Devotional for April 15, 2012 – Practices of wearing skin

Written by Courtney McHill, United Methodist Pastor

Bible/Theme Background

“Yet here we sit, with our souls away in this marvelous luggage, mostly insensible to the ways in which every spiritual practice begins with the body.  Our bodies have shaped our views of the world, just as the world has shaped our views of our bodies. Each of us has a unique body ‘signature,’ which consists not only of our distinctive physical characteristics but also of our posture, our gait, our way of using our hands.” – Barbara BrownTaylor, An Altar in the World

We all have a relationship with our bodies.  A few years ago, I was to preach a sermon on body image and how we reflect God’s incarnation.  I sent out an email to most of the congregation to ask them to reflect on their own bodies.  I asked them to tell me what they loved, what they hated, and everything in between.  The responses were overwhelming.  Close to 80 percent of the congregation responded, male and female, young and old, and those who loved and hated their bodies.

This is a subject that we can all connect to in so many ways.  We have complicated relationships with our bodies.  Some of us love certain aspects of our bodies, like the way our eyes twinkle or that one curve.  Some of us hate certain aspects of our bodies, like that toe that sticks out or that one curve.  We can’t deny that we are packaged in this one body.

Throughout the centuries, somehow some parts of religion have put negative aspects on the body.  Somewhere along the line, we somehow believed that we should ignore the body and forget the body and our scripture today highlights just the opposite of all of that.  Jesus is standing before us, risen, and fully reclaiming his flesh.  He doesn’t come back as a spirit or a ghost; he comes back wearing his skin and fully aware of his flesh.  He even invites us to touch the flesh as proof.

When we talk about the Incarnation, we cannot forget the most important part, that Jesus came in the form of a human body with pains, aches, groans, likes and dislikes, feelings of elation, lightness, and blood flowing through.  It would follow that perhaps one of the deepest spiritual practices is actually being aware of the fact that wear skin.  We feel, we move, we ache, we feel blood coursing through our veins and God resides there.

Quotes for the Week

“Wearing my skin is not a solitary practice, but one that brings me into communion with all those other embodied souls.  It is what we have most in common with one another.” Barbara Brown Taylor

“If any thing is sacred, the human body is sacred.” Walt Whitman

“Compassion is the sometimes fatal capacity for feeling what it is like to live inside somebody else’s skin. It’s the knowledge that there can never really be any peace and joy for me until there is peace and joy finally for you too. ”   Frederick Buechner

“For too long, and despite what people told me, I had fallen for what the culture said about beauty, youth, features, heights, weights, hair textures, upper arms.”  Anne Lamott

“You are imperfect, permanently and inevitably flawed. And you are beautiful.”  Amy Bloom

1 John 1:1-2:2 (NRSV)

We declare to you what was from the beginning, what we have heard, what we have seen with our eyes, what we have looked at and touched with our hands, concerning the word of life— this life was revealed, and we have seen it and testify to it, and declare to you the eternal life that was with the Father and was revealed to us— we declare to you what we have seen and heard so that you also may have fellowship with us; and truly our fellowship is with the Father and with his Son Jesus Christ. We are writing these things so that our^* joy may be complete.

This is the message we have heard from him and proclaim to you, that God is light and in him there is no darkness at all. If we say that we have fellowship with him while we are walking in darkness, we lie and do not do what is true; but if we walk in the light as he himself is in the light, we have fellowship with one another, and the blood of Jesus his Son cleanses us from all sin. If we say that we have no sin, we deceive ourselves, and the truth is not in us. If we confess our sins, he who is faithful and just will forgive us our sins and cleanse us from all unrighteousness. If we say that we have not sinned, we make him a liar, and his word is not in us.  My little children, I am writing these things to you so that you may not sin. But if anyone does sin, we have an advocate with the Father, Jesus Christ the righteous; and he is the atoning sacrifice for our sins, and not for ours only but also for the sins of the whole world.

