell a child that they are special, good, and gifted. However, we have gone overboard by training the children that they deserve whatever they want. This leads to the hedonism we see so often on reality television. Bridezillas think they deserve the wedding of their dreams even when it is impossible. Cooking show contestants think that the judges are wrong because they believe that no one could beat their food. Competitors on other shows are willing to lie, cheat, and steal to get the win that they are certain they deserve.

You’ve seen it on American Idol and other performance shows. There are always some auditioners that do not belong on the stage. They are awful. The audience knows that they are there for the laugh, but they believe they were the best. They think that it isn’t fair. The cameras show their family comforting them and agreeing with their delusion. Other reality television shows claim to give average people the chance to be extraordinary, but most reality shows use paid actors or expect the contestants to fit a character the producers think will make the show a hit. Too many reality show contestants do whatever is necessary their own self-interest.

We point fingers at those who are on television, but do we ever consider how we are living in self-centered and selfish ways? What do we think we deserve? What are we willing to do to our neighbors to ensure we get what we want? These are some of the questions we are meant to be asking during this season of Lent. This is the kind of self-examination that leads to repentance, confession, and forgiveness. It isn’t very uplifting to realize our own sinfulness, especially if we don’t understand that this self-examination leads to a realization of God’s mercy and grace.

Lent is also a time to test our self-control. I haven’t given up sweets for Lent, but I am trying to moderate my sugar intake. The store shelves are covered in hundreds of special candies for Easter, even though Easter is many weeks away. I love white chocolate, which is very common during this season, and I have been craving white chocolate covered Reese’s eggs. I found them on the shelf the other day, but didn’t buy because it was a multipack. I wanted one, just for the taste, but knew if I bought more than one I would eat them all. Every trip to the grocery store is filled with temptation.

We are dealing with so much stress these days, and some folks often give up the things they use to deal with stress like coffee or video games. Do we have the self-control to continue our fast even when the world tempts us to do the very things we are fasting? As we examine our lives during Lent, it is helpful to consider what is motivating our fasting and why we can’t control ourselves. We need to pray for God to help us. He will, if we let Him.

Self-sacrifice seems almost impossible. How can I give to others when I barely have enough for myself. We know that there are others at home and around the world who are dealing with much harsher problems, but if I can’t afford to fill my car, I can’t get to work, and then I can’t feed my kids. Those who have difficulty living a Lenten fast are not just those who are selfish and self-centered. We all struggle because we are facing tough times. How do we give up everything when it seems like we have nothing? Our self-examination should lead us to the reality that we are greatly blessed even when we struggle, and that God will help us through the bad times if we trust in Him.

Paul writes, “For our citizenship is in heaven, from where we also wait for a Savior, the Lord Jesus Christ, who will change the body of our humiliation to be conformed to the body of his glory, according to the working by which he is able even to subject all things to himself.” The cross and its benefits are ours today, but they will not be fully realized until the Day of the Lord.

As we journey through Lent, we are reminded that we are meant to be examining ourselves, controlling our bodies, and sacrificing for the sake of others. We are meant to consider our own sinfulness and trust that God can transform us into what He has created and redeemed us to be. Though we have been transformed by the Gospel of grace, there is still work to be done. We continue to be transformed daily through our prayer, study, worship, and devotions. Though we share in His glory, there will come a day when that promise will be fully realized. For now, we have to wait and remember that we are dust and to dust we shall return. Though this might be a depressing point of view to the people of this world, for those of us who have our citizenship in heaven, it is the very foundation of our hope and our faith.

During Lent, search your heart. We will never be expected to give our lives the way Jesus gave His for us, but we are called to examine our hearts and live our faith while we wait for that day God promised. We live that life of faith by building relationships with people, living not for ourselves but for others. We begin in the heart of God, following Jesus, and then sharing His grace with the world.

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March 13, 2025

“For it is like a man going into another country, who called his own servants and entrusted his goods to them. To one he gave five talents, to another two, to another one, to each according to his own ability. Then he went on his journey. Immediately he who received the five talents went and traded with them, and made another five talents. In the same way, he also who got the two gained another two. But he who received the one talent went away and dug in the earth and hid his lord’s money. Now after a long time the lord of those servants came, and settled accounts with them. He who received the five talents came and brought another five talents, saying, ‘Lord, you delivered to me five talents. Behold, I have gained another five talents in addition to them.’ His lord said to him, ‘Well done, good and faithful servant. You have been faithful over a few things, I will set you over many things. Enter into the joy of your lord.’ He also who got the two talents came and said, ‘Lord, you delivered to me two talents. Behold, I have gained another two talents in addition to them.’ His lord said to him, ‘Well done, good and faithful servant. You have been faithful over a few things. I will set you over many things. Enter into the joy of your lord.’ He also who had received the one talent came and said, ‘Lord, I knew you that you are a hard man, reaping where you didn’t sow, and gathering where you didn’t scatter. I was afraid, and went away and hid your talent in the earth. Behold, you have what is yours.’ But his lord answered him, ‘You wicked and slothful servant. You knew that I reap where I didn’t sow, and gather where I didn’t scatter. You ought therefore to have deposited my money with the bankers, and at my coming I should have received back my own with interest. Take away therefore the talent from him and give it to him who has the ten talents. For to everyone who has will be given, and he will have abundance, but from him who doesn’t have, even that which he has will be taken away. Throw out the unprofitable servant into the outer darkness, where there will be weeping and gnashing of teeth.’” Matthew 25:14-30, WEB

There was a commercial on television for a credit card company that began with a very pregnant woman sitting in the midst of a pile of shopping bags. When her husband entered the room, she told him that she went to the doctor and then shopping. He praised the convenience of their credit card, because it gave them the opportunity to pay off the items slowly, spreading out payments at a time when need extra cash to deal with life's surprises. The couple walked to the baby's room, and when they opened the door, the father fainted at the sight of three of everything: triplets!

It was a commercial, but not very believable from my point of view. How could a very pregnant (with triplets!) woman manage to accomplish everything suggested in the commercial in just one day? She had a doctor's appointment, an exhausting experience that must have lasted several hours. They she went shopping, filling her car with a mountain of stuff. Then she took it home and set up an entire nursery with three cribs built, complete with sheets and other accessories.

I don’t know about the other women who’ve had children who read this writing, but I wouldn’t have had the energy to do all that in one day. I certainly would not have been able to put together those cribs all by myself, and the woman was pregnant with triplets. She probably shouldn't have been doing that sort of lifting. The store may have been able to deliver and build the furniture for her, but it never would have happened that afternoon. I definitely would not have wanted to make the beds and decorate the room. She accomplished work that most of us would have done in days, perhaps even weeks. When I saw the commercial, I wondered if the producers even had a real concept of time. The commercial wasn't about time, it was about money, which is a whole different devotional.

I read an article that suggested that with so many modern conveniences, we should have more time on our hands, but we are busier than ever. We constantly feel like we do not have enough time. As we consider our lives during this season of Lent, we ask ourselves, how we spend our time? Is time an enemy or is it a friend? Do we use our time well or do we waste too much time?

One of the things I am trying to avoid during this Lent is the reels and videos that are recommended for me on my Facebook page. I tend to watch cat videos, bakeries icing cakes, area rug cleaning, and woodworkers lathing bowls. It is amazing how much time I end up spending with my nose in my tablet. Every video takes time away from doing what I could be doing. We usually talk about today's Gospel lesson in terms of creating a windfall for the Master, accomplishing great things with the gifts He has give us. It encourages us to use our gifts (and our time) for the sake of others. It is also a message about using our time well.

The people thought that Jesus was speaking of a time that would come quickly, immediately. They were anxious for God’s promises to be made complete, for Israel to be restored and for God to be honored once again in the world. They were anxious to see the Kingdom of God rule over all the nations. The two servants did a good job at using their talents in the time they had to accomplish great things for the Master. The third servant hid the talent until the Master returned because he was afraid it would be lost. Perhaps if there were more time, the servant would have found the courage to do something. Perhaps he was just piddling away the hours watching cat videos on the Internet and would never have accomplished anything. Whatever the reason, time ran out and he failed.

I suppose we could try to accomplish all the things that woman did in that commercial, even if it seems impossible. What we learn from the scriptures is that time is limited. It might not be limited in the way we expect. The Kingdom of God may not arrive today, but Jesus is coming. We might have many years to accomplish the work God has called us to do. But the reality is that we don’t really know how much time we have, and that means we do not have time to waste. The Master is coming and He expects to see something to show for our time and talents.

How will you spend your time today?

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March 14, 2025

“For if we sin willfully after we have received the knowledge of the truth, there remains no more a sacrifice for sins, but a certain fearful expectation of judgment, and a fierceness of fire which will devour the adversaries. A man who disregards Moses’ law dies without compassion on the word of two or three witnesses. How much worse punishment do you think he will be judged worthy of who has trodden under foot the Son of God, and has counted the blood of the covenant with which he was sanctified an unholy thing, and has insulted the Spirit of grace? For we know him who said, ‘Vengeance belongs to me. I will repay,’ says the Lord. Again, ‘The Lord will judge his people.’ It is a fearful thing to fall into the hands of the living God.” Hebrews 10:26-31, WEB

I like to do word studies in the Bible. This means choosing a word in a concordance and reading the scriptures listed for it. I will often look for the number of times a word is used in a particular book, or look for the different ways the word is used in the Old and New Testament. Seeing those words in different contexts can help clarify the meaning. A lexicon can make the study even more interesting as you learn the many different ways Greek and Hebrew words can be translated. Those different translations can help broaden the understanding of the text.

I once focused on the word “apostasy” which led me to today’s passage. It is a hard one, interpreted in many different ways by many different experts. Who is the writer of Hebrews addressing? Who are the apostates? What is this judgment? Can we, who have had faith, become an enemy of God again?

