This is the day....2nd Sunday in Lent 2015

Second Sunday in Lent

"This is the day that the Lord has made; let us rejoice and be glad in it."  Psalm 118.24

Sunday's are not a part of the 40 days of Lent, but a celebration of the resurrection and joy of Christ.   Take this day to worship  (Come to OSLC if you can 830, 1030 and 6pm---but take time!!!)   The Bible tells us that the Sabbath has two purposes:  to give you rest from the toil and weariness of the week and to offer a time for us to offer worship and praise to God.  A good Sabbath is when you can do both!   Happy Sunday.  

God wants to 'pump you up!" Lent 2015, Day 10

Day 10, Lent 2015

"I will set my eyes upon them for good, and I will bring them back to this land. I will build them up, and not tear them down; I will plant them, and not pluck them up."  Jeremiah 24.6

Jeremiah is known for his hard and critical words, but here he delivers an amazing message of hope for all of God's people.   God is for you!  Take a moment to let that just sink in.  We know that this world has it's hardships; but in the midst of those trials never forget that God is not only present but looks upon you with eyes of favor and delight.   This doesn't mean that God is a genie who will serve at our command and protect us from every encounter.  But God is there to cheer us on as we navigate the decisions of life, and provides for those opportunities for us to be built up and planted strong.  (Psalm 1.3).

Keep an eye out for those things that God provides.  People, friendships and resources that can help build you up and keep you planted firmly in the love of Christ!

A prayer:  "Loving God, you have promised to keep your eyes upon us and provide for our building up and firm foundation.   May we remember and build on this as we live out our lives each and every day.  Amen."

Priorities and Values, Day 9, Lent 2015

Day 9, Lent 2015

^"And the Lord stirred up the spirit of Zerubbabel son of Shealtiel, governor of Judah, and the spirit of Joshua son of Jehozadak, the high priest, and the spirit of all the remnant of the people; and they came and worked on the house of the Lord of hosts, their God..."  Haggai 1.14

The prophet Haggai has just delivered a word from the Lord: while the people have been eagerly at work building their own homes, taking care of their own needs and pursuing their own dream; the have given little thought, time or energy to the house of God.   So God stirred up in the leaders and the people a new passion for working together on the rebuilding of the Temple.

How easy it is for us to tend to our own needs and forget the needs of the community.   What kinds of ministry could we accomplish if we dared to work together?  What impact could we have in the name of Jesus if we lovingly brought our gifts and talents to do the Lord's work.   Our faith is meant to be lived out in community and we need each other.    How might the Holy Spirit be calling you to be at work in the house of the Lord?   Have you become so preoccupied with your own needs that you have forgotten from whom all blessings flow?

The spiritual life is one of balance and a part of that balance is regularly reassessing how we spend our lives in relation to the values that we say we confess.   Take some time right now to reflect on that need for balance and if needed make a decision to have your life reflect your values first and foremost.

A prayer:  "Gracious Lord, stir up in us a desire to be a part of your kingdom and the knowledge that our hearts and lives are always going to be restless until they rest in you.  Amen"

Built on a rock! Lent 2015 Day 8

Lent 2015 Day 8

“Everyone then who hears these words of mine and acts on them will be like a wise man who built his house on rock."  Matthew 7.24

Hearing isn't enough!  We aren't talking about salvation here, we know that we are saved by grace a part from any works of the law.  Here in the sermon on the mount Jesus is talking about living as God's people, and this means more than just listening, it means doing!   Today I would like to give you a very small assignment.  Right now, think about something that you know Jesus has said, but which you have trouble acting upon.  (Forgive others, Love your enemy, Don't serve two masters, Give to Caesar what is Caesar's and to God what is God's, Love one another as I have loved you, Don't worry about the speck in your neighbor's eye when you have a plank in your own, Do not worry, Where your treasure is there your heart will be also, Do good to those who hate you, Turn the other check, etc....)  Now make a concrete decision to act on this!  Move from hearing to acting and you just might find yourself standing on the rock of salvation!  (Psalm 18.46) 

A prayer:  "Dear Lord help me to have ears to hear your words and the courage and will to act on what I have heard, this day and everyday!  Amen."