John 20:19-31 (NRSV)

When it was evening on that day, the first day of the week, and the doors of the house where the disciples had met were locked for fear of the Jews, Jesus came and stood among them and said, “Peace be with you.” After he said this, he showed them his hands and his side. Then the disciples rejoiced when they saw the Lord. 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. If you forgive the sins of any, they are forgiven them; if you retain the sins of any, they are retained.” But Thomas (who was called the Twin), one of the twelve, was not with them when Jesus came. So the other disciples told him, “We have seen the Lord.” But he said to them, “Unless I see the mark of the nails in his hands, and put my finger in the mark of the nails and my hand in his side, I will not believe.”

A week later his disciples were again in the house, and Thomas was with them. Although the doors were shut, Jesus came and stood among them and said, “Peace be with you.” Then he said to Thomas, “Put your finger here and see my hands. Reach out your hand and put it in my side. Do not doubt but believe.” Thomas answered him, “My Lord and my God!” Jesus said to him, “Have you believed because you have seen me? Blessed are those who have not seen and yet have come to believe.” Now Jesus did many other signs in the presence of his disciples, which are not written in this book. ³¹But these are written so that you may come to believe that Jesus is the Messiah, the Son of God, and that through believing you may have life in his name.

Questions for the Week

What do you love about your body?  What would you change?

Are you aware of what your body needs?

When do you spend time getting in tune with your body?

Easter, 2012–New Life!

April 5

Written by Pastor Mark

Theme Background

WooooHoooooo!!!!!!!!!  The irritating season of pruning is over, and it’s time for new life!  During the season of Easter we will be using Barbara Brown Taylor’s Book, “An Altar in the World: A Geography of Faith”.  In her book she talks a great deal about reverence.  We think of reverence as more of a theological word, but Brown Taylor points to creation, and the stars and at other flawed human beings and is filled with reverence.  We would do well to emulate her vision.

The point of reverence, and of the Holy Spirit for that matter, is that it keeps popping up where we least expect it.  Peter is shocked in today’s first reading to discover that the Spirit of Christ has been at work in the Greeks!  (Substitute your own group who would be least likely in your mind to be visited by that Spirit.)  Truly God does not show any partiality.  Furthermore, God is loose in the world and active—without US!  We are called by Brown Taylor and others to discover where God is already moving and active, not carry God on our backs to share.

Courtney and I had a tongue in cheek conversation about the theme for Easter.  We have both experienced Easter Worship where the resurrection was never mentioned!  Hard to believe, but true.  That is not to say that we don’t have questions and doubts.  Our Questions and doubts put us in very good company.  The most authentic versions of Mark’s Gospel end with a thud.  The disciples run from the tomb and say nothing to anyone because they are afraid.  It didn’t take too long for someone to come along and fix the ending.  That this is probably how Mark wrote it should bring us some comfort and solace in our doubts.  Martin Luther said it’s fine to doubt, but at some point you have to learn to doubt your doubts and believe.  We also need to keep our eyes open for where God is working, and ask for help in overcoming our fear.

New life will be breaking out all over the place any day.  Go out and really look at it, and allow yourself to be filled with reverence.  It’s so much better than fear.

Quotes for the Week

 

Fear is the main source of superstition, and one of the main sources of cruelty. To conquer fear is the beginning of wisdom.
Bertrand Russell

 

Fears are educated into us, and can, if we wish, be educated out.
Karl Augustus Menninger

 

Curiosity will conquer fear even more than bravery will.
James Stephens

 

The enemy is fear. We think it is hate; but, it is fear.
Gandhi

 

All of us are born with a set of instinctive fears—of falling, of the dark, of lobsters, of falling on lobsters in the dark, or speaking before a Rotary Club, and of the words, “Some assembly Required.”

David Barry

 

I must not fear.
Fear is the mind-killer.
Fear is the little-death that brings total obliteration.
I will face my fear.
I will permit it to pass over me and through me.
And when it has gone past I will turn the inner eye to see its path.
Where the fear has gone there will be nothing.
Only I will remain.
Frank Herbert

 

1^st Lesson:  Acts 10:34-43 (NRSV)