I had an online friend who had been a passionate, active Christian. He was devoted and zealous, often deeply involved in the study of the scriptures. Unfortunately, he discovered what he considered discrepancies between what he believed and what he read in the Bible. His experience of Christianity did not fit into his understanding of the faith. He saw contradictions that bothered him. “How can it be both this way and that way?” He asked solid, intelligent questions, but the answers never satisfied him. He lost his faith and rejected Jesus. He rejected Christianity and all religion. He considered himself an agnostic on some days, willing to admit that there could be something, but he just did not know what it was. Some days, which came more and more frequently at the end of our friendship, he rejected everything to do with faith, including many people who cared for him. Sadly, we haven’t talked for many years.

I don’t know what happened, or will happen, to my friend. Today’s passage does not offer much hope. All I know is that it is up to God, and I have to believe He is always faithful. We can reject what Christ has done. I don’t know how anyone who has known the grace of Jesus and the hope that comes from faith in Him can reject the Gospel, but we can reject Jesus Christ, even if we have experienced and embraced His amazing grace.

We find comfort in the fact that God can do the impossible, and though hell is real for those who reject Him, we can hope that God can overcome even our unfaithfulness. It is fearful thing to fall into the hands of a living God, but there is always hope.

It is appropriate for us to think through a difficult text like this one during Lent, and to consider the problem of apostacy in the Church. Our prayer life and devotions are often focused on self, reflecting on our sinfulness and repentance, not on the faith of others. However, since we are spending more time in prayer, we can take a few moments to pray for those who were once faithful but have fallen away. We are all just a doubt or question away from apostacy ourselves. Though we have faith, we can become lost in the cares or temptations of the world. It is not up to us to judge their place in God’s kingdom even if they have seemingly rejected Jesus so completely that they are not even willing to have Christians in their lives. God can do the impossible, He can change their life and faith. It is our calling to pray and seek God’s hand in their life. Condemned or not, it is our responsibility to love them. God will do what God will do. Our job is to believe and trust, living hope for what can be through God’s mercy and grace.

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March 17, 2025

“For though I was free from all, I brought myself under bondage to all, that I might gain the more. To the Jews I became as a Jew, that I might gain Jews; to those who are under the law, as under the law, that I might gain those who are under the law; to those who are without law, as without law (not being without law toward God, but under law toward Christ), that I might win those who are without law. To the weak I became as weak, that I might gain the weak. I have become all things to all men, that I may by all means save some. Now I do this for the sake of the Good News, that I may be a joint partaker of it.” 1 Corinthians 9:19-23, WEB

I’ve never done an ancestry search, but from what I’ve heard through family, I’m a bit of a mutt. This means that I have heritage from several different countries. We aren’t entirely sure about all the details, but it has been generally agreed that my father’s family came from Germany. Our last name as it is spelled appears to be from Normandy, but many of the immigrants changed the spelling from the German. There is some evidence that my grandmother had a Native American ancestor, but it has never been proven. I probably should do the research and see what I can find. My mother’s family is less complicated. Her grandparents emigrated from Wales and Cornwall. We visited their hometowns with my mom when we lived in England.

The relationship between the Welsh/Cornish and the Irish is complicated, there were moments when they were allies and other times when they were enemies. They were all Celtic, but they had different ways of governing and speaking. This caused conflict between tribes and societies, which often led to war. The relationship became even more complicated when invaders from mainland Europe became involved, like the Roman and then Anglo-Saxon cultures and subsequent Germanic migrations. Some of the Celts allied with the foreigners against the other Celts. Because of this history, my mom always had an issue with St. Patrick’s Day. She would tell me that we don’t celebrate an Irish saint, we celebrate St. David, the patron saint of Wales.

It never really mattered one way or another to me one way or another. I always wore green on St. Patrick’s Day. As a matter of fact, I wore green today. I have written about St. Patrick and taught about St. Patrick’s Day when I was a preschool teacher. They say that everyone is Irish on St. Patrick’s Day, and though that is not literally true, it is fun to join in the wearing of the green. When I was in school, wearing green was a necessity if I didn’t want to get pinched!

While I’m not Irish, there is something fascinating about the St. Patrick story of faith. The irony is that St. Patrick was not even Irish. He was living on the Isle of Britannia, the son of Roman parents; he was sixteen when he was kidnapped by Irish marauders. He served as a slave in the hills of Ireland until he was able to escape on a boat to Gaul. In Gaul, which is now France, Patrick was educated. He returned to Britain to live with relatives and while there he had a vision calling him to serve as a missionary to the people in Ireland. He went back to France to study and was eventually consecrated as Bishop of Ireland. He returned to the land of his captors and preached the Gospel to the people there. His preaching against the pagan religion was first met with resistance but he was eventually able to convert the high king. The rest of the Irish followed.

It must have been difficult to face his enemies. How would you have felt if you had been given a vision from God calling you to go to a place where you only knew oppression and pain? Would you have listened and done all that was necessary to do the task to which you were called? Or would you have run in the other direction? Could you live in the midst of your enemies and share the love and forgiveness of Christ with them? Patrick went back to Ireland and became part of the community that made him captive so that he could share the Gospel of Jesus Christ with them. Eventually they listened.

I’m not Irish, and perhaps at some point in history the Irish were enemies of my ancestors, but Paul tells us to be all things to all men so that we may by the means save some. I imagine it was difficult for Patrick, just as it was for Paul, to be surrounded by people who did not think or believe or live as they did. Yet, they both heard God’s voice and responded with humility and grace. I’m not Irish, but it does not hurt for me to wear a little green on this day, to join in the history and remembrance of a man who willingly stood firm in the Gospel until those to whom He was sent, believed. Patrick remained faithful in the midst of his difficulty so that his enemies might come to know the love of God. Through it all, he trusted that God would keep him safe. This is the life we are called to live, glorifying God as we share our faith with the whole world.

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March 18, 2025

Part of my prayer life during Lent will be an examination of conscience using the seven deadly sins. I will daily pray through a number of questions for each sin: Pride, Envy, Sloth, Lust, Covetousness, Gluttony, Anger. Will you join me? Remember, this is about examining yourself, not seeing others in these questions. If you see others, consider it as a mirror and ponder your own life in light of that judgment.

This week is “Sloth.”

“I went by the field of the sluggard, by the vineyard of the man void of understanding. Behold, it was all grown over with thorns. Its surface was covered with nettles, and its stone wall was broken down. Then I saw, and considered well. I saw, and received instruction: a little sleep, a little slumber, a little folding of the hands to sleep, so your poverty will come as a robber and your want as an armed man.” Proverbs 24:30-34, WEB

We spent four years in England, and we didn’t waste a moment. We went to see every historic site we could manage. We had memberships for a couple of organizations the gave us free entry to many of the houses, palaces, and castles. When we began our quest, I expected to see castles that look like they belong in a Disney movie, with soaring turrets and beautiful stained-glass windows. I expected to see comfortably furnished homes ready for a fancy garden party or ball. There were some castles and palaces that were beautiful, places I’d love to live. However, many of the historic sites are little more than ruins or the shells of old defensive keeps, which are cold stone boxes with flat roofs and thick walls and slits for windows which were only large enough to allow a defender to shoot an arrow at an enemy. The first castle we visited was Castle Rising, which was four or five stories high, and definitely designed for defense rather than comfort.

The town of Castle Rising was at one time a very busy port. The castle controlled this port and reaped the economic benefits. Over the years, however, silt built up along the coast and after hundreds of years the castle that once lay on the coastline was several miles away from water. The port was moved, and a new town was established on the new coast. Castle Rising became obsolete. People still lived within the walls of the castle, but the building was not properly maintained. The financial advantage was gone, so they didn’t have the funds to keep things strong and beautiful. One day the wooden roof collapsed, and the family moved out. The defensive walls surrounding the compound were torn apart by the village people who used them to build a church and houses. The site now lies in ruins, home to the pigeons. There are hundreds like it around the country. Each one has its own story, and most often the lack of maintenance was the reason for its destruction.

I’ve seen adds on the Internet for whole villages for sale in Europe. These villages are so cheap that I could afford to buy one. The problem is that these villages are so poorly maintained that it would take millions of dollars to make them livable again. A corporation with plenty of capital could create beautiful resorts in these villages, but most would not take on the risk. So, those castles and villages will continue to degrade since there is no one who can, or will, take on the challenge to restore them.

The proverb for today is a lesson for us about taking care of the things that belong to us. The sluggard was too lazy to do what needed to be done for the field to produce good fruit. Ongoing labor is necessary to the path of wisdom. This does not mean that we should not rest from our labors, but that we do not let laziness become our way of life because it will lead to ruin.

One of the things I have found interesting about my Lent meditation on the seven deadly sins is that I went into this practice thinking myself not guilty of any of them. I am sure most of my readers think similarly. So far we have talked about pride which is an untrue opinion of ourselves, an untrue idea of what we are not, and envy which is a sadness which we feel, on account of the good that happens to our neighbor. I don’t think I think of myself greater than my neighbor and I don’t envy what they have. The questions each week make us look more deeply at how we live our lives. I confess that several of them have make me think twice about my opinion of myself. I am guilty. We all are. The thing we have to remember is that the opposite of the seven deadly sins are not virtues, but are the inverse to an extreme. The opposite of pride is self-loathing, which is as inappropriate for a Christian as pride because God created you, saved you, loves you. The virtue is true humility, which first and foremost is about recognizing our dependence on God and others, and prioritizing their needs over our own.

In the Examination of Conscience, sloth is defined as “a kind of cowardice and disgust, which makes us neglect and omit our duties, rather than to discipline ourselves.” The opposite of sloth is workaholism, which is no better. The virtue is diligence. So, as we consider our own sloth we ask the questions: Have I an inordinate love of rest, neglecting my duties? Do I act lazily? Am I too fond of rest? Do I take lazy positions in answering prayers? Do I kneel in a lounging way? Do I delight in idle conversation? Do I fail to be fervent in the service of God?

I am not slothful, though I can’t say I’m a workaholic. I’ve had friend tell me that they are jealous of my energy. I am always busy, though I do know how to rest. Am I guilty of sloth? I confess that I am. I am not always diligent about doing the work that God is calling me to do. I let my “temple” fall apart. I do not spend enough time devoted to prayer. I grumble when it is time to read my daily devotions.

