A Lenten Invitation for all Spiritual Pilgrims
By Surprisedbyjoy@yahoo.com and Gods_gnome@yahoo.com
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By Surprised by Joy
Conspiracy to destroy Jesus
Mark 3: 1-6
As we follow the footprints of Jesus through the gospel of Mark, we quickly discover that there was a conspiracy to destroy Jesus among the religious authorities. The conspiracy began early in his ministry of kindness and healing. In Mark 3: 1-6, we see the compassion of Christ compared to the frozen hearts of religious leaders of his time. The drama occurs in a Jewish place of worship. A man with a shriveled hand is waiting for Jesus, hoping to be healed. The religious authorities are watching Jesus closely, hoping to see if he heals the man on the Jewish Sabbath. If Jesus does heal the man, he is guilty of breaking the laws of his religion.
Jesus asks his challengers timeless questions. Is it better to save life or kill? Is it better to do good on the Sabbath, or evil? The authorities are silent and we see Jesus is both angered and deeply distressed at their frozen hearts. In compassion, he speaks to the man with the shriveled hand and heals him. The religious authorities begin to formally plot with their political and religious enemies on how they "might kill Jesus." Formal religion is outraged. Jesus is a threat to their status quo. The religious authorities decide Jesus must be destroyed. The cross will be his future, as Jesus continues to preach, teach and heal with his God message of repentance and renewal.
What has Jesus done to deserve death? In chapter one, he preached a message of repentance and restoration with God while healing many. In chapter two, he continues his amazing healing ministry and publicly forgives sins in front of religious authorities who believe he is blaspheming. We see the dramatic calling of the despised Levi, a tax collector, into the inner circle of disciples. Jesus brings Levi into community, while teaching people new insights about God. He freely associates with lepers, outsiders, physically and mentally challenged people, and the marginalized in his society. As we follow in the footsteps of Christ in our gospel readings, we begin to see the cost of following Jesus. It has never been popular, easy or safe to be identified as one of his followers.
Where are we in this story? Who are we? Are we the person with a shriveled body and/or spirit? Are we frozen in religion legalities and blind to compassion? Do we agree Jesus should be put to death? Where have we overlooked doing good on a busy day involved with religious observances? A valid contemplative experience is to imagine ourselves in the gospel stories and become part of the drama. Become one of the characters. Smell, see, hear, feel, touch, and taste with your imaginations. Consider writing your experience in a spiritual journal. Pray with your reflections. Ask God for insight and meaning. What does this story hold for us today, in the first Sunday of Lent?
Prayer: God, help us see Jesus with new eyes as we continue our reading. Help us see ourselves in this story as we continue our Lenten pilgrimage. Amen.
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By God's Gnome
Peace, be still reflection
Mark 4.36
In a world where conflict, anger and hatred seem to be increasing, a plea for peace challenges prejudices and racially motivated crimes. Imagine if the earth responded to this call for peace. The hum of traffic would become muted, the electronic media hushed, planes grounded, and the earth would appear to be poised, waiting. In the stillness would come Christ bearing peace unlike any we have known. It sounds too good to be true, and yet, with only the addition of one ingredient to the lives of the earth’s population, such a scenario would be possible. That one ingredient is simple child-like faith.
Faith in its essence is belief and trust in the unseen God. Today with faith as your guide, pause a moment and picture Jesus standing by your side. His hands gently touch your eyes, face, shoulders, hands and heart. Feel your muscles relax and all your tensions leave your body, drifting away like wisps of fog. Hear his voice speak to your worries and fears, "Peace, be still." Sense his gentle hands unfastening every burden which you have carried. Every hurt you have known is healed and an awareness of inner peace floods your mind and entire body.
The problems, pains and predicaments which held your attention but a moment ago have lost their grip on you, and in perfect calmness you are able to see beyond these to the potential their solution offers. You begin to see more clearly and rationally the claims, or perhaps demands, others make on your time, energy and resources. With Jesus at your side it becomes easier to separate need from greed, confidence from egotism, and self-care from self-absorption. The currents which have swirled the barque of your life in turbulent eddies come to a halt, at the will of the Creator. Peace seeps into the inner recesses of your being and floods your spirit, lighting up the inner fires of love. Not one word has been spoken, there has been no need. Faith has provided the miracle, and it is faith which will maintain this peace and serenity.
Carry this peace with you as you return to the affairs of your day and let it enfold you like a blanket.
Prayer: God, we ask today that your peace enfolds us, allowing us spiritual rest and refreshment. Amen.
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By Surprised by Joy
"Listen!"
Mark 4: 1-20
Jesus was a wonderful storyteller. Many of his most important lessons were taught in parables. Parables are simply word picture stories. They teach powerful lessons about life without being "preachy." One of his most famous parables is known as "the Parable of the Sower." This is found in Mark 4: 1-20. It's worth reading!