Then Peter began to speak to them: “I truly understand that God shows no partiality, ³⁵ but in every nation anyone who fears him and does what is right is acceptable to him. ³⁶ You know the message he sent to the people of Israel, preaching peace by Jesus Christ– he is Lord of all. ³⁷ That message spread throughout Judea, beginning in Galilee after the baptism that John announced: ³⁸ how God anointed Jesus of Nazareth with the Holy Spirit and with power; how he went about doing good and healing all who were oppressed by the devil, for God was with him. ³⁹ We are witnesses to all that he did both in Judea and in Jerusalem. They put him to death by hanging him on a tree; ⁴⁰ but God raised him on the third day and allowed him to appear, ⁴¹ not to all the people but to us who were chosen by God as witnesses, and who ate and drank with him after he rose from the dead. ⁴² He commanded us to preach to the people and to testify that he is the one ordained by God as judge of the living and the dead. ⁴³ All the prophets testify about him that everyone who believes in him receives forgiveness of sins through his name.”

 

Gospel Lesson: Mark 16:1-8 (NRSV)

When the sabbath was over, Mary Magdalene, and Mary the mother of James, and Salome bought spices, so that they might go and anoint him. ² And very early on the first day of the week, when the sun had risen, they went to the tomb. ³ They had been saying to one another, “Who will roll away the stone for us from the entrance to the tomb?” ⁴ When they looked up, they saw that the stone, which was very large, had already been rolled back. ⁵ As they entered the tomb, they saw a young man, dressed in a white robe, sitting on the right side; and they were alarmed. ⁶ But he said to them, “Do not be alarmed; you are looking for Jesus of Nazareth, who was crucified. He has been raised; he is not here. Look, there is the place they laid him. ⁷ But go, tell his disciples and Peter that he is going ahead of you to Galilee; there you will see him, just as he told you.” ⁸ So they went out and fled from the tomb, for terror and amazement had seized them; and they said nothing to anyone, for they were afraid.

 

 

Questions for the Week

Where do you see new life coming forth from pruned places in your life?

Where do you least expect to run in to Jesus, or the Holy Spirit?

What fills you with reverence?

Devotional for April 1, 2011 – Palm/Passion Sunday

Written by Courtney McHill, United Methodist Pastor

Bible Background

This Sunday we will go through a whirlwind of emotions.  We travel with Jesus from a triumphant entry intoJerusalemthat marks the beginning of a new era of God and end with the death of the one we thought would bring that revolution.  Our week is full of deep emotion running from elation to disappointment, from betrayal to sadness, and finally death.  The people in this story do not expect what is about to happen.  The story ranges from a supreme hope for transformation to shock and horror about what is to happen.

Those who would have been hearing the story would have experienced everything as if it were news unlike those of us who have grown up with this story.   Try to step back for a moment and put on new eyes for what you will read in Mark.

This range of emotion gives us a broad scale of where God resides.  God comes in on a donkey and connects with the poorest of poor.  God knows what it is to sit around the table with friends for the very last time.  God knows betrayal and pain, sadness and despair, and finally God knows death.

We know that this isn’t the end of the story and this is why we mourn throughout this week. In order to get to the other side we have to experience elation to death.  We have to be able to bury what might have been for what could be to arrive.   What if you were part of this story?

Quotes for the Week

“But Palm Sunday tells us that [...] it is the cross that is the true tree of life.” Pope Benedict XVI

“Of all acts of man repentance is the most divine. The greatest of all faults is to be conscious of none.” Thomas Carlyle

“A friend who dies, it’s something of you who dies.”  Gustave Flaubert

“Millions long for immortality who don’t know what to do with themselves on a rainy Sunday afternoon.” Susan Ertz

“The fear of death follows from the fear of life. A man who lives fully is prepared to die at any time.” Mark Twain

“He (Jesus) changed sunset into sunrise.” Clemet of Alexandria
Mark 11: 1-11 (NRSV)

When they were approaching Jerusalem, at Bethphage and Bethany, near the Mount of Olives, he sent two of his disciples²and said to them, “Go into the village ahead of you, and immediately as you enter it, you will find tied there a colt that has never been ridden; untie it and bring it. ³If anyone says to you, ‘Why are you doing this?’ just say this, ‘The Lord needs it and will send it back here immediately.’” ⁴They went away and found a colt tied near a door, outside in the street. As they were untying it, ⁵some of the bystanders said to them, “What are you doing, untying the colt?” ⁶They told them what Jesus had said; and they allowed them to take it. ⁷Then they brought the colt to Jesus and threw their cloaks on it; and he sat on it.⁸Many people spread their cloaks on the road, and others spread leafy branches that they had cut in the fields. ⁹Then those who went ahead and those who followed were shouting,

“Hosanna!
Blessed is the one who comes in the name of the Lord!
¹⁰Blessed is the coming kingdom of our ancestor David!
Hosanna in the highest heaven!”