Simplicity as a virtue day 7 Lent 2015

Day 7, Lent 2015

"Not that I am referring to being in need; for I have learned to be content with whatever I have."  Philippians 4.11

The apostle Paul reminds us that we are to be content with whatever we have; but this advice flies in the face of our North American culture and the constant barrage of advertisements that suggest we aren't truly experiencing the good life unless we have more and more.   In our search for contentment we find ourselves engaging in 'retail therapy' and boosting our self esteem by what we possess and how we believe we are perceived by others.     This is a dangerous path that feeds an unsatiable beast. So dangerous that even the Ten Commandments speak to the issue of coveting, always wanting what others have (Exodus 20.17)

What would happen if you decided to stop playing this cultural game and were content with the car your drive, the house you live in, the clothes you possess, the body you've been given?

How would your life change if you embraced this thought: what gives a person worth is not what they make or what they have, but what they are willing to give away?

A prayer: "Lord Jesus, you lead us by example against a life of excess.  Make us comfortable with less in a society that says 'more.'  Let us live our lives with the goal of praising you, not of being praised for what we have.  Amen"

Day 6: Lent 2015 But it's supposed to be about me!

Day 6 Lent 2015

"I am writing to you, little children,
    because your sins are forgiven on account of his name."  1 John 2.12

I don't think many of us really understand what sin is.  We often think of sin as those things we do: stealing, lying, cheating, sexual indiscretion, etc... .  Those actions might be 'sinful' but they are not sin.  Sin is the human condition that keeps us from loving God, neighbor and self as we should.   This lack of love for God, neighbor and self is manifest in many ways that are destructive to the  lives we have been called to live in Jesus.   The problem is we think we can tackle sin by our own fortitude, by our own efforts and abilities and this is a recipe for disaster!  Guilt, shame, feelings of hypocrisy can be the constant companion for those who try to go it alone.

So what is the answer?  John suggests that we begin with the stunning truth and Good News of Jesus Christ.  On his account, those things that keep us from loving God, neighbor and ourselves have been forgiven.    Psalm 103.12 proclaims:   "He has taken our sins [transgressions] away from us, as far as the east is from west."   This means we are free today to live as the people God has called us to be. Our past sins are forgiven/forgotten and we need to lay them down as well.   We need to leave behind the stuck emotions of guilt, shame and remorse and move forward in confidence that the Holy Spirit will be at work calling us into the future.  Let me put it this way:  stop wasting time with guilt and shame, trying to prove to God that you are really sorry, accept the gift of his love and forgiveness and move on!   Remember it's not about you!  

A prayer for today:  "Forgiving Father, you know our sins. You see our need for love, hope, and forgiveness. Despite our sometimes-troubled days, we know deep down that you are there for us and we ask you to forgive us our trespasses and give us the confidence that we are truly forgiven for the sake of Jesus. In your name we pray. Amen."

Eyes and Ears.... day 5

^{Lent 2015 Day 5
"} But blessed are your eyes, for they see, and your ears, for they hear. "  Matthew 13.16

Jesus has just told a series of parables and quoted a verse from the prophet Isaiah in which the people are said to have shut eyes and closed ears.  But not so for the followers of Jesus.  Indeed we are blessed when our eyes see and our ears are open.

Funny, because sometimes it feels better to not see: to not see the pain in the world, the sufferings of others, the opportunities that I have to serve.  And sometimes I would rather not hear: hear the cries for justice, the words of the poor and oppressed, the pleas for mercy.  

But Jesus reminds us that we are blessed when our eyes and ears are open.  Open to the Word and open to the world.  May you go through this day with eyes and ears open and consider how that blesses you and the world.

A prayer for the day:  "No matter where we go, Lord, you go with us. In each breath we take there is the Holy Spirit filling us to excess with love, mercy, and grace. May each breath that leaves us gift others with the same blessings. Amen."

Sunday Blessings!

Sunday's are not a part of the 40 days of Lent.  Each Sunday in and of itself is a little celebration of the Resurrection.  Take some time for Sabbath today!  Attend worship, read the scriptures, pray for the world and for God to give you strength and clarity in all that you do.  For God is good and will never leave you!

A Sunday Prayer:  Wise Comforter, sometimes we feel small. We lose our way and we question our purpose. Remind us today that you have a plan for each of us. Remind us that we are valuable and full of purpose, beautifully and wonderfully made. May we glorify you. Amen.