Our lives take maintenance. We must eat properly and exercise to keep our physical body in shape. We must have social and intellectual pursuits to maintain our heart and mind. Our Christian life also needs maintenance. We must worship God and fellowship with other believers, spend time in prayer and Bible study. If we do not work at keeping our body, heart, mind, and spirit strong, weeds and destruction will overtake our lives. By the power of God’s Holy Spirit, in the name of Jesus Christ our Lord, do all you can to maintain your life, to the Glory of God the Father.

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March 19, 2025

Lectionary Scriptures for March 23, 2025, Third Sunday in Lent: Ezekiel 33:7-20; Psalm 85; 1 Corinthians 10:1-13; Luke 13:1-9

“Tell them, “‘As I live,’ says the Lord Yahweh, ‘I have no pleasure in the death of the wicked, but that the wicked turn from his way and live. Turn, turn from your evil ways! For why will you die, house of Israel?’”” Ezekiel 33:11, WEB

The passage from Ezekiel is confusing and frightening. It seems to say that you will live or die based on the most current actions of your flesh. If the wicked repent and then die, they will live, but if the righteous commit iniquity and die, their righteous deeds will be forgotten, and they will truly die. This is confusing because we know that it is not by our works that we live or die, and it is frightening because we know that we are sinners and that we fail on a daily basis. What chance do we have to die at that exact moment when we are being righteous?

Verse 13 offers a bit of help with this problem. Ezekiel writes, “...if he trusts in his righteousness...” then he will die if he commits sin. It isn’t the sin that will kill him, but the reliance on a righteousness that is fallible. When we trust in the good deeds that we have done to save us, we’ll find that they are never enough to cover the bad deeds that we continue to do. Our works will never make us righteous. Repentance is not simply making things right after we have done wrong; there is no hope in that sort of faith. We can never know if we will truly be in the right state the moment that we die. Repentance is turning to God and trusting in Him. Faith is trusting that we are in a state of God’s grace so that no matter when we die, we’ll be saved by His righteousness.

It is so easy to get caught up in the belief that we can save ourselves. And if we believe that, then we just as easily see the disasters of others as a punishment from God, or at the very least the possibility that they have gotten what they deserve. That’s what is happening in today’s Gospel lesson. Jesus responded to a question from the crowd about a group of people who died at the hand of Pilate by asking if they deserved to be killed in that way. Then He asked if a group of people who died when a tower fell if they deserved to die in that way.

The incidents in today’s Gospel lesson are not reported anywhere except in the book of Luke. None of the contemporary historians mention this story about Pilate, although it was generally agreed that Pilate was a cruel ruler. According to Philo of Alexandria he was a man of “inflexible, stubborn and cruel disposition” and is on record for killing suspects without trial. He stole money from the Jewish Temple to build an aqueduct. He ordered his troops to kill and beat people, perhaps to quell rebellion. He was eventually tried in Rome for excessive cruelty. It is thought that there had been an outbreak of zealous fanaticism near Galilee. The Galileans were perhaps killed as they were offering their sacrifices in the courts of the Temple to stop rebellion before it could begin. Whether they were rebels or simply worshippers is beyond our knowledge, but Pilate killed people who were in the Temple and their blood mingled with the blood of the sacrifice. The crowd wanted to know if it was the fault of those worshippers that they had received justice for their sin by the hands of Pilate.

It helps to put this story into context. When Jesus came down from the mountain where He was transfigured in the presence of His closest apostles, He set out on a journey toward Jerusalem. Nothing was going to stop Him from reaching His goal. As they traveled, Jesus taught the disciples the things they would have to know to continue His work in this world. He healed the sick and He gave hope to the poor. Crowds were following Him, gathering to hear Him speak. He was calling people to a deep and intimate relationship with God. This was a message people wanted to hear. Even the Pharisees wanted to hear what Jesus had to say.

Jesus was invited to dinner where He made quite an impression. He offended the Pharisees and the teachers of the Law by the things He said and the things He did. The Pharisees understood righteousness and faithfulness from the perspective of the Law, and they were determined to stop Jesus. The Pharisees questioned Him because they wanted to catch Him in a mistake that would halt His ministry.

Jesus must have known about the Galileans and the purpose of their question. They wanted Him to say they deserved to be killed because they did wrong, but He answered by bringing up a second incident that is not recorded in history. The people who were killed by the Tower of Siloam were innocent victims of a horrific disaster. Jesus turned the question around by showing them that whether the dead in either story were guilty or not, all God’s people have reason to repent. We are all guilty. God does not send suffering through persecution or disaster because we have done something wrong. We live in a broken and fallen world and bad things will happen.

They did not die because of their sin; they were in the wrong place at the wrong time. As we hear their story, we are reminded that we could be in the wrong place at the wrong time, too. We could fall prey to a power wielding ruler whose cruelty knows no bounds. We could be standing under a tower about to collapse. We could be in a car accident. We could get sick. We could lose everything because the world around us is falling apart. We don’t know what tomorrow might hold.

Jesus Christ calls us to turn to Him because tomorrow might be too late. He calls us, like Ezekiel, to speak the Gospel to our neighbors so that they will trust in God’s righteousness. Honestly, I don’t want to follow in Ezekiel’s footsteps. He was a prophet that was called to deliver a message of judgment and hope, whether the people wanted to hear it or not.

Ezekiel is warned that if he will be responsible for their death if he refuses to speak God’s word to them. God gave Ezekiel the responsibility to tell them the truth, to tell them about God s wrath and His promise. If Ezekiel failed to do so, their blood would be on his head. If we fail to tell our brothers and sisters the truth about their failure, we will also share responsibility and the consequences. God does not want any to die, so He sends us to help them to turn to Him and live.

“Tell them, ‘As I live,’ says the Lord Yahweh, ‘I have no pleasure in the death of the wicked, but that the wicked turn from his way and live. Turn, turn from your evil ways! For why will you die, house of Israel?’” God does not want any to perish. We may suffer the consequences of our failures, experience the cost of our mistakes, but our life in God’s kingdom is built on forgiveness. We may be the one called to give that word to a brother or sister. The call for repentance is the beginning of hope, a revelation of the mercy and grace of God. We might be afraid to speak those words, but God calls us to this ministry so that none will die. He calls us to share in the life-giving promise of forgiveness in His word.

Ezekiel was called to a hard task: to tell the people of Israel about their sin against God. The truly prophetic voice is not something that anyone would choose by their own will because God’s Word is not something the world wants to hear. We’d rather let things go, ignore the failures of our neighbors. We don’t want to talk about sin, correct error, or rebuke willful disobedience. We’d rather ignore the reality of sin to focus on forgiveness, love, and encouragement. But what use is forgiveness if there is nothing to be forgiven? Why seek forgiveness and reconciliation if we are righteous?

Jesus told those questioning Him that the Galileans and victims of the tower collapse were not greater sinners. Jesus turns a question of condemnation into a call to repentance. Jesus says, “I tell you, no, but, unless you repent, you will all perish in the same way.” Repentance is more than changing the way we do things. The Pharisees and teachers of the Law had rejected Jesus. They had rejected the Word of God made flesh. They had rejected the mercy of God which is found in Jesus. Reject Jesus and you will die, because it is in Jesus Christ that we find true life.

Jesus was also not saying that those who suffered death and tragedy were less sinful than the Pharisees and teachers of the Law. We are all sinners in need of a Savior; receive the Savior and you will have life but reject the Savior and you will die.

When Jesus talks about life and death, He isn’t referring to the physical life and death; He is referring to spiritual life and death. The Gospel text is not a lesson about our own righteousness but about trusting in God for true life. We don’t become perfect overnight. As a matter of fact, there’s only one who was able to live a perfect life in this world: Jesus. We aren’t Jesus, but we are covered by His righteousness when we repent and trust in Him.

The hope we have is not that we’ll be righteous at the moment when we die, but that God will be faithful. And thankfully, we worship a God of second chances. Take, for instance, the parable in the second half of today’s Gospel lesson: the story of a fig tree. This tree is not bearing fruit, and the landowner is ready to let it go. We might think that he is unmerciful because the tree is only three years old; however, it was probably more like six years. He would not have even looked for fruit until after the third year. That is when it should have started to bear fruit. At six years the fig tree had been a waste of time, land, and resources. The unfruitful tree was stealing nutrients from the trees that can produce. The gardener begged the landowner for one more year with a promise to work with the tree to try to get it to produce.

Perhaps the perfect sermon title for this text is “Death, Tragedy and all that Crap.” It might sound flippant or even offensive, but it is an honest assessment of how we deal with the troubles in our life. We look at suffering as “crap” without realizing that it might just be the manure that will help us grow in faith and maturity. God does not make us suffer, but He uses the circumstances of our life to help us to bear fruit in this world. We don’t understand. We ask, “Why me?” But we are called to repentance from our self-focus to trust in God who has promised to get us through. We don’t like to travel through the valley of death, because it seems like there is no hope, but there is always hope in Christ.

The key word in today's texts is “repent,” but it is not enough to simply say, “I’ve done this thing and I’m sorry. Forgive me so I can go on my way.” Repentance is more than saying I’m sorry. It is even more than confessing our daily sins. Repentance is turning to God, following Him, keeping Him in our sight, trusting Him to lead us on the right path. Righteousness is not about being good and being obedient to some law. Righteousness is about being in a right relationship with our God. That’s why God calls us to repent. “Turn around. Keep your eyes on me. I can make things right.” God does not want anyone to die. He takes no pleasure in our death. He calls out to us in mercy and grace. “Why will you die?” He asks. “Why will you continue to do those things that will keep you from my love and grace? Why will you turn away and walk your own path, the path that leads to death?”

One of my least favorite classes in school was history. It seemed useless to me to have to learn all those people, places, and dates. What good purpose is there in knowing what someone did a thousand years ago? After all, their culture and circumstances were much different than ours today. It even seemed silly to study history from just a few years ago. After all, what is past is past, and we should not dwell on the things that cannot be changed but look forward to the future.

