Lenten Devotions 2016
0|Page
Welcome
Dear friend in Christ:
We commend this book of Lenten Devotions as one spiritual aid for
your journey with Jesus Christ. We know that many of you already
follow a daily devotional guide, and we encourage you to continue
with that practice. What makes this booklet unique is that these daily
devotions are provided by our fellow parishioners, people whom we
know and with whom we worship regularly. As we read the scripture
assigned for each day and the meditation drawn from it, also reflect
on the person who wrote it. Lift that person in prayer – prayer of
thanksgiving for sharing his or her faith with us, and prayer for the
Lord’s continued presence and blessing in their lives. Our theme is
“Life in the Spirit.” Read the devotions slowly, thoughtfully, one day at
a time, using your Bible to find the assigned scripture. Let the Spirit
speak to you in the quiet of reflection, anticipating that the Spirit will
be present in your life. Give thanks for all those who have made this
shared spiritual journey possible.
In Christ’s love,
The Rev. Christopher M. Adams, Rector, Trinity on the Hill Episcopal
Church
The Rev. Dr. Bruce Kuenzel, Pastor, Bethlehem Evangelical Lutheran
Church
The Rev. David Elton, Senior Pastor, United Church of Los Alamos
The Rev. Steve Trout, Pastor, First United Methodist Church
The Rev. John Guthrie, White Rock Presbyterian Church
_________________________________________
Special thanks this year go to T.K. Thompson (TOTH) for photographs,
Donna Hayden (BELC), Mardel Schmiedicke (UC-LA), Debra Youngblood
(FUMC), Gillian Erickson (WRPC) and Cynthia Biddlecomb (TOTH) for
coordinating meditation submissions from each of our churches, and to
Cynthia and Fr. Chris for compiling and editing the booklet.
2016 Lenten Theme: Life in the Spirit
Ash Wednesday, February 10
Psalm 51:10-12
“Create in me a clean heart, O God, and put a new and right spirit
within me.” Ps. 51:10
Psalm 51 takes us through a prayerful experience of confession and
renewal. After pleading for mercy, owning sins and accepting the road
to renewal, this psalmist then asks God for a “clean heart” and a
“new” spirit. Only then was this person able to share and live by the
faith God desires. How long do you think it took God to restore the
psalmist’s heart and life? ...The time it takes us to pray our prayer of
confession in worship? A whole worship service? A day? A week? The
six-week period physicians say it takes a broken bone to heal? A few
months? A year or more? Sometime between a moment and a
lifetime?
According to scripture, it could be all of the above. To limit the power
of God’s mercy to forgive and renew us in a New York minute puts
boundaries on grace. But to ignore the ways the Holy Spirit works in
our lives, renewing and growing us in faith all of our days, only leads
us back to trying to live life by our own bootstraps!
Here’s a good length of time: Forty days. As Eugene Peterson wrote in
Under the Unpredictable Plant, “‘Forty’ is a stock biblical word that
has hope at its core” (pg. 142). There is the hope throughout these
forty days (and Holy Week) that life can be created anew beyond
belief! That in the end, we will be different—clean and new! As we bow
our heads to God this day of ashes and dust, let us wholeheartedly
embrace these days we have to follow more closely the Teacher
whose words and Spirit are a balm for our worn and wounded lives.
Pastor David Elton
The United Church of Los Alamos
Thursday, February 11
1 Corinthians 6:19-20
Do you not know that your body is a temple of the Holy Spirit, who is
in you, whom you have received from God? You are not your own; you
were bought at a price. Therefore honor God with your body.
Cultural advice tells us to “re-make ourselves,” and some health
ideas are worthwhile. The Bible puts “re-make” in a whole new light.
Verse 6:15 says our “bodies are members of Christ himself,” temples
of the Holy Spirit, a precious gift, bought with a price.
Physical care is good, but secondary if the Holy Spirit is to dwell within
us. Trying to be perfect isn’t needed. God LOVES imperfect us and
hopes for willing and open hearts that fully trust Him, letting His Spirit
take the driver’s seat.
”‘Everything is permissible for me.’—but not everything is beneficial.”
(Verse 6:12)
The Holy Spirit is perfect for this puzzle. And a bonus of inviting this
“house-guest” is that the Counselor will help us see others as
“temples” so that we can share this wonderful Love.
The Spirit is an amazing tenant. The Advocate dwells within, guides
life….and even helps with the “house-keeping,” so we can honor our
Lord.
Betty Smith
United Church of Los Alamos
Friday, February 12
Matthew 3:16-17
16 And
Jesus, when he was baptized, went up straightway out of the
water: and, lo, the Spirit of God descending like a dove, and lighting
upon him: 17 And, lo, a voice from heaven, saying, This is my beloved
Son, in whom I am well pleased.
Jesus came to John the Baptist as the little-known son of a carpenter.
He left as the Messiah.
By insisting on baptism, He set a pattern for righteousness. The
“Spirit of God” came in response, settling on him and making him
ready for his world-changing life.
What did He see as He looked up into heaven? Did He know that His
brief time on earth would include wonderful “highs” of love and
teaching, and, then, a very hard death? Certainly, it seems, He left the
river well prepared for His profoundly meaningful life.
God took time to express support as his Son went out into the world.
He made it clear that Jesus was both loved and appreciated. Help us
to follow this pattern as our own children grow to adulthood and face
crucial challenges in their lives.
Charmian Schaller
United Church of Los Alamos
Saturday, February 13, 2016
Matthew 4:1-2
“Then Jesus was led by the Spirit into the wilderness….”
Matthew 4:1
So much in so few words!
“Then….”
Whatever comes next is not an isolated event
but part of a larger story.
“...Jesus was led by the Spirit….”
I received a beautiful image upon reading those words-the Spirit taking Jesus by the hand and leading him,
not just telling him where to go,
not just sending him, alone, on his way.
“...into the wilderness….”
Did the Spirit lead Jesus into a place of
comfort, peace, and abundance?
No.
The Spirit led Jesus into a place of
suffering, isolation, and deprivation.
The Spirit led him from a glorious mountaintop
(having just heard God’s own voice,
claiming him as God’s Beloved Son [cf. Matthew 3:17])
into a dark valley.
“Then Jesus was led by the Spirit into the wilderness….”
At the right moment in his life,
although just one moment in his life,
Jesus was led--not sent--by the Holy Spirit
into a place of darkness,
into a time of trial…
. . .a time which, in turn, led Jesus
to a place of newfound depth
of vision, strength, resolve, and faith.
Holy God, when we are led by your Spirit
into a place of darkness, a time of trial,
grant us
vision to see it as such,
strength to endure it,
resolve to dwell within it,
and faith to search for newfound depth
on the other side.
Amen.
Deb Church Worley
The United Church of Los Alamos
Week 1 of Lent: The Spirit Creates Life
Sunday, February 14
The First Sunday in Lent
Psalm 91:1-2,9-16
You who live in the shelter of the Most High,
who abide in the shadow of the Almighty,*
2 will say to the Lord, ‘My refuge and my fortress;
my God, in whom I trust.’
1
Because you have made the Lord your refuge,*
the Most High your dwelling-place,
10 no evil shall befall you,
no scourge come near your tent.
11 For he will command his angels concerning you
to guard you in all your ways.