 

¹¹Then he enteredJerusalem and went into the temple; and when he had looked around at everything, as it was already late, he went out toBethany with the twelve.

Mark 15: 25-39 (NRSV)

²⁵It was nine o’clock in the morning when they crucified him. ²⁶The inscription of the charge against him read, “The King of the Jews.”²⁷And with him they crucified two bandits, one on his right and one on his left. ²⁹Those who passed by derided him, shaking their heads and saying, “Aha! You who would destroy the temple and build it in three days, ³⁰save yourself, and come down from the cross!” ³¹In the same way the chief priests, along with the scribes, were also mocking him among themselves and saying, “He saved others; he cannot save himself. ³²Let the Messiah, the King of Israel, come down from the cross now, so that we may see and believe.” Those who were crucified with him also taunted him.

³³When it was noon, darkness came over the whole land until three in the afternoon. ³⁴At three o’clock Jesus cried out with a loud voice, “Eloi, Eloi, lema sabachthani?” which means, “My God, my God, why have you forsaken me?” ³⁵When some of the bystanders heard it, they said, “Listen, he is calling for Elijah.” ³⁶And someone ran, filled a sponge with sour wine, put it on a stick, and gave it to him to drink, saying, “Wait, let us see whether Elijah will come to take him down.” ³⁷Then Jesus gave a loud cry and breathed his last. ³⁸And the curtain of the temple was torn in two, from top to bottom. ³⁹Now when the centurion, who stood facing him, saw that in this way he breathed his last, he said, “Truly this man was God’s Son!”

 

Questions for the Week

Where are your emotions this week?

What in you needs to die in order to experience new life?

Where do you relate to this story?

 

Pruning Our Physical Space

March 25, Pruning Our Physical Space

March 22, 2012

Written by Pastor Mark

Theme Background

In the season of Lent we are focusing on God’s work of pruning.  Pruning is a growth activity, a focusing activity.  This Sunday we are talking about physical space.  Now this does not mean that we will be bringing out the sledge hammers and taking out walls (although . . . .)  Our church needs to make some very difficult decisions about how we use our space.

We could also look at this theme from a personal perspective.  The size of the average house in the United States has doubled since 1970.  That 1970’s house was twice the size of the average house in the 1950’s.  In fact the personal family debt to square foot of house ratio has remained surprisingly constant when adjusted for inflation.  And of course we have these much, much larger houses because we have so many more children now, right?  No, we have so much larger houses because we have so much more stuff.  There is a terrible pattern of more stuff, more debt, larger houses to hold more stuff, more debt, longer hours of work, less time to enjoy that stuff . . .

In the church we have a space problem.  Our rooms (especially in the older building) are almost all in constant use.  We demand a great deal of our building which is beginning to show it’s age (especially the utilities like plumbing and electric.)  The leadership of the church is trying to figure out how to best use our facilities to reflect our mission and vision.  At some point this will mean that we will have to say no to some things, in order to make space for others.  The problem is that we do not like to say no to anybody.  Its so much easier to just go with the flow.  Why should we go out and cut back that beautiful growth on our rose bushes?  You just know you’re going to get cut by one of those thorns in the process.  Why?  Because we want new, healthy growth, we want beautiful flowers, we want healthy fruit.

Jesus words in the Gospel today seem like a mixed up jumble of images that do not fit together.  Life comes through dying.  Glory comes through suffering and humiliation, glorification comes by taking on the role of a servant.  This is God’s kingdom work, where the smallest, most insignificant act is of extreme importance.  It’s a realm where those who have faced humiliation are glorified, and suffering and death are transformed into a new wonderful life.  Jesus says if we hold on to our life we loose it, and if we give up our lives we find them again.  What activities, programs, and building usage may need to be pruned in this congregation?  May Jeremiah’s promise come to full fruition today, and may we all have the answers to these questions written on our hearts as we seek to live into this new, strange covenant that Jesus life death and resurrection have instituted.