I had the same opinion of the Old Testament books of the Bible. What good did it do to read those stories of Israel? Their culture and circumstances were very different than ours today. It was a different world, with different people and different circumstances. This is true even more so for those who live in Christ. Jesus restored our relationship to God, offering through His blood the grace and forgiveness that gives us true life. He finished the work that God began thousands of years before in the lives of the patriarchs, the kings, and the prophets. The old stories are fun to read, but of the stories offer a view of God that seems contradictory to the image we have in the story of Christ. This is the view that the Pharisees used to demand strict obedience to the Law.

They say that those who are ignorant of history are doomed to repeat it. We study the things of the past, what worked and what didn’t work, to help guide our decisions for the future. The Bible tells us there is nothing new under the sun, and this is most certainly true in every aspect of human nature. American culture is not much different than other prosperous civilizations in ages past. Our political system was established based on ancient examples. Military, education, and welfare policies were founded on principles used many times before. If we refuse to recall the lessons learned throughout history, we will continue repeating the same mistakes over and over again.

Just as ancient history is important for us to know and understand to keep from falling into the same traps, so too is the Old Testament witness important for Christians. The Israelites had Christ before them, reflections of the promise to come. They were given the manna as a promise of Jesus, who is the Bread of life. Water flowed from the rock, foreseeing the Living water that is Christ. Yet they did not remain faithful to the One who fulfilled their needs. As we look back on those stories, we are reminded that Christ is the solid rock on whom we stand and get our strength. When we are tested, as the Israelites were tested in the desert, we are warned from their example to turn to God.

Paul encourages us to live differently than the people who died in the wilderness. Some died when they lusted, ate, and played as they worshipped the idol. Others died when they tested God and grumbled against Him. All who perished in the desert wanted to go their own way, they wanted to walk their own path. Don’t we do that too? We’d much rather worship the god we choose, have the world (and the god we worship) satisfy the needs we want satisfied. We are more than willing to blame God for our misfortune, to see God as a punisher and a destroyer because then we can claim and create the god of our choosing.

We turn from God in so many ways. Paul used the stories from the Exodus to remind the new Christians that God’s people suffered because they turned from Him. They suffered the consequences of going their own way. They died because they did not keep their eyes on Him.

The Jews in Jesus’ day sought righteousness according to their own terms. They tried to be their own gods. They tried to control the world around them. They tried to be good, righteous, and worthy of whatever it is they wanted. Paul tells us that the ancestors of the Jews did the same thing. Though God delivered them from Egypt and gave them a taste of salvation and the waters of baptism through the cloud and the waters of the Red Sea, they forgot God. They became idolaters, eating, drinking and indulging in the pagan traditions of Egypt. They tested God and suffered the consequences of turning away from Him. They did not trust God so turned to find comfort, hope, and peace through other means. We are meant to see in the histories what our ancestors did wrong so that we’ll walk more closely with our God.

Paul reminds us that we are no different. We think we are better, more faithful than those who wandered the desert and those who lived in Jesus’ day, but we aren’t. Paul shares the stories of our forefathers as a warning that we naturally tend to go in the wrong way.

The story of the fig tree shows us that God is willing to work with us, to help us to be fruitful. But we are warned to be careful: one day will be too late. So, while we can’t do it on our own, we are called to do something. We are called to repent, to turn around and trust God. Paul comforts us with the knowledge that we are no different. “No temptation has taken you except what is common to man. God is faithful, who will not allow you to be tempted above what you are able, but will with the temptation also make the way of escape, that you may be able to endure it.”

We will be tempted. We will fail. We will break our fast and forget to do what we promised we would do. We’ll get angry with God and blame Him for our troubles. We’ll doubt and fear and go down the wrong path. We deserve to perish. But the vinedresser says, “Give me another year. I’ll feed it and it will produce good fruit.” Jesus is the vinedresser. He gives us another chance. Yet, He also calls us to repentance, lest we perish. We have another chance, but for how long? We could be in the wrong place at the wrong time. We don’t know what tomorrow might hold.

The psalmist wrote, “Mercy and truth meet together. Righteousness and peace have kissed each other. Truth springs out of the earth. Righteousness has looked down from heaven.” Truth leads us to a right relationship with God. The fullness of all the good things in heaven and earth - mercy, truth, righteousness and peace - come together in Jesus Christ. It is not up to us to be or create or earn these things, we are called to believe in Jesus, and they will be ours.

God does not want us to perish. He wants us to live in His grace in this world and in His glory in eternity. He’s done everything necessary to make it happen. Lent is a time of repentance. It is a time for letting go of control, turning around toward God, and trusting in Him. Our righteousness will never save us, but His will. His righteousness has saved us. He did it so that we would have life, and so that we would bear fruit in a world that desperately needs to repent and trust Him.

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March 20, 2025

“But Peter, standing up with the eleven, lifted up his voice and spoke out to them, ‘Men of Israel, hear these words! Jesus of Nazareth, a man approved by God to you by mighty works and wonders and signs which God did by him among you, even as you yourselves know, him, being delivered up by the determined counsel and foreknowledge of God, you have taken by the hand of lawless men, crucified and killed; whom God raised up, having freed him from the agony of death, because it was not possible that he should be held by it. For David says concerning him, “I saw the Lord always before my face, for he is on my right hand, that I should not be moved. Therefore my heart was glad, and my tongue rejoiced. Moreover my flesh also will dwell in hope, because you will not leave my soul in Hades, neither will you allow your Holy One to see decay. You made known to me the ways of life. You will make me full of gladness with your presence.” Brothers, I may tell you freely of the patriarch David, that he both died and was buried, and his tomb is with us to this day. Therefore, being a prophet, and knowing that God had sworn with an oath to him that of the fruit of his body, according to the flesh, he would raise up the Christ to sit on his throne, he foreseeing this, spoke about the resurrection of the Christ, that his soul wasn’t left in Hades,[c] and his flesh didn’t see decay. This Jesus God raised up, to which we all are witnesses.’” Acts 2:14a, 22-32, WEB

Today is the first day of Spring. It has been a crazy time weatherwise for many places across the country. I saw a post from one town that had high temps in the afternoon and snow at night. We are dealing with extreme wind, drought, and wildfire warnings. Other places have experienced tornadoes and severe storms with too much rain. One commentor under a weather post said, “This is crazy, it has never been like this!” With the blood red moon lunar eclipse the other night, and everything that is happening in the world, some people believe that this is the time Jesus foretold when “There will be terrors and great signs from heaven.” The weather person said, “It’s March, this is normal.” Weather in March is often crazy, this is why we have the saying, “In like a lion, out like a lamb.” It is just hard for us to see “normal” in such craziness, especially when it is hitting us personally.

We are beginning to see signs of spring around our city. I longingly wait through winter for this time of renewal, but it is not pleasant when the weather is so crazy. The weather person reported that the craziness is simply the battle of the seasons. Nature is in the midst of a mood swing, which happens every year, when different weather systems clashes. Some years it hits us harder than others. Sadly, there are many around the country who are getting hit over and over again. Just as they clean up from one storm, another hits. I’m sure many people are frustrated and tired. It is ridiculous and seems like it is outside the norm. Yet, if you look at history, you’ll see there have been eras that have experienced similar craziness. It might not be “normal,” but it isn’t out of the norm.

We are in Lent, considering what Jesus did for us. His story is ridiculous. It is no wonder that many people consider it out of the norm, little more than a fairy tale. Much of what we know about Jesus is beyond scientific explanation, beyond reason, physically impossible. That God could, or would, become incarnate to live among men and then live to die is outrageous. It is not normal. Some might even say it is a lie. There are those in the past two thousand years who have tried to justify traditional Christian beliefs by claiming it was a purely spiritual experience. For them, bodily aspects of the life, death and resurrection of Jesus, do not seem important. We cannot touch, hear, or see Jesus in the flesh, so it is the Spirit through which we know and experience God.

However, our faith is founded in the reality of what Jesus did and what God did through Jesus. There are those who would prefer to reduce Jesus to little more than a rabbi, teacher, and example by which we are called to live. While He was those things, He was also much more. He was the Messiah. Though He did not live up to the hope of what the people in His day expected, He did accomplish the work that God foreordained.

Peter makes it very clear that what happened to Jesus, the things that they witnessed firsthand, were exactly what God had planned. Though He was crucified at the hands of human beings, it happened according to God’s word. Jesus went to the cross by God’s hand so that His plan for salvation could be completed. There are those who say that the New Testament writers give us the impression that the Jews were at fault for the death of Jesus because the writers feared retribution from the Romans. However, in this speech, Peter lays the responsibility on both the Jews and the Romans (those outside the Law), but ultimately the responsibility belongs to God. All that they did, they did because God planned it to be done.

Peter describes David as a prophet because he foresaw the life, death, and resurrection of Jesus the Messiah. Referring back to the Psalm, Peter showed how the evidence of the things that they had seen and experienced with Jesus lined up with the things the prophet King David had foretold. David and Peter were not speaking about purely spiritual things. David died and was buried, and his tomb still existed in that day. Jesus, however, died but was no longer buried. Jesus was the promised King, greater than King David because He was the Messiah, the promised One of God. His body would not stay in the ground and it would not decompose as David s did.

Peter states emphatically that they were witnesses to these things; we believe based on their witness. Though we cannot experience the flesh of Jesus as they did, though we can’t see Him or touch Him or hear Him as they did, we can believe based on their testimony. Everything about Jesus is beyond the norm, it is crazy enough to seem to be nothing but a fairytale, but to reduce the Resurrection of Jesus to something purely spiritual diminishes the witness of Peter and the others. It also diminishes Jesus to less than was promised by God through His prophets. It may seem ridiculous to our modern human sensibilities, but it as God intended. Jesus lived, died, and rose again by God’s hand and plan for our sake. This “fairytale” grants us life that we would never know without Him. Though our lives may seem chaotic on this first day of spring, we know that the promise of springtime, the renewal we have in Christ Jesus, is coming and is now for those who believe.