9
This Lenten season I hope to more deeply feel the presence of the
Spirit of the Most High. I hope to feel the Spirit even more strongly as
Lent progresses. I know that the Spirit is here around us and at times
I can sense his presence. As life seems to continually become more
and more complicated (and more difficult as one gets older) I feel
that I need the Spirit to be with me and to truly be my refuge and my
fortress. We all need the presence of his angels to guard us in all our
ways. This year as I’m turning to age 65 during Lent, I earnestly pray:
“Holy Spirit, be within me at all times, keep my decisions to be
pleasing to you and bring me ever closer to you in every way. “
Doug Weiss, Retired Physicist
Trinity on the Hill Episcopal Church
Monday, February 15
Genesis 1:1-5
Then God said, “Let there be light”; and there was light. And God saw
that the light was good; and God separated the light from the
darkness.
The contrast of light and darkness pervades our culture. We talk
about “shedding light on things,” and about bringing things “into the
light.” The popular Star Wars movies are based on the battle between
the “Light Side” and the “Dark Side.” It is significant that God’s first
creation was light – not the sun and the stars but light itself and its
separation from darkness. As we move through Lent, we should
remember that, like light, all of God’s creations are essentially good.
Of course there are challenges in life, setbacks and disappointments.
But pervading everything is the divine light, one that calls us forth
toward our ultimate purpose. Lent is our opportunity to move from the
darker aspects of life, from sin and alienation from God, to the
brightness of Easter, where Christ rose from the dead in order to
bring every one of us into the brilliant light of His divine grace. Each of
us can turn and be warmed by that light, a light that penetrates into
our hearts, illuminating the goodness within and the promise of
salvation.
Steve Younger
Trinity on the Hill Episcopal Church
Tuesday, February 16
Genesis 2:1-7
Even a cursory reading of Genesis reveals two creation accounts.
Genesis 1:1 to 2:2 is thought to be the work of a writer and editor
known to theologians as “P”, living shortly after 568BC in a defeated,
demoralized and exiled Jewish community in Babylon. Just as we
might quote Shakespeare – the gap in time is similar -, P weaves the
work of J, a writer from the imperial splendour of David and
Solomon’s Jerusalem (c. 970 BC) into Genesis; verses 2:3-7 are J’s.
Whereas P’s account treats the creation of the whole universe,
including men and women, made in God’s image, the extract from J
focuses only on the making of a man, adam, from earth, adamah
(3000 year-old pun!). Into this clay model, God breathes life.
This is a never-bettered account of what it is to be human. We are
made in the image of our creator God; yet, just like all of the other
creatures, we are formed out of dust (nowadays we’d say atoms),
preoccupied with eating, mating and breeding. This is the eternal
tension of being human; and I thank God that through P and J, the
Holy Spirit inspired and gave such life to this wonderful beginning of
our Bible’s journey toward Jesus.
John Singleton
Youth Choir Director
Trinity on the Hill Episcopal Church
Wednesday, February 17
Exodus 31:1-5
I have filled him with the Spirit of God…with all kinds of skills — to
make artistic designs for work in gold, silver and bronze, to cut and
set stones, to work in wood, and to engage in all kinds of crafts.
Our God is not only a God of the spiritual realm and our future, but a
God of here and now in the world around us. In God’s instructions for
the tabernacle, the Spirit of God filled Bezalel and Oholiab with “all
kinds of skills.” I see the Spirit create life when I see or hear people
sing in choirs, play the organ, perform with the Big Band, dance to
country music, sing new verses to Let it Go, sing or play in
contemporary services, compose or arrange music, put on a skit or a
play, make movies, create Valentines baskets, make jewelry, knit
prayer shawls, do needle point, take photographs, put on fashion
shows, write stories or poems, wrap presents at the Children’s
Bazaar, do face painting, tattoos, and balloon creations at the
pancake supper, knit scarves and hats for the mitten tree, bring a
collection of icons or images of Jesus for others to see, choose
bulletin cover art, the list goes on and on. I thank all you artisans that
fill my life with beauty, joy, and laughter to create life in me and for
others. And for all artisans who feel their skills are too “amateur”
(myself included) I encourage you to be filled with the Spirit and sing,
play, and/or create anyway!
Laurie Triplett,
recent overcomer of decantaphobia
Trinity on the Hill Episcopal Church
Thursday, February 18
2 Esdras 6:38-40
(in the Apochrypha)
I said, “O Lord, you spoke at the beginning of creation, and said on
the first day, ‘Let heaven and earth be made,’ and your word
accomplished the work. Then the spirit was blowing, and darkness
and silence embraced everything; the sound of human voices was
not yet there. Then you commanded a ray of light to be brought out
from your store-chambers, so that your works could be seen.”
When I first read this message I felt comfortable with its meaning. I
then read before and after to have a better understanding of why it
was written. Needless to say, I read these words out of context. This
was Ezra’s attempt to understand why the Lord would create the
heaven and the earth and then allow us to suffer.
More so now than ever, I find our world overwhelmed with impulsive
understanding, immediate gratification, and quick results. After
further reading of the second book of the prophet Ezra to gain a
better understanding, I found comfort in these words found in
Chapter 7:13-16 “But the entrances to the great world to come are
wide and safe and lead to immortality. Everyone who lives must walk
the narrow and meaningless ways of this world in order to receive the
blessings stored up in the world to come.” So, Ezra, why are you upset
and disturbed by the thought that you are mortal and must die? Why
don't you think about the age to come, rather than the present age?"
Dear Lord, help me to live a life that will lead me to you. Teach me
patience and understanding in all that I am and all that I will be. May
the Spirit of the Lord live within, now and forever.” Amen
Kimberly Selvage
Trinity on the Hill
Friday, February 19
Psalm 104:27-30
30 When
you send your Spirit,
they are created,
and you renew the face of the ground.
Psalm 104 is a hymn of praise to God as creator, and has been called
an “ecological doxology.” The verses of today’s reading (27—30)
capture the direct relationship of God with all creatures. God feeds
them all, scattering their food to them like grain to chickens.
Here in the dead of winter, in the early days of Lent, it is good to hear
the words that God will “send the Spirit, and renew the face of the
earth.” God will breathe life into the world once again and bless us
with the coming of Spring.
As we are part of that annual cycle of birth and death and rebirth, it is
imperative that we be good stewards of all of God’s creation. Another
line in today’s psalm mentions, “…when you open your hand, they are
satisfied with good things.”
I recently watched an interview with Wendell Berry, a noted author,
environmentalist, and farmer. Berry commented: “To make a living is
not to make a killing. It is to have enough.” Too often in our consumer
culture, we seek to accumulate more, and bigger, and better, far in
excess of what is “enough”.
Since retirement, I have been traveling. I live out of a backpack and a
small daypack. Everything I want to bring with me I have to carry on
my back. I see on an immediate basis how quickly the weight of more
possessions overwhelms my poor back.
I pray that the Spirit of God will give me (and all of us) the
understanding of what is “enough”, and the responsibility to care for
the rest of creation.
David Griggs
Trinity on the Hill
Saturday, February 20
Isaiah 63:11-14
“Then his people recalled the days of old…Where is He Who set His
Holy Spirit among them?...”
God’s people have looked back over their history and seen how God
has helped them in the past. They realize that it was through the out
pouring of the Holy Spirit. That is the conduit that God uses to
connect with us humans in our daily life. We as individual persons
can also see God at work in our lives through the Spirit. Maybe we
should do this more frequently! I feel overwhelmed by the unknown
sometimes. I can work myself into quite a state worrying about
everything that I can’t control. Then I remember all the times that I
have seen God at work in my life, usually through an intuition to
choose a certain path or trust a certain person. If He helped me then,
surely He will continue to help me.
Lord, please encourage us to remember Your help in the past and to
pray for the faith to look forward to Your assistance in the future.
Amen.