Quotes for the Week

“In the spring at the end of the day you should smell like dirt.”  Margaret Atwood

The juice goes out of Christianity when it becomes too based on faith rather than on living like Jesus or seeing the world as Jesus saw it.”   Steven Jobs

Major points of “The Apple Marketing Philosophy”.   The first was empathy, an intimate connection with the feelings of the customer “We will truly understand their needs better than any other company.” The second was focus: “In order to do a good job of those things that we decide to do, we must eliminate all of the unimportant opportunities.”                         Mike Markkura, CEO of Apple

In this life I started out with nothing at all, and in fact I still have most of it.   Anonymous

1^st Lesson Jeremiah 31:31-34 (NRSV)

The days are surely coming, says the LORD, when I will make a new covenant with the house of Israeland the house of Judah. ³² It will not be like the covenant that I made with their ancestors when I took them by the hand to bring them out of the land of Egypt– a covenant that they broke, though I was their husband, says the LORD. ³³ But this is the covenant that I will make with the house of Israel after those days, says the LORD: I will put my law within them, and I will write it on their hearts; and I will be their God, and they shall be my people. ³⁴ No longer shall they teach one another, or say to each other, “Know the LORD,” for they shall all know me, from the least of them to the greatest, says the LORD; for I will forgive their iniquity, and remember their sin no more.

Gospel Lesson John 12:20-33 (NRSV)

Now among those who went up to worship at the festival were some Greeks. ²¹ They came to Philip, who was from Bethsaida in Galilee, and said to him, “Sir, we wish to see Jesus.” ²² Philip went and told Andrew; then Andrew and Philip went and told Jesus. ²³ Jesus answered them, “The hour has come for the Son of Man to be glorified. ²⁴ Very truly, I tell you, unless a grain of wheat falls into the earth and dies, it remains just a single grain; but if it dies, it bears much fruit. ²⁵ Those who love their life lose it, and those who hate their life in this world will keep it for eternal life. ²⁶ Whoever serves me must follow me, and where I am, there will my servant be also. Whoever serves me, the Father will honor. ²⁷ “Now my soul is troubled. And what should I say– ‘Father, save me from this hour’? No, it is for this reason that I have come to this hour. ²⁸ Father, glorify your name.” Then a voice came from heaven, “I have glorified it, and I will glorify it again.” ²⁹ The crowd standing there heard it and said that it was thunder. Others said, “An angel has spoken to him.” ³⁰ Jesus answered, “This voice has come for your sake, not for mine. ³¹ Now is the judgment of this world; now the ruler of this world will be driven out. ³² And I, when I am lifted up from the earth, will draw all people to myself.” ³³ He said this to indicate the kind of death he was to die.

Questions for the Week

What are the most important activities that take place at this church each week?

How much of your living space is taken up by stuff that you rarely use?

How might God transform what you think of as your greatest humiliation into God’s greatest glory?

Devotional for March 18, 2012 – Pruning our programs

Written by Courtney McHill, United Methodist Pastor

Theme Background

In the season of Lent, we are looking at the benefits of pruning our lives to better eat, share and serve.

Bible Background

This crazy thing happens when churches are doing well and people start to attend.  We start to get really excited about programs.  In fact, we get so excited that we want to program all over the place.  In fact, we get passionate about creating programs instead of looking at the ministries that continue the mission.  The danger becomes that we spin off into programs all over instead of refocusing where we might follow.  This is where pruning comes back into play. In order to refocus our efforts we must look at how our programs fit into eating, sharing and serving.

There are some reasons why we look at refocusing our programming.  We may need to cut some things that do not fit into our mission because it takes away from the whole.  It is a good time to look at the entire picture.  What are those reasons?

First of all, if we do way to many things for our church we run the risk of not doing any of them well rather than focusing on a few and doing them they way they should be done.  Plus we run the risk of confusing creating fruit with the illusion of producing or busyness.  We are called to actually produce fruit not just look busy.

Over programming runs the risk of starting to look like a meal of just chocolate or a schedule of just extra curricular activities.  We start to ask, where is the protein? Am I really getting fed?