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March 21, 2025

“Have mercy on me, God, according to your loving kindness. According to the multitude of your tender mercies, blot out my transgressions. Wash me thoroughly from my iniquity. Cleanse me from my sin. For I know my transgressions. My sin is constantly before me. Against you, and you only, I have sinned, and done that which is evil in your sight, so you may be proved right when you speak, and justified when you judge. Behold, I was born in iniquity. My mother conceived me in sin. Behold, you desire truth in the inward parts. You teach me wisdom in the inmost place. Purify me with hyssop, and I will be clean. Wash me, and I will be whiter than snow. Let me hear joy and gladness, that the bones which you have broken may rejoice. Hide your face from my sins, and blot out all of my iniquities. Create in me a clean heart, O God. Renew a right spirit within me. Don’t throw me from your presence, and don’t take your Holy Spirit from me. Restore to me the joy of your salvation. Uphold me with a willing spirit.” Psalm 51:1-12, WEB

I was driving down the highway one day when a plastic shopping bag flew into my car and got caught on my side mirror. I thought it would blow off on its own, but it was stuck there by the force of the wind. I considered opening my window to pull it off, but it was whipping violently, so trying would be more dangerous. It wasn’t a distraction, just an annoyance. I decided to wait until I stopped, but it fell off as I slowed down, which meant it was free to fly into someone else’s car.

We joke about the bright yellow Dollar General bags. The small-town discount store has popped up everywhere in the past few years, sometimes in the strangest, most out of the way places. How do they get there? DG bags are DG store seeds! If a DG bag lands in an open field, there will be a brand-new store in a week. We carried a DG bag in our car during one road trip, thinking that we should “plant” it in a place where there seems to be no place for the locals to shop. We wouldn’t have, of course, but it made us laugh numerous times as we were driving in sparsely populated places in Texas. I joke about letting the bags go, but those plastic bags can be a real problem and an eyesore.

It is amazing how those bags can catch the wind and fly for miles until they get caught on something like my car or a tree branch. They look almost graceful dancing in the wind, but they are dangerous. I was lucky, but those bags can cause accidents if they get caught in a way that blocks a driver’s view. They can end up in jet engines. They can kill wildlife. I have seen fields filled with all sorts of plastic things caught on tree branches and chicken wire fences. The breeze blows them constantly and they eventually become ripped and ragged. I often wonder how there could be so many bags in one place. It is possible that the winds just blow in a pattern that allows them to settle in those places or the fact that there are so many trees in the way of the prevailing winds.

I don’t know how the bags escape. They are so lightweight that they are easily caught in the wind pushed high and far so quickly that it is impossible to get them back. Unfortunately, few of us have the time or the means to catch them, so we let them go. We don’t bother running after a loose bag, leaving it to be someone else’s problem. Most of them are just an ugly nuisance, but even just one of many that causes an accident or kills a critter is one too many. We just drive by, shaking our heads at the irresponsible person who let those bags fly, but few of us would even consider collecting and disposing them properly. Who has the time to worry about a few bags on the side of the road?

Lent is a time when we look deeply into our lives, realizing that our sin is much like the bags that get caught in the trees and fences at the sides of the roads. Most of our sin is an ugly nuisance, but we are capable of sin that is dangerous. We don’t know how it became part of our life. We fail to resist the actions and inactions of others, so sin grabs a hold of some part of us. It might even appear to have grace and beauty, but it is ugly and dangerous, especially when our sin affects others. And all sin affects others, even when it doesn’t seem so. As Christians, we are called to help one another, to be there for our brothers and sisters, so that our sin does not continue to blow in the breeze causing our lives to become ripped and ragged. Like those bags, if we let sin go, everything becomes worse as time goes on

Lent is a time for contemplating our sinfulness, and when we follow Lenten disciplines in the company of other Christians it is a time for helping one another clean up our fields. Are we ignoring the problems? Are we too lazy to find a way to help? Do we refuse to cross those fences that our fellow Christians have put up to keep us out of their business? Are we building fences so that others cannot help us? Let us seek God’s help to work together to clean up our fields, sharing God’s mercy and grace and cleansing, so that by Easter our lives will look more like a beautiful meadow of wildflowers than an ugly field of garbage.

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March 24, 2025

“Therefore exhort one another, and build each other up, even as you also do. But we beg you, brothers, to know those who labor among you, and are over you in the Lord, and admonish you, and to respect and honor them in love for their work’s sake. Be at peace among yourselves. We exhort you, brothers: Admonish the disorderly; encourage the faint-hearted; support the weak; be patient toward all. See that no one returns evil for evil to anyone, but always follow after that which is good for one another and for all.” 1 Thessalonians 5:11-15, WEB

I am getting the itch to go wildflower hunting. I’ve been watching some of the facebook pages that people use to post their adventures, to help other hunters find where the flowers can be found. I usually take my first trip to the south and east of San Antonio. I chase after the bluebonnets in the Hill Country later in the season, since the flowers bloom from south to north. Unfortunately, this is not turning out to be a very good year. The people who scout for those webpages have reported that most of their favorite areas are sparse with plants. We are in the midst of a severe drought, and the flowers have not had the weather they need for a spectacular bloom. I’m trying to decide if it is even worth taking a trip. The rain this week might help with the bloom, although if the plants haven’t germinated at this point, they are unlikely to germinate this year. The amazing thing about wildflowers is that the seeds can lie dormant for many years, and next year might be the one we have been waiting to experience.

Some of the flowers are definitely blooming. I’ve noticed the sides and mediums of the highways are full of color; these are the first places where the annual color show appears. In 1932, the Texas Highway Department hired a landscape architect named Jac Gubbels to maintain, preserve, and encourage wildflowers and other native plants along the highways. By 1934, mowing along the highways was delayed unless necessary for safety until the wildflower season was over. This meant allowing the wildflowers go to seed so that they would regrow in future years. Some may argue that this is a waste of governmental funds, but the wildflower program, but the flowers help conserve water, control erosion, and provide a habitat for wildlife. They are great for bees and migratory butterflies and birds.

The flowers are also good for tourism. The seeding ensures that the roadways will be filled with color, and every year is different because different flowers respond to the weather differently. There are more than 5,000 species of wildflowers and native grasses along the roadways, and TxDOT plants as much as 30,000 pounds of seeds each year. So far this year I’ve seen patches of bluebonnets and primrose. In the weeks to come, we’ll begin seeing other flowers like phlox, coreopsis, winecup, paintbrush, firewheels, poppies, Mexican hats, and so many more. I get excited when I discover a new type of flower, which is why I love to go even when it doesn’t seem like it is a good year.

Each flower reacts to the conditions differently. I could not find any primrose at all last year, something which really surprised me because they are usually one of the most common flowers, especially along the roadways. This year there are huge patches of primrose. The conditions must have been perfect for them this year.

Unfortunately, it isn’t safe to stop to take pictures along the highways, so the I chase flowers along country roads around the state. Like those scouters who have been out looking, I have several favorite places I regularly visit. The caretakers of some of the small town or small church cemeteries along my usual routes follow the practices of TxDOT and they don’t mow until the flowers have gone to seed, letting the grounds go wild for a few weeks. There is something poignant about seeing the new spring life grow up around the memories of those who have passed. This is especially true because we are so close to Easter. New life rises out of death, after all.

The first time I found one of those cemeteries happened to be a day when the caretaker was working on the grounds. I am always a little hesitant about wildflower hunting in a cemetery, not because I am frightened by death but because a cemetery is a sacred place. Those buried there were loved and people mourn their death. The dead are not aware of my footsteps on the ground above their caskets, but I always try to be respectful, honoring their lives. I am a tourist, a gawker there to enjoy the beauty and take photographs. I never want to be in the way if a family happens to come for a visit.

A caretaker was working one day when I was at a cemetery. I let him know why I was there. I know that cemeteries sometimes attract vandals bent on destruction, and though it was the middle of the day, I wanted him to know I meant no harm. I commented about the beauty of the place and asked a few questions about the graves. Then I thanked him. I thanked him for taking such good care of the graves and for keeping the cemetery looking so beautiful. Some of the gravestones in that cemetery are very old, families long gone. I am always sad when I see gravesites that seem to have been forgotten, their memory is dust in the wind.

I thanked the caretaker on behalf of all those people who live too far away to visit regularly, and for those who are no longer remembered by the living in this world. Weed eating the overgrown grasses in a place that rarely shows signs of life must be a lonely job. It might seem to be a job with little value. After all, it seems like he only serves the dead. I think he appreciated the words. He seemed a little happier and lighter of step when we finished our conversation.

There are so many people who serve us daily that we rarely consider. Have you ever thanked the station attendant at the self-serve gas station? Or the kid putting products on the shelf at the grocery store? Or the painters who are repainting the walls in your office space? What about the worker who is spreading wildflower seeds along the highway that will bloom long after he goes home? We have no reason to talk with these people, and yet our world would be missing something without these silent servants in our lives.

So today, thank someone who is doing a job that seems thankless, because they are making a difference in the world. They might not be serving you directly, but they would like to hear that they are important. Even if you don’t buy that product or work in that newly painted office, a word of thanksgiving on behalf of those who will benefit from their work will brighten their day. They might be a little happier and lighter of step when you have finished, and the world might just be a more peaceful place.

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March 25, 2025

Part of my prayer life during Lent will be an examination of conscience using the seven deadly sins. I will daily pray through a number of questions for each sin: Pride, Envy, Sloth, Lust, Covetousness, Gluttony, Anger. Will you join me? Remember, this is about examining yourself, not seeing others in these questions. If you see others, consider it as a mirror and ponder your own life in light of that judgment.

This week is “Lust.”