Kay Dreamtrader
Trinity on the Hill
Week 2 of Lent: The Spirit Strengthens Life
Sunday, February 21
The Second Sunday in Lent
Acts 1:1-8
God provides for us. Yahweh sent manna from the heavens to the
Hebrews. An angel of the Lord delivered bread and water to Elijah.
Jesus fed the multitude with fish and bread. God not only takes care
of our physical needs but also our spiritual needs. God has given us a
helper that will accompany us in life.
John the Baptist prophesied that Jesus will baptize people with the
Holy Spirit. Jesus promises his apostles that the Holy Spirit will come
to instruct them and they will have the power to proclaim the gospel
to others. The same spirit that empowered Jesus to die for our sins.
The death and resurrection of Jesus Christ would have been in vain if
the Holy Spirit did not work within the apostles to carry out this good
news.
Those who have received the Holy Spirit understand that it gives them
the courage to minister to those in need. They also realize that they
are powerless to witness without the Holy Spirit. Though I am unable
to fully explain how the Holy Spirit is working in my life, I have faith
that it is paving a path so that I may walk with Christ.
James Ro
White Rock Presbyterian Church
Monday, February 22
Numbers 11:16-17
The LORD said to Moses: “Bring me seventy of Israel’s elders who are
known to you as leaders and officials among the people. Have them
come to the tent of meeting, that they may stand there with you. I will
come down and speak with you there, and I will take some of the
power of the Spirit that is on you and put it on them. They will share
the burden of the people with you so that you will not have to carry it
alone.
Have you ever said, “God helps those who help themselves.”? You
know the passage, but can never find it in the Bible. That’s because
it’s not there! Instead, there are many passages that do tell us to rely
on the Holy Spirit.
Moses was the original micro-manager. It took the voice of God to get
him to share the load with his elders. Sometimes I feel it would take
the same divine intervention to get me to delegate. It is no
coincidence that I feel depressed that I don’t get enough done.
When I contemplate Christ telling us to go out and teach and make
disciples of the world (Matt. 28), I am overwhelmed by the task. But
Christ did not send out his disciples (or us) alone. He said “I am with
you always, to the very end of age.”
In fact, Jesus was the ultimate delegator. He went to be with his
Father leaving a few apostles with a huge job to finish. Of those
apostles, he told them to delegate: make disciples, who are to make
disciples… He also left the Holy Spirit behind to help. So when you
feel overwhelmed, delegate your job and worries to the Holy Spirit.
Ken Holmes
White Rock Presbyterian Church
Tuesday, February 23
Judges 6:33-35
“…the spirit of the Lord took possession of Gideon;
and he sounded the trumpet…”
Gideon is one those larger-than-life characters we find in the book of
Judges. He is also a conflicted soul, at times demonstrating
enormous faith in the Lord and at other times, deplorable doubt.
When an angel of the Lord first approaches him, to call him to lead
the people of Israel against the Midianites, Gideon puts the Lord to
the test several times. After routing the Midianites with a comparably
miniscule force of men, Gideon creates an idol which becomes a
snare to the Israelites as they worship it. Like all of the Israelite
judges, he is not a perfect exemplar.
Just before engaging the Midianites, the spirit of the Lord takes
possession of Gideon. We have one of many scriptural instances in
which the spirit of God overtakes a fearful, timid, uncertain human
being, and produces works of stunning power through that human
being, to God’s glory. For all of his flaws, Gideon under the influence
of the spirit learns to trust the Lord, and does astounding things.
The spirit of the Lord works today in the lives of women and men,
often unremarkable women and men, transforming them into
exquisite and irresistible instruments for the Lord’s purposes. One
who is possessed by the Lord’s spirit is a dangerous agent for the
Lord’s plan.
John Guthrie, Pastor
White Rock Presbyterian Church
Wednesday, February 24
Ephesians 3:14-19
I pray that out of his glorious riches he may strengthen you with
power through his Spirit in your inner being…
A friend called to say he was feeling lost in his new living situation
and was considering moving to a new place---again. He has moved
from place to place much of his life, and I felt I needed to encourage
him to look inward to find “the answers to life’s persistent questions”
rather than to look for “greener pastures.” But I just didn’t have the
words. Everything I said sounded trite, dense, or even condescending.
Later I read Paul’s words in Ephesians and it was really so simple, so
pure:
I pray that out of his glorious riches he may strengthen you with
power through his Spirit in your inner being…”
I texted it to my friend. The glorious riches my friend (and I) are
seeking lie in the strength and discernment we will receive through
the Spirit, which will alight, not out there somewhere, but in our own
inner beings, as Christ dwells in our hearts.
I plan to memorize this short scripture so that I am equipped to
immediately pray for spiritual inner strength for myself and others as
we feel burdened in seeking worldly answers, when we should be
seeking inner guidance from the Holy Spirit.
Jennifer Holmes
White Rock Presbyterian Church
Thursday, February 25
Romans 8:9-17
For you did not receive a spirit of slavery to fall back into fear, but you
have received a spirit of adoption. (v. 15a)
Two opposing facets of spirit are the focus of this verse. The first
image is of slavery - of being in thrall, controlled by one’s fears. And
the second image is of adoption - of being cherished. We have been
given an opportunity for new life, a transformation of spirit from
bondage to belonging.
This vision has long been an important promise to me. Unfortunately,
I tend to approach much of life with a spirit of timidity and anxiety. In
situations which cause me to react with fear I know that I can pray to
be guided instead by a spirit of calm and openness.
Because we have been granted this spirit of adoption, each of us can
be strengthened to seek to live more fully.
Gracious God,
We confess we are too often driven by fear and anger.
We yearn to live instead by love and wisdom.
Selma Reinovsky
White Rock Presbyterian Church
Friday, February 26
1 Corinthians 6:14-18
Do you not know that your bodies are members of Christ?
Paul writes to a community in Corinth that is beset by, perhaps well
meaning, but none the less disruptive differences of opinion about
the content and practice of the faith – divisions that are damaging, or
destroying, the connectivity of the body of Christ in that community. It
is a situation that is familiar in every age and in every place including
our own experience today.
Though Paul directly and unapologetically addresses two, of what we
may guess are many, practical concerns that divide the Corinthians:
concerns arising directly from their, and our, basic human needs;
concerns about food and about sexual practice, Paul’s underlying
message is not one that supports divisions based on these concerns.
Paul’s is not a message that justifies the schism, polarization, and
mutual “one-uping” that characterizes so much of the discourse that
sometimes dominates Christian communities, both in the first century
and today. Rather Paul calls for wholeness – the wholeness that life
in the Spirit brings. Paul calls us to remember that we are, first and
foremost, members of the Body of Christ. Those differences that
seem so important to us, are likely to be insignificant in the larger
picture of living and working in the Spirit. Just a little later Paul writes
“…For you were bought at a price” – a price was paid for us because
our presence in the Body of Christ matters far more than do our
human shortcomings.
Bob Reinovsky
White Rock Presbyterian Church
Saturday, February 27
Romans 5:1-5
And hope does not disappoint us, because God has poured out his
love into our hearts by the Holy Spirit, whom he has given us.
My mother was spending time in Sombrillo Nursing Home for a period
of rehab. It was a difficult adjustment: being away from home, facing
new routines, encountering unfamiliar faces and battling depression.
One morning a CNA took her for a shower. The young woman was very
kind, even taking time to curl Mother’s hair. She told Mother how
much she loves her job, helping others and giving of herself. Her
passion and enthusiasm not only helped Mother to feel more at ease,
but also brightened her spirits. She began to lift from her depression
and see the hope she had for returning home.
