Luke 13:34-35 — Jerusalem, Jerusalem, the city that kills the prophets and stones those who are sent to it! How often have I desired to gather your children together as a hen gathers her brood under her wings, and you were not willing! See, your house is left to you. And I tell you, you will not see me until the time comes when you say, ‘Blessed is the one who comes in the name of the Lord.’ ”Holy God, this life of ours is full to the brim. Our days are overflowing with emails and to-do lists, schedules and notifications, assignments and deadlines. We wake up feeling behind, we go to sleep worrying about tomorrow, and we know—there has to be more than this. So we pray: bend down and show us the way. Leave breadcrumbs in the street. Point us toward awe and wonder. Guide us to intimacy and trust. Gift us with laughter that will make us cry and hope that will make us feel alive. We want a new kind of full to the brim. Show us the way. We are listening for your cues. Gratefully we pray, amen. Still in One Peace, ps/pk
Luke 4:1-2 – “Jesus, full of the Holy Spirit, returned from the Jordan and was led by the Spirit in the wilderness, where for forty days he was tested by the devil. He ate nothing at all during those days, and when they were over he was famished.”God of the wilderness places in our lives, it can be hard to hear you in the desert. It can be hard to hear you in the city, in the midst of our calendar reminders, rush-hour traffic, and notification alerts. It can be hard to hear you, so we ask: make everything quiet. Pause the chaos. Still the rushing. Ease our racing thoughts. Give us ears to hear your Word for us today which promises that even in the desert you are full to the brim. We are listening. We ache for your good news. Gratefully we pray, amen. Lord, bless this Lenten journey. Amen
Loving Creator, we are here, telling stories of dust. We are here, trying to shake the dust out of our ears so that we might hear you clearly. We are here, hoping that showing up is the first step in returning to you. Scoop us up in your embrace and carry us to a place of truth. Clear the smog that makes it hard to see. Clear the dust that makes it hard to hear. We are at the edge of our seats. We are listening for you. Amen. Lord, bless this Lenten season. Amen
I saw a Facebook meme this morning that really made me think and reflect as I ran. Went like this:
“The first person to apologize is the bravest; The first person to forgive is the strongest; The first person to forget is the happiest.”
I wonder what Jesus would wordsmith on this saying?
I preached on Luke 6 this past Sunday and Jesus’ instructions on things like turn the other cheek, love your enemies, share your clothes with those that don’t have any…..all mixed in with a splash of forgiveness and grace. And throughout all of those hard things unfolding in life, you will sense the blessings from the Most High.
Really! Hard! Stuff!
If I was rewriting this saying through the lens of Luke 6, it might be more accurate to say:
“The first person to apologize is blessed; The first person to forgive is blessed; The first person to forget is blessed.”
Please note: the neither the meme nor Jesus ever said, “The first to apologize/forgive/forget took the easy route.” Because none of those are easy. That’s probably why Jesus talked about them time after time. That’s probably why we hurt as we encounter struggles with those movements time and time.
But following Jesus wasn’t designed to be easy. It was designed to be a blessing! Even as we do tough stuff. A blessing as the kingdom of God breaks in every time we apologize and forgive. A blessing to have community around you to struggle with the tough stuff together and feel support from. A blessing to know that others, all the way back to Jesus’ day and before, have had these same struggles and been able to move through.
Really hard stuff. They can be the same people/places/situations/relationships/events where the really amazing blessings break right in.
Lord, thank you for promising blessing as we move through the hardest stuff. Amen
I’ve been thinking about roots a lot as I look forward to spring this year (cue the snow as you read this) and the roots of trees helping to send energy and life to the ends of all the branches, bringing forth new growth and leaves.
But it’s the roots that hold it all together! It’s the roots that bring that life.
What are your roots? Your roots of faith? Your roots of contentment? Your roots that guide your purpose?
Throughout Scripture, we hear about the roots that connect us to a loooong line of God’s work in the world. God’s creation. God’s prophets. God’s people. God’s direction. And God’s love through Jesus.
Roots. Connecting us and bringing us life and energy and new growth.
In these waning days of winter, I ask you to consider if you’ve reconnected with your roots lately? Have you given them time? Have you recognized their life giving power? And have you realized that many of those roots might just connect you to an amazing God again.
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