“You have heard that it was said, ‘You shall not commit adultery;’ but I tell you that everyone who gazes at a woman to lust after her has committed adultery with her already in his heart. If your right eye causes you to stumble, pluck it out and throw it away from you. For it is more profitable for you that one of your members should perish than for your whole body to be cast into Gehenna. If your right hand causes you to stumble, cut it off, and throw it away from you. For it is more profitable for you that one of your members should perish, than for your whole body to be cast into Gehenna.” Matthew 5:27-30, WEB

We are studying the book of Proverbs in our adult Sunday school class. It is an interesting book to study because it is filled with so much wisdom about how to live your best life. It is also a hard book to study because it is filled with so much wisdom! Nearly twenty chapters are one or two liners, there doesn’t seem to be any rhyme or reason to the way it has been organized. One chapter might give tips on money, relationships, working hard, eating right, taking care of creation, honoring authority, etc. The main thing that holds it all together is Proverbs 1:7, “The fear of the Lord is the beginning of knowledge.” This idea of fearing the Lord is found twenty times in Proverbs, and it is where we begin the life He intends for us. The proverbs give us a choice, two paths we can walk. Will we follow Wisdom or Folly?

Proverbs personifies Wisdom and Folly as two women. While most of the book is line after line of good advice, the first nine chapters are more narrative in nature. It tells the story of a father speaking to his son about wisdom. Chapter nine pulls the narration together. In it, the two women invite us to a feast. Wisdom is a beautiful and gracious woman who cries out to all who will hear. She invites us to come and drink. Folly calls out, too, using the same language as Wisdom, but she’s too lazy to seek them. She settles for those who fall in her trap. She tries to make people change their paths. In Proverbs 7, her seduction reaches all the senses, drawing us into her house. Her invitation sounds attractive, and she may speak like Wisdom, but she offers a much different meal. Wisdom leads to life, and Folly, the adulterous, leads to death.

I once read a story yesterday that not only made me shake my head, but it reminded me why it is good to be obedient to God’s Word. Following the commands of God can actually protect us from evil that might befall us. The story was about a man whose neighbors asked to use his pool. The woman asked her husband to return to their home to get her cigarettes and when he was gone asked the man if she could skinny dip. He agreed and then watched as she swam naked in his pool, amused by her. Meanwhile, the husband did not actually return to their home. He spent twenty minutes emptying the man s house of more than a thousand dollars’ worth of stuff, including jewelry and a handgun.

The man may have thought there was nothing wrong with watching the woman in his pool; after all she invited herself into his life by asking permission to do it. However, Jesus tells us that the man who lusts after a woman has committed adultery in His heart. The man learned the hard way that his lust was dangerous to his own person, but that’s not Jesus’ biggest concern. Lust leads to adultery, just as other sins lead to bigger sins. When we follow our earthly passions, we find ourselves bound to the flesh instead of following the God who offers the greater blessings. The man may have enjoyed those twenty minutes, but it made his life far more difficult in the end. And if he was a Christian, his actions did not glorify God.

The consequences of our own lust might not be discovered so easily, but we will suffer consequences, too, especially if we allow even the seemingly harmless inner feelings affect the way we act. We might suffer in a tangible way, but certainly our sinful thoughts and behavior do not glorify God. And though God has forgiven us those sins of our hearts, our bondage to sin can lead us away from God’s grace into a life that focuses on the satisfaction of our inner desires.

In the Examination of Conscience that I am using as a prayer practice this Lent, lust is defined as “Lust is the love of the pleasures that are contrary to purity.” Jesus reminds us that though lust is hidden in in our hearts, it is as bad as the sins that are visible and tangible. This makes us really consider the questions for this week in a different way. Have I desired or done impure things? Have I taken pleasure in entertaining impure thoughts or desires? Have I read impure material, listened to music with impure lyrics, or looked at impure images, whether in photos or on television or in movies or on the Internet? Have I aroused sexual desire in myself or another by impure kissing, embracing, or touching? Have I committed impure actions alone, i.e., masturbation? Do I dress immodestly or am I too concerned with the way I look? Do I use vulgar language or tell or listen to impure jokes or stories? Have I given into desires of adultery even in my imagination?

As we consider the deadly sin of lust, let us remember that we are not to love the pleasures that are contrary to God’s intention for His people. The questions seem so prudish. We think we live in a different world, that most of those pleasures are not a big deal. Every television show and movie includes sex. Commercial advertisers use sex to sell their products. If we were to avoid anything that might make us lust in our hearts, we’d have to turn off the television and avoid social media. It is hard to consider, but maybe, just maybe, that is the truly wise thing to do.

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March 26, 2025

Lectionary Scriptures for March 30, 2025, Fourth Sunday in Lent: Isaiah 12:1-6; Psalm 32; 2 Corinthians 5:16-21; Luke 15:1-3, 11-32

“He arose and came to his father. But while he was still far off, his father saw him and was moved with compassion, and ran, fell on his neck, and kissed him.” Luke 15:20, WEB

Lent this year has a much different character than Lent last year. In 2024, I was dealing with health issues that required food for my medicine. I was losing weight at an astonishing rate, but I was also getting healthy numbers. I overcame the issues and stopped taking the medicine. I began to return to “normal” but not the normal I had been living. I had learned how to eat better and I was exercising. My numbers were good and I felt better than ever. I still eat better and my exercise program has expanded, but I confess that I have gained a few of the pounds back. I’m certainly stronger, so some of it is muscle mass, but I also realized how much the medicine had helped with the weight loss by suppressing my appetite. All my new clothes still fit and I feel great, but I am still not completely happy with the look of my body.

One of the books I’m reading for Lent is a forty-day spiritual fitness program. The author works in the health care field, and teaches how to live your best life physically, mentally, and physically. I’m not following her program perfectly, but it has helped me better focus certain aspects of my life. It has made me confront a certain aspect of my personality. I am very observant; this is good as an artist and writer. However, I’m also quick to make judgments. Several other people in my life have also had extreme changes in their health and appearance, and I confess that I’m a little jealous. On the other hand, I’ve been far more aware of friends who have gained weight. I don’t let it affect the way I treat them; it is all in my mind. I know it is wrong, and I’m working on it. That’s what Lent is about, isn’t it?

One of the things that struck me the other day as I was reading this forty-day spiritual fitness book, is that despite chapters filled with ways to do better for my health, we also have to think about our mental health. Judging others, good or bad, and comparing ourselves to them, is never healthy. Now, as part of my devotional time, I pray for God to help me love the Temple that He gave me so that I can do the work He has called me to with what I have today. This does not mean giving up the new healthy habits, but it means that I need to stop comparing myself to others, to stop envying those who seem to have done better, and to stop judging those who don’t seem to be doing as well as me. The reality is that I have no idea what’s happening deep in their lives. I need to find my happiness, even while I seek to grow my relationship with God through acceptance of my sin, repentance, and experiencing God’s grace as He continues to transform my body, mind, and spirit.

Audrey Hepburn is one of my favorite actresses. Her simple beauty and soft-spoken nature lent for wonderfully deep and paradoxical characters. Though she seemed weak and fragile, her characters had amazing strength and power. She used cosmetics, but her classic beauty seemed so natural. When asked if she had any personal beauty tips she answered, “If I had them, I’d make a fortune. But I know what helps - health, lots of sleep, lots of fresh air, and a lot of help from Estee Lauder.”

Audrey Hepburn had a favorite poem which was written by Sam Levenson which she read to her children on her last Christmas Eve. It is called “Time-Tested Beauty Tips” and the fact that this was her favorite poem shows her character and her beautiful heart.

“For attractive lips, speak words of kindness. For lovely eyes, seek out the good in people. For a slim figure, share your food with the hungry. For beautiful hair, let a child run his fingers through it once a day. For poise, walk with the knowledge you'll never walk alone ... People, even more than things, have to be restored, renewed, revived, reclaimed and redeemed and redeemed and redeemed. Never throw out anybody. Remember, if you ever need a helping hand, you'll find one at the end of your arm. As you grow older you will discover that you have two hands: one for helping yourself, the other for helping others.”

Those simple tips are often forgotten in our world where there are so many options for creating a beautiful image. All too many people are turning to plastic surgery to reshape their face or body. It is possible have make-up permanently tattooed to your face. Too many people are following diets and exercise programs, as well as using drugs for weight loss, to create a perfect body rather than be their best self. In our world where appearances seem to matter so much, the timeless tips found in the poem does not see like valuable advice. As a matter of fact, some of the most beautiful people are those who have the least beautiful characters.

Just as we confuse beauty with our physical image, so too we confuse happiness with what is visible on the surface. We assume that the people with the big, pretty houses in the best neighborhoods are happy. We assume that people with fancy cars, the best technology, and everything they could possibly want are blessed. Yet, the kind of happiness that the world promotes does not always mean blessedness. True happiness is not found in the accumulation of things, or even in having the perfect body, but in the realization for God’s grace.

Instead of working so hard to conform our flesh to some cultural expectation or hiding ourselves under a physical façade, true beauty and happiness is found deep in the heart of God’s love and is visible in the character of one through whom God’s grace flows. This is the person whose heart is for all their neighbors, being kind, seeking the good in others, sharing with neighbors. As Sam suggested in his poem, it is time for us to turn our hearts and minds to the well-being of others, not ignoring our needs, but finding joy in the work of restoration, renewal, reclamation, and redemption, so that others will know the peace and blessedness of better relationships both with God and other people. You’ve heard it said, “She looks at the world through rose colored glasses.” Some people see the glass as half full. There’s a silver lining in every cloud. We can make lemonade out of the lemons. We go through phases in our world when positive thinking becomes popular. Negative thoughts can affect our lives negatively, so we should try to keep those words out of our heads and out of our mouths. Unfortunately, we don’t live in a time of excessively positivity. As a matter of fact, five minutes of scanning comments on social media, and you’ll see how negative we have become.

We do not see others in the best possible light. When we think about people negatively, they will appear to fulfill our expectation. It doesn’t help that we are bombarded by negative reports about every public figure. It doesn’t matter what “side” you are on, the person who disagrees with your point of view and all their followers are wrong, mean, or even evil. The worst of their lives are repeated over and over again until that’s all you know about them. The good that person has done is ignored and their tiniest mistake is exaggerated. We begin to see people not as they are, but as someone wants us to see them. Kind actions are viewed skeptically. We blame the neighbor that has been described as “loud” even if the noise is coming from somewhere else. If we think someone is a liar, everything they say will be a lie. If we think someone is greedy, we will think everything they do is motivated by greed, even if what they are doing is for our best interests.