I don’t know anything else about this young woman’s life or
circumstances, but I do know that she works hard for long hours at a
modest pay. Yet she was able to give each resident of Sombrillo a few
moments of attention with a big dose of love and compassion.
I believe that this is the kind of love Paul is talking about when he
tells us that God has poured out his love into our hearts. Sometimes I
think we convince ourselves that it is only people whose lives stand
out – like Mother Teresa – who really impact the world. But, when we
have our hope through God’s power, when we live our lives in the Holy
Spirit of God, we are able to love others with a love that is more
selfless than we can ever give through our own effort or experience.
We, too, can offer God’s hope to our corner of the world.
Elizabeth Johnson
United Church of Los Alamos
Week 3 of Lent: The Spirit Guides Life
Sunday, February 28
Third Sunday in Lent
1
Psalm 63:1-8
O God, you are my God, I seek you, my soul thirsts for you; my flesh
faints for you, as in a dry and weary land where there is not water.
When I reflect on my soul being thirsty for God, I think of times of
injustice. Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr.’s words come to mind.
Let us not seek to satisfy our thirst for freedom by drinking from
the cup of bitterness and hatred. We must forever conduct our
struggle on the high plane of dignity and discipline.
How easy it is to degrade to bitterness and hatred in times of
injustice.
How about the recent water crises in Flint, Michigan? It’s hard to not
be angry and upset at government officials who were responsible for
the lead contamination in the city’s water. It resulted in irreversible
effects on children, the most susceptible to lead poisoning. Flint has
a majority of African Americans and its median household income in
2014 was under $42K, just under the New Mexico median household
income. Would such an atrocity have happened in Los Alamos, one of
the richest communities in the U.S.? I doubt it.
Dear Lord,
Help me to not drink from that cup
of bitterness and hatred
as my soul thirsts for you.
Help us to treat our fellow brothers and sisters
with compassion, empathy, and love
as we go through life’s journey.
Give us the courage to step up when we recognize injustices and
speak out for others who may not have a voice.
In your name we pray,
Amen
Laura McClellan
Bethlehem Evangelical Lutheran Church
Monday, February 29
Deuteronomy 34:9
"Joshua son of Nun was filled with the spirit of wisdom, for Moses had
laid his hands on him. The Israelites listened to him and did what the
Lord had commanded Moses." It sounds like the perfect congregation
-- listening to the leader and obeying.
Joshua was a leader who encouraged, strategized, listened, and gave
the credit -- the glory -- to God. When he died, and those who
witnessed the great work the Lord had done, the succeeding
generation began to ignore the example of Moses and Joshua. Four
thousand years have not erased the pattern of Inspiration, Action,
Falling Away, repeated over and over. A direct encounter with the
living God is vital for each person, each generation. Here in the
season of Lent is the generous heart of God, holding out his hands to
us to begin again.
May the Holy Spirit anoint us, like Moses laying his hands on Joshua,
for walking faithfully with our Lord.
Marilyn Stevens
Bethlehem Lutheran Church
Tuesday, March 1
1 Samuel 16:11-13
“The Lord said, ‘Rise and anoint him; for this is the one.’. . . and the
Spirit of the Lord came mightily upon David from that day forward.”
In a time of great turmoil, the prophet Samuel came to Jesse’s family
in Bethlehem to choose the future king of Israel. Jesse’s seven sons
were presented in order of age, but none of them was God’s chosen.
David, the youngest son who was in the field tending the sheep, was
summoned as a last resort. No one would have dreamed that David
would be the chosen one. But Samuel knew that the Lord “does not
see as mortals see,” but rather “looks on the heart.” So David, the
least likely of the brothers, was anointed king, and God’s spirit was
upon him.
Have you noticed that God’s tendency is to select the least likely for
service? Take, for example: a stuttering murderer named Moses; an
outspoken prophesier called Elijah; a strangely dressed eccentric
known as John the Baptist; a poor, unknown girl named Mary; a ragtag group of twelve disciples; and a baby lying in a manger. In many
respects, we, too, are the least likely, and yet God chooses us. May
we accept this surprising gift of grace, knowing that, like David, we
have been anointed for service and equipped with the Spirit.
----Nylea Butler-Moore
i.o.t.a. Music Team Leader
Bethlehem Lutheran Church
Wednesday, March 2
Psalm 139:7-10
Where can I go from your spirit?
Or where can I flee from your presence?
I often hear the question “where is God in this?” from those who are
going through hard times. It’s not a matter of “finding” God. God is
already here, with us, fully present. God is here, holding us in our
pain, walking with us in our struggles, listening to our lonely and
fearful cries for help, sharing our joys and concerns.
No matter how far from God we feel, there is nowhere we can go to
hide from God. God has created, totally loved and known us since our
conception and will until our death. No matter how much shame or
anger we feel, we cannot hide from God’s vast love.
May we, like the Psalmist, open ourselves to the grace and fullness of
God’s loving presence with us and, in finding and claiming our own
belovedness, become able to offer this love to others.
Pat Slentz, LAMC Chaplain
Bethlehem Lutheran Church
Thursday, March 3
Isaiah 40:13-14
“Who has directed the spirit of the Lord, or as his counselor has
instructed him?”
With these verses, Isaiah reminds us that the spirit of the Lord is not
ours to command and control like idols of gold and mulberry wood (v.
20). The Lord who made the heavens and the Earth needs no tutoring
from the grass that withers and the flowers that fade (v. 8). Rather, to
live within that spirit requires that we acknowledge the Lord’s allsurpassing power, might, and wisdom and that we give up our
conceits in favor of trusting in His care. For “the everlasting God, the
Creator of the ends of the earth (v. 28)” will “gather the lambs in his
arms, and carry them in his bosom (v. 11).”
Lord God, author of this amazing Creation, please help me to trust in
your wisdom and seek to live in your spirit. Amen
Michelle Thomsen
Bethlehem Lutheran Church
Friday, March 4
Wisdom of Solomon 9:1-6, 17
(9:6) for even one who is perfect among human beings will be
regarded as nothing without the wisdom that comes from you.
The Wisdom of Solomon, or just Wisdom, is part of our Apocrypha, so
I am not familiar with it. Much of the book elevates Wisdom nearly to
the Trinity, which probably explains why it's not universally accepted,
but its spirit is valid for living a thankful, holy life. Indeed, who has
learned God's counsel unless God gives wisdom and sends His holy
spirit? (9:17)
One of the great things about getting older is that you can fake
wisdom. You've seen so many things that you pretty much know how
they'll turn out. You know what happens in Los Alamos when you
leave a snow pile on the high side of a sunny walkway. You know how
to answer "Do these jeans make me look fat?" You already know the
punchline of your kid's new joke from the school bus. You give
excellent advice to others. I once used my wisdom (geometry,
rudimentary kinesiology) to prove to my wife that the toilet paper
should come over the top of the roll. I was convinced of my wisdom in
this matter, until I walked in on our cat who, like a prizefighter
unleashing on a speedbag, was unrolling the toilet paper all over the
floor.
Our wisdom is limited, fragmented, and sometimes wrong, so we pray
for God to send his holy wisdom.