I never really appreciated this parable until I began walking a local wildflower prayer labyrinth. You see, I'm what my father calls "a city woman." Most of my ministry has been in inner urban areas with high crime rates and violence. I still marvel at the miracle of a flower poking through cracked pavement surrounded by broken glass and discarded drug paraphernalia.
Then I had the opportunity to relocate to a quiet, rural area to write my dissertation. Almost immediately a neighbor brought me to a local, wildflower labyrinth surrounded by great trees. Near the labyrinth is a salmon stream where you can actually hear the fish splash as they spawn in the fall. Birds fill the air with melody. The winding single path leads the pilgrim to the center of the garden. The same path leads you out of the labyrinth. Mounded dirt separates the path and prevents us from getting off the centering trail. The labyrinth owner plants local wildflowers every year. For the first time in my life, I am beginning to understand this parable by Jesus. Each season and the soil have profound lessons for reflections. Everything instructs.
Listen, says Jesus. You, who have ears to hear, listen! The reign of God is like a farmer sowing seed in many kinds of dirt. Some is hard and stony. Other soil quickly grows seeds but thorns choke them. Some plants die due to the heat of the sun. But other ground is fertile and produces even a hundred times what is sown. Listen to me, Jesus repeats. Your hearts are like the earth in this parable. The seed is God's Word. Wealth, desire for other things, and the worries of this life and love of money choke God's Word in your lives. Listen!
Dear reader, as we pause in our Lenten reading, listen! Reflect on the soil of our inner hearts. What is preventing God's Words to take root, grow and flourish in our lives? Do you need to do some inner heart gardening today? What keeps you from loving and following God?
Prayer: God, you alone know the soil of each of our hearts. Be our Gardener today. Help us "listen" to this parable with eager ears today. Amen.
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By Surprised by Joy
Healing Through Jesus Christ
Mark 5: 1-20
Never underestimate the power of the gospels! Today's story evokes powerful memories from an event several years ago. I had been invited to preach at a church. For whatever reason, I felt "called" to share this story of a demon-possessed man in ancient Israel and how Jesus healed him. If you've never read it, it's full of many insights. Jesus is busy preaching and teaching. In the previous chapter, he tells his followers (disciples) to get ready for a sailing trip "to the other side" of the lake. A "furious squall" nearly capsizes the boat while Jesus is sleeping. The terrified disciples wake him up, shouting "save us!" Jesus gets up, and tells the storm to hush and be still. The disciples are deeply frightened at his power over nature.
They approach the beach and land their boat. A mentally disturbed, demon possessed man rushes to meet Jesus on the shore and they have a confrontation. He is a scary sight, naked, bruised and bleeding from self-mutilation and years of inner torment. Jesus heals him and sends the evil spirits into a nearby large herd of pigs. The pigs rush into the water and drown. Local people come and find the tormented man healed, clothed and in his right mind. He is quietly sitting at the feet of Jesus. The townspeople beg Jesus to leave. Jesus is too expensive to have around!
And we see the drama of the gospel. The healed one begs to stay with Jesus. Jesus says, no. You cannot come with me. But go home and tell people what God has done for you. And the man actually goes to not one, but ten cities to tell people what Jesus had done for him. And all the people were amazed at Jesus, the Healer.
A young woman privately approached me after the church service. She quietly showed me scars on her body where she had self-mutilated herself again and again. She had never come to church before, but felt compelled to attend that church service for reasons she could not explain. That night she met Jesus the Healer.
Where are we in this drama? Do we want to stay with Jesus or send him away? Who do we need to tell in our Lenten journey, of how much Jesus has done for us?
Prayer: God, thank you for the healing power of Jesus Christ. Thank you for your mercy. Amen.
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By Surprised by Joy
Compassion, Healing, Death
Mark 5: 22-42
We really have two powerful stories in these verses. And I'd like to invite you into a new experience. Today my daily calendar had this saying by an unknown author: "Never turn down a new experience unless it's against the law or will get you into trouble." This new experience will not do either of those two things! Imagine yourself being in these stories of desperate people coming to Jesus. Feel their emotions, cry with them, imagine yourselves touching him, smelling the crowds and be a character in the dramas. Rewrite this story in your own words and let it be your prayer today. These may familiar to some of us, but let today's reading be new. Try to read this as if for the first time.
After healing the tormented man, the local people begged Jesus to leave. So he set sail again back to the other side of the lake. A huge crowd was waiting for him. And we see the drama of the gospel. A desperate father of considerable influence falls on his knees before Jesus and begs the Healer to save his beloved little daughter. She is near death. Minutes are precious. Will he come? And we see the compassion and availability of Jesus. Of course he will.