Take a Hike!!!

Day 4 Lent 2015:   "Praise him, sun and moon; praise him, all you shining stars! For he commanded, and they were created." Psalm 148:3,5

"Great and marvelous

are your deeds, Lord God Almighty." Revelation 15:3 (NIV)

I've often heard folks say that they feel closer to God out in nature than they do in the church.  I understand that.  Even the sacred scriptures lift up the power of creation that points to the wonder and majesty of God.  There is a subtle difference though between seeing God in creation and seeing God.  You see, creation as beautiful as it is--go to the beach and watch a sunset, hike into Yosemite, visit the Grand Canyon--is not God, but what I like to call the 'fingerprints of God."  A sure and certain sign of God's presence, but not God.  To stop at creation would be akin to admiring a Christmas present for its wrapping and bows and never opening it up.   

For we who follow Jesus, God is most fully present in him.  God is to be discovered in the wine and bread--one holy food given for us--and in the waters of baptism--a rebirthing and adoption into God's family.  God is to be found in the Word that continues through the Holy Spirit to call, gather and enlighten God's people.    

But this is messy.  This involves people, what we call the church.  But ultimately we are called not to simply marvel at the handiwork of the creator but to join in relationship with God and each other.

Marvel at the beauty of the world and the universe...it is amazing!  But don't forget to seek the one whose handiwork this is...and that requires seeing oneself as a part of the beauty played out in the relationships we share with each other.

Almighty One, you shine on us through your sun, your moon, your stars. Day or night, we need only look to the heavens to feel your presence and know that you are there for us. May your light shine on everyone and in the relationships you've given us. Amen.

Good day Ambassador!

Day 3:    "So we are 
ambassadors for Christ, since God is making his appeal through us..."  2 Corinthians 5.20

Yesterday I had the fun of taking a 16 year old boy from Russia around San Clemente.   This is his first time in America for Theo and so I had the responsibility of being an ambassador so to speak for all things good and right about our country.  He's 16, so first stop was "Rocket Fizz" candy shop on Del Mar where he couldn't believe the choices that surrounded him.  I asked him if he ever had a root beer before?  No, being the answer we bought an ice cold premium Root beer for him to enjoy.  "Ohhhhh very good!"  Was the response.  

Next we went to T-Street to walk a bit along the beach and finished off at La Tiendita.  He had never had Mexican food before.   Note to self: 16 year old Russians seem to like Carne Asada, but not Cilentro!

Being an Ambassador was a mixture of conscientious thinking for the welfare of my guest coupled with a desire to show all that is good and right with America and American culture.   I wonder if this is not how it is also with being an ambassador for Christ.  As ambassadors we are called to lovingly receive those who come into our midst, recognizing that they may have different ideas and concerns and taking those differences seriously.  Nevertheless, we represent something good and wonderful that we want to share with them.  We want them to see and experience what Christ means for us and how we live out this faith in the world.

So, Mr and Mrs. Ambassador...do just that.  Love and respect others for who they are, but never forget that you through your baptism and faith have something wonderful to share.  And who knows, the reaction just might be, "ohhhhh very good!"

What do we proclaim?

Day 2 Lent 2015:  

"For we do not proclaim ourselves; we proclaim Jesus Christ as Lord and ourselves as servants for Jesus’ sake." 2 Corinthians 4:5

Here is a masterpiece by Rubens, "Descent from the cross," 1612-14  (You can see it in Antwerp Belgium).

It often appears that death has won,  that evil triumphs, that darkness consumes the light that would lead us.   Notice at the bottom right a bowl that now holds the crown of thorns, the nails, and Pilates inscription leaning against it.  "Here is the king of the Jews."

For me Rubens invokes the mystery of the faith.  Jesus, ghastly white in death, yet there is a hint of the resurrection here, ever so small.

Hope is never extinguished as long as we hold onto Christ.

 

Marked for life!