Todd Urbatsch
Bethlehem Evangelical Lutheran Church
Saturday, March 5, 2016
1 Corinthians 2:12-14
“Now we have received not the spirit of the world, but the
Spirit that is from God …”
What sets Christians apart from secular society? What makes them
“different?” Paul believed that Christians learn using another
layer of instruction, one unknown to society as a whole: the
instruction received from the Holy Spirit. While all men and
women possess a human spirit that enables them to
comprehend worldly things, Christians are taught additionally
by a Holy Spirit, and in that way learn of gifts which, though
undeserved, are freely given by God to those who believe. It
is indeed a great privilege bestowed upon Christians by the
Holy Spirit to be able to learn of the mind of God, to learn His
will for our lives, to experience His power in our hearts and
daily interactions, to learn of His love and forgiveness, and to
learn of His Son who died on the Cross to save us.
Our Heavenly Father,
Help us to open our minds to receive the wisdom you provide for us
through your Holy Spirit and the teachings of your Son. Help
us not to be distracted by the ways of the world, but always to
nurture your Holy Spirit within our hearts so that our lives may
continually serve as an example to an increasingly secular
society. Help us to be worthy of the many gifts you have
bestowed upon us, and thank you for giving us your Son and
for the many truths He taught us.
Amen.
Ruth Watkins
Bethlehem Evangelical Lutheran Church
Week 4 of Lent: The Spirit Grows Faith in Life
Sunday, March 6
Fourth Sunday in Lent
Joshua 5:9-12
While the Israelites were camped in Gilgal they kept the passover …
On the day after the passover, on that very day, they ate the produce
of the land…. The manna ceased on the day they ate the produce of
the land… (vs. 10a,11a,12a)
Joshua, who was raised up by Moses to succeed him in leading the
Israelites, has followed God’s instructions in taking the people across
the Jordan into the Promised Land. Their history of slavery and exile is
not to be forgotten but to be remembered as a story of redemption,
through the generations to come—thus, in this passage, the keeping
of the Passover and the erecting of the monument of stones at Gilgal.
Most all of those who came out of Egypt with Moses have now passed
on. This new generation has emerged from that exile, marked their
passage into God’s promise, and renewed the covenant with their
God. And, for God’s part, the manna that God sent to sustain them,
through their forty years in the wilderness continues, until the very
day their own produce from the promised land can sustain them.
God’s Spirit has grown faith in them through the hardships of their 40
year journey. They will not forget the difficulties, but will remember
them as a way of remembering God’s faithfulness to them.
Lord God, we thank you for walking with us through every step of
difficulty in our lives. Help us always to remember what your Holy
Spirit has done for us, growing us “in faith towards you and in fervent
love toward one another.” Amen
Cynthia Biddlecomb and Paul Bradley
Lutheran Church of the Servant, Santa Fe, and TOTH
Monday, March 7
Galatians 5:22-26
“By contrast, the fruit of the Spirit is love, joy, peace, patience,
kindness, generosity, faithfulness, gentleness, and self-control. There
is no law against such things.”
The “By contrast” phrase causes me to think instantly of the Star
Wars movies, and how the filmmakers evoke in me a feeling of
tenuous harmony and light when the characters that embrace the
values of The Force face the Empire. When the Darth Vader music
heralds the depiction of the Dark Side, uneasiness and, well,
darkness invades my being. Exactly what the movie is trying to do,
right?
The Apostle Paul points out that there is no law against living in
harmony with others and our universe. It is sweet and right that
Christ’s Church practices this gathering of Lenten Seminars to break
bread together and celebrate the signs that The Spirit dwells within
God’s people, freed from all our sin and shame. Now, as everyday, is
a good time to assess how I’m doing with love, joy, peace, patience,
kindness, generosity, faithfulness, gentleness and self-control. If I pay
attention to these things, there’s not much room for the dark stuff.
Amen.
Georgia Strickfaden
The United Church of Los Alamos
Tuesday, March 8
Luke 4:14
Then Jesus, filled with the power of the Spirit, returned to Galilee, and
a report about him spread through all the surrounding country.
In order to breathe in, we must first breathe out, clearing out the old
air to allow fresh new air to enter and refresh the body. If our minds
are too full of the chaos of everyday matters, we have little room for
the clarity of Spirit that most empowers us. Being "spiritual" does not
mean escaping the world, but a radical engagement with the poor
and oppressed of the world. We have no better example of this than
Jesus.
In today’s scripture passage Jesus is fresh from 40 days in the
wilderness following his amazing baptism. Spirit has empowered him
to overcome hunger, thirst and difficult temptations. Filled by the
power of the Holy Spirit here at the beginning of his public ministry,
Jesus goes on to show us that God’s power is perceived as peculiar,
odd, and uncomfortable by the world because it focuses on those the
world has overlooked, forgotten, or discarded. The power of God at
work in Jesus teaches us to reconfigure our notions of power and reorient our attention away from our selves to those around us.
God loves us enough to send us out to see and love others –
especially those the world does not see. To do that is to share in the
peculiar power that Jesus embodied. May your life be blessed by
wilderness times alone with God that empower you through the Holy
Spirit to love as Jesus loved.
Pat Slentz, LAMC Chaplain
United Church of Los Alamos
Wednesday, March 9
Jeremiah 31:31-34
"This is the covenant I will make with the house of Israel after that
time," declares the Lord. "I will put my law in their minds and write it
on their hearts. I will be their God, and they will be my people.”
33
‘That time’ is during the emergence of the Babylonian empire.
Jeremiah knows that this isn’t the first covenant between the
Israelites and the Lord. He saw that relationship was not going to be
legislated by laws or Mount Sinai tablets; not be forced by sheer
power; not be held by fear; not be inspired by captivity. Jeremiah
foretold the beginnings of a new covenant that would eventually be
the most radical turn in all of religious history. Jeremiah expresses the
hope that from now on God’s relationship to us will change. We are
no longer under fear, or legalism or forced faith that once seemed an
integral part of Israel’s religion. The new covenant, written on our
hearts in God’s name, has changed from law to grace, from fear to
love, and we have realized that we are brothers and sisters of Christ –
true children of God.
Jim Cobble
United Church of Los Alamos
Thursday, March 10
Ezekiel 36:22-30
What I [the Sovereign LORD] am going to do is not for the sake of you
Israelites, but for the sake of my holy name, which you have
disgraced in every country where you have gone…. I will give you a
new heart and a new mind….I will put my spirit in you….You will be my
people, and I will be your God. (vs. 22a,26a,27a,28b)
When I read today’s passage, I thought, Wow,what did you Israelites
do to disgrace God’s name so severely??
So I looked back, and found this:
“[They] had defiled it by the way they lived and acted….I let
them feel...my anger because of the murders they had
committed in the land and...the idols by which they had
defiled it….” (cf. 36:17-18)
Well, no wonder God was being harsh! I told myself, feeling relieved
and--I admit--just a little bit self-righteous. They were idolatrous
murderers, who deserved what they got! Thank goodness I’m not like
them….
Or am I?...
Perhaps I’ve killed someone’s dreams through discouraging words, or
dashed someone’s hopes by careless criticism. Perhaps I’ve
smothered a chance for reconciliation by remaining silent rather than
speaking up with words of healing….
Perhaps I’ve bowed before the altar of what-will-others-think, or
pledged my loyalty to the gods of comfort and convenience. Perhaps
I’ve elevated external affirmation of my worth by others above internal
recognition of my belovedness by God….
I just might be a bit of an idolatrous murderer after all….
Thank you, Holy God, that no matter what we do,
You take us back;
that no matter how we screw up,
You claim us as your own;
that no matter how deeply or carelessly we disgrace your holy name,
You call us to be your beloved people.
Again...and again...and again….
Grant us, through your Spirit, the humility to return to You.
Amen.