Over programming divides us rather than unites us.  All of sudden we are more concerned with dividing into ages, genders, etc.  God calls us to actually learn from one another and grow together. It is great to get together with those like us but there is something about learning from the other as well.

In all of this, the bottom line is to look towards what God is calling us to do.  Sometimes even if something is good, we need to evaluate whether or not we are called, as a church, to go to that area of interest.  Where are our efforts most useful and transforming and restorative in the world?  God loves the world.  Our gospel lesson reminds us of that.  Too often John 3:16 is shown to say look how much God loves the world and it is really telling us the way that God loves the world. God loves the world with concerted effort, focusing on transformation and life.  God has opened all sorts of new doors to us and it is our responsibility to choose wisely.  This may mean some difficult choices.  What do you think?

Quotes for the Week

“That’s been one of my mantras – focus and simplicity. Simple can be harder than complex: You have to work hard to get your thinking clean to make it simple. But it’s worth it in the end because once you get there, you can move mountains.” Steve Jobs

“It’s all very simple. But maybe because it’s so simple, it’s also hard.”  ― Natsuki Takaya

“Some changes look negative on the surface but you will soon realize that space is being created in your life for something new to emerge.” ― Eckhart Tolle

“In the game of life, we all receive a set of variables and limitations in the field of play. We can either focus on the lack thereof or empower ourselves to create better realities with the pieces we play the game with.”  ― T.F. Hodge, From Within I Rise: Spiritual Triumph Over Death and Conscious Encounters with “The Divine Presence”

Psalm 107:1‐3, 17‐22 (NRSV)                                                                                                                       O give thanks to the Lord, for he is good; for his steadfast love endures forever.                                       Let the redeemed of the Lord say so, those he redeemed from trouble and gathered in from the lands, from the east and from the west, from the north and from the south.                                          Some were sick through their sinful ways, and because of their iniquities endured affliction;   they loathed any kind of food, and they drew near to the gates of death.                                        Then they cried to the Lord in their trouble, and he saved them from their distress;                                   he sent out his word and healed them, and delivered them from destruction.                                          Let them thank the Lord for his steadfast love, for his wonderful works to humankind.                          And let them offer thanksgiving sacrifices, and tell of his deeds with songs of joy.

John 3:14‐17 (Message)                                                                                                                               In the same way that Moses lifted the serpent in the desert so people could have something to see and then believe, it is necessary for the Son of Man to be lifted up—and everyone who looks up to him, trusting and expectant, will gain a real life, eternal life.

This is how much God loved the world: He gave his Son, his one and only Son. And this is why: so that no one need be destroyed; by believing in him, anyone can have a whole and lasting life. God didn’t go to all the trouble of sending his Son merely to point an accusing finger, telling the world how bad it was. He came to help, to put the world right again.

Questions for the Week

What programs are we called to in the church?

In your own life, is there a way to refocus your energies?

What is essential in a church?

March 11 – Pruning Finances

Devotional for March 11 – Pruning to Focus Our Financial Resources

Written by Pastor Mark

Theme Background

In a conversation with my mother last week, out of the blue and apropos of nothing, she said: “Do you know how many times Jesus talks about money in the Gospels?  He’s constantly talking about money and possessions.  I sat in a pew in a Lutheran church for 70 years and almost never heard a sermon about money.  Why is that?”

The answer is pretty simple.  Pastors (contrary to what many people think) do not like to talk about money.  One pastor I talked to recently said he does not get in trouble for preaching about politics.  He gets in trouble for talking about economics.   His response is, “Well blame it on my boss, Jesus was always talking about this stuff!”

Jesus talks about money and possessions more than he does about heaven and hell combined.  If you were to add all of his comments about the distribution of wealth and our calling to care for the oppressed the ratio would be close to three or four to one.  Yet we avoid these topics in church, or relegate them to our stewardship drive in the fall.  Preaching about money is not going to make people happy.

Our church fiancés are very tight right now.  Even with the loss of one of our full-time employees we will finish the year $34,000 in the red.  Part of the reason is the economy.  People have lost jobs, or are facing other life changes that make it impossible to give.  Also, our faithful, long-term, traditional members keep going on to glory and that really hurts.  Newer members are starting to give, but the amounts are small.  On top of all that we have decided to give health care benefits to two of our staff.  Things are tight.