Day 1:  Ash Wednesday.   Today Christians throughout the world will come to their places of worship and receive  the ashen cross on their foreheads.  Some of our Evangelical friends will think this is a silly superstition or some left over ritual that has no real meaning.  But the truth is it is one of the most powerful days in the life of the Christian; one which reminds us whose and who we are. You see most days we are free to live our faith with no one really knowing that we claim to follow Jesus of Nazareth.  The neighbor who we growl out because their dog wont stop barking; the clerk at the store who seems to be deliberately slow or incompetent; the employee whose worth in the marketplace is questionable at best; the homeless woman outside 7-1l: none of these on any other day will know that we are followers of the Christ.  But today.....each and everyone of these folks will see the mark of the crucified Lord on our brows. And I wonder, if we know we are so bold to carry his cross on our brow, will our behavior in the world be different?  Will we be more gracious?  Will we be more merciful than relentless?  Will we be more loving?   

Here at OSLC we'll have a worship at 7pm...please come...but that only gives us a few hours to wear the cross before we go to bed and begin a new day.   But here's the thing; we actually wear that cross each and every day whether we remember it or not.  And I wonder if folks can see it?

 Remember, "you have been sealed by the Holy Spirit and marked by the cross of Christ, forever!"  Amen

Lenten discipline

Last year I attempted to record a little video devotion for the 40 days of Lent.  While it was a good exercise and received well by folks; this year I am planning to be a bit more eclectic with my posts.   Expect some photography,  creative writing, works of art and who knows what else.    I hope you'll join my for the journey and add your comments to mine as we look to share the same waves of Jesus' grace and truth.   Look for the posts to begin in a little more than a week....Ash Wednesday.

The Second Advocate

This week the Gospel of John continues with John 14.15-21.  It is a continuation of Jesus' farewell discourse and the beginning of a serious reflection on the work of the Spirit.  I find the language here fascinating.  Jesus tells his disciples that he is going to ask the Father to send them another Advocate to be with them forever.   Jesus is the first Advocate that has been sent by God.  The formless God of the universe has become 'formed' in Jesus of Nazareth and now that the incarnation is about to come to an end, it is the incarnate Word who realizes that there is need for another.  This second Advocate--the Holy Spirit--will be that aspect of God that unlike the incarnated Word--Jesus--will be in the world and actually dwell in/among the disciples.  How do we understand the Holy Spirit?  For confirmation I will take a candle and lite it.  I will tell the kids that the flame is the light of Christ.  I then put a glass container over the flame and we watch it go out.  I then tell them that the oxygen in the air is like the Holy Spirit.  It is that which allows the light of Christ to continue to shine in the world.   I like this metaphor because Jesus uses a word that suggests that like the air we breath, the Holy Spirit will be both within and among us.  That seems to me to be an important aspect of what the Spirit does.  It certainly calls me to holiness and relationship with God; but it also is that which we mutually share and need for life.  That is, it is extremely personally and yet ultimately communal.  I like that.   How do you see the Spirit at work in your life?  

Joseph Mildrofer, Pentecost 1750's

The end of the Incarnation....

This Sunday we'll have the famous passage from John 14.1-14 where Jesus talks about there being many mansions--or places--for us and that we should not be afraid.   Thomas of course, taking Jesus literally blurts out, "We do not know where you are going, how can we know the way?"   This leads into an even deeper conversation where Philip asks to see the Father and Jesus tells him that whomever has seen Jesus has seen the Father.    But behind all of this conversation is the fact that the incarnation, the Word made flesh, is coming to an end.  I don't know if you ever thought about this or not, but when Jesus is resurrected he is changed, he is no longer simply flesh and blood, but is the first born of the dead and the one who now points to what our own resurrected life will be like.   So this means that the incarnation will lead to death--as will the life of all human beings.   But here Jesus is pointing us to a reality that death is not the end of the story.  The crucifixion will give way to the Resurrection and to the Ascension.   Incarnate life is good; but it is not the end---there is mystery to be found when we understand that we are more than what we have experienced in this world---and Jesus is more than what the disciples have seen.   This of course points us to what Christians call the Trinity.  The understanding that God was fully present in Jesus of Nazareth.  That Jesus is God with us.   That being said, while God can become incarnate, the incarnation cannot fully express the reality of God.  God as Father, Son and Holy Spirit is a mystery as wondrous as the promise of life everlasting.   So as Christians we live fully committed to this life--it is after all the only life we know--but we do so fully anticipating that it is not the end of the story, but only one part of that story, just as Jesus is only one aspect of the mystery of God.  