Deb Church Worley
The United Church of Los Alamos
Friday, March 11
Hebrews 10:39—11:3
Risk and Reward
Risk is not a word that many of us enjoy hearing when it comes to
things we must do! I am much happier when I am able to move about
my daily life and have little required of me or play with situations that
involve uncertainty. Faith...true faith requires risk and uncertainty.
The balance between risk and reward comes in the work I do to build
and enhance my faith on a regular basis. “The work,” for me, is the
central part of our Lenten Journey. Looking inside myself, spending
time in prayer, focusing on the road to Jerusalem and the Ministry of
Christ... all are a part of the work to celebrate Easter and The
Resurrection and in the process enhance my faith. The risk comes in
discovering new things about myself, both the good and the not so
grand and how I continue to work and grow as a follower of Christ.
The reward is present when I do not shrink back from a challenge but
leap forward with the confidence to meet things head on, secure in
the knowledge that no matter the outcome, the God who IS and WAS
provides for my needs.
Keith Lewis
United Church
Saturday, March 12
Philippians 4:4-9
Rejoice in the Lord always. I will say it again: Rejoice !" (v.4)
It is important to remember that this instruction was written while
Paul was a prisoner of Emperor Nero in Rome. Yet there are twelve
references to rejoicing in Paul’s one brief letter to the Christians at
Philippi.
Hymn stories fascinate and inspire me. Horatio Spafford, his wife, and
five children had a happy life until they were struck by a series of
tragic events. First, the Spaffords’ only son died suddenly. Shortly
thereafter, the great Chicago fire of 1871 wiped out the family’s
extensive real estate investments. In 1873 Spafford’s wife and four
daughters were on a ship which sank in the Atlantic. Mrs. Spafford
survived, but all four daughters were among the 226 who drowned.
When the ship carrying Spafford to rejoin his grieving wife passed the
approximate place where his precious daughters had drowned,
Spafford received sustaining comfort from God that enabled him to
write, “When sorrows like sea billows roll . . . IT IS WELL WITH MY
SOUL."
“Rejoice in the Lord always" is easy to quote but difficult to practice.
New Year’s Resolutions are best tackled one day at a time. The same
can be said for our Christian faith and actions. During the remaining
days of Lent and beyond, may we say with the psalmist David: “This is
the day which the Lord has made. We will rejoice and be glad in it.”
(Psalm 118:24)
Ruth Williamson
The United Church
Week 5 of Lent: The Spirit is in Church Life
Sunday, March 13
The Fifth Sunday in Lent
Genesis 12:1-3
Now the Lord said to Abram, “Go from your country and your kindred
and your father’s house to the land that I will show you…”
The passage for this devotion is God talking directly to Abram (later
Abraham). The first thing God says to the man is that he must leave
everything and just about everyone he knows to go to a new land. In
return, God will make a nation from an old man with an old wife, will
bless all the world through him and will protect him. Big promises,
remote possibilities. I’m always astonished at the courage it must
have taken to say yes to God about this. It couldn’t have been easy to
leave a future that Abram was fairly sure of to follow God to a strange
place. In time, God did everything He said He would and then some.
Abraham is the earthly forefather of Christ, himself, the greatest
blessing. And it all happened because Abram believed God.
Father, please help me to let go of what I know, believe what you’ve
promised, and follow the Spirit wherever you send me.
Shelley Morris
FUMC, Los Alamos
Monday, March 14
Joel 2:28-29
I will pour out my spirit upon all people. Your sons and daughters will
prophesy. Your old men will dream dreams, and your young mem will
see visions. In those days I will pour out my spirit even on servantsmen and women alike.
When we go visit our daughter and family in Florida at Thanksgiving
time, the fall rains usually have filled the ditches in the rural roads
near their house. I’m the one who usually walks their two large dogs.
We walk down the long drive, open the gate and then the 2-year old
Marley springs into the ditches running at full speed. Then he runs
back to the 14-year old dog walking quietly beside me nuzzling him
with his nose. He seems to say, “Rusty, come on, this is the most fun
I’ve ever had!” Then he runs back into the ditch. Near the end of our
walk I see Rusty runs into the ditch too. Through the days I begin to
notice Rusty seems years younger. I also begin to sort out some
thoughts I’ve been having. I’m encouraged to think maybe I could
take part in the leadership of a new Bible study, maybe I could help
my handicapped granddaughter to become the new person she wants
to be by really reading her Bible as she had requested, maybe I really
could memorize 3 piano pieces this year, even if I am hampered by
macular degeneration. Maybe God, in His Mysterious Way, is using
two golden retrievers to help a little old lady to dream dreams.
Sheila Enemark
First United Methodist Church
Tuesday, March 15
Luke 4:16-20
He went to Nazareth, where he had been brought up, and on the
Sabbath day he went into the synagogue, as was his custom. (v.16)
This verse about the custom of Jesus being faithful to his upbringing
in the synagogue provides a sense of the importance of the Spirit in
Church Life, even for us. The Spirit in Church Life not only blesses us
with the elements of worship but also blesses us with other followers
of Jesus Christ.
Jesus stood up to read from the scroll of Isaiah. 4:18-20:
”The Spirit of the Lord is on me,
because he has anointed me
to preach good news to the poor.
He has sent me to proclaim
freedom for the prisoners
and recovery of sight for the blind,
to release the oppressed,
to proclaim the year of the Lord’s favor.”
There lies the Spirit of Church Life. We are called to hear the Spirit of
the Lord speaking to us about the needs of our community.
Marjorie Beinke
First United Methodist Church
Wednesday, March 16
Revelation 2:7
Let anyone who has an ear listen to what the Spirit is saying to the
churches. To everyone who conquers, I will give permission to eat
from the tree of life that is in the paradise of God. (Revelation 2:7)
Let anyone who has an ear
listen to what the Spirit is saying to the churches.
Long ago, on that wondrous night in Bethlehem, an invasion took
place. The invader's name: Lord of Lords, Mighty God, King of Kings,
Prince of Peace – describing the One who came.
His purpose: to destroy death's power, to shine unceasing light on
darkness, to display and spread the Kingdom of the heavens – God's
reign - and to reconcile us to our Creator.
His army? The Church.
His means of communication? The Spirit.
The Spirit speaks ...if we will listen.
But the “world” also speaks ...loudly, insistently, forcefully,
unceasingly, continually, - parroting the serpent's question: “Did God
really say?” but now reframed: “What God?” ...the enemy now framed
in quotation marks, lest there be any doubt: “Christianity” ...meaning
the Church... denounced as the great oppressor, roadblock to
progress, stumbling block to happiness, the E-N-E-M-Y ...in capital
letters.
Against this all out assault come our marching orders given through
the still, small voice of the Spirit.
Listen.
Prayer: Lord, silence the noise of the world within us that we might
listen to what the Spirit is saying to the churches. Amen.
James Beinke
First United Methodist Church
Thursday, March 17
Ephesians 2:19-22
“…you also are built together spiritually into a dwelling place for God.”
Several years ago my family designed and built a log home. It was an
exciting experience. It takes many people to build a home –
carpenters, plumbers, contractors, electricians, excavators and so on.
When the foundation was laid and utilities roughed in, we sent the
professionals home for two weeks. My family and I and the
contractor and his family spent that 2 weeks putting up the log walls.
To this day we can walk around the house and tell stories about a
particular log that didn’t fit or a window broken, or a corner that was
difficult. Each story is connected to a member of the family.
Our churches – the people, not the buildings – are the dwelling
places of God. They are filled with stories and memories. Every time
the family of God gathers the stories are remembered and retold, and
new stories are in the making. God is in all these stories as a
pervasive character. God’s Spirit is woven into the fabric of every
story, every corner, every person of the church, the dwelling place of
God.