The Old Testament lesson today may surprise some people given our theme.  It shouldn’t.  The real issue is not financial it is spiritual—who, or what is our god?  Martin Luther said that your god is “Whatever your heart clings to—especially in times of trouble.”  I have shared before my TV free diet of the past four years.  I do this not because I find TV commercials silly, or irritating, on the contrary I find them to be amazingly powerful.  They somehow powerfully influence how I spend my money and where I center my heart.  I don’t want society or advertisers to do that.  So I’ve pruned commercial TV out of my life.

Robin and I are blessed financially.  But that doesn’t stop us (me) from making stupid decisions that place us in financial chaos.  I recently had to make the painful decision to terminate my ownership in Wednesday Wines.  That was difficult and painful for me, but Robin convinced me that it was necessary to prune it away.  Now I am on a no credit card diet.  I get a certain amount of cash out of each pay check, and that’s it.  I’m also saving every receipt so we can see where that money is going.   It is a great exercise, similar to keeping track of everything you eat when you are on a diet.

Our society is amazingly creative and powerful at influencing what we desire.  Lent is a time to refocus our priorities on what truly matters, on relationships with God and people.  It’s also a great time to go on a diet (No TV?  No credit cards?  No large purchases?)  Diets help to discipline us and center our lives on health instead of our usual unconscious over-consumption.

Quotes for the Week

“All over the place, from the popular culture to the propaganda system, there is constant pressure to make people feel that they are helpless, that the only role they can have is to ratify decisions and to consume.                                                   Noam Chomsky

This is the new national pastime. . . consumption, the only true, lasting American value that’s left . . . buying things . . . People spending money they don’t have on things they don’t need . . . So they can max out their credit cards and spend the rest of their lives paying 18 percent interest on something that cost $12.50. And they didn’t like it when they got it home anyway. Not too bright, folks. . .”                                                                 George Carlin

“Money is better than poverty, if only for financial reasons.”     Woody Allen

“What’s a soup kitchen?”     ParisHilton

 

“Anyone who lives within their means suffers from a lack of imagination.”                                                                                             Oscar Wilde

“A nickel ain’t worth a dime anymore.” – Yogi Berra

 

 

 

1^st Lesson Exodus 20:11-4 (NRSV)

Then God spoke all these words: ² I am the LORD your God, who brought you out of the land of Egypt, out of the house of slavery; ³ you shall have no other gods before me. ⁴ You shall not make for yourself an idol, whether in the form of anything that is in heaven above, or that is on the earth beneath, or that is in the water under the earth.

Gospel Lesson:  John 2:13-22  (NRSV)

The Passover of the Jews was near, and Jesus went up to Jerusalem. ¹⁴ In the temple he found people selling cattle, sheep, and doves, and the money changers seated at their tables. ¹⁵ Making a whip of cords, he drove all of them out of the temple, both the sheep and the cattle. He also poured out the coins of the money changers and overturned their tables. ¹⁶ He told those who were selling the doves, “Take these things out of here! Stop making my Father’s house a marketplace!” ¹⁷ His disciples remembered that it was written, “Zeal for your house will consume me.” ¹⁸ The Jews then said to him, “What sign can you show us for doing this?” ¹⁹ Jesus answered them, “Destroy this temple, and in three days I will raise it up.” ²⁰ The Jews then said, “This temple has been under construction for forty-six years, and will you raise it up in three days?” ²¹ But he was speaking of the temple of his body. ²² After he was raised from the dead, his disciples remembered that he had said this; and they believed the scripture and the word that Jesus had spoken.

Questions for the Week

Where does clutter acuminate in your home?  What might that clutter be telling you?

What might the benefits of a “cash only diet” be for you?

What do you consider most important in your life?  Does your spending reflect that priority?

Devotional for March 4, 2011 – Pruning back our daily lives so we can prepare to prune together

Written by Courtney McHill, United Methodist Pastor

Theme Background

In the season of Lent, we are looking at the benefits of pruning our lives to better eat, share and serve.