Here's some art that might help you reflect on this mystery of the Trinity.

Domenico Beccafumi, The Trinity 1530

El Greco, The Trinity 1577

Christ as the Good Shepherd

This Sunday is unofficially known as "Good Shepherd" Sunday.  Each year on the Fourth Sunday of Easter we get a reading from the 10th Chapter of John.  The image of Jesus as the good shepherd is one of the oldest known in the Christian church.  It was particularly useful because in a time of persecution a statue of a shepherd carrying a lamb or ram would not have raised suspicion.  It was a known pagan image as well (see the pagan idea of criophorus or the Ram Beaer).   And of course we can also connect the image of the Shepherd to the Old Testament as well, where often this was an image used for God and also for the kings and leaders who were called to care for God's flock.  It is probably no accident that David was out keeping the flock when Samuel came to look for the new king to be anointed.    Or reading for this Sunday makes the most sense when we see it as a continuation of John 9--the story of the man born blind.  This poor man, whom you would think would have been blessed beyond believe by having his sight restored is instead offered one hardship after another.  He's given a "Sabbath Violation" ticket by the authorities, his friends don't recognize him, his family distances themselves from him, and he is kicked out of the synagogue--accused of being a sinner!   In answer to this story, Jesus tells the three Good Shepherd vignettes in John 10.   He is the one who cares for the sheep (not the leaders of the day) and he is the one whose motivation is entirely at work on behalf of the sheep, not the institution or some inaccurate sense of who belongs and who doesn't.  He is the Good Shepherd who knows you by name!  You!  With all your complexities, doubts, insecurities, triumphs and joys.  He knows your name and you know his voice!  Listen for it!   

Below, a great brown pencil sketch by Murillo.  Look at the Child Christ walking firmly and purposely forward.  Even as a child he knows for that which he has been called.  The sheep over his shoulder keeping his eyes on the Christ, the sheep's body is relaxed and you get the impression that the child is truly carrying the entire weight of the animal.  Now look at the Child Christ.  He eyes are on the look out; but for who and for what?  Is he searching for those who would endanger the sheep in his care (John 9) or perhaps he is looking for his other sheep--us--and compelling us to allow him to carry us as well.   It's a great sketch from a brilliant artist.  Peace! pj

Bartolomé Esteban Murillo, the Christ Child as the Good Shepherd, 1680

Emmaus Road

Robert Zund painted this famous picture of the Road to Emmaus in 1877.  I seen have reproductions hanging in churches and pastors studies more times than I can remember.  The painting is quite soothing, the two disciples walk along a wooded path while Christ walks between them.  Up in the right hand corner the clouds seem to give way to some blue sky as the light seems to be making inroads into the dark forest of trees to the left.   Of course the two disciples, Cleopas and his companion (could it be his wife?) are recipients of the greatest Bible Study ever given as Jesus opens their eyes to the scriptures.  Then of course they stop for the night and encourage Jesus to stay with them.  It is then that Christ is revealed in the breaking of the bread.

Many will pastors will preach about communion on this Sunday, that Jesus still meets us in the breaking of the bread.  That's a perfectly good approach and never a bad thing to lift up.  But I wonder if perhaps as important as this is the two disciples act of hospitality.  It is after all their hospitality to this stranger with whom they shared the road that leads directly to their realization that it is Jesus in their midst.  What if they hadn't asked him to stay; would they have just thought that this stranger was a great teacher, a curious fellow traveler, a rather learned Rabbi that they would soon forget?   Or can we also see in this story an echo of Matthew's reminder that we see and actually minister to Jesus when we are engaged in works of love and mercy even to the least of these? (Matthew 25.31-46)   Was the teaching that Jesus gave them on the road connected at all to their decision to extend hospitality to the stranger?  

Where do we expect to see Jesus?

 

Doubting Thomas or inept disciples.....

Traditionally the first Sunday after Easter, known as the Second Sunday of Easter, gives us the story of Thomas who has been given the unfortunate moniker of "Doubting Thomas."   While he is certainly stubborn, and perhaps even a bit suspicious of the claims being made about the resurrection, he is certainly not a doubter.  He is a seeker.  