God, Master builder of the church, help us to remember your part in
the stories of your dwelling place. Amen.
Steve Trout, Pastor
First United Methodist Church
Friday, March 18, 2016
John 14:15-17, 25-27
“If you love me, you will keep my commandments. And I will ask the
Father, and he will give you another Advocate, to be with you forever.
This is the Spirit of truth, whom the world cannot receive, because it
neither sees him nor knows him. You know him, because he abides
with you, and he will be in you.”
When Jesus bade farewell to His Disciples, He revealed to them a
parting gift: The Holy Spirit -- another Advocate (Helper, Counselor,
Paraclete, Comforter) for His followers.
The Trinity is sometimes a difficult concept for Christians because of
this Third Person. One simple explanation: God the Father is always
first in glory, power, and authority. God sent His Son to earth so that
we could be taught by a human form – easier for us to accept and
comprehend. An incarnation of God which resides continually in our
hearts was Christ’s parting gift to us. This “Spirit of truth” offers us a
direct connection to God, help when we need to be comforted,
defended, or forgiven, and serves as a continual reminder that we
should love God, keep His commandments, and remember the
teachings of His Son.
At His parting, Christ also said: “My peace I give to you … Do not let
your hearts be troubled, and do not let them be afraid.” The world
has always offered ample opportunity for Christians to be troubled
and afraid. In stark comparison, God’s Holy Spirit has always offered
aid and comfort to those who believe.
Dear Lord,
Thank you for the gift of your Holy Spirit. Help us never to turn our
backs on this precious gift, but instead, rely upon it as we seek to
keep your commandments, follow the teachings of your Son, love you
and all of your creation, and obtain the peace you offer us.
Amen.
Ruth Watkins
First United Methodist Church
Saturday, March 19
1 Corinthians 14:26-33
Brothers and sisters, what should we say then? When you come
together, each of you brings something. You bring a hymn or a
teaching or a message from God. You bring a message in another
language or explain what was said in that language. Everything must
be done to build up the church. 27 No more than two or three people
should speak in another language. And they should speak one at a
time. Then someone must explain what was said. 28 If there is no one
to explain, the person speaking should keep quiet in the church. They
can speak to themselves and to God.
26
Only two or three prophets are supposed to speak. Others should
decide if what is being said is true. 30 What if a message from God
comes to someone else who is sitting there? Then the one who is
speaking should stop. 31 Those who prophesy can all take turns. In
that way, everyone can be taught and be given hope. 32 Those who
prophesy should control their speaking. 33 God is not a God of
disorder. He is a God of peace, just as in all the churches of the
Lord’s people.
29
PROPER WORSHIP
HUMMMM…..As I review this scripture and notice that the caption is
“proper worship”, I feel a loss of words. However, the key words that
speak to me are from the end of verse 26 “Everything must be done
to build up the church” - the church- the ecumenical body of Christ
(not a religious group). We are to build up the whole body of Christ not
tear one another down. WE are to reach out to those of unbelief with
the love of Christ, not judgmentally.
I hope that you will take the opportunity to review this short 5 minute
video from another writer from Frist United Methodist, Ruth Watkins.
The link posted below is to our 2016 stewardship page….and I’m NOT
trying to pull you into our stewardship campaign. These are personal
messages from individuals touched by the various ministry areas of
the church. Ruth spoke on the impact of worship. I can’t say it any
better than her message and hope you will take the time to check it
out for truly “ALL WE HAVE IS HIS”.
http://www.firstinyourheart.org/1325-2/2016-stewardship-all-wehave-is-his/
Blessed Beyond Measure
Debra Youngblood
First United Methodist Church
Holy Week: The Spirit Gives New Life
Sunday, March 20
Palm Sunday
Matthew 21:1-11
Hosanna to the Son of David! Blessed is the one who comes in the
same of the Lord!
Hosanna in the highest heaven!
Is there another passage in the Gospel that so exudes such a spirit of
joy, of hope, and of expectation? There were clearly men and women
from Jerusalem and its vicinity (Bethphage is a village near Bethany,
about a mile east of Jerusalem) who recognized Jesus as Lord,
receiving him as a king. Through the Holy Spirit, the word had spread;
they may have become believers during his earlier ministry or that
described by John. Some greeted him with the words, “Blessed is he
who comes in the name of the Lord.”
William Barclay points out that this was the greeting addressed
commonly to pilgrims as they came to the Passover Feast.
“Hosanna,” meaning “Save now”, is a cry for help that oppressed
people poured out to their king or saviour. It is actually found in Psalm
118:25: “Save now, I beseech thee, O Lord.” Further, “Hosanna in the
highest” can be interpreted as “Let even the angels in the heights of
heaven cry unto God.”
There is no indication that Jesus responded, at least not in words. His
action, riding on a humble donkey, into the crowded city, speaks
volumes. Traditionally, when a king did come in this manner, it was
symbolic of his coming in peace. Jesus knew well that he was
eventually to be met with hatred and men sworn to destroy him. His
amazing courage entering the hostile city is awesomely evident.
Also this triumphant entry indicates clearly his claim to be Godʼs
messiah, not a mere prophet. Men, then and today, must
acknowledge him as King--or not receive him at all. Finally, Jesus
came not to destroy or condemn, but to lovingly save his people.
This was to be his last appeal to his people to open their hearts to
him, receiving him as the “Prince of Peace.” That spirit of pure love is
just as alive today as on the first Palm Sunday, if we will only seek
and accept it as a gift of the Holy Spirit.
Prayer: Dear Lord, help us to be aware of the gifts of your spirit each
day of our lives.
Amen
Alice Mutschlecner
The United Church of Los Alamos
Monday, March 21
Ezekiel 37:1-6
I will make breath enter you and you will come to life. (v.5, NIV)
Ezekiel’s vision of the valley of dry bones is a startling and graphic
depiction of hopelessness and desolation. “Son of man, can these
bones live?” God asks. Sometimes I survey the valley strewn with the
brittleness and brokenness of my life and consider such a proposition
impossible. Ezekiel cannot imagine life in the valley of his vision but
knows who can. “Sovereign Lord, you alone know” he replies. I love
Ezekiel’s humble response! God can breathe life of a renewed spirit
of hope into any situation, no matter how dejected and despondent I
feel, but I must be open to the Spirit’s work. My humility in letting go
of a false sense of control is the first step to healing and wholeness.
“I will put breath in you, and you will come to life,” God promises. In
Ezekiel’s vision, new life took place instantaneously, as tendons,
flesh, skin, and bones miraculously knit together with the Breath of
the Spirit. In my life, I have experienced new life in the Spirit at a
maddeningly slow pace and have been blessed with epiphany
moments. I have traveled many valleys, both shallow and deep, and
suspect there are more to come. God’s promise of renewal in the
Spirit remains and perseveres. I need only open the door to my heart.
Lynn Finnegan
Trinity on the Hill
Tuesday, March 22
Galatians 4:1-7
“And because you are children, God has sent the Spirit of his Son into
our hearts, crying, “Abba! Father!” So you are no longer a slave but a
child, and if a child, then also an heir, through God.
We are presented, in Galatians, with a wonderful new life. Those who
were slaves are set free to live as children of God. We are all, at one
time or another, slaves; if not to another human being, (although that
can happen,) then we might be slaves to our addictions, our
emotions, our expectations. We could even be a slave to our job, if we
attach our identity and self-worth to it. But God wants us to be free,
and Christ is the way to find that freedom. When we open our hearts
to him in prayer, the Spirit of Christ will enter in and release us from
all that binds us. Freedom in Christ fulfills us, and makes us new
creations. It is then that we realize our true nature and identity as
children of God. It is then we are truly set free to call God “Abba.” It is
then we become heirs of the Kingdom of God. That is real freedom
and new life.