Bible Background

There is so much going on in our daily lives.  For some of us, we run from meeting to meeting while others are trying to keep up with the kiddos while others of us are going to work to just make ends meet.  On top of running from location to location, we add extras onto our schedules.  Somehow we need to fit in ways to be creative, ways to be meditative, ways to workout, ways to expand our musical horizons, and ways to update our facebook statuses.  Sometimes we even add in volunteer obligations, cupcakes for the classroom, and taking a pot of soup to a sick neighbor.  In addition, we text, email, twitter, and must communicate at least eight different ways to meet up with someone it seems.  And what about the movie that we really wanted to see or the TV show to catch up on or else we will be behind?

While we try to make sure that we are more connected and well-rounded we can get caught up in isolation as well.  Not that it is bad to get connected or bad to do things that we love but the tendency is to get so caught up in everything that we are actually too involved to the point of not actually being in community.

During this season, we are pruning.  This may also mean that we need to look at our daily lives in our pruning away in order to refocus our energies.  Sometimes our daily tasks keep us from really finding out what we are passionate about, what feeds us and where we see God.

In our lesson from Genesis, God makes a covenant with Abraham to be with him always.  Not only that but God makes a covenant with Sarah.  God values both of these humans for being faithful to God, for refocusing their energies to where God is calling them but beyond that God promises to be in community with them.  In order for pruning to be successful we need to be with others along the journey.  God promises them and us that we will not be alone.

We will be in community with one another as we travel together, live together, share and serve together. By taking a moment to refocus, we may just look up to see that others are doing the same thing.  We are not alone in this crazy chaotic life.  There are others struggling with work, activities, raising children, struggling with what to do in retirement, running from place to place, trying to live healthier lives, dealing with the corporate world or loss of job security.  But how will we know this promise if we don’t take away what keeps us so busy to notice?

Quotes for the Week

Everyday I meet folks who show me how to look at challenges differently. -Daryn Kagan

When I stand before God at the end of my life, I would hope that I would not have a single bit of talent left, and could say, “I used everything you gave me.” – Erma Bombeck

Instead of focusing on how much you can accomplish, focus on how much you can absolutely love what you’re doing. ― Leo Babauta

An authentic life is the most personal form of worship. Everyday life has become my prayer.        – Sarah Ban Breathnach

Do something for somebody everyday for which you do not get paid. -Albert Schweitzer

Lack of direction, not lack of time, is the problem. We all have twenty-four hour days.              ― Zig Ziglar

Simplicity is ultimately a matter of focus.  ― Ann Voskamp, One Thousand Gifts: A Dare to Live Fully Right Where You Are

Genesis 17:1-7, 15-16 (NRSV)

When Abram was ninety-nine years old, the Lord appeared to Abram, and said to him, “I am God Almighty; walk before me, and be blameless. And I will make my covenant between me and you, and will make you exceedingly numerous.” Then Abram fell on his face; and God said to him,

“As for me, this is my covenant with you: You shall be the ancestor of a multitude of nations. No longer shall your name be Abram, but your name shall be Abraham; for I have made you the ancestor of a multitude of nations. I will make you exceedingly fruitful; and I will make nations of you, and kings shall come from you. I will establish my covenant between me and you, and your offspring after you throughout their generations, for an everlasting covenant, to be God to you and to your offspring after you.”

God said to Abraham, “As for Sarai your wife, you shall not call her Sarai, but Sarah shall be her name. I will bless her, and moreover I will give you a son by her. I will bless her, and she shall give rise to nations; kings of peoples shall come from her.”

 

 

 

 

Mark 8:31-35 (NRSV)

Then he began to teach them that the Son of Man must undergo great suffering, and be rejected by the elders, the chief priests, and the scribes, and be killed, and after three days rise again. He said all this quite openly. And Peter took him aside and began to rebuke him. But turning and looking at his disciples, he rebuked Peter and said, ‘Get behind me, Satan! For you are setting your mind not on divine things but on human things.’  He called the crowd with his disciples, and said to them, ‘If any want to become my followers, let them deny themselves and take up their cross and follow me. For those who want to save their life will lose it, and those who lose their life for my sake, and for the sake of the gospel,^* will save it.

Questions for the Week

In your daily life, what gets in the way of refocusing energy?

Is it easier to prune with others or is it more work?

What needs pruning in your daily life?