But here's the rub, those disciples who were in the room a week earlier--when Thomas was out getting take out or whatever it was that took him away from the group--had been sent by Jesus to go and bring about belief.  In fact he even has breathed the Holy Spirit upon them in order to help them move forward with their mission. "As the Father has sent me, so I send you."   But now, a week latter we find them in the same place!  We find them having moved not one iota since being 'sent.'  And in regards to being able to share the Good News of God....well they couldn't even convince Thomas, who should have been a pretty easy mark, as he had been with them throughout Jesus' ministry.

No, Sunday's reading is not about a man who doubts; but about the ineptness of the followers of Christ to do what they are told with an kind of proficiency.  The Good News is that the risen Christ comes back and is there to help those disciples with their appointed work.  Isn't that our good news as well?  That Christ continues to come in our midst, even when we are ineffective and seem to lack the ability--or perhaps the will--to be his people.   It is then, perhaps especially then, that Christ returns again, and again, and again, nurturing our faith and once again encouraging us to be about his business in the world.

Incredulity of Thomas, 1601, Caravaggio

Easter 50 days of celebration

Here it is Holy Tuesday (the Tuesday after Easter) and it already feels as if Easter and Holy Week are light years gone by.  The many things that were put on the back burner as we approached Easter have now reemerged and demand time and attention.  Summer seems to be on the distant horizon and my attention quickly moves away from the empty tomb to my weekly planner that is anything but empty---on the contrary filled to overflowing with things to do.

But Easter as a season is supposed to last 50 days.  50 days of celebrating that sin, death and the devil has been put on notice and that God's intent for the world is life here and now and in the world to come.   I'm going to try and find at least one way to celebrate this promise each and every day of Easter.  How about you?  We have kept the Lenten fast....how will we keep the Easter feast?   Christ is Risen! He is Risen, Indeed! Alleluia!

The Resurrection, 1542 Oil on Canvas, Unknown

Week 3 questions

Day 13 Wed:  "Who do you say that I am?"
Day 14 Thurs:  "Do you not believe that I am in the Father?"
Day 15 Fri: "Did I not tell you that you would see the glory of God?"
Day 16 Sat: "Are you a teacher of Israel, and yet you do not understand these things?
Day 17 Mon: "Indeed, what can they give in return for their life?"
Day 18 Tue: "Will you lay down your life for me?"

Week two list of questions....

Week two questions:

Day 7 (Wed) Where is your faith?

Day 8 (Thur)  Was no one found to return and give thanks?

Day 9 (Fri) Do you believe that I am able to do this?

Day 10 (Sat) Did you not know that I must be in my Father’s house?

Day 11 (Mon) Why do you just see the speck in your neighbor’s eye?

Day 12 (Tues) How much longer must I put up with you?

Painting in the background

Folks have asked about the painting in the background of the daily videos.  It is an original work from Irish artist Brian Whelan.  The title is "In the beginning."   One of my favorite pieces of art that brings me joy every day.  

Further reflection...Day 2

I was thinking about the 'bad' questions that this woman may have been asking.   Questions that led to shame, blame and despair.  "Why can't they heal me?"  "Why did I spend all my money?"  "Why is this happening to me?"  "What did I do to deserve this?"   Then it seems to me that she somehow--by the Holy Spirit--came to a transformative question: "What can I do today to make steps toward being well?"  She decided to reach out to Jesus.  And she was not disappointed.  Jesus' question, "Who touched me" is also a call for us to look seriously at our own needs, our own hurts, our own motives that drive us to Jesus/God.  Didn't Jesus 'know' who touched him?  Perhaps the question is for her sake.  "Who touched you?  It was me.  I'm hurting.  I'm scared.  I'm at the end of my rope.  I've got no where else to turn and so I've come to you--that's who I am and that's who touched you!"  May we be as honest as we reach out to Jesus.  Amen

Luke 8:40-48   New Revised Standard Version (NRSV)