When we see people only through these negative eyes, we can’t see anything good about them. Then we accuse those who find something positive as being as bad as the one with whom you disagree. We look at those people as Pollyannaish, which means they see only the good things in every situation. To us, seeing those we think are wrong, mean, or evil through rose colored glasses is naïve, and perhaps even dangerous. We want to show what we believe is the truth, to convince others of the negative. If there is mercy and grace, then there might be forgiveness and a chance for a new point of view, but we get so caught up in our opinion of others that we would rather not allow others to see them differently.

The problem from a Christian point of view is that we use our opinion of others as an excuse for not sharing the Gospel of Jesus. Like Jonah, we don’t want to give our “enemy” a chance to repent. We think they are beyond redemption, so we don’t bother to speak the Gospel into their lives. Even worse: if we can’t find a place for forgiveness, then we will not want them to be saved. We purposely keep them in the dark because we don’t want them to share our light.

In Christ, however, we are called to look at people through a different point of view. Instead of seeing them in their failures and sin, we are called to see them through the eyes of Christ. We are called to see them through the power of the cross, with hope and grace. If we think someone is beyond redemption, we’ll never bother to share the Redeemer. We might even make up excuses for doing so; we don’t think they will listen, we don’t want to force our religion, we can’t change the spots on a leopard.

Jesus wants us to see others through His eyes - Jesus-colored glasses - to have hope for them even when they seem to be beyond hope. When we do, we’ll willingly share God’s grace, to love them as they have been created to be loved. It might seem naïve to the world, but a kind word might just help someone begin to change. At the very least, we will look at them from a new point of view and maybe we’ll discover that they aren’t so bad after all. We might also see our own sinfulness as we realize that our judgment is a mirror to our own faults.

Our Gospel text for this week is very, very familiar. It is the parable of the Prodigal Son (or as some call it, the parable of the Prodigal Father.) We live in a world which focuses on “fairness,” but what does that mean, really? I envy those who have lost more weight and think it isn’t fair that it was so easy. We don’t think it is fair that our neighbor’s grass is greener than ours. We covet and lust because we think we deserve what others have. With this attitude, it is easy for us to look at this story from the older brother’s point of view, if not directly, but as a compassionate observer.

We feel sorry for the older brother who has worked hard to keep the family and the estate together after the younger took off for parts unknown. We see the younger brother’s greed and are offended by his boldness. No matter how great the wealth of the landowner, taking that much of its value away would make it difficult to continue running the farm. His self-centeredness leaves the family not only with one less body to help, but also without the resources necessary, especially if they run into hard times.

When we read this story, we also assume that since there are two brothers, his share would have been half. However, the reality is that the younger son would have received one third of the estate; according to ancient hereditary rules, the older son received a double share. The amount taken was still substantial, too much to give to a selfish, immature boy. It does not seem very sensible for the father to give in to such a demand. It was obvious that the son did not want to use his wealth in a beneficial way. He quickly ran off with his money and wasted it on parties and rich living. We might think that he was happy because he was living the life he wanted to live. He had it all! Until he didn’t.

I stopped playing the lottery years ago, but when I did I only bought tickets when the prize was extremely high. Once, when the prize was expected to be the highest ever, I saw reports of how people who won the lottery used their wealth. There was one success story about a man who put his money into investments, creating a company that would not only help him build his money, but it would also help other people invest well. Most of the stories, however, were about people who thought a million dollars would last forever. They quicky discovered that isn’t very much money at all, especially if you spend, spend, spend. Most lottery winners have little left after just eighteen months. They quit their jobs, buy new houses and cars, and throw huge parties, dwindling their windfall into nothing much quicker than anyone expects.

I think that’s what offends us most about the younger son. We have no sympathy for him because he took the wealth his father worked hard to earn, and he wasted it. He did not even try to use it wisely. He threw it away. That’s probably what the older brother was thinking. He grumbles that at least he stayed, used his future wealth to the benefit of the whole family, continuing to build the estate of his father. And that’s why he is so offended by the outcome. He thinks he’s wasted his time, and his younger brother is given more after wasting his share. Worst of all, the younger brother received the fruit of his brother’s work.

There are two other points of view in this story: the younger brother and the father. We often hear the father’s point of view in comparison to the point of view of the older brother. We can certainly receive the grace that is seen in the father’s actions, and we can understand how hurt that older son must have felt to see his father have so much mercy on the one who took advantage. But can we identify with the younger brother, the one who offends us? During Lent it is the young son in whose feet we should stand, as the one who has turned away from the Father. As we are called to repentance, we can walk humbly before the throne like that prodigal son, unworthy of grace but willing to serve.

What is interesting is that we often misunderstand the meaning of the title of this parable. The word “prodigal” does not mean one who has returned, which is how I always interpreted. A “prodigal” is “characterized by profuse or wasteful expenditure.” The son was “prodigal” when he wasted all the good things he had been given. This is why, however, we can also think of this story as the parable of the Prodigal Father. We, like the older brother, see the father’s compassion, acceptance, and abundant generosity as profuse and wasteful expenditure.

The son decided to return home, not to become a part of the family again, but to do menial labor with this father’s servants. He was barely able to get his confession out of his mouth when the father embraced him with joy. The son expected nothing more than a job so that he could feed himself and stay alive. He received far more. The son did not demand anything from the father. He faced reality repentant and humble, bowing before his father with confession and apology. But his father would have none of it.The father even ran to his son when he realized that he was walking toward the estate.

the father received his son as if he had died and come back to life. He heaped upon the son the best robes and gold rings. He slaughtered the best lamb and opened the finest wine. He threw a party when the son only wanted a job. Not everyone was happy, however. The son left behind realized that his father was heaping his inheritance onto his prodigal brother. To him, the prodigal was the father, too. He was offended by the waste of money and excitement. Why should his future be risked for the sake of the son that ran away to play while he was stuck at home doing all the work?

Isn’t it interesting that the younger son was willing to be a slave but was received as a son, but the older son thought of himself as a slave even though he’d been loved? The young son sought out the father, asking for mercy and got far more. The elder son expected everything and missed out on the joy of being in his father’s house. In the father’s eyes, however, both are loved. I suppose it is easy for the one left behind to think that the actions of the father seem as if the young son was the favorite. After all, the father gave in to his demands for his inheritance before it was due and then received him with mercy and grace when he came home penniless.

But the father has no favorite, or if He does, it is the son that stays. He answered his son’s anger, “Son, you are always with me, and all that is mine is yours. But it was appropriate to celebrate and be glad, for this, your brother, was dead, and is alive again. He was lost, and is found.” What matters is not the days that were lost by foolishness, but the hope of the future, living in God’s grace because the disgrace is gone, the sin is forgiven, and opportunity is bright. God looks beyond our faults and frailties toward the reality of His promises. He has mercy even when it is not deserved. He keeps His covenants even when we fail to do so. He rolls away our disgrace and takes away our sin. Happy are we who are forgiven.

The father waited anxiously for his prodigal son to return and then ran to welcome him home even when he was still far away. God is waiting anxiously for us to repent, ready to run and welcome us home even while we are far away. He is looking for us to turn around, not so that He can judge our sinfulness or punish our disobedience. He is not waiting for the day He can say, “I told you so.” God is waiting to embrace us and restore our whole being.

What is interesting about our text from Isaiah is that it begins with a song of thanksgiving because God has repented. That might sound odd, since we generally think of repentance as the act of the contrite heart that turns to God. In this case, God turned His wrath from the sinner. God’s heavy hand was removed, and His saving grace was applied so that we can sing for joy and experience life in His grace. Without God we are helpless; with God we are happy, blessed and thankful.

Our Father loves each of us. Our sin, and we are all sinners, does not keep Him from giving us what we need. It does not make us lose the inheritance He has promised us through the Gospel. Reconciliation comes from God through Jesus Christ. Lent is a time to be confronted by our own sinfulness, which causes us to humbly repent and return home with the hope that our Father will receive us.

The prodigal story is about restoring that which had been broken and making it whole. Our bond with God has been broken. We are all selfish, whether we are like the younger son who took the blessings of the father's love and ran away to be free or like the older son who wanted to celebrate his own goodness. We are all sinners in need of a Savior. We are all separated from God and need to be restored to Him.

Easter is about reconciliation and Lent is the time when we discover our brokenness. As we seek God in prayer and worship, we see ourselves as we really are: sinners in need of a Savior. Then, as Holy Week approaches, we realize that the work of the cross is meant for us, that He was given for our sake. We gather around Christ to hear His Word, to receive His grace, just as the tax collectors and sinners were doing in His day.

Paul wrote, “Therefore if anyone is in Christ, he is a new creation. The old things have passed away. Behold, all things have become new.” We are changed by our relationship with God so that we no longer look at the world in quite the same way. This is what the author of my spiritual fitness book is trying to help me see. It isn’t just about restoring my body but about building my relationship with God so that I will live the best life possible. I may become discouraged some days, but there is always hope. God reconciled the world to Himself through Christ and freely forgives those who turn toward Him. This is why we need to stop seeing the negative about others but rather see them through Jesus-colored glasses.

God is like the father. Despite the sense that it is improper for the Almighty God to come to us, He did. He took on flesh and became man. Jesus Christ lived and died for our sake, sacrificing Himself so that we would be reconciled to God and each other. As Paul wrote, “For him who knew no sin he made to be sin on our behalf, so that in him we might become the righteousness of God.” Through Him we have the most incredible homecoming. We are welcomed to more than an earthly estate. We are welcomed home to the kingdom of God. This is a reason to rejoice. Yet, we are to rejoice not only for ourselves, but also for those who were lost but have been found. Let us rejoice with the heavenly host for every sinner that is saved. There are no limits to God’s grace, He has more than enough for all to be blessed today and forever more.