Mother Louise Weiss, Assisting Priest
Trinity on the Hill
Wednesday, March 23
7 When
Mark 14:22-25
a Samaritan woman came to draw water, Jesus said to her,
“Will you give me a drink?” 8 (His disciples had gone into the town to
buy food.) 9 The Samaritan woman said to him, “You are a Jew and I
am a Samaritan woman. How can you ask me for a drink?” (For Jews
do not associate with Samaritans.) 10 Jesus answered her, “If you
knew the gift of God and who it is that asks you for a drink, you would
have asked him and he would have given you living water.” 11 “Sir,”
the woman said, “you have nothing to draw with and the well is deep.
Where can you get this living water? 12 Are you greater than our
father Jacob, who gave us the well and drank from it himself, as did
also his sons and his livestock?” 13 Jesus answered, “Everyone who
drinks this water will be thirsty again, 14 but whoever drinks the water
I give them will never thirst. Indeed, the water I give them will become
in them a spring of water welling up to eternal life.” 15 The woman
said to him, “Sir, give me this water so that I won’t get thirsty and
have to keep coming here to draw water.”
As I read this passage a number of things captured my attention: the
woman’s basic need to draw water; her curious tone when
questioning this man’s request for a cup of water as Jews and
Samaritans do not share cups; the challenging tone as she notes that
he has nothing with which to draw water; or the opportunistic tone
when he says you will never thirst again… all basic myopic human
perspectives. But what is he actually offering? Living water? The gift
of God?
In those times animal sacrifices were used to cover sin but could not
take sin away; a drink of water could satisfy human thirst for the
moment, but not take away thirst. Jesus' sacrifice took away our sins
and he offers us abundant hope and joy when we recognize who he
is. Receiving this gift and understanding who he is and abiding in his
truth brings joy far beyond any temporary satisfaction received in
temporarily meeting our human needs. As we receive Jesus and
embrace God’s gift may God’s truth fill us, change us, and renew us
into the beings God designed us to be. Jesus is the ultimate truth
and the joy to the world.
Susan Sprake
Trinity on the Hill
Maundy Thursday, March 24
Mark 14:22-25
“This is my body... This is my blood.” (Mark 14: 22,24)
For centuries theologians have fought over just how Christ is present
in the Eucharist: Transubstantiation? Consubstantiation? Real
presence? Spiritual presence? But in the last several decades, as
theologians have had conversions across denominational lines, it has
become clear that all our definitions of how Christ is actually present
in the Eucharist are inadequate.
They are inadequate because the Eucharist is finally a mystery. It is
beyond our rational powers to comprehend. Martin Marty, a Lutheran
theologian, in his book The Lord’s Supper, says: “Mystery means that
if you pull away one veil, another will still cover the subject; and one
could pull back veils for all the years that history gives and still not
have exposed the subject to clear view. Emphatically, the presence
of Christ is such a mystery.”
Thinking hard about the Eucharist is holy work. We are called to love
the Lord with our minds. But ultimately, we don’t explain a mystery;
we live into it. Thus, the deeper we live into the mystery of the
Eucharist the more deeply we will understand it. So come to the
Table. Dwell in the Mystery. Rejoice in the Presence.
Bruce Kuenzel
Pastor
Bethlehem Lutheran Church
Good Friday, March 25
John 19:28-30
[Jesus] said, ‘It is finished.’ Then he bowed his head and gave up his
spirit. (v.30)
What was finished? Not his life, because Easter was coming. Not his
work, because the work of Christ through the Church is still
continuing. Not the Kingdom, because the Kingdom is still becoming.
Maybe it was the beginning that was finished. Everything was started,
and so the beginning was over and the rest was beginning. He
“…gave up his spirit” so that through the power of his Spirit could
continue all these beginnings.
Through the Holy Spirit we are assured that life does not end with
death. Death is the end of the beginning. Through the power of the
Holy Spirit, the Church is equipped with gifts necessary to continue
the work of Christ. Through the work of the Holy Spirit, the Kingdom
continues to be built and will continue until all creation is consumed
into the Kingdom of God.
When Jesus said, “It is finished,” the beginning was finished. We, the
Church, are middle of the story. We bring life to the world, we
continue the work Jesus began, we represent the Kingdom in
everything we do. It is finished and still yet to be.
God, empower us by your Spirit to continue the work Jesus began.
Amen.
Steve Trout, pastor
First United Methodist Church
Saturday, March 26
Easter Vigil
John 3:1-10
“Jesus answered him, ‘Very truly, I tell you, no one can see the
kingdom of God without being born from above.’”
“This is the night!” That refrain, sung or spoken over and over again in
the Exultet of the Easter Vigil is the place we have arrived on this day.
This is the night when we arrive at the end of the journey of these
past 40 days, and we have had so many salvation stories again and
again about our being born from above. This is the night we get to tell
stories! Don’t you just love a good story? Easter Vigil is an echo from
the distant past, calling us back into a deep spirituality found in the
night of the empty tomb. Easter Vigil allows us to tell the stories again
and again about a God who is faithful; a God who has journeyed with
God’s people even in their (our) less than stellar moments; a God
who came to be with us because we just could not get it right; and a
God that loves us with an unconditional, everlasting love.
This is the night that we are not only hearing echos from our past, not
only looking forward to the future in the joy of our Risen Christ, but we
are also be called toward a spirituality that is deeper than anything
we can imagine. This night is ancient and it is future. In this being
born from above we are empowered to love like Jesus loved.
When we wake up tomorrow morning preparing to enter our worship
services with joy and hope and excitement and assurance, may we
also wake up with love. We are loved. We can love for God is love.
“This is the night.”
Good and Gracious God, Thank you for this night. Thank you for the
ancient stories and for the stories we are writing in your Spirit. May
our lives reflect your love. In Jesus’ name. Amen.
Nicolé Raddu Ferry
Child of God and blessed to be one of the pastors at Bethlehem
Evangelical Lutheran Church
Easter Sunday
March 27, 2016
John 20:19-23
Jesus said to them again, ‘Peace be with you. As the Father has sent
me, so I send you.’ When he had said this, he breathed on them and
said to them, ‘Receive the Holy Spirit.
The Sun had set on the first Easter Day. Evening had approached,
and though the disciples heard the Gospel of Resurrection, preached
first by Mary Magdalene, they still cowered in fear in an upper room.
In some ways, the Church throughout history has acted like those
disciples. Stuck in patterns of fear, living within a self-inflicted
isolation, we forget the awesome power of Jesus’ resurrection to cast
out the darkness and to transform fragile people into heralds of Good
News. Tombs of fear capture us, just as they captured the disciples.
And yet, the Living Christ broke into those tombs of fear and set those
captive disciples free. The Orthodox Church proclaims in song the
power of the Resurrection: “Christ is risen from the dead, Trampling
down death by death, And upon those in the tombs Bestowing life!”
How wonderful, how mysterious, how amazing it is that by the death
of Jesus, death itself was defeated, and tombs holding captive God’s
beloved children were broken open. And as people who have
received the Holy Spirit, the very breath of God, it becomes our great
delight to break open tombs of fear, oppression, and darkness
whenever we encounter them. May this be an Easter Season where
you live into you Spirit-infused calling to break open tombs holding
captive God’s children.
Fr. Christopher Adams
Trinity on the Hill Episcopal Church