A Girl Restored to Life and a Woman Healed

40 Now when Jesus returned, the crowd welcomed him, for they were all waiting for him. 41 Just then there came a man named Jairus, a leader of the synagogue. He fell at Jesus’ feet and begged him to come to his house, 42 for he had an only daughter, about twelve years old, who was dying.
As he went, the crowds pressed in on him. 43 Now there was a woman who had been suffering from hemorrhages for twelve years; and though she had spent all she had on physicians,[a] no one could cure her. 44 She came up behind him and touched the fringe of his clothes, and immediately her hemorrhage stopped. 45 Then Jesus asked, “Who touched me?” When all denied it, Peter[b] said, “Master, the crowds surround you and press in on you.” 46 But Jesus said, “Someone touched me; for I noticed that power had gone out from me.” 47 When the woman saw that she could not remain hidden, she came trembling; and falling down before him, she declared in the presence of all the people why she had touched him, and how she had been immediately healed. 48 He said to her, “Daughter, your faith has made you well; go in peace.”

Good Question.....

DEEP QUESTIONS!

When thinking about the questions that Jesus asked, pastor Eric Burtness reminds us that he does not ask questions for simple answers.  Rather he asks questions to reposition you, to challenge your image of God and of your place in the world, and to present you with new and creative possibilities for personal transformation.  He asks probing, realigning, transformative questions in order to change core convictions, and to produce behavioral results in the one to whom the question is asked.

This Lenten season I want to invite you to come along with me as I look at some of the questions that Jesus asked.  Each day I will plan to have a video clip that lifts up one of these questions and invite you to consider how the deep questions that Jesus ask can help transform our everyday lives.

Week 1.
Ash Wednesday March 5th:  "What are you looking for?"
Thursday March 6th: "Who touched me?"
Friday March 7th: "What can you give in return for your life?
Saturday March 8th: "Do you wish to go away?"
Sunday March 9th (no reading as Sundays are not a part of the Lenten Discipline)
Monday March 10th: "Do you wish to be made well?"
Tuesday March 11th: "Whom are you looking for?"

Check out this great MSN video - Bus driver makes life-saving stop

Check out this great MSN video - Bus driver makes life-saving stop

He is Risen! Indeed! Alleluia

Today was our last day in the Holy Land.  Tomorrow I'm flying out at 5am back to Istanbul.   I strange day in some ways.  We had a late start so for the first time in almost two weeks I actually went through emails and did some work.  Then it was time to put this aside again and go out for our final day--a look at the Garden Tomb and the Holy Sepulcher...as well as the Via dolorosa (the way of the cross) and some time in the old city.

I confess I am a Holy Sepulcher junkie.  I just love this church.  IT is most likely --even the Oxford Archeological guide agrees--the place of the crucifixion and resurrection of Jesus.  Some people hate it because it has all the trappings of human need to try and make something holy---smells, bells, candle sticks that are about 20 feet tall--but I love it.  I find great peace inside this wondrous church and I find the people to be not a distraction but a reminder of why Christ came.   The key to the Sepulcher is to go beyond the place of the crucifixion and the resurrection and head deep into the recesses of the church.  IF you keep going down, and down and down, you see that the church is indeed built into the side of a huge quarry...the hill of which Jesus was crucified upon.  If you go far to the other side you see the examples of other tombs that were found in the area from the first century.

I admit, I found my way to the Holy Sepulcher 3 different times...once with the group and twice by myself. 

The garden tomb, which is what many Americans love because it looks the part is most definitely not the place.  But each time I go there I have more and more respect for the place.  Because while it does not represent the actually place, it helps one imagine what it may have looked like.  It's quiet garden setting is easier on the senses than the trappings of the Holy Sepulcher.   And as always the message that the Garden Tomb gets right each time....spot on...is that HE IS NOT HERE!  HE IS RISEN!  The point is that the tomb is empty and this is brought home beautifully in this place.  We had communion there today, one last time as a group.

I'm reminded of the words of the angels at the resurrection...'he goes ahead of you....'  how beautiful that promise still remains.  He goes ahead of you.  Christ Jesus goes ahead of you, ahead of me, leading and encouraging us to follow him.   I do love coming to the Holy Land to recharge my spiritual batteries and to remember these simple truths.   Here's the pix of the day!