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March 27, 2025

“But you followed my teaching, conduct, purpose, faith, patience, love, steadfastness, persecutions, and sufferings—those things that happened to me at Antioch, Iconium, and Lystra. I endured those persecutions. The Lord delivered me out of them all. Yes, and all who desire to live godly in Christ Jesus will suffer persecution. But evil men and impostors will grow worse and worse, deceiving and being deceived. But you remain in the things which you have learned and have been assured of, knowing from whom you have learned them. From infancy, you have known the holy Scriptures which are able to make you wise for salvation through faith which is in Christ Jesus. Every Scripture is God-breathed and profitable for teaching, for reproof, for correction, and for instruction in righteousness, that each person who belongs to God may be complete, thoroughly equipped for every good work.” 2 Timothy 3:10-17, WEB

I was not a fan in the early days of digital cameras. I always said, “I’d rather use film,” as if I were some professional photographer that printed my own pictures. I liked the fact that my photos were what my photos were, no photo shop editing. Of course, if I made a mistake, then that photo was useless. And I made a lot of mistakes. For many pre-digital photographers, a successful shoot produced about ten percent of good photos. I don't mind telling you that I really do prefer digital now.

We lived in England before digital cameras were invented, so I often traveled with many rolls of film. I was always careful about composing my photos, checking the lighting, waiting for photobombs to move out of the shot. It wasn’t just that I was limited by the amount of photos I could take; it was expensive to get them developed. I have piles of useless prints of fuzzy people who moved just when I clicked the shutter. Or photos with bad lighting. Or photos that are just off center, missing the most important thing I meant to capture. I visited Stonehenge one day and had an hour at sunset to capture the incredible beauty of the place but ran our of film before the sunset peaked. I left a few minutes early because there was nothing left to do.

It is not unusual for me to take hundreds of photos in a day (or more!) especially when I am shooting moving objects. This is particularly true when I am hunting wildflowers. It is often windy when I’m out in the fields, and the blooms do not stand still. I suppose it would be more of an accomplishment if I pushed the button at exactly the right moment, but it is so much better to take a dozen photos of the same flower and then choose the one that looks best. I also move my camera so that the composition is different, sometimes with the flower in the corner, sometimes centered. I turn my camera in different directions to show the height of some flowers or get really close to catch the tiny bugs that are feeding on the pollen. Speaking of bugs, It is a whole lot easier to catch a butterfly in motion if you take a bunch of photos of a flower and hope the butterfly will come into view.

I am not always good about checking my photos on the go, and I don’t always pay attention to the settings that might impact a shot. I have one of those fancy cameras with settings I don’t even know how to use. I can go beyond the basics; I understand the necessity of choosing the right exposure, balance, and shutter speed. Unfortunately, I often forget to check these things, and I sometimes accidentally change the settings, which can be controlled on a touch screen. The advantage of digital photos is the ability to look at the pictures you’ve taken and change the settings to fit the situation.

Unfortunately, I’ve had adventures when I’ve made huge mistakes. During one wildflower hunt, U accidentally turned a knob that chooses the type of photography I was attempting. I couldn’t see the viewing screen in the field because the sun was too bright, and I didn’t take the time at the car to see what type of photos I was taking. It is hard to tell anyway because the screen is too small. Some photos look good in 2” x 2” but look terrible when blown up on the computer.

When I put the pictures on my computer, I realized that most of them were overexposed. This means that the pictures have too much light. I had to delete hundreds of photos that were simply unusable. The overexposure made a few interesting pictures, pictures that looked much like the Impressionistic paintings of Monet or Van Gogh. They are terrible photographs, but interesting art. I managed to make the best of the situation, but I learned a lesson (one I’ve learned in the past, but keep forgetting) to make sure that everything on my camera is set properly for the situation.

We might like to think of ourselves and our Christian life as if it were an easy shoot camera: all the settings automatic with nothing in our power to control. It is true that God does work through us. Our faith and gifts come from God. God will see us through hard times and keep us on the right path. God can accomplish great things with us even if we are nothing more than an easy shoot camera. But is that really the Christian life we want to lead? Don’t we want to take the gifts we’ve been given and become actively involved in the work of God? We don’t have to take control; we can’t take control. But we are called to be co-creators with our God, living God’s Word in real, dynamic ways. So, let’s abide in the things we have learned and know the God in whom we have faith in a way that will create something beautiful in the world.

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March 28, 2025

“Shout for joy to Yahweh, all you lands! Serve Yahweh with gladness. Come before his presence with singing. Know that Yahweh, he is God. It is he who has made us, and we are his. We are his people, and the sheep of his pasture. Enter into his gates with thanksgiving, and into his courts with praise. Give thanks to him, and bless his name. For Yahweh is good. His loving kindness endures forever, his faithfulness to all generations.” Psalm 100, WEB

March has been “Sing with your child month.” I know we are at the end, but it is never too late to start. The purpose of this month is to encourage parents to sing with their children, which creates happiness, confidence, and closer relationships. The simple act of singing together turns everyday moments into memories. Music is not a major focus in my life, although I do play the radio when I exercise, and I’ve been seen belting out some song as I wait at a traffic light.

A website about “Sing with your child month” gives plenty of ways to celebrate, and though it was meant to be the month of March, we can sing with one another anytime. It seems like there is a day or month to celebrate everything these days, but there is value to celebrating the act of singing with your child. Singing helps children develop language and listening skills. It is a fun way to introduce new vocabulary and sounds. Singing is often a great way to remember facts; we all learned the alphabet through song! Singing can reduce stress, which is good for everyone. The shared activity strengthens bonds between parents and children (and friends!) It is entertaining, and nurtures growth and harmony.

“Sing with your child month” began about twenty years ago, created by a company called Music Together, which offers music and movement classes for young children. (Most of the “celebrate this” days and month have been started by groups that benefit from the exposure!) They believe that making music should be a shared, family experience that helps children develop musical skills and overall cognitive abilities. It helps raise awareness of the positive impact of music for children, but we are reminded that it is good for us, too.

Martin Luther firmly believed in the power of music. He wrote, “If any man despises music, as all fanatics do, for him I have no liking; for music is a gift and grace of God, not an invention of men. Thus it drives out the devil and makes people cheerful. Then one forgets all wrath, impurity and other devices.” He also wrote, “I wish to compose sacred hymns so that the Word of God may dwell among the people also by means of songs.” His hymn, “A Mighty Fortress” was inspired by Psalm 46, scripture that celebrates the security of living in the refuge of God. Millions have sought comfort in the words of that song, for the eternal truth of God’s presence has been written on our hearts through the power of the music.

We don’t have to wait for worship on Sunday to sing the liturgy or the hymns and songs that praise God. The book of Psalms is filled with the hymns that Jesus would have sung, hymns that speak of all that concerns our lives. It might seem hard to sing a song of joy when we are frightened and frustrated, but this is exactly the moment to sing a song of praise. Today’s psalm especially speaks of the joy we have in the Lord who has done great things for us. We can trust in Him. We can praise Him, even when the world around us seems out of control. God is greater than our chaos.

You don’t need to sing for the next few days just because it is “Sing to your child month.” Singing is good for you all the time, especially when our songs glorify God. Praise the Lord today. Sing of His glory and His love. Hum the tunes of your favorite hymns and break out in the words of “Jesus loves me.” God has written His Word on our hearts, and we can easily reach for those words in the songs that we hold dear. In our singing, we keep God close to us, remembering His truth and sharing them with the world. Shout for joy and sing joyful songs, give Him thanks and praise His name!

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March 31, 2025

“Since then, there has not arisen a prophet in Israel like Moses, whom Yahweh knew face to face, in all the signs and the wonders which Yahweh sent him to do in the land of Egypt, to Pharaoh, and to all his servants, and to all his land, and in all the mighty hand, and in all the awesome deeds, which Moses did in the sight of all Israel.” Deuteronomy 34:10-12, WEB

We don’t agree about lists. You know the ones: the top ten whatever. The greatest of all time. The most hated villain. The best desserts. The hottest chili. The heartiest wildflowers. The cutest small towns. All these lists are based on human opinion, and as we have seen in our world today, we can’t agree about anything. It is bad enough when we have to choose between two types of cola, but how do you choose the top ten chocolate bars? Some of these lists, at least those that get published or reported, are compilations of the opinions of many people. The organization making the list asks the general public to nominate, then vote. In the end, no matter how many people vote, it is still a random list that will make someone mad. One group wanted to compile a list of the greatest Americans of all time. The names came from every generation, people from politics, science, religion, and every other realm imaginable.

These lists can be very strange. Certainly, some people chosen are far from my own preferences. In that list of greatest Americans were people that had accomplishments that I did not consider great. My choices would have seemed odd to someone else. We have different perspectives and that will show in the people that we uphold as great. Many factors can affect our choices, such as our age, gender, race, geographic background, and educational status. One generation looks to the past while another looks at those who are still active today. We compare people according to our preferences and pick our favorites. Sometimes they really belong on the list, and sometimes we make them out to be more than we should.

Things were no different in Jesus’ day. The Jews compared Jesus to the work of Moses, putting Moses on a pedestal above Jesus. They held up scripture like today’s passage as proof that none could ever be greater than Moses. No one would ever do the kind of mighty acts that were done through Moses. Moses was the deliverer, even after a thousand years of history. He was also the bearer of the Law. Jesus could not compare in their minds, despite the fact that He did many of the same things. What would He deliver them from? What law would He give? He was a law-breaker. His works of healing and forgiveness went against all they held as important. They would never be able to see Him as the greatest of all time.

We will never really understand everyone else’s lists. It takes seeing their world through their eyes to understand how their circumstances color their opinion. We may never agree, but if we try to understand their opinion, we might give more value to their favorites. We don’t have to give up our list, but we don’t need to hate our neighbor because they don’t see our favorites as the best.

As we look back over the life of Jesus and the things He did, it is hard for us to imagine holding on the Moses as the greatest. However, when we consider that Jesus turned their world upside down, we can see how important it was for them to hold on to the things they knew and loved. Our top ten lists will never really matter. What does matter is that we see people, their gifts, and their accomplishments through the eyes of Christ and live in thanksgiving for the gift of their lives in this world.

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