The huge crowd throngs about him as they journey to the little girl. In the midst of the noisy, jostling crowd, Jesus stops dead in his tracks and asks, "Who touched my clothes?" He had felt the touch of a desperate person reaching for help. Healing power had left his body. And again we see the tender compassion of Jesus. A woman trembling with fear approaches him. She falls on her knees and shares her story of long term chronic illness, medical failures, loss of savings as she struggled to find a cure. Jesus tenderly says, "Daughter, your faith has healed you. Go in peace and be freed from your suffering."
Unfortunately, the little girl died during these compassionate moments. Jesus then gives us an important lesson about death. "She is not dead, but asleep." The crowd ridicules him and the desperate father simply brings Jesus to his dead little girl. People are wailing and crying in deep grief. Jesus insists the little girl is only asleep while people continue to ridicule him. Quietly, the Healer removes all but a few people from the little girls room, takes her by the hand, and says, "Little girl, I say to you, get up!" And she does!
Imagine now, the joy and gratitude of the family and friends. Imagine the feelings of the healed woman. Reflect in your journal what death might mean for you after reading this story. Where in your life do you need the healing and compassionate touch of Jesus Christ in your life today?
Prayer: Dear Healer, touch us in our souls and teach us about life and death through this story. Amen.
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By God's Gnome
Come you by yourselves into a lonely place and rest for a while
Mark 6.31
Often the noise of the world and its people drowns out the voice of God inviting us to rest. Sometimes we long to still the constant motion of life’s carousel which, in a never-ending circle, presents the demands of each day, together with the expectations of others and the subsequent slow drain of our energy. It is when we respond to Christ’s invitation and return to spend time with God we find are replenished spiritually.
Lonely places are marked by the absence of crowds, while rest is marked by the absence of pointless, distractive activity. When our lives become crowded with the demands of work and with people it is because we have forgotten to seek a balance between spending time with others and spending time in the presence of God. All of creation seeks balance, between night and day, and between springtime and autumn. Unless we take time to rest in God’s presence, unless we learn how to still our minds, there will be no opportunity to hear God’s voice. We are spiritual beings clothed in physical bodies and our spirits need to be refilled and recharged by God’s energy. Taking time to rest in the presence of God allows us to ingest spiritual food just as taking time to eat allows us to ingest physical food. Without nourishment our physical, emotional and spiritual bodies weary and are not able to function.
We never develop an intimate relationship with another person unless we cultivate our friendship by spending time with the person concerned. Equally our relationship with God needs to be cultivated by spending time alone with God. Refreshing rest is never possible unless we trust the person in whose presence we are resting. To spend time alone with God enables us to know God more intimately, and to learn to trust God. Intimacy with God discloses the depth of love God has for us and precludes all thoughts of fear. From God we learn the healing effect of forgiveness and peace, and we bring these awarenesses into our relationships with others. It is so easy to forget that our relationships with others depend on our relationship with God. Time out with God does not lessen the energy we have for other activities, rather we are invigorated and refreshed by this time of rest from the ordinary world.
Prayer: God, draw us ever closer to you as we spend time in your loving presence away from the demands of our day. Amen.
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By God's Gnome
They departed into a desert place privately by ship
Mark 6. 32
In the desert and famished by hunger, Jesus rejected Satan’s suggestion to satisfy his hunger by converting the stones to loaves with the words "There are other things in life more important than bread." When power was offered to him, he rejected that also, this time with the words "It is to God alone we offer our worship." Finally when Satan thought to lure him into a demonstration of God’s power and providence, Jesus stopped him short with the statement "Don’t try God’s patience." In essence he was saying "I will not live my life for pleasure or power, nor will I abdicate responsibility for my life or my actions."
Those desert places in our lives are lived at times when we have quietly and privately withdrawn from the hurly-burly of the world to find ourselves, to seek spiritual truth, or to seek peace in the centre of life’s whirlpool. Sometimes we have deliberately chosen to withdraw, but sometimes circumstances have removed us from our usual occupations and friends; either way we may initially feel desolate and alone. It is in isolation we are often able to think more clearly. It is also during these times when doubts and fears may assail us. We may find ourselves examining each and every relationship, our chosen career, our values and even our faith. Faith that has not been subjected to the twin fires of doubt and disillusion, and consequently emerged with the strength of forged steel, can never be regarded as truly tested.
Again and again we read of examples of those who have withdrawn to lonely places, to deserts, to gain the strength and certainty needed to accomplish the mission of their lives. Subjected to the intense heat of the sun by day and the icy cold of the night some of the most precious and beautiful plants of this planet grow. It the testing caused by extremes of hardship that produces such loveliness. So it is in our lives, that the most beautiful and precious gifts of love, forgiveness and healing are produced when we have undergone the extreme testing desert conditions can produce. However we travel to the desert, let us welcome this blessed time spent apart from the ordinariness of our world.
Prayer: God, In the times of our testing, may your presence guide us every moment and every step. Amen.