Here at Gordon's Calvary or The Garden Tomb
Our guide was a very passionate Brit.  But
he played a little fast and loose with Bible
quotes and seemed to be important to him
to go out of his way to dis on the Holy
Sepulcher.....obviously I was not fan of
his presentation

What the Garden Tomb does do is help you 'feel'
what it would have been like and this is
important

Linda and Marlene in front of the tomb that
serves as a great way to understand how Jesus
was placed in a similar tomb

Here's where the Garden Tomb hits a home
run....He is not here!  Alleluia!

I climbed to the top of the old city to get
this picture of the Lutheran Church of the
Redeemer.  It is quite a nice church with a little
archeological dig beneath that you can visit
and of course you can climb the tower!

This is the place which commemorates the cross
and the death of Jesus.  IF not right here...
it would have been close.

I took this picture upstairs in the Holy
Sepulcher looking past the candles into
a side chapel below....

If you keep moving to the right and going down
three separate sets of steps from the top, you reach
where the church was obviously built into the side
of the quarry.  

As you make your way back to the lowest parts
of the Holy Sepulcher, you come across this wall with the
carved crosses of countless earlier pilgrims.  It
is humbling to say the least to consider at what cost they
made the pilgrimage.

The Way of the cross....via delorosa

A great painting that is above the door
to the 3rd or 4th station of the cross
reminding us to take up our crosses too; but
to follow him.

Marlene knelling down to reach her hand
to touch the rock of Calvary/Golgotha

Here's Linda waiting her turn to kneel before the
cross of Christ

Another great dinner....salads followed
by the main course.

The old city of Jaffa or Joppa.  Here is where Jonah tried
to run away from God, where Peter was told all food
is clean and where the HOly Spirit was working overtime. 

Walking the mount of Olives and eating Arab style

Today we started on the Mount of Olives the place of Jesus' ascension into heaven and the starting point of his ride into Jerusalem on Palm Sunday.  It is a wonderful walk that starts with the great view of the city, goes past several beautiful churches and ends at the Garden of Gethsemane were Jesus was betrayed by Judas.   To pray in the church of all nations at the garden of Gethsemane is quite a special privilege.  I prayed today for all of you back home, for our church, and for all our ministries.

We walked up from the Garden of Gethsemane to the Lion's gate of the old city or Stephen's gate.  Here the first martyr died for his faith in Christ--they dragged him outside and stoned him.  Inside the gate is the Crusader era church of St. Anne (mother of Mary) and the Bethesda pools where Jesus healed the man who could not walk.  He asked the man:  "Do you want to be well?"  That is a great question isn't it?   So often we hang on to those things that keep us trapped in sorrow, guilt or despair.

We had an Arab style lunch then off to the upper room where Jesus had his last supper and of course where the resurrection appearances happened (not to mention the Pentecost event of the Holy Spirit), then to the church built on the ruins of Caiaphas' house where Jesus was brought after he was arrested.

Side note...when we got back to the hotel I went into the old city and prayed in the church of the Holy Sepulcher...no place like it on earth!

Here are the pix:

I don't think I'll ever get tired of this view
from the Mount of Olives.  Jesus would
have seen the Temple instead of
the Dome of the Rock Mosque

All kinds of pilgrims walk this way
of Jesus.  Here some Franciscans
are looking at the Jewish graves which
are all along the Mt of Olives

Such a view

Marlene and Linda at the church of
Dominus Flevet...Jesus wept

Pastor Roger reading at the Garden
of Gethsemane

One of the tricks if finding time to pray, even
in a busy church like here at the Garden
of Gethsemane

Here in the Church of All Nations, the quiet moments
to your self are often the best.  But you have to
be disciplined to make time for them

Marlene walking beside the Olive trees
in the Garden of Gethsemane

Hoofing it up toward the Old City...88 degrees

The Lions gate or St. Stephens gate to the
old city

Linda looking at St. Anne's church
a Crusader Church still standing

The ruins of the pools of Bethesda where
Jesus healed the man who had been lame
almost 40 years

Looking up at the Mount of Olives

A Christian symbol of the Pelican sacrificing
herself in the upper room

Marlene in front of the church built
on Caiaphas' house (The high priest who
condemned Jesus)

Linda and Marlene in the church of St. Peter
in Gallicantu  (The cock crowing) where Peter
denied Christ

First century steps that Jesus would have
used.

Marlene with the city behind her

Looking out over the South end of Jerusalem